12: the lingering shadow

Listening to the wolf howls from the forest, Lin Tianwei noticed a voice he was incredibly familiar with.

It was Black Fiend's voice.

Although it lacked its initial booming quality, it was still full of vigor and sounded energetic!

It had the demeanor of commanding a wolf pack.

It seemed the battle was decided, and Black Fiend had won.

Despite this, Lin Tianwei felt no fear.

If Black Fiend dared to come again, this time the price it would pay would be more than just an eye.

Time passed by second by second.

The warm current that enveloped Lin Tianwei's entire body gradually dissipated.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for acquiring a new Talent. Your strength has significantly improved."

Standing up again, he was puzzled to find that his strength hadn't increased in the slightest.

It seemed Endurance truly only made him more enduring; it couldn't increase any other ability.

However, this was also a good thing, as at least Lin Tianwei didn't need time to get used to new strength.

As for how much his combat power had increased, the focus would be on the other Talent, Claws.

Thinking of this, Lin Tianwei extended his Claws.

He saw that these Claws were entirely black, shimmering with a dark, eerie glow.

They didn't look like accumulated keratin; instead, they resembled some meticulously crafted divine weapon.

Without hesitation, Lin Tianwei directly extended his Claws towards the ground.

With a light swipe, Lin Tianwei didn't exert any force.

Yet, purely relying on the inherent sharpness of the tiger's Claws, he carved three gashes in the ground, as if cutting tofu.

Three gashes, two to three centimeters deep.

Terrifying sharpness!

It was completely inconsistent with what the system had described as merely "slightly" improved.

It was hard to imagine how terrifying the power of a higher-grade Talent would be.

Cutting through iron like mud?

Or even tearing through space?

But these were all matters for the future.

Currently, Lin Tianwei urgently needed to do something else: fill his stomach.

Under his personal protection, these three reserve provisions were as stable as Mount Tai.

However, just as Lin Tianwei was about to enjoy them, he frowned.

He hadn't expected to guard against the big guys only to be ambushed by some small ones.

On the ground.

A massive army of ants launched an attack on Lin Tianwei's food.

They were a dense black mass, as if covering the food with a black cloak.

These ants were not ordinary ants either.

Not only did they have ferocious appearances, but they also possessed a pair of very large pincers.

By length, they were almost one-third the size of their bodies.

The sturdy Roe deer meat was already missing a thin layer under their tearing.

However, facing these little things trying to steal his food, Lin Tianwei was not angry but pleased.

He was just worried about not finding them to acquire powerful Talents.

Yet, he hadn't expected that, under the temptation of delicious food, they would choose to walk right into his trap.

Extending his tongue, the ferocious barbs popped out.

This was also one of his powerful weapons.

Instead of eating meat, Lin Tianwei began to taste these little thieves who were stealing his food.

With a gentle lick of his tongue, countless sesame-sized particles entered his mouth.

Aided by saliva, a light swallow turned them all into nutrients.

However, the system's notification didn't sound as expected; clearly, the dozens of ants Lin Tianwei had just eliminated were not enough.

Helpless.

Lin Tianwei could only continue clearing out these ants.

Under the lure of delicious food, they surged forward, one after another, constantly filling the gaps on the meat chunks.

But they were also sending themselves into the terrifying abyss.

All turned into Lin Tianwei's nourishment.

Of course, some ants were unwilling to sit idly and chose to attack Lin Tianwei.

However, their attacks were simply too weak against Lin Tianwei.

They couldn't bite through his tiger hide at all.

Not only that, as his tiger tail swished.

Each attack meant the death of countless ants.

Finally, with the accumulation of numbers, the quantitative change led to a qualitative change, and Lin Tianwei received a system notification.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for killing a new target."

"Ding! Talent extraction successful. Host has acquired the Talent: Strength Enhancement (Unranked)."

"Ding! Please confirm whether to use this Talent."

"Strength Enhancement (Unranked): An unranked Talent that slightly increases strength by a certain percentage."

It's here!

Lin Tianwei's eyes lit up.

The most enticing Talent of ants was their immense Strength Talent.

A Talent that could make a tiger incredibly envious.

Yet, Lin Tianwei hadn't expected to turn the tables this time and become incredibly lucky.

In just one attempt, he had extracted this Talent.

Without hesitation, Lin Tianwei immediately chose to use it.

Such a powerful Talent, it would be a waste not to use it.

Pain, excruciating pain!

Lin Tianwei's body began to tremble uncontrollably, as if electrocuted.

The stronger the Talent, the greater the degree of transformation to the body.

The intense pain even eroded Lin Tianwei's soul, making him want to roar and vent.

However, he ultimately held back.

Cowardly cries would only attract enemies coveting him.

Left with no choice, he could only curl up on the ground.

Gritting his teeth, he silently endured the pain brought by the Talent Reinforcement.

He absolutely couldn't fall asleep.

Otherwise, just the seemingly harmless ants around him would be enough to give him trouble.

While Lin Tianwei silently endured and underwent Reinforcement, a black figure appeared near him.

It was Black Fiend, who had finished its battle.

Its powerful sense of smell allowed it to easily discover Lin Tianwei's presence.

It was also able to maintain a very safe distance.

Although Black Fiend had several new wounds on its body, they were all superficial.

They were far less terrifying than the three claw marks on its face.

Perhaps accustomed to solitary mode, it was still acting alone this time.

Staring intently at the motionless Lin Tianwei, it ultimately chose to retreat.

Abundant food was a symbol of strength.

Lin Tianwei's power made it extremely wary.

Furthermore, subduing the wolf pack had consumed a lot of its physical strength, and it hadn't brought its subordinates.

It had no confidence whatsoever in defeating this powerful opponent before him.

Just wait a little longer.

When the wolf pack recovered to its optimal state, that would be the moment to deliver a fatal blow to this Siberian Tiger!

Without hesitation, Black Fiend flashed and quickly left the area.

It didn't know that this was its only chance to contend with Lin Tianwei.

The next time they met, Lin Tianwei would become even stronger, so strong that it would have almost no hope of winning... "Ding! Congratulations, Host, for acquiring a new Talent. Your strength has significantly improved."

After an unknown period, the pain that had invaded his entire body finally receded like a tide.

Coupled with the system's notification, Lin Tianwei knew that this Reinforcement had come to an end.

After the pain came exhilaration, the refreshing feeling of strength filling his entire body swept over Lin Tianwei.

With a slight shake, the ants clinging to his body scattered around like raindrops.

Hunger, an intense feeling of hunger began to erode Lin Tianwei's consciousness, urging him to eat quickly.

While gaining immense power through self-Reinforcement, he had also consumed a large amount of energy.

Fortunately, Lin Tianwei had plenty of food right in front of him.

Lin Tianwei finally recovered some of his state.

While Reinforcement made him stronger, it also consumed a lot of his physical strength.

Opening his mouth and lowering his head, Lin Tianwei prepared to savor the long-awaited delicious food.