We Really Are Strong

No wonder he was in an inspired state. It had only been activated for a few seconds, and he had already comprehended another skill. Amazing.

And this Knee Strike was a close-combat skill. If someone pressed in close in the future and he had no time to draw his gun, he could use this move against them.

As for now, the White Snake had already been knocked unconscious several meters away, giving him plenty of time to draw his gun and fire.

He pulled the pistol from his waist, gripped it with both hands, steadied his breathing, and aimed the muzzle at the little snake in the distance.

After Grandpa Lei's two hours of special training yesterday, he had completely mastered the knack of using a gun. It was just a snake—watch me take it down with one shot...

Bang!

Fine, he missed.

Although the Desert Eagle was quite accurate, snakes were simply too small. It was perfectly normal for a beginner to miss.

Fortunately, his pistol skills were terrible, but the pistol itself was formidable.

Telekinetic Bullet activated. Trajectory Correction successful.

The notification sounded. The instant the bullet left the barrel, it made a slight turn, as though tracing an arc through the air, and shot straight toward the venomous snake's forehead.

Pfft~~

A bloody hole burst open in its head. The venomous snake was killed instantly, twitching twice on the ground before falling still.

Perfect. The first enemy I encountered was killed with precision. We really are strong.

That successful strike was a good start to the trial, but before Xu Jiang could celebrate for even two seconds, a new enemy appeared.

It had probably been drawn over by the gunshot. A small monster appeared, wearing a mask, with white fur on its head, standing barely a meter tall, and holding a wooden club.

Ya Ya People. That was the little monster's name. It actually sounded rather cute.

Though these little monsters attacked humans too, compared with the terrifying, savage beasts outside, they were considered quite friendly.

How friendly? They were practically a blessing for beginners!

It ran over after hearing the gunshot, discovered that Xu Jiang had killed the venomous snake, and was frightened instead. Its body bounced in place as it let out a loud "Ya!"

Then it tightened its grip on the club and paced from side to side while staring at Xu Jiang.

It did not look particularly bright. While thinking up an attack strategy, it scratched at its white fur with one hand. It was rather cute.

Bang! Bang!

Xu Jiang raised his hand and sent two bullets its way.

One hit its shoulder, and the other hit its head. The Ya Ya Person fell into a pool of blood, never to rise again.

"Cute? Cute is exactly what I'm here to shoot."

"No wonder this is a beginner trial ground. The monsters even give advance warnings. With enemies like this, isn't Grandpa Lei looking down on me too much?"

A C-rank evaluation only required killing twenty Ya Ya People. Wasn't that practically a joke?

Unfortunately, Grandpa Lei could not hear him. Otherwise, he might have coughed up three liters of blood.

You only seemed to have learned how to hold a gun yesterday, didn't you? For a normal beginner, even aiming would probably be a problem.

Without relying on that Telekinetic Bullet to forcibly bend the trajectory, how the hell could you hit anything?

Seeing Xu Jiang perform so valiantly, Qianji spoke.

"General, these little monsters are far too weak to bring out your true strength. I suggest we head straight for the final treasure."

It sounded a little like flattery. They had only entered the Spirit Domain ten minutes ago, and they were already heading for the final treasure? Wasn't that a little too hasty?

Xu Jiang raised his head and glanced at the sun. With that bizarre color, it probably completely defied the usual rule of rising in the east and setting in the west.

"This forest is nothing but white everywhere. I can't even tell east, south, west, or north. Who knows where the treasure is?"

"It is to the south."

"Huh? How do you know?"

"I sensed it. There is a Spirit Seed Fragment to the south. That thing can make me stronger."

Was this the so-called sensing of a fortuitous encounter? Like a yearning in the depths of one's heart for a certain kind of power. His mech could actually find ways to upgrade itself. It was truly powerful.

And what Qianji had mentioned just now seemed to be a Spirit Seed Fragment?

"Spirit Seed! Is that the thing I touched when I changed classes?"

"More or less, but it is not as complete. Spirit Seeds are the source of evolution. Even fragments are quite valuable."

"If that's the case, what are we waiting for? Let's go."

With a goal in sight, Xu Jiang was full of drive as he began heading south.

Pale white trees, scorched black earth, a world sharply divided between yin and yang—it all felt intensely oppressive.

Fortunately, aside from the occasional sneak attacks by snakes, insects, and rats along the way, only three Ya Ya People posed any real challenge.

The Desert Eagle had decent stopping power, but its recoil was too fierce. Luckily, with the Skeletal Mech's enhancement, his palm did not go numb after firing just a few shots.

After emptying an entire magazine and adding one Knee Strike, he dealt with those little fellows perfectly.

Glancing at the gradually darkening sky, Xu Jiang decided to eat and rest.

"It's getting dark. Let's stop here for today. We'll rest tonight and continue tomorrow."

The forest was even more dangerous at night than during the day.

The murky Black Moon overhead, coupled with the white mist rising in the night, draped the entire forest in an eerie, terrifying atmosphere.

Even while sleeping at night, he could not sleep too deeply. He had to remain constantly alert for enemy attacks.

Of course, for Xu Jiang, that was not a problem at all.

"General, please rest well. Tomorrow's battle will still require your command."

"Mm. What about you two?"

"Of course we'll continue training! Only by becoming stronger can we revive the glory of machinery." Qianji clenched his fist and replied with ringing conviction.

Having two subordinates with endless energy standing watch was truly reassuring.

After setting up a simple tent and lighting a campfire, Xu Jiang leisurely ate roasted sweet potatoes while flipping through the newly acquired genuine copy of the Cultivator's Guide by the firelight.

Grandpa Lei had given it to him before he left, so Xu Jiang would not go looking for novels to read again.

During the day, Xu Jiang had casually killed seven Ya Ya People. His experience had finally filled up, and after a wave of refreshing clarity, he reached Level 2.

"But after leveling up, I don't feel like I've changed much!"

Xu Jiang inspected his body in confusion. He had not grown taller, stronger, or longer.

He flipped to the section introducing levels and began studying it seriously.

There were three kinds of levels: Talent Rank, Class Level, and Skill Level.

Talent ratings corresponded to Xu Jiang's two talents: the B-rank Mech Overload and the SSS Rank General's Order.

In the eyes of others, his Mech Overload was a rather trashy talent.

Though ten seconds of doubled burst power seemed strong, its cooldown was as long as six hours, making it far too restrictive to use.

Once the time spent missing, aiming, changing magazines, and adjusting one's position was excluded, its actual output was not that high.

Compared to other B-rank talents, even one that only increased sustained combat power by 20% would be far more valuable than Mech Overload.

Class Level, on the other hand, was increased by gaining experience through fighting monsters and killing enemies, or through methods such as an Elementalist's meditation and a Paladin's prayers.

Although it did not increase one's attributes, every level-up granted 1 skill point, which could be used to upgrade one's skills or learn new ones.

It could be said that skill points were extremely precious to 99.9999% of people in the world, and the sole exception was Xu Jiang.