While Donghai City wasn't exactly a top-tier metropolis, its outskirts were bordered by a vast, rolling wilderness.
Since the era of spiritual qi recovery, this area had been classified as a D-rank danger zone. Tier 1 monsters frequently roamed the outskirts, making it a common leveling ground for novice ability users.
Though it was called a leveling ground, most people ventured out in teams. Going solo? That was practically suicide.
So, when Lin Yuan walked toward the entrance of the wilderness alone with a long spear over his shoulder, the middle-aged man at the registration desk gave him several long looks.
“Kid, just you?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your rank?”
“F-rank, lightning system.”
The man fell silent for three seconds, looking at him with an expression that clearly said, “I get it, you’ve got a death wish.” Ultimately, he said nothing and simply recorded the information in his logbook.
People threw their lives away every day, after all.
The wilderness was a vast, desolate expanse.
The withered yellow grass rustled in the wind, and the low roars of beasts occasionally echoed from the distance.
Lin Yuan had been walking for about twenty minutes when the first monster appeared.
It was a Tier 1, Level 2 Gray-skinned Jackal. It was about the size of an adult wolfdog, with blood-red eyes and foul-smelling saliva dripping from its maw.
“Perfect timing.”
Lin Yuan gripped his spear tightly and settled into a starting stance.
The Gray-skinned Jackal lunged first, kicking off its hind legs and turning into a gray blur as it pounced.
It was fast, but in Lin Yuan’s eyes, every movement was crystal clear.
He didn't use his ability. He simply stepped aside, dropped his shoulder, and thrust the spear diagonally.
The spearhead pierced the Gray-skinned Jackal’s throat with pinpoint accuracy.
A one-hit kill.
【Killed Tier 1, Level 2 monster Gray-skinned Jackal. Ability Points +8.】
Lin Yuan pulled the spearhead out, his brow furrowing slightly.
Eight points? It took 100 points to reach Tier 1, Level 2. He would have to kill more than a dozen of them.
However, he soon discovered that the one thing this wilderness did not lack was monsters.
For the next three days, Lin Yuan spent his daylight hours hunting monsters and his nights studying the spear techniques of 《Thunder Walk Through Nine Heavens》.
The power of an F-rank lightning ability was indeed limited; the lightning flickering on his spearhead could only briefly paralyze a monster, failing to deliver a lethal blow on its own.
But the brilliance of this spear technique lay in the fact that it didn't rely entirely on the power of lightning.
The spear’s momentum itself was sharp enough.
On the evening of the fourth day, Lin Yuan encountered three people.
To be precise, they were three familiar faces.
Zhao Tianyu and his two lackeys were resting on a large boulder, surrounded by the corpses of several low-level monsters.
Seeing Lin Yuan emerge from the depths of the wilderness, Zhao Tianyu was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Oh? Isn't this our F-rank lightning genius?” He stood up, crossing his arms as he looked Lin Yuan up and down. “What, did you come to the wilderness to die alone? Or maybe—”
He deliberately drew out his words. “Word of the Su family breaking the engagement has spread, and you couldn't take it? Did you come here to commit suicide out of spite?”
The two lackeys joined in the mocking laughter.
Lin Yuan didn't stop walking, merely casting a flat glance at him. “Move. You're in my way.”
Zhao Tianyu’s expression darkened.
How could an F-rank trash be so arrogant?
“Lin Yuan.” He reached out to block Lin Yuan’s path, a smirk playing on his lips. “Since we’ve run into each other, why don't we play a game?”
Lin Yuan stopped and looked at him.
“See over there?” Zhao Tianyu pointed toward a rocky area about three hundred meters deeper into the wilderness.
“There’s a Tier 1, Level 5 Ironclad Bull in there. Let's see who can kill it first.”
He grinned. “The loser has to get on his knees and call the winner ‘Daddy’ three times. How about it?”
The two lackeys whistled excitedly.
