Ding-dong!
Not long after the two uninvited guests left, Irving received the monster atlas from Anna in his forum inbox. He eagerly opened the contents.
Butcher!
Basic Information: The natural enemy of the Pigmen, cursed to serve as a guardian of the altar, living in underground caves. It appears at night, possessing extremely sharp claws and teeth... Weakness: Extremely afraid of light!
"Afraid of light?" A smile appeared on Irving's face as he thought of a plan. "Anyway, let's fill our stomachs first."
He pulled out his phone and ordered a Michelin three-star seafood delivery—Boston lobster, salmon sashimi... In the past, he wouldn't even glance at such high-end restaurants.
Because he was broke!
But now, things were different. Just yesterday, he made a hundred thousand from selling Pigmen bones on the forum, and they sold out in no time.
"When doomsday comes, money will be just paper, useless to keep," Irving muttered to himself.
After ordering takeout, he sent another 320 pig bones to the buyer via anonymous courier.
320 portions of pig human bones compressed in a 3% ratio were packed in just a small box.
...
An hour later.
After enjoying his seafood feast, Irving wiped his mouth and contentedly entered the alternate world...
Welcome Player to the Game!
Players respawned in the shelter the day after each death. But this time, Irving didn't hurry to leave. He looked around...
The shelter was only 10 square meters, just a bit larger than the bathroom at his home, containing only a storage chest and a single bed, which left even less usable space.
Irving shook his head. First, he looked at the storage chest in the corner. The space inside the chest was linked to his backpack, and after each death, items from the backpack were automatically transferred to the chest.
[Stone*224]
[Wood*182]
Then, a system prompt sounded.
[Would you like to upgrade the shelter?]
[Current shelter level: Lv0]
[Next level increases space to 20 square meters, required materials: Stone*100, Wood*100]
"Yes."
Irving thought to himself, knowing that this shelter was his foothold after the apocalypse!
In the next moment, the original 10 square meter shelter instantly expanded to twice its size.
The space finally felt less cramped, but Irving was still somewhat dissatisfied.
After some research, he had gained basic knowledge about upgrading the shelter...
Upgrade the level of the shelter, corresponding to an increase in area.
Besides expanding the area, players could also personalize upgrades within the shelter and set up defensive weapons like fences, trap mechanisms, watchtowers, or even arrow towers around the perimeter.
"Let's leave it at this for now. Just to make it a bit more comfortable." Irving murmured. He had more pressing matters to attend to—heading to the altar.
He had a feeling that something was hidden inside the altar.
Otherwise, why would the "Butcher" be guarding there, and there is also an important message in the picture book Anna sent - the Butcher has been cursed in some way?
Who could have cast such a curse?
...
In the forest.
Following his memory of the route, Irving quickly found the altar from yesterday. Although he encountered numerous Pigmen along the way, they didn't dare to attack him due to his pigskin armor.
People climb higher, water flows lower.
Irving hardly spared a glance at low-level beasts like the Pigmen.
When he arrived at the altar, rather than approaching it immediately, he started to collect materials around it: twigs, weeds.
Tightly binding the weeds to a thick twig, he created a simple torch. However, Irving was not fully satisfied. When he spotted a Pigman not far away, a wicked grin spread across his face.
"Sorry, piggy! I didn't want to slaughter you, but I need fuel..."
A Pigman's cry echoed through the forest. After killing it, Irving, using his sharp sword, sliced open its belly. Besides the bloody, still twitching organs, there was a layer of white fat under the skin.
"This fat makes excellent fuel!" Irving chuckled, smearing the fat all over the torch. Now, the torch would burn for a longer time and was less likely to go out.
Holding the torch, Irving approached the low wall surrounding the altar, his heart pounding.
Looking inside, he saw some gnawed organs scattered on the ground but no sign of the Butcher.
"It seems the atlas was right. It doesn't dare to come out during the day." Irving entered the altar and found a staircase leading to an underground area in the center.
After lighting the fat-covered torch, Irving descended the stairs.
On both sides of the stairway, unusual symbols were carved into the walls. The further down he went, a chill emanated from the walls, making him shiver.
Upon reaching the bottom, he found a hall.
Straight ahead, another path led to a deeper place.
"What?"
With the help of the torchlight, Irving noticed two wooden boxes piled up in a corner. His heart leapt.
Both boxes were covered with a thick layer of dust, suggesting they had not been opened for a while.
Just as Irving was about to approach the boxes, a strange noise echoed around him. Following the sound, a dark shadow suddenly lunged at him.
This feeling was all too familiar!
It was the Butcher!
"Damn!" Irving cursed under his breath. Despite being prepared, the Butcher's speed was extremely fast. All he could do was instinctively raise his torch.
The blazing fire illuminated the scene, and he finally got a clear look at the Butcher.
It was over two meters tall, its body covered in fat and its face full of pustules. Some of the pustules had burst, with viscous yellow fluid trickling down. It somewhat resembled a human, except for its incredibly long and sharp fingernails.
"Roar!" The Butcher suddenly retreated, its beady eyes fixated on the torch as if it was somewhat fearful.
"Damn it! I was bitten to death by this bastard yesterday! Now it wants to ambush me again!" Irving shouted angrily, feeling no fear at this point.
So what if he died? He could just reenter the game tomorrow!
However, the pain of death was something Irving did not want to experience again.
So...
He would fight for it!
Surviving would naturally be the best outcome!
His right hand held the iron sword and his left hand the torch. While keeping a vigilant eye on the Butcher in the corner, he continued to approach the two wooden boxes.
"Roar!" A sharper roar rang out, piercing eardrums.
The Butcher, being a guardian of the altar, saw a stranger approaching the boxes. Like an enraged beast, it bared its sharp, dense teeth and lunged at Irving again.
Its attack this time was even more ferocious!
It was hard to imagine such speed under the Butcher's bulky body. It launched itself into the air like a heavy artillery shell, smashing towards Irving.
"Not good!" Irving's pupils constricted.
The Butcher's massive body weighed nearly 300 pounds. If it hit him, even if he did not die, he would be severely injured on the spot!
The typical reaction to such a scene would be to dodge.
"Let's fight this!" Irving also became enraged, "Do you really think I'm easy to bully?"
In the blink of an eye, Irving had an idea. He first threw the torch, its bright light temporarily blinding the Butcher who had long been in the cave. But seeing the item it was guarding about to be stolen, it still roared and attacked.
The next moment...
Smash!
Behind the dazzling torchlight, a sword was hidden!
The sword pierced directly through the Butcher's skull. Blood gushed out from the back of its head, mixed with red and white brain matter.
Boom!
A dull sound echoed as the Butcher crashed heavily onto the ground. The sword penetrated its skull even deeper, and Irving rolled to the side.
Seeing the Butcher collapsed on the ground, its body spasming a few times before falling still, Irving finally breathed a sigh of relief.
[You have successfully killed "The Butcher"!]
[Dropped items: Sticky Pus*10, Broken Swift Boots*1]
[Pick them up?]