"Hey, where did he go?"

  Sister Pear and her group stood stunned, staring at the spot where Lin Ze had vanished.

  The tall assassin among them frowned in confusion. "Invisibility at level one? What css is this guy pying?"

  Unable to find Lin Ze and hesitant to venture out again, Sister Pear led the group back into Shell Town. "Let's search around the town first—maybe there are resources or NPCs we overlooked."

  Meanwhile, Lin Ze, cloaked in invisibility, silently approached the nearby forest. He moved seamlessly, footsteps soundless, breathing inaudible.

  Soon, he spotted a creature lurking in the shadows ahead.

  [Crawler (Lv1)] [Grade: Common (Evolving...)]

  The Crawler appeared to be absorbing lifespan from recent pyer kills, surrounded by a faint gray-white mist.

  "Time to cim that lifespan back," Lin Ze thought, quietly drawing closer.

  His invisibility refreshed automatically, allowing uninterrupted stealth. Approaching from behind, Lin Ze swiftly drove his dagger into the creature’s weak point—the nape.

  -372 (Weak Point Attack)!

  The monster colpsed instantly, defeated with a single blow.

  Lin Ze was slightly surprised by his own strength. "This css and evolved skills combination is truly terrifying."

  System notifications appeared:

  [You have killed 'Crawler (Lv1)'.] [You have gained 10 experience points.]

  Reaching out, he collected the mist representing the creature’s stolen lifespan:

  [You have gained 3 days of lifespan (tradable).] [You have gained 54 years and 155 days of lifespan (non-tradable).]

  He quickly picked up the dropped loot:

  [Rotten Skin Boots (Inferior): Physical Defense +3, Movement Speed +5%. Requirement: Level 1.] [Skill Book · Icicle Spell (Common): Mage Skill. Level 1 required.]

  "Not ideal, but at least something," Lin Ze muttered, equipping the boots. Unfortunately, no Evolution Points had dropped yet.

  Without lingering, Lin Ze activated Subshadow again, moving deeper into the forest in search of more prey.

  Back near the town, other pyers slowly ventured out, unaware of the hidden dangers around them. A young couple stumbled upon the Crawler’s corpse.

  "See? Someone already handled monsters here. There's nothing to worry about," the young man confidently reassured his partner.

  Yet, unnoticed above them, a rge shadow silently descended from the treetops...