Chapter 3: A One-Man Team, Leveling Up Madly!
Just as everyone was waiting for Lu Han to erupt in anger, he suddenly broke into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
“Young and reckless, aren’t you!”
“But arrogance requires substance to back it up. You’re just a Life Shaman. Saying such things only makes you a laughingstock!”
After his laughter, a glint of chilling coldness flashed in Lu Han’s eyes.
At that moment—
“Exactly!”
“Wang Chen, are you out of your mind? All you do is talk big. Lord Lu Han was just offering you advice—helping you see reality! ‘No future’—are you trying to make everyone here die of laughter? With your trash profession, what future could you possibly have?”
“Let’s not even mention anything else—just your leveling speed alone. You can’t even compare to me, a main battle class, and you still dare to talk about having a future like Lu Shiyu?”
Seeing Lu Han, the big shot, vent his anger on Wang Chen, Cai Kun jumped out immediately, sneering as he looked at Wang Chen.
Upon hearing this—
“This junior has reminded me of something!”
“Tomorrow is your leveling day, isn’t it? Do you dare compete with this junior who has awakened the Blood Warlock profession, to see whose leveling speed is faster?”
Lu Han’s eyes flickered with cold as he once again put on a faint smile.
“Lord Lu Han, my name is Cai Kun. My father is Cai Bi, the Alchemist!”
Hearing himself mentioned, Cai Kun felt a surge of pride. He first smiled and introduced himself to Lu Han, then, in order to show off, deliberately addressed Wang Chen:
“Wang Chen!”
“Do you dare compete with me?”
“If I lose tomorrow, I’ll give you two pieces of bronze equipment. If you lose, you’ll kneel and call me ‘father’ ten times—how about that?”
“Do you dare accept?”
Cai Kun’s gaze brimmed with arrogance.
In his mind, as a main battle class, even if he slacked off during the leveling day, he’d still level up faster than Wang Chen.
But Wang Chen, upon hearing this, felt a flash of delight.
Two pieces of equipment as a gift?
Could there really be such a good thing?
You had to know—
In this world, equipment was expensive. Even bronze-grade cost at least hundreds of thousands of Dragon Coins each.
He’d seen people delivering food, but never someone delivering warmth.
“Why wouldn’t I dare?”
“I accept!”
Wang Chen nodded in agreement.
“Heh!”
“Since I’m arranging this wager, I’ll add a bet as well. If you win, I’ll give you a unique skill book and an additional piece of equipment up to gold-grade that you can use!”
“But if you lose, you’ll leave Luzhou City and never return!”
At this moment, seeing Wang Chen fall into the trap, Lu Han nodded and smiled.
“Agreed. It’s a deal!”
Faced with Lu Han’s terms, Wang Chen nodded without hesitation.
How could he refuse benefits delivered straight to his door?
Northern outskirts of Luzhou.
Within a slum.
After making the wager—
Wang Chen returned home.
His room lay at the center of the shantytown, barely twenty square meters, furnished with nothing but a bed, a small stove, and a bookshelf.
It could hardly be called a home.
Ever since leaving the orphanage, he’d lived here. Though it was cramped and shabby, it was Wang Chen’s only place of refuge.
“Peel a coconut, and he gives you a pear…”
Wang Chen’s phone rang.
On the screen: Long Wushuang.
Long Wushuang was Wang Chen’s childhood friend and sworn brother, from a wealthy family—a second-generation rich kid. But after middle school, he’d been admitted to Luzhou No. 2 High!
“Chen!”
“I succeeded in my awakening—a rare main battle class, the Swift Archer!”
“I already heard about your awakening. I can’t believe you ended up as a Life Shaman. With your talent, I thought you’d at least get a legendary profession!”
“But it doesn’t matter. With your ability, even as a support, you’ll reach god-tier!”
Long Wushuang’s voice came through the phone.
“You sure have confidence in me!” Wang Chen laughed.
“Nonsense! You’re my brother. Even if you were a life profession, I’d throw money at you until you made it to god-tier!”
“By the way, I wanted to buy you a class-change potion at the auction recently, but someone snatched it first!”
“Never mind, enough small talk. I sent you a gift—it should arrive soon. Keep an eye out and sign for it. I’m hanging up now!”
Before Wang Chen could refuse, Long Wushuang hung up.
Wang Chen knew—
Long Wushuang didn’t say much precisely because he was afraid Wang Chen would decline.
“Hello, delivery for you!”
A knock sounded at the door.
“So fast? Coming!”
Wang Chen helplessly signed for the package.
Opening the box, he found a staff and a set of mana potions inside.
The staff looked utterly ordinary.
If not for the emerald gemstone at its tip, it would resemble nothing more than a tree branch.
Wang Chen gazed at the staff.
[Name: Gale of the Forest]
[Grade: Bronze (Upgradeable) (0/100)]
[Attributes: Spirit +10, Constitution +5, Agility +2]
[Skill: Power of Swiftness (Area skill, increases target’s speed by 10%, duration 5 minutes!)]
[This staff, imbued with Nature’s Power, can gain experience by slaying beasts while equipped. At maximum, it can be upgraded to diamond-grade, and its skill effect can reach 50%!]
“A growth-type staff!”
Growth equipment was priceless, even more valuable than class-enhancing potions.
Wang Chen had seen online reviews from content creators.
A weapon that could reach diamond-grade was worth at least tens of millions.
“Wushuang really went all out this time!”
Wang Chen felt a surge of emotion.
Even though Long Wushuang was the son of a wealthy family, his daily allowance wasn’t much. Who knew how long he’d saved for this staff?
“System!”
