[Starvine Grape (Cyan)]

[Details:] Holds dense essence factor compounds. If consumed, it pulls the mind into a trance-like state, after which essence traits will be drastically enhanced.

[Status:] Edible!

Licking his lips, Seth picked the bunch of bright green grapes.

He threw one straight into his mouth, and as he bit down, his mouth was hit with a wave of juice carrying a refreshing fizzy flavor.

Since the apocalypse begun, he hadn’t eaten anything so tasty, this was a well deserved treat!

"Mnn, that’s the stuff." He nodded his head as he chewed and continued on his journey.

Seth was now drastically different than before — properly dressed and armed to the teeth.

A dagger strapped to his left hip, a sword strapped to his back, a bow hanging from his side.

His feet no longer bare, now covered by thick dark leathery boots. Around his neck dangled a necklace, and hidden within his cloak was a soft silk armor.

All these items were simultaneously bolstered by the passive effect of his skill.

He had followed the path of the marker, killing most beasts he came across and looting their corpses.

In a few instances, he had sensed terrifying auras and decided not to confront them, making detours instead.

So far, his journey was going relatively smoothly. His heart burned with anticipation the more he thought about the GreenFold Settlement.

Alien races... he really couldn’t wait to see one.

It was just at this moment Seth heard the sounds of battle in the distance.

Normally, he wouldn’t be bothered, as most of the time it was origin beast packs fighting against one another for territory.

But this was different. His ears perked up as he heard the clang of metal.

His eyes flashed curiously. It wouldn’t hurt to take a look, right?

He sneaked over through a shrub, hiding himself beneath the patch of foliage. And the sight that unfolded before him stunned him.

Then his face burst into all smiles as his heart pumped with excitement and expectation.

Humanoids! A group of intelligent humanoids were battling against an origin beast pack.

These beings didn’t share similarities with humans except for their upright, two-legged form.

Their skin was a bright crimson red, their hair pale white, and a pair of horns curved out of their forehead skulls.

Their skin shimmered with a faint golden-veined pattern, their eyes completely obsidian black.

There were three in total, all dressed in defensive gear. Two wielded blades, engaging in close combat, while the last — a feminine figure with a plump chest, slender waist, and wider hips — held a casting staff, obviously a long-range fighter.

Even by human standards, this alien lady was quite beautiful in a unique way.

He remained silent as he spectated more.

Slowly, he formed a conclusion in his mind: these guys were out of their league.

They were being besieged by a whole herd of demon goat origin beasts.

These creatures were fearsome. Even Seth, who had just arrived, felt apprehension toward them.

What made them terrifying wasn’t just their strength — though that alone was plenty to fear.

The lowest of these beasts were at least leader-level.

Which was more than Seth could handle now. By grading standards, Seth could be called Monarch-grade.

But skill wasn’t all that mattered. Essence unit density also factored into the strength a skill could release.

And his physical and mental attributes had to be elevated to match his essence output.

The current Seth had too few stats, so his strength output only ranged him in the Elite Grade middle tier.

The most fearsome trait of these devil goats was that they always moved in herds, headed by a leader a grade above the rest.

Which made him steer away from such creatures if possible. If there had been only one leader-grade beast, Seth might have tested his mettle.

But when the numbers were against him, he didn’t dare.

Though he knew dying here meant he could respawn or return to Earth, dying still came at a cost.

All treasures and attributes gained during his current log in the Origin Realm would be dropped, and he’d be reset.

Which meant degrading back to Shackled Rank.

He didn’t dare take chances. As much as he would have loved to help these aliens and possibly make friends, he didn’t have the strength.

And as an inherently selfish person, he prioritized his life before others.

His eyes flashed as he continued to spectate. He squinted.

’If nothing changes soon, these guys’ fates will be sealed.’

Seth concluded it was a pity. The first time he encountered an alien race, they were about to die.

And indeed, things went just as he deduced. The devil goat herd already had them cornered, ramming into them with their sinister gene skill Devil charge.

Causing the injuries of the trio to slowly mount, slowly being covered with their own blue colored blood.

Just when Seth was about to silently leave — lest the herd finish with this group and come his way next — something changed!

His eyes flashed as he noticed something. The more injured they got, the stronger and fiercer they became.

Curious, he gently felt out the atmosphere with his Will.

He made sure to be subtle, but what he sensed didn’t make sense.

It was as though these aliens were slowly converting their mental stats — Will and Intelligence — into raw physical stats.

Hence why they became more berserk. And seeing that all three had this ability, it wasn’t unique. It had to be...

’A racial trait!’ Seth concluded with awe, watching the tides slowly change tilting into the favour of the foreign race people.

The trio, fiercer and more savage than usual, quickly dealt a devastating blow to the herd.

The leader of the herd had no choice but to bleat a signaling retreat.

As the remaining surviving devil goats, turned aournd and scattered into the forest, the dese foliage covering their paths.

"Nice!" Seth smiled excited for their victory — but his smile stiffened on his face as six obsidian eyes turned toward the shrub he was hidden under.