Lin Feng recalled that in the challenge modes of many games, players would farm mobs like crazy to level up their gear and damage before entering a major stage.
And this bug-exploiting mindset was exactly what Lin Feng planned to do now.
'Now that I have a system, I've got to farm points like crazy.'
Lin Feng had come up with this plan ever since he saw the injured Red-Armored Beetle rapidly restore its Life Value by eating human flesh.
A safe and efficient way to farm Upgrade Points.
At the same time, Lin Feng had a lingering question that required a live beetle to test.
The Level 4 Red-Armored Beetle was down and couldn't get up. It only had 12 Life Value left. Five of its six legs were severed, and the chelicerae by its mouth had been chopped off. It posed no threat whatsoever.
Lin Feng picked up the severed limbs from the floor. The cross-section of the limb he had shot apart with a bullet was a pulpy mess, while the hind leg Chen Yanyan had severed with the Long Saber was full of gelatinous flesh.
He placed the two limbs near the beetle's mouth, just like when he was a child and would break a grasshopper's hind legs and then feed them back to it...
The result was clear. The extremely weak Red-Armored Beetle only ate the limb severed by the Long Saber, refusing to even taste the one Lin Feng had shattered with his gun.
'Back when he'd picked up that severed limb by the door and sat on the sofa to examine it, a question had already formed in his mind.'
On the surface, it seemed that gaining Upgrade Points for the pistol was related to the Damage it dealt. For instance, his current Level 2 pistol dealt an average of 4 Damage, so every 4 points of Damage inflicted would accumulate 1 Upgrade Point...
So far, that reasoning seemed sound.
'But those are just Upgrade Points for the pistol,' Lin Feng thought. 'Don't forget, when bound equipment levels up, I level up too. So where does the source for my own leveling come from?'
Lin Feng knew this was the system's truly powerful aspect. While others were still trying to figure out how to get stronger, he could grow alongside his gear just by farming points to upgrade it...
And now, the Red-Armored Beetle's discerning palate answered his question.
'So that's it. Damage dealt by my equipment has a hidden, secondary effect. Limbs shot off by the pistol, or the corpses of things it kills, no longer have any reusable value.'
'That consumed value is the source of my own leveling.'
Though it didn't seem to matter much now, Lin Feng had a feeling this unlisted ability would play a critical role in the future.
It didn't make a difference for now, though. This legless Red-Armored Beetle had other food available.
After being fed two legs and a pair of chelicerae, the Red-Armored Beetle's Life Value recovered from 12 to 20, a full increase of 8 points.
Its eating and recovery speed was much faster than the Level 3 one's, likely due to the difference in Level.
The wounds on its severed stumps had already healed, and it had even grown some short, thin replacement limbs, like the small legs a crab or lobster regrows after losing one.
With a sufficient food supply, the Red-Armored Beetle's self-healing was rapid. This was exactly what Lin Feng was counting on to farm a massive amount of points.
20 Life Value was obviously too high. Lin Feng raised his pistol, aimed at its only remaining leg, and fired, shattering it. He fired again, blowing off a row of newly grown limbs on its side.
The two shots dealt eight Damage and earned him 2 Upgrade Points, finally giving him enough for the Upgrade.
He'd fired five shots in total, leaving him with seven bullets.
Lin Feng initiated the pistol's Upgrade, then tossed the legless Red-Armored Beetle onto the female corpse nearby.
The extremely weak Red-Armored Beetle caught the scent of blood and flesh and immediately began to feast greedily.
This whole display was incomprehensible to the two women. Lin Feng was about to fob them off with an excuse when he suddenly heard a noise from the staircase.
The three of them looked up to see the other survivors from Building Six. The nosy older woman and another young woman, drawn by the gunshots, were peering down from the bend in the stairs.
When they saw Lin Feng kick the giant beetle onto the dead woman's body and let it start gnawing on the corpse, they began to tremble in fear, not daring to make a sound.
