Happy?

"Don't charge in. Let them come out," Han Jiangxue said urgently, pushing Jiang Xiao back while stopping the eager Xia Yan.

Xia Yan's body stiffened slightly. She counted the pairs of scarlet eyes in the Snowy Forest, then considered the deadweight in their team. In the end, she reluctantly retreated.

Yes, no matter how he dressed it up with the identity of a Medical Awakened, Jiang Xiao was, at this moment, an utterly useless freeloader.

Of course, Jiang Xiao had earned the right to be useless through his own abilities. He felt no shame about it. He simply needed time to grow. This was only his fourth day in this world. Give him a little more time, and he believed he could transform himself.

That was not merely a slogan. Jiang Xiao's disciplined morning training showed that he possessed such determination and perseverance.

The care he received now, he would repay tenfold in the future.

The silent soldier Pi Keqiu stood where he was, allowing Han Jiangxue and Jiang Xiao to retreat behind him. In the end, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Xia Yan, their steps in sync as they moved backward together.

"There's dried blood on their fur and scraps of clothing caught on their claws. Whatever team entered the Snowy Forest earlier is probably doomed," Soldier Pi Keqiu analyzed, his eyes sharp as an eagle's.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xiao was soaking everything in, absorbing anything that could help him grow. As he listened to Soldier Pi Keqiu's analysis, he secretly studied the White Ghosts at the edge of the Snowy Forest.

The dead White Ghost had already been ugly and terrifying enough, but the living White Ghosts, with those scarlet Eyes, made the sight even more horrifying.

Soldier Pi Keqiu continued, "They haven't hesitated. They're still advancing. They've left the Snowy Forest, which goes against their habits. This means—"

"There's a White Ghoul Witch in this White Ghoul Pack." Xia Yan's expression finally turned grave.

Soldier Pi Keqiu said in a low voice, "This place is only a thirty-minute walk from our human stronghold. The Guardian Teams stationed there could reach this place in ten minutes. Such a powerful pack should not be here."

This was also Pi Keqiu's role as a mercenary: providing the team with experience and guidance. Moreover, his identity allowed him to carry something others could not—a gun.

A black handgun hung at Pi Keqiu's waist. Perhaps firearms were less useful than Star Skills when facing powerful Different Dimension Creatures, but they still had some use against White Ghosts like these.

Although bullets did little damage against the White Ghosts' thick, tough bodies, their black faces had no fur at all. Firearms were still quite effective there.

Of course, the military imposed strict conditions on when soldiers could fire their weapons, but that was another matter.

Jiang Xiao asked in confusion, "I have the White Ghoul Witch's Blessing Star Skill, and I've used it on all of you. You know the effects of Bronze Quality Blessing. The White Ghoul Witch doesn't seem overwhelmingly powerful."

"That's right. The White Ghoul Witch is also a Bronze-level creature. Its own skills aren't particularly overpowered." Xia Yan spoke as she cautiously retreated. "But its presence brings a qualitative improvement to a White Ghoul Pack. Combat isn't as simple as one plus one equals two. Too many factors affect a team's capabilities."

Han Jiangxue nodded lightly in agreement. "For example, right now, they've left the Snowy Forest—the battlefield they know best."

Xia Yan slowly drew her massive blade. Including the hilt, the heavy saber was a full two meters long. As she dragged it across the ground, it carved a deep groove through the snow. "These White Ghosts are as nimble as monkeys in the Mountain Forest and have a huge advantage there. Yet they gave up that advantage and chose to fight us on this relatively flat Snowfield. Little Pi, tell me, what does that mean?"

Jiang Xiao thought for a moment and said, "The White Ghoul Witch's presence has given them much greater confidence?"

"Not quite." Xia Yan's beautiful Eyes were fixed tightly on the White Ghost walking at the front. "The White Ghoul Witch has indeed given them a backbone. When a loose group that fights separately becomes unified and full of confidence, the combat power it can unleash is astonishing."

Jiang Xiao raised an eyebrow. "You mean they've clarified their roles and gained a commander?"

