C28 Under the Fateful Encounter

After about a ten-minute walk, Lin Yuan began to hear the faint sound of dogs barking in the distance. He knew he was nearing the lair of the dog-headed people.

Quickening his pace, Lin Yuan peered through the trees and spotted what looked like a leisure farm straight out of Earth. These dog-headed people certainly had a knack for picking locations. The farm, with its sturdy brick structures and fully equipped facilities, was a far cry from their crude mud and thatch huts—a much more comfortable abode.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the farm exuded a tranquil atmosphere, with wisps of cooking smoke curling into the air. But one couldn't look too closely; the sight of limbs hanging out to dry would instantly transform the idyllic scene into something out of a horror story.

A throng of dog-headed people had assembled in the farm's clearing, numbering well into the hundreds. Their collective barking created an overwhelming cacophony. Lin Yuan realized that he had stumbled upon the tribe's hunting party.

With a furrowed brow, Lin Yuan assessed the situation. The numbers were overwhelming; a direct assault was out of the question. Stealth would be the smarter approach.

He made a wide detour through the woods, stashed his gear, and found a spot near the treeline. Scaling the fence, he slipped quietly into the farm.

After a cautious inspection of a nearby house, which was empty of dog-headed people, Lin Yuan continued along the edge of the wall.

Something felt off as he moved forward—the barking had ceased, replaced by a suspicious rustling all around.

With a swift acrobatic flip, Lin Yuan landed on the rooftop for a better view and his heart sank. He was surrounded—again! The dog-headed people had formed a dense ring around the house, with at least five or six hundred in their ranks.

On the outskirts of the circle, Lin Yuan spotted a few smaller dog-headed figures in pilfered floral dresses, brandishing daggers and baring their teeth at him. This was a full tribal mobilization.

How had he been detected?

Observing the multitude of twitching snouts, the answer was clear: the keen canine sense of smell had given him away.

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"

A volley of spears darkened the sky above him. With a guttural cry, Lin Yuan leaped from the roof and plunged into the fray of Kobolds.

There was no other option. Surrounded on all sides by dog-headed people, it made no difference where he chose to fight.

"Victory is ours!"

With a swift motion, Lin Yuan's ax-edged spear carved a large circle, and the ground was quickly littered with severed limbs. But the Kobolds didn't retreat as before; instead, they surged forward in a frenzy. Lin Yuan had neither the time nor the space to wield his weapon again.

With a single thrust, he took down two Kobolds, but he himself was struck seven or eight times, his body making a thumping noise as it was hacked at. This was the downside of being outnumbered—a fierce tiger can't stand against a pack of wolves.

"Attack!"

Lin Yuan leaped up with force, the ax-edged spear raised high before he brought it down on the swarm of Kobolds, cleaving three of them into six halves. Yet more of them swarmed in, leaving him no ground to stand on.

This wouldn't do—if it went on like this, he'd be crushed to death!

Crushing the skull of a Kobold underfoot, Lin Yuan soared into the air and unleashed his Charge skill towards the outskirts of the encirclement. His body trailed a ghostly afterimage as he reached the side of a little Kobold in a red dress, but he found himself unable to bring his ax-edged spear down on her.

With her fluffy fur and big, watery eyes, the little Kobold looked irresistibly adorable.

"Awoo!"

The wolf howl came from Lin Yuan. The adorable little Kobold crouched down and slashed at Lin Yuan's feet.

"Son of a—!"

With a kick, Lin Yuan sent her flying and swung his ax-edged spear in a furious onslaught against the encircling Kobolds. Before they could close in, he let out a howl and dashed into the forest.

Another hit to his backside had nearly cleaved off half his buttocks, and the pain was excruciating with every step he took.

Once inside the forest, the tables turned. The dense woods were Lin Yuan's domain!

The Kobolds' numbers no longer gave them the upper hand. Without a match for Lin Yuan's prowess, they were swiftly slain by the dozens.

The once valiant Kobolds of the farmstead lost their nerve, howling as they fled the woods.

"Race: Human; Level: Bronze Fourth Rank."

"Devouring increases basic attributes by one point."

Lin Yuan, feeling a touch of melancholy, gently prodded his healing wound. He was relieved he had leveled up—otherwise, his bodily functions might have needed a new route.

In the depths of the forest, Lin Yuan found his pack and promptly ripped off the useless armor clinging to him in shreds. The imitation gear had lost all effectiveness, its protective capabilities inferior to his own skin.

While tearing away his ragged clothing, Lin Yuan mulled over the idea of seeking out the corpse he'd discovered in his past life. The art of forging was a skill he needed to master; it would allow him to create useful items for himself.

Stripped down, Lin Yuan retrieved a large stainless steel canister from his pack and meticulously cleaned himself with the pre-boiled water it contained. Without hospitals to rely on anymore, personal hygiene was a matter of utmost importance.

Once the blood was washed from his skin, Lin Yuan carefully applied a white medicinal powder to the deep wound on his buttocks. A poor healing job there could lead to serious complications.

The rest of his injuries were of little concern. As a Bronze Rank Superpowered, his regenerative abilities were formidable. He recalled tales from his previous life of Silver Superpowered individuals whose healing was near-miraculous, capable of mending broken limbs within days.

The Gold Rank, however, was the stuff of legends. Rumor had it they could regenerate from mere scraps of flesh. Lin Yuan had once dismissed such stories as fanciful drivel—if a sliver of flesh was all it took, no Gold Rank being would ever truly perish. They'd simply leave behind a piece of themselves and rise again.

Upon inspecting his backpack, Lin Yuan found only a single pair of underwear remaining. His outer garments were all gone.

He slipped into the underwear and gazed at the wizard's robe in his hands, marveling at his own foresight. Without this robe, he'd be left to battle monsters in a state of undress.

Dressed and with his pack slung over his shoulder, Lin Yuan pondered the inaccuracies in his previous assumptions about acquiring basic attributes. Despite the high body count, he had indeed gained two basic attributes from the wolf-headed creatures. The pattern of acquisition clearly required further analysis.

Advancing from Fourth to Fifth Rank meant Lin Yuan had to slay at least eighty Bronze Zero Rank Coyotes. Frankly, the wolf-headed tribe's territory was the prime spot for leveling up.

Yet, as Lin Yuan glanced back at his three-petaled posterior, he couldn't suppress a wry smile and decided against it. The reasons were twofold: the sheer number of them, now vigilant, and the lingering psychological scar from a previous wound. Without top-notch protection, he was adamant about not stirring up trouble with hordes of creatures for the time being.

He pressed on along the base of the mountain, scouring the forest. Along the way, he dispatched seven or eight coyotes. The count was modest, but it was certainly better than coming up empty-handed.

As the dense foliage started to give way, Lin Yuan took stock of the passing days, gaining clarity. Over twenty days had elapsed since the initial collision and fusion. The time for the second fusion was drawing near.