The swirling dust had settled, and the crackling arcs of residual electricity faded from the thunderbird’s corpse.
Only the flames of the nearby bonfire still flickered.
Su Chen stepped forward and picked up two Thunder Element Essences from the corpse.
The moment he picked one up, it perfectly filled the upgrade requirement for his Jingzhe Rune.
[Jingzhe] Lv1 → Lv2 Advancement Successful!
Enhanced Traits: Activation Time, Body Amplification.
[Jingzhe] (Lv2): Thunder drives the breath of life to awaken one’s potential, granting a 120% boost to all bodily functions for 1 second.
Advancement Requirement: Jingzhe Rune 0/2.
’The improvement is just okay,’ was Su Chen’s first thought.
’The duration increased by 0.25 seconds, and the boost to my physical functions was raised to 120%.’
Of course, this was hardly an insignificant boost.
If the duration were suddenly two seconds, the Rune would be seriously overpowered. Other Runes of the same level wouldn’t even be in the same league.
Just the 0.25-second increase meant that, to his senses, time would stretch out and slow down even more. The experience was comparable to the famous "bullet time" scene from *The Matrix*.
Besides.
Since his own physical attributes could be continuously strengthened through elemental conversion, it meant his base stats would sooner or later be on a completely different level from everyone else’s. The percentage-based boost would become even more absurd.
Without a doubt, this Jingzhe Rune had to be a top priority.
For now, the three major Runes Su Chen had mastered involved five different composite Elements with no overlap between them, so he didn’t have to agonize over which one to prioritize for upgrades.
As expected, he fed the extra Thunder Element Essence to the Jingzhe Rune.
"Dude, you’re a real beast." Several figures who had rushed over stared at the massive bird’s corpse, their hearts trembling.
"How did you even do that?"
Someone was dumbfounded.
The bird’s huge head had been blown clean off. Considering its body was over three meters long, its head must have been much larger than any of theirs, yet it had been obliterated in a single strike.
"What kind of Rune was that? Oh, right, if you have any extra Essences, can you lend me one? I’ll pay you back double later."
A young man stepped forward, patting the corpse and asking the question with a complete lack of boundaries or manners.
His audacity was tantamount to begging for a freebie.
According to the unwritten rules previously announced by the base, any Elemental Essences or Runes dropped by a monster belonged to the one who killed it. Outsiders were forbidden from trying to claim them.
In the case of a group kill, priority was given to the person who contributed the most. Failing that, the group was expected to negotiate the distribution internally.
Furthermore.
Even if the killer obtained an Essence or Rune that didn’t match their own affinity, others were not allowed to demand it, let alone hurl insults or try to snatch it away.
In light of the disputes that had occurred during the day, General Manager Shao had specifically mentioned during a broadcast that conference rooms would be made available after the battle for people to privately trade spare Runes and Essences, as well as to exchange information.
And this platform would have no third-party transaction fees.
It was completely free.
In response.
Faced with such a shameless person, Su Chen didn’t even bother to acknowledge him.
"Buddy, are you open to trading for materials?" a middle-aged man asked tentatively. "You could tell me the synthesis formula for that Rune in private."
But as soon as he finished speaking.
The sharp shriek of a Night Bird echoed from overhead.
Under the starry sky, several black shadows dove in unison toward the campsite. The sound of the wind they stirred up was terrifying, and the people who had just gathered immediately scattered in fear, seeking cover in nearby tents.
One person even nimbly dove under a car.
Three seconds later.
An oncoming wave of pressure made the tent canvases flap wildly and flattened large patches of grass.
One of the large birds was ink-green, its feathers like the splinters of ancient wood, and it radiated a grim, murderous aura. It was unclear if it had come for revenge, but it had targeted the wrong person, diving straight for the young man who had just tried to demand an Essence.
"Holy shit!!"
The guy froze, instinctively wondering if he had gotten the other Night Bird’s blood on him.
With a piercing shriek, the splinter-like feathers all over its body began to glow with a dense green light. The next instant, they shot out from its body, and hundreds of ink-green spikes rained down on the ground.
THUK!
THUK!
Canvases tore and frames snapped as a chorus of screams erupted from within the tent.
Some were impaled through the torso by the feathers, others pinned to the ground by the spikes. In the span of a single breath, the shelter had turned into a slaughterhouse.
The most terrifying part was that after the ink-green bird landed, it stood nearly four meters tall. Every feather on its body stood on end. After its chest heaved with a deep breath, the green glow around it intensified, and it fired another volley of slender spikes, turning a fleeing figure into a pincushion.
And then...
Its pair of eyes, gleaming with a strange green light, locked onto the figure under the nearby car.
Just as the ink-green bird was about to attack, it seemed to sense something. Its unnaturally flexible neck twisted a full 180 degrees, wrenching its gaze from under the car to lock onto a figure charging toward it from behind.
The great bird let out a low rumble from its throat that sounded like a sneer, as if it were dealing with nothing more than a pesky fly.
The next second.
It casually spread its right wing.
SWOOSH!
A storm of green needles tore through the air, spraying out over a wide area toward the attacker and his surroundings.
However...
Su Chen’s charging figure was like a phantom. With the Jingzhe Rune active, the trillions of cells in his body seemed to glow as his full potential was unleashed.
In that instant, he moved with lightning speed to dodge most of the sharp needles. For those he couldn’t avoid, he simply raised his left hand.
A transparent barrier shimmering with cool, moon-like radiance appeared before him, effortlessly deflecting all the incoming needles.
At this moment.
It was as if he had divine assistance.
To quantify it with data...
Body Attributes: Power 13 (29) / Physique 15 / Agility 13 (29) / Intelligence 12 / Perception 11 (25).
But this absurd effect only lasted for one second.
It was enough.
A hero for a second.
While dodging, Su Chen even managed to rush forward more than five meters. Then, as if on instinct, he tossed a scorching orb he held in his right hand.
BOOM!
The golf-ball-sized orb tore through the night sky like a red meteor and slammed into the giant bird’s chest. The concussive force of the flames sent it flying, and it crashed heavily into a car behind it.
"Holy shit!!"
The middle-aged man, who had just crawled out from under the car, nearly jumped out of his skin.
The car’s frame was dented, and its windows were completely shattered.
A huge, bloody hole gaped in the center of the giant bird’s chest. The feathers covering its body had lost their luster, and its eerie green pupils had dimmed. It screeched ceaselessly, clearly in its death throes.
Although the ink-green bird stood much taller than a tiger or leopard, its net weight was likely less than half of either, as its bones were hollow to accommodate flight.
Such a fragile body was no match for a single Flame Burst; death was a certainty.
"This..."
The middle-aged man was struck by a wave of lingering fear. He sat paralyzed on the grass, watching as the young man easily leaped onto the car’s hood.
The golf club in the young man’s hand came swinging down, splitting the great bird’s skull with precision and putting it out of its misery.

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