Fang You examined himself in the mirror. He retained his handsome appearance. His awakening had only enhanced his charisma, adding an indescribable mystique, but his outward appearance remained unchanged.
Bai Xue from the Investigation Bureau, her hair had turned completely white, and her eyes possessed an eerie glow.
The Special Grade known as 'Fire Cannon' had disproportionately large hands and slightly red skin, which became as red as a branding iron when he used his abilities.
The Special Grade known as 'Master Ma' showed no outward abnormalities, but it was unclear what lay beneath his clothes.
All of this Fang You observed through An Jianyou's perspective.
According to the description, awakenings generally brought about changes, yet he had none. He lifted his clothes, pulled open his pants – still nothing.
Perhaps this was a perfect awakening.
Black Saber and An Jianyou hadn't changed much either.
He brought up his status panel.
「Savior of Destiny (Dual Awakening)」
「Physique: 5.6+5.8」
「Spirit: 3.5+3.2」
「Mystery: 0」
「Life Energy: 11.85」
「Skills: Omitted」
「Abilities: Omitted」
The improvements on the panel did not adequately describe the changes he was experiencing.
Having broken something last time, Fang You dared not move around recklessly. He picked up the beginner's wooden sword and practiced, one move after another.
This would increase his skill proficiency and allow him to familiarize himself with his newfound strength.
Killing two birds with one stone.
"My strength has increased significantly. This beginner's wooden sword feels too light now… but I don't really fight with a sword anyway, so it's not a big problem."
He only used a sword for toying with weaker opponents. When facing true enemies, he simply raised his palm for a lightning strike or released it for a palm strike.
The output of Palm Thunder had also increased significantly.
In its normal state, the maximum output had increased from "1" point of Life Energy to "2" points, but its power had more than doubled.
He wasn't sure of the exact increase, as there was no target to test it on.
As for the awakened ability 'Conviction of Burning Flames'...
While training, Fang You also experimented with his ability. The range of his belief perception had broadened, from five hundred meters to one thousand, then to fifteen hundred meters.
Perceiving and collecting these beliefs was also much easier and faster than before.
It wasn't just beliefs; the range had expanded to encompass more superficial emotions.
Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness appeared in Fang You's vision, bit by bit, not too clearly.
...
After awakening and training, he took a shower.
By the time he finished, the sky had begun to darken. Going out at night was relatively dangerous, as the vision provided by the Ghoul Tracker only showed a faint outline of a ghoul, making it far less clear than in daylight.
However,
Fang "Savior" You, the "Flame Mentor," the "Dual Awakened," was completely unfazed, even eager for a few ghouls to test his mettle.
He picked up the reluctant Black Pupil and went out.
"The current Ghoul Crystals are sufficient to open the base's entrance. But where should this entrance be located?"
He considered placing it in a secluded area within the city.
Ideally, it would be concealed by a building, which could later serve as the Ignition's external office. However, he didn't have one.
He pondered if there was a way to get one for free. If not, he would make do with a secluded, deserted location as a 'secret base' and set up the entrance.
If it wasn't suitable, the entrance could be relocated later, albeit at an additional cost of Ghoul Crystals.
...
As night gradually descended, Fang You walked through the sparsely populated streets.
Compared to half a month or a month ago, there were fewer pedestrians and vehicles on the roads. Supplies had begun to be controlled to prevent panic buying in supermarkets. Rationing and distribution were gradually being implemented across various regions, and it was about time for Baijiang City to do the same.
Fortunately, supplies were still abundant, at least in their country, Donghuang.
Fang You mused, when suddenly,
"Meow~!"
Black Pupil, perched on his shoulder, bristled. Its eyes stared intently at a nondescript dark corner not far away.
Fang You couldn't see anything, but he faintly sensed that something was amiss.
A chill ran down his spine.
But this place…
With no time to take out his phone, he directly activated 'Ghoul Tracker.' In this special vision, he saw a faint figure, shrouded in foul winds, clinging to the wall about ten meters away.
It was a ghoul!
But there shouldn't have been a mission marker here earlier! He wouldn't misremember. He was currently searching for a suitable entrance location and killing a few ghouls along the way for some extra income. He was certain there was nothing here.
Had it just spawned?
While he was contemplating, the ghoul had already turned its head 180 degrees and lunged at him. Fang You wasn't sure of its speed because… the Ghoul Tracker's vision hadn't registered it!
As the grey shadow clung to the wall, a chill shot up to his scalp.
Fang You instinctively rolled.
Whoosh—
Two black claw marks, over a meter long, appeared on the ground. The spots where they struck seemed to melt, sinking silently into the road.
He rolled to the right. Black Pupil leaped from his shoulder and landed to his left, glaring at the spot not far away!
Clarity Revelation!
A faint grey shadow appeared, not fully manifested, but much clearer.
It was extremely gaunt, resembling a praying mantis, a meter-long praying mantis.
Cold madness flooded his mind.
It wasn't strong; at least, the influence on his sanity wasn't significant. It seemed like an ordinary ghoul, yet the danger it displayed was far greater.
Fang You raised his hand and shot out a bolt of lightning.
He missed.
He instantly shot out two more. This time, one hit. The mantis-like ghoul's form became clearer, with arcs of lightning entwined around it. Its movements visibly became stiff and sluggish.
Fang You's palm pulsed with lightning, and a brilliant flash erupted.
Sizzle—
Violent thunderous power erupted. This ghoul lasted less than half a second before completely dissipating.
He scanned the surroundings, and only after a long while, seeing no other ghouls, did he let out a slight sigh of relief, keeping the Ghoul Tracker active, not daring to turn it off.
"This ghoul was definitely of a two-star ghoul's caliber."
He opened the Savior Game to check the recent game record.
It showed that he had indeed killed a ghoul and gained 0.8 Mystery points.
However, there were no Fate Points.
Fate Points, Ghoul Crystals, and training cards were rewards for dispatched missions. Without a mission, there were no Fate Points, confirming that this ghoul was indeed off the map's detection.
「Current Level, the number and level of detected ghouls are for reference only. The dispatch system is not responsible for unexpected occurrences.」
This was a perpetual notice in the mission module.
Fang You had previously thought it was merely inaccurate, but now he realized it was far more than that.
Invisible ghouls! Ghouls that the map detection function couldn't detect!
These types of ghouls were more reclusive!
Their influence and range were not as broad as common ghouls, but for awakened individuals like him, these invisible ghouls were undoubtedly more dangerous.
"The precise detection function needs to be upgraded as well."
"Besides that…" he pondered the recent battle. The Ghoul Tracker's vision was clearly falling behind. If Black Pupil hadn't used its Clarity Revelation ability, the combat would have been much more dangerous.
The Ghoul Tracker also needed upgrading, perhaps to the Proficient level.
Still outside, he took out his phone and arranged things with Black Saber first.