The Water of Life

The Hellhound whipped its head, and Cheng Xiaoyu tumbled to the ground in a sorry state, clutching the wound on his arm with a pained expression.

His entire Left Arm had already vanished. Fresh Blood kept flowing from the wound, and that thread of pain constantly needled his nerves.

"Hiss... Damn it, was a Great General still too much for me...?"

The dust and smoke dispersed. The Hellhound raised its enormous Claws and slammed them down without the slightest hesitation.

"Boom!"

Cheng Xiaoyu had no time to dodge at all. He could only take the blow head-on. The huge Claws pressed down on him, and he spat out a mouthful of Fresh Blood.

Taking advantage of the gap when the Hellhound lifted its Claws to inspect him, he immediately used Shadow Evasion and left the area, hiding behind a broken stone wall to adjust his condition.

[Status Recovery]

With a thought, green light flashed around him in the next second. His missing Left Arm instantly grew back, and his condition returned to its peak at once.

A fierce light showed in Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes. He flashed forward and used [Dash], charging out again. In the blink of an eye, he had actually leaped onto the Hellhound's face, and the sharp blade stabbed viciously into its pupil.

Seeing this, delight appeared on his face. He knew this surprise attack had succeeded; at long last, he had dealt it a bit of damage.

However, the Hellhound was a Great General-class monster, after all. How could it fall because of such a minor injury? It angrily whipped its head and flung the ant on its face away, instantly counterattacking.

How could Cheng Xiaoyu's speed compare to the Hellhound's? One slap sent him flying backward again, and he crashed heavily into a stretch of Ruins. At the same time, his [HP] also began dropping rapidly.

After that, the battle remained completely one-sided. Cheng Xiaoyu was continuously beaten by the Hellhound without being able to fight back properly. Although he had chances to counterattack, they were not enough to pose any serious threat to it.

After his [HP] dropped to a certain point, system information popped up.

[Automatic Skill Use]

[Resilience: When HP drops below 30%, damage taken is reduced by 50%]

Cheng Xiaoyu spat out a mouthful of Fresh Blood. Looking at the Information Box that had popped up from the system, he helplessly pulled his lips into a smile and could not help sighing.

The gap is too big. Right now, my [HP] is continuing to fall, and I'm almost out of room for error...

Seeing the Hellhound's Claws descend once more, Cheng Xiaoyu made several leaps and used Shadow Evasion to temporarily escape, hiding behind a wall to recover.

What exactly do I have to do to defeat it? If I get hit a few more times, it'll be completely over... Do I really have to use the [Teleportation Stone]?

Cheng Xiaoyu looked at the [Teleportation Stone] in his hand, feeling extremely unwilling. He had already fought this hard—how could he give up so easily?

Suddenly, he remembered the reward he had obtained last time in the [Dungeon]. He immediately searched through his [Item Inventory] and found a bottle of potion.

[Enhanced Potion: Restores 30% HP, reduces Physical Damage by 20%]

Cheng Xiaoyu decisively drank the bottle of potion at once. In an instant, he felt his injuries ease considerably, and even his strength increased quite a bit.

In a flash, a Wind breaking sound came from behind him, making him instinctively use Shadow Evasion to dodge away. In the next second, that spot was torn apart by the Hellhound's Claws.

Looking at the savage Hellhound, resolve showed in Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes. He flashed forward and charged up, continuously leaving wound after wound on its body with his Short Blade.

After he drank the potion, the Short Blade's [Paralysis] and [Bleeding] effects also activated again, making the Hellhound suffer unbearably for a short time. In the end, it could not endure it and stomped its Forelimbs viciously onto the ground. Dust and smoke immediately rose in all directions.

Under the severe shock, Cheng Xiaoyu was forced into the air. But it was precisely this opening that let the Hellhound find its chance. A massive head lunged out and bit Cheng Xiaoyu in one mouthful!

"Ah!"

Cheng Xiaoyu screamed in agony. He could clearly feel the sharp teeth piercing through his abdomen, constantly stimulating his nerves.

However, he gritted his teeth tightly and forced himself to concentrate, gripping the Short Blade and stabbing it into the Hellhound's eyeball.

"Roar!"

Feeling the pain in its eye, the Hellhound let out a mournful howl. Dark Red blood kept gushing out, and under the [Bleeding] effect from one slash after another, it finally collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

Cheng Xiaoyu, meanwhile, fell into a Pool of Blood. Two bloody holes had already appeared in his abdomen, and Fresh Blood slowly flowed out. Right now, he could not muster even the slightest bit of strength.

[Hellhound has been killed]

[Level increased]

In the next second, steam rose from the bloody holes in his abdomen. His original skin slowly appeared, and his injuries healed instantly.

He rolled over, looked at the dark, gloomy sky, and closed his eyes.

[Key to the City Gate: Can open the Demon City gate]

Cheng Xiaoyu sat up. Looking at the Information Boxes popping up one after another, a trace of surprise appeared on his face.

They're all item rewards. Killing this Great General monster actually gives this many benefits... Wait, this is!?

An Ancient Blueprint appeared in his hand. When he saw the Information Box that popped up from the system, his body could not help trembling, and his pupils shrank.

["Water of Life" crafting blueprint: Learn the method to craft the item "Water of Life"]

[Three materials are required to craft "Water of Life"; materials can be obtained in Demon City]

After putting away this extremely important crafting blueprint, Cheng Xiaoyu understood his current level of strength through this experience. Although he had killed the Great General-class Hellhound, it had been nothing but luck.

If I keep exploring at my current level, I'll definitely die!

But... in the near future, I'll definitely come back. I definitely will!

Cheng Xiaoyu immediately crushed the [Return Stone] and returned to the Real World.

His vision flashed, and he returned to the front of Yinmao Building. Fortunately, there were not many people around. Otherwise, a living person appearing out of thin air would have scared them to death...

Huh, this seemed to be a magical world, right? Then never mind. How very magical!

Still, now that he had the [Blueprint: Water of Life], one burden on his mind could be considered settled. He believed it would definitely cure Mom.

When he returned home, the lights in the living room had long since been turned off. Ye Xinxia and Ye Meng'e had clearly both gone to sleep. He had told them earlier that he would be going to bed early tonight, so they probably hadn't noticed him sneaking out.

Cheng Xiaoyu carefully walked into the bathroom. Only after washing himself clean did he return to his bedroom to sleep.

After Cheng Xiaoyu closed the door, the door to a guest room opened at the same time. A graceful figure in a black nightdress leaned against the doorframe, her beautiful eyes fixed on the closed bedroom door.

Ye Meng'e had originally planned to make a night raid on her younger cousin tonight, only to find that there was no one in the room at all, so she decided to see when Cheng Xiaoyu would come back.

Xiaoyu, just what are you hiding? Or what have you experienced?