Two Levels

The group hurried toward the source of the sound, seeing firelight flickering ahead where about thirty Kobolds had a five-man professional team completely surrounded, both sides locked in chaotic battle. Two shield-bearing Warriors held the front, blocking the Kobolds outside, while the three classes inside were unclear but should all be ranged. Wave after wave of Kobolds surged forward, some attacking bare-handed, others wielding broken wooden clubs and damaged hoes. Jack raised his shield and shouted loudly: "Friends over there, need any help?" Among adventurers, there was an unwritten rule: prey you'd engaged couldn't be interfered with midway, and only one party could claim the final spoils. Seeing they were struggling, Jack asked. A voice replied from within, rough and booming: "Damn it, these Kobolds are too many! Go ahead, brother!" With their consent, Jack charged forward, shield raised. The rogue Mogaban's figure flickered as he entered Stealth. As for Li Shaolin, he naturally began casting spells alongside Moni.

Those Kobolds were a rabble, knowing nothing of tactics. The crowd surrounded the five professionals in a frenzy of attacks, with no one guarding against Li Shaolin's group approaching from behind. Jack's single-handed sword slashed wildly, cutting down three Kobolds from behind in no time. The rogue's twin daggers stabbed repeatedly into Kobold backs, severing their spines cleanly. Once cut, the Kobolds collapsed limply, their spinal nerves damaged, paralyzed and unable to stand. Li Shaolin shuddered at the sight, thinking: This guy's a psycho—better not cross him.

With this assault, the four of them wiped out six or seven of the thirty-plus Kobolds in one go. The pressure on the trapped team eased sharply. A roar erupted from one of their Warriors, and Li Shaolin felt his body tremble, his strength suddenly surging. An uncontrollable urge to charge in and slash arose, leaving him puzzled: Was that Battle Shout? Despite his thoughts, his hands kept moving, sending out fangs one after another. With so many Kobolds, he could lock onto any and still hit others on the side.

The Kobolds finally noticed the trouble. A few howled and turned to surround Jack and Mogaban, while two leaped rapidly toward Li Shaolin and Moni in the distance!

Moni had locked onto a distant Kobold with her spell, halfway through the incantation and unable to stop. Li Shaolin fired two fangs in quick succession, breaking one Kobold's wrist, while the other reached him! "Think I can't fight up close?" Li Shaolin cursed, yanking the short sword from his belt and stabbing straight at the Kobold's chest. A flash of light enveloped him, a pure white shield forming around him: Power Word: Shield. The team's Priest had intervened.

"Pfft," the short sword plunged into the Kobold's chest, while its claws scraped Li Shaolin's waist. The shield seemed to weaken the blow, the scratch so feeble it didn't even tear his knitted casual clothes. He kicked the Kobold over, feeling a surge of pride, thinking himself unstoppable. He sneaked a glance at Moni beside him, but she showed no reaction, focused on casting Frostbolt. A wave of deflation hit him. He casually fired a fang, blasting the brain of the approaching one-armed Kobold. "Let's move closer so the melee fighters can support us," Li Shaolin suggested to Moni. She hesitated, then nodded.

They stepped forward a few paces, positioning themselves behind Jack and Mogaban, launching another round of spells under their cover. Moni suddenly gasped: "Ah, my mana's running low!" Li Shaolin quickly checked his own—still enough for seven or eight fangs, enough to deal with a few Kobolds. The rough-voiced Warrior inside shouted again: "Everyone push hard! These scum are about to break! Hold the line!" He stomped the ground, and a thunderous wave of electric light spread out, stunning several nearby Kobolds. Their attacks slowed noticeably as the paralysis effect kicked in. The Paladin's sword blazed with holy light, instantly killing one Kobold. Seeing everyone giving their all, Li Shaolin fired wildly, unleashing five fangs in a row, killing two Kobolds.

Under this fierce assault, the Kobolds finally wavered. A high-pitched howl rang out, and the remaining dozen or so Kobolds scattered in all directions. "Bang! Bang!" Gunshots rang out as a dwarf raised a dark, sooty firearm, picking off fleeing Kobolds. A dwarf? What's he doing here? Li Shaolin wondered, puzzled. His hands didn't stop, firing two more fangs to kill another Kobold. The others were too exhausted to pursue, collapsing to the ground, gasping for air. At last, the two teams formally met.

