Chapter 7 - 4: Level Up
’I really don’t know how those guys in web novels manage to perfectly inherit everything from the original owner the moment they transmigrate! Am I just useless?’
Lin Yi mocked himself internally, suppressing the frustration that stemmed from his own clumsiness.
He knew this body still needed time to adapt. Only through repeated practice could he truly sync his mind with his movements until it all became second nature.
The night sky outside the window settled from deep blue into an inky black. The clamor from the neighbors in the hallway had died down at some point, leaving only the sound of his steady breathing and the faint whisper of air stirred by his movements echoing within the room.
Time trickled by in a stream of tedious, focused repetition.
After some time, a faint but distinct sensation of flowing energy finally stirred in his lower abdomen before dissipating. Only then did Lin Yi snap out of his trance and stop.
He lifted his hand, glancing at the watch-style communicator on his wrist under the light.
The cool blue digits on the screen clearly displayed the time: 10 PM.
The entire apartment building had fallen deathly silent.
His neighbors were likely long asleep.
’It’s about time.’
Lin Yi’s eyes narrowed, all traces of fatigue seemingly replaced in an instant by the cold excitement that comes before a hunt.
He turned his focus inward, sinking deep into his consciousness.
The Mosquito Avatar, hovering in the corner like a precision killing machine, suddenly lit up its cold, compound eyes. Its slender legs rubbed together gently in midair as it adjusted its orientation.
’Go.’
He walked to the door and gently pulled it open, leaving just a crack.
With a command of his will, he guided the Mosquito Avatar, which slipped silently through the crack in the door.
...
As the Mosquito Avatar left the room, the residual stench in the hallway washed over it.
But to the Mosquito Avatar’s senses, the odor was broken down into a complex map of pheromones.
The Tibetan Mastiff’s unique and highly aggressive scent marker stood out like a beacon in the dark, pointing the way with absolute clarity.
Lin Yi could clearly "see" it. Within the Mosquito Avatar’s compound-eye vision, a massive silhouette appeared on its sensory map, radiating a dense red glow (representing heat) and a murky, yellow-green gas (representing a mix of carbon dioxide and pheromones). Its location was the landing on the fourth floor!
Without a moment’s hesitation, the Mosquito Avatar began its descent. It hugged the inside of the staircase railing, avoiding any potential air currents, moving slowly but with unwavering determination.
Down one flight...
Down two...
Down three...
It was getting closer and closer to its target!
Finally, the Mosquito Avatar came to a stop, hovering in the shadows just above the fourth-floor landing.
Below, the ferocious black Tibetan Mastiff lay in its cage, its massive head resting on its forepaws. A low rumble emanated from its throat; it seemed to be dozing.
But even in sleep, its enormous frame, knotted muscles, and occasionally twitching ears radiated an intense and dangerous pressure.
’Found you.’
Lin Yi’s mind settled.
’Let the hunt begin!’
In that instant, the Mosquito Avatar moved like a master assassin. Aided by the precise perception of air currents and heat sources from [Tracking LV1], it circled gracefully, searching for the optimal landing spot and angle of attack.
Lin Yi didn’t dare let the Mosquito Avatar attack recklessly. After all, it was currently no different from an ordinary mosquito; one light swat from the mastiff’s paw and it would be game over.
He had to choose a spot the mastiff couldn’t reach to serve as his opening.
Finally, he locked on to a target: a spot behind the mastiff’s ear where the fur was relatively sparse and the skin was thin.
A slow descent...
The proboscis extended...
A precise strike!
The very instant the proboscis pierced the skin and began to feed, an incredibly faint but tangible stream of energy traveled along some profound connection, instantly crossing the distance from the Mosquito Avatar directly into Lin Yi’s body!
HUM!
A tremor shot through Lin Yi’s entire body!
The sensation was indescribable.
It was like the first ray of morning sun warming a frozen body, or the first drops of sweet nectar on a parched riverbed.
A faint but incredibly pure, warm energy instantly spread through his limbs, converged on his heart, and finally settled in his Dantian below his navel—the nexus where his Qi and Blood gathered.
This stream of energy was nowhere near as torrential as the rush from a Qi Blood Pill, but its purity seemed a cut above. The absorption and conversion efficiency was astonishingly high, with almost nothing wasted!
Lin Yi could clearly feel his Qi and Blood value, which had been stagnant at 9.03, begin to slowly tick upward with the influx of this external energy!
Although the increase was so minuscule as to be almost negligible, the tangible experience of actual growth made Lin Yi so excited he nearly cried out.
’It’s really... It’s really working!’
He clenched his fists, his eyes shining with an unprecedented light.
’I don’t need Pills! I don’t need a massive fortune! All I need is this little mosquito...’
The Mosquito Avatar drank greedily and efficiently.
The abundant life essence within the Tibetan Mastiff’s body underwent a mysterious transformation, flowing in a continuous stream back to Lin Yi.
[Qi and Blood +0.01!]
[Qi and Blood +0.01!]
[Qi and Blood +0.01!]
Thanks to the [Paralysis LV1] skill, the Tibetan Mastiff remained completely unaware as the Mosquito Avatar fed. It wasn’t startled awake by the loss of blood.
Ordinarily, a mosquito bite would be a drop in the ocean to a creature of the Tibetan Mastiff’s size. At most, it would drain a negligible amount of its vitality, having no effect whatsoever.
However, Lin Yi’s Mosquito Avatar was completely different!
Its tiny body greedily drank the rich flow of blood. No matter how much it consumed, its small frame showed no signs of being full. On the contrary, it only seemed to grow more voracious.
It was like a bottomless pit!
Meanwhile, back in his room on the eighth floor, Lin Yi was completely overwhelmed by an unprecedented feeling of replenishment.