No one would have thought that the handsome young man living downstairs would use such a cruel method to dispose of a body.
Lin Feng gave them a single glance before ignoring them and explaining to the two women with him,
"Let it dispose of the corpse. Once the smell of blood is gone, the beetle at the entrance will leave on its own."
"This is also a good opportunity for us to practice fighting with blades and overcome our fear of these things."
With that, Lin Feng handed the Long Saber to Chen Yanyan so she could have a turn.
Chen Yanyan, who had been waiting eagerly, took the Long Saber in excitement and waited for the beetle to regrow its legs.
Lin Feng was also curious to see what special changes would occur once the Long Saber was upgraded.
'The pistol has an Extra Attribute for Bullet Recovery,' he mused. 'Maybe the Long Saber will get a corresponding bonus function too.'
Perhaps because it had been on the verge of death, this Level 4 Red-Armored Beetle's eating speed was incredible; it was devouring the woman's corpse at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Its Life Value rapidly climbed from 12 to over 20. Lin Feng drew his pistol to test if he could still fire it while it was upgrading.
A bullet tore through its newly grown chelicerae—an organ too tough for Chen Yanyan to sever with her strength.
Confirming he could still fire it, Lin Feng holstered the pistol and had the two women take turns hacking at the beetle, ensuring it remained legless.
Soon, the Long Saber had accumulated three Upgrade Points. Lin Feng took it back and mentally commanded, 'Upgrade.'
A white light that only he could see emerged from the blade, indicating it was in the process of upgrading.
The Long Saber's upgrade was noticeably faster, finishing in just a few dozen seconds.
「Common Long Saber LV2/9, White Quality」
「Upgrade Points 0/10, Damage 10, State: Good」
「Evaluation: A high-quality Close Combat Weapon, sharp enough to break through most Defense. Be careful not to hurt yourself. Strike targets to gain Upgrade Points.」
Lin Feng stared in a daze for two seconds before gripping the saber tightly, unable to suppress a low gasp of amazement.
'This Long Saber is broken!' A single Upgrade had added a whole 6 points of Damage. Combined with the Red Armor Shield, he could easily kill a Red-Armored Beetle now.
Most importantly, not only had its Damage and sharpness been greatly enhanced, but its physical weight had actually decreased!
It had weighed five or six pounds before, but now it was less than four. It felt much lighter and more maneuverable in Lin Feng's hands.
Since it was lighter, he could fight with it for much longer. 'So Close Combat Weapons have their own advantages after all. Their Attack Power increases much faster than the pistol's.'
However, subsequent upgrades would require ten points of Damage per Upgrade Point. Lin Feng didn't plan to waste time on this saber. He went upstairs, retrieved another Long Saber, and gave it to the two women to level up.
Just then, the pistol's Upgrade finally completed, and Lin Feng greeted his new Level 3 pistol:
「Fine Pistol LV3/9, White Quality」
「Upgrade Points: 0/10, Damage: 6, Effective Range: 60 meters, Remaining Bullets: 12/12, Extra Attributes Upgrade: Bullet Recovery 1/1 min」
「Evaluation: This is a well-made pistol with an extremely fast Bullet Recovery speed. Hit targets to gain Upgrade Points.」
Lin Feng took a deep breath. The Damage increase wasn't huge, but the upgrade to its Extra Attributes was crucial. 'Originally, I'd calculated that over the next twenty hours, I could only recover twenty bullets at most, so I couldn't use it freely...'
But now, recovering one bullet per minute meant sixty per hour. It was practically an infinite supply, giving Lin Feng far more options.
He immediately ejected the magazine, unloaded ten bullets into his pocket, then reinserted the magazine and waited for it to automatically refill.
By doing this every ten minutes, he could completely solve his bullet anxiety.
Lin Feng's series of strange actions naturally aroused the two women's curiosity and suspicion.
Lin Feng hesitated for a moment before speaking.