[System, how do I improve my health?] Qin Hua quickly asked, closing the shower tap with her paw, trying her best to not break any piping. Water was after all something precious, especially while the world was going crazy.

<Ding. Health can be upgraded using several methods.> The system promptly answered her.

<Ding. Stat points can be added to health to increase health>

<Ding. Stat points can be added to stamina to increase health>

<Ding. Current level can be upgraded to a higher level to increase health>

Qin Hua eyed all the explanations and seriously bobbed her head up and down. 

[Hmmm… Health and stamina are definitely one of my weak points.] She was in deep thought as she walked out to join the rest of the group.

She was, of course, drizzling water everywhere, her massive body dripping wet, but her fur was now very shiny and glossy and she looked like she was made of high-quality silk. 

As soon as the others laid their eyes on her, even though they knew that she could probably be a demon dog from hell, a ruthless killing machine, they still couldn't help but want to pet her.

But Lu Chen was the only one who dared to go closer to her.

"Little white! You will catch a cold!" He sounded like a worried mother and quickly took out one of the towels from the pile of clothes nearby they had scavenged in the last hour.

What the hell was he talking about?!! How could that demon dog even catch something like common cold??!! Everyone was gobsmacked. 

Even the timid Xu Meilin couldn't help but widen her eyes and stare at the ridiculous sight unfolding in front of her. 

The big black dog was quietly lying next to Lu Chen on the carpeted floor and he was rubbing it gently as if he was simply giving belly rubs and neck rubs to his pet dog.

Qin Hua wanted to protest at first but she gave up quickly.  [Ahhh! I am not a dog! Stop petting meeeee… Hmm… Never mind this feels good.] 

She wanted to take a look at the rest of the things but after the food and the warm bath and now the belly rubs, her eyelids were almost closed shut.

While others stared at her with their mouths wide open, Guan Ye smiled and walked over to sit beside Lu Chen. "Brother, so what are we doing now? What is the plan?"

"Hmm…" Lu Chen nodded. "I am thinking about the same issue. We cannot stay here anymore. These walls are damaged and the building is completely exposed."

"There are also several corpses out front and it's already beginning to smell a lot. Also, I am not sure if these corpses will attract more enemies."

The two of them whispered so as to not disturb Qin Hua but she was still listening to them. She lifted her head and lapped her tongue around her mouth, her eyes still closed.

She wanted to tell them that the corpses in fact wouldn't attract any enemies or at least the abnormal ones. 

They might still attract other human beings but Qin Hua was sure that all of these zombies, the mutated beasts, and the goblins were rather attracted to mana cores.

She was sure that each and every one of them had some sort of a mana core within their bodies and this was probably the center of their strength, power, and everything.

But weirdly, the humans they had killed earlier did not possess anything resembling a small white orb full of energy.

While Lu Chen and Guan Ye continued to discuss the different things that they could be doing now, Qin Hua decided to ask the system about this.

<Ding. Criteria for forming mana core has not yet been fulfilled>

[Ah! So I can also form a mana core?] Qin Hua's ears perked up and she was suddenly fully alert.

It looked like they didn't have cores just yet but they were capable of forming one, well at least the beasts.

[System, if I form a mana core, will my power further increase?]

<Ding. Mana core is the manifestation of mana inside a living being and can be used to aid in mana manipulation.>

Qin Hua bobbed her head up and down. She slowly felt like she was understanding more and more about the world that they were currently living in.

The air around them had this new energy called mana and they were actually able to absorb this energy, strengthen themselves and perform magic.

While some of the humans were able to smoothly adjust to this new energy, some couldn't and turned into mindless zombies. 

And there was also a third category of the population who not only were able to adjust to mana but they also awakened special abilities.

Qin Hua flashed her eyes open in excitement and quickly turned around to look at Lu Chen to share this information. But…

[Sigh! I am still a dog…] She pouted in silence and went back to lying on the ground with her head lazily sprawled.

"Huh? What happened, little white?" Lu Chen noticed her weird behavior and asked, but she shook her head. There was no way for her to communicate something like this with him.

"You want more back rubs?" He started rubbing her back once again and Qin Hua let out another long sigh. [Wooof. I guess I will just take what I get…]

After giving her some attention, Lu Chen went back to discussing things with Guan Ye, Alex, and the others while Qin Hua started further probing the system with more questions.

[Mmm… How do I form this mana core? Wait, didn't the other beasts have mana cores? How am I different from them? Does this have something to do with the evolution?]

Qin Hua clearly remembered the evolution path that she had chosen and how that had allowed her to use all these new spells and abilities. So she wondered if she was somehow different from the normal beasts around her.

Almost immediately, a swift reply sounded.

<Ding. Your current condition is insufficient for mana core formation>

[Woof? How do I improve my condition then?]

<Ding. The current condition can be upgraded using several methods>

<Ding. Stat points can be used for upgrading current condition>

<Ding. Skill points can be used for upgrading current condition>

<Ding. The current level can be upgraded for improving overall status>

The system immediately started giving out Qin Hua the same set of basic information which she was already aware of. 

She swatted her paw at the air in front of her with annoyance and was about to close her eyes back to get some more rest when suddenly the last answer from the system chimed in.

<Ding. Items in the shop can be used for upgrading current condition>

[Woof! Woof! I did indeed level up twice, but already new items are available in the shop??] Qin Hua made a mental note to check the shop feature more often and quickly summoned it.

______________

[Inspect] [Purchased] - Cost: 2 Skill points; Allows the user to obtain information about an object, both animate and inanimate; Can be leveled up for upgrades.

[Space vault] [Purchased] - Cost: 10 Skill points; A dimensional magic spell that enables the user to store various items; Can be leveled up for upgrades.

[Dark shackles] [Purchased] - Cost: 2 Skill points; Allows the user to bind the target in place, preventing any and all movements; Can be leveled up for upgrades.

[Chaos ball] [Purchased] - Cost: 5 Skill points; Consumes 30 mana; Deals 20% of magic attack power damage; Has a high chance to ricochet off the enemy and land on a nearby enemy dealing double the previous damage; Can be leveled up for upgrades.

______________

[Corruption] - Cost: 5 Skill points; Deals damage to mind, body, and soul; 10% of magic attack power instant damage and 50% of magic attack power damage dealt over 20 seconds; Can be leveled up for upgrades.

[Chaos bolt] - Cost: 3 Skill points; Deals 110% of magic attack power damage; Can be leveled up for upgrades.

[Health potion] - Cost: 2 Skill points; Recovers the complete health of the user and removes all effects of toxins in the system.

[Mana potion] - Cost: 2 Skill points; Recovers the complete mana reserve of the user and removes all disorienting spells in effect.

[Cleansing potion, Low grade] - Cost: 5 Skill points; Removes all the impurities present in the physical body

______________

Qin Hua's eyes darted from top to bottom curiously and they twinkled as she gazed at the last item on the shop menu. [System, this should be what I need to form a mana core right?]

<Ding. Cleansing potion removes all the impurities present in the physical body>

Seeing the system spit out the same definition, Qin Hua rolled around on the ground in frustration, but even without an explicit answer, she could already tell that her assumption was probably correct. 

She quickly stood back up as there was more work to be done! She needed to drink one of these Cleansing potions as soon as possible!

But unfortunately, she had used up the last of her skill points when she purchased those health potions and now she had zero left.

[Fuccck! These skill points are never enough!]