Monster Evolution

Observing the strength and speed of his strikes, Simon was confident that Long could easily handle the two water rat beasts. As Long vanquished the creatures, he absorbed their spirit sources, feeling waves of heat envelop his chest, accelerating the healing of his broken bones.

"It's a pity there aren't higher-level monsters here; otherwise, I would heal even faster," Long remarked with a tinge of regret.

Simon suggested, "Shall we throw some bodies down to lure more monsters?"

Startled, Long quickly shook his head. "No, that's enough for tonight. My injuries are manageable now. With the spirit sources I've absorbed, a night's rest should see my bones mended. I think we all need to rest."

Simon nodded, though slightly dissatisfied. He yearned to advance to a level 4 spirit source user and catch up to Long. However, he understood Long's reasoning. The continuous battles tonight had taken a toll, both mentally and physically. The recent fight with the tyrant crab had particularly strained his heart. Despite his incredible strength, he found it challenging to maintain prolonged combat.

As they moved along the corridor, they saw a few corpse beasts and a water rat beast tearing at each other. Occasional growls and clashes echoed from the floors below, indicating the presence of more scattered monsters.

Not all monsters targeted the three of them; these spirit source beasts also fought amongst themselves, devouring each other. Like Simon and his companions, these creatures too could evolve.

Walking down the hallway, the beasts at the end stopped fighting and turned their attention towards the trio. Ignoring the approaching beasts, Long opened a security door and entered.

The water rat beast, the fastest among them, lunged at Simon from the doorway, standing upright and baring its teeth. Simon swung his iron rod with precision, instantly smashing the beast's head and killing it on the spot.

Throughout the night's relentless battles, Simon had faced numerous dangers, yet each encounter had honed his combat skills. His attacks had become increasingly accurate. As he struck the water rat beast dead center on its forehead, he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction, silently exclaiming, "Perfect."

A message echoed in his mind.

"Level 3 Spirit Source User: Spirit Source 9/30."

After slaying the water rat beast, the approaching low-level corpse beasts hesitated, seemingly displaying signs of rudimentary intelligence.

"It appears these low-level corpse beasts have developed a basic level of intellect," Simon murmured to himself. He surmised that these creatures were wary, so he raised his iron rod, adopting a threatening stance. As expected, the corpse beasts retreated, turning away without attacking.

Lowering the rod, Simon exhaled softly, then entered the house with Lily and shut the door behind them. Long had already discarded his blood-stained outerwear and was lying flat on the bed. Although he had absorbed several spirit sources, his broken bones were a serious matter. Particularly now, during the healing phase, he dared not move carelessly to avoid misalignment.

Simon listened intently, occasionally catching the sounds of spirit beasts clashing or growling from downstairs.

"Don't worry about it," Long said, breathing heavily from the bed. "The remaining stray monsters will soon wander off. The doors and windows here are sealed. If any creature manages to break through, we'll be alerted. For now, just focus on resting, but keep your weapons close at hand for immediate action."

His steel shovel was propped beside the bed.

Simon acknowledged the wisdom in Long's words. Their bed was placed in the living room, which had no windows. The door was reinforced, unlikely to be breached. The doors leading to other rooms with windows were locked. Thus, any monster would need to break the outer windows and then the door to the living room before reaching them. By that time, they would be awake and ready to fight.

Placing the iron rod beside the bed, Simon changed out of his blood-soaked clothes and collapsed onto the bed, finally feeling the exhaustion in his body despite his mental alertness.

"Only after lying down do I realize how exhausting tonight has been," Simon remarked. "Even absorbing spirit sources can't alleviate this fatigue."

Long sighed, "Indeed, the monsters are becoming stronger and more numerous. Last night, I also discarded a similar number of corpses, but the creatures that appeared were nowhere near as terrifying or abundant as tonight. Without you, I would have perished here."

"Also, we owe thanks to the girl," Long said, glancing at Lily. Her quick actions had saved him from the crab's lethal attack, and her contribution was significant.

Simon nodded, "Yes, Lily's reflexes were quite sharp. I thought we wouldn't make it in time."

Lily blushed, shaking her head in modesty, clearly embarrassed by the praise.

"It seems these spirit beasts are also evolving. Brother Long, given this situation, do you think the spirit beasts appearing tomorrow night will be even more formidable?"

Long's tone grew heavy, "That's exactly what I'm worried about. These creatures are evolving too quickly. If more powerful beasts appear tomorrow night, can the three of us hold them off?"

Simon pondered this issue. Despite his immense strength, he wasn't invincible. It had taken a prolonged battle to slay a single crab beast. If two such beasts or something even stronger appeared simultaneously, he would struggle to cope.

Failure to fend them off meant certain death, a grim reality they were all facing.

After some thought, Simon suggested, "What if we don't throw the corpses into the water? Would that improve our situation?"

Long sighed again, "Not discarding the bodies would be even more troublesome. The monsters would appear randomly, and we'd likely be restless all night, constantly on edge. Disposing of the bodies concentrates their appearance within a specific timeframe."

Simon understood this all too well. In the previous two days, when he hadn't thrown any bodies into the water, the monsters appeared at irregular intervals, unlike tonight when their appearances were more predictable and concentrated.