Chapter 5

(Seeking favorites, clicks, and recommendations, there might be another chapter tonight.)

"Am I the little sprite, young man, and are you the host with whom I share life and death?" The creature calling itself a little sprite spoke in a soft, mumbly, and childish voice, trying to sound very serious, which made people laugh and cry at the same time.

"Host? I don't know what a host is. What exactly are you...?" Wu Yi originally wanted to say, "What kind of thing are you?" but suddenly realized that asking someone what kind of thing they were was very disrespectful, even if the other party wasn't human.

"My true form is a divine object called the Upgrade System, which has now merged with your body and soul. You are my host. I am the embodiment of power, wisdom, wealth, and invincibility in the universe." The little sprite said with a look of loneliness from a master.

Wu Yi couldn't stand its smug look. He suddenly stretched out his hands, grabbed the little sprite, and roughly played with its soft fur.

"I think you're more like the embodiment of a little dot, but it feels quite comfortable to touch. Since you're still somewhat cute, I'll reluctantly let you be my pet. Also, no matter where you come from, you should follow my rules here. You're not allowed to call me 'nai' anymore." Looking at the little dot struggling and flapping its wings in his palm, Wu Yi said with an evil smile.

"You're a bad person. Let me tell you, it's a great honor for you to become my host. With my help, you can also become a powerful being in the universe. Once your strength reaches a certain level, breaking through the void and returning to Earth won't be a problem." The little sprite tried hard to avoid becoming a pet, hitting Wu Yi's sore spot. In this strange and dangerous world, Wu Yi desperately wanted to go home. His sudden disappearance must have worried his sister and parents a lot.

"Then tell me, how can you make me a powerful being and return to Earth?" Since Wu Yi had been transported to this dangerous world, he had been very uneasy. The fierce battle with the Fallen One made him realize his weakness. If this was really the Dark World, he would find it very difficult to survive in a world full of demons without quickly finding a way. When the little sprite said it could help him return to Earth, Wu Yi was very excited and didn't argue too much about the name issue.

"Then let go of me quickly." The little sprite replied.

Wu Yi released his hands, allowing the little sprite to float freely in the air.

The little sprite easily flew to the bloodied and mangled corpse of the Fallen One that Wu Yi had killed. It showed no reaction to the bloody and brutal "crime scene," only gently waving its staff.

A small, luminous orb emitting a milky white light floated up from the Fallen One's body and quickly flew into the little sprite's mouth. If Wu Yi hadn't been watching the little sprite closely, he probably wouldn't have noticed this scene.

"The delicious taste of the soul has awakened me. Congratulations, you have completed the first main quest: First Blood." After eating the orb, the little sprite said with a look of ecstasy, like a drug addict who had just taken a hit.

"System Notice: Gained 2 Soul Energy."

"System Notice: Completed the main quest 'First Blood.' Reward: Rusty Sword. Title: Blood-Dripping Cucumber."

Main Quest - First Blood: Task Description: Upon arriving in this world, you encountered a great crisis. Facing a vicious and terrifying enemy, only by moving forward bravely can you survive. In a narrow path, the brave win! Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself!

Task Requirement: To survive, kill the first creature that intends to kill you.

Task Reward: Title 'Blood-Dripping Cucumber.'

Blood-Dripping Cucumber: A symbol of courage, +30% damage to the Fallen Ones.

The system notice in Wu Yi's mind made him a bit confused. The mechanical and cold voice was very unfamiliar to him, and it was a stark contrast to the little sprite's childish voice.

"Soul Energy is the source of power for the Upgrade System. It can be used to upgrade your attributes, skills, and equipment. As long as you have Soul Energy, the Upgrade System can help you continuously improve your strength. I will guide you to use the Upgrade System reasonably and effectively to avoid wasting precious Soul Energy. You can obtain Soul Energy by killing any creature with a soul. So, are you prepared to walk a path filled with blood and slaughter to become stronger? However, I should tell you that the Upgrade System is not fully activated yet and cannot perform upgrades." The little sprite's answer still didn't give Wu Yi a clear understanding of the Upgrade System.

"I know you still have many questions, but I think you should first try to escape from this dangerous situation. I sense that several malicious creatures have already surrounded this place." The little sprite's words suddenly woke Wu Yi up. He looked around and saw many Fallen Ones with various weapons emerging from the mist.

The惨叫声 of the Fallen One Wu Yi had killed earlier had already alerted another Fallen One nearby, but the cowardly nature of the Fallen Ones made it have no intention of rescuing its companion. Instead, it gathered many of its kind before coming to enjoy the fresh human flesh.

