Level 4 elite
"Grinding monsters!"
Song Shige laughed heartily a few times, then remembered the matter at hand. If he didn't get moving, he might lose his place at the top of the rankings!
He glanced at his rankings, still first on both lists, and picked up the vicious-looking weapon.
[Monster Beast Saber (excellent)]
Its attribute requirements were extremely high. Even with his current strength, he had to activate his talent [Demon-Seeking] and assign the temporary attribute points to them before he could wield it freely.
[Strength +2]
[Constitution +2]
The blade felt reassuringly heavy in his hands, and the boost to his constitution and strength filled his limbs.
He took a deep breath and pushed off, shooting forward like a cannonball and racing three kilometers!
Until he saw a group of monsters led by a level 3 monster.
"Flame Attachment!"
With a low roar, Song Shige flicked his wrist. Berserk flames erupted from his palm and instantly engulfed Zhanmadao's massive blade!
The flames did not burn quietly. They coiled, surged, and roared like living creatures, enveloping nearly half his body in a scorching halo. The intense heat warped the surrounding air.
Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he crashed straight into the monster horde!
Boom!
His first slash fell, and flames exploded!
The terrifying force and bursting flames instantly hacked three level 2 monsters apart and set them ablaze, reducing them to charcoal!
Dazzling sparks erupted from the monsters that didn't die immediately. They fell screaming, and a few tiny flames then flitted back into Song Shige's body as if returning to a nest, replenishing the mana and stamina he had spent.
Only then did the monsters react. The ranged units in the back began charging their attacks, cold light flashing;
Several nearby level 3 monsters roared furiously and closed in from different directions, their claws tearing through the air.
Song Shige snorted, his eyes showing no fear. Instead, his fighting spirit boiled.
"Explosive Flame!"
He lowered his center of gravity slightly. The surging flame mana around him abruptly contracted inward, then erupted with a thunderous blast centered on him!
Rumble!!!
A small firestorm sprang into being in an instant! A crimson wave of flame burst outward in a ring. Scorching air and destructive energy blasted the level 3 monsters closing in off their feet, while the slightly weaker monsters were torn apart and vaporized in the explosion! A circle of scorched marks remained on the ground, wreathed in smoke.
The few remaining level 3 monsters struggled to their feet, burns covering their bodies. Song Shige gave them no chance, keeping a firm grip on the pace of battle.
He stepped forward, the burning Zhanmadao in his hand becoming an extension of the firestorm. With a few clean, decisive chops, he cut down every remaining enemy.
"Haha! That felt good!" He stood with his saber in hand, flames flowing slowly around him like a god of war wreathed in fire.
But before his laughter died away, crack... rumble... The ground beneath his feet suddenly began to shake violently and sink, as giant burrowing worms with fearsome carapaces burst from the earth one after another!
Song Shige's expression instantly grew grave, and his sharp gaze shot into the distance—a bizarre humanoid creature, seemingly pieced together from insect limbs and a human body, was silently staring in his direction.
"Appraisal!"
[Check passed. You have obtained partial information on the target]
[Insect-Devouring Mage (elite)]
[Level: 4]
[Strength: ?]
[Spirit: 13]
[Constitution: ?]
[Mana: ?]
[Skills: Rebirth, ???, Corpse-Eating, ???, ???]
Song Shige took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the hilt.
This was why he had not dared stray too far from the shelter before. The vanguard of the Monster Tide had already advanced this far!
"Bring it on!" With no intention of retreating, he stepped forward instead.
Mana surged once more, and even fiercer flames burst from his body. Rather than simply enveloping him and Zhanmadao, they transformed him and the weapon into a humanoid furnace!
Flowing Fire!
No longer content to cling to him, the flames spread across the ground around him like a living tide. They quickly formed a continuously burning domain of fire that covered more than ten meters in every direction, guarding him at its center and turning the ground lava-red.
The flame domain spread beneath Song Shige's feet, transforming the scorched earth into a blazing purgatory. The intense heat warped the air, producing a sizzling sound.
The twisted worms that had surfaced earlier were already dead, and the worms still lurking underground did not dare enter this death zone lightly.
In the distance, the Insect-Devouring Mage let out a grating "cackle." It raised an arm twisted together from countless jointed limbs and pointed at Song Shige.
[Rebirth]!
In an instant, the corpses of the dead monsters—whether hacked apart, charred, or blasted away—began to wriggle violently!
Their flesh seemed to take on a life of its own, and their bones cracked with a disturbing sound. They actually struggled back to their feet! They had become worms with hideous faces and bodies haphazardly pieced together!
"Whoever stands in my way dies!" he roared. Instead of retreating, he charged forward, out of the Flowing Fire domain! His burning Zhanmadao traced a huge arc of flame!
Eat my Blazing Flame Slash!
A concentrated, explosive slash of flame struck like a fire cannon. The three revived worms in its path were instantly blasted to pieces, and the powerful impact even cleared a small, brief vacuum.
The other monsters rushed forward to land a follow-up blow, making good use of the opportunity their comrades had created.
Boom—!
The terrifying attacks struck Song Shige, only to come to an abrupt halt, dealing no damage at all.
Before the monsters' tiny sliver of intelligence could react, they were split apart by a saber blow to the head.
Song Shige strode through the flames like a burning meteor, heading straight for the Insect-Devouring Mage!
Rumble—! The earth split open once more ahead of Song Shige's charging path, revealing a giant Bone Worm made from a mixture of countless pale bones and earth. It opened a huge mouth assembled from countless ribs and lunged to bite him, thick deathly aura surrounding it!
"Get out of my way!" Song Shige charged on without slowing, moving even faster.
An instant before they collided, he abruptly dropped low and slid just beneath the Bone Serpent's lower jaw, narrowly avoiding it! At the same time, he slashed upward fiercely with the burning Zhanmadao in his hand!
Rip—! The flaming blade tore through the Bone Serpent's lower jaw, and the [Ignite] effect attached to it erupted instantly. Ghostly green flames of the undead clashed violently with the crimson flames of Flame Attachment, exploding with a crackle and blasting away nearly half the Bone Serpent's head.
"Die!" Song Shige leaped high, gripping the hilt with both hands as all his strength, mana, and surging flames gathered at the tip of his blade!
Zhanmadao hummed, transforming into a giant flaming blade several meters long. With enough force to split mountains and sever seas, it slashed down at the ugly Insect-Devouring Mage!
[You have leveled up!]
Song Shige panted heavily as he looked at his newly gained free attribute points, smiling happily.