Attribute Farming System

— In the Depths of the Forest Located Within the Mansion Territory of the Falazars —

Knox stood amidst the towering trees, scanning his surroundings with a deep frown.

"Let me think," he muttered, his gaze shifting from one spot to another. "Bushes there, trees over there, more bushes, more trees… Where are the animals, for God's sake!??"

This was supposed to be a forest. So where was all the wildlife??

Impatiently, he tapped his foot against the ground. Just as frustration began to settle in, a sudden rustling from the foliage to his left snapped him out of his thoughts. His eyes narrowed, trying to make out the source of the disturbance.

Then—

Something jumped out!

*Fiak, Fiak!*

A rabid wolf lunged toward him, its three-meter-long body cutting through the air like a thrown spear.

Knox's reflexes kicked in instantly. He dropped low, sliding under the beast's airborne body with ease.

"What the hell, dude!" he barked, twisting his body as he evaded. "I was going to start small—maybe with a turtle or something—but then here you come. Don't you know how to wait your turn?"

"Grrrr—!!!"

The wolf landed with a skid, its claws digging into the dirt. It snapped its jaws, furious that its teeth had found nothing but empty air.

Knox grinned. "Why so angry, brother? Someone step on your tail?"

At that moment, the wolf let out a howl of agony, rolling in the dirt while glaring at its bloodied backside.

In Knox's hand, swinging playfully, was a lengthy fur tail—gray and black, perfectly matching the wolf's own coat.

"You want it back?" he teased, raising the severed tail. "Well, too bad! I believe this will make an excellent addition to my future wall of battle trophies!"

The rabid wolf's eyes turned bloodshot, vengeful anger boiling in its heart. Its body trembled as adrenaline surged through its veins, temporarily nullifying the excruciating pain of its severed tail.

Then—

It pounced.

"Woah," Knox chuckled, sidestepping slightly. "You're quite fast for a mutt. What are you? Rank 1? Rank 2??"

The rabid wolf was indeed a Rank 1 Demonic Beast, but it wasn't just an ordinary one. It stood at the pinnacle of its rank, making it significantly more dangerous than lesser Rank 1 creatures. In human cultivation terms, it was equivalent to a 1st Stage Qi Condensation practitioner—the perfect match for Knox's current strength.

"Hey, have you ever seen a human that could fly?" Knox taunted, his grin widening. "Well, I have! But you know what?? If only for a moment, I'll do you the honor of putting you on the same level as us."

The wolf stiffened, its instincts screaming at it to stop. It abruptly halted its charge, warily glancing around as if expecting an ambush.

Nothing.

Realizing it had been tricked, the beast's ears twitched with anger.

Knox laughed as a red orb of light dropped from the rabid wolf.

"You're not going to understand what I'm saying," he mused, watching the orb intently. "But there's this system quirk that mine has. It makes it so that the longer my target stays in a high state of emotional imbalance, the higher my chances of obtaining Attribute Orbs become."

With a wave of his hand, three red orbs, one green one, and one blue one floated toward him.

[Strength increased by 30 points!]

[Agility increased by 7 points!]

[Endurance increased by 9 points!]

Knox smirked, flexing his fingers as he felt the newfound power settle into his body. "Slowly but surely, I'm becoming more balanced."

His eyes gleamed as they returned to the injured rabid wolf.

"Now then, why don't we see if you'll drop even more goodies if I open you up like a piñata?"

The beast barely had time to react.

Knox's improved speed sent him bursting forward, his sharpened wooden spear—whittled down from a sturdy branch with nothing but a rock—poised to strike.

His golden eyes flickered as he slid past the right side of the wolf, his weapon piercing deep into its hide. Using his momentum, he twisted the spear, the jagged tip carving through flesh and muscle as he dragged it forward.

SPURT!

The rabid wolf's insides became its outsides as it collapsed, blood pooling beneath its shredded body.

Knox exhaled, shifting his gaze toward the shining objects that emerged from the wolf's corpse.

[A Peak Rank 1 Demonic Beast has been slain!]

[A tiny pile of Attribute Orbs has dropped!]

DING! DING! DING!

Rays of colored light shot from the fallen beast's remains, each beam indicating the Attribute Orbs that had spawned. It was like something out of a Diablo game, where loot shimmered from miles away.

[Agility +23]

[Agility +17]

[Strength +30]

[Endurance +15]

X5 more…

Knox's eyes widened slightly. "All the Attribute Orbs are in the two-digit range?"

A slow, satisfied smile curled onto his lips.

"It seems my speculations were correct. Killing things gives far more than simply increasing their emotional distress."

Unless his target was an extremely powerful individual—one that dropped high-value Attribute Orbs—then murder was by far the most efficient method for growth.

A dangerous glint flickered in his golden eyes.

Did this make him a psychopath?

…Perhaps.

But after 1,314 lifetimes of living in misery, who wouldn't go a little crazy?

Knox had long since accepted that he was far from normal.

Was there a way for him to receive help? Maybe.

But with how much was wrong inside his mind, he doubted even the universe's finest doctors or therapists could fix him.

He was too far gone.

"Oh, well!" he exclaimed, his tone lighthearted, as if none of that even mattered. "Good mental health is for the weak and sheltered anyway! For me, the grind is all I know!"

That and the phantom pain that had followed him through every lifetime.

But who cared about that?

No one ever had before.

And so Knox turned on his heel, ready to resume the hunt.

The grind waited for no man.

It was time to return to—

Attribute Farming!