Breeze Jungle, Spike Roller Beast!

Cloud Sea City.

The border of the urban district.

Rows of temporary camps had already been set up three days ago.

In addition to the camps for various schools, there were also those belonging to various guilds and corporations.

For newly awakened class-holders, rapidly increasing their strength in the early stages naturally required equipment and various items.

At this moment.

Countless awakened class-holders were swarming around the major guild camps.

Buying equipment or teaming up with powerful players, the scene was bustling with activity.

"Looking for a Mage! I'm a B-rank Warrior, can tank and deal damage, a powerful duo!"

"Me, me! Is a C-rank Mage okay?"

"Damn it, a Tier 1 Swift Boots +1 costs 2000? That's way too expensive!"

"Looking for an A-rank combat class with a full set of Tier 1 equipment +5 or higher, let's compete for the first-day leaderboard!"

"You're too slow, big shot. A-rank classes were snatched up long ago. Do you think I'll do?"

"..."

At the exit of the Abyss Guild.

Chen Ming walked out, clutching a long blade.

Looking at the strength-boosting equipment in his hand that had cost him 5000, he couldn't help but click his tongue.

"The cost of buying equipment is truly exorbitant."

A single piece of Tier 1 equipment with [Strength +4] cost half a gold coin.

He had originally wanted to buy a piece of armor to increase his Constitution attribute.

But his small treasury, already shrunk by half, could not support further splurging.

"C-rank Shield Guard? Buddy, want to team up..."

"Hey, it's you, Chen Ming!"

Just as he stepped out of the guild, several people approached him, wanting to form a party.

Although in the eyes of the crowd, Chen Ming had already been stripped of his title as a genius.

But for ordinary people who awakened low-level classes, the Shield Guard class was still decent in the early stages.

After all, at such low levels, combat power was weak; having a dedicated Shield Guard to soak up damage provided a much greater sense of security.

"Chen Ming, I'm a C-rank Mage, let's go together. You handle the tanking, I'll handle the damage."

Chen Ming naturally rejected every single one of these invitations.

Then, under the strange gazes of the crowd, he headed toward the city exit.

"What's his deal? A Shield Guard refusing to team up?"

"Tsk, acting all arrogant..."

One of the rejected individuals felt a mix of embarrassment and anger.

"Does he think he's still a genius, trying to copy those S-rankers and solo?"

"Look, he even bought strength equipment. He isn't actually planning to solo, is he?"

A Shield Guard, not thinking about increasing his Constitution, but wanting to increase his Strength attribute—what for?

Ignoring the strange gazes along the way, Chen Ming left the city alone.

He opened his personal panel, and the [Map] unfolded before his eyes.

Although the Exotic Beast Forest was shrouded in thick fog and many areas were extremely dangerous.

Thanks to the efforts of generations of class-holders over the years, some low-level exotic beast activity zones near the city had been mapped out.

These were known as 'Safe Zones'.

The information on exotic beasts within the Safe Zones was almost entirely known, and there were no dangerous traps.

The area Chen Ming chose was called the 'Breeze Jungle'.

Just as he stepped out of the rugged suburban buffer zone, he was captivated by the scene before him.

A vast expanse of grassland stretched out ahead, with knee-high weeds growing wildly, resembling a shimmering green ocean.

And at the far end of the jungle, the shadows of massive valleys could be seen, shrouded in layers of mist, appearing and disappearing.

"Hiss--"

A sharp, piercing screech came from the front right.

Chen Ming gripped the hilt of his blade tightly with his right hand, staring at the rustling grass.

The next second, an oval creature covered in sharp spikes appeared before him, baring its teeth and snarling.

[Spike Roller Beast]

[Level: lv.1]

[Ability: Whirlwind Roll]

[Description: Active on the fringes of the Level One Beast Forest. Once provoked, it will activate its ability and relentlessly pursue its target.]

Spike Roller Beast, its ability is a wind-attribute attack, charging rapidly in a straight line. Its weakness is the area beneath the densest cluster of spikes...

Chen Ming recalled the information regarding the Spike Roller Beast in his mind.

Because of its high speed, it is difficult to dodge its attacks, making this type of beast quite troublesome.

However, the Spike Roller Beast has low defense.

This was the reason Chen Ming chose this location.

Difficult to dodge? Sorry, he never intended to dodge in the first place.

I wonder how my constitution attribute compares to its.

Seeing the human who had intruded upon its territory refusing to retreat, the Spike Roller Beast launched its attack.

It sprang into the air, curling its body into a ball.

With its spikes scraping against the ground, it charged straight toward Chen Ming.

Chen Ming instinctively assumed a defensive stance, bracing his long blade against his left arm to use it as a shield.

Although he knew he possessed a bug-level health lock, he hadn't experienced it firsthand yet, so he was still somewhat hesitant.

The Spike Roller Beast slammed into the blade without obstruction, emitting a loud clang.

At the same time, the moment they collided, several small spikes detached from its body and shot toward Chen Ming.

[-0!]

There was no pain.

There was no impact.

Chen Ming only felt as if a light breeze had brushed across his skin, leaving a slight itch.

He looked down at his wrist; those spikes had easily shredded his clothes, but they couldn't pierce his skin even a fraction.

If he hadn't been wearing armor, Chen Ming felt that the attack wouldn't even have been able to tear his clothes.

So, its constitution attribute isn't as high as mine.

With that, Chen Ming was completely at ease.

The Spike Roller Beast's attack just now hadn't even forced him to take a single step back.

The force that should have accompanied the impact seemed to have dissipated into thin air.

That made sense; if it couldn't even deal damage to him, there was no point in discussing the aftermath or impact of the attack.

After testing the effects of his ability, Chen Ming finally relaxed and struck back at the Spike Roller Beast with his blade.

[-21!]

A plain and simple basic attack.

There was no helping it; both of his skills were purely passive abilities.

He didn't have a single active attack skill.

[-21!][-21!]

Once he let go of all reservations, Chen Ming abandoned all forms of defense.

Wielding his blade with both hands, he attacked the Spike Roller Beast continuously.

The Spike Roller Beast didn't show any weakness either, choosing to trade blows directly with Chen Ming.

As a beast, bloodthirsty slaughter was its most fundamental instinct.

[-0!][-0!][-0!]

Man and beast were like battle-crazed maniacs, attacking relentlessly!

However, one was constantly losing health.

While the other had his health bar locked...

[-42!]

Chen Ming seized the opportunity and slashed at the weak point exposed by the Spike Roller Beast.

This strike was remarkably effective.

The Spike Roller Beast let out a pained shriek, its eyes rapidly suffusing with blood-red.

As if stimulated by a fatal wound, it let out a strange cry, and the spikes all over its body began to tremble.

Whoosh—

A gust of wind rose from the flat ground.

The Spike Roller Beast curled its body into a ball and began to roll frantically in place.

Ability-[Whirlwind Roll]!

Chen Ming saw the black shadow, covered in spikes, moving rapidly left and right before suddenly attacking from his blind spot.

It lunged fiercely toward his side.

Squelch!

Accompanied by a gust of wind, a long spike formed by several sharp spikes overlapping struck his waist heavily.

However, while the momentum was there and the spectacle was grand, the damage was...

[-0!]

Chen Ming was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.

"This ability... is just too damn broken."

It was simply devious beyond measure.