At 6 AM, the women were still peacefully asleep. James Lone got up, quietly leaving Dale behind, and gracefully flew up through the roof of the RV.

The white fox, Xueer, seemed to sense something, lifting her head to glance at James Lone before curling back up to continue her slumber. The husky, with rolling eyes, slept soundly, utterly oblivious.

James Lone settled into a cross-legged position on the roof, looking at the system notifications:

Ding! One day ago, Dale consumed a Snickers bar, returning 1,600 of them! Added to the inventory.

Ding! One day ago, Dale consumed a bottle of mineral water, returning 1,600 bottles! Added to the inventory.

Ding! One day ago, Dale consumed a pack of compressed biscuits, returning 1,600 packs! Added to the inventory.

Ding! Two days ago, Dale consumed a bottle of purified water, returning 1,600 bottles! Added to the inventory.

...

Ding! Twenty-one days ago, Dale consumed a fruit of enlightenment—Shadow of the Night, returning 1,600 fruits! Added to the inventory.

Shadow of the Night: 1 Star. Consuming it grants you the ability of Night Shadow. Repeated consumption may increase star rating.

Night Shadow?

So it really is related to the night.

James Lone promptly took out one of the Shadow of the Night fruits and consumed it. Instantly, he sensed an innate ability awakening within him and quickly opened his status panel.

Night Shadow: 1 Star. You can create a doppelgänger of yourself that shares visual perception; at night, your willpower is increased by 100%; Will +5.

A doppelgänger?

James Lone's interest was piqued. An identical doppelgänger emerged, exactly mirroring his hairstyle, skin tone, and clothing, as if he were staring into a reflection. No matter how he looked, he couldn't discern any difference between himself and the phantom, though he could feel it as a faint energy.

At the same time, he noticed that his energy was slowly depleting.

Touching the doppelgänger with his finger, he realized he was only feeling air. "Just an illusion."

However, the doppelgänger stood motionless, like a photograph. James Lone focused his consciousness on the doppelgänger and felt his perspective switch, allowing him to see through the phantom's eyes.

The feeling was exhilarating. James Lone raised the doppelgänger's hand, controlling it just like his own. The phantom was incredibly light, floating effortlessly in the air or leaping high.

Testing it further, he reached the phantom down toward the ground, only to find that it also met with nothingness.

After confirming that the doppelgänger could not detect scents, speak, or hear sounds, he thought, "It's merely a deceptive visual illusion."

Visual perception...

An idea sparked in James Lone's mind; he commanded the doppelgänger to leap out of the RV and dash swiftly into the distance. Given that it was just an illusion, it managed to move with a hollow-like effect, traversing through trees and obstacles with incredible speed.

Before long, the doppelgänger reached a distance of 200 meters, and James Lone was thrilled to discover that he could perceive everything within that range!

The doppelgänger could perceive as well.

In addition to perception, any ability related to visual would be accessible through the doppelgänger. It could also channel Mind's Light and willpower links!

The issue with the willpower link had always stemmed from James Lone needing to see his target. However, with the surrounding fog, he could only perceive targets within 200 meters.

At such close distances, it was often easier to just punch through instead of bothering with the willpower link.

Now with the doppelgänger, he could extend his sight to a distance!

How far could the doppelgänger stray?

James Lone directed it to glide toward the distant forest.

300 meters! 500 meters! 1 kilometer!

It was only when the phantom traveled about 1.5 kilometers that he began to experience a fading signal.

Simultaneously, as the phantom distanced itself, the drain on his energy started to increase.

Reluctantly, James Lone commanded the doppelgänger to halt. "This distance is about the limit."

A thought crossed his mind, and the doppelgänger burst like a bubble, vanishing into thin air. James Lone's perspective returned to his own.

"What an incredible ability..."

The doppelgänger could even traverse underground, making it particularly suited for reconnaissance tasks.

Having gained a new, valuable ability, James Lone felt satisfied as he stood up.

"Huh? Why am I feeling a bit tired?"

An inexplicable weariness washed over him. Was it a side effect of summoning the doppelgänger?

Carefully assessing himself, he realized it wasn't exhaustion from energy depletion, but rather that his limbs felt somewhat limp. It was akin to feeling after strenuous exercise, with no full recovery.

Could it be... is it too many abilities?!!

James Lone recalled the intelligence Sofie had provided. The limit on the number of powers was tied to one's physical constitution!

Although his constitution was high, there must still be a cap on the number of abilities!

Currently, with a composite constitution of 212 and a total of 17 powers, his body was beginning to struggle.

An average person with a composite constitution of 10 could handle three abilities.

It seemed that the pressure from possessing multiple abilities didn't increase linearly.

Furrowing his brows, James Lone realized this was quite a dilemma.

For now, he could only manage the number of abilities. The fundamental solution would be to enhance his physical fitness.

However, he had already hit a bottleneck with his physical strengthening.

He had consumed numerous constitution-enhancing fruits and still couldn't level up.

Beyond eating these fruits, there was a second option—consuming mutated frog meat.

Yet that meat was hardly effective; it had only increased his constitution by 2 points so far.

If only there were better sources...

James Lone took a deep breath and began his training session for the day.

He first took a steel rebar, reshaping it into a needle, which he then infused into his willpower weapon.

After that, he accumulated five energy-infused steel balls.

Having expended half of his stamina, James Lone decided to halt his training and spent an hour practicing his breathing techniques.

After completing all his drills, he caught a tantalizing aroma wafting from inside the RV.

Returning inside, he joined the others for breakfast.

Dale groggily rose, a hint of red coloring her cheeks.

Relieved that no one was paying her much attention, she let out a sigh of relief.

James Lone glanced at her, noting that the glow around her had taken on some green hues before shifting his gaze away.

Dale felt embarrassed, completely unaware that she had just danced on the edge of death.

After enjoying a hearty breakfast, she noticed the green light around her had increased.

Living comfortably without effort—who would still want to risk their life?

Once James Lone finished his meal, he looked toward the back of the convoy.

From the thickets emerged dozens of survivors, laden with large bags and provisions as they found their way to the back of the RV.

Both groups cautiously approached one another before launching into an animated discussion.

Curious, James Lone tuned in to their conversation:

"Hey, buddy, you've been gone for three days; your food and water must be running low, huh? Here's a bottle of high-quality purified water, 1.5 liters! I'll trade it for your crossbow!"

"Does anyone want a Snickers?!"

"Bro, I'll sleep with you if you give me one pack of instant noodles!"

"One pack of noodles? Do you think that place is gold-plated? We're three brothers teaming up! Half a pack!"

"...Fine."

They were actually trading; James Lone's interest piqued, and he decided to delve into the commotion to see if there was anything good up for grabs.