Benefits of a Tank Build

Only after black, tainted blood sprayed out did Lu Chen finally escape the threat of death completely.

But once he was safe, Lu Chen could not help but sigh.

"This was way too dangerous."

Honestly, Lu Chen had truly been frightened this time. He had known that outside the Totem Pillar was dangerous.

But he had never expected it to be this dangerous. He had not even gone five hundred meters before nearly being killed by two evil entities.

That bizarre Mist Spirit had left Lu Chen unable even to attack whenever it did not use its ghostly shadow to strike.

Although Lu Chen had forced it back, it had retreated of its own accord. After all, even in the end, Lu Chen had not found a way to deal with the Mist Spirit.

That broken bowl, meanwhile, still left Lu Chen deeply shaken.

"I knew the stuff in that bowl was definitely bad, but even though I knew it, as long as that little girl spoke, I couldn't control my body and drank the water straight down. This is way too damn bizarre."

Lu Chen even felt that broken bowl was practically unsolvable. Whoever it was offered to had to drink from it. Such an ability was simply terrifying.

"Luckily, my Constitution is high enough, and my resistance to poison is strong enough. Otherwise, that first bowl of poison would have finished me off."

"And that Mist Spirit—if my vitality hadn't been so abundant, and the lingering souls in the Ghost Mist hadn't been able to do anything to me, the Mist Spirit alone could have killed me out there."

At that thought, Lu Chen suddenly froze.

"Wait, didn't I get through these two encounters not by quick wit and intelligence, but just like before, by relying on my tough body to brute-force my way through?"

Thinking back on what had happened before, Lu Chen sank into deep thought.

Though he wanted to say that he had relied on his wits to survive the two evil entities, forcing one back and killing the other.

He had to admit that Lu Chen had indeed fallen for both evil ghosts' tricks.

The lingering souls in the mist had invaded behind Lu Chen and touched his body, while the Water-Offering Little Girl had given Lu Chen two bowls of water.

Thus, Lu Chen had been hit by every move the evil entities used.

It was just that Lu Chen was tanky enough that even after getting hit, he could endure it by force. Thus, the two evil entities were the ones who ended up unlucky.

But as he thought of this, Lu Chen felt a faint sense of sorrow.

"I feel like I'm gradually turning into a brute. Whenever something happens, I just charge through it."

Of course, that was only a complaint. Lu Chen did not care what method he used to win. All he cared about was surviving and winning.

"So what if I brute-force things with Constitution? My high Constitution is my advantage. When danger comes, I should make use of that advantage and push through it."

"And a sufficiently high Constitution gives me more chances than other people. It keeps me from getting caught off guard and failing at the last moment."

"From now on, I still need to find ways to increase my Constitution. That way, no matter what crisis I encounter, I'll have a chance to withstand it head-on."

After several crises, Lu Chen had come to understand that among all attributes, Constitution was still the most important.

Whether it was Strength or Agility, all other attributes carried the possibility of failure in this bizarre world.

After all, the evil entities in this world possessed abilities that were far too strange and impossible to guard against.

Take that broken bowl he had encountered just now. No matter how fast one ran or how strong one was, one could not escape the fate of drinking a bowlful.

Once that water was drunk, anyone with insufficient Constitution would be finished on the spot. But those with strong Constitutions could still have a chance to kill their enemy even after making a mistake.

"There definitely isn't only one bizarre entity in this world with strange abilities like that broken bowl. As long as I go out, I can easily encounter other unknown anomalies, and it'll be even easier to die to the bizarre abilities of evil entities. After all, if you walk by the river often enough, your shoes are bound to get wet."

"But no matter how many anomalies there are, as long as my Constitution is strong enough, I can withstand them head-on."

Lu Chen was preparing to continue down the path of becoming tankier and never look back.

Of course, that was for the future. Right now, what Lu Chen cared about more was what lay before him.

