Others Level Up, I Slaughter the Zone

After signing the life-and-death waiver with the military security department, Cao Xiaochun presented his student ID. In return, the staff provided him with a tactical suit, a dagger, and a backpack.

The backpack contained five vials of potions for restoring mental energy and strength. Due to a shortage of alchemists, such consumables were expensive on the market, with a single small vial fetching an estimated 5,000 yuan. The fact that the military provided five to every recruit was a testament to how much the Nine Provinces valued new class-changers.

This was a subsidy for those who had just changed classes; for students from impoverished families, this was often their very first set of gear.

"This is a coordinate teleporter. Once you arrive and select your desired dungeon, just ask the staff to input the data for you."

"Remember, keep this thing safe. It's the only way you'll get back here. If you lose it, you'd better pray someone else is in the same area as you."

The captain of the security department was a middle-aged man with a scar running across his left cheek. Although he looked fierce and his tone was rough, he made sure to give thorough instructions to every new class-changer.

Cao Xiaochun thanked the captain and bought some fresh water, bread, and meat nearby.

He walked to the designated area, used the self-service machine to select his dungeon, and joined the queue in the lobby to have his data recorded.

After about half an hour, Cao Xiaochun reached the teleportation pad. A flash of light swept over him, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in the middle of a dense forest.

The Dark Forest was one of the most popular dungeons for novice leveling. It was boundless and filled with low-level monsters like Goblins, Cat Demons, Minotaurs, and Icefire Elves. Almost every class-changer would visit this place at least once.

He carefully observed his surroundings. The jungle ahead grew increasingly dark, and a foul, rotting stench permeated the air. Insects and flies buzzed in swarms, while small animals darted through the brush and over tree trunks from time to time. There was essentially no path forward; if he wanted to get through, he would have to carve one out himself.

If he were to walk in blindly, he would easily fall victim to monster ambushes. Furthermore, navigating this forest was dangerous because the unknown was the most terrifying thing of all—you never knew what might appear ahead.

As a Gu Master, he would never allow himself to be in danger.

Since the security department said the monsters in this area are mostly levels 1 to 8 with few higher-level threats, I might as well use my Gu to clear the path while I follow behind to collect souls and materials.

A murderous glint flashed in Cao Xiaochun's eyes. He felt no sympathy for these monsters.

He let out a long breath, and with a thought, the White Jade Gourd flew out. With a light tap, nine heads emerged, accompanied by two shadows that blotted out the sky.

The Locust Gu would devour everything as long as he was alive; even the trees would not be spared in their wake.

Because of the Mother Gu, these offspring could regenerate indefinitely. Even if they encountered an unbeatable monster and were wiped out, he wouldn't feel a shred of regret.

The same went for the Killer Bee Gu; anything with a life force that they passed would be automatically attacked.

And the blood of these monsters was the perfect nourishment for the Flying Head Gu.

Cao Xiaochun's plan was simple: have all three types of Gu act in unison. Anything that crossed their path would die.

This was the fastest way to level up and collect souls.

As for whether this was morally wrong? Sorry, that wasn't within the considerations of a Gu Master.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"

The black shadow grew larger, like a massive net blotting out the sky, stealing the only light source near Cao Xiaochun.

He retrieved Xiao Qiang and the Moonlight Gu, then leaped onto Xiao Qiang's head. Four Moonlight Gu circled him; if anything dangerous appeared nearby, they would transform into Moon Blades to protect their master.

Once everything was prepared, Cao Xiaochun flicked his right hand. The black shadow surged forward. The plants twenty meters ahead vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye, and within moments, a barren wasteland had been carved out.

After traveling nearly half a kilometer, a tree vanished, revealing two Cat Demons that tumbled to the ground, their expressions filled with terror.

[Darknight Cat Demon Lv2]

[Attribute] Dark

[Strength] 20

[Agility] 35

[Spirit] 2

[Description] A unique product of the Dark Forest. It has the body of a beast but the face of a human. They are temperamental and have been known to cannibalize their own kind during times of famine.

Although these monsters were weak in strength, they were exceptionally agile. Combined with their toxic claws, most novice class-changers would avoid them, as they provided the same experience as Goblins but were much harder to deal with.

Cao Xiaochun had just received the data on the Darknight Cat Demon, but the next moment, several heads flashed by. Before the two cats could react, they were instantly reduced to mummified husks.

The Locust Gu and Killer Bee Gu swarmed over the corpses, and in the blink of an eye, only two skeletons remained where the cats had fallen.

[Ding, experience +2]

[Lv0 (2/20)]

He casually collected the souls and bone claws of the Darknight Cat Demons into his gourd. The claws contained traces of toxins, which might prove useful when he refined his Skeleton Gu later.

At this rate, I only need to kill nine more of these monsters to reach level one. If I just keep slaughtering my way through, I should be able to reach a satisfactory level in a few days.

At this thought, a fiery intensity ignited in Cao Xiaochun's eyes. He didn't hesitate, commanding the three Gu to continue their sweep. Looking back, a trail of death had already been carved out behind him.

[Ding, experience +1]

[Ding, experience +4]

[Ding, experience +3]

At the entrance to the teleportation array, a group of people was preparing to enter the Dark Forest. Surrounded by several guards was Cao Xiaochun's deskmate, Li Hanyi.

In fact, the smartest move for a new class-changer was to find a high-level professional to accompany them. This not only maintained efficiency but also ensured their safety to the greatest extent.

Therefore, even children from poor families would spend money to hire mercenaries for their first dungeon run.

As for lone wolves like Cao Xiaochun, they certainly existed, but their annual casualty rate was nearly sixty percent.

"Miss, we should choose the Dark Forest dungeon. There are many monsters here, and it's relatively stable. The two Succubi you contracted can easily crush any monsters below level 3."

"As for anything above level 3, leave that to us."

"Mm, then I'll leave it to you." Li Hanyi nodded, her tone indifferent.

"It's our duty to protect you, Miss, and ensure you achieve a great result in seven days."

The large man smiled and spoke with great respect.

They were guards from the Li Family. Being assigned to protect the young lady was a tremendous honor; as for being tired or having a hard time, that was nothing compared to the prospect of a promotion and a raise.