Chapter 151 Wellspring of Endurance
Two figures, Owen and another, who no longer looked human, watched the battlefield from behind a horde of corpses. With them were third-level hundred-handed zombies and a similarly ranked mutated python.
Someone spoke, "It's... it's him..."
The man in black, ghost-like even in the early morning light, spoke in a raspy, eerie voice.
Owen remarked, "What... what a... beautiful scent."
A strange red light flickered in Owen's pitch-black eyes as he locked onto William, who was fighting alone.
The person next to Owen sniffed the air intently, suddenly alert.
The person said, "I... I... smell... another... delicious scent."
He turned and looked toward a distant high-rise. A shadow seemed to stand on the rooftop.
The companion pointed out, "There... there!"
Owen commanded, "You... that... I... this."
The other agreed, "Okay!"
After a brief exchange with Owen, his companion patted the head of the giant python, which had a black horn on its forehead. The powerful third-level creature lowered its head respectfully.
The person jumped onto its thick body, wrapped his arms around its neck, and the thirty-meter-long python swiftly slithered toward the building.
Owen ignored his departing companion, his eyes fixed on William. From his black lips, he muttered harshly.
Owen muttered, "You... you are... mine."
Beneath his skin, something twisted and turned.
William jumped back, dodging a second-level zombie's attack. With a lightning-fast slash of the Edge of the Moon, he cut the zombie in half.
Covered in foul-smelling zombie blood, he looked like he'd been pulled from a sea of blood. Yet, standing there, he was a living war god. No zombie or mutated creature could break through his defense.
As a two-star Evolving person with the improved Evolution Elixir and the white-grade weapon Edge of the Moon, William had a significant advantage. As long as his stamina held, he could withstand this level of attack indefinitely.
But high-intensity combat and constant full-force weapon swings were exhausting.
It was like sprinting wherein you might only last a few seconds before slowing down. Push for half a minute, and you'd feel weak, gasping for air, your legs turning to jelly. But if you jogged, you could keep a steady pace for more minutes.
That was the difference. Full-force combat, especially against non-human monsters, consumed a tremendous amount of stamina. Even with the adrenaline rush, an ordinary person couldn't last long.
Evolving persons were stronger but still had their limits. William needed to maintain this state for half an hour!
This was a significant test of his stamina.
Moreover, he couldn't exhaust his stamina within half an hour. Unknown dangers lurked nearby, so he had to stay on guard.
Yet, William kept his lips pressed together, swinging the Edge of the Moon with all his might. Each slash emitted The Light of Full Strength, cutting through all enemies within range.
Lucy announced, "Five more minutes!"
This kind of battle, this kind of stamina, left the people on the ruins parched and dry-mouthed. Everyone, including Marcus, had the same thought.
Somebody thought, 'This guy isn't human.'
Someone pondered, 'He's really not human. Even as a two-star Evolving person, how can he be so strong? In such intense combat, constantly moving, raising his shield, and swinging his weapon, he has lasted seven or eight minutes without showing any signs of fatigue!'
Another bewildered thought, 'How is this possible?! Even if his slashing speed slowed down, everyone could understand. However, he has maintained a full-force slashing frequency every few seconds without any reduction in speed...'
These survivors were completely awed.
One thought, 'Perhaps, such a person is humanity's last hope.'
Was William tired? Naturally, he was.
But he could endure because, before evolving to two stars, he had consumed another prize obtained from the second-level roulette.
Essence Stone!
It increased his attribute—wellspring of endurance.
This was almost like a passive skill. William himself hadn't expected this Essence Stone to grant such an exceptional ability.
Wellspring of endurance: doubles endurance, doubles stamina recovery speed.
When William consumed it, he felt a dizzying sense of happiness.
In his previous life, he knew that Evolving persons who consumed Essence Stones mostly gained basic physical attributes like strength, speed, agility, vision, smell, and perception.
Some exceptional Essence Stones caused beneficial changes in the body, such as the strong weak point Essence Stone, which increased the strength of the skin and bones in vital areas like the throat and heart.
Elemental enhancement Essence Stones increased the power of elemental abilities when using skills, weapons, or Summoning Cards with elemental powers.
But William had never heard of an Essence Stone that could systematically change a basic attribute.
William hypothesized, 'Endurance might seem useless, but once you have it, you realize how powerful it is. It won't make you run faster, but it will let you run longer. It won't make you jump higher, but it will let you jump many times.'
Just like now, with the wellspring of endurance, William could stand here without retreating a single step!
This situation gave people hope but made Owen impatient.
Its mouth opened, and its lips began to tremble. The surrounding air distorted as if an inaudible wave was being emitted.
The horde of corpses and mutated creatures suddenly became agitated, swarming towards William. A large number of second-level mutated creatures appeared. They no longer cherished their lives and they were determined to kill William by the advantage of quantity!
From all directions, above and below, the attacks left almost no blind spots. Even someone as strong as William was injured under such extreme circumstance, with countless scratches and bites on his body!
The enemies were simply too many. They formed a massive sphere with their bodies, enveloping William inside!
"Boss!"Marcus shouted, looking at the scene below in disbelief.
He didn't understand why these monsters suddenly went berserk, nor did he know why so many second-level mutated creatures appeared.
If they hadn't charged at William but instead attacked the ruins...
Marcus felt a chill and secretly felt fortunate.
"Let's go!" Marcus, the only Evolving person here, gave the order to retreat. "The rest is up to our luck. We've done our best."
William being overwhelmed by the horde meant the base's resistance was over. Now, they could only hope the building would be blown up quickly to block the entrance.
A survivor said, "Wait, wait a minute."
A survivor retreating at the back glanced back at the ruins while running and immediately stopped in astonishment.
He saw that the sphere of countless monsters enveloping William was emitting a glow from within!
