Sequence Advancement

On the way, Qin Siyang took a portion of Thousand-Foot Mushroom he had brought home from the cafeteria on Friday out of his backpack and ate it for lunch as he walked.

In the cafeteria, mushrooms were a top-tier delicacy. With their meat-like texture and distinctive fungal flavor, even a simple stir-fry tasted good.

But Qin Siyang had no interest in savoring them. All his attention was on how to grow stronger.

By the time Qin Siyang reached Safe Zone Exit No. 89757, it was already afternoon.

Fortunately, his body had been strengthened yesterday, giving him astonishing stamina. He had walked for nearly six hours since leaving home, yet still felt no fatigue.

But he knew this state probably would not last much longer, because he could no longer maintain his initial brisk pace.

That left him less than optimistic about heading to the more distant Safe Zone Exit No. 38324.

"Adding another two hours to the round trip wouldn't be a smart move."

The sign for Exit No. 89757 brought him a sigh of relief.

"Finally here."

This time, he did not head straight for the Safe Zone exit. The Sequence Ability Users there were not his targets anyway.

To avoid exposing himself, he took a detour down a side street to inspect the dumpsters first.

Having searched for dumpsters near two Safe Zone exits, he already had a rough idea of where they would be.

Sure enough, after passing through one block, he spotted three dumpsters filled with God Remains.

Watching the dark purple tentacles slowly attach themselves to the rims of the dumpsters and crawl along them, Qin Siyang's heart pounded.

He carefully checked his surroundings. No people, and no cleaners.

An opportunity, or a trap?

He walked along as though nothing were out of the ordinary, carefully analyzing the situation.

Judging by how messy the dumpsters were, no one seemed to have deliberately arranged their contents.

Qin Siyang glanced at the filth on the ground again. Only one set of tread-patterned footprints went back and forth around the dumpsters, probably left by a cleaner.

Was anyone watching from the shadows?

Almost certainly not.

There were far fewer Sequence Ability Users at Safe Zone Exit No. 89757 than at Safe Zone Exit No. 54320. Relatively speaking, the dumpsters here could not possibly attract more attention than those in the No. 54320 area.

If even that enormous waste station at Safe Zone Exit No. 54320 only had two plainclothes officers, then there was no way Safe Zone Exit No. 89757 could have more sophisticated surveillance!

No one nearby meant no one was watching!

In other words, news of the God Remains disappearing from the dumpsters at the Exit of Safe Zone 114514 last night had only reached Safe Zone Exit No. 54320. It hadn't spread any farther!

He had originally planned to check the more distant Safe Zone Exit No. 38324 as well, because a feast of the century would surely be waiting there. But his body was already showing early signs of fatigue, and he probably did not have enough stamina left to try his luck there.

The dumpsters at No. 89757 it is!

He knew his analysis was not foolproof.

But glory had to be won in battle, and riches through risk!

If he wanted to grow stronger, he had to take risks. Always playing it safe would only cost him opportunities.

Qin Siyang had not been reborn just to spend another lifetime slaving away as he had before.

At the very least, he had to use his powerful Sequence Ability to leave the outskirts of the Safe Zone and achieve financial freedom.

So he had to grow stronger.

As quickly as possible.

Having made up his mind, Qin Siyang immediately decided to run over to the dumpsters while no one was around and gorge himself.

This time, the dumpsters held three or four times as many God Remains as he had eaten yesterday.

He had to pick up the pace and finish as quickly as possible. If he chewed as slowly as yesterday and needed water to help wash everything down, who knew how long it would take to polish off these three dumpsters of delicacies? He could easily be exposed!

But once he started eating faster, he would no longer be able to keep a careful eye on his clothes. Blood might splash onto them and bring him enormous trouble.

So before eating, he cautiously removed all his outer layers and hung them on a nearby streetlamp. Several hooks had been cast into its metal casing. Qin Siyang did not know what they were for, but they were perfect for hanging his clothes right now.

Then he approached the dumpsters, bare-chested.

This area near the Safe Zone exit was much colder than everywhere else. The icy wind that rushed in whenever the exit opened whipped through the streets, covering Qin Siyang in goosebumps.

Safety came first. To keep his clothes free of bloodstains, he could only endure the bitter cold while he ate.

