[Soul Furnace (Green)]
[A boss's power is built upon a mountain of bones. A furnace has been born within you, capable of smelting the soul essence of the beings you defeat and converting it into sustenance for your own growth.]
[Effect: Every time you kill a unit, you will permanently absorb a minuscule amount of its life essence to increase your maximum Life Value.]
[The increase to your maximum Life Value will fluctuate based on the power difference between you and the unit killed. You will gain a minimum of 0.1 and a maximum of 5 points to your maximum Life Value.]
[Remark: A thousand corpses pave my path to the throne.]
Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat.
It was still increasing his tankiness!
He was starting to get it.
The system still thought he didn't have enough health.
'Makes sense,' he thought. 'What dungeon boss isn't a total meat shield?'
Too little health meant there was no challenge.
You wouldn't even have time to show off your mechanics before being taken down by players.
This green-tier mechanic gave Lin Ye a source for a nearly infinite supply of maximum Life Value!
The numbers weren't high, but the potential was enormous!
And in this world, maximum Life Value directly corresponded to the "Life Index"—a core stat representing one's talent and potential!
Originally, after sparring with a "high-level adventurer" like Chen Meng and receiving that massive 150-point experience reward, Lin Ye had started to have second thoughts about the inefficient act of grinding mutated rats in the junkyard.
After all, one sparring session with an expert was worth killing one hundred and fifty mutated rats.
But now, the appearance of the Soul Furnace mechanic had completely changed his mind.
The higher one's Life Index, the more efficient their training, the more durable their body, and the greater their potential!
This was definitely a core attribute where more was always better!
'Looks like my solo nighttime leveling has to continue.'
...
The school day came to an end.
It was already evening by the time Lin Ye got home.
Before long, dinner was on the table.
Lin Ye could no longer hold back the hunger in his belly and went into full-on devour mode.
Whether it was meat or vegetables, every dish on the table was vanishing at a visible rate.
The rice bowl in front of him was already piled high like a small mountain, but this was only the beginning.
One bowl, two bowls, three bowls...
Li Wan and Lin Wei watched him with smiles at first, but gradually, the smiles on the mother and daughter's faces froze, replaced by shock.
"Slow down, don't choke..."
The same shock that had been on Li Jun's face now appeared on his sister Lin Wei's.
She watched her younger brother's bottomless-pit of an appetite with some concern.
His appetite was just too ridiculous!
He was about to eat as much as their entire family of three used to!
However, after her initial surprise, unconcealable joy welled up in their mother Li Wan's eyes.
Not only did she not stop him, but she stood up, went to the kitchen to scoop out another large basin of rice, and placed it in front of Lin Ye.
"Is this enough? If not, Mom will cook more for you!"
"A big appetite is a blessing! It means Xiaoye has been training hard lately, and his body is growing!"
It was common knowledge that Martial Artists had huge appetites.
The growth of Qi and Blood and the tempering of muscles and bones both required a massive amount of energy.
The appetite of a martial arts student was often several times that of an ordinary person.
In the past, although Lin Ye's appetite was larger than his peers', it was still limited. This had once made Li Wan secretly worry, thinking it was a sign that her son's Qi and Blood were insufficient.
But now, watching her son wolf down his food, she felt incredibly reassured.
'This is what a future Martial Artist should be like!'
Lin Ye glanced at the quest requirements for [Abyssal Maw].
He'd put away nearly ten thousand calories' worth of food this morning.
At noon, he'd eaten another five or six thousand in the cafeteria.
Now, he had finally completed it.
Just then, the communicator on the table suddenly lit up and began to ring.
Lin Wei glanced at the caller ID and exclaimed in delight, "It's Dad!"
The call connected, and the face of a middle-aged man with a square jaw appeared on the light screen.
It was Lin Ye's father, Lin Tao.
The background behind him appeared to be a small, dimly lit metal dorm room.
"Honey, Xiaowei, Xiaoye, are you all eating?"
Lin Tao forced a smile, his gaze sweeping over his wife and daughter before finally landing on Lin Ye, his eyes instantly softening.
"Dad!" Lin Ye put down his bowl and chopsticks and called out.
Lin Tao's gaze swept over the mountain of empty plates in front of Lin Ye, a hint of gratification and pride flashing in his eyes.
"Not bad, your appetite's grown. Looks like you haven't been slacking off on your training!"
He looked at his son on the screen as if seeing the hope of the future, his smile brilliant.
"Don't you worry, everything's fine over here."
Lin Tao cleared his throat and said with forced cheerfulness, "The conditions in the Seventh War Zone are much better than I expected. They cover room and board, there's meat at every meal, and I have a private room. It's more comfortable than being in Dongjiang!"
