Survival in the Apocalypse: Max Level Drop Rate with Abundant Resources

Crimson eyes gleamed in the darkness, their vertical pupils like snakes, staring intently at Shen Xi.

The monster slowly stood up from the corpse—no, it "stood up."

It walks on all fours, with a slender body like a hunting dog, but it is a whole size larger than an adult hunting dog.

Its bluish-gray skin stretched taut over its bones, and every muscle looked like it had been cast in steel. The most terrifying thing was its limbs; they weren't normal animal claws, but five jet-black bone blades, each as sharp as a dagger and gleaming with a chilling light.

Its head still vaguely resembled a canine, but its face was completely distorted. Its mouth was split open, stretching all the way to its ears, revealing a mouthful of jagged fangs. Its scarlet vertical pupils gleamed with a savage and mocking light.

Shen Xi did not move.

He simply stared into those eyes and slowly raised his hand.

【Corpse Hound (Level 9 Boss)】

Strength: 58, Spirit: 45, Agility: 62, Constitution: 50

[Talent: Night Hunter, Gold Tier, all attributes increased by 20% in the dark, movement speed increased by an additional 30%, and cannot be detected by perception skills while in stealth]

[Skills: 1. Deadly Strike, Silver Tier: Attacks from the shadows, dealing 200% damage, 15-second cooldown; 2. Tearful Roar, Bronze Tier: Emits a piercing shriek, stunning enemies within 10 meters for 1.5 seconds, 30-second cooldown; 3. Bloodthirsty Pursuit, Silver Tier: Locks onto a target, increasing movement speed by 50% for 10 seconds until hit or the target dies, 60-second cooldown]

[Note: This mutant was originally a guard dog in an industrial park. It evolved after devouring dozens of corpses. It is smarter and more ruthless than you think.]

Shen Xi's pupils contracted slightly.

62 points in Agility! That's a full 10 points higher than his!

Moreover, this thing has a talent called [Night Hunter], which increases all attributes by 20% in the dark... Now, this pitch-black sixth-floor corridor is practically its home turf!

"Be careful!"

Before he could finish speaking, the hunter had already pounced on him!

fast!

too fast!

Shen Xi could only instinctively roll to the side!

"Bang!"

Claws grazed his shoulder, tearing three deep gashes in the wall behind him, sending debris flying! A strip of cloth was torn from a corner of his storm cloak, fluttering through the air, its durability nearing its end.

Shen Xi flipped to his feet and swept his bone-corroding battle axe across the room!

But the hunter had already disappeared into the darkness.

The corridor was deathly silent.

Only Shen Xi's panting could be heard.

"Hiding in the shadows..." Shen Xi gripped his battle axe tightly, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings. "Indeed clever."

Mingying stood in front of him, her deep eyes scanning the darkness.

Suddenly, he whirled around and slashed his twin bone blades behind him!

"clang!"

The clang of metal rang out, and sparks flew everywhere!

The hunter's claws collided with the bone blades, and the recoil caused them to disappear back into the darkness.

Shen Xi took a deep breath.

This is not the way to go.

That beast is too agile in the dark, and faster than him. A head-on confrontation would only lead to him being led by the nose.

Just then...

[Buzz...!]

The familiar post-apocalyptic game notification sound exploded in my mind!

[Player "Primordial" has been detected encountering a Level 9 Boss-level mutated zombie, "Hunter"!]

[Emergency Mission Triggered: Hunting Time]

[Mission Objective: Survive and kill the hounds that are chasing you]

[Task Time Limit: 30 minutes]

[Quest Rewards: 500 Experience Points, 5 Free Attribute Points, 1 Bronze-Grade Equipment Box]

[Failure Penalty: Level -1, one random piece of equipment will drop]

Shen Xi raised an eyebrow.

30 minutes?

There are also penalties for failure.

This mission is interesting...

But the next second...

[Buzz...! ...

An even grander and deeper voice resounded deep within his soul!

A golden light forcefully cut into our field of vision!

[The Domination System has intervened!]

[Host has triggered an emergency mission...]

[Task being forcibly modified...]

Golden runes spun rapidly across the light screen, and in a short moment, the mission panel of the apocalypse game was completely covered!

[Mission Name: Hunting Time]

[Mission Objective: Survive and fight back against the carrion hounds that are pursuing you.]

[Task Time Limit: Unlimited]

[Quest Rewards: 800 Experience Points, 10 Free Attribute Points, 1 Bronze-level Equipment Box, 1 Bronze-level Skill Draw Card]

[Failure Penalty: None]

[Special Note: A mere 30 minutes is hardly enough to restrict the host of this system? Go ahead, play with it slowly, play it to death.]

Shen Xi was stunned.

Then he smiled.

This Dominator System... is damn domineering!

Unlimited time? No penalty for failure? And the rewards are doubled?

"Okay!" He licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Since there's no time limit, I'll play with you properly."

As soon as he finished speaking, he flipped his left hand over...

The Eye of the Watcher appears in your palm!

"place!"

A fist-sized transparent sphere flew out instantly and hovered in mid-air in the corridor!

The sphere emitted a faint white light, illuminating every corner within a radius of 100 meters!

The moment the darkness was dispelled, the hound's figure was completely revealed!

It lay on the corner of the ceiling five meters away, its limbs tightly gripping the wall, its scarlet eyes fixed on Shen Xi, and it let out a low growl.

