An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 15: A Brand New Restriction - Energy-Absorbing Armor!
A brand new attribute panel appeared before Chu Xiu's eyes.

【Shadow Wind Blade】

[Proficiency: Beginner (5/200)]

[Release Cost: 0.8-3.6 (increases with charging time)]

[Charge time: 1s-2.2s]

Power: 1.8–5.0 (decreases with distance)

Speed: 25m/s—38m/s (decays over time)

[Maximum distance: 28m-70m]

[Cooling time: None]

Looking at the newly upgraded Yin Wind Blade, Chu Xiu's eyes revealed a look of surprise.

The upgraded Yin Wind Blade has improved in all attributes! Although the increase is not huge, the overall effect has greatly boosted the skill's combat effectiveness!

After reaching maximum energy storage, its power even reaches an astonishing 5.0!

Although Chu Xiu didn't know what this meant, the previous power of only 1.5 had already left a deep impression on him.

With a power of 5.0, if used in a close-range sneak attack, it could probably cut that ghoul in two!
"We have offensive capabilities; now it's time to focus on defense!"

Chu Xiu looked at the corpse of the ghoul beside him.

He first tried to separate the eyes of the ghouls, hoping to see if he could use them to cultivate the Netherworld Eye.

To his surprise, he didn't even need to lift a finger; the moment he had the thought, his perfectly refined talent activated automatically, followed by a notification sound.

[Demonic Eye Cultivation Progress +4, Current Progress: 4/100]

"As expected of an SSS-level talent," Chu Xiu thought to himself.

"This way, cultivating the Netherworld Eye won't require wasting karma points. I just need to kill about twenty more corpse demons."

This number seems far off, but Chu Xiu is confident that as his strength increases, the subsequent hunting operations will become increasingly successful.

Knowing what was going on, Chu Xiu activated the Bone Forging Technique, fusing the remaining parts of the corpse into the Bone Armor.

The powerful life force within the ghoul's body caused the bone armor to undergo a rapid increase in its enhancement rate, as if it had taken a potent tonic!
The crack in my left shoulder healed at a visible speed and became smoother and stronger!

Once the corpse of the ghoul had completely disappeared, the bone armor had undergone a complete transformation!

Its structure is more intricate, filled with protruding spikes, like a demon forged from bones!
The protection level has reached 3.4, the quality has been upgraded to [Excellent], and more importantly, the first layer of restrictions has finally been unlocked!
Three options appeared before Chu Xiu.

[Active] Your armor is as if it has come to life, it can spontaneously move short distances to protect its owner, and it can heal the damage it takes over time.

[Wind Control] Your armor will be significantly lighter and will automatically trigger a wind blade counterattack when attacked (Power: 0.4).

[Energy Absorption] Your armor can absorb some of the energy when attacked, greatly reducing the impact damage to you.

"hiss--"

Looking at the options before him, Chu Xiu stroked his chin.

I want them all!

Any one of these three restrictions is very useful!

But one shouldn't be so greedy.

After thinking for a moment, he first ruled out [activity].

The armor's current protective area is sufficient; unless dealing with enemies with exceptionally high precision attack capabilities, this restriction won't be of much use.

After much deliberation, Chu Xiu finally chose [Energy Absorption] from the remaining two options.

With his current physique, the 20kg armor, though heavy, wouldn't have much of an impact, especially in a battle like fighting a ghoul that could be ended in a short time.

As for the counter-attack wind blades, their power is too low. They might have some effect on people, but against monsters, they're just scratching the surface!

However, [Energy Absorption] is a good way to deal with the ghoul's monstrous strength. He didn't want to be slapped to pieces by a ghoul like before! After making his choice, mysterious inscriptions began to appear on the bone armor, giving it an ancient and rustic feel.

Chu Xiu huddled inside, feeling as if he had transformed into an invincible heavily armored warrior, impervious to swords and spears, and even blunt weapons could not restrain him.

"If I went to ancient times now, I'd be an invincible warrior who would kill anyone who stood in my way!"

This bone armor gave him an unprecedented sense of security.

"But that's not enough!"

"Keep killing monsters and leveling up!"

Chu Xiu made up his mind and walked out of the room.

Yunlu and the other two waited next door.

Following their original plan, the four of them made their way up to the thirteenth floor and arrived at a brand new ambush point.

By the time the setup was complete, it was already noon.

Their stomachs growled simultaneously, and to make matters worse, everyone's mouths were dry and their lips were cracked.

"Brother Chu, do you have any more mushrooms?" Li Shan licked his lips. "Yunlu just shared some with us, but it's not enough at all."

"Don't worry, I won't take it for free. I'll just take it from my share. How about 10 mushrooms for 1 point of cause and effect?"

This guy is clever; he knows Chu Xiu might not share his karma points, so he's already asking for benefits in advance.

However, after thinking about it, Chu Xiu still gave him two flowers and gave Yunlu three flowers.

This girl is too kind and easily embarrassed; she'd definitely be the first to die in a post-apocalyptic world.

But her abilities are very useful, and Chu Xiu needs to ensure her condition.

"Thank you." Yunlu accepted the gift, flattered.

Wang Long, standing to the side, looked on with envy, but in the end he didn't ask for any. He just muttered, "We need to find some water. Being a little hungry is fine, but not having water is really going to kill us."

Chu Xiu, unusually, agreed with Wang Long and turned to Yunlu to ask, "Can those monsters be eaten?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shan and Wang Long's expressions changed simultaneously. Li Shan whispered, "Brother Chu, are those things poisonous?"

However, after hesitating for a moment, Yunlu unexpectedly nodded.

"I... I'm not sure. Those ghouls felt like... creatures hiding in the sewers, reeking of stench. They were disgusting, but I didn't sense any danger."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu stroked his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He asked this question because the previously revealed equipment necklace mentioned that these creatures mutated not because of [toxins], but because of [curses].

In a desperate situation, they might be used as food.

Of course, Chu Xiu wouldn't eat that stuff for no reason. Although it seems that most of the curse's power is concentrated in the teeth, who knows how much of it is still left on their bodies and whether it will affect the human body.

“Let’s kill one more monster, then we’ll go check out the rooftop. These high-rises usually have water tanks on the roof,” Chu Xiu said.

Although the water in the tank was definitely not clean, the school taught how to make a simple filtration device, so it wasn't a problem.

Once the group had determined the water source, they began to use the same method as before to attract the ghouls.

Chu Xiu and Wang Long found a good ambush spot, and Li Shan began to make noise.

Not long after, a noise came from outside.

Just like last time, the ghoul spotted Li Shan at a glance and launched an attack without hesitation.

This time, however, Chu Xiu, whose strength had almost doubled, pierced the entire abdomen of the corpse demon with a single bone spear and lifted it up as if displaying a trophy.

The ghoul let out a hoarse scream, and Wang Long strode forward, smashing the ghoul's head with a single blow.

[Slaying living beings, Class Experience +45]

(End of this chapter)