"Yes, exactly. The White Ghoul Witch is this team's commander." Xia Yan and Soldier Pi Keqiu both came to a stop. "The instincts possessed by these miraculous creatures are the models humans have always studied and imitated. In a team, medical professions are better suited to serve as commanders. They stand in relatively safe positions, allowing them to oversee the entire battlefield. Their attention will never be fixed on the fight between one or two individuals; instead, they consider victory and defeat from the team's perspective."

Damn, that was something else.

I thought that if I kept leveling up like this, I could become a happy Big Milk.

All I needed was to be happy, but now you want me to become a commander?

Still, this really was not a game. Melee Awakened charging into battle did not have a god's-eye view and could not effectively take in all the information on the battlefield.

"Thank you for teaching me," Jiang Xiao said sincerely.

"No need. Just remember to warm my feet when we get home," Xia Yan said casually.

Jiang Xiao: ??? "When a team lacks a Medical Awakened, or when its Medical Awakened lacks the ability to serve as commander, long-range damage dealers are the best candidates for command." Xia Yan's voice rose slightly. "Xiaoxue?"

"Wait!" Han Jiangxue issued her first command.

"If we wait any longer, they'll be right in my face!" Xia Yan shouted in dissatisfaction.

At some point, the fierce wind over the Snowfield had died down, and the sky was no longer filled with blowing snow. This also allowed the team to communicate more clearly.

Thud! Thud! Thud! The towering White Ghosts slowly shifted from walking to jogging. Their heavy footsteps sank into ankle-deep snow, yet they grew faster and faster, as if walking on solid ground.

One, two... fifteen, sixteen! A total of sixteen tall, ferocious White Ghosts finally broke into a sprint.

"Woo... woo..." A strange cry suddenly came from the Snowy Forest.

The rapidly charging White Ghosts suddenly changed. The White Ghost at the front slowed its pace, while the dozen or so behind it abruptly spread apart and ran toward the group at an angle. The disorderly pack gradually formed an arc.

They were trying to surround the four of them?

"Right side!" Xia Yan called out loudly.

"Left side." Almost at the same moment, Han Jiangxue spoke.

"You woman, can't you ever go along with me?" Without another word, Xia Yan dragged her massive blade and ran toward the left.

"Follow me." Han Jiangxue shoved Jiang Xiao and continued, "Pi Keqiu, cover the rear."

The four immediately formed a straight line and rushed left, trying to break out before the White Ghosts could complete their encirclement.

But how could their speed compare to White Ghosts that moved through snow as though it were flat ground?

The truth was, one person could keep up!

It was the phantom charging ahead—Xia Yan! In Jiang Xiao's vision, the tall figure ahead sped across the snow. Her long legs displayed their advantage, while the two-meter blade dragged behind her, cutting a long trail through the snow.

Whoosh! In the next moment, Xia Yan's tall, slender figure suddenly burst with brilliant light. A Star Map surged forth and emerged over her body.

Jiang Xiao's Star Map was the "Big Dipper Nine Stars," but Xia Yan's Star Map was actually a two-handed sword!

Yes, under the illumination of connected Star Slots and surging Star Power, an enormous two-handed sword appeared over Xia Yan's body.

Two Bronze, five Silver!?

A total of seven stars at the sword tip of the Star Map lit up, radiating bronze and silver light respectively.

An Awakened in the Star Cloud Stage could absorb at most eight Star Skills. This woman was practically full already.

She had seven Star Skills in total, but the crucial point was that she seemed to have twenty-eight Star Slots!?

Twenty-eight Star Slots! More than three times as many as Jiang Xiao's.

In the next instant, the silver Star Slot on the left blade of the Star Map's two-handed sword suddenly lit up. Blazing flames erupted from the hand holding her weapon, and the searing fire spread along the blade, instantly enveloping the two-meter saber!

Silver Star Skill: Blazing Flame.

The deep blade marks that should have remained on the ground were now melted into patches of snow water. Billowing white vapor mixed with the snow swept into the air by waves of Star Power, spreading forward in an unstoppable surge.

For a moment, snowflakes whirled through the air, and her momentum was terrifying.

Xia Yan finally lifted the massive blade she had been dragging. Her long legs tensed, then stomped fiercely into the snow. Her entire body shot forward in an instant!