章 8: Professionals

Suo Shuo...

A bug appeared in front of Chen Feng.

It resembled a centipede, but it was magnified countless times, reaching about half a meter in length with a thickness as large as a bucket. The most unnerving feature was its legs—numerous and densely packed, making contact with the ground. Just a glance at it sent a shiver down one's spine.

Red-Clawed Centipede.

It didn't belong to any particular rank, as this one was only in its juvenile stage. If it advanced to the Bronze level, it could grow to about a meter in length, with its claws becoming even sharper.

The Red-Clawed Centipede's habits hadn't changed; the cold and damp environment had attracted it. It liked to use its numerous legs to entangle its prey and then attack with its poisonous fangs. Despite having no rank, its venom was extremely potent—once poisoned, an ordinary person wouldn't last a minute before succumbing to death.

Underestimating this creature would be a grave mistake.

A cold gleam flashed.

Chen Feng, holding a boning knife, rushed towards the Red-Clawed Centipede, slashing at its head with a single strike.

Slash!

A stream of dark blood spurted out, and even some mottled white spots were visible—this was the centipede's brain matter. The blow had seriously injured it.

The Red-Clawed Centipede hurriedly retreated, its numerous eyes fixed on Chen Feng, filled with rage and menace.

It wasn't dead.

Chen Feng wasn't surprised by this. Insects had incredibly strong vitality, and some were even gifted with the ability to regenerate.

Fortunately, this one was still in its juvenile stage. The boning knife could pierce its defenses—if one strike wasn't enough to kill it, then more strikes would be necessary.

A summoner who doesn't rely on summoned beasts to fight, but instead wields a long knife to battle personally, would surely astonish other professionals.

Due to his profession, Chen Feng couldn't engage in prolonged hand-to-hand combat, but even so, he couldn't place all his hopes on his summoned beasts.

In the apocalypse, there were too many unexpected dangers; increasing physical strength even slightly would improve survival chances.

This was a brutal training session.

Chen Feng needed to master the combat skills of this body as quickly as possible.

"Slash!"

With a muffled sound, the Red-Clawed Centipede's spine was cut open, and some foul-smelling blood oozed out.

The centipede hissed in pain as another wound appeared on its body. This didn't make it retreat; instead, it ignited its fury, doubling its attack speed.

Chen Feng's pupils contracted as he swiftly dodged, retreating several steps as the centipede's head shot forward.

The Red-Clawed Centipede landed heavily on the ground, causing the tiles to crack under the impact.

The intense pain and wounds made it unable to continue its assault, and this gap presented Chen Feng with an opportunity.

Crack!

The boning knife began to chip and crack after repeated strikes. After all, it was just an ordinary weapon, and normal wear and tear was a serious issue. If conditions allowed in the future, Chen Feng would need to find someone to forge a weapon more suited to his needs.

Professions.

These were the abilities of all professionals. Some were skilled at close combat, like Shadow Assassins, Shadow Walkers, and Illusion Killers. Others were powerful tanks like Rock Giants, Hill Lords, and Beast Forms. There were also spiritual professions like Chen Feng, including Summoners, Beast Tamers, Ice-Fire Mages, and Elementalists, among others.

In addition to combat-oriented professions, there were life professions. Though their combat abilities were not remarkable, they excelled in various life skills, such as blacksmithing, enchanting, and alchemy.

These life professionals possessed unique abilities. For example, a blacksmith could temper steel and forge weapons. As their skills improved, they could even incorporate monster organs and blood to enhance the destructive power and lethality of weapons.

Some powerful life professionals were highly sought after by major forces. Even if their combat abilities were lacking, their earning potential had already reached the maximum.

Crack!

With a teeth-grinding sound, the Red-Clawed Centipede's head was finally split open, and a large amount of brain matter spilled out onto the ground.

The Red-Clawed Centipede was one of the more challenging opponents among the cannon fodder monsters. It had both agility and formidable attack power. Chen Feng's ability to kill it within a minute was already an impressive feat.

Still, Chen Feng wasn't entirely satisfied.

Harsh...

But being harsh also increased the chances of survival.

After slaughtering the Red-Clawed Centipede, Chen Feng encountered other low-tier creatures like Sulfuric Acid Worms, Crawling Eels, and Bullet Ants. Compared to the centipede, these creatures were only slightly more powerful, and he quickly dispatched them with a few slashes.

For instance, the Sulfuric Acid Worm could spray acid, but it was incredibly slow, and the spray took time to build up. In the time it took the worm to gather acid, a well-aimed brick could solve the problem.

Many people were afraid, but that was because fear held them back. If one could muster the courage, they would find that the monsters appearing on the streets today weren't unbeatable.

Of course, this was just the beginning of the apocalypse. Many monsters were still in their juvenile forms. As they devoured and absorbed energy particles in the air, some would evolve. For example, the Sulfuric Acid Worm, when its energy reached a certain level, would grow wings and become a Purple-Winged Sulfuric Acid Worm. At that time, with Bronze-level strength, it would not only reduce the time needed to spray acid but also gain the ability to fly, making it a much more challenging enemy.

Even the Dretch under Chen Feng's command, if properly nurtured, could evolve into a Gold or even Legendary-level creature, with a new appearance and enhanced abilities.

The clearing operation was nearing its end. Only one last floor remained, and this place would become a secure base for Chen Feng.

Thud, thud...

Chen Feng ascended the stairs, finding the surroundings covered in cobwebs, and the walls severely corroded. Clearly, no one had set foot here for a long time.

One last step...

Suddenly, a gust of eerie wind blew past, and Chen Feng saw a shadow flash before his eyes. Instinctively, he raised his boning knife to block, but the force behind the attack was so strong that it sent his weapon flying.

"What was that?!"

Chen Feng crouched low, quickly retreating downstairs.

"A snake-like creature?"

Chen Feng cautiously stood at the corner of the stairs. In that brief exchange, he hadn't seen the creature's full form but only sensed its soft, coiled body.

A strange scraping sound emerged, and a shadow appeared at the stairway entrance, accompanied by several curling 'vines' flailing about.

Chen Feng's face turned grim as he clasped his hands together, a red glow appearing at his feet.

Just now, he had caught a clear glimpse of the creature. It had a bloated, jet-black body with four thick, wrist-sized tendrils.

Chen Feng's expression grew even more unusual.

He recognized what this creature was. It was unmistakably...

A tentacle monster?!