Online game: Basic attacks increase strength; the greater the power, the more powerful it is!

Hogan abruptly stopped swinging his hammer.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on the BOSS certificate on the table, his calloused hands trembling slightly.

After a moment of silence, Hogan put down the hammer, walked to the table, picked up the voucher, and examined it carefully.

Rough fingers traced the voucher, and a piercing glint suddenly flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

"Young man, did you kill that beast?"

Jun Heng nodded: "That's right."

"Then, could you grant me a request?"

Upon hearing the affirmative answer, Hogan looked at Jun Heng with a solemn expression.

coming!

The follow-up task is here!

Jun Heng was delighted and replied without hesitation, "Of course."

"Okay, actually, deep within the sandy hills, there exists a cave leading to the underground rock core."

"A lava behemoth slumbers there, and I lost a forging blueprint there."

"Please help me kill it and retrieve my blueprints."

[Ding! Hidden quest issued: Hogan's Request!]

[Mission Objective: Kill Fire Crystal Ants (0/50), Kill Lava Behemoth (0/1)]

【Whether to accept? 】

[Note: This task is far beyond your level. Please accept it with caution. The task has a 24-hour time limit. Failure will result in a level penalty of -2.]

"Receive".

Jun Heng accepted the task.

As for mission failure, he didn't even consider it.

"Young man, that lava behemoth is no pushover."

On the other side, Hogan took out a bottle of glowing potion from under the counter.

"This is a fire resistance potion I concocted when I was young. It will allow you to last longer in lava areas."

[Obtained: Intermediate Fire Resistance Potion *3]

"Thank you, Master Hogan."

Jun Heng took the medicine and turned to leave the blacksmith shop.

As he stepped out the door, he glanced at the time; he was about to be forcibly logged off.

In-game time is synchronized with real time, but online time in "Alien Descent" is strictly limited.

Wearing a gaming helmet, the maximum online time is 5 hours at a time, and a maximum of 10 hours per day.

The expensive gaming pods, thanks to the nutrient solution, can stay online for up to 12 hours straight.

Junheng's current obsession with making money is to replace his and Jiang Mingyue's gaming pods as soon as possible.

This will allow more time for improvement, enabling us to become as strong as possible before the planes merge.

Junheng logged out and woke up in bed.

He took a deep breath and sat up.

The sound of spatulas clattering and oil sizzling came from the living room.

If you calm your mind, you can even hear Jiang Mingyue humming softly.

Jun Heng's lips unconsciously curled up into a smile.

He was very familiar with this song; in his previous life, Jiang Mingyue would hum this song whenever she was in a good mood.

He got up and walked out of the bedroom, and saw Jiang Mingyue busy in the kitchen.

She changed into a loose white T-shirt and denim shorts, which accentuated her long, straight, and beautiful legs.

Her long hair was casually tied into a low ponytail, with a few stray strands falling down her fair neck, swaying gently with her movements.

Junheng leaned against the door frame, quietly admiring the scene before him.

"Have you seen enough?"

Jiang Mingyue didn't turn her head, her voice carrying a hint of annoyance.

"Aren't you going to come and help? You have no sense of propriety at all. How are you going to win your girlfriend's heart in the future?"

Jun Heng snapped out of his daze, a smile spreading across his face.

Those cherished memories from his past life, which he had dreamt of countless times in the dead of night, have now come alive once again.

No one could understand his feelings at that moment.

"understood."

Jun Heng responded and went into the kitchen.

In the cramped space, the smell of cooking oil mingled with the faint fragrance emanating from Jiang Mingyue, creating a comforting aroma.

"Here, peel the garlic."

Jiang Mingyue didn't turn her head and casually handed over a few cloves of garlic.

Jun Heng took the garlic, but his gaze remained fixed on Jiang Mingyue.

"What are you standing there for? Peel it!"

Jiang Mingyue noticed the silence behind her and glanced at him sideways.

"immediately."

