Attack Incident

Astonishingly Good Bones?

Lin Yi hurriedly opened the detailed description of the talent.

Astonishingly Good Bones (White Talent): The owner gains 1 point of Strength, 1 point of Constitution, and 1 point of Agility, and receives a 20% Proficiency bonus when learning external martial arts.

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow.

Though it was a White Talent, it looked pretty good.

For now, he could not tell whether the added 1 point each of Strength, Constitution, and Agility was impressive, but the bonus to learning external martial arts was certainly no small thing.

Thanks to Village Elder Gu He's guidance, Lin Yi knew that external martial arts were the game's early-stage skills. If he could learn one, he would have at least some ability to protect himself in Ancient Pool Village.

However, judging by what had happened that morning, let alone learning external martial arts, even picking up a useful trade in the village would not be easy.

Lin Yi did not immediately Solidify the Astonishingly Good Bones talent. Instead, he prepared to continue exploring Ancient Pool Village. He knew far too little about this game and needed to gather more information.

Lin Yi headed west through the surrounding wheat fields, making his way into the village.

It was midday, the sun blazed overhead, and the heat was intense. Along the way, he could see villagers from Ancient Pool Village working in the fields.

The villagers did not seem surprised by Lin Yi, a Descender. They merely glanced at him from afar before returning to their farm work.

After wandering around, Lin Yi discovered that Ancient Pool Village's layout was rather interesting. The outermost areas were occupied by farmers who grew crops and beggars who survived by begging.

The surrounding thatched huts were scattered about unevenly.

As for the village's Core Zone, it was home to villagers with trades, like Butcher Ling. Their living conditions were somewhat better.

Overall, Ancient Pool Village, despite its small population, had a clear class division. It resembled an ancient county town.

If not for the character Data Panel, Lin Yi truly would not have been able to tell whether this place was another world or a game.

But even if it was a game, Apocalypse World was definitely no ordinary game.

"Roar!"

At that moment, a terrifying cry suddenly came from a thatched hut nearby. The piercing sound gave Lin Yi a huge fright.

"Fuck, what the hell was that?"

Through the hut's window, Lin Yi could only barely make out a black shadow moving inside.

Lin Yi had intended to step forward and see what was happening, but when he turned his head, he found that all the villagers who had heard the roar were fleeing in panic.

"It's a Ghost Fiend! Run!"

"A Ghost Fiend got into the village! Notify the Village Elder!"

A Ghost Fiend?

Lin Yi froze. Then, with a thunderous crash, the thatched hut's wooden door was smashed apart by the black shadow, sending splinters flying.

The black shadow stood roughly two meters tall, with a sturdy body and bulging muscles. Its teeth were sharp, and red blood dripped from the corners of its mouth.

Green light shone from its eyes as it greedily swept its gaze across the surroundings.

Clearly, everyone else had run away, leaving only Lin Yi, who had reacted a beat too slowly.

"Fuck, run!"

Lin Yi was no fool. His hair stood on end as he immediately turned and ran.

"Roar!"

The monster called a Ghost Fiend let out a roar and charged after Lin Yi.

Lin Yi fled frantically, feeling as though a massive beast was charging behind him. Even the ground trembled beneath its steps.

After sprinting for dozens of meters, Lin Yi sensed the monster behind him closing in. His heart rose into his throat. No, I definitely can't outrun this thing like this!

Seeing the open grove ahead, Lin Yi abruptly changed direction and rushed toward the villagers who had scattered earlier.

In this situation, running alone would only lead to death. Blending into the crowd might give him a sliver of hope.

But the Ghost Fiend was incredibly fast. Its limbs dug into the ground as it pursued Lin Yi like an evil spirit.

Within a mere five seconds, the Ghost Fiend caught up to Lin Yi.

At that critical moment, Lin Yi suddenly remembered that he had not used the Astonishingly Good Bones talent. There was no time to think. He could only Solidify it to save his life.

At once, a faint warm current flowed into Lin Yi's body.

With the additional point of Strength, Constitution, and Agility from the Astonishingly Good Bones talent, Lin Yi felt his running speed increase instantly.

The Ghost Fiend swung its claws, and the sharp tips barely grazed Lin Yi's back.

Just a little closer, and Lin Yi would have died beneath the Ghost Fiend's claws.

After dodging the attack, Lin Yi relied on his frantic sprint to finally overtake a slow-running villager.

"Wait for me!"

The villager was a dark-skinned farmer in his forties. When he saw Lin Yi rushing past from behind and the ferocious Ghost Fiend pursuing them, terror filled his face.

"Wait for me! Don't leave me behind!"

"I'm sorry..."

