Please be my partner.

The standard of '1' he set was the polluter he had encountered before, but that polluter had been chased by the police and the Special Affairs Bureau all the way and had suffered multiple severe injuries.

Therefore, the energy extracted from the polluter's body certainly does not represent the average level of polluters.

Today's 1.8 should be the normal state for first-level polluters.

After killing the polluter in front, Mellen and Spike turned around at the same time and looked at the polluter that was attacking quickly from behind.

This fierce scene actually made him pause slightly.

Melen's heart moved, and he finally had the mind to take a closer look at the polluter in front of him.

The other person looked to be a young man in his twenties, wearing ordinary casual clothes, with a pale face, dull eyes and a stiff body.

Unlike the first polluter Mellen encountered, which could only act according to instinct and was like a puppet, the two he encountered today clearly had independent consciousness.

Just as Mellen's mind was racing, the Polluter took another step, ignoring Spike and rushing straight towards him.

It seems that he has already understood that Spike, who is only good at fighting directly, poses no threat to him, but Mellen, who shoots from the side, is the deadly one.

Although the polluter's body was stiff, his movements were extremely fast.

But, how could his idea come true so easily? !

Spike stood in front of Mellen like a high wall, and Mellen took the opportunity to retreat while quickly changing the bullets in the revolver in his hand.

The next thing was easy. Even though Spike was covered in wounds, the Polluter was still no match for him.

As Spark tore apart the Polluter's defenses bit by bit, Mellen raised his gun and completed the precise harvest!

+1.7

At this time, the energy in the wolf-shaped pendant reached 3.5, which was enough for Spike to complete the evolution of [Fighting Dog]!

However, Mellen is not planning to do so for the time being.

Now Spike has not only experienced the [Blood and Flesh Explosion], but is also covered in wounds. Just healing these injuries will require a lot of energy.

Although it is possible that the injuries on the body will be healed after evolution, who knows how long evolution will take?

So Melen decided to play it safe first, and only consider these things after he was sure that he was absolutely safe.

Just when I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, my heart suddenly tightened again.

At this moment, he realized that he did not seem to have left the previous "ghost den".

There were still no pedestrians on the streets, and although the houses were brightly lit, there was still no human sound.

It seemed that the strange power that enveloped him did not disappear with the death of the two polluters.

What does this mean?!

“Pah!~Pah!~Pah!~”

A crisp high-five rang out, and Madeline stepped out from the shadows, smiling, "As expected of a 'Son of the Swamp,' you're nothing like those ordinary 'nutrients'!"

Mellen's whole body was stiff, like a prey being targeted by its natural enemy, and he didn't even have the strength to move.

He gritted his teeth and asked, "What 'Swamp Son'? Who are you?!"

Madeline smiled and said, "The 'Swamp Son' is what you call someone marked by the 'Swallowing Swamp,' and I am the extension of the 'Swallowing Swamp's' will."

Melen asked, "Are you a polluter?!"

Madeline frowned, looking somewhat displeased. She said, "Don't compare me to those garbage 'nutrients' that can only sustain self-awareness for two or three years! I'm an Erosion Agent, a Level 2 Erosion Agent!"

After saying this, he smiled and said, "As the 'Son of the Swamp,' if you come back with me, you can also directly become a second-level Erosion. If you are lucky, it is not impossible for you to become a third-level Devourer that can stand on equal footing with the 'Swallowing Swamp' in the future!"

When Madeline approached, Spike, who had been restraining his breath, suddenly attacked and bit the former fiercely.

Mellen's heart tightened and he wanted to stop it, but it was too late.

Madeline's arm turned into a long gray whip, and with just one blow, Spike was whipped more than ten meters away, crashing into a wall and being buried underneath.

Seeing this scene, Mellen's eyes were bloodshot. He forcibly broke free from Madeline's control and ran towards Spike in the ruins.

Madeleine's expression remained unchanged, but she had actually lost her patience.

To him, the dead 'Sons of the Swamp' can only be 'nutrients'; only the living ones can have greater value.

However, his target is too big, and he needs to stay in Vero City for a while. If Mellen is unwilling to cooperate and instead thinks about escaping, even he will be in trouble.

In that case, he could only give up some of his interests and choose to kill the latter.

After all, gaining less is better than gaining nothing.

Just as Madeline was about to subdue Mellen, a sudden feeling of palpitations made him stop in confusion.

Suddenly, a flame that was invisible and intangible, but real from a spiritual perspective, rose up from the ruins where Mellen was!

This flame seems to be able to penetrate the soul and burn the blood.

Along with it, there is also a tremendous ferocity and anger, as well as a strong will to fight!

This arrogance soared into the sky, as if to distort the void.

The rubble was lifted and crushed by an invisible force, revealing a hideous and terrifying figure.

It is three meters tall, with a skeletal armor covering its entire body, sharp bone spurs protruding from its joints, and a bloody aura surrounding it, like a beast crawling out of hell!

Chapter 17 Faith and Will

Move forward a little in time.

When Mellen stumbled to the ruins, he saw that Spike had already released the [Blood and Flesh Explosion] state, and was seriously injured and almost dying.

Tears rolled down Mellen's eyes. He wanted to move the stone that was pressing on Spike, but he had just broken free from Madeline's control and had no strength at all. So, no matter how hard he tried, the bigger stones did not move at all.

Mellen looked at Spike, and Spike looked at Mellen.

This is a gaze between hesitation and determination.