If these Fallen Ones could communicate with humans, they would be quite smug and arrogantly say to Wu Yi, "Kid, do you want a one-on-one fight or a group attack? One-on-one is you fighting us all, and a group attack is us all attacking you."

Wu Yi didn't have time to care about the Fallen Ones' thoughts. Seeing the many Fallen Ones surrounding him from all sides, he felt a sense of despair. If the terrain were different, it might be easier, but in this open area, being attacked from all sides made it very difficult to escape.

"This is the beginner's equipment the system has rewarded you. Take it and fight your way out!" The little sprite directly threw a one-armed sword to Wu Yi, who instinctively caught it.

Rusty Sword: White Tier 1. Attack: 1-2, Durability: 3/3. Requirements: None. Description: A high-efficiency, cost-effective beginner's essential item. Before it completely breaks, it can still help you kill countless enemies on the battlefield. With such strong attributes, what more do you want?

With the sword in hand, Wu Yi felt a glimmer of hope. Although the sword was a bit broken and rusty, it would have made killing the Fallen One much easier earlier.

On Earth, Wu Yi had been forced by his sister, He Lian, to practice swordsmanship. At home, she would check his progress every week through sparring.

As a swordsmanship prodigy, He Lian's talent and hard work made her sword skills very sharp. She was gentle and caring to Wu Yi in other aspects, but she never gave in when it came to practicing swordsmanship. Wu Yi was always beaten up in their sparring sessions, which forced him to put a lot of effort into improving his sword skills.

Now was the time to test Wu Yi's sword skills.

The attributes of the rusty sword made Wu Yi feel quite frustrated, but he didn't have time to complain about the ridiculous equipment description. He held the sword and charged at a relatively weaker-looking Fallen One, trying to create an escape route before they completely surrounded him.

The Fallen One, missing a fang, was delighted to see Wu Yi charging at it. The human was injured from the earlier fight, and it was confident it could kill him, which would give it the right to a full meal. The Fallen One drooled at the thought, but it didn't know how terrifying Wu Yi was with a sword.

Wu Yi nimbly dodged the Fallen One's small blade and a silver streak of light pierced through its neck, sending it flying with an incredulous look. The Fallen One couldn't stop the dark red blood gushing from its neck and was doomed to die.

Sword Proficiency (Basic Skill): Level 5. +6% damage, +6% attack speed when using sword-type weapons.

Thrust (Level 1 Skill): Level 3. Quickly thrust the sword to pierce the opponent. +50% attack speed, +8% agility +12 additional damage. Cost: 3 energy, cooldown: 10 seconds.

With the "Blood-Dripping Cucumber" title's damage boost, Wu Yi easily killed a Fallen One with one skill.

Another Fallen One was about to sneak attack Wu Yi from behind. Just as it raised its wooden club, Wu Yi, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, suddenly turned around and swung the rusty sword down with great force.

The Fallen One, intimidated by Wu Yi's momentum, futilely raised its club to block, but the immense force from the club shook its arm, making it lose its grip on the weapon, which fell to the ground.

The rusty sword then slashed down, sending the Fallen One flying with a huge wound from its right shoulder to its left hip, spraying blood everywhere. The Fallen One was clearly dead.

Heavy Slash (Level 1 Skill): Level 3. Overwhelm the enemy's defenses with absolute strength. +8% strength +12 additional damage, plus absolute damage based on the strength difference. Cost: 3 energy, cooldown: 10 seconds.

Thrust and Heavy Slash were two moves Wu Yi had specifically practiced to deal with He Lian's powerful sword attacks. The speed of Thrust and the power of Heavy Slash gave Wu Yi a slight ability to resist, but He Lian's "Ten Thousand Cold Stars" always easily broke through, leaving Wu Yi in awe.

Now, these two moves had been enhanced by the system, reaching Wu Yi's peak performance. Each move dealt maximum damage, and they were highly effective.

However, as they were now skills, they had a cooldown period and couldn't be used continuously.

Wu Yi killed two Fallen Ones with two sword strikes, but he also paid a price. A third Fallen One slashed his waist, and the sight of blood triggered the Fallen Ones' bloodlust, overcoming their fear of death. They surrounded Wu Yi in a black mass.

Wu Yi, now with another wound, didn't have time to seek revenge. He stabbed the Fallen One behind him and ran towards the opening he had created. The little sprite, having absorbed two Soul Energies, easily flew beside Wu Yi.

The Fallen Ones shouted "Lakaniu" and chased after Wu Yi, determined not to let him escape. In their eyes, Wu Yi was now delicious food, and they wouldn't let a cooked duck fly away.