"Got you?"

Shen Xi's lips curled into a cold smile.

The next moment...

Bloodthirsty charge!

His body shot out like a cannonball, closing the ten-meter distance in an instant!

The Bone-Corroding Battle Axe sweeps across!

The hound yelped and leaped down from the ceiling, its sharp claws reaching for Shen Xi's throat!

"clang!"

Sparks flew as the axe blade clashed with the claws!

Shen Xi felt a jolt in his hand and staggered back two steps!

58 points of strength, one point higher than him!

This beast's positive forces are not weak either!

But just then...

A dark figure darted out from the side!

Mingying!

The bone-bladed twin blades slashed towards the hunter's nape!

Sensing danger, the hound twisted its body strangely, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow, but its left hind leg was still grazed by the blade, and black blood spurted out!

"roar!!!"

The hunter roared angrily, turned around abruptly, and bit at Mingying with its blood-red maw!

Mingying parried with her twin swords, but was sent flying backward by the enormous impact!

Shen Xi seized the opportunity and pounced on him again!

Whirlwind Triple Slash!

First lap!

The axe flashed, and the hunter dodged to the side, but a piece of its tail was cut off!

Second lap!

It had no time to dodge, and its front paws were ripped open by the axe blade!

The third lap!

Head straight for its head!

The hunter leaped backward with all its might, barely avoiding a fatal blow, but a deep, bone-revealing gash was still slashed across its forehead!

Black blood flowed down its face and dripped onto the ground.

It stood three meters away, its scarlet eyes fixed on Shen Xi and Ming Ying, and a low growl came from its throat.

The roar was no longer mocking, but filled with rage.

Shen Xi also stared at it.

"Two against one, you can't handle it," he said calmly. "What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"

The hunter's vertical pupils contracted slightly.

next second...

"roar!!!"

A tearing roar!

A piercing shriek exploded!

Shen Xi felt a wave of dizziness and froze on the spot!

A 1.5-second freeze!

That's enough!

The hunter pounced on Shen Xi instantly, its sharp claws aimed straight for his throat!

At this critical moment...

The hounds seemed to have encountered some great terror, abandoning the readily available opportunity and retreating rapidly.

"I also have control skills!"

After seeing the hunting dog's stats, Shen Xi had been wary of this skill.

The instant he heard the hounds bark, he instantly activated a skill that came with the title of New King: New King's Disdain, causing a 3-second fear effect.

The effect of the new king's contempt lasts longer than that of the tearing roar, and it was during this 1.5-second time difference that Mingying moved.

Resentment erupts!

Bright Shadow grants +50% to all attributes! Attack speed and movement speed increase by 50%! Lasts for 60 seconds.

His body instantly swelled up, and his bronze skin turned an eerie dark red!

In the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of the hound, which was still under the effect of fear. The bone blades exploded in the air, creating two pale white arcs!

"Snap!"

The hound's left forepaw was severed at the root!

Black blood gushed out like a fountain!

The hound let out a pitiful howl and turned to flee!

However, Shen Xi's stiffness effect had already ended.

"Trying to run away?"

He gripped the bone-corroding battle axe tightly and pushed off with his feet...

Bloodlust Charge is off cooldown, let's activate it again!

The ten-meter distance was instantly reduced!

The bone-corroding battle axe slammed into the hound's back!

Armor penetration! Tear! Bloodsucking!

All three special effects were triggered at the same time!

The hound's spine was severed, and its massive body crashed to the ground!

It lay on the ground, struggling to get up, but its hind legs were completely unresponsive.

Shen Xi walked up to it and looked down at it.

The hound raised its head, and for the first time, fear appeared in its scarlet eyes.

That wasn't the skill effect that the new king disregarded, but rather the fear of truly facing death.

Shen Xi looked at it and said calmly, "Had enough fun? You're about to die before you've even used all your skills. Regret it now!"

The axe flashed.

The head rolled off.

[Slayed Level 9 Boss Corpse Hunter x1, EXP +450!]

Mission "Hunting Time" Completed!

[Rewards being distributed...]

[Experience Points +800, Free Attribute Points +10, Bronze-level Equipment Box x1, Bronze-level Skill Draw Card x1]

"1250 experience points gained at once, not bad, not bad. Getting closer and closer to level 10. Once I reach level 10, I can also draw the second Dominator bonus."

Just as Shen Xi was happily looking forward to the future...

The system notification sounded again...

[Player detected to be in a party with the servant "Shadow". Experience point distribution mechanism activated...]

Total experience points for this battle: 1250 (450 kills + 800 mission points)

Player "Taichu" gained 855 experience points.

[I gained 395 experience points from "Bright Shadow"]

Shen Xi: "..."

He glanced at Mingying.

Mingying was standing to the side, her wounds still bleeding.

[Player: Primordial Beginning (King of Newcomers)]

Level: 9 (Experience: 915/1500)

[Player: Mingying]

Level: 8 (Experience: 593/1200)

Shen Xi shook her head helplessly.

"Fine, let's break up then."

"If it weren't for Mingying, I wouldn't have won so easily."

He looked at the corpse of the Corpse Hound, and two orbs of light slowly floated up, hovering above the corpse.

Shen Xi's eyes lit up. A level 9 animal-type boss-level rotting corpse, plus a bronze-level equipment chest from the quest—let's see what good stuff you guys can drop.