Level 4

Su Mu glanced at the panel.

Reaching level 2 had given him 10 Soul Power. As for other attributes, such as strength and speed, dungeon masters had none at all, which was only natural.

Dungeon masters never needed to enter the fray and fight hand to hand.

Soul Power was what mattered. Its level not only determined the upper limit of a dungeon's construction, but also, in a sense, represented the strength of a dungeon master's level of life.

The stronger their Soul Power, the longer their lifespan, and their overall physical condition would slowly improve as well.

As for combat ability, when a dungeon master was attacked by monsters, they would immediately be pulled into their own dungeon space and rely entirely on the strength of their dungeon to fight.

Whether their actual body was weak mattered less.

Su Mu turned his attention back to Little Drill Wind.

Little Drill Wind stood amid the pile of corpses, short saber in hand. He lowered his head and wiped the green blood from its edge, then spat disdainfully. A faint light immediately lit up around him.

Su Mu looked at his panel.

Name: Little Drill Wind

Rank: A

Level: 1 → 2

HP: 9800/9800 → 10300/10300

Attack: 850 → 890

Defense: 367 → 417

Speed: 770 → 820

Combat index: 10496 → 10971

Skills: Intelligence Perception, Mountain-Patrolling Steps (Lion Camel Ridge Glory bonus included), Lion Camel Ridge Glory, Call for Aid

Su Mu froze.

From a single level, physique had risen by 50 points, attack by 50, defense by 50, and speed by 50.

That rate of growth...

Su Mu quickly compared it with the figures in his textbooks.

An F-rank creature card typically grew by around 5-10 points per level. E-rank grew by 10-20, D-rank by 20-35, C-rank by 35-60, B-rank by 60-80, and A-rank by 80-120. As for S-rank, the reference range given in the textbooks was 120-200.

Little Drill Wind, meanwhile, had gained 50 points in attack, 50 in speed, 50 in HP, and 50 in defense.

His total growth reached a staggering 250 points.

That was already comparable to the growth curve of an SS-rank card.

Su Mu took a deep breath.

"An A-rank card, with SS-rank growth..." he murmured.

But on second thought, it made perfect sense.

Who was Little Drill Wind?

A Mountain-Patrolling Lesser Yaoguai of Lion Camel Ridge, a yaoguai that had already "taken human form."

In the world of Journey to the West, what yaoguai capable of taking human form hadn't spent hundreds of years cultivating arduously?

The combat strength and growth potential of these yaoguai simply couldn't be measured by the standards of ordinary "mortal monsters."

And Little Drill Wind was still far from complete.

His appearance, equipment, and yaoguai arts all had plenty of room to be filled out.

If Little Drill Wind were truly completed into his full form from the original work, Su Mu reckoned that even an SSS-rank growth curve probably wouldn't measure up to his.

As he pondered, the second wave of monsters arrived.

The rift tore open again. The goblins that crawled out this time were noticeably taller than those in the first wave, and their skin was darker, a deep green.

Their weapons were better made as well. Instead of rusty short sabers and wooden clubs, they carried battle-axes fitted with iron and spiked clubs.

Level 2 monsters, still ten in number.

Little Drill Wind charged to meet them before they had even fully emerged from the rift.

His saber flashed like a bolt of silk. The two goblins in front had barely found their footing before their heads left their shoulders.

The remaining goblins let out shrill screams and swung their weapons in an attempt to strike back, but to Little Drill Wind, their movements were so slow they might as well have been standing still.

His short saber slashed left and right, with no unnecessary technique-just speed, precision, and ruthlessness. Every stroke came in from the trickiest angle, and every stroke was lethal.

In less than fifteen seconds, the second wave was wiped out.

Su Mu's level rose again.

[Level increased: 2 → 3]

[Soul Power: 10 → 20]

Little Drill Wind also rose to level 2, and the numbers on his panel climbed across the board once more.

The third wave followed.

Level 3 goblins, still ten in number.

This time, however, the monsters didn't all rush forward for close combat. Instead, they split into two distinct groups.

The seven in front carried shields and short spears. The three behind them held slings and immediately opened up some distance after entering the dungeon, looking for angles to shoot from.

Su Mu raised an eyebrow slightly.

The level 3 goblins had developed distinct roles.

The seven in front were shield goblins, their defense noticeably higher than that of ordinary goblins.

The three in back were thrower goblins, adept at harassment. They would hide behind the shields and hurl stones, and a single volley could easily begin wearing a low-level creature card to death.

For Little Drill Wind, though, they still posed no threat.

He didn't even change his approach. He charged straight into the pack and brought his short saber down on a shield. The sturdy-looking wooden shield split cleanly in two, and the arm of the goblin behind it was severed along with it.

Then, with a backhand slash, he cut the two goblins lunging at him from the side in half at the waist.

The thrower goblins at the rear desperately launched their stones. Fist-sized rocks hurtled at him with a rush of wind, but Little Drill Wind seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. With a flicker of his body, he dodged them.

After several rounds, they hadn't even touched the hem of his clothes.

In a few breaths, all seven melee fighters were dead. Seeing this, the three thrower goblins turned to flee, but Little Drill Wind chased them down and finished them cleanly, one stroke apiece.

The third wave was wiped out.

Su Mu reached level 3.

Just then, the notification for the fourth wave appeared.

The rift shook violently, and twenty figures filed out.

Su Mu took a look: twenty monsters, level 4.

Twelve were goblin warriors carrying short spears. The other eight held slings and were sturdier than the previous throwers, and their stones struck harder too.

It was a mixed wave.

A mixed wave in the truest sense... melee and ranged fighters working together.

The twelve melee monsters were responsible for tying down the target, while the eight ranged monsters kept up a steady attack from the rear.

This kind of formation was the most troublesome for a lone creature card.

In an ordinary student's dungeon, facing a mixed wave like this would require at least one trap card or terrain card to divide the battlefield.

Otherwise, the concentrated fire of twenty level 4 monsters would be enough to give an ordinary D-rank creature card a very hard time.

But Little Drill Wind gave them no chance to concentrate their fire.

He charged into the melee group so quickly that the front line had already been torn open before the ranged goblins could spin their slings up to full speed.

Wherever his short saber passed, severed limbs flew, and gray-green blood fell like rain.

The eight throwers panicked. Some of them flung their stones without regard for the allies still in front of them.

The stones struck their own companions with the dull crack of breaking bones, accidentally leaving two melee monsters badly injured.

Taking advantage of the chaos among the monsters, Little Drill Wind slipped through the pile of corpses and reached the throwers in an instant.

Once a ranged monster was caught at close quarters, it was a lamb waiting for slaughter.

All eight throwers fell within five seconds.

The few remaining melee goblins saw that things were going badly and tried to flee back into the rift, but Little Drill Wind chased them down and killed them one by one.

The fourth wave was wiped out.

Su Mu reached level 4, and his Soul Power rose to 30 points. Little Drill Wind also reached level 4, and his HP and attack rose across the board once more.