Yet, Stirling was experiencing a mild headache. After all, his understanding of this world remained vague and indistinct. This time, when he faced the evil monks in the temple, he did not have the courage to counterattack or even to resist.

  Stirling paused for a moment, then stroked his chin, thinking about what to do next.

  Stirling clenched his fists. He felt a deep helplessness about his current weakness.

  Contemplating further, Stirling stood up and began pacing the room in deep thought.

  Inspired by this, Stirling molded a mud ball from his body. He grabbed a piece of white cloth. He wrote with a charcoal pencil: "Strength Boosts, Perfect Absorption, Qualified Medicine, Non-Toxic." Then, the man set the mud ball on the cloth and squinted, not taking his eyes off it.

  After a few seconds, words appeared near the mud ball.

  [Current enhancement consumes 1 year and 3 months of lifespan. Enhance?]

  The enhancement will cost him an arm and a leg. But after thinking it over, it made sense. The mud ball came straight from his body and had no healing properties. Making it change into a strength-boosting medicine would need a lot of longevity.

  Stirling remembered the temple scene. Many people had given fresh flesh and blood for a tiny medicinal vial.

  This thought stirred a sense of urgency in Stirling. He searched around, grabbed some dried meat, and dashed out. He approached the door of a neighbor and knocked hard. Stirling's actions caught the eye of nearby villagers. They glanced over but turned away, showing no interest.

  With a sharp grinding sound, the wooden door opened, revealing a thin figure. This was the villager from Old Larry's neighboring house. Stirling remembered that this man had a vial of medicine for giving fresh flesh and blood at the temple.

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  "I would like to exchange some pills from the temple." Stirling stared at the blank face in front of him. He handed over some dried meat to the man.

  The man listened and stared at the dried meat in Stirling's hand without a word. Then, his yellowish eyes flickered a little, and he responded in a low voice, "If you wish to exchange it for the immortal pill, you must offer fresh blood and flesh."

  "This dried meat—wait, wait."

  Bang! The man stepped back into the house and slammed the door before Stirling continued talking.

  Stirling mutters in disbelief, staring frustratedly at the closed door. But he had received some valuable information.

  The villagers referred to the pills in the vial as the "immortal pill"!

  Crossing his arms, Stirling thought for a moment. Then he went back to Old Larry's house. He grabbed a sickle and some broken wood before hurrying out. This time, Stirling headed toward the temple. The quicksand map shows that direction had more beasts.

  While walking, Stirling examined the quicksand map in his hand frequently. At last, he located the nearest beast to assess its species. After about thirty minutes of walking, Stirling reached a patch of weeds.

  Stirling checked the map again and scanned his surroundings. Sure enough, he spotted a gray figure moving within the grass not far away.

  Stirling squinted and examined it for a while. Yet, even a rabbit would be difficult for him to catch. After all, it was fast, and he only had a sickle at his disposal. Yet, Stirling arrived with a well-conceived plan. He retrieved several wooden planks from his bag and spread them on the ground. On one plank, he carved the words "Trap, Deadly."

  He took some grass and laid it on a cloth. He labeled it "Deadly Temptation for Rabbits, Wide Range." Finally, Stirling enhanced both items at the cost of 19 days of his lifespan. A moment later, a wooden trap materialized on the lawn, containing a few pieces of lettuce as bait. When he saw the success, Stirling ran aside and lay down flat, waiting in silence.

  As he got comfortable, a distant figure foraging in the grass turned at once and stared right toward the trap. Holding his breath, Stirling felt excited and believed his plan had worked. He waited patiently for the rabbit to approach. As he was thinking about his next move, a gray figure rushed at the trap, whose speed stunning him.

  Stirling did not see the gray blur at all before he heard a loud crash from the trap. Then came a series of piercing shrieks.Reacting right away, Stirling grabbed his sickle and rushed toward the trap. He discovered upon arrival that the trap was almost in pieces. Amid the broken wooden fragments, a large gray rabbit was struggling hard.

  The rabbit with bloodshot eyes appeared to weigh approximately forty pounds. Even with the thorns piercing its abdomen, it thrashed its limbs so badly that it made a dent in the ground. This showed its amazing vitality and unusual strength.

  Stirling gritted his teeth. He raised his sickle and struck the gray rabbit on the head again and again. After several blows, the wounded rabbit ceased braying and striving at last.

  Stirling stood over the lifeless rabbit for a moment, then struck it a few more times to ensure it was dead at all. He grabbed his sickle, took the rabbit from the trap, and put it in his bag, high in spirits.