'I'm starving!'
'Still starving...'
「Ten-odd minutes later.」
The torn bread bag fell to the floor. Two empty Beast Milk bottles toppled over with a CLATTER, rolling halfway across the desk.
Lu Chao licked his lips, still wanting more. He didn't even spare the bread crumbs and the ring of white foam clinging to them.
A whole large bag of bread plus two bottles of Beast Milk would normally have been more than enough for one of his meals.
But now, he was still hungry, as if he'd only eaten until he was barely half-full.
'Is it because there wasn't enough high-quality nutritional energy? Or is it because my digestive ability has been enhanced...?'
Overwhelming hunger pangs continued to surface. Lu Chao rummaged through the refrigerator, only to find some wilted vegetable leaves and half a jar of sauce.
After some thought, he activated his watch, planning to order a few nutritious takeout meals.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his finger hovered in mid-air.
He had just remembered last night's spoils.
He strode back to his bedroom and pulled open the drawer of the desk by the window.
Two glass vials of nerve stabilizer came into view. The pale silver liquid inside sloshed gently, and a transparent rubber cap covered each needle.
In an instant, at the very moment Lu Chao's gaze fell upon them.
[Beginner Nerve Stabilizer]
[Quality: Inferior]
[Effect 1: After injection, can repair minor nerve damage, alleviate mental fatigue for a period of time, and slightly reduce mental stress!]
[Effect 2: Contains concentrated biological nutrients. If fully absorbed, has a high chance of increasing Life Energy. The effect is optimal on the first absorption; resistance will increase with each subsequent use, and the effect will be halved each time...]
'As I thought.'
His eyes lit up. Lu Chao once again experienced the power of his intuitive perception.
This talent was like a food authenticator; a single glance was all it took for him to understand all the effects of the nerve stabilizer, including the proper way to administer it.
Without further hesitation, filled with a mix of curiosity and anticipation, Lu Chao removed the rubber protective cap from the nerve stabilizer and aimed the needle at his forearm.
Following the injection method he'd looked up online, he quickly gave himself a shot.
At first, it felt like an ant bite, a slight stinging pain.
But soon, as he pushed the plunger and injected the fluid from the glass syringe, a cool sensation began to spread.
In just a few dozen seconds, Lu Chao felt a warm current, far purer and more violent than anything from food, surging through his veins.
'Such a potent effect.'
His eyes widened. The nerve stabilizer's effect was even stronger than he had anticipated.
The rapidly spreading warmth was so savage it was scalding hot. It spread frantically along the meridians of his forearm, surging throughout his limbs and torso, and burrowing into his flesh and blood.
This was a world of difference from the food he had eaten earlier.
In fact, he had never experienced such a feeling of fullness from any kind of dietary supplement before.
It was as if his very blood was boiling. Lu Chao could vaguely hear every one of his cells greedily fighting for its share.
In just two breaths' time, his face gradually flushed, and his body began to heat up.
Snapping back to his senses, Lu Chao recalled some advice Senior Brother Zheng Wu had given him during sparring.
The effects of medicinal agents could be quite tyrannical. Even a Fighting Level practitioner had to be extremely careful when taking them, needing to use stance training to guide the medicinal power and prevent the energy from stagnating and damaging their internal organs.
However...
BUZZ!
A strange hum seemed to reverberate within his body. [Plunder and Grow] had begun to activate wildly, devouring all the nutrients.
Lu Chao was slightly taken aback, only then realizing that his digestive ability had doubled, far surpassing that of an ordinary Fighting Level practitioner.
Clearly, the concerns a normal person would have when taking a medicinal agent simply didn't apply to him.
'Should I take the other one?'
Lu Chao felt he could handle more. After a moment of thought, he decided to try.
A moment later, he took out the other nerve stabilizer and jabbed himself with it decisively.
Instantly, as he tossed the syringe aside, a new wave of cool liquid flooded his body, its gentle sensation turning wild and savage.
