"Ha, ha."
Leaning against the dusty, rubble-filled corner of the wall, Chu Xiu gasped with lingering fear.
Recalling that terrifying creature, he still felt his scalp tingling.
According to the data on the panel, that monster was of the same kind as the ordinary Black-haired Corpse Ghost.
Only... it was an Elite!
Compared to ordinary monsters, elite ones usually have a substantial overall increase in basic attributes and may even possess some powerful special abilities.
For example...
[Blood Moon Frenzy]
Chu Xiu focused on the description at the bottom, then looked up through the window, and discovered that the moon, which was once bright and white, was indeed dyed with a layer of crimson at some point.
"The monster's perverse Constitution of 20.8 must be the result of absorbing Blood Moon Power; its basic value shouldn't be this high."
Chu Xiu rubbed his chest; the spot where he was hit still ached faintly. After removing the armor, he saw a large black and purple bruise.
"This was a long-range attack. If it had been a close-range claw strike..."
Chu Xiu dared not imagine.
He glanced at the Yin Ghost recuperating in the Bone Yin Soul Banner, sensing that its soul body had weakened considerably.
After manifesting, the Yin Ghost's Constitution reached 12.4, but it only blocked for a second or two before getting injured.
Although not serious, it was enough to reflect the terror of that elite creature.
"It seems I can't let my guard down just because of some improvement in strength. Aggressive adventuring is dangerous; this world has many creatures capable of taking my life. Future actions need to be more cautious."
Chu Xiu thought to himself.
Fortunately, whether it was the injured Yin Ghost or the Bone Armor, repairing them was quite simple—just refine a few more corpses.
Thinking of this, Chu Xiu stopped worrying, returned to the stronghold on the thirty-second floor, finished eating the leftover deer meat to replenish his energy, and then began to rest with his eyes closed, focusing on regaining his physical strength.
It wasn't until the sky lightened that he slowly opened his eyes.
"Phew."
Chu Xiu exhaled softly, stretching his joints.
The recovery speed brought by his enhanced Constitution had mostly alleviated his muscle fatigue, and his Energy Level was replenished significantly.
He stretched, his eyes sparkling sharply.
"Time to start a new round of hunting."
"So, how should I plan for today?"
This was his fourth day in the Abyss, with half of the trial period having passed.
Chu Xiu's first instinct was to head to the basement for hunting.
Yesterday's battle was fierce, but it only occurred at the upper levels, not affecting the lower areas where the density of Corpse Demons was highest. Moreover, many Corpse Demons had left the apartment building to hunt outside, leaving only a few inside.
This implied that there were plenty of Corpse Demons in the basement.
Additionally, the elite monster encountered yesterday should have its strength significantly decreased during the day—it might not even be a match for the Yin Ghost, making it the perfect opportunity to kill it.
The potential enormous experience and high drop rate of the elite monster tempted Chu Xiu.
However, after hesitating for a while, he decided against it.
"How many Corpse Demons are in the basement, how many elite monsters, I don't know these things, not even the terrain or layout."
"Being driven by greed to act rashly is the behavior of a gambler, not a Demon Cultivator."
The worst-case scenario would be encountering a Warrior Tier monster in the basement, and Chu Xiu wouldn't even know how he died!
"Today's goal should be to familiarize myself with the surroundings, explore the map, and strengthen the Bone Armor to +7!"
Yesterday's attack by the elite Corpse Ghost left a significant psychological shadow on Chu Xiu.
But if the Bone Armor can be strengthened to +7, not only will the basic attributes be further enhanced, but it will also unlock the Second Layer Restriction! This way, he will have much more confidence.
"After all, the monsters in the underground garage aren't going anywhere, so taking a steady approach is the right strategy."
With his mind set, he didn't delay and swiftly took action.
He first headed downstairs to retrieve the Bone Bloodthirst Array left behind last night.
The buff from sacrificial strengthening wasn't permanent and had mostly disappeared by now, with only a small part of the power having transferred to the Array Flag, but it successfully reinforced it to +2, with further growth in its attributes.
Chu Xiu was quite satisfied with this.
After storing the Array Flag, he proceeded downstairs.
