Gao Wu: If this BOSS isn't nerfed, is it even playable?

Chapter 12 Soul Furnace
【Soul Forge (Green)】

The BOSS's power is built upon a mountain of white bones. A furnace has been born within you, capable of melting down the soul essence of the beings you have defeated, transforming it into nourishment for your own growth.

[Effect: Each time you kill a unit, you will permanently absorb a small amount of its life essence, increasing your maximum health.]

The maximum health you gain will fluctuate based on the difference in strength between the unit you kill and yourself, ranging from a minimum of 0.1 maximum health to a maximum of 5 maximum health.

[Note: Thousands of corpses helped me ascend to kingship.]

Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat.

They're still increasing his tankiness!
He finally understood.

The system still felt his health was too low.

Come to think of it, every dungeon boss is a tank.

Too little health means no challenge.

The game mechanics don't even have time to be revealed before players have to figure them out.

This green mechanism gives Lin Ye a near-infinite source of maximum health points!
The numerical values ​​given are not many, but the potential is huge!
In this world, the maximum life value directly corresponds to the "Life Index," a core statistic that represents talent and potential!

Originally, after experiencing the huge reward of 150 experience points from fighting against a "high-level adventurer" like Chen Meng, Lin Ye had already begun to waver in his decision to go to the junkyard to farm mutated rats, a rather inefficient activity.

After all, sparring with a strong opponent once is equivalent to killing 150 mutated rats.

But now, the emergence of the Soul Forge mechanism has completely changed his mind.

The higher the life index, the higher the cultivation efficiency, the more resilient the body, and the stronger the potential!

This is absolutely the core attribute of "the more the better"!
It seems the solo upgrade session will continue into the evening.

……

The day's classes are over.

When Lin Ye returned home, it was already evening.

Not long after, the food was served.

Unable to suppress his hunger any longer, Lin Ye devoured everything in sight.

Whether it was meat or vegetables, the dishes on the table were disappearing at a visible speed.

The rice bowls in front of him had already piled up into a small mountain, but this was just the beginning.

One bowl, two bowls, three bowls...

At first, Li Wan and Lin Wei looked at him with smiles, but gradually, the smiles on their faces froze, replaced by shock.

"Eat slowly, don't choke..."

The same shock that Li Jun felt was also reflected on his sister Lin Wei's face.

She looked at her younger brother's bottomless appetite and felt somewhat worried.

That's an outrageous amount of food!
One person is about to eat the amount that used to be consumed by a family of three!
However, after her initial surprise, Li Wan's eyes revealed an undisguised joy.

Instead of stopping her, she stood up, went to the kitchen, ladled out a large bowl of rice, and placed it in front of Lin Ye.

"Is that enough? If not, Mom will cook more for you!"

"Being able to eat is a blessing! It means Xiaoye has been training hard lately and is growing!"

It is a consensus in society that martial artists can eat a lot.

The growth of Qi and blood, and the strengthening of muscles and bones, all require a massive amount of energy.

A martial arts student's appetite is often several times that of an ordinary person.

In the past, Lin Ye's appetite was larger than that of his peers, but it was still limited. This once made Li Wan secretly worried, thinking that it was a sign of her son's lack of qi and blood.

But now, watching her son wolf down his food, she felt incredibly at ease.

This is what future martial artists should look like!

Lin Ye glanced at the quest requirements for [Giant Maw of the Abyss].

He ate nearly 10,000 calories of food in the morning.

I ate five or six thousand yuan worth of food at the cafeteria for lunch.

It's finally finished.

Just then, the communicator on the table suddenly lit up and rang.

Lin Wei glanced at the caller ID and exclaimed in surprise, "It's Dad!"

The communication was connected, and the face of a middle-aged man with a square face appeared on the screen.

It was Lin Ye's father, Lin Tao.

The background he was in appeared to be a small, dimly lit metal dormitory.

"Wife, Xiaowei, Xiaoye, are we eating?"

Lin Tao forced a smile, his gaze sweeping over his wife and daughter before finally settling on Lin Ye, his eyes softening instantly.

"Dad!" Lin Ye put down his chopsticks and called out.

Lin Tao's gaze swept over the mountain of empty plates in front of Lin Ye, a hint of satisfaction and pride flashing in his eyes.

"Not bad, your appetite has increased. Looks like you haven't been slacking off in training lately!"

He looked at his son on the screen and seemed to see hope for the future; his smile was incredibly bright.

"Don't worry, I'm doing fine here."

Lin Tao cleared his throat and forced himself to speak, "The environment in the Seventh War Zone is much better than I expected. It includes food and lodging, with meat at every meal, and the dormitories are single rooms. It's much more comfortable than in Dongjiang!"

He paused, a hint of smugness in his voice as if he were showing off a treasure.

