Chapter Fifty-Four: A Bountiful Harvest

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[Hunter System]
[User: Zhou Shu (Recruit)]
[Mental: 1.17 (+0.41)]
[Strength: 0.86 (+0.19)]
[Agility: 0.84 (+0.22)]
[Endurance: 0.84 (+0.21)]
[Constitution: 0.84 (+0.24)]
[Special Abilities: Slow Motion Vision (Beginner), Vigilance (Beginner)]
[Weapon Proficiency: Firearm Usage (Upgradeable to Proficient), Powered Exoskeleton Operation (Upgradeable to Proficient)]
[Auxiliary Equipment: One standard “Edge of Tomorrow” powered exoskeleton suit (in good condition)]
[Source Essence: 2.07]
[Source Essence fully charged. Would you like to allocate points to attributes that haven't reached their limit?]

Zhou Shu stared at the familiar ceiling, lost in thought as he gazed at his attribute panel.

The words “Virtual State” had vanished, indicating he had returned to the real world.

That final strike against the boss seemed to have granted him quite a few points—mostly increments of 0.03 or 0.04—except constitution, which remained steady, still only increasing by 0.01 per death.

He had blown up the boss in the end. Not gaining a save-load ability was one thing, since it was merely a simulation, but to not even reward him with a bit more constitution was miserly.

Unless something unexpected had happened, only one night had passed in the real world, while he had lived through twenty-five scenarios in the virtual battlefield, which theoretically meant fifty days; he was on his twenty-fourth...

“Wait a minute!”

Suddenly, Zhou Shu realized there was something wrong with the timing.

“I remember I was only on my twenty-fourth scenario. Why did I exit right after dying to the boss?!”

“Little Hunter, this isn’t right, is it?”

Hunter: [You cleared the “Edge of Tomorrow” virtual battlefield and completed the tutorial mission. Naturally, you exited the battlefield.]

Well, that’s a loss!

Perhaps sensing Zhou Shu’s thoughts, Hunter quickly changed the topic: [Because you completed the tutorial task, you have received the rookie reward—Dr. Carter’s Gift. Would you like to claim it?]

“There’s a reward? You're feeling generous?”

Zhou Shu was a bit surprised at this.

Hunter: [......]
[Would you like to claim it?]

Seeing Hunter stick to the question, Zhou Shu smiled quietly to himself. He hadn’t expected an auxiliary system to be so concerned with appearances.

“Claim it.”

Since Hunter was being generous for once, of course he’d take it.

[Your mental attribute does not meet the requirement. Please upgrade your mental attribute first.]

Zhou Shu: “......”

“I knew it...”

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He glanced at the mental attribute’s +0.41, then calculated that, together with the other attributes, he needed 1.27. This time, without hesitation, he chose to max them all!

Moreover, both weapon proficiency skills could be leveled up to “Proficient.” After consulting Hunter, he found each required 0.1 units of energy.

That was acceptable, within his range. He might as well upgrade both.

As long as source essence could be replenished, it didn’t matter how much he spent. Previously, he hadn’t known source essence could be restored, hence his indecision. Now, having confirmed it twice already, all those worries had vanished.

“Little Hunter, max everything for me!”

[Understood!]

Boom—

The moment the words appeared, Zhou Shu felt a thunderclap in his mind, followed by a surge of heat through his body, like a furnace.

In this “roasting” state, his mind was flooded with data and knowledge—weapon proficiency techniques he’d acquired in the virtual battlefield.

Beyond theoretical memories, his body trembled slightly under the heat, etching these skills into his muscles, turning them into muscle memory.

In a short while, his brand-new panel appeared.

[Hunter System]
[User: Zhou Shu (Recruit)]
[Mental: 1.58 (Max)]
[Strength: 1.05 (Max)]
[Agility: 1.06 (Max)]
[Endurance: 1.05 (Max)]
[Constitution: 1.08 (Max)]
[Special Abilities: Slow Motion Vision (Beginner), Vigilance (Beginner)]
[Weapon Proficiency: Firearm Usage (Proficient), Powered Exoskeleton Operation (Proficient)]
[Auxiliary Equipment: One standard “Edge of Tomorrow” powered exoskeleton suit (in good condition)]
[Source Essence: 0.6]

All attributes had broken past 1, with the lowest at 1.05 and the highest at 1.58—remarkably strong.

