June 20, 2025.
Friday, 6 PM.
Jiangchang University, Dormitory Building 16.
Wang He carried four bags of boxed lunches from the cafeteria down the corridor towards his dorm.
The dormitory corridor, especially in the sweltering summer heat, always offered a refreshing coolness, a stark contrast to the outside world.
With each dormitory door he passed, he could feel the cool air emanating from the cracks in the doors. Students returning from outside would involuntarily shiver.
Reaching the end of the corridor, he opened a dormitory door and placed the takeout boxes on the desks of his three roommates.
Each roommate had a gaming laptop on their desk, playing Valorant online. They had just finished a game, so they all took off their headphones and transferred money to Wang He for the food.
Usually, after finishing his part-time job, Wang He would bring each of his three roommates dinner, earning three yuan per meal, totaling nine yuan per meal. In reality, it wouldn't warrant such a high delivery fee; other dorms would be considered generous if they received an extra yuan for delivering food.
Wang He's roommates were so considerate of him because his family was very poor; both of his parents couldn't work regularly due to health issues. Moreover, the tuition and fees for his university cost over ten thousand yuan a year, and the money Wang He brought from home barely covered one-fifth of those expenses, so he often had to work part-time to make ends meet.
Knowing his situation, his roommates transferred an extra three yuan to him. This amount was insignificant to them, but for Wang He, it meant earning enough for an extra meal.
After receiving the transfers, Wang He opened his lunchbox on his desk, casually opening a short video app—a habit of his—while watching videos. The lunchbox contained scrambled eggs with tomatoes and bok choy, a meat and vegetable dish, the cheapest meal in the cafeteria besides the all-vegetarian option, costing only eight yuan.
This combination was energy-rich and nutritionally balanced, with no problems except for the somewhat monotonous flavor.
Although he had saved some money from part-time jobs and was no longer struggling financially, he always ate only this type of meal. His behavior was often misunderstood by others.
"There are only six basic nutrients needed to sustain life: carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, salt, protein, and water. Therefore, any food consumed beyond our normal needs is a waste." This is a line from a movie, but it perfectly reflects Wang He's beliefs.
His roommate, sitting opposite him, turned and saw the simple meal on Wang He's table. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Brother He, your poverty subsidy application hasn't been approved yet?"
Wang He shook his head and said, "No, but several class committee members got subsidies."
Upon hearing this, the others in the dorm immediately turned around in surprise:
"Them? I remember the class monitor and academic representative are quite wealthy, right?"
"Wow, how dare they apply for poverty subsidies?"
"None of them come from poor families; they're obviously using the subsidies as iPhone 16 coupons. And the school still gave them poverty subsidy slots?"
Wang He: "It's probably already decided."
His roommate said angrily, "No way, I can't swallow this. I'll ask the advisor at the class meeting tomorrow."
"It's nothing, it's just a subsidy. A year's subsidy isn't even as much as my monthly part-time salary, so it doesn't really matter." Wang He shook his head. "You don't need to get upset about such a small thing. Besides, the counselor actually tried her best to get me a spot; it was decided by vote, so she couldn't do anything about it."
He had saved a considerable amount of money through long-term part-time work and frugal living, so he didn't really need the subsidy anymore.
But even so, who wouldn't want more money?
This is why many students from well-off families in university also apply for poverty subsidies.
The criteria for poverty subsidies aren't strict; since it's decided by vote, many class committee members can directly pre-select the spots.
Therefore, many times, truly impoverished students can't get subsidies, while students from well-off families can easily get them.
After finishing his meal, Wang He took off his shoes and got into bed, saying,
"I'm going to sleep for a while; I have to go to the night shift later."
"Okay."
"My roommate's asleep, I'll mute myself." They then lowered the sound of their typing. Around nine o'clock in the evening,
Wang
He
woke up to his preset alarm. After saying hello to his roommate, he went downstairs, rode his Xidesheng Hacker 500 mountain bike from the bike shed, and headed to the 24-hour convenience store off campus for his night shift.
Because of the curfew on weekdays, this night shift was only available on weekends, but the pay was good—seventeen yuan an hour, earning him about 130-140 yuan a night.
The night shift work was also very simple. There weren't many customers at night, so he didn't need to do much checking out or cashiering; he only needed to keep the store clean and stock the shelves.
