Lu Zhang walked over to the gathered survivors, not caring too much about their shocked stares as he dragged the Stryx's beak behind him.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Zhang saw Elena carrying Su Yao away from the large corpse, laying her down farther away.
A quick Inspect confirming her and Dajian's life, Lu Zhang walked past both. He dropped the beak, analyzing the group briefly.
"You." He spoke to Elena, "Have some people sort this out. We're taking this beak and the biggest pieces of iron from that monster."
Elena nodded, "Of course."
As she and Arthur began coordinating the rest of the group according to his instructions, Lu Zhang examined his reward from the System.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Not a Skill Crystal this time?' Lu Zhang thought to himself as he held up the silver crystal against the moonlight.
[Use Greater Upgrade Crystal?]
'Upgrade... Does it directly affect my skills and increase their levels?'
'Greater Upgrade Crystal implies the existence of Lesser Upgrade Crystal.' Lu Zhang mused as he swatted the head off an unlucky zombie.
He tossed the crystal up once, before decisively crushing it in his palm.
[Target not designated]
[Double Jump Lv 4 -> Double Jump Lv 10]
[Sufficient Insight]
[Proceeding to Greater Upgrade]
[Skill: Double Jump Lv 10 -> Sky Walk Lv 1]
[Sky Walk]
[The ability to step foot upon the heavens.]
Lu Zhang felt the difference instantly.
Double Jump was no longer limited to simply one temporary platform in the air.
Naturally, the mana cost per successive platform increased compared to the base cost of the first platform, but it was an acceptable trade off in Lu Zhang's eyes.
Lu Zhang looked at his hand carefully, 'Is it due to crossing the First Limit?'
'It's healed better than expected.'
Even his feet, which had been dissolved well past the skin level, had recovered nearly to their peak. Lu Zhang leapt up and down gently, finding no pain emanating from them, only a slight stiffness.
"Now then... I wonder if things have settled down there? That was quite a loud explosion."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lu Zhang looked at the newly evolved [Sky Walk] skill with appraisal, sitting next to the unconscious Su Yao and Cai Dajian.
Turning back to look at them, Lu Zhang noted their injuries.
Cai Dajian's arm and face were dappled with pockmarks, evidence of the pinpricks that had been burnt in by the Bulgasari.
Su Yao's condition was slowly getting better, the pink skin lightening as time passed, but a small flame-patterned burn scar remained above her left eye.
'Probably heal when they reach Level 11,' Lu Zhang mused.
Elena came over to his side to report her progress, "We've managed to get bags for the manageable chunks of iron. We tied up the beak to some ropes and put a mobile platform under it. We can carry it overhead for any uneven terrain."
"When do we leave?" Elena asked as she fidgeted under Lu Zhang's gaze, seemingly distraught by the dried blood on him.
"When they wake up. In the meantime, take the rest where this monster came from," Lu Zhang said as he pointed at the Bulgasari.
"There might be more monsters drawn to the sounds of this battle."
"Take whoever wants to level up and keep watch."
Although the continuous levelling had helped his physical endurance, Lu Zhang was still mentally exhausted. He didn't want to deal with the others' whining.
He appreciated Elena being the one to take charge of the rabble when the rest of them didn't want to.
However, that did not equate to trusting her.
'If I'm unlucky, she's going to turn out to be some sort of social parasite who wants control or something,' Lu Zhang mused to himself, laughing at his own made up scenarios.
As he relaxed briefly, his mind wandered backwards in time.
Seeing the Stryx overhead the first time. Meeting Elena and Arthur's group. deciding to leave the city. And-
And Su Yao's house. The Minotaur.
'It's going to be difficult. We have to get the city back before the average level of the monsters increases past what we can handle.'
Lu Zhang noticed Su Yao's skin returning to its usual milky white hue, if a bit flushed.
'Having extra input would be nice.'
Su Yao felt the haze in her mind clear up slightly as her healed throat no longer tortured her.
'Did I... live?'
Her arm wasn't crushed as she expected. Her skin felt the cool air, no longer peeling off.
The only two complaints she had were pieces of shrapnel in her back, and a strangely annoying feeling piercing against her side.
Poke Poke
"-up."
Su Yao barely caught part of what was being said around her.
"Wakey wakey, it's time for school."
'What?' A bewildered Su Yao's eyes snapped open, looking at Lu Zhang who was leaning over her.
Poke Poke
She looked down to see Lu Zhang poking her in the side with a small [Empty Fang] wrapped around his arm.
"You're finally awake," Lu Zhang said as he dismissed the skill coating his palm.
"Dajian woke up before you."
Su Yao sat up with Lu Zhang's help, grimacing as she felt her muscles tense around tiny metal shards in her back.
'Did they get in when the tank exploded?'
Going over her string of System messages, Su Yao found herself sighing in relief, and frowning in confusion.
Relief because the Bulgasari was dead.
'What is this... Proof?'
"We're going to start moving for the village again in a few minutes. Can you walk?" Lu Zhang asked as Su Yao stood with a bit of effort.
"I'm fine. Let's get going."
Su Yao decided her current injuries weren't worth holding up the entire group over.
[Lu Zhang Lv 11]
"You...?"
"Yeah. I levelled up." Lu Zhang said casually. "You should be able to cross your First Limit once you kill a higher level monster."
It was only then Su Yao noticed it. A level of suppression that came from deep within a human being, upon seeing a higher being.
Instincutal fear, written into one's self as genetic information passed down by their ancestors.
The same sense of awe she had felt in front of the Minotaur.
It dissipated quickly, but that brief moment of suppression had left a deep impression on Su Yao.
"Something wrong?" Lu Zhang asked, seeing her freeze suddenly.
'This is good. Right now, people need a single god-like figure to rally around. And the stronger he is, the more people will follow.'
Su Yao collected herself, before smiling, "No. Everything is just perfect."
'I wasn't wrong to choose him.'
'He truly is...'
'The one to lead us to a new world.'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Name: Lu Zhang]
[Level: 11]
[Strength: 26 ->36]
[Speed: 59 ->69]
[Intelligence: 28 -> 38]
[Endurance: 26 ->36]
[Stat Points: 15 ->25]
[Mana: 380/380]
[Skills: Inspect lv 6, Empty Fang Lv 8, Sky Walk Lv 1, Mandate Lv 1, Devour Lv 5]