"Besides, it's a weekly salary system here. My salary for this week will be deposited into my family's account the day after tomorrow. Including the high-risk allowance, it'll be tens of thousands of yuan in total! There's no need to be so frugal on weekdays. I can buy whatever I want!"

Single dormitory room?

That was clearly a single-person sleeping pod where even turning around was difficult.

The food is good?

Lin Ye could even see that on the small table behind his father, there was only a half-empty tube of cheap nutritional paste.

The so-called Seventh War Zone is a frontline fortress built by humanity on the ruins to defend against the Abyss.

That place is on the edge of peace, the front line of war. How could it possibly be better than a comfortable rear city?

at this time.

A piercing alarm suddenly blared from the background music on the light screen!

Woo——!
Immediately following was a violent tremor, which caused the communication screen to shake violently!
A deep, muffled thud came from afar, as if some enormous thing had crashed into the fortress walls.

"Level 3 Alert! All combat personnel, immediately proceed to your designated battle stations!"

"Repeat! All combat personnel, immediately proceed to your designated battle stations!"

The cold, mechanical broadcast voice, transmitted clearly through the light screen, reached the ears of Lin Ye's family.

Lin Tao's smile froze instantly.

Li Wan's heart clenched, and her voice trembled as she asked, "Old Lin, what... what happened?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing!" Lin Tao quickly waved his hand, forcing a smile back onto his face. "It's just... just a routine drill!"

He frantically tried to hang up the call.

"I have something to take care of here, so I'll have to talk to you guys later. Take care of yourselves!"

"Dad!" Lin Wei suddenly shouted.

Lin Tao paused.

He turned his head away, not letting his family see his expression.

The communication was cut off instantly.

The light screen went dark instantly.

The cheerful and warm atmosphere at the dining table vanished without a trace.

The air was deathly still.

Li Wan could no longer hold back her tears, which silently streamed down her face.

Lin Wei's eyes also reddened. She silently reached out and grasped her mother's cold hand.

Lin Ye remained silent.

But the chopsticks in his hand were gripped so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

The mother wiped away her tears, silently stood up, and began to clear the dishes.

"Xiaoye, you've had a long day, go back to your room and rest."

Lin Ye nodded, stood up, and walked back to his room.

However, Lin Ye did not completely close the door to the room.

He heard his older sister, Lin Wei, speaking to their mother in a low voice in the living room.

"Mom, I've made up my mind."

"I...don't want to continue studying at medical school."

From the living room came Li Wan's surprised voice: "What nonsense are you talking about? Your grades are so good, what do you want to do if you don't continue your studies?"

Lin Wei's voice carried a hint of determination, along with a barely perceptible sob.

"Mom, the tuition is too expensive. It will take many more years after graduation, and then there will be internships and residency training, which will also cost a lot of money."

"Xiaoye is in the final sprint stage now, and the little money I make from part-time jobs is simply not enough."

"If this continues, our family won't be able to hold on."

"I want to start working and earn money as soon as possible. As long as I can get Dad back from the Seventh War Zone and our family can be together safely, that's more important than anything else!"

"I'm not going to study anymore. I'll leave all the money to Xiaoye so he can focus on his studies without any worries!"

Snapped!
A crisp sound.

It was the mother who slapped the older sister.

"You bastard!" Li Wan's voice trembled violently with anger and heartache.

"I don't want to hear those words again!"

"Making money is our business! What you and your brother need to do is study hard, get into the best universities, and have a bright future!"

"Do you know why your dad went to the Seventh War Zone? He just wanted you and Xiaoye to be able to sit in the classroom in peace! If you dare to give up, how can you face him!"

From the living room came Lin Wei's suppressed sobs, and her mother's equally choked scolding.

Lin Ye leaned against the cold wall, his fists clenched, his body trembling slightly from the intense emotions he felt.

It felt as if a volcano was about to erupt in my chest.

He is currently unable to help solve the family's difficulties.

But Lin Ye already knew how to make money.

Two weeks!

Only two weeks left until the diagnostic test!
Simply reaching the designated score is no longer enough!

He wants to surpass that standard!

He's going to make a name for himself!
He wants to win the most generous scholarship at Dongjiang No.1 High School!

He wants to show everyone, the school, and the world his unparalleled value!
Only geniuses receive preferential treatment in terms of resources!

Only the strong have the right to change the rules!
Those resources and privileges that were once monopolized by top students...

Now, he's going to try and compete for it too!

Late at night.

Outside the window, all was quiet.

Lin Ye changed into clothes that were easy to move in, put on a hood, and blended into the night.

He has completed all his daily tasks.

I'm not going out now for mission rewards.

It's not for venting!

Even more so... for leveling up!
(End of this chapter)