But Chu Xiu wasn't aware that as he passed by the stairway, a doll hidden among the pile of debris flashed a strange light in its pitch-black eyes.
"He's still alive? Was yesterday's commotion his doing? Or is he actually strong enough to hunt at night and come out unscathed?"
In the room at their stronghold, Guan Ke pondered while rubbing her chin.
She glanced sideways to see Yun Lu and Wu Xinyi still asleep.
Opening the door, Shen Zhuo and the others were also not up.
It's just past five, so it's normal for everyone to indulge in a bit more sleep, except...
"Have they started losing their sense of crisis as soon as things settled down a bit?"
Guan Ke shook her head in mild disappointment.
Shen Zhuo and the others hadn't realized that there's no such thing as "stability" in the Abyss.
The Abyss is the real world, not like the beginner zones in games that only have low-level monsters. It's full of randomness and uncertainty; it's entirely possible for a Demon God to suddenly descend and obliterate everything tomorrow.
In such a world, "safety" is merely a dynamic concept; like rowing upstream, without the determination to enhance oneself at all costs, even if one is lucky enough to pass the trial, one will find it hard to move an inch in the Abyss thereafter.
This is why Guan Ke merely considered this place a stepping stone for concealing herself.
She clearly knew that her companions here wouldn't take long before being left far behind by her, Shen Zhuo included.
Conversely, Chu Xiu's actions were more to her liking.
After a glance at Yun Lu and Wu Xinyi, still sleeping, Guan Ke carefully closed the door, trying not to wake them.
Then, she turned and went downstairs, following the faint but discernible footprints on the ground, heading toward the place where the battle took place yesterday.
Soon, she arrived at the room Chu Xiu had chosen.
This place was clean, with not even a noticeable smell of blood, but the claw marks on the cement floor, the newly destroyed rubble and brick walls around all indicated that a fierce battle once occurred here.
"But this... how is it possible?"
Guan Ke widened her eyes in disbelief.
Utilizing every drop of Essence Blood from the corpses, leaving barely any trace behind on the scene, this could basically be attributed to Chu Xiu's talent.
But... Chu Xiu? An Energy Level of only 0.8 and a Support Profession, does he really have the ability to hunt at night ahead of her, an A-level Profession?
Guan Ke frowned, observing the room carefully, hoping to find some clues.
With all the bodies absorbed, it was hard to determine how many Corpse Demons Chu Xiu had actually killed yesterday.
But based on the commotion, it should have been at least ten.
Suddenly, Guan Ke's eyes narrowed, noticing two scratches on the ground extending to the balcony.
She walked over, immediately spotting the shattered sofa below, and looked up to see a climbing peg securely lodged in the wall.
With nearly perfect scores in survival courses, Guan Ke instantly realized what Chu Xiu did with it.
"Interesting."
She smirked, her facial scars twitching along with it.
"So he prepared an escape route ahead of time, that's why he dared to fight the Corpse Demons?"
"This way, no matter how many he killed, he could retreat calmly. Getting up so early today was to absorb the corpses here, right?"
"Moreover, by utilizing the special terrain, he transformed it into a combat-friendly area, which also boosts one's advantage."
"Even though this might be theoretically sound, carrying it out involves countless variables; one small mistake could be fatal! Yet in a relatively stable environment, he is so bold, decisive, and strategic, which is indeed impressive."
Guan Ke couldn't help but praise in her heart.
She saw that Chu Xiu and she were of the same kind; the kind that can live well in the Abyss.
The Abyss is not a shortcut for ordinary people to reach the Extraordinary, but a feast dedicated to those greedy and cunning professionals.
In this regard, Guan Ke even acknowledged that Chu Xiu was much stronger than herself.
Yet soon, she shook her head regretfully.
"What a pity, such poor talent."
"Otherwise, I would consider cooperating with him for future explorations."
If Chu Xiu's talent were slightly better, she would've extended an olive branch without hesitation.
But with a D-level talent and profession, even if the other party had an extraordinary mindset, the gap between them would only grow, ultimately being left far behind by those with top-tier talents.
Shaking her head, feeling she had figured out what happened yesterday, Guan Ke no longer pondered and swiftly leapt downstairs from the stairway entrance.
A new round of hunting began.