Talent: Characteristic Extraction

The six men who had been brimming with confidence moments ago were now all down.

Da Chun lay at the warehouse entrance, his head like a smashed watermelon. A huge chunk of flesh had been torn from his chest, and blood trickled across the floor.

Qiang Zi lay by the door with over half his head bitten off, his dead eyes still wide as he clutched the doorknob.

Han Zhong, whose face had been full of smugness, lay in the middle of the warehouse. One of his arms was twisted at an unnatural angle, his breastbone was caved in, and he coughed up mouthfuls of blood as he struggled to get up.

The remaining men had collapsed in different places, apparently sent flying by the impact.

Other than Han Zhong's Bone Cleaver embedded in its body, the Level 2 Zombie was practically unharmed.

That was the gap in weapon strength and combat power. Without a White Grade weapon, it was extremely difficult to injure a Level 2 Mutant Creature.

The zombie casually slapped away the Bone Cleaver lodged in its thigh, then reached its rotten hand toward Han Zhong, who was struggling to rise nearby.

Silently, Wang Changle had already slipped behind it while the zombie grabbed Han Zhong.

"Bang!"

The Fire Axe swung in a full arc and struck the zombie's left leg solidly.

When the axe blade hit flesh, it actually rang out like metal striking metal.

"Roar!"

Amid the zombie's roar, Han Zhong was torn in half, blood and organs splattering all over the ground.

Even with all his strength behind the blow, the White Equipment Fire Axe had only sunk in less than halfway.

Wang Changle watched as the previously unstoppable Fire Axe became lodged in the zombie's left waist.

"Damn it!"

Feeling numbness spread through the web of his hand, Wang Changle instantly understood that this wasn't something he could take head-on.

Especially since his current strength wasn't enough to wield the Fire Axe flexibly.

With a thought, he stored the axe away.

"Whoosh!"

He kicked off with both feet, dodging the bloody claw that swept at him from behind, and rushed forward.

The next second, the zombie behind him let out a snake-like hiss, its cry brimming with rage.

"Thud, thud, thud!"

Dense, heavy footsteps echoed through the warehouse. Wang Changle could clearly hear the raspy breathing rapidly closing in behind him.

"Hiss-ha!"

A chill shot from his tailbone straight to his scalp. If that thing caught him, he would definitely die!

Thinking of Han Zhong's body being torn in two just moments ago, Wang Changle's expression tightened. He pushed off harder and ran even faster.

This was where the advantage of equipment became apparent. Although Wang Changle wasn't a 1-star Evolver,

his 6 points of Agility, combined with the 10% movement speed boost from the Power Boots, kept him from being caught for the time being.

The other two men in the zombie's path weren't so lucky. The instant Wang Changle led the zombie past them—

"Bang!"

The two were sent flying again in terror. After hitting the ground, they stopped moving.

Taking advantage of the opening, Wang Changle widened the distance and led the zombie toward the shelving area.

He deftly changed directions and rounded corners, leading the zombie around most of the shelving area.

Only then did Wang Changle realize that his earlier strike hadn't been completely useless.

The zombie might not feel pain, but its ability to exert force had still been affected.

Especially when suddenly turning right, its body would sway slightly.

"Got it!"

Wang Changle's eyes lit up. Looking at the shelves around him piled high with bags of rice and flour, a plan formed in his mind.

When he made the second right turn, Wang Changle suddenly came to a sharp stop, pulled out the Fire Axe from his storage space, lowered his body, and chopped fiercely at the zombie's right foot.

"Bang!"

Another gash opened in the zombie's right foot. It immediately lost its balance and, driven by momentum, slammed into the shelves.

"Boom!"

The enormous momentum caused the zombie to smash through two shelving units.

Wang Changle put away the axe, got up, and knocked over two more shelves. Nearly a hundred bags of rice and flour buried the zombie, leaving only half its head exposed.

A dark green chain of light passed through the shelves and entered the zombie's grotesque head.

"Life Extraction!"

In the wrecked warehouse, Wang Changle lay on the ground, panting as he struggled to maintain the chain of light in his hand.

The green glow of Life Extraction continuously siphoned the life essence from the Iron Skin Zombie's body.

With the Heart of Nature's enhancement, the Iron Skin Zombie visibly began to lose its strength.

In just two and a half minutes, he had extracted 18% of the Iron Skin Zombie's life essence and reduced all its attributes by nearly 18%.

[Notice: You obtained Life Essence (Corpse Source) ×1]

After spending 30 Magic Power, Wang Changle felt mentally exhausted.

