Chapter 6: Level Up

“Ding, congratulations to the host for completing the ‘Protect Followers’ mission. Reward: 100 Skill Points, 500 System Currency.”

“New mission obtained: Resolve Hidden Dangers for Followers.”

“Detected nearby Human Spiritual Body. Absorb?”

The System, which usually appeared only a few times, suddenly became active, making Zhai Guangyi feel a bit uncomfortable. But this was a critical moment; there was no time to worry about that.

Absorb!

Zhai Guangyi saw a faint blue halo begin to appear over the Thief’s corpse. The halo gathered, forming a fist-sized ball of light.

The ball of light passed through Bear Brother’s family of three and shot straight toward Zhai Guangyi’s tree trunk.

Bear Brother and the others seemed unable to see the ball of light, still vigilantly watching the Leopard Pack and paying attention to the barrier that might disappear at any moment.

The moment the blue ball of light entered the tree trunk, Zhai Guangyi vaguely saw the Thief’s entire life, like a slideshow. It was clearly his life, yet there were only a few scenes.

The Thief’s blurry-faced parents, his apprenticeship and training, his struggles in the Adventurers’ Guild after mastering his skills, constantly hitting walls and being ostracized. To survive, he began doing odd jobs for others, enduring humiliation, and occasionally resorting to theft when things got too tough.

Then Zhai Guangyi saw the three who had fled earlier. They met in the ruins, began adventuring together, completed commissions, and shared the profits.

One day, the Female Mage received intelligence that someone had discovered information about a Thunder Battle Bear cub. She hoped to obtain and tame it.

The images in Zhai Guangyi’s mind began to shatter and disappear.

“Absorbed ordinary Human Soul. Obtained 20 Spiritual Power. Obtained Skill: Stealth – Level 4.”

Although Zhai Guangyi didn’t fully understand the twists and turns of the Thief’s life, just seeing those scenes and the desperate expression he had as he looked at the Swordsman and the other two before dying made Zhai Guangyi feel somewhat nauseated.

Zhai Guangyi frantically told himself not to overthink it. There was still a battle ahead.

In this World, if you weren’t strong enough, anyone could trample you or kill you.

As easily as Bear Brother had crushed that Thief.

Zhai Guangyi was also about to Level Up. After Leveling Up, his Magic Power would recover.

The Spiritual Power from the Thief’s Spiritual Body was surprisingly low, even less than that of two Long-necked Sheep. The previous 5th-Level Wind Demon Panther had given him a thousand Spiritual Power. He couldn’t understand it.

But right now, the sheer number of Wind Demon Panthers was also an opportunity for Zhai Guangyi. If he won, he would Level Up. If he lost, he was just a tree and might not necessarily die, but Bear Brother’s family would be in serious trouble.

Before Zhai Guangyi could think further, the barrier surrounding them began to flicker.

Normally, leopards were solitary, but these Wind Demon Panthers preferred to gather in groups.

Zhai Guangyi looked at the countless Wind Demon Panthers; the entire forest was a dark, oppressive mass.

The Wind Demon Panthers began frantically charging at the barrier. The barrier cracked like glass. Once one part shattered, the entire barrier of the magic formation fractured like a spiderweb, directly splitting, breaking, and disappearing. What followed was the Wind Demon Panthers’ time to revel.

Bear Brother activated its innate Berserk talent once again while consuming the Berserk Fruit Zhai Guangyi had produced. Bear Brother’s body swelled once more, and blood began to seep continuously from the surface of its face, which was covered in venom.

The Berserk state inherently puts the body into a hyperactive condition, causing blood to flow faster—and the same goes for venom. Using Berserk now is practically no different from speeding up one’s own death.

But Brother Bear had no other choice. For his own life, for his two children, and for the tree behind him.

Xiong Da and Xiong Er also consumed the Berserk Fruit. Xiong Da’s body began to swell and turn red. Although Xiong Er’s physique showed little change, arcs of lightning crackled around her, and her fur took on a faint blue hue.

Seeing Xiong Er’s unique transformation, Zhai Guangyi sighed in admiration.

Truly a Rare Species.

Zhai Guangyi didn’t hesitate either. His Magic Power seemed far greater than others’, but he had already expended too much earlier. He had to use every leaf blade with precision.

He couldn’t recklessly pour Magic Power into attacks like before.

Brother Bear’s time was limited. Without waiting for the Wind Demon Wolves to swarm in, he charged into the Leopard Pack, unleashing carnage.

Brother Bear slapped one leopard dead with a single blow, but no matter how many he killed, new leopards kept pouncing.

They bit into his body, his back, his arms. Brother Bear was covered in leopards, their claw marks layering over his wounds again and again.

Xiong Da and Xiong Er followed closely behind Brother Bear, dealing with the leopards lunging at him. Though still young, after a month of hunting training, their combat instincts quickly surfaced. Ordinary low-level Wind Demon Panthers were no match for them, but they struggled against these swift leopards.

For Zhai Guangyi, it was the same. Using Wind Control—the very Skill these leopards were most familiar with—against them was inherently difficult. They could manipulate wind currents to aid their movement, making their bodies more agile and their claws more powerful.

However, their Magic Power was limited, preventing them from using Skills as freely as Zhai Guangyi.

Yet they were still incredibly troublesome. Zhai Guangyi’s leaf blades often missed, and even when they hit, they rarely struck vital points, making it hard to achieve instant kills.

The leopards didn’t care about any of this. They swarmed forward, and as a tree, Zhai Guangyi couldn’t run. The leopards pounced directly, frantically gnawing at his branches, slamming their bodies against his trunk, and even digging up soil to chew on his roots.

Zhai Guangyi felt a chill run down his spine. His Life Value plummeted rapidly. Conserving Magic Power wasn’t an option anymore. He manipulated skeletons to emerge continuously from the ground, preventing the leopards from devouring his roots.

One of Brother Bear’s paws had already been bitten off by the leopards. He kept charging and rolling through the pack—his body itself was a weapon, and his weight was something the leopards couldn’t withstand.

But the leopards were agile, capable of riding the wind, and numerous. Brother Bear’s method was inefficient at best, merely reducing the number of leopards clinging to him. Moreover, during the fight, he kept glancing toward Xiong Da and Xiong Er. When too many leopards surrounded them, he would rush to their aid.

Xiong Da fought similarly to Brother Bear, relying on strength and weight, but he was more cautious and nimble.

Xiong Er, however, was different. Lightning crackled around her, spreading with every swipe of her paw, keeping many leopards at bay.

Zhai Guangyi controlled his leaf blades, relentlessly harvesting the leopards surrounding him. Though his Magic Power and Life Value continued to drop, he remained completely calm.

The spiritual power needed to level up was almost enough.

System, absorb them! Take their souls and magic crystals, absorb them all!

Zhai Guangyi kept shouting in his heart. It was either these panthers dying or him. He had thought the panthers couldn’t do anything to a giant tree like him, but there were too many of them. Even if each panther took just one bite, they could chew him down to nothing.

“Ding, absorbed a 2nd-tier Wind Demon Panther magic crystal, gained 200 spiritual power…

Ding, absorbed a 3rd-tier Wind Demon Panther magic crystal, gained 400 spiritual power…

Ding, absorbed…”

Ten, twenty, thirty…

“Ding, spiritual power has reached 3000. Level up?”

He had held on for so long that his entire tree was leaning several degrees. A large portion of his roots buried in the soil had been dug out by them. His leaves were gone, and his trunk was covered with panthers, frantically gnawing at Zhai Guangyi.

But now, Zhai Guangyi’s chance had come.

Finally, it’s my turn.

System!

Level me up!