Night fell like a shroud, thick and heavy. The rain had stopped, leaving the battlefield slick and treacherous underfoot. Distant thunder rolled—not from the sky, but from the Void Frontier. Roars of void beasts mixed with the clash of immortal qi and war cries. The main forces were clashing again, bigger than yesterday.
Squad 7 huddled at the rear edge of Sector 5, waiting for the fighting to peak before moving in. Cleanup always came after the storm.
Lin Hao sat apart, back against a shattered boulder, eyes half-closed. He looked exhausted like the others—deliberately. But his senses were razor-sharp now. Soul Power at 142 let him hear heartbeats twenty paces away, feel the shift in air when someone stared too long.
Little Fatty and Guo were whispering again. Words like "too healthy," "hiding qi," "report to captain" floated on the wind.
Let them talk, Lin Hao thought. As long as they don't act.
Then the ground shook.
A massive shadow blotted the moon—a void beast, low-tier but still terrifying: a hulking shadow panther the size of a house, eyes glowing violet, claws dripping corrosive darkness. It had broken through the front lines, rampaging toward the rear.
Screams erupted. Mortal soldiers scattered. Squad 7 froze for a heartbeat—then bolted.
"Run! Void beast incoming!" Captain Wei roared, already limping away.
But the beast was fast. It leaped, landing amid the fleeing harvesters. One swipe sent two men flying, bodies crumpling like ragdolls.
Little Fatty tripped in the mud, screaming as the panther loomed over him.
Lin Hao cursed inwardly.
Can't let them all die. Too many questions if the whole squad vanishes. And... I need witnesses who think I'm still weak.
He moved.
Not a full sprint—nothing flashy. He "stumbled" forward as if panicked, then "accidentally" shoved Little Fatty out of the way. The beast's claw came down—Lin Hao raised an arm instinctively.
Clang.
The claw met flesh... and stopped.
No blood. No tear. The panther recoiled in confusion, as if it had struck iron.
Lin Hao played it up—yelped in "pain," staggered back, clutching his arm like it was broken. But inside: Vitality 253 absorbed the impact like a sponge. Strength 213 meant his block had cracked one of the beast's claws.
The squad gaped.
Guo: "What the—? Kid blocked that?"
Wei: "Impossible..."
The beast snarled, lunging again.
Lin Hao had no choice now. He "tripped" forward again, but this time channeled a sliver of the Immortal Sword Intent fragment. His hand—still looking like a weak harvester's—slashed out in a clumsy arc.
Schwing.
A faint silver crescent flashed. The beast's foreleg severed clean at the joint. Black blood sprayed.
The panther howled, thrashing. Lin Hao "fell" backward, rolling away as if terrified.
But the damage was done.
Squadmates stared in stunned silence.
Little Fatty, saved: "...you... you cut it?"
Lin Hao gasped dramatically. "I... I don't know! It just... happened! Maybe leftover sword qi from the battlefield!"
Captain Wei limped over, eyes narrowed. "Sword qi? From a harvester?"
Before more questions, the beast—wounded but raging—charged again.
Lin Hao sighed inwardly. Fine. End it quick.
He scrambled up, "panicked," and grabbed a broken spear from the mud. With "desperate" strength, he thrust—not at full power, but enough.
The spear pierced the beast's eye. It convulsed once, then collapsed in a heap of dissolving shadow.
Dead.
[Harvested low-tier void beast remnant]
[+180 Strength]
[+150 Agility]
[+220 Vitality]
[+110 Soul Power]
[+1,200 Lifespan]
[Rare Drop: Void Shadow Affinity (Lv.1) – +10% stealth in darkness, minor shadow manipulation]
[Bonus: First void beast harvest – +20% all attributes from beasts for 24 hours]
Power surged again—subtle, controlled. Lifespan jumped to 2,642 years, 7 days.
Attributes:
[Strength: 393]
[Agility: 267]
[Vitality: 473]
[Soul Power: 252]
The squad approached warily.
Guo: "Kid... you just killed a void beast. With a spear."
Little Fatty: "And you blocked its claw bare-handed earlier..."
Lin Hao rubbed his "injured" arm, wincing theatrically. "Luck... pure luck. The beast was already wounded from the front lines. I just... got in the way."
Captain Wei studied him for a long moment. Then grunted.
"Luck or not, you saved lives. Including Fatty's. Legion rule: merit points for beast kills. You'll get a bonus ration... maybe even a promotion consideration."
Lin Hao bowed his head quickly. "No need, Captain. I just want to survive. Promotion means more danger. I'm happy staying a harvester."
Wei raised an eyebrow. "No ambition?"
"Survival first, sir."
The captain chuckled dryly. "Smart. But word will spread. Command might notice a 'lucky' scavenger."
As the squad began harvesting the beast's usable parts (core, claws—Lin Hao "helped" by touching discreetly for extra small pickups), suspicion lingered... but mixed with gratitude now.
Little Fatty clapped him on the back. "Thanks, brother. Owe you one."
Lin Hao smiled weakly. "Just glad everyone's okay."
But as they worked into the night, fresh corpses from the ongoing battle littered the field—more immortals fallen, void beasts slain.
Lin Hao slipped away during the chaos, touching remnants under cover of darkness. lifespan here, +thousands there.
By dawn, his status had climbed further.
And the whispers?
They'd turned from suspicion... to wary respect.
Good enough for now.
The war drums beat again in the distance. Another wave coming.
More bodies.
More years.
More power.
Lin Hao wiped mud from his face, hiding a grin.
The flex was small. But the harvest? Endless.