Chapter 2: Vitality

The omen of the Black Tide's emergence was an inexplicable, unending torrential rain descending upon the planet. As the rainwater accumulated, the bizarre Energy within it gradually built up. Eventually, it would submerge the entire planet, devouring the Star Core and transforming it into Black Tide Water, which would then spread to surrounding Star Bodies.

This information was something the native civilization had learned from other civilizations in the universe after reaching a certain level of advancement. To avoid the impact of the Black Tide, they had evacuated the planet ahead of time. Anyone who hadn't left yet could head to the center of the planet, where they had prepared a means to escape.

"Isn't this ceaseless downpour the exact omen of the so-called Black Tide's beginning? And where is the center of the planet? The unknown creature didn't say."

At this moment, Han Ning suddenly realized that if most of the land was submerged by the rain, wouldn't they need a ship to navigate? If other transmigrators had also received this information, then ships would become incredibly vital resources.

At this thought, Han Ning's expression turned serious, but he soon frowned.

Bailu City, where he was located, was a coastal city with docks and shipyards, so there was certainly no shortage of ships. Furthermore, since many of the city's buildings seemed to have transmigrated along with them, the ships had likely come over as well.

However, the outside world was teeming with terrifying monsters. To claim a dock or a shipyard, one had to possess the strength to fend off those creatures.

With this in mind, Han Ning felt that the matter of the Black Tide was still a distant concern. At this stage, he needed to focus on how to survive surrounded by a horde of monsters. Otherwise, he would kick the bucket long before he even found a ship.

After resting for a while, he recovered a bit of stamina.

"Rejuvenation Technique!" Han Ning attempted to use the Skill that sounded like it could heal wounds.

[Rejuvenation Technique (Basic Level): Heals minor wounds; Current Skill Level 1/100]

A faint, warm current welled up from his palm and covered his injured waist. The pain eased slightly but didn't entirely disappear. For now, it seemed this Skill could only treat superficial injuries.

He crawled laboriously toward the scattered food, tore open a pack of compressed biscuits, and began to devour it. The dry, hard biscuit scratched his throat, making it nearly impossible to swallow. However, he couldn't afford to care about that anymore. Right now, he could forcefully choke down a rock if he had to. He was simply too hungry!

It wasn't until the gnawing hunger in his stomach slightly subsided that Han Ning leaned against the wall to carefully study his Druid interface.

[Class: Basic Druid (Level 1 (1/100))]

[Spiritual Power: 4/10]

[Skills: Vine Technique (Basic Level, 5/100), Rapid Growth (Basic Level, 1/100), Rejuvenation Technique (Basic Level, 1/100)]

"It seems that every time I use a Skill, it consumes Spiritual Power, and there's a Skill Level system..." Han Ning's eyes lit up. "If I practice repeatedly, will it improve the Skill's effectiveness?"

At this thought, he endured the pain, stood up, and reached out toward the empty living room.

"Vine Technique!"

A faint green glow emanated from his palm. Several thin, weak vines drilled out from the cracks in the floorboards, swayed feebly a few times, and then withered away.

[Vine Technique Skill Level +1, Current 6/100]

"It really works!" Han Ning's spirits lifted, and he continued to practice.

Over the next few hours, he repeatedly cast his three Skills. Whenever his Spiritual Power was depleted, he rested for a while, waiting for it to recover. As his Skill Level increased, the vines became slightly thicker. However, the Rejuvenation Technique's healing effect on his waist injury was still not very obvious.

What surprised him the most was the Rapid Growth Skill. When he used it on a nearly withered pothos plant in the kitchen, the plant regained its vitality at a visible rate, its leaves becoming vibrantly green and plump.

"This ability... is incredibly useful!" Han Ning rubbed his hands together in excitement. "If I can grow edible vegetables and fruits, I won't have to worry about food anymore."

With this in mind, he immediately rummaged through the cabinets and found an apple core left over from a few days ago, along with a few potatoes scavenged from the room next door. He also brought in several flowerpots from the balcony that contained potting soil but no plants.

"Let's try the apple first." Han Ning carefully buried the apple seeds in the soil. Hovering his hands above them, he chanted silently with sheer anticipation, "Rapid Growth!"

A faint green halo flowed from his palms and seeped into the soil. At first, there was no reaction. Just as Han Ning thought he had failed, a tiny, tender green shoot broke through the dirt, growing at a slow but steady pace.

[Rapid Growth Skill Level +1, Current 3/100]

Han Ning held his breath, staring fixedly at the seedling. It stopped growing when it reached about two centimeters in height. It wasn't that the Skill had failed, but rather his Spiritual Power had been exhausted.

"It recovers about one point every hour... and it's tied to physical condition. It recovers faster when I'm full." Han Ning glanced at the interface. "In other words, I can use a Skill at full power once every four hours."

He decided to rest first and continue once his Spiritual Power recovered. Lying on the bed, Han Ning began contemplating long-term plans. If he could maintain a stable food supply, the problem of survival would be half solved. The next step was figuring out how to improve his combat strength to deal with those monsters.

TAP TAP TAP!

A faint tapping sound came from the balcony, instantly causing Han Ning to tense up. He tiptoed over to the balcony door and peered out through the gap in the curtains.

A smaller Crocodile Lizard was clinging to the railing of the neighbor's balcony, its vertical yellow pupils flashing dangerously in the curtain of rain. It seemed to have caught a scent and was attempting to cross the meter-wide gap between the two apartments.

"Perfect for some target practice..." Han Ning's heart raced.

He checked his Spiritual Power value; it had recovered to three points. The moment the Crocodile Lizard successfully scrambled onto his balcony railing, Han Ning yanked the curtains open and thrust both hands forward.

The vines summoned this time were noticeably slightly thicker than before, wrapping around the Crocodile Lizard's hind legs like slithering snakes. The monster let out an angry hiss, struggling to break free. Han Ning gritted his teeth, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. The vines felt like extensions of his own arms, allowing him to clearly sense the bizarre texture of the Crocodile Lizard's skin.

Simultaneously, the force of the Crocodile Lizard pulling against the vines was transmitted to his arms through some peculiar connection. During the tug-of-war, the vines gradually failed to withstand the Crocodile Lizard's struggles and began to snap. Yet, new vines continuously sprouted from the cracks in the wall to replenish them.

[Vine Technique Skill Level +5, Current 13/100]

[Druid Growth Progress +1, Current 2/100]

"Get down!" Han Ning pressed his hands downward. The vines abruptly retracted, flinging the Crocodile Lizard right off the seventh-floor balcony.

The muffled thud of a heavy object hitting the ground echoed from a distance, followed by an angry but fading hiss.

"Not bad..." Han Ning wiped his sweat and looked at his palms with satisfaction. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the Vine Technique could truly trap those monsters.

"So in the process of casting Skills and accumulating Skill Level, I can also accumulate the Druid Level progress..." Han Ning realized.

With his Spiritual Power exhausted, Han Ning returned to his bed to rest.

This time, he slept deeply. It wasn't until the hunger in his stomach returned that he woke up. The unending torrential rain still poured outside the window, though the sky seemed a bit brighter. It was likely around noon.

Han Ning's first priority was to check the flowerpots. The apple seedling had already grown to ten centimeters tall, its branches and leaves flourishing. To his even greater surprise, the potatoes had also sprouted tender shoots, and their growth rate was noticeably much faster than the apple seedling's.