A bearded dwarf Warrior—the one who'd unleashed that Thunder Clap—seemed to be around level six. Beside him, a slender Human Warrior turned out to be a dark-skinned girl! She had a black ponytail, her face not pretty but with a certain charm. The dwarf Hunter with the gun looked identical to the bearded Warrior—clearly brothers. They also had a Human male Priest, looking worn out from debauchery, sprawled on the ground, and a Human Mage drinking a Mana Potion to restore mana. A Human male Warlock was wiping his staff, ignoring the imp chattering beside him. Jack and Mogaban were also panting heavily; Li Shaolin was probably the most relaxed.

After a brief rest, the dwarf Warrior stood up and extended a hand to Jack: "Hello, I'm Biter, level six dwarf Warrior. Thanks to you and your brave team!" Jack shook his hand: "Jack, level five Paladin. Those Kobolds that fled might call in a horde. Let's clean up the battlefield and get out of here!" The dwarf Warrior nodded and turned to order: "Stop lying around like corpses! Get up, clean up, and retreat!" The guy had a hot temper, but none of his teammates argued—facts were facts. They all busied themselves searching the Kobolds for gold dust and candles. Jack and Mogaban started cleaning up too. Li Shaolin was about to help when a strange feeling surged again: he was about to level up!

"No way! I just leveled up outside. If that light flashes, Jack and the others will get suspicious!" Li Shaolin panicked. From what Jack had said, the fastest leveling took a month or two, requiring combat experience to master martial skills and magic applications. But Li Shaolin, apparently due to being a transmigrator, enjoyed the perk of gaining experience from teammates' kills—an anomaly bound to raise suspicion. As if answering his plea, a deep voice echoed in his mind: "Do you wish to hide the status recovery effect from leveling up?" He mentally confirmed. Instantly, his stamina and mana caps increased slightly, but his depleted mana didn't recover. Seeing no white light, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had now reached level five!

After cleanup, though some were displeased Li Shaolin hadn't helped, he'd cast the most spells and dealt the most damage to the Kobolds. The others assumed he was recovering mana and left him alone—after all, in this world, strength decided everything. Jack and Biter discussed and decided to rest outside first, recharge, and re-enter at night. It turned out Biter's team had also taken a mission to hunt Goldtooth, issued by the town mayor, aligning perfectly with Jack's goal. The two hit it off and led the group back the way they came.

Passing the side tunnel, Li Shaolin faintly heard sounds of battle inside. He wondered if his two skeletons were still alive, but couldn't pull out the Book of the Dead to check now. He let it go. Exiting the mine, they hadn't even found a resting spot when the dark-skinned female Warrior blushed, whispering something to Moni. Hesitantly, she said: "Um... you guys find a place first. She and I will be right back!" Dragging Moni, they ran off. "Hey! Watch out for Kobolds!" Jack shouted. Bearded Biter scratched his head in confusion: "What are they doing?" The Human male Priest leaned slightly toward Jack's chest, saying softly: "Women, always so troublesome. Don't you think, handsome?" "You damn tranny Hani, stop flirting!" Biter cursed. Hani traced a circle on Jack's chest and retorted: "Say that again, and I won't heal you anymore." Jack felt a wave of disgust but held back, quickly walking away: "I'll find us a place to rest!"

There were even homosexuals here! Li Shaolin felt distinctly unsafe. But Hani didn't even glance at him, apparently preferring big, burly men like Jack. They walked a few steps and ran into the female Warrior and Moni. Moni said: "There's a small hill over there with two abandoned wooden toilets below. Let's settle there!" "How do you know there are toilets?" Mogaban asked, puzzled. The female Warrior blushed again, and everyone suddenly understood. This made even Moni's cheeks flush red, and the female Warrior's face turned crimson—she'd been desperate for the toilet earlier.

The group arrived at the small hill. Jack pulled a large felt mat from his backpack and spread it on the ground for everyone to rest. Moni handed out Mana Soda to the magic-using classes for meditation recovery. Li Shaolin took the mana water from Moni, accidentally brushing her hand—so smooth!

Jack said: "Everyone rest. It'll be dark soon. We'll eat some dry rations and head back in under cover of night!" He handed Li Shaolin a piece of hard jerky: "Shaolin, I saw you didn't bring any food. Here, take it." So touching! Li Shaolin roared inwardly.

The sky gradually darkened.

Everyone recovered in their own ways. Li Shaolin had nothing to recover and didn't know how, so he just sat there pretending to meditate. Drinking the Mana Soda, his mana automatically refilled slowly, soon nearly full. Then, the leveling sensation hit him again! What's going on? I didn't fight any monsters. Strange. Suddenly, he remembered the two skeletons in the mine. Could it be them?