The city was a death trap, so Luis and Zyx fled to the forest—where the monsters were weaker, the Hosts were fewer, and the grind was real.
The Forest of Low-Level Horrors
Moonlight barely pierced the thick canopy as Luis stepped over gnarled roots, his wrench gripped tight. Around them, the woods breathed with unseen threats.
Rustfang Hares (Lv. 1-2) – Rabbit-sized terrors with jagged iron teeth.
Bramble Crawlers (Lv. 3) – Spider-like ambushers that shot paralyzing thorns.
Shade Stalkers (Lv. 4-5) – Wolf-shaped shadows that bled darkness.
"Remember," Zyx whispered, "you're not here to fight fair. You're here to farm."
Luis's first swing missed entirely. The Rustfang Hare lunged—
CRACK.
His second swing connected, caving in its skull. Black mist coiled from its corpse as 5 Soul Essence (+10exp) absorbed into his hands.
"Pathetic," Zyx sighed.
The Soul Grind
Four hours. Three near-death encounters. One very pissed-off Luis.
By dawn, he'd killed:
22 Rustfang Hares (5 Souls each)
7 Bramble Crawlers (15 Souls each)
3 Shade Stalkers (25 Souls each)
[TOTAL SOUL ESSENCE: 300]
Luis collapsed against a mossy rock, nursing a thorn-punctured thigh. "I need… a better weapon."
The Crafting Revelation
Back in his apartment, Luis activated Divine Blueprint. The holographic menu shimmered:
[AVAILABLE CRAFTS]
Scrap Hammer (2000 Souls)
*+10% swing mobility
*+5% movement speed
2% stun chance
Rustplate Vest (2500 Souls)
Crude Healing Salve (1500 Souls)
Luis's eyes locked onto the hammer. "That's it. That's what I need."
Zyx floated closer, squinting at the stats. "A 2% stun chance? Wow. Truly legendary."
"It's better than this damn wrench!" Luis snapped. "And the movement speed means I can actually dodge next time."
Zyx rolled his eyes. "You'd need to kill, what, 40 more Shade Stalkers to afford that?"
Luis groaned. "There's gotta be a faster way."
Zyx's grin turned sharp. "There is. But you won't like it."
Outside, something screeched. The global counter ticked down again.
[SURVIVING HOSTS: 995,712]