To use sports performance as an example, his hundred-meter dash could probably break the nine-second mark, maybe even enter the eight-second territory!

Most importantly, his endurance was equally high, meaning he wouldn’t tire after ten seconds—he could run a marathon at high speed.

A full marathon is about 42 kilometers; if he ran now, he could finish it in around an hour, while the world record is two hours and one minute.

Though his raw physique couldn’t compare to animals built for speed, for a human, he had truly “surpassed the limits.”

Calculating the average of his five attributes, it was roughly equal to the average of the four attributes of the first “monster” he had slain.

According to Hunter, such creatures generally had low mental attributes, perhaps even less than half that of an ordinary person, so he was certainly stronger than that beast.

With these attributes, plus his abilities and weapons, he was in an overwhelming position.

Even though his source essence had dropped to only 0.6 units, he could replenish it quickly, and even gain more.

[Attribute allocation complete. Mental attribute meets requirement. Would you like to claim Dr. Carter’s Gift?]

“Claim!”

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Yet more knowledge was implanted into his mind—familiar, yet somewhat foreign.

It was technology relating to powered exoskeleton suits!

But more comprehensive and systematic than what he had previously learned—Dr. Carter’s entire body of powered exoskeleton expertise.

Not only Dr. Carter’s original technology, but also the advanced suit techniques they had discussed together during more than twenty save-loads.

The appearance was somewhat ugly, given the urgency at the time and lack of opportunity for refinement; otherwise, knowing Carter’s personality, he would have designed something much more stylish.

But in terms of practicality, it was truly effective.

“Little Hunter, you...”

[Your situation is indeed quite unique, so the system has logically determined to unlock relevant technology for you, using the ‘mission reward’ mode you mentioned.]

[Please make good use of these technologies to ensure you become a super soldier!]

“Of course!”

Zhou Shu promised.

Well, the system really had been convinced by his arguments—this was not just rhetoric... no, this was the triumph of logic!

His eyes darted as he said, “Since you’ve given me powered exoskeleton technology, does that mean you can also grant me the actual power armor technology?”

[......]

The system feigned ignorance—do not disturb.

Zhou Shu chuckled, saying no more.

No rush; there will be time.

He flipped through the memories of these exoskeleton technologies, recalling the scenes when he learned from Dr. Carter. Now, having obtained all the technology, he was certain Carter would be astonished the next time they met.

With identical technology at their disposal, they should be able to modify even more powerful suits in a short time—he might even be able to run a “speedrun” mode next time.

Hunter, perceiving Zhou Shu’s thoughts, replied: [That wish cannot be fulfilled. You have cleared the “Edge of Tomorrow” simulated battlefield and completed the rookie trial, so you cannot re-enter.]

“What... I can’t enter the virtual battlefield anymore?”

[Not entirely. You cannot re-enter any virtual battlefield you’ve cleared, but you can enter newly unlocked virtual battlefields.]

Zhou Shu was speechless. So this was the price of growth?

To gain something, you must lose something else.

Fine, so be it; the facts can’t be changed. Next time, he’d squeeze the virtual battlefield dry before clearing it.

Speaking of new virtual battlefields, Zhou Shu pondered, “Can I customize the next virtual battlefield? Or specify certain directions?”

[Yes. Any virtual battlefield not finalized with source essence expenditure can be modified, as long as it aligns with the training outline. You may specify the content.]

“That’s good.”

With this knowledge, Zhou Shu felt at ease. He wasn’t in a hurry to start a new virtual battlefield, both because of insufficient source essence and a desire to better understand real-world needs, then tailor a new virtual battlefield accordingly.

He rolled over to check his phone, discovering it was already six o’clock on Sunday morning, so he got up to wash.

“Starting today, my temporary goal is to hunt monsters for energy, learn their unique traits, and then design a new virtual battlefield based on their characteristics!”