Zhao Tianyu was calculating his odds. He was already a Tier 1, Level 3 B-rank fire user. With his two lackeys assisting him, wearing down a Tier 1, Level 5 Ironclad Bull would be exhausting, but not impossible.
And Lin Yuan?
An F-rank trash should be shaking at the knees just looking at a Tier 1, Level 5 monster.
He waited to see Lin Yuan look afraid, shrink back, and make excuses to run away.
Instead, Lin Yuan simply asked calmly, “That’s all for the stakes?”
Zhao Tianyu was taken aback.
“Too light.” Lin Yuan shook his head. “Let's add something substantial. If I lose, I’ll do what you said. If you lose—”
His gaze fell on a small cloth pouch hanging from Zhao Tianyu’s waist. It was a storage bag commonly used by ability users, usually containing materials harvested in the wild and other valuables.
“Give me all of today’s harvest, plus that B-rank ability card in your pocket.”
Zhao Tianyu’s expression shifted slightly.
That B-rank ability card was a life-saving trump card his father had spent a fortune on. It was a single-use item worth at least fifty thousand Huaxia coins.
“What, don't have the guts?” Lin Yuan chuckled.
“Who the hell doesn't have the guts!” Provoked, Zhao Tianyu’s temper flared. “Fine, it’s a bet! Let’s go!”
The four of them walked toward the rocky area.
An Ironclad Bull was indeed difficult to handle.
With the strength of Tier 1, Level 5, it was covered in hard, bony armor plates that made it very difficult for ordinary physical attacks to break through its defense.
Furthermore, the creature had a violent temperament. Once enraged, its charge carried the momentum of a small truck.
Zhao Tianyu struck first.
His tactic was straightforward—use his fire ability for long-range attrition while his two lackeys focused on drawing attention and flanking for sneak attacks.
Their coordination was decent; it was clear they hunted monsters together often.
Fireballs slammed into the Ironclad Bull one after another, erupting in bursts of flames.
The monster roared in fury from the burns, but the bony plates blocked most of the damage, only serving to incite its ferocity.
The Ironclad Bull lowered its head to build momentum and suddenly charged at Zhao Tianyu.
“Dammit!”
Zhao Tianyu dove out of the way clumsily. The bull's horn grazed the edge of his clothes, nearly goring him.
The two lackeys rushed forward to distract it, and the scene became chaotic for a moment.
It was then that Lin Yuan moved.
His approach was quiet—instead of a frontal charge, he circled around to the Ironclad Bull’s flank.
Then, he thrust his spear.
The first strike, the spearhead carrying a faint spark of lightning, tapped against the Ironclad Bull’s hind leg joint.
The lightning wasn't strong, but it was enough to briefly paralyze the monster’s leg, causing its movement to hitch slightly.
The Ironclad Bull whipped its head around in a rage, but Lin Yuan was no longer there.
He ducked and slid under the bull's belly, spinning the spear in his hands for a second strike that hit the tendon of its front leg.
This strike still didn't break the bony plates.
But it didn't matter—Lin Yuan never intended to use brute force to break its defense.
He was finding the rhythm.
The Ironclad Bull’s movements grew increasingly frantic. It wanted to charge, but every time it tried to exert force, Lin Yuan’s spearhead would accurately tap the very joint it was using.
The weak sparks of lightning repeatedly interrupted its actions, leaving its massive body swaying and stumbling like a drunken bull.
Zhao Tianyu and his lackeys watched from the side, dumbfounded.
They couldn't understand what Lin Yuan was doing—he clearly hadn't managed to truly injure the Ironclad Bull with a single strike.
Yet, the monster was becoming more and more disheveled, its movements increasingly erratic, and its openings more numerous.
Soon, Lin Yuan found the opening he was waiting for.
Driven to the peak of fury by the constant interruptions, the Ironclad Bull threw its head back and let out a wild roar, exposing its most vulnerable spot: the throat.
Now.
Rate on N.U.
