Chapter 9

Thank you to the following for your donations and monthly votes: Roadside Poplar, I Love Huo Jiayi, Book Friend 74578, Book Friend 74553, and Hai Bo.

The spider's face resembled a baby, with two sharp fangs like straws protruding from the corners of the baby's mouth, making it look extremely terrifying.

Ye Zhan calmly watched the human-faced spider slowly approach their location, standing still. Zeng Cheng's face was tense, his right hand tightly gripping the hilt of the broadsword, waiting for Ye Zhan's command.

A genuine Level 3 monster. This was Zeng Cheng's first time facing a Level 3 monster. Although the spider was not large in size, it was important to remember that spiders were naturally small. A normal spider was only the size of a fingernail. Now, a spider the size of a grinding stone was absolutely terrifying.

"Right now!" Ye Zhan shouted, using [Alpha Assault] on the human-faced spider that was just a few steps away. He moved like a ghost, circling around the spider's body.

The human-faced spider didn't even see anyone, only a flash of sword light, and then felt a long cut on its body, blue blood flowing out. The spider "hissed" in pain, about to look for the culprit, when it suddenly heard a light shout.

"Open!" Zeng Cheng shouted, instantly activating [Brutal Strike]. This was the first time Zeng Cheng used Brutal Strike, and he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. A current quickly flowed through his body, greatly enhancing his control over his body. He looked at his body, which was now flashing with lightning.

Without hesitation, Zeng Cheng took large steps, his body covered in lightning, and charged towards the human-faced spider.

At this moment, Zeng Cheng's Level 1 [Brutal Strike] increased his attack speed by 40%. The broadsword swung with great force, quickly slashing the human-faced spider several times, creating several long cuts.

Seeing a Level 2 human dare to attack it, the human-faced spider let out an angry scream, opened its mouth, and sprayed a white web, enveloping Zeng Cheng. Then it opened its large mouth and bit at Zeng Cheng.

At this moment, Zeng Cheng was in an excited state, almost unaware of fear. Although he was trapped in the web, he did not panic. He swung his sword to deflect the spider's fangs, then used [Reckless Swing], the broadsword whirling like a tornado, not only breaking the spider web but also dealing significant damage to the human-faced spider.

Although the spider web was very tough, it was not unbreakable. Zeng Cheng's strength was now very powerful, and with the sharpness of the broadsword, he could easily break through it. The only fear was if he got entangled in the web, he might not know how to counterattack, which would be troublesome.

A berserker would enter a frenzied state during battle, especially when using skills. Sometimes it was like being on a stimulant, attacking recklessly without regard for life.

This was both good and bad. The good part was that this frenzy could make one forget all fear and unleash their maximum combat power. The bad part was that sometimes, in the heat of battle, one might forget the pain and continue fighting until death.

Zeng Cheng's fierce attack quickly slashed the spider over a dozen times. If it were a regular Level 1 or 2 monster, it would have been killed instantly. However, a Level 3 monster, especially an elite, had much stronger vitality, and this damage did not significantly affect it.

At this moment, Ye Zhan attacked from behind the spider, slashing it fiercely. Ye Zhan's sword was faster, and although the cuts were not as deep as Zeng Cheng's, there were more of them, quickly slashing over a dozen times.

"Jie jie..."

The spider let out a strange cry, turned around, and stabbed at Ye Zhan with its large side limbs. Ye Zhan, familiar with spider attacks from his previous life, nimbly jumped and dodged.

"Find an opportunity to slash its abdomen. There's a pair of closed eyes there, which is its weakness!" Ye Zhan shouted to Zeng Cheng.

This was a weakness Ye Zhan had discovered in spiders before. Every monster had a certain weak point.

"Got it!" Zeng Cheng replied. He struggled and broke free from the spider web, swinging his broadsword to attack the spider from both sides, looking for an opportunity.

The human-faced spider was well aware of its weakness and kept its abdomen pressed down, making it hard for Ye Zhan and Zeng Cheng to attack. However, Ye Zhan was not impatient. His eyes were deep like the night sky, like a hunter waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Good opportunity!" Ye Zhan's eyes flashed, instantly seizing a tiny opportunity. As the human-faced spider attacked Zeng Cheng from the side, he used [Alpha Assault] to slash at the spider's abdomen.

"Poof!"

The human-faced spider's body stiffened, its abdomen instantly cut open, a red blood arrow shooting out. The spider's eyes quickly dimmed.

