Chapter 1 What to Do Now

Fang Yue's stats were high, but the problem was… the speed of the strange creature was too fast.

When he faced the little strange creature, he was basically passively standing and swinging wildly.

Later, after unloading his strength, he caught the little strange creature off guard and unleashed a barrage of attacks, finally killing it. Otherwise, the outcome would have been uncertain.

Calming his emotions, Fang Yue began to ponder a question.

"What should I do now?"

This damn game didn't even have a guide… no, it did. Those two strange creatures really gave Fang Yue a harsh lesson.

But who has ever seen such a beginner's guide? If he hadn't been lucky, he would have been done for!

Now, the only thing Fang Yue knew was that killing [Strange Creatures] increased his stats. He was completely clueless about everything else, groping in the dark.

After calmly thinking, Fang Yue first checked the broken temple.

The broken temple wasn't big, and he finished checking it in a few minutes.

An old oiled paper umbrella.

Some firewood.

That was it.

Rubbing his hands, Fang Yue felt colder, as if the broken temple had a few more holes, making it drafty.

"This won't do. I need to start a fire."

"But how do I start a fire?"

The answer was friction.

Especially with the oiled paper umbrella – excellent fuel.

He brought the firewood over and piled it up, placing the oiled paper umbrella beside it.

Fang Yue placed a piece of firewood on the ground, picked up another piece, and tried to violently peel the end into a sharp point with his hands.

After killing the [Newborn Strange Creature], Fang Yue's stats had increased a bit.

With a staggering 32 points of Yuli (governing force), he crushed the firewood instantly.

He tried a few more pieces before finally managing to make something resembling a finished product.

The firewood was still firewood, but the end had irregular bumps, as if it had been gnawed on by a rat. This was Fang Yue's masterpiece.

He put his hands on the 'masterpiece' and began to rub it rapidly.

Snap.

The wood on the ground broke in half.

Fang Yue tried a few more times, finally turning all the firewood into a pile of short and uneven pieces.

He didn't seem to have the talent for this.

"That's strange. I've seen people on TV start fires with friction easily. Why can't I do it, even with all my strength?"

Fang Yue didn't give up. His eyes fell on the round pillar supporting the broken temple. That was wood too.

"Strength… creates miracles?"

A dangerous thought popped into his head, but he quickly suppressed it.

"Forget it, forget it. What if the broken temple collapses?"

Sighing, Fang Yue looked outside the broken temple. The rain seemed to have subsided somewhat.

After thinking for a moment, Fang Yue got up and walked outside.

As soon as he got up, his legs went numb, and he almost fell.

No, it wasn't just numbness; it was also a bit stiff.

Like the stiffness of frozen meat.

Fang Yue moved his legs a few times to relieve the sensation, but he clearly felt that the temperature in the broken temple had dropped even further.

"I can't stay here any longer."

Fang Yue suspected that if he slept in the broken temple tonight, he would freeze to death by morning.

Standing up, Fang Yue decided to explore the surroundings.

Leaving the broken temple, Fang Yue naturally stepped into the rain.

In the next moment, his expression changed, and his body froze.

Splash!

The rain beat down on Fang Yue relentlessly.

At the same time, numbers rapidly appeared on his body.

-1!

-1!

-1!

-1!

-1!

Fang Yue: ???

He was losing health from this? Fang Yue was a little dumbfounded.

Fortunately, [Night Breath] was effective. His health dropped quickly, but it also rose quickly, like a rollercoaster.

Fang Yue saw that in the rain, his health would drop to around 70 points, then surge to around 97 under [Night Breath], only to quickly drop again.

Fang Yue soon understood.

The rain wasn't falling at a constant rate; the area of his body exposed to the rain also fluctuated.

Sometimes he lost more health, sometimes less, but [Night Breath] could recover it, though his overall health was still decreasing.

Just now, his health had only reached about 88 points at its highest, and the rollercoaster ride was making Fang Yue feel weak.

He took two steps back, retreating into the broken temple.

His health immediately returned to 100 points.

"If I had something to block the rain for a while, I could use the ‘breathing health recovery method’ to explore outside."

Fang Yue looked at the old oiled paper umbrella he had thrown on the ground to use as fuel.

"Good thing I didn't burn it…"

Fang Yue felt a little relieved.

