In the dark forest, a camping lamp emitted a faint glow.
Yan Luo sat on a stone, holding a rabbit that was constantly struggling.
The rabbit had orange-red fur and a horn on its head.
The sharp blade of the hatchet had already pressed against the rabbit's neck, but Yan Luo's expression was complex, and he was still struggling internally.
Drinking blood, especially demon blood, is a rather difficult thing for a normal person whose diet remains within the normal range.
If it were made into a spicy blood stew, Yan Luo could accept it naturally and even enjoy it heartily. However, the issue now is—he seems to have to drink demon blood raw.
Unlike most things in the Abyss, the substances from demons do not vanish immediately even after leaving the demon's body. This appears related to some demons' ability to reattach severed body parts to their torso after being cut off.
Staring at the rabbit for a long time, Yan Luo finally made up his mind.
The hatchet slashed the throat of this ordinary-level demon, blood sprayed out, and Yan Luo immediately dropped the hatchet and brought his mouth to the opening, gulping down the foul-smelling blood.
The body of the horned rabbit struggled violently but was held tightly by Yan Luo.
Yan Luo held his breath, drank for thirty seconds straight before throwing the horned rabbit to the ground.
Then, he quickly fetched a bottle of water from his backpack, pouring it into his mouth to wash away the bloody taste.
"Ptu!"
Yan Luo spat on the side and his gaze returned to the convulsing body of the horned rabbit on the ground, his mouth tightly pursed.
With a sigh, Yan Luo picked up the hatchet he tossed on the ground and cut a wound on his arm, then took out a notebook to begin recording.
In the battle with the Silent Hunting Lizard, Yan Luo was heavily injured and was already on the brink of death.
But waking from a coma later, all his wounds had healed.
If nothing unexpected, the reason for his recovery is related to the Silent Hunting Lizard blood he drank.
Time ticked by, and Yan Luo observed his arm every ten minutes, making notes in his notebook.
Without applying any hemostatic measures, the wound took only half a minute to stop bleeding, and after nearly two minutes, even if Yan Luo slightly flexed his arm muscles, the wound wouldn't burst open.
Seven minutes later, even if Yan Luo prodded the wound with his fingers, it wouldn't burst open again; fifteen minutes later, Yan Luo no longer felt the pain from the wound.
Demon blood was indeed useful to him!
The corpse of the horned rabbit at his feet was dissipating into light, and Yan Luo couldn't help but feel jubilant.
A normal person's wound hemostatic time usually takes at least a minute and requires measures for stopping bleeding. Even though Yan Luo ate mutant biological meat since age sixteen, his physique hadn't significantly changed compared to a normal person.
Now, this unusual bleeding speed proves that although Yan Luo was rejected by the way of [Sequence], there's another path he can take.
Gurgle~!
Yan Luo was jotting down his hypothesis excitedly in his notebook when his stomach suddenly growled.
Just a moment ago he was immensely thrilled, but now his face dropped directly.
Yan Luo sighed and flipped to the previous page of his notebook.
"Although magic power can promote wound recovery, wound recovery requires nutrition..."
While gnawing on an energy bar from his backpack, he continued to make notes.
Since the first time he returned to Blue Star, Yan Luo kept making notes, and nearly one-third of a thick notebook has been filled with writing.
After self-examining, Yan Luo was almost certain that he could strengthen himself by consuming demons, even though it only enhances physical functions, it's ultimately a pathway upwards.
Theoretically, not only could he drink blood, but eating meat could also provide enhancement. The problem is that drinking raw blood causes him psychological barriers, let alone raw eating demons.
Looking at the densely packed words in his notes, Yan Luo whispered to himself, "Ordinary-level demon blood cannot give me too much enhancement; if I want to become stronger, I will have to hunt higher-level demons."
Two days have passed since he wiped out the Purple Fox Squad.
In these two days, Yan Luo has adjusted his mindset and captured several ordinary-level demons for experiments.
When he killed the Silent Hunting Lizard, having only taken a few sips of its blood, his body received significant enhancement. If comparing his previous physique as [1], now it might have reached [1.4].
And it's an all-round enhancement, not just strength, but nerve reaction speed, hearing, vision, and even spatial perception have improved.