Below the abdomen was the heart of the human-faced spider. Ye Zhan's technique was extremely precise, and the Tang sword was sharp enough to pierce the abdomen and the heart simultaneously. Even as a Level 3 monster, it was killed on the spot.

Although it was a Level 3 elite monster, with Ye Zhan's precise technique and Zeng Cheng's help, they successfully defeated it.

"Finally dead, we can get the skill ring now." Ye Zhan thought excitedly.

After about ten seconds, a golden ring, like a bracelet, flew out of the spider's body and floated above the corpse.

"Brother Ye, what is this?" Zeng Cheng asked, wide-eyed.

Ye Zhan said, "This is a skill ring. Absorbing it will grant you an additional skill."

"An additional skill? You can get an additional skill?" The fat man asked in surprise, "What skill is this?"

"This skill is called [Spider Silk Spray]. It allows you to spray a strand of spider silk, stick it to a wall, and use it to climb buildings, just like Spider-Man." Ye Zhan explained.

"Such a cool thing, ha ha... Unfortunately, I'm too fat, and I'm afraid I might break the spider silk. This skill ring is for you, Brother Ye." Zeng Cheng was very self-aware. He knew that Ye Zhan was agile, while he was strong, and this skill was most suitable for Ye Zhan.

Ye Zhan nodded and smiled, "I'll take this skill for now. I'll get you some skill rings that suit you later."

"Alright, Brother Ye." Zeng Cheng said cheerfully.

Then, Ye Zhan approached the spider's corpse, extended his hand, and let the skill ring slip onto his wrist.

After a while, the skill ring slowly merged into Ye Zhan's arm and disappeared with a swoosh.

"At the beginning, you can use it ten times a day, but as you level up, the number of uses will increase." Ye Zhan checked the skill's description and found that at the start, it could only be used ten times a day, with a maximum range of twenty meters. However, the number of uses would increase with higher levels.

Even so, it could be extremely helpful.

In critical moments, this skill could save a life.

Ye Zhan did not immediately test the skill, as wasting a use was not worth it. Having been reborn, he was very cautious with every skill.

Skillfully extracting the demon core from the spider's body, Ye Zhan handed it to Zeng Cheng. He had already obtained the most important skill ring, and his combat ability had greatly improved. The demon core naturally went to Zeng Cheng.

Zeng Cheng didn't hesitate, taking the demon core and swallowing it.

As soon as the demon core entered his mouth, he felt a warm current surge through his body, significantly improving his physical condition. The injuries he sustained during the battle also disappeared, the effect equivalent to consuming the demon cores of a hundred Level 1 demons.

This spider was an elite, and its demon core was extraordinary.

Having obtained the spider's skill ring, Ye Zhan looked outside. The sun had risen, and it was around eight o'clock. The streets were congested with vehicles, but there were no signs of monsters.

Ye Zhan knew that the monsters had already divided their territories and moved from the streets to the buildings. The skyscrapers on both sides of the road were now full of demons.

Looking at the distant skyscrapers, Ye Zhan suddenly remembered something he had almost forgotten.

In his previous life, at the NPC camp, he had heard others mention that near the Songlin Building, a few blocks from the Sanhe Hospital, there was a goblin wandering around. If anyone could help it hunt twenty Level 3 saber-toothed tigers and bring back their teeth and hides, it would reward them with a skill point.

The goblin only wandered there for a short time after the disaster began and would leave after a while.

A skill point could upgrade a skill by one level, which was extremely useful in the early stages.

In the later stages, people could obtain more skills through skill rings, but relying solely on the skill points gained from leveling up would be insufficient. They had to find other ways to get skill points.

Since he knew about it, he couldn't miss the opportunity. Riches come with risks, and sometimes one must take risks. Ye Zhan and Zeng Cheng carefully moved along the edge of the street, slowly sneaking towards the Songlin Building.

There were no signs of living people on the streets, and the occasional screams could be heard from the surrounding buildings.

Ye Zhan and Zeng Cheng walked cautiously, but they still couldn't avoid being discovered by some wandering monsters. Fortunately, these were low-level monsters, and Ye Zhan and Zeng Cheng easily dealt with them.

After about an hour, having hunted over a dozen Level 1 and 2 monsters, they finally arrived at the base of the Songlin Building.

At this moment, the area around the Songlin Building was also filled with wandering monsters. Ye Zhan and Zeng Cheng carefully avoided them and searched for the goblin.

After searching for over an hour, they still found nothing, and a few times they almost got discovered by a group of monsters.