After riding for a few minutes, Wang He arrived at the convenience store near the campus, locked his bike at the door, and went inside.
"Hey, Xiao He, you're here." The person on duty was a girl, also a third-year student at Jiangchang University.
Although she and Wang He worked part-time at the same convenience store, their relationship was merely a nodding acquaintance; they would only exchange greetings if they bumped into each other at school.
Wang He replied, "Okay, Sister Jiang Li, I'm going to change into my work clothes."
He then went to the changing room, took out his work clothes from the locker, and put them on.
The work clothes were a blue, green, and white striped short-sleeved shirt, which seemed a bit loose compared to his build.
Due to his long-term reliance on a diet that maintained his vital signs, he had received sufficient nutrition, making him of average build—neither thin nor fat. However, because of his strict dietary control, his blood and energy were not adequately replenished, resulting in slightly weaker muscles compared to the average person, giving him a somewhat delicate appearance.
Wang He folded the clothes he had taken off and put them back in the locker.
Just as he turned around, preparing to tidy his appearance in front of the mirror,
he suddenly froze.
He hadn't noticed before, but now, looking closely, he was startled.
The full-length mirror on the dressing room door seemed different than usual.
The normally clear and bright mirror surface was now blurry, as if covered by a layer of fog.
"This is...?" Wang He frowned, subconsciously reaching out to wipe the mirror.
But the instant his fingers touched the mirror,
the two instantly merged into one.
*Pop*...
as if something had fallen into water, ripples slowly spread across the mirror.
Wang He was shocked to discover that his fingers could actually go into the mirror!
This strange phenomenon stirred up a storm in his heart.
How did his hand suddenly disappear into the mirror?
Was there something wrong with the mirror, or was there something wrong with him?
Wang He rubbed his eyes, but the scene before him remained unchanged.
After hesitating for a moment, he continued to reach in, inserting his palm and even his entire arm inside.
But all he felt was a cool sensation, as if he had actually put his arm into the water.
Wang He continued to step in with his left foot, and after a simple step, he was completely inside the mirror.
However, what appeared before him was not the otherworld he had imagined.
The world in the mirror was exactly the same as the dressing room he had just left.
But it seemed to exude an eerie atmosphere.
He couldn't quite put his finger on what was strange.
The light seemed dimmer, the temperature seemed lower.
No…
these weren't the most crucial things.
Wang He scanned the room, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.
The world was upside down!
Not only was the layout of the dressing room reversed.
His clothes, his phone, even the reminder words on the wall were all upside down.
Everything had become a mirror image!
Only he himself remained unchanged, as if he didn't belong in this world.
Wang He swallowed hard, his heart rate suddenly accelerating. He knew this was definitely not his original world anymore.
He touched the full-length mirror again, wanting to escape as quickly as possible and return to his original world.
But no matter how he reached out, he could only touch a hard, cold mirror.
Wang He was in a state of panic. He took out his phone from his pocket to check the time, but found that the phone wouldn't turn on. It seemed impossible to use electronic devices like cell phones in this world.
"Looks like I'll have to go out and check it out first."
He took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the changing room. Silence reigned
outside.
Jiang Li, who had been standing at the checkout counter, was gone.
Wang He walked around the convenience store,
noticing a faint rustling sound and a sickening scraping noise coming from the warehouse door.
The door was being pushed against, as if something was ramming against it and scraping against it with its fingernails.
The warehouse door was secured only by a chain, which was inexplicably rusty and looked extremely fragile, as if it might break at any moment.
This warehouse was originally a temporary storage area for the convenience store; it was really just a small room filled with shelves and cardboard boxes. Employees would retrieve goods from the warehouse to restock.
Wang He didn't know why there was an unknown creature inside, but looking at the constantly being rammed door, a sense of dread washed over him.
He knew he couldn't stay here any longer.
Wherever he went, he had to find a way to get out of here first.
Wang He glanced around and finally chose the mini fire station in the corner of the convenience store.
He opened the door of the mini fire station, took out a fire axe from the deepest part on the right, weighed it in his hand, and only then did he feel a sense of security.
The handle of this fire axe was made of wood, with a certain curvature to prevent slipping, and it felt good to hold with both hands. The axe blade was a bright red overall, and the edge was sharpened to a bright iron gray, looking extremely destructive.