He stopped channeling. Looking at the somewhat shriveled Iron Skin Zombie, Wang Changle sneered and took out the Fire Axe again.

"Chasing me, huh? Chase me! Go on, chase me! Die already!"

Wang Changle raised the Fire Axe, aimed at the zombie's head, and swung it down again and again.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Splat!"

Dull impacts mingled with his curses, echoing through the warehouse.

[Notice: You killed a Level 2 Iron Skin Zombie. You obtained 0.1% World Origin. You obtained Treasure Chest ×1]

[Notice: Slaughter Talent 'Characteristic Extraction' activated. You obtained Characteristic Card: Hardening ×1]

[Notice: You obtained Level 2 Magic Power Crystal ×1]

Wang Changle glanced at the zombie whose head he had smashed apart, then tightened his grip on the Magic Crystal.

The tension in his heart finally eased, and he slumped down beside it in exhaustion. He was safe.

"Th-this..."

Not far from the warehouse entrance, the sole survivor cowered in a corner against the wall. It was Dahua, the one who had been shouting that he would be the first to go up.

The cocky young punk who had been acting so arrogant was now shivering in the corner like a violated girl.

It was as if only the cold, solid wall could offer him even a shred of security.

Dahua's eyes held confusion and fear. The rapid reversals one after another had left him unable to process it all.

Just over ten minutes ago, the six of them had been planning to rob that young man. Back then, he had still been full of swagger.

But in the blink of an eye, all his arrogance and pride had been utterly crushed the moment that Iron Skin Zombie burst in.

Five living people had died so bloodily and brutally right in front of him. Warm blood had dripped bit by bit onto his face.

Then it had turned cold and sticky, just like his once-burning heart.

At that moment, he gained a new understanding of the world. This world had really changed.

There were actually monsters this terrifying in the world!

Da Chun's head had become a rotten watermelon. Qiang Zi's kitchen knife hadn't even left a white mark on the zombie's face before the zombie bit off most of his neck.

The fierce Uncle Han had been torn in two. Glasses and Fat Bo had their breastbones caved in from the impact, and they stopped breathing moments later.

If he hadn't been farther from the zombie and outside its path, he would probably be dead too!

Yet Wang Changle, whom they had intended to rob, had now smashed that terrifying zombie's head into a pile of mush.

Was this world too absurd, or simply too insane?

Dahua couldn't understand what had happened to the world, but after surviving such a disaster, he deeply understood that this was no longer his original world.

If he wanted to survive in this mad world, he needed to find someone powerful to rely on. His gaze involuntarily turned toward the young man in the shelving area.

However, Wang Changle had no interest in the survivor who kept sneaking glances at him.

After resting for a moment, Wang Changle began examining his spoils.

[Life Essence (Corpse Source)]

Origin: Doomsday Roulette World

White: 10+

Type: Consumable

Effect: After absorption, restores 18% Health in a short period, reduces pain by 20%, lasts 30 minutes.

Notice: Consecutive use of Life Essence does not produce diminishing effects. (Will not be displayed again)

Description: Kill, kill, kill!

Notice: Can be used for secondary crafting such as potions, alchemy, and enchanting. (Will not be displayed again)

Value: 900 Paradise Coins. Can be brought out of this world.

Holding the Life Essence, Wang Changle couldn't help but begin calculating its value.

First, it was a pretty good recovery item. Its 18% healing effect and 20% pain reduction could produce remarkable results if used well.

Second, it could be used for secondary crafting. The results of secondary crafting would naturally be better, meaning it had further value-added potential.

Most importantly, this Life Essence was basically free for him. It was a byproduct of his skill, an extra gain.

Although Life Extraction had no offensive power and a long cooldown, it was a skill with special abilities.

Not only could it continuously reduce all attributes, but it could also create a special recovery item. It truly was an excellent ability.

Its cooldown was just a little too long. Putting away the Life Essence, he took out a square card.

[Characteristic Card: Hardening]

Origin: Doomsday Roulette World

Type: Item

Use: Grants the target equipment or item the characteristic ability (Hardening) and regenerates its attributes.

Description: A product of Talent. Cannot be traded.

The information was simple, without any displayed effects or excessive details.

But the moment Wang Changle held the card, he immediately thought of the Iron Skin Zombie's terrifying defense.

Even when he swung the Fire Axe with all his strength, it had only cut a few inches into the flesh. Its toughness was obvious.

Even after its attributes had been reduced by 18%, he had needed to strike its head four times in a row to kill the Iron Skin Zombie. Its defensive capabilities were clear.

So this was the power of a characteristic. What a powerful trait!

"If I were to grant it a characteristic..."

Go.