Chapter 11: Frenzied Slaughter—A Terrifying Rate of Leveling!
Night fell, and the clock struck eight in the evening.
At this time, the novice dungeon closed, and the last group of adventurers emerged from within.
Facing the inquiries from Zhang Yi and several other guild leaders, Jiang Ningyu recounted everything that had happened inside the dungeon in meticulous detail.
Upon hearing that Li Yao might be a Bloodthirsty Forest Wolf capable of a one-hit kill, Zhang Yi immediately broke into a cold sweat.
Without even exchanging a word, he abruptly left the scene.
Thus, the news of Li Yao slaying an eighth-level boss monster spread rapidly.
Combined with the Silver Wolf Guild’s covert dissemination of Li Yao’s awakening talent, this successfully brought Li Yao to the attention of some powerful figures.
“An A-rank summoner with an awakened talent… that’s quite intriguing.”
Inside the Lord’s Mansion of Jiangzhou City, a middle-aged man set down the intelligence report in his hand and chuckled softly.
On his desk lay a report delivered from the lower ranks:
“Report on Canceling Li Yao’s A-Rank Subsidy Application.”
After some thought, the middle-aged man spoke.
“Xiao Zheng, upgrade Li Yao’s A-rank resources to S-rank.”
“Although the talent owner qualifies for SS-rank, he’s still a summoner. It would be difficult to explain this to the higher-ups.”
Hearing this, the young man called Xiao Zheng hesitated for a moment.
“Lord, the S-rank resources were promised to Yuwen Hao…”
“Yuwen Hao isn’t an S-rank profession anyway. If no one claimed these resources, they would’ve gone to him by default. Now that we have someone deserving, it no longer concerns him.”
“As for the Yuwen family…”
The middle-aged man stood up, patted Xiao Zheng on the shoulder, and said, “That’s naturally for you to handle. I have high hopes for you. Ha ha!”
Xiao Zheng was speechless.
“Oh, and bring Zhang Yi here to see me.”
The middle-aged man suddenly remembered something and added.
...
At the Jiangzhou borderlands, Li Yao sorted and categorized the monster materials he had gathered.
“The task materials are sufficient.”
“It's just a pity that I’m still a bit short of the experience needed to reach level 10.”
Leveling up becomes increasingly difficult as one advances.
Even though Li Yao was one-shotting monsters left and right, he had only reached level 9 by the afternoon.
He still needed 70% experience to reach level 10.
“In that case, let’s keep going.”
Li Yao murmured as he trailed the Void Mantis, which was currently engaged in slaughter, heading toward the center of the ruins.
Soon, new monsters appeared ahead.
[Ruins Scavenger Hound]
[Level 17]
[HP: 3050]
[Strength: 84]
[Spirit: 22]
[Agility: 73]
[Endurance: 61]
[Skills: Sprint Lv.3, Bite Lv.2, Pack Tactics Lv.MAX]
...
[Earth Bear]
[Level 19]
[HP: 6100]
[Strength: 78]
[Spirit: 16]
[Agility: 31]
[Endurance: 122]
[Skills: Heavy Armor Lv.5, Roaring Claws Lv.1]
These two monsters, nearing level 20, matched the Bloodthirsty Forest Wolf from the novice dungeon in terms of health and skills.
Deploying even one of them in the novice dungeon would force new adventurers to form cautious teams.
Many would choose to flee rather than fight.
However,
Li Yao’s gaze swept across the area, spotting at least twenty monsters.
Moreover, watching the Ruins Scavenger Hounds howling toward the sky, it wouldn’t be long before even more monsters appeared.
“Just as I wished!”
If I can one-shot the higher-HP Bloodthirsty Forest Wolves, how could I not deal with you lot?
Li Yao’s eyes gleamed fiercely, a ferocious smile spreading across his face.
“Void Mantis, attack!”
In the next instant, the deep purple form of the Void Mantis appeared, crossing its arms.
A row of sharp, icy spikes detached and shot forward!
“Pshh, pshh!”
With the sound of the spikes piercing flesh, damage numbers flashed before Li Yao’s eyes.
[-2314]
[-1732]
[-2043]
[-4396 (Weak Point Attack)]
[...]
Whether it was the Ruins Scavenger Hounds or the tough-skinned Earth Bears, their health bars visibly dropped.
Before the monsters could counterattack, the Void Mantis vanished into the void.
Each appearance meant the loss of several monsters’ lives.
Standing at a distance, Li Yao’s system panel was immediately flooded with notifications.
[Ruins Scavenger Hound killed, experience +0.17%]
[Combat Training Triggered, Void Mantis Strength +1]
[Earth Bear killed, experience +0.21%]
[Combat Training Triggered, Void Mantis Strength +1]
[Ruins Scavenger Hound killed, experience +0.14%]
[Combat Training Triggered, Void Mantis Strength +1]
[...]
In just a few minutes, Li Yao’s experience surged by 4%.
Keep in mind, Li Yao was already level 9.
Experience gains at this stage were vastly different from the early levels.
Ordinary adventurers at this level would have to team up to hunt monsters of the same rank.
Experience from same-level monsters rarely exceeded 0.1%, and that was divided among party members.
Spending several hours to gain 4% was already impressive.
Li Yao, however, achieved it in mere minutes.
The difference was glaring.
The night was hazy, and the borderlands under the cloak of darkness carried an aura of terror and peril, even through the thick fog.
Unconsciously, the Void Mantis had been slaughtering monsters here for nearly half an hour.
From afar, Li Yao observed the monsters relentlessly swarming in.
Their moods grew increasingly agitated.
Where they might have fled before, now they seemed utterly indifferent to their own lives.
“Is this what the Gatekeeper Uncle meant by monsters mutating at night?”
Li Yao’s expression darkened.
The surging monsters resembled an undead horde from an apocalyptic horror film—endless and unkillable.
Even the Void Mantis was beginning to tire after killing from dawn till dusk.
“Void Mantis, let’s retreat.”
Li Yao ordered.
Fatigue leads to mistakes.
Once the Void Mantis shows a weakness and is overwhelmed by countless monsters, there would be nowhere to cry.
Upon receiving the command, the Void Mantis vanished amid the monsters.
After advancing to three stars, the Void Mantis’s invisibility level against void detection had reached level 7.
These wild monsters naturally couldn’t perceive its presence.
It left without giving them a chance for revenge.
Li Yao’s experience bar now stood at 61% toward level 9.
This leveling speed would make any adventurer weep with envy.
“A night’s rest, and I can continue leveling at dawn.”
Li Yao left the battlefield and headed toward the preselected campsite.
After less than five minutes,
his pupils suddenly contracted.
From the desolate depths of the ruins came three distinct footsteps.
And the sound was close.
This meant that before the intruders revealed their footsteps, neither Li Yao nor the Void Mantis had sensed their presence.
Setting aside his own senses,
Void Mantis, an SSS-rank summon, possessed extraordinary perception.
If even its senses were evaded,
then this must be an entity far beyond its level.
Now, by deliberately exposing their footsteps,
they were confident that at this range...
there was no escape for him!
...