Chapter 430: Chapter 353: Rune
This was especially true in a world unfettered by law and order.
Being too weak was, in itself, a cardinal sin.
Just as Iron Bear had treated ordinary survivors, a single casual word from him was enough to decide whether they lived or died.
But now, the tables had simply turned.
Hu Qi, by his own strength, now controlled Iron Bear’s fate.
Perhaps one day, Hu Qi too would encounter a far more powerful being and be snuffed out as easily as swatting an ant.
To prevent that from happening, he needed to grow ever stronger.
At this, Iron Bear fell silent for a moment.
"Then I hope you’ll make it quick."
After the severe injuries he had just sustained, he was already at the end of his rope.
He knew perfectly well that the man before him would never let him go. Since that was the case, he might as well ask for a quick death.
"You can rest assured on that point."
Hu Qi nodded and said faintly.
But even so, the bluntness of his words still made Iron Bear’s expression freeze.
Soon, from Iron Bear’s account, Hu Qi finally learned what this so-called awakening ritual was all about.
The ritual process wasn’t complicated.
One had to hunt a Wild Beast, soak themselves in its blood, and then use a special Meditation Method to guide their body in absorbing the energy from the blood to trigger the awakening.
However, very few people actually succeeded in awakening through this process; the success rate was less than one percent.
If they failed, the lucky ones might only suffer minor injuries. The unlucky ones could have their bodies explode, resulting in instant death.
Furthermore, even if they were fortunate enough to succeed, most would only become Tier One Evolvers, finding it difficult to advance any further.
Therefore, among the many Evolvers, the most powerful were mostly Innate Awakening Evolvers.
As for Postnatal Awakening Evolvers, while they did exist, they were extremely rare.
...
As he listened to Iron Bear’s continuous explanation, Hu Qi’s eyes flickered as he carefully observed every subtle change in Iron Bear’s expression.
’In truth, if this Clone weren’t so weak that I can’t use the Soul-Searching Technique, I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble.’
However, from observing Iron Bear’s micro-expressions, he could confirm that the man was telling the truth.
After that, Hu Qi asked Iron Bear a few more questions.
Once Iron Bear finished answering, Hu Qi’s expression was calm.
He suddenly raised his hand, his index finger precisely tapping the center of Iron Bear’s forehead.
In that instant, an invisible yet fierce Power shot from his fingertip like a bolt of lightning, rushing into Iron Bear’s skull.
This Power erupted inside his cranium like a silent bomb, instantly destroying Iron Bear’s key brain functions and causing brain death.
Outwardly, Iron Bear’s eyes instantly dimmed, his Vitality draining away like a receding tide.
His head then drooped lifelessly, and all breath left his body.
The entire process was as fast as the blink of an eye. Hu Qi’s control over his Power was so exquisite that he could guarantee his target felt no pain in that final moment.
Grabbing the corpse, Hu Qi turned and went back inside the house.
Inside, the light was brighter thanks to the electric lamp.
"Let’s see... what exactly is the secret of an Evolver?"
Staring at Iron Bear’s corpse, Hu Qi muttered to himself.
A strange light flashed in his eyes.
What Iron Bear knew wasn’t very detailed.
He needed a more thorough understanding of an Evolver’s physical structure.
This would be of crucial importance for when he performed the awakening ritual himself.
’However, I can’t project my Power of the Heart right now to scan his body.’
’To do that... I’ll have to use some special methods.’
At this thought, he found a sharpened blade.
After a simple sterilization by fire, he held the blade and began to cut into Iron Bear’s corpse.
Although he was currently just a mere Divine Fragment, he possessed all the memories of his original body.
Thanks to the profound knowledge he had accumulated on Earth Star, Hu Qi’s skill in the field of biological anatomy could be considered the pinnacle of mastery.
Even though this was his first time performing the procedure in practice, every action, every step, was intimately familiar to him, without a trace of hesitation.
For a time, the room was silent.
The only sound was the faint scraping of the sharp blade slicing through flesh.
...
Time passed.
「By the next morning」, the drizzling rain had long since stopped.
A warm sunbeam pierced through the drab, leaden clouds and spilled downward.
It shone through the windowpane, instantly brightening the room.
Within the bright beam of light, tiny dust motes could be seen faintly floating up and down.
"So that’s how it is. Is this the secret of an Evolver?"
In the room, Iron Bear’s body was gone, replaced by pieces of varying sizes.
To one side, Hu Qi casually set aside the slightly curled blade.
Even though Iron Bear was dead, as an Evolver, his body was exceptionally tough.
Every cut had required considerable strength to break through the resilient muscles and bones.
To avoid damaging the internal tissues, it had taken Hu Qi several hours to complete the full dissection.
Now, his gaze fell upon a white object in his hand.
It was a fragment of bone.
But it was different from an ordinary bone fragment.
Etched upon it was a strange, twisted Rune.
