C11 Blood Battle Corner Kui(2)

After several skill upgrades, Chen Ye's maximum physical strength had soared to 350 points. Consuming a roasted chicken leg, he quickly regained most of his energy, reaching 270 points.

At that moment, Chen Ye wished his Basic Steps skill was higher to quicken his pace. After trekking for a few more hours, he finally encountered his first prey—a small wild boar. It wasn't that he hadn't come across other creatures on his journey; it's just that he lacked the ability to hunt them, often having to detour or reluctantly pass them by. But this little boar was an unexpected delight.

The boar must have been incredibly unlucky to cross paths with Chen Ye at that time. Under normal circumstances, Chen Ye, preferring to avoid trouble, might have pretended not to see it, fearing it might trigger a side quest like "Revenge of the Mountain Gray Ape." But now, driven by hunger and fatigue, Chen Ye threw caution to the wind, lunging forward and grappling with the boar, letting it carry him in its wild dash.

Thanks to his D-class "basic physical fitness," he wore the boar out. In a moment of weakness, Chen Ye plunged his knife into its neck artery and held on tight.

The boar let out a fierce roar and quickened its pace, but the blood loss was severe. After more than ten minutes, Chen Ye, perched atop the boar, sensed its weakening. He then dismounted and deftly severed its hind leg with his knife. Despite being of common white quality, the blade was sharp enough to slice through the thick boar leg without hesitation.

Even though it was a small boar, once Chen Ye had butchered it and removed the innards and bones, there was still a good twenty to thirty kilograms of meat. He wouldn't dare attempt such a feat with a full-grown boar; a mere collision could knock him senseless. Chen Ye marveled at his good fortune.

The "basic culinary skills" he had invested time and effort into learning were now proving their worth. He had prepared a simple set of cooking tools and enough fresh water in the Celestial Vault, including an alcohol stove and flint. However, with only one cubic meter of space, he could only carry the essentials.

Pressed for time, Chen Ye quickly gathered some dry branches to start a bonfire. He sliced the wild boar meat into chunks and skewered them over the flames, seasoning them with nothing but salt. As the meat sizzled and dripped with fat, Chen Ye's appetite was stirred. Unable to wait for it to cook thoroughly, he tore off a piece and devoured it hungrily.

Roast Meat Piece: Quantity: 13; Grade: White; Consuming restores 60% stamina, usable in non-combat mode.

Roast Meat Skewer: Quantity: 1; Grade: Blue; Consuming restores 80% stamina, and health recovery rate is doubled for the duration, usable in non-combat mode.

By achieving the rank of "Apprentice Chef," he earned a Basic Skill Advancement Potion x1.

He also initiated the "Assistant Chef" achievement quest, requiring the preparation of 1/100 blue-grade or higher quality food items, with the reward being an "Introductory Skill Book."

With that, Chen Ye had completed all the basic achievements associated with his skills. He immediately consumed the newly acquired Basic Skill Advancement Potion. Although his proficiency in "Basic Physical Fitness (C)" was not yet maxed out, his "Basic Footwork (F)" had been for some time. He speculated that the "Basic Footwork" skill might be linked to the "Agility" attribute. By improving it sooner, he could reduce his travel time back, and every second was precious.

Upon reviewing his quests once more, Chen Ye noticed he was close to completing the "Hunter" achievement, with a progress of 9/10. Whether it was by chance during his "Basic Shooting" practice or for some other reason, he only needed to hunt one more wild beast to succeed. Motivated by the reward of a "Skill Potion," he was determined to achieve this goal first.

"It stands to reason that each basic achievement should correspond to a basic skill, yet I'm nearly done with the 'Hunter' achievement without having grasped any new skills. Could I be approaching this the wrong way?" pondered Chen Ye as he put out the bonfire and pressed on.

Navigating the forest at night was treacherous. Chen Ye chose a mountain path with a clear view and hurried back. Hindered by poor visibility, he moved slowly until the early morning light brightened the sky. Anxious to return, he quickened his pace. Suddenly, he felt something tighten around his foot. Looking down, his face paled in shock—a python had lain in ambush by the path, and he had unwittingly stepped on it. The snake, reacting instinctively, coiled around his leg.

Chen Ye immediately activated his Light Body Technique. The skill granted him an extra 30% agility, which sharply increased his reaction speed. He managed to withdraw his leg just in time to avoid the python's grasp and swiftly attempted to use Stealth.

However, Stealth failed. He was in combat mode, and the python had locked onto him with hostility.

Reacting to the prompt, Chen Ye rolled away and swiftly scratched the opponent's body, feeling a blunt impact. Without hesitation, he launched a Detection skill.

Corner Python: Health Points: 270/300; Abilities: Entanglement, Horn Scale, Devour.

Chen Ye gasped at the sight of the python's health points. Despite using the Swallowing effect, he had inflicted a mere 30 points of damage. The Horn Scale attribute indicated the creature's formidable skin toughness.

Thankfully, pythons are not known for their speed, and their mode of attack is rather straightforward. They quickly coil around their prey, using their massive strength to crush it into a pulp before consumption. As long as one isn't constricted, a bite or two from this non-venomous snake wouldn't be lethal.

Chen Ye had never imagined he'd be wrestling with a python. He frantically dodged and maneuvered behind it, slashing at its body with his dagger, only causing superficial damage. As the Light Body effect wore off, the Corner Python seemed to move even faster. Chen Ye was forced to abandon counterattacks and concentrate solely on evasion, using the forest terrain to his advantage to create obstacles and catch his breath.

The python's belly was strong and relentless, pursuing Chen Ye like a bulldozer. As he was about to be overtaken, a glimmer of hope appeared. Ahead lay a pile of rocks with a gap formed by two leaning stones. The gap, maintained by a cleverly balanced structure, was just large enough. Chen Ye quickly dropped to the ground and crawled through the gap. A sudden sharp pain in his foot caused his health points to plummet to 32. Realizing he'd been bitten, he pushed through the pain, scrambling through the gap and forcefully kicking the supporting rock to free himself.

With a resounding crash, the precarious balance was shattered as the massive boulder toppled over, pinning the python just as it was about to slither through. Yet this only momentarily impeded its agile movements; there was still ample space beneath the stone for it to wriggle free. Chen Ye's eyes blazed with fury as he let out a guttural roar, swiftly raising his dagger to sever the large flap of flesh that had been torn from his calf. Ignoring the excruciating pain, he managed to free himself from the Horned Python's relentless bite. With determination, he scrambled atop the boulder, gaining the high ground. From this vantage point, he unleashed a frenzied assault on the Horned Python's head.

Chen Ye's substantial weight, well over 100 kilograms, combined with the force of gravity, finally rendered the python immobile. In this state, the creature couldn't even muster the strength to turn over. After two relentless minutes of hacking, Chen Ye's blood had stained much of the stone a deep crimson. It was only then that the Horned Python lay silent, its head reduced to a pulpy mess. Nearby, a white treasure chest glowed with an enticing radiance.