Opening his status panel and looking at the Experience Points section, a smile appeared on Lu Chen's face.

Experience Points: 1223

"This trip out was indeed extremely dangerous, but the more dangerous a place is, the greater the rewards."

"A few days ago, wandering around near the village, I spent two days hunting during the day just to raise Swordsman to level five. But now, after going out only once, I can keep improving. Sure enough, if I want to grow stronger, I still have to go out."

The gains from this trip had indeed been considerable. Whether it was the lingering souls in the mist or directly killing the little girl, both had given Lu Chen a large amount of Experience Points.

He could even level up immediately now, but Lu Chen's excitement quickly faded as he recalled his near-death experience just now.

"Sigh, there really are many evil entities outside, but it's also far too dangerous. If I want to level up quickly, I have to risk my life out there. It'll be hard to live peacefully from now on."

Lu Chen had come to understand that, with the system, he would frequently encounter danger in the future.

Of course, he could choose a peaceful life. Even if he did not go hunting and merely trained alone, Lu Chen could still increase his strength.

But then, the speed at which his strength grew would become as slow as that of other barbarians.

That was something Lu Chen would never allow. Thus, he could already foresee that from now on, he would often venture out, with danger constantly by his side.

"But I won't think about that now. First, I'll draw a skill. I hope I can draw a powerful one. If I'm strong enough, even if I go out often, there'll be much less danger."

"And I remember that the skill pool has Sword Demon's ultimate skill—Great Extinction. After activating it, even if I'm killed, I can revive once more."

"With Great Extinction, I'll have an extra life. Even if I encounter the strangest dangers, I'll still have a chance to turn things around."

Thinking of Great Extinction, Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and all kinds of Devil Fruit abilities, Lu Chen's fear of going out quickly faded.

"Even if this world is dangerous, so what? As long as my skills are strong enough, I can sweep through everything."

With fighting spirit filling his heart once more, Lu Chen did not immediately level up. Instead, he looked at the Blood Bowl in his hand.

System prompt: The host has obtained an extraordinary item—the Water-Offering Bowl. It can be identified for 50 Experience Points, or sacrificed.

Just like the Small Drum Monster, after killing the Bowl Monster, the system had notified Lu Chen that he had obtained another extraordinary item.

This time, although he had not used the system to identify it yet, he recalled that the first extraordinary item he had seized, the Crimson Small Drum, possessed abilities basically identical to those of the Small Drum Monster.

Lu Chen felt that the bowl before him should be the same as that Bowl Monster.

"This bowl should be able to turn ordinary clean water into poison or something similar."

That ability was fairly useful. In fact, by Lu Chen's estimation, the poisonous water produced with the Blood Bowl might even work on evil entities.

After all, this bowl had once been an evil entity itself. The contents within could be called evil water.

"If the poisonous water in the bowl really works on other evil entities as I imagine, then I won't need to bleed myself in battle anymore. I can just dip my iron sword into the water in the bowl and kill my enemies."

Yet despite thinking that, Lu Chen did not hesitate much before speaking directly.

"System, sacrifice this bowl."

Following Lu Chen's command, the system prompt soon rang out.

System prompt: The host has sacrificed the Water-Offering Bowl and obtained 15 Spirit Crystals.

Watching the Blood Bowl gradually dissipate from his hand, Lu Chen did not feel much regret.

"If this bowl really worked as I said, it would indeed be useful. But an item is still just an item; it can't compare to myself. As long as the Spirit Crystals exchanged for this broken bowl can draw me a good skill, I won't be losing out."

Compared to external objects, Lu Chen valued his own skills more. Those were abilities that truly belonged to him.

After sacrificing the broken bowl, Lu Chen opened the remaining pottery jars and placed them beside himself.

He did this because he feared that he might draw a powerful skill without having enough nourishment.

Then, once everything was ready, Lu Chen officially began to raise his level.

"System, increase the level of Barbarian Blood Warrior."