Although this fire axe seemed to have some paint chips and rust marks due to the corrosion of the mirror world, its hardness and sharpness were still quite good, and it was barely usable.
"Now I'm not unarmed."
But just as he was about to push the door open to leave, suddenly, he noticed that several lines of floating writing had appeared next to the fire axe in his hand.
[Breaching Axe (Two-Handed Weapon)]
[Quality: Tier 1]
[Attack Power: 2]
[Description: A breaching axe used for fire rescue. Its blunt edges allow it to break down doors and fences, and it may also be surprisingly effective for self-defense.]
"This is… an item description?" Wang He's pupils constricted.
Had he entered a game?
Otherwise, how could he see the item description?
What was going on with this mirror world…?
At least he was certain he wasn't dreaming, because his senses and pain perception were extremely realistic and detailed; dreams couldn't create such a sense of realism.
Wang He shook his head, dismissing his thoughts. "Never mind, survival is the priority."
He decisively pushed open the door. The street was deathly silent, not a soul in sight, and a hazy mist permeated the air. The streetlights were broken, with only a few flickering every four or five seconds, reducing visibility to less than ten meters, creating an atmosphere of unknown terror.
In the past, when he was on night duty, although few pedestrians passed by, he could at least occasionally see a few cars drive by.
Now, all that remained was a street far more dilapidated than he remembered.
The broken, rusty streetlights on either side and the withered leaves covering the ground told him that no one had set foot here for a very, very long time.
The bicycle Wang He had parked in front of the convenience store when he arrived was also gone.
"I'll have to walk back to school."
The school was about one or two kilometers away, a ten-minute walk.
He didn't know if the school was safe, but his dormitory was his only place to stay.
He had to go check it out first.
Wang He gripped the fire axe tightly and headed towards the school.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally saw the school gate through the hazy fog.
Although he had been terrified along the way, he hadn't encountered any danger.
This calmed Wang He slightly.
The world didn't seem to be all danger after all.
He opened the gate, entered the school, and then jogged towards the dormitory building.
To reach the dormitory, he needed to pass through two college buildings and a flowerbed park, a distance of about 500 meters,
a jog of about two or three minutes.
As Wang He hurried, he kept an eye on his surroundings. The teaching buildings were surrounded by vines and shrouded in a thick, dark fog, giving it a medieval castle feel.
But just as he crossed the passageway between the two college buildings,
a shadowy figure suddenly leaped out from behind a tree trunk on his left. The whooshing sound of its long arms swinging, accompanied by a nauseating stench, assaulted his nostrils.
Wang He's expression changed drastically, and instinctively, he swayed to the side.
But his left shoulder was still ripped open by the shadowy figure's sharp claws, leaving three gashes, blood gushing out.
[Health -68]
A message flashed before his eyes indicating a depletion of health.
Wang He's face paled instantly from the pain, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but the situation didn't allow him to stop and think.
Because now, a terrifying monster had appeared in the passageway!
It looked like a rotting corpse, its skin ulcerated and almost entirely consisting of rotten flesh and fascia hanging from its joints. Some partially decayed muscle fibers remained on its shoulders, arms, and back. Most strikingly, its eye sockets were devoid of eyeballs, leaving only two beams of blue flame, making it look exceptionally terrifying.
Above the monster's head, several lines of text slowly appeared:
[Ghoul]
[Level: Tier 1]
[Skill: Thrust]
[Description: The lowest-level ghoul, almost devoid of intelligence. Their pitiful physical attributes make them can only serve as cannon fodder. Aside from their considerable explosive power, they have no other advantages.]
Wang He's gaze shifted downwards again, intently watching the "ghoul," his expression tense.
This place really did have a monster.
And like the fire axe in his hand, the monster had a description similar to that in a game.
He wasn't sure if he could resurrect if he died here.
He didn't dare gamble.
Now he only had two choices:
escape, or kill this ghoul with his fire axe!
Under the threat of death,
Wang He's thoughts were sharper than ever before.
His brain rapidly analyzed his current situation and the ugly ghoul before him.
First, running away was probably useless. According to Wang He's observation, this ghoul was extremely fast. In a very short time, it could cover a distance of more than ten meters and injure his left shoulder.
Its speed was definitely much faster than that of a 100-meter sprinter in reality.
This burst of speed in a short period of time should be closely related to the "thrust" skill in the description.
