Chapter 119: The Fusion-Type Prefix Title - The Terror of Little Black
Thankfully, the distance was far enough. Faced with a group of humanoid domain creatures in pursuit, Feng Qi sprinted with all his might, ultimately leaping into the abyss-like pit.
Using his mind power to cushion the descent, he landed lightly and quickly crouched near the pit's edge, cautiously peering upward.
After waiting for a few moments, the group of bone-mask-wearing humanoid domain creatures did not appear at the pit's edge.
Realizing he was safe for now, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Choosing to fight at this moment would have been no different from throwing his life away. Fleeing was his only chance for survival.
When it was time to fight, he never hesitated. But in the face of certain death, he knew when to back down.
This was the first rule of survival in the harsh environment of the future dream realm.
Looking back, he remembered the times when Little Black appeared, and he had never considered retreating or escaping back then.
Whenever Little Black showed up, it always ended in a reckless charge and inevitable death.
But after all these experiences, he'd begun to value his life more.
Life was truly precious.
[Ah, this must be a necessary part of growing up for every man—learning from repeated failures and pain to recognize one's limitations, and understanding the principle of 'flexibility over rigidity.' But honestly, it all boils down to two words… weakness. If you were strong enough, forget running—there'd be nothing your iron fists couldn't smash!]
Feng Qi: …
He had been nodding along, finding the narrator's words to be quite insightful, at least initially.
But when he heard the latter half, he realized it was just a thinly veiled insult, mocking his lack of strength.
After confirming his safety, he summoned his status panel.
The recent kill had granted him a rather peculiar ability.
[Attributes for Feng Qi - The Very Strong Zombie]
Strength Level: Black Iron, Mid-tier
Mental Strength: Weak
Prefix Titles:
Very Strong: Increases body strength by 30%, significantly enhances self-healing abilities.
Resilience (Level 5): Enhances muscle resilience by 5%.
Nightmare: (Non-upgradable prefix title).
Blood Source: (Non-upgradable prefix title).
Malice: (Affected by mental strength).
Steel Fang: (Evolvable prefix title).
Fusion-Type Prefix Title [Crescent Curse Mark - 1/6]: With the Crescent Curse Mark active, physical strength, mental strength, reflexes, and other abilities are enhanced. Upon completing the fusion, a new set of curse-mark abilities will be unlocked.
Bloodline: Human (Primary).
Bloodline Evolution Points: 546/1000.
Milestones for Prefix Titles:
Very Strong (Upgradeable): Progress toward third milestone: 23%.
Resilience (Level 5) (Upgradeable): Progress: 25%.
After reviewing the panel, Feng Qi was puzzled.
"Narrator, why doesn't this new ability come with a proper prefix title? And what does a fusion-type prefix title even mean?"
The narrator paused for a moment before explaining:
[It's likely due to how your ability works. You strip away domain creatures' latent talents. If a creature possesses multiple talents, you absorb the strongest one. In this case, the talent must have been a latent, inherited one.]
[This means the creature you killed likely carried a dormant but powerful bloodline talent—something inherited from an ancestor but diluted over generations. Your unique ability managed to extract it.]
Hearing this, Feng Qi began to understand.
"So, this talent requires completion before it can become a proper prefix title?"
[You've already gained partial benefits in terms of enhanced physical attributes, but for it to manifest fully as a prefix title, you'll need to complete the fusion process.]
"Can I complete it by hunting more bone-mask creatures?"
[It's worth a try. If others of its kind carry similar latent bloodline talents, you could potentially complete the fusion by hunting them down.]
"Got it. When I'm strong enough, I'll wipe out their entire species."
[Good plan!]
Feng Qi felt no guilt toward these creatures.
They had destroyed and claimed his home, slaughtered his people, and toppled human civilization.
Looking back through history, the fight against domain invasions was a saga drenched in blood and tears.
To show mercy toward such enemies would be the height of stupidity.
In the real world, there were people who admired the domain creatures' power. Observing them had even inspired many of humanity's most advanced combat techniques and spells.
But these same individuals hated the domain invasions and stood firmly on the frontlines of resistance.
Old Wang had once explained this in history class.
He had drawn a parallel to pre-disaster times, where some people were avid fans of a certain island nation's anime and games. Yet, when it came to defending national sovereignty and dignity, they stood resolutely with their country.
The same principle applied here.
When it came to humanity's survival against domain creatures, there was no room for personal sentiment to override collective interests.
This was about the continuation of human civilization itself.
Feng Qi felt no remorse about killing domain creatures.
If he had the strength, he would kill them all without hesitation.
As he contemplated this, he glanced at the time and noticed something odd—Little Black hadn't shown up yet.
Given how many spirit plants Suction Cup had consumed along the way, it was strange that Little Black hadn't already caught up.