Looking at the dazzling assortment of God Remains, Qin Siyang shivered with excitement.

He swallowed. "Time to dig in!!!"

Whether it was because practice had made him more proficient, or because his improved physique had strengthened his ability to swallow, he gulped down the God Remains several times faster than yesterday.

Before, food had sometimes caught in his throat. Today, he could stuff remains into his mouth with both hands and swallow them immediately. His hands barely stopped moving, and in just over ten minutes, he had nearly finished the God Remains in all three dumpsters.

As he ate, his entire body continued to grow stronger.

By the time he had almost finished the God Remains in the three dumpsters, he realized that even bare-chested, he no longer shivered in the cold. His whole body brimmed with strength.

"It works this quickly?!"

Qin Siyang looked at his increasingly defined chest and abdominal muscles and smiled in satisfaction.

Just then, the information in his mind changed.

[Sequence "God Eater" advanced]

[Digesting Gods makes you stronger]

[Current sequence level: Level 2, Greedy Rogue]

[Skill: Blood Drink. Skill description: You can digest Gods even when eating them raw.]

[Skill: Violence. Skill description: Triples your strength, agility, and physical durability for ten minutes. You feel no pain during this period.]

He had leveled up!

Qin Siyang's eyes widened as he stared at his information panel in disbelief.

His new skill, [Violence], boosted his strength and agility and made him impervious to pain.

This skill seemed to have greatly enhanced his combat capabilities!

Was he strong enough now to join a squad of Sequence Ability Users that hunted Gods?

He remembered seeing a sequence called [Warrior] the last time he browsed the [Godslayer Camp] forum. It had a skill called [Enhancement] that doubled the user's strength and physical durability for five minutes, and people already called it "a broken skill among low-level Sequence Users."

His [Violence] clearly outclassed [Enhancement] in every way. Didn't that make him the king of low-level Sequence Users?

Now that he had a solid skill, should he join a squad of Sequence Ability Users, or go it alone?

Countless thoughts swirled through his mind, but he had no answers.

Suddenly, he realized something.

The most important thing now was not to announce that he was a Sequence Ability User, but to find a way to conceal his [God Eater] sequence from everyone else.

To do that, he had to visit the internet café again and find a sequence he could plausibly pass his own off as.

Otherwise, if anyone learned that his sequence was [God Eater], there was no telling what threats he might face.

But that would have to wait until he received his pay from his library job next week. For at least the next week, he still had to be an ordinary student.

He could worry about the future later.

He had already advanced his sequence today. It was time to quit while he was ahead.

If he got greedy and went to eat at Safe Zone Exit No. 38324 as well, the risk would be too great. Safe Zone Exit No. 38324 was only three stops away from Safe Zone Exit No. 89757. If the people here discovered something wrong, they might alert those at Safe Zone Exit No. 38324 to guard the dumpsters and catch him red-handed!

That was enough for now.

Once he finished the last dozen or so God Remains in the dumpsters, he would head home. Having made up his mind, Qin Siyang was about to start eating again and finish this lavish feast.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps.

Someone was coming?! Why now?!

But the footsteps sounded somewhat unsteady.

He turned and saw a drunk staggering toward the dumpsters from a distance.

The drunk did not seem to have noticed Qin Siyang. He was still humming an awful tune, which only made Qin Siyang more anxious.

If this drunk notices anything wrong with the dumpsters, they'll probably seal off the area in no time!

He had no time to wipe the blood off his body. After a moment's hesitation, he quickly stuffed the dozen or so God Remains from the dumpsters into his backpack, put on his clothes, and sprinted away with the backpack on his back.

After his sequence advanced, his body had undergone another qualitative leap. At a full sprint, he moved so quickly that he could barely make out the roadside railings flashing backward past him.

Qin Siyang prayed silently.

Please don't let anyone set up a cordon and catch me before I get away!

Carrying a bottle of liquor, the drunk swayed his way over to the dumpsters and scratched his head. "Thought I just saw someone here. How'd he disappear in the blink of an eye? Could he be like me, a... hic... a Sequence Ability User?"

He tossed the liquor bottle into a dumpster, where it struck the container with a clear clink.

"Huh? The dumpster seems empty?"