The Peering Rune

The enormous eye, nearly cleaved in two by Simon's cleaver, oozed a mixture of black and white fluids. Astonishingly, it began to wither and shrink at a visible rate, reducing to the size of a marble in mere moments. With a sudden whoosh, it shot out of its socket and flew straight toward Simon.

Caught off guard, Simon was taken aback—he had never encountered anything like this before. The diminutive eye sped toward him with such velocity that he couldn't evade it in time. He felt a sharp pain between his brows, as though pricked by a needle.

Instinctively, he reached up to touch the spot but found nothing there.

"What's happening? Could this eye also be a spirit source? It seems different though..."

As he pondered, a series of new messages surged into his mind.

"You have acquired the fragmentary 'Peering Rune.'"

"Ability: Allows the user to peer into spirit beasts, obtaining basic information about them."

"The fragmentary 'Peering Rune' can evolve, eventually forming the 'Third Eye.'"

"The 'Third Eye' possesses mysterious abilities…"

Just as Simon was wondering what mysterious abilities the 'Third Eye' might have, the information abruptly vanished.

He reached out and gently touched his brow, digesting the flood of new information with a mix of astonishment, surprise, and mostly joy. He had never expected that killing the fearsome giant frog would not only yield two spirit sources but also bestow upon him the mysterious "Peering Rune."

"Although it's a fragmentary 'Peering Rune,' according to the information, it can be used to discern details about spirit beasts. Spirit beasts… that must be what this creature is."

As Simon pondered, he willed the "Peering Rune" into activation. Instantly, several red lines appeared between his brows, forming a faint, vertical eye-like pattern, resembling a subtle eye-shaped tattoo.

With the "Peering Rune" activated, Simon gazed at the massive corpse of the giant frog, and new information surfaced in his mind.

"Monoculus Frog, an elite among first-level spirit beasts, preys on low-level corpse beasts, inherently violent, relentless in pursuing its chosen prey to the death. Can evolve into a higher-level Monoculus Frog King. Killing a Monoculus Frog has a chance of granting the special skill 'Peering Rune.'"

As Simon absorbed this information, the eye-like pattern between his brows gradually faded away.

"Interesting, so this creature is called a Monoculus Frog. No wonder it's considered an elite among first-level spirit beasts. In terms of sheer strength, it surpasses me. Fortunately, its intelligence is lacking."

Simon heaved the carcass of the Monoculus Frog, which had been wedged in the bathroom, and dragged it into the living room, dropping it on the floor. Gazing at the gutted and ravaged body of the frog, he still felt a lingering fear.

The Monoculus Frog's power was undoubtedly greater than his own. Killing it was partly due to luck and partly due to the advantageous confines of the bathroom. In an open space, he doubted even two of him could have managed.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Simon retrieved the hammer he had left by the balcony. He approached the security door, peering through the peephole to see the corridor still cluttered with corpses.

After a moment's consideration, Simon opened the security door and, focusing on the corpses, activated the "Peering Rune." The vertical eye-like pattern reappeared on his brow.

Initially, he had intended to just test it out, but new information began to flood his mind, detailing the corpses before him.

"Corpse Beast, the lowest level of infected spirit beast. Through mutual devouring, there is a chance of evolving into a higher-level Corpse Beast. Other information: none."

"These deceased humans have all been infected, turning into Corpse Beasts. It appears they can indeed evolve."

Simon mused for a moment, recalling how this pile of corpses had attracted the Monoculus Frog. Leaving them here was undoubtedly unsafe—who knew what other terrifying creatures they might lure.

"If it only attracts lower-level Corpse Beasts, that would be manageable; I could kill a few more to gain spirit sources. But if another creature like the Monoculus Frog appears, it would be troublesome."

Though he had successfully killed one, luck had played a part. If another one showed up, the outcome would be uncertain, and he wasn't willing to take that risk.

Initially, Simon considered dumping the corpses into the water outside the corridor. However, he realized that doing so might attract even more danger.

After careful deliberation, he decided to haul the corpses to the rooftop. This way, even if they attracted monsters, they would be drawn to the rooftop, which seemed safer than leaving the bodies in the corridor or the water.

With his newfound strength, Simon now had the power of at least five hundred pounds in each arm, making it easy for him to carry the bodies. He could effortlessly lift two corpses at a time.

Simon swiftly moved all the corpses to the rooftop and piled them up. By now, the sky had darkened, and night had fallen.

Simon gazed into the distance at another nearby thirty-story building, most of which was submerged, leaving only the rooftop exposed above the water, about forty to fifty meters away from where he stood. Occasionally, he would glance over, yet he saw no signs of activity there.

"Regardless, I must go and see. Even if I don't find any survivors, there might be food to be found," Simon thought to himself.

With the sky completely darkened, the night brought increased danger to the environment. Simon couldn't afford to delay any longer. He quickly descended the stairs, closed his own door behind him, and looked back at the Monoculus Frog's corpse left in the living room.

Initially, he had intended to move the corpse to the rooftop as well. However, he hesitated, reluctant to do so because of the high likelihood that the large number of corpses on the rooftop would attract monsters.

While Simon dared not consume the corpses of the infected humans turned Corpse Beasts, he viewed the Monoculus Frog differently. In his eyes, it was a heap of edible meat waiting to be harvested.

Simon, now facing a shortage of food, contemplated the Monoculus Frog's ample meat. Perhaps it could be consumed. "For now, I shall leave it here," he decided.

It was mid-October, and despite temperatures averaging around twenty degrees Celsius during the day and dropping to ten degrees at night, peculiar rules in this world or the nature of these beasts seemed to slow down decay significantly. When Simon moved the Corpse Beast corpses earlier, he hadn't detected any odor of putrefaction or signs of imminent decay, unlike what one would expect in such weather with ordinary biological remains.

Given these observations, it seemed unlikely that the Monoculus Frog's corpse would deteriorate soon. It might be preserved for some time.

With no electricity, darkness had completely enveloped the living room. Simon, holding his cleaver, had initially entertained the idea of dismembering the Monoculus Frog's corpse to extract its meat. However, the darkness was too overwhelming, prompting Simon to abandon the notion for now.