However, it seemed that due to the long-term decay of its muscles, this ghoul was not very strong, so much so that even such a fast attack did not cause him fatal damage.
A head-on fight might be possible.
Wang He thought, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He suddenly discovered that since this ghoul suddenly rushed out and hit him, its movements had become much slower, like a ninety-year-old man walking with a limp. Even in the few seconds that he was thinking, the ghoul did not launch a second attack on him.
This peculiar discovery made him a little suspicious. "Could it be that the ghoul has a cooldown period after attacking?"
Wang He silently memorized all these characteristics, gripped the fire axe with both hands, and slowly increased the distance between himself and the ghoul.
The ghoul followed his movements, slowly twisting its neck with a creaking sound like rusty gears meshing, its blue flames in its eye sockets always facing him.
His greatest advantage was the fire axe in his hand.
While primarily used for demolition, fire axes were perfectly adequate for combat.
These axes were typically made of high-quality carbon structural steel, with extremely hard blades and specially designed for exceptional sharpness; a full-force strike to the neck would be fatal.
Although Wang He didn't know if the ghoul's main weakness was its neck, judging from its movements, it most likely used its blue-flaming eyes to identify targets, so decapitation was the obvious choice.
After a few seconds of stalemate, the ghoul suddenly stopped its slow pace, its body gradually lowering, its back arching like a tortoise shell.
Wang He's alarm bells rang.
He didn't know what this posture meant, but instinct told him to dodge!
Almost instinctively, Wang He pushed off with his right leg, leaping to the left.
Sure enough.
The next second after he lunged forward, the ghoul shot out like a blur, its claws lashing out at his previous position.
*Swoosh!
The pungent claws grazed his right arm, just three centimeters from the outside, without causing any harm.
After the attack, the ghoul's movements slowed down again. Wang He seemed to have anticipated this, and without hesitation, swung his fire axe at the back of the ghoul's neck.
*Crack!*
The axe blade struck, shattering into countless bone fragments.
Wang He continued to exert force, pulling the axe blade out of the bone crevice, and swung a second axe.
Four or five seconds had passed after the two axe blows.
Wang He didn't greedily strike, quickly retreating to create distance. While panting heavily, he summarized, "The skill's pre-attack animation is obvious, and there's a pause of about five seconds after the thrust. Excellent, as long as I grasp these characteristics, I can win!"
Although he wasn't very strong, a full-force axe blow could only inflict minor injuries on the ghoul.
But according to the principles of felling trees, as long as he kept chopping at one spot, thinning the cut, he would eventually sever the target.
For the next two minutes, Wang He was on edge, repeatedly performing this operation. Although the operation was simple, his poor stamina proved too much.
After several cycles of sprinting back and forth and chopping with all his might, his muscles ached terribly, and his heart and lungs were exhausted.
But the most crucial thing was the pressure of being on the verge of death, which brought him intense psychological stress.
Fortunately, after five or six consecutive axe blows, the ghoul's neck was already teetering on the brink of collapse.
With the final, all-out strike, the ghoul's head finally fell off.
It rolled to the ground with a "thud." The eerie blue flames in its eye sockets gradually dissipated, turning into countless specks of light that floated up.
These specks of light, like the flames of a soul, drifted towards Wang He, and to his astonishment, they gradually disappeared into his body.
After absorbing these points of light, he felt a cool sensation throughout his body, and the pain he had just experienced seemed to have subsided considerably.
More importantly, a piece of information seemed to have appeared out of nowhere in his mind.
This information was clearly the thrusting skill that the ghoul had just used!
Lowering his stance, charging up, and exploding... the entire sequence of thrusting movements, along with every detail of the action, was perfectly presented in his mind. At the same time, two lines of semi-transparent text appeared before Wang He's eyes.
[HP: 4519/4519]
[Skill: Thrust (Tier 1)]
"I... I actually obtained the ghoul's skill?" Wang He looked at the text before him, even more horrified. Could it be that in this world, killing monsters grants one their abilities?
As Wang He processed this information, he subconsciously touched his left shoulder, intending to check the injuries there.
But suddenly, he realized that the three wounds on his left shoulder had vanished, and even the bloodstains that had soaked through his clothes had evaporated into thin air. If it weren't for the torn clothes on his right shoulder, he would have thought he was dreaming.
"My injuries have healed, and my health is back to full. It's probably due to the restorative effect of those glowing spots."