Before Lin Yi could finish speaking, a scream rang out behind him.

When he looked back, he saw the dark-skinned farmer clutched in the Ghost Fiend's hand, torn in half like a chick.

Scalding blood sprayed across the dirt.

Lin Yi had no time to feel guilty when he saw the two-meter-tall Ghost Fiend tear off the farmer's head and stuff it into its mouth full of sharp fangs, chewing it.

Crunch. Crunch.

In just two bites, the head became Broken Bones and was swallowed.

Lin Yi was shaken. He felt as if he had just brushed past death itself. Had he run any slower, he would have been the one to die.

Damn it, Ancient Pool Village was way too dangerous!

He was only Level 1, yet he had already encountered a monster like this?

Without time to think further, Lin Yi fled forward again in a mad rush.

It was obvious that after eating one person, the Ghost Fiend was still not full and wanted to catch a second victim.

Just then, an angry shout came from the distance.

"Damn Monster, your grandpa's here!"

A burly man with a tiger's back and a bear's waist came running from ahead, holding a longsword.

The burly man was incredibly fast. Though he had been several hundred meters away from Lin Yi and the others, he rushed over within seconds.

The Ghost Fiend seemed to sense that the burly man was a threat. It abandoned Lin Yi and the others and charged at him instead.

"Bold bastard! Die!"

The man roared furiously and swung his longsword. A reddish-brown glow flashed across the rough blade as it smashed toward the Ghost Fiend.

Boom!

Red and black collided, sending a shockwave rippling through the air. Then the two separated and landed, seemingly evenly matched.

The Ghost Fiend crouched low with its claws against the ground and let out a roar, its green bloodthirsty eyes fixed firmly on the burly man.

"No wonder you managed to sneak into the village. You're an Eighth Rank Ghost Fiend! But running into me means your luck has run out!"

The burly man swung his longsword again and charged at the Ghost Fiend.

The longsword collided with the Ghost Fiend's claws, throwing off red sparks from time to time.

Many of the villagers who had fled alongside Lin Yi stopped and watched from a distance. Lin Yi mingled among them, panting heavily.

"Great! It's Militia Third Captain Gu Man! Now that he's here, we're saved!"

"What a pity Old Chu ran too slowly and got eaten by the Ghost Fiend. Good thing I ran fast, or I'd have been the one eaten."

Militia Captain Gu Man?

Lin Yi considered this. If Gu Man could deal with an Eighth Rank Ghost Fiend, his level probably was not low either.

This shitty game had far too few functions. Why did it not even have a way to check the levels of NPCs and monsters?

At that moment, someone looked at Lin Yi and blamed him. "It's all this Newborn's fault! If he hadn't led the Ghost Fiend over, Old Chu wouldn't have died!"

The villagers began chattering, and quite a few of them looked at Lin Yi with hostility.

Lin Yi awkwardly rubbed his nose. It was true. He had led the monster over just now, so there was no way to argue.

But in that life-or-death situation, he had not had time to think. Even if he could do it again, Lin Yi would still prioritize saving his own life.

After all, his life was his own. If he died in this game, he might really be dead.

As for the villager who had died, all Lin Yi could say was that he was sorry.

Up ahead, Gu Man continued clashing with the Ghost Fiend while wielding his longsword. His sword moves were broad and powerful, each strike brimming with explosive force.

Amid the dust-filled battlefield, the Ghost Fiend was driven back step by step within just a few minutes. Its tall black body was covered in bloody sword wounds.

The Ghost Fiend howled endlessly.

"Damn it, causing trouble on my patrol day? Let's see if I don't chop you into eight pieces!"

As he spoke, Gu Man raised his sword and brought it down, severing the Ghost Fiend's front claw. As the Ghost Fiend writhed in agony, Gu Man's expression did not change as he drove his sword into it, pinning the Ghost Fiend to the ground.

The Ghost Fiend's foul-smelling blood continuously seeped into the soil along the blade.

Clearly, the Ghost Fiend was already Gu Man's prey.

"Kid over there, come here!"

However, Gu Man did not immediately kill the Ghost Fiend. Instead, he beckoned to Lin Yi in the crowd.

"Me?"

Lin Yi was slightly stunned.

Gu Man glared and waved again. "Yes, you! The new Newborn! While this filthy thing still has a breath left, quit dawdling and get over here!"

Lin Yi had no choice but to walk forward.

Gu Man stepped up and viciously planted his foot on the Ghost Fiend's chest, then pulled out the bloodstained sword and handed it to Lin Yi.

The sword was quite heavy. Lin Yi gripped it with both hands and could barely lift it.

At that moment, a line of data appeared before Lin Yi's eyes.