Blackscale Naga's First Real Battle

All three stages were nearly over, yet his main combat Kinfolk had not even made a move. From the looks of it, the servant Murlocs alone could clear the third stage. Lin Xiao had no choice but to issue a Divine Revelation and have his main combat Kinfolk fight personally. He wanted to see just how capable in actual combat this new species was—the one he had spent so many Five-Star Cards synthesizing and that had been recognized by the unseen laws.

That way, he would have a clear idea of their strength and avoid misjudging it during the second phase of the Final Exam, which could lead to unnecessary losses.

Blackscale Nagas moved like snakes. Their long lower bodies swayed back and forth like they were swimming; the faster the swaying frequency, the faster they moved.

Lin Xiao stood with his arms folded, watching the rapidly approaching Nagas and Pigge Orcs. In his earlier Divine Revelation, he had forbidden the Nagas from using skills. Otherwise, one wave of Salted Fish Thrust would instantly wipe out their opponents. What would there be left to test?

Fifty meters, forty meters, ten meters, five meters. From above, the two curved battle lines collided and swiftly crossed through one another.

A Pigge Orc struck first, smashing a hammer into a Naga's waist. Thick black scales shattered and flew apart, while a fist-sized chunk of flesh was pulverized and sent spraying through the air. The Naga let out a strange cry that barely resembled a scream. Its body bent sharply, twisting into an immense arc impossible for an ordinary person, dispersing the remaining force. It curled like a snake, nearly brushing the ground as it spun around, then rose again. Borrowing the rebound, it drove a spear through the Orc's chest.

On the other side, a Naga and an Orc collided almost simultaneously. To everyone's surprise, the seemingly leaner Naga merely leaned back before springing upright again, while the Pigge Orc staggered sideways and stumbled back several steps, nearly losing its footing.

The moment it steadied itself, the Naga, holding the advantage, raised both hands and thrust down with two Fine Iron Short Spears.

One pierced its chest, while the other struck its lower abdomen. Both spears passed completely through its body, spraying the Naga with blood.

The Blackscale Nagas' Ape Arms specialty allowed them to dual-wield two-handed weapons, so naturally they could dual-wield one-handed weapons as well.

The specialty removed the penalties of wielding two two-handed weapons at once. So long as they were strong enough, ordinary people could lift and swing two two-handed axes at the same time, one in each hand. But being able to lift them was one thing; using them in battle was another.

Without sufficient strength and professional training, wielding two two-handed weapons at once meant failing to hit anyone, consuming stamina twice as fast, quickly becoming exhausted, and leaving the joints in both arms sore and weak. In battle, that was fatal.

The Naga roared and lifted the Pigge Orc high into the air before violently hurling it away. A faint blood-red glow flickered in its pupils. The Bloodthirst inherited from Gnolls had taken effect.

Just then, an Orc wielding a blade charged in viciously. Man and sword slammed into the Naga's waist. With a clang, sparks burst forth. A row of scales was cut open, exposing the skin beneath, and a faint streak of blood appeared. That slash had injured it.

Enraged, the Naga's long tail snapped against the ground, launching it upright to a height of more than four meters. Looking down from above, it drove both spears down. It struck the Orc to the ground on the spot. One spear pierced its shoulder, breaking the skin but causing no serious injury, while the other plunged directly down through the top of its head, killing it instantly.

"Good!"

Seeing this, Lin Xiao could not help clapping in praise.

The actual combat capability displayed by the Blackscale Nagas exceeded even his expectations.

They possessed great strength, respectable agility, and top-tier defense for their level. What surprised him most was the Naga physique inherited from Snake-Men. It was simply too effective at dodging and dispersing force.

Still, they were not without weaknesses. Their ability to withstand frontal impacts was lacking; in other words, they were poor at taking direct charges. They would be at a disadvantage against the charge of certain powerful races.

That could not be helped. They were a newly created species that had not even undergone a single evolution. Perfection was impossible, and it would remain impossible in the future.

Moreover, Lin Xiao had gained a little inspiration regarding the Nagas' future evolutionary path. This species was suited for a powerful melee build.

A powerful melee build was, as the name suggested, an exceptionally strong close-range physical combat path. His inspiration came from the Six-Armed Snake Demon.

If he could evolve this species until each individual had six arms and a physique comparable to a Six-Armed Snake Demon, they would become a true legendary species.

Six-Armed Snake Demons were top-tier demons of the Abyss. With six arms and six weapons, they were ridiculously powerful in physical melee combat. Even ordinary dragons were no match for them. If he could evolve this species into such a powerful race, that would be incredible.

While he was lost in thought, the battlefield had already become a near one-sided rout. Relying on their innate advantages and numerical superiority, the Nagas swiftly seized the upper hand.

Their scale armor was not especially strong. It could not withstand blunt weapons like hammers at all, but it offered decent protection against sharp weapons. It was enough to take a full-strength slash from a Pigge Orc with only a light wound.

Based on the Pigge Orcs' strength, that was equivalent to completely blocking a full-strength slash from an adult human male. Pigge Orcs were stronger than humans.

At Lin Xiao's current level, he generally would not encounter overly powerful races. This level of defense was already extremely formidable and gave them a major advantage in chaotic melee battles.

Lin Xiao paid little attention to the rest of the battle. The outcome had already been decided during the first frontal clash after the two sides engaged.

The Nagas' victory was inevitable.

Floating in the air with his arms folded, he watched happily as his Kinfolk swiftly cleaned up the remaining Pigge Orcs. He muttered to himself, "Too bad projections can't gain experience. Otherwise, after these three waves of trials, I could at least raise a batch of Naga Warriors. The next exam would be much easier."

"What are they called? Can they level up?"

"Nagas. They can."

Lin Xiao paused, then abruptly turned around. At some point, the Class Teacher had appeared behind him, staring at the battlefield below with a shocked and fervent look Lin Xiao had never seen before.

More precisely, he was observing Lin Xiao's Kinfolk. Even when asking him questions, his gaze never left them.

Lin Xiao did not answer immediately. Wu Hai looked up at him, and the fervor in his eyes gave Lin Xiao a chilling sensation. In a gentle voice, the Class Teacher softly asked:

"Student Lin Xiao, where did this race called Naga come from?"

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he felt that the Class Teacher's voice seemed to tremble slightly, his tone carrying an expectation Lin Xiao had never heard before.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "This is a new species I created myself some time ago. Because they look like Nagas, I named them Blackscale Nagas."

Nine parts of that statement were true, and one part was false. He did not dare conceal it, nor did he make up some excuse. He simply told the truth.

There was no point in hiding it. At this stage of the Final Exam—or rather, after entering the first year of high school—continuing to keep a low profile would be foolish.

Being overly low-key would only make him miss opportunities.

Displaying his strength appropriately could earn him more attention and a greater allocation of resources.

Whether in his own class or other classes, the best students received their teachers' clear favoritism and resource support. Many exclusive resources were difficult to obtain outside. If Lin Xiao wanted to be the brightest star in the class, or even the entire grade, he had to be appropriately high-profile.