His body grew hotter and hotter, and beads of sweat broke out on Lu Chao's forehead.
He didn't get careless this time. Although the effect of [Plunder and Grow] was formidable, he still assumed a stance, took a deep breath, and began to guide the medicinal power using the breathing techniques of his Fighting Skill.
Time passed as Lu Chao sank into a horse stance, remaining rooted to the spot.
Wisps of the warm current were digested and converted into pure Biological Energy. Guided by the breathing techniques of his Fighting Skill, it flowed into his limbs and torso, nourishing his flesh, tempering his bones, and slowly strengthening his body.
Every single cell received nourishment, replenishing the massive amount of energy consumed by his recent talent awakening.
「Finally, after more than ten minutes.」
The last trace of medicinal power was completely absorbed, melting fully into his flesh and blood.
Lu Chao relaxed his stance and slowly exhaled a plume of scorching white vapor.
"HUUU!"
The white vapor hung in the air for several breaths before dissipating.
The sweat on Lu Chao's face had vanished, and his complexion was ruddy.
All feelings of hunger had receded.
'So this is enhanced digestion?'
As he carefully assessed his body, he finally experienced another effect of [Plunder and Grow].
According to the [Life Energy Development Theory], everyone's constitution is different, as is their absorption efficiency for various dietary supplements and medicinal agents.
This dictates the speed at which resources are converted into strength.
And it was obvious that he now had a clear lead in this area.
At the very least, he had never heard of any senior brother at the Fighting Level being able to inject two medicinal agents at the same time like this.
'This way, while others can only slowly supplement their resources, I'll be much faster.'
'If I have enough resources, I can even improve faster than others in the same amount of time.'
Lost in thought, Lu Chao soon discovered that his strength had increased by a small amount—about ten-odd kilograms.
His internal Martial Arts Power also seemed to have grown a bit stronger.
'Could it be...?'
A guess sprang to mind. Lu Chao focused his thoughts and summoned the glowing panel.
[Life Energy: 20 → 22!]
'I knew it.'
His guess was confirmed; his Life Energy had indeed increased.
And by a full two points!
'After reaching the Fighting Level, each point of Life Energy increases one's strength by seven or eight kilograms, far more than before. Because of this, it's also much more difficult to improve.'
Looking at the panel, Lu Chao mused, 'But the nerve stabilizer already had a chance of increasing Life Energy, and since this was my first time taking it, the effect was at its peak.'
'Combined with the enhanced digestion and absorption from [Plunder and Grow], the results were outstanding. An increase like this is actually pretty normal.'
Having a rough answer, Lu Chao didn't dwell on it further.
His gaze swept across the panel, and he subconsciously compared his two talents.
'Compared to [Beginner Resilience], the new talent's effect is more unique.'
'But the former has a chance to grow with my physique and upgrade to an intermediate specialty, whereas the latter... it's hard to say which is better right now.'
A glint in his eyes, Lu Chao's mind raced with possibilities.
Regardless, these were the cornerstones of his future. He even began to look forward to his next new talent.
He immediately looked at his panel.
[Glutton: Lu Chao]
[Life Energy: 22]
[Specialties: Beginner — Beginner Resilience, Plunder and Grow]
[Potential Progress: 7%]
"Oh?"
Lu Chao was a little surprised, because his Potential Progress had previously been at zero.
'Was it the nerve stabilizer?'
His gaze sharpened as he quickly understood the reason.
Compared to ordinary Exotic Beast Meat, the nutritional energy in the nerve stabilizer was far richer, making its effect naturally stronger—more than two or three times so.
At this thought, Lu Chao's eyes brightened, a flash of fervent hope passing through them.
Each time he awakened a new talent, the difficulty of accumulating Potential Progress increased significantly. He had guessed that ordinary Exotic Beast Meat would now have only a weak, negligible effect.
But at this very moment, staring at the progress on his panel, he felt like a predator that had finally locked onto its prey.