After signing a life-and-death waiver with the military's security office, Cao Xiaochun showed his student ID. The staff then gave him a set of tactical clothing, a dagger, and a backpack.
The backpack contained five potions that restored stamina and strength. Apothecaries were scarce, so these potions sold for a high price—probably 5,000 yuan for a small bottle. The fact that the military gave every new class-changer five bottles was proof of how much the Nine Provinces cared for them.
This was a subsidy for those who had just changed classes. For students from poor families, it was also their first set of equipment.
"This is a coordinate teleporter. When you get over there, choose the instance you want to enter, then ask a staff member to input the data for you."
"Remember to take good care of this thing. It's your only way back here. If you lose it, you'll have to hope someone is nearby and can bring you back."
The security office's captain was a burly, middle-aged man with a scar running down his left cheek. He looked fierce, and his manner was rather gruff, but he made sure to give every new class-changer all the necessary instructions.
Cao Xiaochun thanked the captain, then bought some fresh water, bread, and meat nearby.
He went to the designated area, used a self-service machine to choose his instance, then joined the queue in the hall to have his data registered.
About half an hour later, Cao Xiaochun reached the teleportation point. A flash of light swept over him, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dense forest.
The Dark Forest was one of the most popular beginner leveling instances. It stretched endlessly, filled with low-level monsters such as Goblins, cat demons, Minotaurs, and Icefire Elves. Nearly every class-changer came here at some point.
He carefully surveyed his surroundings. The woods ahead grew darker and darker, and a rotten stench filled the air. Mosquitoes and flies buzzed in swarms, while small animals darted through the grass and across the tree trunks from time to time. There was practically no path ahead. If he wanted to get out, he would have to make one himself!
If he blundered forward without thinking, he might run into a monster. Worse, as he made his way through the forest, the unknown dangers were sometimes the most terrifying of all. He could never know what might appear up ahead!
As a Gu Master, he would never put himself in danger.
"Since the security office said the monsters in this area are mostly level one to eight, with anything higher being rare, I might as well use my Gu to clear the way. I can follow behind and collect souls and materials."
A murderous glint flashed in Cao Xiaochun's eyes. He wouldn't show these monsters the slightest mercy.
He let out a deep breath and focused his mind. The White Jade Gourd flew out. With a light tap, nine heads and two enormous shadows that blotted out the sky shot forth!
The Locust Gu would keep devouring anything in its path as long as he was alive. Even the trees wouldn't be spared!
Thanks to the mother Gu, these offspring could reproduce endlessly. Even if they encountered a monster they couldn't defeat and were all wiped out, he wouldn't feel a thing.
The same went for the Killer Bee Gu. They automatically attacked any living creature they came across.
And the monsters' blood was the perfect nourishment for the Flying Head Gu!
Cao Xiaochun's plan was to send all three kinds of Gu out together. Every living thing in their path would die!
This was the fastest way to level up and collect souls!
As for whether this would offend Heaven, sorry, that wasn't something a Gu Master had to consider!
"Bzzzz!"
The shadows grew larger and larger, like a vast net blotting out the sky, snuffing out the only light near Cao Xiaochun.
He took out Xiao Qiang and the Moonlight Gu, then leaped onto Xiao Qiang's head. Four Moonlight Gu hovered around him. If anything dangerous appeared nearby, they would turn into Moon Blades and protect their master.
Once he had made all his preparations, Cao Xiaochun gave a light wave of his right hand. The shadows surged forward. The plants twenty meters ahead vanished at a visible speed as soon as they touched the shadows, and in moments, the area had become a wasteland!
After traveling nearly half a kilometer, a tree vanished, and two cat demons tumbled heavily to the ground, their faces filled with terror!
[Darknight Cat Demon lv2]
[Attribute] Dark
[Strength] 20
[Agility] 35
[Spirit] 2
[Description] Native to the Dark Forest. It has the body of a beast but a human face, and a violent temperament. During times of famine, it may even feed on its own kind.
Though these monsters were weak, they were exceptionally agile. Combined with their poisonous claws, they were difficult opponents for most beginner class-changers, who usually avoided them. They gave the same experience as Goblins, but were much harder to deal with.
Cao Xiaochun had just received the Darknight Cat Demons' stats when several heads flashed past. Before the two cat demons could react, they had become a pair of dried corpses!
The Locust Gu and Killer Bee Gu swarmed over the corpses. In the blink of an eye, only two skeletons remained where the cat demons had fallen!
[ Ding, experience +2 ] [ lv0 (2/20) ]
He casually collected the Darknight Cat Demons' souls and bone claws in his gourd. Their bone claws carried some poison, which might prove useful if he added it when refining Skeleton Gu later.
"Looks like I only need to kill nine more monsters like these to reach level one. If I keep slaughtering my way forward, I should be able to reach a satisfying level in the next few days!"
At the thought, a fervent look flashed in Cao Xiaochun's eyes. He immediately had the three Gu continue sweeping ahead. Looking back, he saw that they had left a dead zone behind them!
[ 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 desk mate, Li Hanyi.
For new class-changers, the wisest choice was to find high-level class-changers to accompany them while they leveled up. That way, they could stay efficient while maximizing their safety.
So even children from poor families would spend money to hire a few mercenaries to protect them on their first trip into an instance.
There were independent adventurers like Cao Xiaochun, but their annual casualty rate was almost sixty percent!
"Miss, we should still choose the Dark Forest instance. It's full of monsters, and it's relatively stable. The two Succubi you contracted can easily crush any monster below level three."
"As for anything level three or above, leave those to us."
"Mm. Sorry for the trouble," Li Hanyi said with a nod.
"It's only natural. Our duty is to protect you and help you achieve a good result seven days from now," the burly man said respectfully with a smile.
They were all guards of the Li Family. Being entrusted with the honor of protecting their young miss today was already a tremendous privilege. A little hardship or exhaustion was nothing compared to the importance of a promotion and a raise.
Before you continue