Jun Heng withdrew his gaze, his fingertips rubbing the garlic skin, making a soft rustling sound.

"How was your game today? Did you achieve anything?"

Jiang Mingyue asked casually.

"Not bad, I made some money," Junheng replied.

"Oh, you've made something of yourself?"

Jiang Mingyue raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"How much did you earn? Is it enough to treat your aunt to a nice meal?"

"Enough, of course it's enough, enough for you to eat for a lifetime."

Jun Heng raised his head, a smug smile on his face.

The sound of the spatula hitting the pan stopped abruptly, and Jiang Mingyue's hand froze in mid-air. After a moment, she continued to stir-fry as if nothing had happened.

"You little rascal, who taught you to be so glib?"

Her voice carried a hint of reproach.

Junheng didn't argue, he just smiled and placed the peeled garlic cloves on the cutting board.

"knife."

Jiang Mingyue reached out her hand.

Junheng handed her the kitchen knife, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against the back of her hand.

The warm touch was brief, yet it caused both of them to pause slightly.

"cough."

Jiang Mingyue cleared her throat, lowered her head and focused on chopping garlic, her knife skills were neat and efficient, as if she was trying to hide something.

Dinner was served quickly, a simple meal of three dishes and a soup.

The braised pork ribs are steaming hot, the sweet and sour carp is visually appealing, the garlic-flavored water spinach is fresh and tender, and there's also a bowl of tomato and egg drop soup.

It wasn't a lavish meal, but it tasted just like home.

Jun Heng sat across the table, his gaze fixed on Jiang Mingyue.

She picked up a piece of pork rib and put it in her mouth, her cheeks bulging out like a little hamster stealing food.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Hurry up and eat your food."

Seemingly sensing Jun Heng's intense gaze, Jiang Mingyue looked up and tapped the plate with her chopsticks.

"It looks good."

Jun Heng blurted it out.

Jiang Mingyue paused in her chewing motion, then rolled her eyes.

"What's wrong with you? You seem like a completely different person after you woke up?"

"Could it be possessed by some kind of evil spirit?"

"Possession? Maybe." Jun Heng picked up a piece of pork rib and slowly took a bite.

Jiang Mingyue narrowed her eyes and stared at him suspiciously for several seconds.

In the end, I gave up asking questions and buried my head in my rice.

Junheng's words today were always surprising, a stark contrast to his attitude towards her just a day ago.

It even made her feel somewhat overwhelmed.

Jun Heng also realized that he seemed to have acted too hastily, so he immediately changed the subject.

"What talent have you awakened, and what profession have you chosen?"

Jiang Mingyue's interest was clearly piqued when these topics were mentioned.

"I... awakened an epic talent called 'Spiritual Arrow Heart'."

Her tone was casual, but a hint of smugness flashed in her eyes.

While epic-level talents may not be considered top-tier, they are undoubtedly considered divine skills by ordinary people.

In fact, Jun Heng was naturally aware of all of this.

It was just a topic deliberately brought up to ease the tension.

"The Spirit Arrow's Core? That sounds pretty impressive."

Junheng picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth.

Jiang Mingyue raised an eyebrow, clearly somewhat displeased with his reaction.

"What do you mean 'sounds good'? This is an epic talent!"

Do you know how many people on the entire server can awaken an epic-level item?

"I know, maybe one in ten thousand."

Jun Heng said it casually, but he was thinking about it in his heart.

In another six months, everyone will gradually gain extraordinary power in reality.

Epic-level talent is enough for Jiang Mingyue to have a place in the chaotic world.

But that's far from enough.

He wanted to make Jiang Mingyue stronger, so strong that no one could hurt her.

While pondering, he remembered a hidden dungeon where enhancement stones that could be obtained could drop.

However, that instance wasn't in the starting village, but in a level 2 town.

It seems I still need to level up quickly to avoid being overtaken by others.

After all, in a hidden instance, if there are too many people, it will eventually be discovered.