It seemed that their minds had reached a state of resonance, and the wolf-shaped pendant's ability to reflect each other's hearts had also been sublimated.

At this moment, their minds meet, and their thoughts, spirits, wills, and strength can be transmitted completely and without loss.

"I'm sorry, I can't save you!"

"It's okay, I will definitely protect you!"

The exchange of thoughts was as fast as lightning. Almost in an instant, they locked onto one idea in the endless chaos.

Mellen: Do that, and you might die!

Spike: Don't worry, I will survive!

Now that you have made up your mind, don't hesitate anymore!

Melen put all the energy he had just obtained into the evolution option of [Fighting Dog].

Spike quietly changed his breathing rate, and the little life force left in his body began to boil.

This is apparently an attempt to activate one's own life force and become... a [Knight]!

Normally speaking, with Spike's current condition, there is no possibility of success.

However, as the energy of the wolf-shaped pendant was injected, the [Fighting Dog], which belonged to the higher bloodline of the [Bulldog], began to be activated.

The two began to influence each other and expanded rapidly at a geometric multiple!

When the evolution option of [Fighting Dog] was fully lit up and reached the critical point, an invisible and intangible flame burned on the wolf-shaped pendant.

This flame burns Spike's blood!

If you succeed, you will reach a higher level!

If you lose, you will be reduced to ashes!

This is... the evolution of bloodline!

Endless pain came over him, and the fire burning in his blood seemed to turn Spike into ashes.

But it suddenly opened its eyes, and what was filled in them from beginning to end was only... determination!

Young man, I will definitely protect you!

Mellen naturally felt the purest faith in Spike's heart, and even saw a picture engraved in the deepest part of his soul...

It was one morning in the past, in a dark and narrow alley, the young man gently touched it, and the sunlight shone on him through the gaps, warm and sacred.

Melen gradually calmed down, was no longer confused, but became determined.

This determination seemed to turn into tangible power, blessing Spike, making his spiritual will sublimate in an instant. Whether it was the activation of life force or the transformation of blood, it was all directly grasped by it!

"Woof!~Roar!~"

The powerful aura distorted the void, and the invisible force lifted the rubble.

Spike stood up, and with every step forward, his body expanded a little. Hard bones began to spread outside his body, forming armor, and his joints were covered with sharp barbs, making him look hideous and ferocious!

This is Spike's new evolved form!

【Name】：Spike (Fighting Dog)

[Class]: First Class (Knight)

[Racial Level]: Elite (Dark Green)

[Racial Skills]: Strong Physique, Flesh and Blood Explosion, Iron Bones, Bone Armor

[Knight Skills]: Life Force, Indestructible

【Evolution direction】：→???

……

……

[Iron Bones]: [Fighting Dog] racial skill, makes the body as strong as steel, greatly enhances physical strength and defense, and can weaken external attacks to a certain extent.

[Bone Armoring]: Bones grow explosively, forming an armored state outside the body for a certain period of time, greatly enhancing defense capabilities.

Casting this skill requires a large overdraft of the body's strength. After the skill ends, the body's bone defense will be greatly reduced for a period of time. Supplementing a large amount of energy and calcium can speed up recovery.

This skill is derived from the directional mutation guided by special factors.

[Life Force]: The core ability of the Knight class. After activating this ability, the life form will undergo a slight transformation, and the effectiveness of strength and constitution will be enhanced (for example, before 1 point of constitution equaled 10 points of life, after activating life force, it becomes 15 points).

Actively activating the force of life will result in an all-round enhancement of your physical fitness.

[Indestructible]: A basic ability gained after being promoted to a knight through the [Armored Crocodile] Knight Breathing Method. When wearing the "Armor" creation, it automatically enters the activated state, greatly improving the protective effectiveness of oneself and the armor.

Mellen looked at Spike, who was emitting a murderous aura, and felt extremely safe.

Spike evolved into a [Fighting Dog] and completed the [Knight] class advancement, directly gaining four skills...

[Iron Bones], [Bone Armor], [Life Force], [Indestructible]!

Among them, [Iron Bones] and [Life Force] come from the [Fighting Dog] race and the [Knight] profession respectively.

The description of [Bone Armor] states that "this skill is mutated due to special factors." Melen speculates that it may be related to the [Armored Crocodile] Knight's breathing method.

[Indestructible] is the extraordinary ability derived directly from being promoted to a knight through the [Armored Crocodile] Knight Breathing Method.

These four skills, combined with Spike's original [Bulldog]'s [Strong Physique] and [Flesh Explosion], are an inexplicable fit!

So much so that, although Spike is still at the first level at this time, when he bursts out with all his strength, his aura is so domineering and fierce that it is even stronger than that of Madeline, a second-level invader!

Spike walked slowly towards Madeline, his eyes filled with murderous intent so strong it was practically there.

Madeline's heart was also filled with anger. He couldn't believe that the little bug that he could play with at will just now would bring him such a huge sense of oppression in the blink of an eye!

If power can be obtained so easily, then what does his efforts, his struggles, and his sacrifices mean?!

Is he destined to be a ridiculous clown?

Facing those high-ranking 'protagonists', he deserved to be trampled in the mud?!

Madeline looked at Mellen, who was now completely unaffected by his oppressive aura and looked at him calmly.

But it was this calmness that deeply hurt Madeline.

At this moment, his murderous intent surged!

What 'Swamp Sons'? What are the benefits and losses?

He doesn't care about anything now!