Originally, he had planned to wait for the rain to stop before exploring outside.

But he hadn't even succeeded in starting a fire, and the broken temple was freezing cold, so he had to think of another way.

The surface of the oiled paper umbrella was torn with a large hole, and it was covered in black, greasy dirt with a strange, disgusting smell.

Opening the oiled paper umbrella and holding it over his head, Fang Yue walked into the rain.

Splash.

The rain beat down on the oiled paper umbrella, and a lot of water poured through the hole, instantly soaking a patch of Fang Yue's body.

At the same time, Fang Yue's health began to drop rapidly.

-1!

-1!

-1!

But this rate of health loss was nothing compared to before. [Night Breath] directly filled it up.

Relieved, Fang Yue walked out of the broken temple door.

He didn't go far before he saw a winding stone path leading downwards.

Fang Yue reached out and picked up a stone from the paved path. The stones were off-white and very hard. He couldn't tell what kind of stone they were.

Next to the stone path stood a wooden sign.

The sign had three large characters written vertically: Guyue Temple (Ancient Moon Temple).

Next to Guyue Temple, were three smaller characters: Guyue Village (Ancient Moon Village).

Village!

Fang Yue's spirits lifted, and he looked down the stone path.

Unfortunately, it was pitch black below, and he couldn't see anything…

Boom!

Thunder rumbled, illuminating the road.

Fang Yue saw it instantly.

Following the stone path down the mountain, a short distance away, there was indeed a village.

However, the village didn't seem to have any fires lit, which was why it was invisible in the darkness.

The thunder faded, and darkness returned.

Fang Yue started down the stone path.

On both sides of the stone path were tall willow trees.

The willow leaves blocked part of the moonlight, making the surrounding environment eerily dark.

Walking down the stone path was like walking into darkness.

Fang Yue gritted his teeth and continued walking, feeling colder and colder, his legs feeling like lead.

Fang Yue finally sensed that something was wrong.

It turned out that the increasing cold wasn't a problem with the broken temple at all, but a problem with him.

His body was losing temperature.

And for some reason, Fang Yue felt something greasy on his feet.

He reached down and touched his foot, then raised his hand to look. Fang Yue was instantly stunned.

His right hand was covered in a greasy, black, viscous liquid.

Boom!

Thunder rumbled again at this moment.

Fang Yue looked down and saw that his legs, from the knees down, were completely black, covered in this unknown black liquid.

As if stimulated by the thunder, the black liquid suddenly climbed up Fang Yue's legs rapidly, scaring Fang Yue into stomping his feet.

Thump, thump, thump!

The stone path under his feet was shattered, and the black liquid was also shaken off, slowly wriggling as it regrouped on the ground.

What the hell is this stuff!

Fang Yue's face was grim. He ignored the remaining black liquid on his feet, and started running.

As he moved, the black liquid was indeed flung off.

But as he ran, the wind was too strong, and it blew the oiled paper umbrella to pieces.

This made Fang Yue depressed. He could only run for a while, then hide under a tree to avoid the rain and recover his health, then run again.

Fortunately, the rain was gradually weakening.

When Fang Yue finally arrived at the village, after rushing with his head down.

The rain had been reduced to a heavy downpour.

The village was an ordinary village.

It was surrounded by mud walls that marked its boundaries.

Outside the village entrance was a large shed.

The shed looked like it had been converted from a pigsty; it was a bit crude, but it could still provide shelter from the wind and rain.

A large group of people lay sprawled inside, dressed in rags, gaunt and emaciated, huddling around a small flame for warmth, shivering. They seemed to be refugees.

Some were fast asleep.

At the village entrance, a group of people held fireless torches in their left hands and umbrellas in their right hands. They were dressed decently and were patrolling the entrance.

"Holy crap! I finally see living people!"

Fang Yue was excited and rushed towards the village in the rain.

The people patrolling the village entrance saw Fang Yue at this moment, and were stunned.

When they came to their senses, their faces turned pale as paper, filled with despair and horror.

They dropped their torches and scrambled to run back.

"Close the gate! Close the gate! Great danger!"

"Great danger!!"

"Rain-level strange creature! Rain-level strange creature!! Great danger!!!"

"Great danger! Please summon Lord Han! Summon Lord Han!!"