Bizarre Survival: I Can Devour Thousands of Talents

Chapter 1 001: Gray Fog

The tingling and numb pain in his lower back brought Ling Xiao, who was waking up from a hangover, back to his senses quickly.

The surroundings were dimly lit, and the ground was damp and cold.

"The power's out outside? Wait... this doesn't feel like the floor!?"

Ling Xiao felt a strange longing for the light pollution that even the curtains couldn't block in the past. Several ominous thoughts flashed through his mind, and the blurry shadows in front of him made him feel uneasy.

My movement to get up faltered; something was stuck on the top of my head.

Ling Xiao simply bent over and groped his way towards the brightest direction.

He reached out and lifted it open?

A campfire burned about a meter away on the ground, its warm and bright flames dancing, as if helping to remove the numbness and sluggishness from the already unhealthy young man.

But once his vision cleared, Ling Xiao, who had been looking around, froze in place.

He looked up in a panic, only to get the same result.

An endless, dark fog that blotted out the sky isolated him from the world.

Having just experienced the ups and downs of life, Ling Xiao felt that God must have seen how hard he had been, so He sent him to another world with cheap liquor.

"What the hell...you old bastard, where have you been all this time?!"

Gathering his scattered spirit, Ling Xiao forced himself to move and focus on reality.

Under the firelight, his negative state seemed to have been cleared away; his mind was sharp and his movements swift, unlike the difficulty he had shown before.

Stand up and observe from a higher perspective.

The gray fog remained impenetrable and endless.

Behind me, where I was lying, was a low, brownish-yellow tent.

In front of him, there was only a campfire...

wrong!

There's one more thing!

The crimson envelope lay quietly between the campfire and the tent; anyone who came out could easily spot it if they looked closely.

Ling Xiao quickly squatted down and picked it up.

It has a peculiar feel, as brittle and smooth as paper yet with a delicate thickness.

The sealed sealing wax has a deeper color, and if you get closer, a subtle fragrance will enter your nostrils.

I was very curious, but Ling Xiao had something even more intriguing.

"Hiss—"

When he eagerly tore it open, the sharp edge cut a shallow gash in Lingxiao's thumb.

He frowned and looked at it by the firelight. Crimson blood beads were seeping out, and their color was very similar to that of the sealing wax!

An unease welled up inside me.

Ling Xiao eagerly unfolded the letter, but before he could read the words clearly, a bright light suddenly shone through the lines!

Welcome, poor survivor, but also a great explorer!

[Here you'll find mist, caves, dark seas, floating islands... spells, combat techniques, potions, sealed artifacts... you'll encounter everything, but you can also make it your own.]

Survive to the best of your ability, for all the truth lies at the end!

The overwhelming sound, combined with the text, imprinted these passages deeply into Ling Xiao's mind.

The golden light receded before my eyes, transforming into a semi-transparent panel like a projection.

[Attributes] [Skills] [Equipment] [Quests] [Inventory] [Channels]

It's as simple and straightforward as a game.

The first three items are plain white, while the last three items alternate between white and gold, enticing people to click.

[Trial Mission (Incomplete)]

[Note: You're probably feeling a bit lost since you first arrived here, right? Don't worry! Exploration is the main theme here, and it will tell you everything! Now, begin your first exploration!]

[Content: Explore 100 meters in any direction / Survive for 8 hours (choose one to complete)]

[Rewards: Awaken your innate talent and unlock the starting gift]

"That's it!?"

Ling Xiao cursed under his breath that "riddlers should all die," then his mind stirred, and he continued to open his backpack.

There are ten squares, and three of them contain items.

[Initial Weapon (To be Equipped)]

[The Eye of Appraisal Skill Book (To be learned)]

[Starting Gift (To be unlocked): Complete Potion, Custom Map, Timekeeping Watch, Simple Outfit*1, Food Box*1]

There is no choice of starting weapon.

Ling Xiao didn't have much to say, he just equipped the gear.

To at least give myself, a complete novice, something to rely on.

Follow the guidance, summon with your mind.

Tiny specks of light condensed in Ling Xiao's hand.

A reliable machete

[Quality: Average]

[Condition: Strength reaches 1]

Special effects: None

[Review: It's a starting weapon that everyone gets, so it's good enough that it's usable!]

