Chapter 85: Toughness Enhancement

Outside the Circular, Lu Luo sat cross-legged on the second floor of the supermarket. Yesterday’s harvest hadn’t been high, but luckily, he had caught a Second-Tier creature and gained one Sequence Value. He now had a total of 330 energy reserved and wasn’t in a rush to allocate it. His Sequence Value had now reached 10 points. Should I activate D-03 Strength or continue saving up for a 20 Sequence Value upgrade for the Devourer? Lu Luo wondered. Although he had always been a pragmatist, the Devourer’s effect was simply too tempting—so tempting that even a staunch pragmatist like him began to hesitate. "What’s the Devourer’s effect after evolution? Can it be predicted?" [It cannot be predicted. Each person’s talent Sequence has a label, which could also be described as their unique characteristic. The Sequence is influenced by the host and produces different effects. Even with the most basic Sequence, each person’s characteristics will have slight differences. Of course, a Grade S talent Sequence will never be weak, because Grade S inherently symbolizes power—like the great Grade S Observer Sequence.] So, the Sequence is influenced by the host, huh? Lu Luo had known for a long time that Sequences were influenced by their host, but after seeing the Observer’s detailed explanation, he finally made a decision. He would save the Sequence Value, temporarily give up on D-03 Strength, and invest in the more powerful Devourer instead. The Devourer not only affected his energy and Sequence Value acquisition but also his Qi He training speed; it was fundamental to his strength improvement. Enhancing the Devourer was a choice with virtually no drawbacks. Just 10 more Sequence points... which means at most 10 Second-Tier creatures, he thought. Even though his strength had vastly improved, Lu Luo still didn’t recklessly venture into more dangerous areas. With more than seven days left, there was no need to rush. It wouldn’t be too late to delve deeper after accumulating more attributes and energy. Besides his own reasons, he was also waiting for Gu Fangyi’s breakthrough. After reading many books, Lu Luo had realized how difficult breakthroughs were for others. For example, a Hunter breaking through their Qi Path Qi Points by forcing them open versus a perfect Fusioner’s Qi Point breakthrough were completely different concepts. Attempting a personal breakthrough carried a certain chance of failure. After failing, some Qi would dissipate, necessitating retraining. Gu Fangyi had this problem. He had been a novice for a long time but had yet to break through to the First Tier, mainly due to a lack of resources, money, and insufficient Dark Energy concentration inside the Wall. Now that he was outside the Wall, it naturally presented the best opportunity for Gu Fangyi to make a breakthrough. Having decided to upgrade the Devourer and wait for Gu Fangyi, Lu Luo decided to stay put for a few more days. He used 250 energy to increase his Constitution to 13. After the Enhancement, Lu Luo flexed his muscles, which felt very solid. He had also wondered why his attributes had increased nearly tenfold, yet his physique had barely changed. It seems becoming a muscle-bound hulk is still quite difficult, he mused. Over the next four days, Lu Luo continued to steadily explore the surrounding buildings, one by one. Gu Fangyi and Qi Xinzhu were both focused on training peacefully, so Lu Luo didn’t disturb them. During those four days, Lu Luo killed five Second-Tier and over a hundred First-Tier Exotic Species. He also dug up four Dark Spirit Stones totaling 45 grams and acquired a number of Corrosive Items. The process was uneventful, mainly because there were no special Second-Tier creatures like the Broodmother around. Ordinary Second-Tier Exotic Species, unless they were at Red Shell’s level, could only be thrashed by Lu Luo. The five Second-Tier and dozens of First-Tier creatures provided Lu Luo with a total of five Sequence Values and 1,700 energy. Lu Luo had initially thought about allocating the points evenly, but after further consideration, he decided to put all the energy into Constitution. Just as 5 attribute points had previously granted a Sequence reward, 20 points in an attribute was the threshold for the Second Tier. Lu Luo wanted to know if increasing an attribute to 20 would grant a new Sequence reward, similar to what happened at 5 points. Now that my three attribute Sequences have merged into the Sequence Chain D-00-Extreme, will increasing attributes still cause changes? All this had to be explored. The Observer was basically useless, the type that knew nothing when asked, so he had to rely on himself. "Increase Constitution." [Your Constitution has been raised to 20. You have gained a new Sequence variation: Sequence D-00-Extreme has been enhanced.] [Sequence C-00-Extreme] Effect 1 - Toughness: Reduces damage by 17% (stacks with any other damage reduction). All damage ultimately reduced by 4 (Constitution 20: +1 additional damage reduction). Effect 2 - Agility: Increases agility by 12%. Reduces damage from high falls. Effect 3 - Might: Increases physical damage by 12%. Physical damage penetration +1%. Introduction: Extreme embodies the pinnacle; only the peak can forge the Extreme State. Holy shit, that’s awesome! Lu Luo thought, elated. Lu Luo’s guess was correct. After his attribute reached the threshold, his Sequence still changed. The entire process felt like his wishes were coming true. Lu Luo knew the power of Toughness. He had already experienced the deceptively simple yet extremely overpowered effect of "all damage reduced by 1." The Enhancement of the D-00-Extreme Sequence was exactly what he had wanted. The damage reduction percentage climbed to a