The power nearly doubled in an instant, and the surge of strength brought immense confidence. Su Li felt an unprecedented sense of self-assurance, with a strong urge to take on a formidable monster. Every muscle in his body seemed to itch, accompanied by a strange restlessness that could only be relieved by a fierce battle.
Ding Longyun was startled. "Still throwing corpses?"
The advanced corpse beast that could shoot fangs from its mouth had just given him a hard time, leaving him shaken. Fortunately, after absorbing a spirit source, he pulled out the fangs embedded in him, and the wounds were healing, no longer a serious issue.
Standing at the edge of the rooftop, Gong Xiao slowly stepped back, clearing a space. She planned to let all the sea spiders climb onto the roof before launching her attack. Level-three sea spiders weren't too powerful, making them ideal prey for her.
These sea spiders scaled the building's outer walls with remarkable speed, and more and more of them emerged from the water below. Soon, the first sea spider reached the rooftop. Gong Xiao let out a sharp shout, gripping her baseball bat, and charged forward first.
Though a woman, she was brave. Her desire to grow stronger was no less than Su Li's—perhaps even greater. She refused to fall behind, striving to be first in everything she did.
A basin-sized sea spider leaped, aiming for Gong Xiao's face. She swung her baseball bat, hitting the airborne spider squarely. She noticed that on land, the sea spider was less agile than in water, making it easier to handle.
The basin-sized sea spider burst apart, its fluids splattering everywhere.
"Level 3 Spirit Source User: Spirit Source 10/30"
A spirit source flew into her forehead and vanished, accompanied by a message in Gong Xiao's mind.
"Twenty more to go," Gong Xiao murmured, biting her cherry-red lips. Three sea spiders had already climbed onto the roof ahead, and she charged toward one of them.
Ding Longyun followed closely, eager to seize the chance to kill level-three sea spiders and gain a spirit source himself.
"Xuehui, these sea spiders aren't strong. On land, they lose even their one advantage—agility. Don't be afraid. Stay calm, and you can handle them. Just watch out for their bites," Su Li encouraged Xu Xuehui to take on the sea spiders.
Meanwhile, he gripped his cleaver, striding toward the spiders, hoping for more to appear—or even stronger monsters—so he could test the limits of his current strength.
Xu Xuehui softly acknowledged him, clutching her iron hammer as she slowly followed. She was both curious and wary of these black-and-white striped sea spiders.
A swarm of sea spiders emerged, with seven or eight quickly climbing up, followed by even more ascending the building. Gong Xiao moved swiftly and decisively, killing several in succession as messages in her mind alerted her to new spirit sources.
"Level 3 Spirit Source User: Spirit Source 13/30"
"Seventeen more to go," she calculated silently, bringing her baseball bat down to kill another sea spider.
In that short time, Ding Longyun also killed two sea spiders, gaining two spirit sources. However, as a level-four spirit source user, he now needed fifty spirit sources to level up—twenty more than before—making his next evolution no easy feat.
Su Li moved at a steady pace, casually swinging his cleaver to kill two sea spiders with ease. The two muscle enhancements had dramatically boosted his strength, nearly doubling his power while also improving his speed and reflexes. To him, the sea spiders now seemed utterly feeble, their movements almost like slow motion when he focused.
By the time they had killed the seven or eight sea spiders that climbed up, a dense, dark mass of them surged forward in alarming numbers. Gong Xiao and Ding Longyun began to feel the pressure, and even Xu Xuehui, who had been trailing behind, faced attacks and had to fight back.
The swarm of sea spiders surrounded them on the rooftop, finally giving Su Li a reason to pick up the pace. He swung his cleaver horizontally, and with his strength and speed, two sea spiders were sent flying, sliced in half. He then dashed to Xu Xuehui's side.
Xu Xuehui performed well, successfully killing one sea spider. As a level-two spirit source user, she gained two spirit sources for killing a level-three one. Still, this was her first time in such chaos. Though she killed one, another sea spider lunged at her calf, ready to bite.
These sea spiders were venomous; a bite could paralyze the nerves. Fortunately, Su Li had been keeping an eye on her. He rushed over and kicked the sea spider, his casual blow carrying terrifying force, instantly crushing it.
Gong Xiao and Ding Longyun fought with all their might, desperately battling the sea spiders before them. Despite the immense pressure, Gong Xiao's delicate forehead was slick with sweat, but her pretty face flushed slightly, and her phoenix eyes gleamed with excitement. The pressure was intense, but the spirit sources came fast.
In no time, she was only twelve spirit sources away from leveling up. Ding Longyun had harvested three more, leaving him forty-one short of his next breakthrough. Su Li, however, needed far more—forty-five spirit sources to advance.
Still, he was gradually closing the gap with Ding Longyun, the distance between them shrinking steadily.
Su Li moved like a galloping horse, circling the other three, forming a protective ring. If anyone was in danger, he rushed to their aid, though most of his attention stayed on Xu Xuehui. Her performance tonight pleasantly surprised him. The girl, who had started out knowing almost nothing, had already killed three sea spiders with her iron hammer.
He noticed that every swing of hers hit its mark without fail. One strike even seemed to anticipate the sea spider's attack trajectory, as if the creature had deliberately thrown itself onto her hammer to die. Su Li's heart stirred at the sight.
"Could it be related to her eyes? Can she predict an opponent's attack trajectory? If so, that eye enhancement is terrifying. Too bad I haven't gotten any eye-related enhancements despite all my attempts—otherwise, I'd try enhancing them once."
Su Li couldn't help but feel tempted, but none of his previous enhancements had involved the eyes.