Chapter 3: Of Stories, Shadows, and Spirit Rats Part 126Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpYCZpeUnP
The first night in the Dawn Refuge was anything but peaceful.
The hut, though reinforced, creaked as if the wind was singing its own laments. Lin Yuan had made a decision: he wouldn't spend the system's points impulsively. He would rather endure hunger for a few days if it meant gaining talents that could truly change their lives.
Speaking of talents, he realized that although the Eye had a passive effect, it could be deactivated—after all, constantly seeing blue screens was a nuisance.
Dinner that night was scarce, but meaningful.
Half a potato for each child, boiled with some wild herbs Lin had gathered that day between cliffs and shadows. He cooked them carefully over an old rusty metal bowl and dry branches. It was barely anything, but when the children sat around the makeshift fire and received their portion with gleaming eyes, Lin felt that for the first time, they were sharing something real.
He then tucked them into straw mattresses he had earned during a temp job with a tavern owner. And before they closed their eyes, he sang them an old melody he had made up in his previous life:
"Ahhh ahhh, life is an adventure, with every step something awaits...26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8NlZzMbBf
Ahhh ahhh, under the moon or the storm, there's always a secret gate."
The children fell asleep with soft smiles.
But peace didn't last long.
That night, chaos arrived like a plague whispered in the wind. First came a scratch. Then another. And another. A crescendo of squeals burst from the back of the shelter.
—"They're stealing the potatoes!" —shouted Roman, bursting into Lin's room like a harbinger of the apocalypse.
Lin rushed to the garden without thinking. He stopped at the sight: dozens of huge rats, with eyes glowing like blue embers, ravaging the field they had sown together. Each bite was a cruel laugh against their efforts.
One of them, with scars on its back and a single glowing eye, hissed something that sounded like "Mine."
Lin frowned. His anger, mixed with helplessness at watching their food being devoured, drove him forward.
—"Not tonight!"
He grabbed a broom like a sacred lance and charged. The battle was a whirlwind of claws, shrieks, and splintered wood. Ben hurled clumps of dirt like holy projectiles from a corner. Xiao Lian used a long stick with silent precision, striking without hesitation. Roman wielded a pot as a shield, and Zhenglian shouted names of imaginary spells.
But then, from within the swarm, the leader emerged.
A creature three times larger, with tiny backward-curving horns, a tail split like a trident, and a gaze full of hunger and malice. Its fur was dark gray, nearly black, and shimmered with a dull energy.
The leader lunged at Lin with startling speed. They rolled on the ground. The broom shattered against its teeth. Lin tumbled, received a slash on the back, and grabbed a half-eaten potato. He threw it at its face.
The leader shrieked. Xiao Lian struck from behind, hitting it square in the neck. That was the opening they needed. Lin slammed the beast against a rock. Its spiritual energy slowly dissipated.
The rest of the rats fled.
Panting, Lin collapsed on the ground. The broom was now a sad stick. The field, ruined. But they were alive. And then...
DING!26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyd5BOyem8
[Spirit Detected: Lesser Spirit Rat (Leader)]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3L28q8H7AA
[Compatible with Talent Extraction Protocol]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzMbG711oF
[Begin Extraction?]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbFbgJHBfj
[Yes] – [No] – [Wait, I'm scared!]
—"Screw fear, this is awesome," Lin muttered, surprised by the system's sass, and accepted.
A circle of light formed beneath the rat's corpse, with runes pulsing like a forgotten heart. The light rose, swirled, and condensed into a floating card with glowing blue edges.
[Card Obtained: Essence of the Spirit Rat Leader]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhErc6iiRV3
Type: Beast / Primal Instinct / Domain26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8i1FcCi17c
Effect: Sharp reflexes, adaptation to dark environments, affinity for group manipulation.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcN4dcKpMfI
Usable for: Fusion, Imprint, Storage
Just as Lin examined the card, the system chimed again:
DING!26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDyOODECh7
[Fusion Opportunity Detected]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5RTxnezkL
Compatible Subject: Xiao Lian26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4je7ogdCc
Latent Talent: [Deathweaver]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqa5UQ8eEmP
Estimated Compatibility: 67%26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cvFRT8RzZ
Potential Effect: Early Awakening of Sub-skill: "Prey Web" (Sensory Trap)
Lin looked toward the girl, seated in the corner, gently panting but with a calm expression. He wondered if the kids had seen the circle, but judging by their faces, they hadn't.
[Warning: The decision is yours. The system advises caution. Potential unlocked without guidance may result in emotional instability.]
Lin stored the card in the inventory.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjF5Xcv66O8
Not this time. Not so fast.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJ9QSG0Uqn
Don't ask me to solve thermodynamics problems while processing this.
But soon.
And as the sun began to rise over the mountains, Lin stood up.
—"Today... we plant again."
And the children, though hungry and tired, followed him.
Because in their eyes, something had changed.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9dW1KfJVC
They were no longer just survivors.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRW5my1DeFP
They were now the guardians of the Dawn Refuge.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7FaQWyRLT
然後按「加至主畫面」