The scene of a group of Fallen Ones chasing Wu Yi was similar to scenes in movies where primitive cannibals chase the protagonist, like Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean." Wu Yi found it funny when he watched it before, but now, being the one chased, he couldn't laugh at all.

"Do you have any special abilities? Look, your host is in such danger. Just use some big move like Apocalypse or Ice Age to wipe out those short demons behind me." Wu Yi, being chased, turned to the little sprite with a bad temper.

"I have no offensive abilities, only absolute defense." The little sprite said proudly.

"Then give me absolute defense so I can turn around and kill all those demons." Wu Yi started imagining himself slaughtering everyone.

"My absolute defense only works on me, not on others." The little sprite's answer shattered Wu Yi's fantasy.

"Then what do you mean by being the embodiment of invincibility and power? You're completely useless." Wu Yi couldn't help but tease the little sprite.

"My absolute defense makes me immune to all damage, so I am the embodiment of invincibility. Once we're in a safe place, I can bind a hero template to you and grant you power. Am I not the embodiment of power?" The little sprite countered.

"Fine, fine, you're clever." Wu Yi wanted to understand what a hero template was, but he didn't have time to argue about it now.

"It seems I can only rely on myself. The wound on my waist is affecting my movement, and the Fallen Ones are getting closer. If this continues, I'll definitely be caught. I can only hope that the characteristic of Fallen Ones in the game applies in reality." Wu Yi thought about his dangerous situation while running and finally came up with one solution.

Once he made a decision, Wu Yi acted decisively. He suddenly turned around and thrust at the Fallen One chasing him the most. The sword flashed, and the Fallen One was killed, avenging the earlier slash.

Wu Yi managed to use Heavy Slash to kill another Fallen One, but two more were already close.

Wu Yi barely dodged a blade from the left but couldn't avoid another one that cut into his back. His shirt was soaked in blood, sticking to his back.

Through the torn shirt, the blood covering Wu Yi's back was visible, and a dark, mysterious, and unopened lotus flower mark on his back was faintly visible, the deep purple mark stained with fresh blood, looking particularly eerie.

Wu Yi took the opportunity to stab the Fallen One and, ignoring the attacks from behind, quickly killed the injured one with two more strikes.

The delay gave the Fallen Ones a chance to catch up, and Wu Yi was surrounded.

Trapped, Wu Yi's fighting spirit and potential were ignited. He danced among the blades, dodging and blocking with all his might. Even when he couldn't dodge, he endured the pain of the blades and inflicted wounds on the Fallen Ones, killing two more while covered in injuries.

Finally, the cooldown for his skills was over, and Wu Yi used the last Thrust and Heavy Slash. In the life-or-death situation, these skills burst with unprecedented power. Thrust exploded the head of a Fallen One, and Heavy Slash split another in two, creating a gruesome scene.

These two strikes also drained Wu Yi's last bit of energy. He could only lean on the sword, which he had stuck in the ground, to stay upright. His body was covered in thick blood, and it was impossible to tell if it was his or the enemies'. His tattered clothes stuck to his wounds, causing pain and itching.

The scene seemed to shock the remaining Fallen Ones. They looked at the injured human and the fallen bodies with fear. Even though they knew he was at the end of his strength and any one of them could kill him, they couldn't muster the courage to attack again.

After a moment of hesitation, a cowardly Fallen One was scared by Wu Yi's bloodthirsty and fierce expression, dropped its club, and fled. The others followed, fleeing in fear.

Wu Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his gamble had paid off. In the game "Diablo," Fallen Ones were a contradictory type of demon—bloody and brutal yet cowardly. When their losses reached a certain point, they would flee from the fear of death. The data on Fallen Ones mentioned their cowardice, so Wu Yi had taken the risk.

Suddenly, a large lump of earth rose in front of Wu Yi, and a thick, dark green object, like an elephant's leg, emerged. At first glance, it looked like a giant python, but Wu Yi could barely see it was a vine with many smaller vines. The numerous branches danced in the air, blocking the sky.

The smaller vines suddenly stretched and struck the fleeing Fallen Ones. The Fallen Ones were so fragile in the face of such force that they were instantly shattered, their blood and organs scattered on the ground. Almost all the Fallen Ones were killed in an instant.

Wu Yi vaguely saw figures running towards him. At that moment, his tattered sword broke into pieces, and the exhausted Wu Yi fell to the ground. He didn't have time to complain about the poor quality of the weapon the little sprite had given him and fainted.