Level 3 Advancement (Requesting Recommendation Votes)

Under his deliberate control, the number of Lobsterfolk kept dwindling, while the native Murloc tribe's numbers fell even faster. Countless corpses floated to the surface, bellies turned white.

Lin Xiao spotted enormous shadows flickering in the distance. Sharks or other sea beasts had likely caught the scent of blood and rushed over.

These shark-like sea beasts were quite clever. Rather than charging straight in, they circled the edge of the battlefield, occasionally darting in to snatch a few corpses. No one paid them any attention.

Second by second, under his deliberate control, the Lobsterfolk and native Murlocs slaughtered one another, their numbers plummeting. The Lobsterfolk now numbered around sixteen or seventeen hundred, while the Murlocs had dropped from twenty thousand to roughly twelve thousand. Neither side had gained an advantage.

If not for him disrupting things, this trend would likely have ended with both sides badly battered.

But at this point, Lin Xiao felt it was about time.

Enough Murlocs had died. If too many more died, they would no longer be worth much. Around twelve thousand Murlocs was just enough to be valuable, while still being a number he could handle even if his attempt to subdue them failed and he had to turn hostile.

He twisted his thick neck, raised his weapon, and shouted at the more than three hundred Naga and over a thousand Murlocs resting behind him.

"Children, it is time to wipe out these heretics!"

He charged ahead, smashing one Lobsterfolk in half at the waist with a single blow. With a backhand thrust, he blew apart another Lobsterfolk's head, then swept his thick tail and flung a third one away before quickly retreating more than ten meters.

The enraged Lobsterfolk rushed forward, only to be sent flying by hundreds of dark figures charging after him. A whole swath of them died instantly.

It had to be said that Salted Fish Thrust was an absurdly overpowered skill. Especially in low-level battles, enemies rarely possessed powerful lifesaving abilities. One explosive wave at the start of a battle could instantly wipe out a large number of foes. With equal numbers, few races could stand against them.

The Lobsterfolk, already reduced to sixteen or seventeen hundred, lost another three or four hundred to that burst and fell even further behind.

That was because many Naga had attacked the same target. If each of them had targeted a different enemy, even more Lobsterfolk would have died.

From here on, the overall situation was basically decided.

But Lin Xiao did not stop. Instead, he fought even harder. After killing a shark and so many Lobsterfolk, he could feel that he had accumulated more than half the experience he needed. He intended to take this chance to kill more and gather enough experience to level up.

This plane was not safe, and the mission would not be easy. The stronger he became, the better.

With every Lobsterfolk he killed, he could feel changes in his vitality and blood. As his accumulated experience bar neared its end, his aura gradually began to boil.

Bang!

He viciously flung a Lobsterfolk away with his tail, parried another Lobsterfolk's claw with the spear in his left hand, then brutally smashed apart a Lobsterfolk's eye stalks, antennae, and carapace with the spear in his right hand.

"Level up!"

Lin Xiao had been watching his status closely and was only a sliver of experience away. The instant he killed that Lobsterfolk, he let out a low roar. Five thousand Faith Points were consumed, transforming into a warm current that surged from his heart and flowed through his entire body along his blood vessels. Wherever that power passed, his muscles strengthened, his skin became tougher, and his scales grew harder.

It seemed slow, but to outsiders, it looked as though he had roared in fury as an invisible shockwave expanded outward. His entire body swelled as if inflated, his height rising from 2.3 meters to 2.5 meters. Including his tail, his total length grew from 4.5 meters to 5 meters. Suspended in the water, he resembled a miniature giant.

Race: Blackscale Naga (Saint Descent Body).

Category: Demi-human Race.

Race Rank: Medium Race.

Level: Level 3.

Class: None.

Talents: Underwater Breathing, Intermediate Brute Strength, Intermediate Regeneration, Shining Scales.

Skills: Bloodthirst, Momentum Strike, Basic Footwork LV2, Salted Fish Thrust.

Specialties: Advanced Swimming, Intermediate Swift Steps, Ape Arms.

Constitution: 3.8+1 (You possess the constitution of a savage bull.) Strength: 3.7+2+1 (Born with divine strength, nearly six times the strength of an adult man.) Agility: 2.7+1+1 (You are already a top professional sprinter.) Spirit: 1.8+1 (Your spirit is stronger than that of ordinary people. With training, you may become a spellcasting class.) Evaluation: A previously unseen amphibious humanoid race with monstrous strength far beyond that of ordinary people.

Compared to Level 2, his Constitution and Strength had each increased by one point, his Agility had risen by nearly one point, and his Spirit had increased by around half a point.

There had not been many changes to his talents, skills, or specialties. The talent Scale Shell had become Shining Scales. Aside from increasing his defense to a degree, Shining Scales also provided a small amount of magic resistance.

Additionally, Basic Footwork had risen from Level 1 to Level 2. It was not reflected in his attributes, but after advancing, Lin Xiao felt as though he had become more agile in the water.

Though it was called footwork, the skill actually referred to maneuvering and evasion in combat. Its effect after being learned depended on the race and did not literally refer to footwork. After all, races such as Naga and Snake-Men had no feet.

A Level 3 Naga Warrior was not much stronger than a Level 2 Naga Warrior. It was equivalent to a comprehensive enhancement of the Level 2 form, but without any qualitative transformation.

For any race, everything below Level 3 was foundational. There could not be any drastic changes. But once one surpassed Level 3 and entered Level 4, there would be a considerable leap forward—a minor qualitative transformation.

In other words, the highest advancement limit of a Low-level Race would not exceed Level 3. Perhaps that limit could be broken through modification or by consuming certain special treasures, but those were merely exceptions.

Only an Intermediate Race could advance beyond Level 3. Conversely, any race capable of advancing beyond Level 3 was necessarily at least an Intermediate Race.

Of course, Lin Xiao's current attributes were those of his Saint Descent state. An ordinary Naga advancing to Level 3 would not only lack the bonus of one point to all attributes, but would not possess talents, skills, and specialties anywhere near as strong as his. He had been enhanced.

In gaming terms, he now possessed a BOSS Template, so he was stronger than others of his kind in every respect.

After advancing, Lin Xiao had wanted to howl at the sky, but the moment he opened his mouth, he realized it was unsuitable underwater. His even thicker snake tail lashed out. Even without Salted Fish Thrust, his speed was now astonishing. His nearly one-ton body slammed viciously into a Lobsterfolk, knocking it askew. His thick tail coiled around it, hooked it, and dragged it back, driving it straight onto the extended spearhead, which pierced through its chest.

He easily killed a Lobsterfolk, but Lin Xiao still felt unsatisfied. The Lobsterfolk were too weak; they were not even enough for a warm-up.

He turned his head from side to side, fixing his gaze on the Lobsterfolk Leader in the center of the Lobsterfolk group.

It was a massive Lobsterfolk several times larger than the others, estimated to be five meters long. This prey... seemed suitable.