C27 Under the Fateful Encounter

Lin Yuan cinched his pack tighter and pressed on. The once hazy figure sharpened into focus as he drew nearer.

Upon discerning the figure's features, Lin Yuan hoisted his ax-edged spear without hesitation. This was no friendly face, but rather one of the original inhabitants of the Demonic Star—a world merged with Earth—and not just any inhabitant, but a perilously dangerous Dark Wizard!

"Damn, too far to use my skills!" he cursed under his breath.

Realizing his Charge ability was out of reach, Lin Yuan dashed toward the Dark Wizard without a second thought. Engaging a summoner at range was a surefire way to get thrashed!

The Dark Wizard, previously stooped in search, caught sight of Lin Yuan charging and swiftly brandished their staff. Moments later, a fiery orb plummeted from the heavens, targeting the sprinting Lin Yuan.

His scalp tingling, Lin Yuan leaped forward instinctively. The fireball crashed to the earth with a thunderous roar, trailing dense smoke.

"Boom!"

The blast of heat sent Lin Yuan tumbling head over heels, but he quickly regained his footing and bolted toward the Dark Wizard once more.

Closing the gap was crucial; in a melee versus ranged fight, distance meant death.

"Boom!"

Another fireball grazed Lin Yuan's shoulder, the explosion launching him into the air.

"Ah!"

He plummeted back to earth, his head plunging into the soft soil. With a grunt, he yanked himself free, a smirk playing on his lips—his skill was ready.

Charge!

Lin Yuan blurred into motion, closing the distance in an instant. His ax-edged spear thrust straight into the Dark Wizard's chest.

The Dark Wizard's red and black robe fluttered to the ground, the figure inside vanished.

A decoy?

A sudden chill at his nape, Lin Yuan whirled around, his spear arcing in a deadly semicircle behind him.

With a resounding crack, the stones on the ground split in two. The Dark Wizard vanished from his spot, only to reappear amidst the withered grass ten meters away.

Lin Yuan charged after him without a second thought, resolute in not allowing the Dark Wizard a moment to cast his spells.

"Clang!"

The sharp blade of his ax-edged spear sliced through the air, severing the Dark Wizard's staff in two. Lin Yuan felt a surge of triumph; without his staff, the Dark Wizard's combat abilities were halved!

"Die!"

With a battle cry, Lin Yuan swung his weapon, aiming a vicious blow at the Dark Wizard's head.

The Dark Wizard ducked just in time, the blade whistling over him, cleaving his black and red headgear and shearing off strands of his golden ponytail. What was revealed was a face of such exquisite beauty that Lin Yuan was taken aback.

"An elf?!"

Stunned, Lin Yuan froze. The natives of the Demonic Star looked almost identical to humans, save for their distinctive purple eyes. Having traded with them in the neutral zone in his past life, Lin Yuan was well-acquainted with their features.

Yet, the being before him was certainly no native. With golden hair, pale skin, green eyes, and a slender, graceful figure, topped with those signature long ears, he was the spitting image of the elves from Earth's legends.

But how? In his previous life, Lin Yuan had neither seen nor heard of any elven race.

As Lin Yuan stood lost in thought, the elf sprang up and vanished with a series of swift movements.

It took a moment for Lin Yuan to regain his composure after the elf had disappeared. He vigorously rubbed his head, his thoughts a jumbled mess. How could this world, post-reincarnation, be so different from his previous life?

Bending down, he picked up the red and black striped wizard's robe from the ground, and a delicate floral scent filled the air.

The image of that delicate face made Lin Yuan's heart skip a beat.

He gave himself a firm slap on the chest.

"Get a grip, man!"

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the robe aside. Lin Yuan huffed, reminding himself that in these tumultuous times, a true man should be relentless in his pursuit of greatness, not lost in fanciful distractions.

Lin Yuan strode away, his pack secured tightly.

Yet, as he passed a long robe, his ax-edged spear inexplicably snagged it, hooking the garment back with him.

Holding the robe, Lin Yuan bared his teeth in a self-deprecating grin. I'm not up to anything; it's just that the fabric is decent, and I thought it might make a good rag.

He scratched his head, surveying the sparse vegetation ahead, then pivoted and continued along the mountain's base.

The view opened up, allowing him to see far into the distance. It seemed devoid of life, so sticking to the mountain's base felt like the right move.

Before long, the gloomy forest loomed again, and Lin Yuan marched into its depths.

He had barely covered three or four hundred meters when rustling noises surrounded him, signaling the presence of numerous creatures.

Lin Yuan's smile widened. The more, the merrier. It looked like reaching the Fourth Rank of Bronze was within reach!

"Bark! Bark! Bark!"

A horde of shapes burst from behind the trees, their onslaught so sudden that even the prepared Lin Yuan jumped.

Focusing, he realized it was a pack of kobolds wielding short-hilted broadswords, howling as they swarmed him. There were easily twenty to thirty in sight.

Planting his feet firmly, Lin Yuan clutched the tail of his ax-edged spear and swung with all his might!

"To victory!"

With a battle cry, his strength surged, spinning him in place. The nearly three-meter-long spear whirled into a deadly circle, limbs and blood scattering in an instant, leaving no creature stirring within its arc.

The kobolds howled mournfully as they turned tail and fled. True to their nature, they were fierce in the face of advantage but quick to scatter at the first sign of defeat.

Despite their numbers and prolific breeding, they had never managed to establish their own city-state in his past life.

"Cough, cough, ha-ha, cough!"

Lin Yuan coughed and chuckled simultaneously, realizing he had exerted too much force earlier, causing his lungs to feel slightly congested.

To advance from the Third to the Fourth Bronze Rank, he needed to slay at least forty Kobolds. Yet, in one fell swoop, he had dispatched nearly ten— the Fourth Rank of Bronze seemed within reach.

"Devour has increased basic attributes: 1 point."

Another point in basic attributes. Lin Yuan stroked his chin thoughtfully. It occurred to him that the recent boosts to his basic attributes had all come from his first kills of various creatures. Was it possible that his Devour Talent could only extract a single point of basic attributes from each species?

This thought furrowed Lin Yuan's brow deeply. Despite the new world's plethora of species, they paled in comparison to the sheer number of individual monsters.

If that were true, the Devour Talent's usefulness would be significantly undermined.

The more he dwelled on it, the more doubts crept into his mind. Shaking off his concerns, Lin Yuan collected two of the better-conditioned short-hilted broadswords from the ground, stowed them away, and set off in pursuit of the Kobolds.

With their vast numbers, the Kobolds would serve perfectly for his experiment.

Navigating through the thick jungle, Lin Yuan couldn't help but be impressed by the Kobolds' lack of strategy, leaving a clear trail of toppled saplings in their wake. They seemed almost eager to be annihilated.