Wang He breathed a sigh of relief and braced the other end of his fire axe against the road.
Although his injuries had healed, he could feel that his stamina had not yet recovered.
His muscles ached terribly, and his nerves, stretched taut for so long, were utterly exhausted.
He didn't want to think anymore; he just wanted to find a safe, comfortable place and get a good night's sleep.
After a brief rest, Wang He remained vigilant and hurried towards the dormitory building.
Learning from his experience with the ghoul, he kept his nerves on edge the entire way, not daring to relax for a moment.
But perhaps it was divine intervention, for he encountered no monsters along the way and safely returned to the dormitory.
Pushing open the door, he nervously gripped the fire axe, checking every corner and the bathroom.
His roommates' and his own belongings were all in their usual places, though everything was upside down and looked very old; the computer wouldn't start.
Exhausted, Wang He didn't want to think further. After checking for potential dangers, he went back to his bed and fell asleep. He casually placed the fire axe beside his pillow, ready to grab and fight if danger arose.
So he really went to the mirror world, really fought monsters, and
then just took a nap and returned to the real world?
Wang He's pupils contracted slightly. It was all too unbelievable.
Although he didn't yet know what secrets the mirror world held, he was now basically certain that last night's experience wasn't a dream.
Wang He's Adam's apple bobbed as he continued searching for other traces that could prove he had been to the mirror world.
He first discovered that the fire axe he had placed flat beside his pillow before going to sleep was gone, and other traces left in the mirror world were also missing.
This meant that the mirror world and the real world weren't completely interconnected.
The torn clothes he was wearing had been brought back to the real world, but the fire axe, which hadn't been in direct contact with his body, remained in the mirror world.
This probably meant that to bring an object from the mirror world back to reality, physical contact with the object was necessary.
As for how he returned to the real world, he still had no idea, only that sleeping could potentially bring him back to reality.
This characteristic was almost identical to the foreign animated horror film *Coraline*. The protagonist inside also returned to reality through sleep after entering the mirror world.
Just as Wang He was pondering this, he suddenly remembered the thrusting skill he had gained after killing the ghoul last night.
"Wait a minute, since all of this is real… can I bring what I got inside into reality?" Wang He's eyes lit up. He immediately got out of bed, took off his shirt, changed into clean clothes, and left the dormitory building, heading straight to the lakeside park behind it.
Since it was a weekend morning, there were hardly any students in the park.
Wang He tried to avoid the crowds and found a corner at the very edge of the park.
He stood behind a row of camphor trees and tried to access the attribute panel he had seen last night.
A moment later,
two lines of text appeared before his eyes like ink paintings.
Wang He waved his hand, but his arm passed right through the text; he touched nothing.
[HP: 4519/4519]
[Skill: Thrust (Tier 1)]
"Four thousand five hundred HP, this number..." Wang He subconsciously felt that this HP might represent something.
According to common sense, a sixty-kilogram adult male has about 4500 milliliters of HP.
And his weight fluctuates around sixty-one kilograms.
If this HP corresponds exactly to his blood volume in milliliters, it means that after being scratched by the ghoul last night, he lost 68 milliliters of blood, enough to fill a small coffee cup.
But if it really corresponds to blood volume in milliliters, then this numerical display is not very meaningful.
You know, in the game, a character only dies when his HP is completely depleted, but in real life, blood loss of more than 1000 milliliters will cause shock, and blood loss of more than 1500 milliliters is fatal.
He doesn't even need 4519 HP to bleed to death; this HP bar display at most makes him more aware of his health condition.
Wang He didn't think too much about this and turned to studying the skills in the second column.
The skill is called Thrust, and as the name suggests, it allows the user to unleash tremendous speed and power in a short time, lunging forward a short distance. The monstrous strength and speed displayed by the ghoul last night were likely the effect of Thrust. Why the ghoul could use this skill remains a mystery.
This skill was what he gained from killing the ghoul last night.
If things from the mirror world could truly be brought into reality, then… he should be able to use this skill too.
Wang He felt a surge of anticipation. He couldn't wait to test his theory.
However, given the astonishing speed and power the ghoul displayed last night, to ensure he wouldn't be injured while activating the skill,
Wang He picked up a hollow iron pole from nearby and held it in his hand to avoid hitting the tree with his fist and injuring himself.