[There's another possibility. After defeating Suction Cup, Little Black might have encountered other domain creatures on its way. You know how it is—mindless domain creatures seem to have an inherent hostility toward Little Black and always attack it on sight. It's possible Little Black is locked in combat right now.]
"Let's hope so. Any additional delay it can provide would be great."
[Now that your Blood Source ability has expired, what's your plan?]
Feng Qi was silent for a moment before responding, "Where's the nearest energy node? How long would it take to get there?"
[The energy node is too far away. With your current strength and speed, you'll never make it. I suggest sticking to the plains and hunting more domain creatures.]
"Without Blood Source, I doubt I can handle any domain creatures. At best, I might be able to bully some derivative species."
[At least you're self-aware. But don't be so quick to dismiss the idea. Some domain creatures have very specific abilities. Take Nightmare, for instance—it's terrifying for most creatures but completely harmless to you. Maybe you could focus on finding something similar.]
"Good point. Let's move!"
Feng Qi's partially recovered mental power enveloped his body, lifting him into the air. Moments later, his feet touched the ground as he returned to the plains.
Above him hung a massive blood-red moon, casting its eerie light over the landscape. The white flowers covering the plains swayed gently in the wind, creating a rustling sound like waves on a shore.
Yet, for Feng Qi, there was no beauty to be found here.
Wasting no time, he began heading east along the edge of the pit.
"Narrator, keep an eye out. Ideally, find me something as practical as Nightmare's ability!"
[Do you know the one creature in this world that would selflessly help you without expecting anything in return?]
"Shut up. I don't want to hear it."
[No, you already know the answer deep down.]
Feng Qi gave the mental equivalent of a middle finger in response.
Just as he was about to retort, something in the sky caught his attention.
A massive, grotesque sky beast was flying toward him, its enormous wings stirring the air with each beat, sending waves of wind crashing down. Its dark green eyes gleamed ominously, and its scales shimmered under the blood moon, refracting dazzling colors.
The oppressive presence of the beast made Feng Qi's expression turn grim.
It looked exactly like the sky beast he had encountered before.
The beast soared overhead, radiating an aura of dominance as if it were the undisputed ruler of the skies. It paid no attention to Feng Qi, who appeared insignificant beneath it.
As the beast flew past, it suddenly turned its head westward and let out a thunderous roar.
The ground trembled, and the deafening sound left Feng Qi's ears ringing.
[Little Black is here!]
Hearing the narrator's words, Feng Qi immediately turned to look westward.
Sure enough, Little Black was floating toward him from the distance, just as the narrator had said.
Feng Qi briefly considered asking the narrator to cue up a farewell song but quickly noticed something unusual. The sky beast was fixated on Little Black.
His heart leaped with excitement.
If the sky beast decided to attack Little Black, this might be the moment Little Black finally met its match.
Just as he had hoped, the sky beast let out another roar and charged toward Little Black.
As it approached, the beast opened its massive jaws, drawing in spiritual energy from the surrounding air to form a compressed blue energy sphere. It launched the sphere at Little Black with a thunderous boom.
The energy sphere had yet to make contact when its sheer force sent powerful gusts sweeping across the plains. White flowers were ripped from the ground, and nearby domain creatures were hurled into the air.
Watching this unfold, Feng Qi couldn't help but grin.
He was ready to see Little Black obliterated by this attack.
But what happened next froze his smile in place.
As the energy sphere hurtled toward Little Black, its form dissolved into a mist, and the black mist particles swarmed the sphere, rapidly consuming it.
Within moments, the massive energy sphere had vanished entirely.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
[No surprise there. Even my detection abilities can't fully analyze Little Black. Its energy absorption rate is insane.]
The narrator's remark only added to Feng Qi's disbelief.
What happened next left both Feng Qi and the narrator shouting in unison, "What the hell?!"
The black mist reformed into Little Black's shape. Then, Little Black opened its mouth, and the energy it had absorbed coalesced into a brilliant blue beam, which it fired at the sky beast.
The beam struck the beast with a deafening roar, sending it tumbling through the air before it managed to stabilize itself.
Hovering in the air, the massive sky beast stared at Little Black for a moment before abruptly turning and fleeing at full speed.
"Coward!"
Watching the sky beast retreat, Feng Qi couldn't hide his disappointment and cursed aloud.
The brief clash between the sky beast and Little Black had given him a clearer understanding of Little Black's terrifying strength.
As the sky beast disappeared over the horizon, Little Black, now without a target, turned its gaze toward Feng Qi.
"What are you looking at? Bring it on!"
From a distance, Feng Qi raised his middle finger at Little Black, assuming the starting stance of his Tiger Fist.
Even in the face of certain death, his fighting spirit refused to falter.