In the prior battle with the Purple Fox Squad, if it weren't for Yan Luo being able to sense some 'premonition,' the battle wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
"Perhaps I can buy a basic framework when I get back and create a system for myself."
Writing this in his memo, Yan Luo planned to manually make a system after returning from the Abyss.
After contemplating and ensuring there were no overlooked matters, Yan Luo put the notebook back into the backpack, activated the support system of the exoskeleton, relaxed, and entered sleep standing up.
The exoskeleton is difficult to wear and remove, and if attacked by demons in the Abyss, there is hardly any time to equip the exoskeleton.
Therefore, hunters rarely remove the exoskeleton after entering the Abyss, switching to use the exoskeleton's support system to rest in a standing position.
With the aid of the support system, an exoskeleton wearer can relax their whole body as if leaning on a reclining chair, and once accustomed, sleeping poses no issue.
Five hours later, the alarm rang, and Yan Luo opened his eyes sharply.
Yan Luo checked around seriously when confirming the camp site. There were no traces of dangerous-level demon activity nearby, and he had purchased several alert devices based on the teachings of other solitary hunter seniors, installing them where demons might appear. Once traces of an ordinary-level demon were found, the alarm would sound immediately.
No one is more suitable to become a solitary hunter than Crimson No.2. With the knowledge in his head, he can find suitable spots for camping and can locate demons suitable for hunting.
Upon waking, Yan Luo didn't immediately move but waited for a few minutes to fully awaken his body. Only then did he slung on his backpack, retrieve the alert devices, and while eating, search for traces of dangerous-level demons.
Next, he planned to hunt one or two dangerous-level demons, experiment with their blood, and collect some materials to avoid returning empty-handed.
After wandering around for a bit, Yan Luo quickly noticed traces left by a dangerous-level demon during its activities.
He identified the demon from the claw marks on the bark and footprints hidden in the grass.
Yan Luo rubbed his fingers, gazing toward the direction where the claw marks extended, confidently declaring, "It's the Stone Armor Bear."
This demon is born with a thin layer of soil and rock on its body surface. Upon growing to dangerous-level, its mix of soil and rock transforms into chunks of stone.
The smallest dangerous-level Stone Armor Bear is akin to a non-mutated adult Polar Bear. The massive strength from its size and the powerful defense of its stone-covered body make the Stone Armor Bear a frequent presence in the top ten rankings of dangerous-level demons in the Crimson Abyss.
Usually, the stones on the Stone Armor Bear's body adjoin closely without large gaps, but if it has eaten demons, during its growth, the 'stone armor' covering the Stone Armor Bear will be stretched open by the expanding body until the size stabilizes and reunites.
Yan Luo doesn't know what state the Stone Armor Bear he's found is in, but regardless of its state, he has the confidence to hunt it.
"The trace was left about half a day ago, the trampled grass hasn't fully recovered."
Yan Luo smiled slightly and followed the trail left by the Stone Armor Bear briskly.
Finally, he stopped outside a cave three kilometers away.
This should be the Stone Armor Bear's lair, with the freshest traces left within half a day, indicating the Stone Armor Bear hasn't exited the cave after entering.
When dealing with the corpses of the three members of the Purple Fox Squad, Yan Luo scavenged some consumables from the corpses, intending not to take those consumables out of the Abyss, as that would raise suspicion.
He planned to use all of the scavenged consumables in this Abyss hunt.
Pulling out a tear gas grenade, Yan Luo pulled the pin and tossed it directly into the cave.
After doing this, he placed two land mines at the cave entrance and retreated far away.
"Roar!!"
A moment later, a roar of anger erupted from the cave, accompanied by the ground shaking. The massive-bodied Stone Armor Bear charged out of the cave.
Boom! Boom!
The two land mines exploded one after another, the Stone Armor Bear's front paws getting caught in the explosion, instantly snapping.
Even a lethal Silent Hunting Lizard couldn't withstand the damage from a mine's explosion, let alone this Stone Armor Bear which was only dangerous-level.
Yan Luo put away the shotgun, drew a long blade, and stepped out from the shade, walking slowly toward the endlessly struggling Stone Armor Bear on the ground.
Where should I start biting down next?