This hollow iron pole, about a meter long, had probably fallen from the park's railings, similar in length to the fire axe he had retrieved from the mini fire station last night.
He gripped the pole tightly, aimed at the camphor tree about three meters in front of him, and activated the Thrust skill.
*Thud!*
With a soft whooshing sound, Wang He's body suddenly shot forward, the iron rod in his hand piercing the trunk of a camphor tree that was originally more than three meters away from him, shattering with a "crack."
Activating the skill was simple, as if he had merely triggered a switch in his body. There was no clear, continuous exertion of force or complex technique; it was more like an inexplicable, terrifying power surging within him, propelling him forward several meters in an instant.
At the same time, Wang He felt as if something had evaporated from his body out of thin air. His vision suddenly went black, with numerous black dots appearing in the center of his field of vision, obscuring his view. Coupled with dizziness and a headache, he was clearly suffering from severe anemia.
He didn't bother to check the condition of the camphor tree trunk impaled by the iron rod; he immediately squatted down on the grass, clutching his throbbing head, feeling as if countless flies were buzzing in his ears—his condition was at its worst.
Wang He could clearly feel his heart beating much faster, making it hard to breathe. This was likely his heart racing to compensate for the damage to his body.
"But...why am I suddenly anemic? Why did I lose so much blood all at once?"
He was filled with bewilderment, but the dizziness in his head prevented him from thinking too deeply.
After his condition improved slightly, Wang He slowly raised his head. He tried to clench his fist; his body was still weak, but he could stand up and walk a few steps without any problem.
He struggled to his feet and walked to the camphor tree trunk he had pierced. Looking at the damage he had caused, his pupils trembled slightly.
The iron rod was estimated to be three to five centimeters deep in the camphor tree trunk. This camphor tree trunk wasn't particularly sturdy; even an ordinary person would need at least half a minute to chop it down with a machete or axe.
And he had pierced it directly with a single blow!
Keep in mind, he had used a hollow iron rod without a pointed end.
Wang He looked again at the iron pole stuck in the tree trunk. After his full-force strike, both ends of the pole were severely deformed,
and a clear dent was visible where he had gripped it.
This power… he actually used it?
At this moment, he truly realized that the Mirror World might really change his life.
Before encountering the Mirror World, he was just a somewhat frail student, occasionally even failing physical tests. He
could barely manage ten pull-ups using a swinging motion, let alone any strength or combat ability.
However, this very physique unleashed a power that filled him with fear.
Just as Wang He was pondering, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his palm.
He quickly looked down and discovered a long, narrow gash between his palms.
It seemed as if something had shaved off a layer of skin from his palms, causing them to bleed profusely and radiate excruciating pain.
Sure enough, the force of the iron rod piercing the tree trunk had simultaneously transmitted to his palms; the intense friction in that instant had directly torn away the skin.
And the wound was quite deep.
[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: twkkanan.com for easy reading of Taiwanese novels.]
The reason he only realized he was injured now was because his severe anemia had caused numbness in many parts of his body, relieving the pain.
"Anemia plus injury, is this the price of using a skill?"
Wang He thought to himself, summoning his control panel.
[HP: 4311/4519]
[Skill: Thrust (Tier 1)]
Seeing the HP bar decrease by two hundred, Wang He suddenly realized that the HP displayed on the panel wasn't a red bar, but a blue bar, representing the energy consumed when using a skill.
If one point of HP on the panel truly equals one milliliter of blood in the body, then the explosive power just now wasn't energy appearing out of thin air, but rather the energy generated by the instant evaporation of over two hundred milliliters of blood within his body, all converted into explosive power and released.
Thinking of this, Wang He felt a slight chill; using blood as energy was nothing short of an evil technique.
In that case, the "cooldown period" after the ghoul's thrust in the mirror world should also be a manifestation of overdrawing stamina.
That ghoul could unleash a highly explosive attack every five seconds. And each time it unleashed an attack, its movements would slow down for five seconds.
At the time, he thought it was a mechanism similar to soul travel, but now it seemed that this should be the ghoul's reaction to overdrawing its stamina.
As Wang He pondered this, he waited for his body to recover further.
Many people donate 200 milliliters of blood for the first time at the blood donation center, a amount that isn't actually fatal.