It's completely black with a narrow blade, so while it's not easy to wield, it's not too strenuous either.

After testing, Ling Xiao discovered that whether he put it away or held it in his hand, it already had a place in his equipment inventory.

In unknown circumstances and strange environments, having something to protect yourself with always gives you peace of mind.

[The Eye of Expertise]

[Quality: Average]

[Conditions: No resource cost, no cooldown]

[Special Effect: By focusing your attention on the target, you can detect information about it and provide feedback based on the level difference.]

[Comment: Keep it under control! Don't let them look at random things!]

The latest novel is first published here!

at the same time.

The 99+ swearing and emotional outbursts per second in the 10,000-person channel gave Ling Xiao a strange sense of security.

It seems I'm not the only time traveler...

Although most of them were meaningless bluster, desperate pleas, and calls to friends, there were always a few calm analyses that were helpful for Ling Xiao in thinking about the current situation.

However, no matter how you look at it, so many people still know nothing about the fog.

Those who can open the [channel] should have received the [task].

There was just a frantic barrage of comments, but no one provided any real information.

Or perhaps the bolder ones have already taken action and don't have time to speak.

"It'll take eight hours. Maybe we should wait and see?"

With the watch still unlocked and his sense of time quite blurry, Ling Xiao sat in front of the campfire and, with a try-it-out mentality, activated his Appraisal Eye on it.

After a few seconds of focused attention, several lines of description suddenly appeared!

【Embers of the Gods (Afterimage)】

[Quality: Legendary?]

[Special Effects: Innate divinity, mythical creature, divine light, divine rank (incomplete), divine authority, embers (dispels fog, deters evil spirits, purifies impurities), ? ? ?, ? ? ...]

[Comment: Its origins are something most people will never have the chance to glimpse in their lifetime! This might be the closest you've ever come to a legend! Cherish it!]

The blade reflected the firelight.

Ling Xiao never expected that he would see a golden legend with just one glance!

However, there is bad news.

This thing is on a countdown!

【7:56:47】

It seems that the "spawn point" is not a permanent safe zone.

It also lasts 8 hours, just like the trial mission.

Combining the two, it means that the mission can be completed even while staying here.

But what will happen after the countdown ends? The weapon in his hand has already given Ling Xiao the answer...

Regardless of whether it is someone else or an enemy in any sense.

Danger is imminent...

Is it to stay here and survive by the campfire, waiting for the talent to awaken, waiting for the gift to be opened, and waiting for potentially useful information to come from the channel?

Or should you start the [Exploration] trial mission and plunge headlong into that extremely eerie fog?

Comparing the two, it seems that anyone with a brain would choose the former.

Ke Lingxiao pulled out a burning piece of wood and stood up.

He wasn't doing very well.

To be precise, apart from the help he received from government student loans and other forms of human kindness, most other people would have turned to the dark side long ago after his experiences.

As for what happened at university, let's not even mention it.

The quality of putting oneself in another's shoes is always valuable; people, more or less, will criticize things they haven't experienced.

Before the whip falls on them, they only complain that the person being beaten doesn't even have the guts to grit their teeth and endure it.

If hard work can bring good fortune and struggle will surely lead to a better life, why would he stay up all night drinking alone?

When Ling Xiao used cheap entertainment to soothe and numb his tense nerves, he fantasized countless times about what it would be like to change many things if he had the abilities in the book.

But reality only delivers cold blows time and time again.

"If all of this isn't a dream, then everyone is on the same starting line now..."

He exhaled a breath of stale air.

Ling Xiao grinned and said, "The worst that can happen is death... I have nothing to miss. Do you expect me to be a dog in a restart?!"

"Grass……"

"I'll risk my life and go all in with you!"

Hey everyone, if you think it's passable, please consider adding it to your favorites!

Please, everyone, please, please read this!

I'm testing the waters with 50,000 words. There are already few readers clicking in, so if you all keep reading, I'll be in real trouble!

Please, everyone, nurture this seedling! I have a lot of drafts saved up, but they only become popular after they're published. Please, everyone, give me a chance to follow and help me advance my level!

(End of this chapter)