Facing the Abyss as a Demon Cultivator

Just one more step to gain extraordinary power!

Reading the evaluation description of the item, Chu Xiu's eyes brightened slightly. The bone spear strengthened to +3 already had satisfactory physical strength.

Although its hardness certainly couldn't compare to steel, Chu Xiu couldn't break it even if he exerted all his strength, making it suitable for his use.

The essence of the bone spear lay in its spearhead. The bone density in this part was noticeably higher, and the tip was ground to a sharp point, capable of easily piercing human skin with a gentle poke.

Another advantage was that, compared to a similarly strong wooden-handled iron spear, the bone spear was lighter and had a more balanced weight distribution.

However, even so, without extraordinary power, Chu Xiu still didn't have the confidence to face mutated creatures.

"I need to level up quickly."

He quickly made up his mind and cautiously began exploring the corridor, searching for the next corpse.

The corridor wasn't large, and after finding two more corpses, the search of this floor was completed.

Unfortunately, after the spear was strengthened to +3, the enhancement progress gained from ordinary dried corpses had diminished significantly. The two additional corpses barely added one point.

"By this calculation, I need at least a dozen more dried corpses to level up."

"Although there are still many rooms that haven't been searched, the probability of gathering enough is slim. I'll need to risk exploring other floors."

"Unless... there are fresh corpses."

"Plop."

While Chu Xiu was thinking, a light footstep reached his ears, startling him and instantly putting him on alert. He turned his bone spear toward the source of the sound.

After two hurried steps, a petite figure appeared at the corner of the corridor.

It was a girl about 1.6 meters tall, with a single ponytail. She wore an ill-fitting gray coat that covered most of her body, leaving only her white calves and arms exposed. She held a large iron pot in her hands, seemingly as a weapon for self-defense. She was barefoot, and her small toes grasped the floor tensely.

It was evident that the girl came from a family even poorer than Chu Xiu's, as they couldn't afford proper clothing for her.

However, she had a delicate face and fair skin, making her look quite pitiable and appealing.

Chu Xiu's eyes narrowed slightly as he quickly scanned the girl from head to toe.

When his gaze fell on her lower body, the girl awkwardly tried to hide her bare feet under the coat.

Chu Xiu withdrew his gaze and made a judgment.

Based on her exposed arms and legs, the girl had undergone some physical training but not enough to bridge the natural strength gap between genders.

He couldn't tell if she had any other hidden weapons, but a rusty iron pot couldn't block his bone spear. Even if she had a weapon, her two-handed grip made it difficult to quickly draw it, and it would likely be a small knife or similar weapon.

Most importantly, while the girl seemed wary of Chu Xiu, her level of vigilance was low, typical of a young person not yet aware of the Abyss's brutality.

Even though the teacher emphasized it many times, inertia in thinking prevented them from immediately adapting to the shift from classmates to aggressors.

The only uncertainty was the girl's Talent and Profession, but since everyone was still at level 0, as long as Chu Xiu wasn't extremely unlucky, there wouldn't be any surprises.

These thoughts formed in Chu Xiu's mind in less than half a second upon seeing the girl.

Then he dismissed them.

He wasn't so heartless as to kill a stranger he had just met to refine weapons.

With that in mind, Chu Xiu showed a friendly smile and was about to greet her when the girl urgently gestured for him to follow her and then slipped into the nearest empty room.

Chu Xiu was slightly taken aback but quickly followed.

Once inside, the girl quietly closed the door without making any noise and then turned to Chu Xiu, extending her hands. She joined her pinky fingers together.

Basic sign language was a compulsory course at their school, so Chu Xiu easily recognized the gesture's meaning.

[Enemy]

This made Chu Xiu narrow his eyes and scrutinize the girl's face closely.

Judging by her panicked expression, she didn't seem to be lying.

Of course, there was a chance she was an excellent actor.

If the girl wasn't lying, then things were troublesome.

At that moment, a clear clanging sound came from not far outside the door, instantly putting both of them on high alert!

Chu Xiu quickly led the girl into the innermost room, closed the door, and signaled for her to guard the entrance with her iron pot.

The girl bit her lip, scared but still standing in front of Chu Xiu.

Chu Xiu felt no guilt about using a small girl as a shield. He simply pressed his ear to the wooden door, listening intently for any sounds outside.

"Plop, plop."

Light footsteps on gravel were approaching, getting closer. It seemed a creature was nearing them!

"Creak—"

Suddenly, the sound of a rusty iron door opening echoed, and the creature entered their apartment!

The footsteps stopped. The creature stood in the living room, less than three meters from the room Chu Xiu and the girl were hiding in!

A huge shadow passed under the door, blocking the light. Chu Xiu heard a heavy, rough breathing.

He held his breath, tightly gripping the bone spear. Sweat formed on his forehead, and the girl beside him didn't dare to breathe loudly.

Just as he prepared to fight, the footsteps resumed, and the creature left the room.

"Phew—"

Chu Xiu exhaled deeply, his heart belatedly pounding wildly.

But then he saw the girl beside him nervously making hand signs again.

[The monster hasn't left!]

Chu Xiu was stunned and quickly held his breath again, tensing up.

But there was no sound outside the door.

Just as Chu Xiu was about to dismiss the girl's warning, a loud bang came from downstairs, followed by a low growl. Heavy footsteps resounded in the corridor and quickly faded.

In less than ten seconds, a shrill scream echoed from below, startlingly clear in the silent apartment building.

Cold sweat trickled down Chu Xiu's back.

It was obvious that a reckless person who exposed their position had met their end.

Fortunately, Chu Xiu had been cautious. Otherwise, he might have shared the same fate.

What troubled him even more was that the monsters in this world had high intelligence. They knew how to fake leaving footsteps but actually stayed nearby.

Even if the girl hadn't warned him, Chu Xiu wouldn't have been reckless enough to leave immediately, but he might not have avoided this cunning creature.

"Does this girl have a way to sense these monsters? Is it her Talent?"

Chu Xiu suddenly thought that the girl might have sensed the approaching monster and had risked herself to warn him.

A good person indeed.

Chu Xiu liked good people.

Thinking this, Chu Xiu looked at the girl with a gentler expression and asked in a low voice, “Can you sense the monsters?”

The girl nodded, reaching out her small hand to grab Chu Xiu's arm. Immediately, a shared stream of information flowed into his mind.

[Name] Yun Lu

[Rank] F-rank Level 0 (0/100)

[Physique] 0.76 [Spirit] 1.14 [Energy Level] 1.95 [Equipment] None [Profession] Cook (E)

[Talent] Food Perception (B)

Chu Xiu: ...

What kind of innate culinary sacred body is this?