“Reverse the staff’s effect!”
Wang Chen had already noticed—
This staff seemed made especially for the Life Shaman class.
[Reverse effect activated. Please check!]
[Special Note: When reversing equipment or items, only effects and skill properties are reversed. Grade and base attributes are not affected. Please be aware.]
As soon as the system finished speaking, Wang Chen hurriedly checked the staff’s panel.
[Name: Gale of the Forest]
[Grade: Bronze (Upgradeable) (0/100)]
[Attributes: Spirit +10, Constitution +5, Agility +2]
[Skill: Power of Swiftness (Area skill, reduces target’s speed by 10%, duration 5 minutes!)]
[This staff, imbued with Nature’s Power, can gain experience by slaying beasts while equipped. At maximum, it can be upgraded to diamond-grade, and its skill effect can reach 50%!]
Wang Chen noticed the skill description had changed—
It now reduced target speed by 10%.
Seeing the effect, Wang Chen’s heart skipped a beat.
Ten percent didn’t seem much, but for melee classes who relied on speed, even a one-attack delay in battle could cost them their lives.
Not to mention, this staff could grow.
Up to fifty percent.
“This staff is practically a team-control artifact!”
A smile curled Wang Chen’s lips.
He could scarcely wait for tomorrow to come.
With anticipation, Wang Chen drifted into a deep sleep.
---
Dawn broke, and morning came swiftly.
The next day arrived.
After a bit of tidying up, Wang Chen headed to the school gate for assembly.
On the bus bound for the leveling realm, Wang Chen watched Cai Kun coldly.
Though she was the only legendary profession in the class, Lu Shiyu never involved herself in class affairs.
Thus, the position of captain naturally fell to Cai Kun.
“So, who’s teaming up with Wang Chen?”
Cai Kun scanned the group with a smile, but no one replied.
Normally, newly awakened professionals had to form teams to level up in the secret realm.
But after Wang Chen had offended Lu Han the day before, everyone knew about it.
Now, almost nobody was willing to team up with Wang Chen.
Lu Shiyu glanced at Wang Chen, her lips moving as if to speak, but recalling her father and brother’s warnings the previous day, she remained silent.
“Oh dear!”
“Seems no one wants to team up with our future god-tier support!”
“Some people are destined to kneel and call me father!”
Cai Kun sneered at Wang Chen.
“No matter.”
“I can level just fine on my own!”
Wang Chen smirked coldly at Cai Kun.
With his current profession’s strength rivalling a hidden class, soloing was no problem.
“Hahaha!”
“You said it yourself, Wang Chen! Be careful not to get instantly killed by monsters, or I’ll miss out on a great laugh!”
The bus stopped.
They’d arrived at the entrance to the secret realm.
With a laugh, Cai Kun entered the teleportation portal.
Lu Shiyu looked at Wang Chen, sighed softly, and stepped inside as well.
Wang Chen was the last from Class Six to enter.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself deep within a forest.
[Ding!]
[First Battle Mission issued!]
[During the mission, each beast slain grants a lottery draw. Time limit: one hour!]
[Timer starts!]
Wang Chen had just drawn out his staff when the system’s voice sounded in his ear.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The next instant, before Wang Chen could react, several white threads shot toward him. He dodged nimbly aside.
Turning, he saw not far away—
A massive blood-red spider perched on a branch, all six eyes glaring at him.
[Blood Spider, lv5!]
[HP: 250!]
Wang Chen focused, and the beast’s information appeared before him.
“Perfect—a test subject!”
“Life’s Benediction!”
Wang Chen raised his hand, and a crimson glow flashed above his staff.
Instantly, a chain radiating dark red death energy shot toward the blood spider.
The death chain leapt from spider to spider.
Bang!
In less than a second, the blood spider exploded into a crimson puddle.
[Blood Spider slain. Gained 100 experience!]
[Congratulations! Level up to lv1. All attributes increased by 10!]
A glow swept over Wang Chen.
“Leveled up!”
“The reversed Death Chain actually one-shotted a level 5 monster!”
“Keep going!”
Wang Chen’s confidence soared as he ventured deeper into the woods.
---
An hour later.
“Life’s Benediction!”
Under Wang Chen’s command, a surging dark red death chain pierced one Thorn Boar, then, snakelike, bound another.
One after another.
A whole nest of more than a dozen Thorn Boars was soon entangled by the chain.
“Lightning Barrier!”
Before the boars could even wail, Wang Chen launched three lightning orbs into the herd.
[Thorn Boar slain. Gained 30 experience!]
…
[Thorn Boar slain. Gained 30 experience!]
As the boars fell, a flood of experience surged into Wang Chen.
[Congratulations! Level up to lv3. All attributes increased by 40!]
Though these Thorn Boars were only level 3, Wang Chen spared none.
After all, the system mission promised a lottery draw for every beast killed.
“Leveling up is effortless!”
“My lottery draws are up to fifteen now. Time to press on!”
Just as Wang Chen prepared to move forward—
Suddenly—
A thunderous rumbling shook the ground beneath his feet.
The earth split open, black soil erupting everywhere.
The trees around Wang Chen toppled as if pushed by some immense force.
A bizarre roar echoed from beneath the earth, and then, a colossal creature burst out not far away.
It was as large as two buses, resembling a giant maggot.
But its mouth, full of razor-sharp mandibles, made it clear this was no ordinary beast.
Wang Chen focused on the monster before him.
[Toxic Worm, lv10!]
[HP: 1500]
The next instant, Wang Chen’s face fell.
“Level 10?”
“A bronze-tier overlord-class beast? Heaven help me—my luck is truly rotten!”