DRIP, DRIP...

Fresh blood streamed down, dripping onto the ground. It was quickly corroded by the toxins in the spores, sending up wisps of white smoke.

"Jigu~"

Egg Pancake was both furious and in pain. His facial features scrunched up as he forced himself to endure the agony and retract his tongue back into his mouth.

The mushroom-headed creature across from him wasn’t about to wait for him to recover. It wobbled on its thick, pale stalk and quickly hopped toward Egg Pancake.

As it hopped, it once again threw open its giant maw, trying to swallow Egg Pancake whole.

A massive cloud of purple spores billowed from its purple cap, surging forward along with it.

"Ji!"

Blood dripped from Egg Pancake’s mouth as mud flowed over his body. He leaped from side to side, his expression focused as he dodged the mushroom creature’s attacks.

For the past three days, Han Ning had made a point of having Yin Yi spar with him daily. These simulated battles helped him improve his control over his body, so Han Ning hadn’t been in a rush to add his Attribute Points.

Combined with a daily diet of various canned meats and fresh Soul Beast flesh, he had quickly adapted to his rapidly growing body.

But now, Han Ning had maxed out his Attribute Points again. The sudden increase in physical strength had once more made it difficult for him to adjust.

BANG!

Egg Pancake burst out of the spore mist and swiped with his claws. The sharp tips clashed violently against the mushroom creature’s dense teeth, producing a jarring, scraping sound.

The creature’s fine, sharp teeth cleanly bit through the mud Egg Pancake had gathered. Without losing momentum, they clamped down on the back of his paw, tearing off a large chunk of flesh.

"Ji!"

The torn muscle made Egg Pancake bare his teeth in pain. New flesh began to grow rapidly at the wound, stopping the bleeding in the blink of an eye.

’It seems an Entry Level III opponent is a bit difficult for Egg Pancake, but not so much that he’d be instantly killed. This is perfect...’ Han Ning nodded to himself. Seeing Egg Pancake accumulate more and more injuries, he immediately offered encouragement. "Go on, hang in there! When we get back, I’ll give you your favorite canned meat and let you watch the best cartoons."

Finally, he added one last instruction, "Focus on the Power flowing through your body."

"Jiii..."

Hearing Han Ning’s encouragement, Egg Pancake flexed his arm muscles and pried open the mushroom creature’s giant, tooth-filled maw. Then he opened his own mouth and spat several thick mud balls right into it. PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!

As the mushroom creature chomped down on the hardened mud, Egg Pancake seized the opportunity to retract his paws. He spread his forelimbs and wrapped them tightly around the creature’s head in a hug, pinning its mouth shut.

A constant stream of viscous mud rolled off Egg Pancake’s body and onto the mushroom creature.

The mushroom creature felt its body growing heavier, but it didn’t surrender. The purple cap on its head pulsed, shrinking and expanding.

With a HISS, four streams of arrow-like purple droplets bizarrely shot out from under its cap, spinning rapidly like a pinwheel.

The high-speed pinwheel of venom acted like a high-frequency cutter, striking Egg Pancake’s thick skin and creating a harsh grinding sound.

Sporadic spatters of blood flew out every so often.

The spinning venom accelerated, gradually carving deep wounds into Egg Pancake’s earthy-yellow muscles.

Droplets of venom seeped into Egg Pancake’s wounds.

"JIJI!!"

Egg Pancake cried out in pain and squeezed his arms with all his might, trying to crush the mushroom creature’s head with sheer force.

But how could an Entry Level III mushroom creature be so easily defeated by a lower-level opponent?

Gradually, the spewing venom carved deep gashes into Egg Pancake’s strong body, revealing mangled flesh and drawing purulent blood.

Before the blood could even drip to the ground, it touched the ubiquitous poisonous spores in the air, causing white smoke to rise with a SIZZLE.

And so, thanks to his healing ability, the blood in Egg Pancake’s body seemed to flow out endlessly, washing away...

Han Ning watched this scene nervously. If anything went wrong with Egg Pancake, he would unhesitatingly notify Luo Chen and have him blast the mushroom creature to bits on the spot.

Finally, ten seconds later.

"JI!!"

Egg Pancake, who had already closed his eyes as his strength waned, suddenly let out an agonized roar.

His body became suffused with a layer of murky yellow light.

Bathed in the yellow light, Egg Pancake’s body slowly grew by a few centimeters. Earth Element particles drilled into the venom-corroded flesh, preventing the toxins from penetrating deeper.

The wounds previously carved by the venom immediately stopped bleeding.

His originally earthy-yellow skin darkened slightly, its hue subtly changing to resemble the color of Basalt.

[

Race: Swamp Guardian

Gender: Male

Talent: F

Level: Entry Level III (0/300)

Talent: None

Acquired Soul Techniques: Wandering Tongue Entanglement II (121/200), Mud Missile III (156/200)

Power: 10.3

Body: 13.5

Agility: 10.2

Spiritual Energy: 1.80

Elemental Affinity (Earth): 0.97

]

TCHH TCHH TCHH~

The Venom Cutting his body could now only scrape the surface of his skin.

Egg Pancake had only just broken through. Facing the rapidly spinning venom, his body was covered in countless tiny, dense scratches.

Although he had just broken through, his panel Attributes hadn’t increased by much.

But compared to his pathetic state at Entry Level II, his body could now gather mud much faster after breaking through, and he could withstand the venom’s corrosive cutting.

"Jiwu~"

Egg Pancake felt the Power surging within him and forcefully flexed his forelimb muscles.

A faint yellow halo flashed across them.

"Jiha!"

Then, with a low roar, he twisted his arms with all his might.

"Gu!"

The mushroom creature’s head twisted at a bizarre angle, and the continuous spray of venom instantly vanished.

"Gu... gu..."

With its head lolling to the side, the mushroom creature thrashed its white body, still trying to escape Egg Pancake’s "embrace."

’Egg Pancake may be tough and resilient, but he lacks a high-damage Soul Technique. I’m not saying it needs to be comparable to Yin Yi’s Emerald Flower Thorns, but it should at least have some decent destructive power...’

Han Ning frowned as he watched Egg Pancake continue to wrestle with the mushroom creature. Suddenly, he felt that the Soldier Ants’ Soul Technique of turning their bodies into fireballs would be a good fit for him.

The Flame produced by the Soldier Ants was different from ordinary fire. Perhaps because the Fire Element was more concentrated, it contained immense burning and explosive power.

’Add Egg Pancake’s Earth Element to that... Earth + Fire becomes lava. That would be a great combination...’

’Metal is another option, but it lacks the same chemical reaction.’

While these thoughts were turning over in Han Ning’s mind, Egg Pancake had finally, with great difficulty, killed the mushroom creature.

Being able to defeat an opponent of the same level right after breaking through to Entry Level III proved that the past few days of training had been effective.

"Jihu~"

Egg Pancake threw the mushroom creature onto the ground and pounded it a few times, ripping its cap right off. Only after confirming it was dead did he let out a sigh of relief and begin to pant heavily.

He hadn’t been doing much strenuous exercise, but Han Ning understood that a huge amount of his Physical Strength had been used to repair his wounds and resist the invading toxins, which was why he looked so exhausted.

"Egg Pancake, you did great. Come on back."

A smile appeared on Han Ning’s face as he waved to Egg Pancake.

"Ji!"

Egg Pancake blinked his big, bright eyes, then hoisted his spoils of war onto his shoulder and happily scampered back.

——————

Egg Pancake will get stronger, he’s just building his foundation right now! Don’t worry, my dear readers!