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of pride, as if showing off a treasure.
"Plus, they pay weekly here. This week's salary will be deposited into the family account the day after tomorrow. Including the high-risk hazard pay, it's several tens of thousands! No need to be so frugal day-to-day anymore. If you need something, just buy it!"
'A private room?'
'That was clearly a one-person sleeping pod, so cramped you could barely turn around in it.'
'Great food?'
'Lin Ye could even see that on the small table behind his father, there was only a half-used tube of cheap nutrient paste.'
The so-called Seventh War Zone was a frontline fortress built upon ruins by humanity to defend against the Celestial Abyss.
It was the edge of peace, the very front line of the war.
'How could it possibly be better than the safe cities in the rear?'
Just then, a piercing alarm suddenly blared from the background of the light screen!
WEE-WOO—!
It was followed by a violent tremor, causing even the communication screen to shake violently!
A muffled BOOM echoed from the distance, as if some colossal creature had slammed into the fortress walls.
"Alert Level Three! All combat personnel, report to your designated battle stations immediately!"
"Repeat! All combat personnel, report to your designated battle stations immediately!"
The cold, mechanical broadcast voice came through the light screen, reaching the ears of Lin Ye's family with perfect clarity.
The smile on Lin Tao's face froze instantly.
Li Wan's heart clenched, and her voice trembled. "Lin, what... what's happening?"
"It's nothing, it's nothing!" Lin Tao quickly waved his hands, forcing a smile back onto his face. "It's just... just a routine drill!"
He fumbled to end the call.
"Something's come up on my end, so I have to go. You all... take care of yourselves!"
"Dad!" Lin Wei suddenly cried out.
Lin Tao's movements paused.
He turned his head away, not letting his family see his expression.
The call disconnected in that instant.
The light screen went dark.
The once cheerful and warm atmosphere at the dinner table vanished without a trace.
The air was deathly silent.
Li Wan could no longer hold back her tears as they streamed silently down her face.
Lin Wei's eyes reddened as well. She silently reached out and held her mother's cold hand.
Lin Ye said nothing.
But his knuckles turned white from how tightly he gripped his chopsticks.
His mother wiped her tears, silently stood up, and began to clear the table.
"Xiaoye, you've had a long day. Go to your room and rest."
Lin Ye nodded, stood up, and walked back to his room.
But he didn't close the door completely.
He heard his sister, Lin Wei, speaking to their mother in a hushed voice from the living room.
"Mom, I've made up my mind."
"I... I don't want to continue with medical school."
Their mother Li Wan's shocked voice came from the living room. "What nonsense are you talking about? Your grades are so good. If you don't continue your studies, what will you do?"
Lin Wei's voice carried a note of finality, along with a barely perceptible sob.
"Mom, the tuition is too expensive. It takes so many years to graduate, then internship, residency... that's many more years and a lot more money."
"Xiaoye is in the final sprint of his training right now, and the little money I make from my part-time job isn't nearly enough."
"Our family can't hold on if this continues."
"I want to get a job sooner, to earn money. As long as we can bring Dad back from the Seventh War Zone, our family being together safely is more important than anything!"
"I'm quitting school. Let's save all the money for Xiaoye so he can focus on his final push without any worries!"
SLAP!
A crisp sound echoed.
Their mother had slapped their sister.
"You foolish child!" Li Wan's voice trembled with a mixture of fury and heartbreak.
"I don't want to ever hear you say that again!"
"Earning money is our job! What you and your brother need to do is study hard, get into the best universities, and have a bright future!"
"Do you have any idea why your father went to the Seventh War Zone? He did it so that you and Xiaoye could sit peacefully in a classroom! If you dare to give up, how could you face him?!"
From the living room came Lin Wei's suppressed sobs and their mother's equally choked scolding.
Lin Ye leaned against the cold wall, his fists clenched and his body trembling slightly from the overwhelming emotions.
It felt as if a volcano was about to erupt in his chest.
He couldn't do anything to solve the family's financial problems right now.
But Lin Ye had long known how he was going to make money.
Two weeks!
There were only two weeks left until the mock exam!
Just reaching the required score was no longer enough!
He had to surpass that standard!
He had to shock everyone!
He was going to get Dongjiang First Middle School's most generous scholarship!
He would show everyone—the school, the world—his unparalleled value!
Only geniuses received a greater share of resources!
Only the strong had the right to change the rules!
Those resources and privileges that were once monopolized by the top students...
Now, he was going to fight for them too!
The night deepened.
Outside the window, all was silent.
Lin Ye changed into clothes that were easy to move in, pulled on a hood, and melted into the night.
He had already completed all his daily quests.
He wasn't going out for quest rewards now.
He was going out to vent!
And... to level up!