Bloodstar System: Infinite Evolution Through Beast Slaughter

Chapter 19: Mental Force Upgrade!

[Host: Joren]

[Mental Force: 10]

[Combat Rank: Mortal 20/20]

[Bloodstars: 62]

[Combat Arts: Basic Bladecraft 5/5 Complete; Basic Body Tempering 8/8 Complete]

[Talent: Bladeborn Frame Green]

Sixty two Bloodstars.

A fortune.

The problem was how to spend it.

Joren’s gaze moved across the panel.

[Basic Bladecraft] had already reached perfection. The text had turned gray, which meant no more points could be added.

[Basic Body Tempering] had also reached the limit of Mortal. To break through, he would probably need a higher level method, or some kind of opportunity.

As for Combat Rank, it was stuck at 20/20. That was clearly a bottleneck too.

Only one option remained.

[Mental Force: 10]

That was the value of a standard adult.

In the early stages of martial cultivation, Mental Force did not show much obvious effect. Many low level Awakened Warriors even ignored it.

They preferred tempering the body, chasing strength and speed to the extreme.

But in this wilderness where danger lurked everywhere, powerful Mental Force could bring sharper perception.

And perception meant survival.

Add everything to Mental Force.

Joren made the decision in his mind without hesitation.

Bloodstars did not earn interest if left unused.

In this damn place, every bit of improvement meant a higher chance of staying alive.

His Bloodstars emptied at once.

The next moment, it felt as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his cerebral cortex.

His world changed.

The dust drifting in the air.

The shadows cast by distant ruins.

Every detail where light and darkness overlapped.

All of it seemed to be magnified countless times under a high definition lens.

[Mental Force: 72]

An ordinary person’s Mental Force was 10.

Right now, Joren’s brain processing and perception had already reached seven times that level.

Everything within a fifty meter radius reflected clearly in his mind without him needing to look with his eyes, like a radar sweep.

This was not only sharper senses.

It was something closer to a sixth sense.

While Joren was still sinking into the surge of this new power, a needlelike sting suddenly pierced his nerves.

Malice.

That malice clung to his back like an invisible thread.

Joren did not turn around.

His expression stayed calm. His steps did not falter.

The source of that malice was painfully clear.

At the rear of the team, the figure that had kept its head lowered while walking in silence.

Evric.

With a little thought, Joren understood the logic.

Back in the vehicle, Evric had mocked him again and again, treating him like soft clay, like a joke.

But now, the reversal was enough to crush Evric’s fragile nerves.

He believed Joren would definitely find a chance to kill him.

So he wanted to strike first.

That was what Evric was thinking right now.

You want to kill me?

After his Mental Force rose sharply, Joren could almost see Evric’s expression.

"Stay alert."

Tavian’s voice drifted through the wind.

"This area used to be a commercial center. The terrain is complicated. Plenty of places for things to hide."

The words had barely fallen.

Joren’s steps suddenly quickened.

Without warning, his body shifted two meters to the left. The boning knife in his hand drew a pale half moon through the air.

Hiss.

A soft sound.

A black shadow had just poked half its head out from behind a broken wall, but before it could even roar, its throat was sliced open cleanly.

Blood sprayed across the gray brown concrete wall.

[Killed early stage Rank One Voidbeast, Carrion Dog. Gained Bloodstars: 20]

Joren did not even look at the corpse on the ground.

He flicked the blood from the blade and returned to the team’s flank.

Tavian had not even noticed that Carrion Dog existed.

If killing the Windblade Wolf earlier had shown explosive power, then this almost prophetic reaction speed was something else entirely.

Something unsettling.

The team continued forward.

Ten minutes later.

"Hiss..."

Two mottled pythons shot out from the gap under a sewer cover.

Their fangs glowed with a faint blue sheen as they lunged straight at Arlen in the middle of the group.

Arlen had just started raising his iron club.

Swish. Swish.

Two cold flashes passed.

Joren had already sheathed his knife.

The two pythons split into four pieces in midair, dropping to the ground with wet slaps, still twitching by reflex.

[Killed early stage Rank One Voidbeast, Twin Headed Mottled Python. Gained Bloodstars: 20]

[Killed early stage Rank One Voidbeast, Twin Headed Mottled Python. Gained Bloodstars: 20]

Anything that showed its head died on the spot.

Joren watched the numbers on the panel keep jumping.

His mood was excellent.

In barely half an hour, he had gained another sixty Bloodstars.

As the fighting continued, he became more and more familiar with using his newly increased Mental Force.

"Something is wrong."

Tavian suddenly stopped, his brows pulled tight.

He crouched and dipped a finger into a patch of blood on the ground.

"What is it?"

Arlen moved closer and asked.

"Too frequent."

Tavian stood up and swept his wary gaze across the dark ruins around them.

"We have only just reached the edge of Zone C. There should be Rank One Voidbeasts here, yes, but not this many."

"Several attacks in three kilometers."

"And these Voidbeasts..."

Tavian paused, his tone turning heavy.

"They are agitated."

"No wonder Antares Command got involved. Something big might really be brewing inside."

"Then are we still going in?"