staggering 17% and could stack with other reductions. Moreover, the final all-damage reduction of 4 was a fourfold improvement over the previous effect. The "all damage ultimately reduced by 4" effect was not only perfect for dealing with concentrated attacks but could also grant immunity to most continuous toxin damage. If he were to confront the Broodmother’s nest now, he could just stand inside and hack away recklessly. Even frowning would mean I lose, he thought confidently. With this level of Enhancement, maybe we shouldn’t leave just yet. How about I push all attributes to 20 first? Lu Luo carefully thought it over and ultimately abandoned the idea of continuing to lay low. His main concern was that his current strength had become so formidable in this area that it was no longer challenging. Many First-Tier Exotic Species were already incapable of breaching his defenses: 20 Constitution + 17% damage reduction + 4 flat damage reduction. This meant that even if an ordinary person wielded a weapon like the Wraith Blade, they wouldn’t be able to inflict any physical damage on him. It was absurd. Besides enhancing his strength, he also wanted to train his combat abilities. But if I can just stand still and take zero damage, what’s the point of training? Glancing at the rapidly darkening sky, Lu Luo felt the urge to test his limits in the night. However, he eventually gave up on the idea. The main reason was that many books mentioned the dangers of the night, so Lu Luo decided it was better to play it safe. 「...」 Back at the temporary base on the supermarket’s second floor, Lu Luo found Gu Fangyi once again neglecting his watch duty, leaning against the wall with his gun propped beside him. Gu Fangyi is usually quite reliable, why has he been slacking off recently? Lu Luo wondered. "Haven’t you noticed anything different about me?" Gu Fangyi asked. Oh, you’re different too? I was about to ask you the same thing, Lu Luo pondered. "You... Is something up?" Lu Luo asked. "You really can’t tell?" Gu Fangyi’s voice wavered slightly, a hint of disappointment in his tone. "Er..." Lu Luo stalled. He looked Gu Fangyi up and down. To be honest, he truly hadn’t noticed any difference. But he knew that if he said so directly, the proud Gu Fangyi would definitely be hurt. [Brother Gu broke through. That proud guy is probably waiting for your praise now.] Huh? Just that? I thought it was something major. Breaking through? Isn’t that something anyone can do? Lu Luo thought dismissively. "Brother Gu, you broke through? That was quick! Truly worthy of being the Wasteland’s genius, the linchpin of our Circular! Come, come, sit down and have a compressed biscuit to calm your nerves." When praising someone, the right amount of flattery was most effective. Gu Fangyi looked satisfied upon hearing Lu Luo’s compliments, but even as proud as he was, he restrained his excitement. The purpose of his trip outside the Wall had been achieved; there was no need to linger. If you can’t show off in front of people you care about, what joy is there in life? Since Gu Fangyi didn’t have a girlfriend at the moment, Lu Luo was naturally the person he cared about showing off to. "No need. I have to go back on guard. See you," Gu Fangyi said. After saying that, Gu Fangyi headed back to the third floor. Lu Luo watched his brisk steps. He must be really happy, Lu Luo thought. Lu Luo saw all this. Brother Gu is so easily satisfied! However, this time, Lu Luo called out to him. "Oh, Brother Gu, tidy up this place. Keep the traps, but take everything else. You get some good rest upstairs tonight. Tomorrow, we’re going deeper." Lu Luo’s words stunned both Gu Fangyi and Qi Xinzhu. Hadn’t Lu Luo said they would stay here to kill Exotic Species for ten days and definitely wouldn’t leave? Why the sudden change of heart? they wondered. It was already the sixth day; tomorrow would be the seventh. Is there really a need to go deeper at this point? "Alright," Gu Fangyi replied. He wouldn’t question Lu Luo’s decisions about their course of action. His reasoning was simple: if Lu Luo said to go, there must be a specific reason. Obedience was enough. Lu Luo turned his gaze to Qi Xinzhu. "If you have any objections, you can speak up." "I... I have none," Qi Xinzhu said. Qi Xinzhu had initially wanted to say something about their tight schedule, but then she figured Lu Luo wouldn’t listen even if she did, so she decided to hold her tongue. 「Late at night.」 Because they had decided to venture out the next day, Lu Luo let Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi rest. As for himself, with 20 Constitution, he could stay awake for a long time and recovered very quickly. As long as he took a short nap while the other two rested, it wouldn’t be a problem. At that moment, Lu Luo was extending his tendrils, practicing Qi He. The fourfold concentration of Dark Energy outside the Wall was like water to a fish for him. The Devourer’s tendrils frantically plundered the surrounding Dark Energy particles. Lu Luo estimated that if he could live outside the Wall for an extended period, he would only need about 150 days to accumulate 400 units of Qi. That would be enough to break through. This efficiency was indeed much higher than inside the Wall. Outside, the pitter-patter of rain continued, but Lu Luo didn’t go to the roof to get drenched. Being exposed at night carried certain risks. Since they were outside the Wall, it wasn’t worth taking risks for just a bit more energy. Just when he thought he was going to have a peaceful night of cultivation— HMPH! A muffled groan from downstairs, fleeting and mixed with the soft patter of rain, would have been impossible to notice if one weren’t paying close attention. Lu Luo abruptly opened his eyes.