480. Crew Cut

Heavenly Spirit Mountain, inside the big forest.

Sulu strolled leisurely in the wild, as if on a picnic, occasionally picking berries and grass, or hunting small animals.

After the first Spirit Tide resurgence, the restrictions on his Attribute Panel were lifted, and he naturally and immediately raised his combat skill to LV4!

[Martial Arts skill level upgraded to LV4, gaining exclusive bonus -- Strengthening the Foundation!]

[Strengthen the foundation and nourish the vital energy - Constitution +0.1, Strength +0.1!]

"This... actually feels even better Tiger Power from the Krav Maga Combat Arts, since it's a permanent attribute boost!"

"Is it because this fighting style incorporates ancient martial arts from this world, as well as the essence of various fighting techniques that I understand?"

Sulu ignored all of that.

Anyway, after his promotion, he is now considered one of the most capable fighters among ordinary people. In terms of hand-to-hand combat, even special forces soldiers might not be as good as him.

The wilderness is not particularly dangerous right now.

This was a clue he obtained from a 'wild animal and plant survey'.

"During the first Spirit Tide revival, the 'mutations' of various plants and animals were very minor, or rather, it merely planted a seed to help them enhance their Wisdom. The real change still needs to be carried out gradually and imperceptibly... Of course, some of the 'mutated individuals' may be more talented, and we should be able to see some clues by now."

"I also need to collect some spiritual materials; at least enough to raise my attributes to meet the requirements for becoming a [Hypnotist]."

"The power to change a world! This wasn't something I provided; I merely gave the world a direction, a seed... True greatness lies in the spiritual support of the Ancient Spirit World."

Sulu's eyes were filled with emotion.

His previous slight connection with the original body allowed him to sense a trace of spirituality continuously entering this world.

This is an upgrade for the world!

A world without magic is transforming into a world of the extraordinary!

And all of this was orchestrated by Sulu.

He was like a great director, presiding over this drama called ' Dawn of Gods,' with the Ancient Spirit World as the biggest investor.

"Um?"

As Sulu strolled along casually, he suddenly heard a faint sound, "Someone's there?"

"Sister, what should we do?"

In the dense forest, Zuo Xiaojuan looked utterly devastated. "We shouldn't have wandered off yesterday... And after realizing we were lost, we should have stayed where we were and waited for rescue... I knew all that perfectly well..."

"Were you just supposed to stay there yesterday and wait to die?"

Beside her, a girl with big, watery eyes shook her head and said, "Who could have imagined that something like this would happen?"

"Yeah... in the middle of the night, all sorts of birds and insects, even wild boars, Little Deer, and wolves came out... I thought an earthquake was going to happen."

A young man wearing glasses next to him nodded.

There were four of them, students from East City University. Zuo Xiaochan and Zuo Xiaojuan were sisters, along with Li Zhi and Ma Ning. They had arranged to go hiking together. Since Li Zhi was a local, he knew a shortcut and volunteered to lead the group.

As a result, they unknowingly strayed from the main path and encountered the events of the previous night, leading to the four of them going missing in the deep mountains.

Getting lost deep in the mountains is a terrifying thing.

Getting lost and being thirsty tormented them constantly.

"We can't wander around now. We should try to stay in one place and send out distress signals."

Zuo Xiaochan said calmly.

"But... there's no cell phone signal here."

Zuo Xiaojuan's voice was trembling with tears.

"If all else fails, how about we find an open space and light a fire?" Ma Ning suggested.

"Sure, as long as you're not afraid of starting a wildfire and burning us all to death," Li Zhi retorted.

"This should be manageable, as long as we get to the vicinity of the water source..." Zuo Xiaochan perked up immediately.

"Sister... Sister!"

Just then, her sleeve was tugged.

It was Zuo Xiaojuan nearby who pointed to a shady spot in the bushes. "Snake! There's a snake!"

For thousands of years, the fear of this creature has been deeply ingrained in human genes.

Even two grown men trembled at the sight of the triangular head. "Poisonous... poisonous snake!"

If you get bitten by a venomous snake while lost, you're almost certainly going to die!

Looking at the other's yellowish-brown markings and upturned nose, Li Zhi's tone changed. "It's Five-Step Dragon!"

Since snakes are called dragons, they naturally have features that surpass those of ordinary venomous snakes. 'Five steps' means that the venom takes effect extremely quickly.

Although somewhat exaggerated, the sheer terror caused everyone to tremble uncontrollably.

The crucial point is that this snake neither moved nor attacked; it just stared at them, making the air seem to freeze, creating a suffocating and unbearable atmosphere.

Hiss!

A moment later, the venomous snake flicked its tongue and began to slowly approach them in an 'S' shape.

Run!

Ma Ning screamed, his heart filled with fear, and he turned and ran.

In this rugged mountain environment, and in his haste to retreat, he tripped and fell, his face scratched by a branch. Although it was only a superficial wound, his face was covered in blood.

"You... you're not even qualified to be a bad guy."

Li Zhi and Zuo Xiaojuan stepped forward and pulled Ma Ning up, both gripping wooden sticks tightly, their eyes fixed on the approaching venomous snake.

Whoosh!

But just then, a dark shadow flashed by.

A creature covered in black fur suddenly darted into the arena, grabbed the Five-Step Dragon, and began to gnaw on it from the head, as if it were sugarcane, eating with great relish.

"Huh? Honey Badger?"

Li Zhi was shocked. "How could there be honey badgers here?"

"Honey badger my foot!"

The other party moved too fast just now, but now that they've stopped, everyone can see them clearly.

That wasn't a honey badger at all, it was a giant rat!

"Hehe... I'm most afraid of mice."

Zuo Xiaojuan's jaw trembled, and she stammered.

"Are there really such big mountain rats? Could they be mutated?" Ma Ning was also surprised, but felt a little better.

After all, a snake bite can be fatal, so a rat... should be a little less dangerous, right?

But looking at the other person's excellent teeth, he became uncertain.

Call out!

Just as they were in a daze, a faint sound came from behind them.

"Squeak!"

The large rat let out a miserable cry as an arrow struck its body, and it fled backward.

Whoosh!

Before Ma Ning and his companions could react, they saw a young man dressed in mountaineering clothes, holding a compound bow, running and shooting arrows at the same time. His movements were incredibly fluid, like an ancient master archer.

The giant rat, having been hit by several arrows, grew slower and slower until it finally turned back, its eyes glowing red, and charged back at the young man.

"Ha ha!"

Sulu laughed heartily, tossed the composite bow aside, drew a military dagger, and threw it forward.

Puff!

A flash of Black Light.

The dagger struck the large rat squarely, causing it to collapse to the ground, convulsing.

"Are you... alright?"

Sulu turned to look at the group of lost youths and asked calmly.