Chapter Forty-Two

The little tiger’s main issue lay in its stamina. If it possessed endurance-enhancing or rapid recovery skills, this problem could be resolved. At its core, the true problem was the little tiger’s low level; a King-class Golden White Tiger could battle a Calamity-class Frost Winged Dragon for months on end until victory was decided, but the little tiger simply lacked the energy reserves due to its low rank. If it were fully grown, it wouldn’t be drained within seconds, and at King-class, it could maintain chained skill states as its normal fighting style.

Leveling up was the fastest solution. As long as it reached the mature stage, Cheng Yuan believed he could easily handle this dungeon. The speed of this aggressive leveling was impressive: with each encounter, throat-locking or other bite attacks as primary skills gained a level almost every time, as if these killing skills were meant to be trained this way.

In two weeks, the little tiger had reached level thirteen. Three skills—Pounce, Storm Fang, and Iron Teeth—were maxed out. Throat Locking was slower, as it was used for control, but since the tiger used it for attack, it only reached level four. Unfortunately, Storm Fang had a locked cap, requiring level thirty-six to unlock. With Pounce and Iron Teeth maxed, two new talents appeared: Combat Instinct I, which passively adapts to and counters enemy attack patterns as the fight drags on.

This talent was powerful—a clear Berserker configuration. For Iron Teeth, the gold element had reshaped its teeth, increasing hardness by ten percent, though it warned against drooling for too long, as rust might occur.

Aside from Iron Teeth being somewhat abstract, the talent from Pounce was genuinely valuable. Two new skills arrived: Lethal Strike and Giant Steel Fang. At level thirteen, another skill appeared: Thick Fur.

This Thick Fur was a purely passive skill, but it offered many branching upgrade paths, and each type of monster might unlock a different route. Upgrading was both easy and troublesome: brushing or licking fur.

Cheng Yuan could help, or let the little tiger occupy itself by grooming. The Savage Marsh Lizard, after two weeks of dueling with the Frost Feathered Chicken, saw its other skills progress slowly, but its High-speed Water Jet maxed out, unlocking a new skill: Water Cannon. Its original water sac transformed into a large reservoir, able to store vast amounts of water and even extract water from its own blood for combat.

This talent was formidable; in a desperate fight, it could risk its life, betting on whether it could defeat the enemy before succumbing to blood loss and shock. The good news was, the Savage Marsh Lizard could now solo the Frost Feathered Chicken just like the little tiger. The bad news: its water element growth had created a nuclear-mage with only one shot.

One blast from the Savage Marsh Lizard’s Water Cannon could kill the airborne, arrow-flinging Frost Feathered Chicken, but it emptied its water reserves, and forcing another shot with the large reservoir talent would result in immediate shock.

Combined with its species’ adaptability, the lizard showed rapid growth in a suitable environment, leveling up three times to reach level twelve—evolution was almost within reach.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yuan was on the phone. “Ah Yuan, come back for a duel—this time I’ll definitely win!” Cheng Yuan laughed and replied, “No, let’s talk next month.” On the other end, Wang Ningning pouted; recently, she’d obtained a treasure, and her two turtles had advanced rapidly. She was eager to test her strength and hoped to defeat Cheng Yuan to avenge her earlier loss.

Since Cheng Yuan wasn’t strong enough, she’d try against other mature monsters instead. After a brief chat, Wang Ningning hung up, gazing at a flat, dark red, jade-like scale in her hand. She lifted it under the lamp, watching the strange patterns flow across it. “Reverse Scale of a Flood Dragon? But it doesn’t look like one…”

Cheng Yuan set out for the dungeon. This time, he brought no monsters; he left the two little ones outside to train their skills. He expected the dungeon to last several weeks. Without his simulated dungeon, the little tiger’s tasks were to focus on Golden Armor and Thick Fur—both defensive skills. The Savage Marsh Lizard would do the same, practicing Water Shield.

Two weeks immersed in the dungeon, Cheng Yuan did not simply slaughter; instead, he immersed himself in the storyline. First, the Five Beasts would not attack humans directly. In other words, as long as he didn’t bring the little tiger or the Savage Marsh Lizard, Cheng Yuan could safely walk into the mountain village.

Secondly, the villagers harbored deep fear toward the little tiger—or rather, toward tigers in general. Cheng Yuan suspected this had something to do with the Mountain Lord. Moreover, anyone who could write was automatically regarded as a scholar in the village.

Cheng Yuan headed toward the Iron-horned Black Water Buffalo’s territory. As he entered, a massive black bull, two meters at the shoulder, swung its tail and approached him. Cheng Yuan showed no fear, reaching out to stroke the bull’s mighty horns. “Big Black Kid.” The bull immediately stepped forward and nuzzled him; clearly, knowing its name meant he was from the village.

Climbing onto the bull’s back, Cheng Yuan found the animal perfectly comfortable. “Take me to the village.” Minutes later, under the villagers’ astonished gazes, Cheng Yuan dismounted expertly. Among a crowd of sun-darkened farmers, his wheat-colored skin marked him as different.

The old village chief stepped out from the crowd, nervous, and asked, “Sir, may I ask where you’re from?” “A traveler from afar, Chief. I’d like to stay here for a while. How about this little item?” With that, he tossed a music box in front of the chief.

The old man immediately squatted to pick it up. Upon opening it, a beautiful melody played, sounding to his ears like celestial music. Cheng Yuan felt nothing special—the pure music didn’t interest him, and he’d bought the music box for fifty yuan.

Cheng Yuan’s calm voice explained, “There’s a central spring—wind it, and it’ll play. Of course, you can close the box and replay the tune.” The old chief exclaimed in delight, “Thank you, sir traveler!”

Cheng Yuan was not surprised by this address. Over the past two weeks, he’d repeatedly refreshed the dungeon and explored its story, discovering that the mountain village was extremely isolated. Anyone dressed a bit better was automatically assumed to have a higher social status than everyone there. At first, Cheng Yuan tried to interact as an ordinary person, but it was impossible; just by walking in, he was treated as a gentleman, and there was no hiding it.

He soon secured a decent temporary residence in the village and began his routine of wellness and conversation.

Three days later, a villager chatted with another. “Brother, what do you think that strange traveler does? He’s so young, but every day he just sits by the window, watches the sky, drinks tea—so lazy.”

The other replied, “That’s how the rich live—no worries about food or clothing. Look at his skin, so different from ours; even the old chief isn’t as fair.”