His severe anemia symptoms were mainly due to the evaporation of that 200 milliliters of blood in an instant, whereas a normal donation of 200 milliliters requires three to five minutes of aspiration with a syringe.
In reality, this amount of blood loss can be gradually absorbed within a few minutes.
However, it usually takes about a week for the bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells to produce 200 milliliters of blood for the body to fully recover.
Based on his current performance, the advantage of this skill is obvious: its explosive power is extremely strong.
But the disadvantages are also clear: it consumes a large amount of blood, and the recoil from the thrust can damage the user.
Wang He could almost foresee that if he didn't have the iron rod and instead punched the tree directly, it would likely result in comminuted metacarpal bones.
To avoid infection, he planned to go to the school hospital to treat his wound.
As he walked towards the school hospital, he analyzed the uses of the thrusting skill in his mind.
"Each use only consumes 200 milliliters. If it were someone with slightly better physical condition, such as an athlete with strong blood production, they should be able to use it multiple times without harming their life."
Even so, just one use was enough to cause him dizziness for such a long time.
If used twice consecutively, the side effects would definitely be more intense. Weakness and powerlessness were certain; severe anemia would make even running a few steps difficult, rendering him utterly helpless in combat.
If he encountered an enemy like the Corpse Demon again, Wang He had to be prepared to kill with a single blow before making a move, otherwise, his only fate would be annihilation.
So how could he gradually reduce the physical burden caused by the thrust?
If it were just about expending stamina, he could simply train his body to strengthen his muscles and reduce the burden.
But right now, the thrust consumes a fixed amount of blood. The human body's blood weight is usually about 7% of body weight, and as long as his physique doesn't change significantly, the blood volume shouldn't change much. In other words, subtracting 200 milliliters of blood, the physical burden on his body is almost constant.
Therefore, all Wang He could do was try to stay conscious for as long as possible while consuming an equal proportion of his blood. Or, he could make his bone marrow's hematopoietic capacity far superior to that of an ordinary person.
"Bone marrow hematopoietic capacity... Should I eat more iron-rich foods?" Wang He murmured, stroking his chin.
The main organ for blood production in the human body is the red bone marrow. Hematopoietic stem cells in the red bone marrow can differentiate into different types of blood cells, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, which circulate in the blood vessels to form bright red blood. Red blood cells make up the majority of these. The production of red blood cells requires the support of nutrients such as iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid.
In other words, the most important thing to improve hematopoietic capacity is diet. Only after ingesting enough nutrients will bone marrow stem cells have the raw materials for hematopoiesis. Secondly, it is important to strengthen exercise and sleep to stimulate blood production and make oneself stronger so as not to be so prone to anemia and fainting.
Thinking of this, Wang He sighed slightly. These things seem simple, but to be strong enough to lose 200 milliliters of blood at will without any negative effects is easier said than done.
Even the strongest person needs bone marrow stem cells to produce 200 milliliters of blood, which takes time and effort.
He also noticed a level label behind the spikes on the panel; he wondered if this meant the skill could be upgraded. If the level could be increased in some way, it should reduce the skill's consumption and increase its power.
However, he was still completely clueless.
A moment later, Wang He arrived at the school hospital. The nurse examined his wound, rinsed it with hydrogen peroxide, and cleaned it with iodine and cotton swabs. The intense stinging made him wince.
Fortunately, the process wasn't long. After disinfection, the nurse bandaged it.
"Go to the pharmacy to get the medicine and a tetanus shot before you leave."
"Okay, thank you."
After the nurse left the examination room, Wang He looked at his hands, wrapped in several layers of gauze, and felt a pang of helplessness.
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have tried his skill on the camphor tree in the park.
The abrasion wasn't serious, but it would still take at least ten days to two weeks to fully heal.
Moreover, he couldn't do heavy work during the healing process, let alone wield an axe and fight monsters.
It seemed he wouldn't be able to explore the Mirror World again for a while.
With his current injuries and blood loss, he wouldn't be able to recover to normal for at least a week.
If he encountered a monster like a ghoul again, he couldn't guarantee a 100% victory.
After getting his tetanus shot and paying the fee, Wang He returned to his dormitory.
It was around nine o'clock in the morning, and the roommates were waking up one after another.
Li Xing, who was holding his toothbrush and plastic cup to rinse his mouth, saw Wang He's hands, which were wrapped up like dumplings, and asked in surprise, "What happened to your hands?"