บท 22: Chapter 22: Crush and Ascend

The sound of crushing glass filled the air as a hand reached for the dull, diamond-like gem. With a firm grip, the hand crushed the gem, reducing it to a pile of fine dust.

The man inhaled sharply, the dust swirling into his body, leaving a trail of glitter behind.

[You have destroyed a Tier 0 magic crystal!]

[Your high Luck has begun to take effect!]

…

With the sound of hushed human voices , Jin stood far away from them, observing from the darkness while narrowing his eyes on the surrounding area.

"The tenants? Why are there so few tenants present?" he wondered silently.

The group consisted of ten people, one being a middle-aged woman, while the rest were unorganized.

Though his vision was sharp, the distance made it difficult to see their faces clearly.

"At least they're still alive," Jin muttered before taking a short breath. He then crouched down and stuffed his hands between the mass of lumps. "The tenants are safe now," he thought to himself.

The number of Blood Slaves and Level 5 Vampiric Bats he killed was estimated to be more than 100, which basically meant the rest of the floors were empty without any dangers.

"It looks like they were making their way down from the top floor," he concluded and rolled his eyes to the sides.

Too exhausted to make any more guesses, Jin focused on the task at hand. As he felt the sticky warmth of the blood spread through his skin, he shuddered slightly and tilted his head to avoid getting it on his face.

"Mmm, got it," Jin said while searching among the corpses of these gigantic bats. His hand finally touched the rough and hard feeling of the gem.

Without hesitation, he pulled it out and noticed the magic crystal in his hand.

The next moment, the magic crystal was powerless against Jin's strength as he crushed it, summoning the transparent game screen.

[You have destroyed a Tier 0 magic crystal!]

[Your high Luck has begun to take effect!]

[You have absorbed +0.50 Strength!]

He displayed a wide smile. His eyes sparkled and his pupils widened upon seeing the high number of stats he had received. "I can't believe my luck today!"

Previously at the bar, when he had killed all the Blood Slaves and Vampiric Bats, he thought it would be a long journey to increase his level, not to mention the number of creatures he had killed, which could be considered many.

However, the joy he felt from getting +0.10 stats had faded quickly as he realized that it had virtually no impact on his overall stats.

"No, it had an impact, but the increment is too little. Or rather, I can't wait that long," he silently pondered.

Upon his arrival at this apartment, the Vampiric Bats were already level 5, making them more challenging to defeat. However, when he discovered the number of stats he could obtain, his excitement resurfaced.

Still, he feared they were not enough. But now, looking at the long corridor filled with corpses, mostly of Level 5 Vampiric Bats, he couldn't help but daydream about how many more stats he could acquire.

"Should I wipe them all out first?" He chuckled, feeling the previous battle and the efforts he had put in finally paid off.

But as he collected the magic crystals one by one, his attention suddenly shifted as he 'somehow' felt the killing intent coming from the group.

Jin squinted as he noticed other tenants seemingly arguing and pointing at him.

"They must be scared of me. After all, coupled with this darkness, my appearance is almost unrecognizable," he muttered and chose to continue what he was doing.

No matter how much he explained to them, with his vest stained with blood and his appearance slightly altered due to some unknown reason, they might not believe he was their security guard.

Unbeknownst to Jin, Wei Jingyi, one of the tenants who brought him here, could still recognize him despite his altered appearance.

…

Several minutes later, Jin's hands were fast and swift as he kept taking and crushing those crystals.

Notifications from the game screen flashed before his eyes, but the determination in his eyes showed how consistent he kept collecting the magic crystals.

The group still seemed confused and didn't approach him while he was busy with his own matters. All of this was a smooth process before finally, one particular notification caught his attention.

[You have leveled up!]

[You gained 2 points to freely distribute between your attributes!]

"Finally! After such a long journey," Jin felt a surge of excitement and did a short jump, and then immediately opened his stats screen.

[

· Name: Jin Tianyi

· Class: -

· Level: 9

· Race: Human

· Health: 179.8/179.8

· Mana/Stamina: 113/113

]

[Free Attribute: 2]

"Well, I now have 179 health points! And it looks like my strength has increased by about 12+ points. It must be because of those crystals," With a light smile, he slightly nodded.

He destroyed around 48-50 magic crystals earlier, and he gained around 12+ points in stats.

This was just the path on the side of the corridor, he had not yet collected the path where the group was standing and the path where the piled Blood Slaves were blocking the broken windows.

However, because of all this excitement, he almost forgot. He walked toward the group and immediately alerted them with his presence.

With his height towering over the rest of the people and his slightly muscular build, Jin turned around and waved his hands at them while still standing in the shadows.

"Uh, respected tenants, I'm Jin, your friendly neighborhood security guard. Just checking in on your safety. If you can stay still for a bit, we can avoid riling up any of those pesky monsters."

Jin cleared his throat and flashed the same professional smile he always used when the tenants went out. Of course, the part where those monsters suddenly wake up was a life.

But who knows, maybe some of them were startled by his imposing height? He was already used to it, and added with the current situation, it was even normal for them to scream.

"But, I feel like somehow I heard them calling me a monster?" As Jin had his own thoughts, the blurry figures of the group finally revealed themselves to him.

"Jin? Do you think I'm a fool?" The first person spoke, a young woman with long hair and bold makeup.

It was Liu Yifan, a college student specializing in marketing and sales. She glared at Jin, pointing the knife in her hand towards him.

"There is no way Jin could have killed these monsters alone. Besides, I remember clearly that you were not on shift yesterday, and that you went out that night."

"Ah, Sister Liu is as vigilant as always," Jin muttered inwardly.

The young lady who spoke was Liu Yifan. Jin knew she was a college student in the Department of Business, specializing in marketing and sales.

Arguing with her was like arguing with a lawyer - frustrating, tiring, and often futile. But Liu Yifan was one of the few people who cared enough to ask about his finances, so he tried his best to keep the conversation civil.

"She's usually kind, but I didn't expect her to be this fierce," he chuckled.

Without realizing it, Jin chuckled after a long silence without answering. His reaction only made the group more suspicious of him.

The group scrutinized Jin's every word and gesture when one young man suddenly pushed Liu Yifan to the side. Standing tall at 180cm, he raised his head and glared directly at Jin.

His spiky hair and tightly gripped machete made it clear he was eager to use it.

The bloodied armored vest and this handsome young man were definitely not the Jin that he had known for years. That cold and average guy wouldn't be this strong!

"Look, do you think a monster can think?" the young man said, his eyes fixed on Jin. "You're wasting your time, Yifan. Let me handle this." With a sly smile and a shout, the spiky young man vanished from their sight.

"NO! Stop, Lao!" someone from the group shouted, but it was too late. The blood on the floor where the attacker, Lao Yan, had been standing was blasted around the surrounding area.

"Everyone, distance yourselves!" Wei Jingyi, with her eyes narrowed at Jin, instantly commanded the rest of the group.

Without hesitation, they followed her orders, quickly jumping backward and reaching the end of the corridor.

At the same time, Lao Yan, whose body had suddenly disappeared, reappeared from above Jin, using his legs to execute a flying roundhouse kick."

SLAM!

Just as the blasting sound of the impact was heard, the scene before them left them bewildered.

The 'Jin' monster they thought would have its head blown into a million pieces was actually blocking Lao Yan's attacks! Jin stood without scratches as he held Lao Yan's legs with his left hand and easily flung him to the nearby wall.

BOOM!

Lao Yan, still in shock from the monster's strength, collided with the hard cement wall, letting out a loud gasp from his mouth.

Jin's eyes turned extremely cold as he surveyed the group of people eyeing him suspiciously. "Although I promised Mrs. XXX that I would protect you guys from danger…" he muttered in a low tone. "It doesn't mean you can disrespect me like this..."