"That guy's nuts! Does he take the Rampaging Pool Salamander for an Iron Fire Ant?"
"The Iron Fire Ant is just a First-Grade Magical Beast, and it was already on the brink of death from our attacks. That's how he had gotten lucky. But a Rampaging Pool Salamander's different. That beast is still fine and dandy…"
Upon seeing Meng Lei riding on top of the Rampaging Pool Salamander and stabbing wildly and mindlessly at it, Alison and the other three men frowned after getting over their momentary shock!
The Rampaging Pool Salamander was a Second-Grade Magical Beast, and moreover, it was still healthy and intact!
Under such circumstances, Meng Lei was actually harboring delusions that he could kill the Rampaging Pool Salamander when he was just a little brat that hadn't even grown up?
What a joke!
And in truth, it was just as they had expected!
Despite Meng Lei giving it all he got, he still couldn't cut through the Rampaging Pool Salamander's spine. Not only was the beast's armor as tough as iron, but its bones were also as solid as diamonds. How could it possibly be cut off that easily!
On the contrary, the intense pain coming from its back assaulted the Rampaging Pool Salamander's senses, causing the Second-Grade Magical Beast with a bit of Water-Elemental Colossal Dragon blood in it to go berserk. It let out roar after roar and shook its body madly, as though a wild horse that had escaped its reins, and attempted to fling away Meng Lei, who was clinging onto its back!
Meng Lei could sense its strength. He knew that he would definitely be flung out if this went on. He was close to his limit now!
I can only go all out now!
Meng Lei gritted his teeth and shouted fervently in his mind, "System, exchange all of my gold coins into Physical Body Constitution Points! Power, I need stronger power!"
"Ding! Redemption successful. Host's Physical Body Constitution +23!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host. You've leveled up to a First-Grade Warrior. Please continue to work hard and strive to break through again!"
A powerful warm current that he had never experienced before flowed into his limbs and bones, swiftly strengthening every part of his body. Meng Lei felt his strength starting to rise sharply. Every part of his body was filled with explosive power!
I've finally become a First-Grade Warrior!
Meng Lei's eyes were keen and brilliant. A sharp glint burst forth in his eyes. The dagger in his grip stabbed forward viciously and struck against the Rampaging Pool Salamander's spine once more!
Snap!
The crisp sound of bones breaking rang out, as though melodious celestial music echoing in Meng Lei's ears. Right on the heels of this, a strong wave of energy swept toward him, and Meng Lei was flung out uncontrollably!
He landed on the ground with a bam and fell flat on his face. However, Meng Lei was very excited. As he stared at the Rampaging Pool Salamander shaking all over, he let out a sneaky laugh and said, "Die, beast!"
Boom!
He had only just spoken when the Rampaging Pool Salamander fell onto the ground with a loud boom. It crashed against the ground heavily, and then, its breathing ceased!
"Ding! 1 Rampaging Pool Salamander, Second-Grade Magical Beast, killed. 270 gold coins gained!"
The system's voice notification sounded in good time as the Rampaging Pool Salamander fell onto the ground and died. Meng Lei let out a long pent-up breath and exclaimed, "It's finally dead! All my desperate efforts weren't in vain!"
"The Rampaging Pool Salamander… is dead?"
Alison's four-man team was stunned. Stupefied, they stared at the dead Rampaging Pool Salamander, feeling as though their brains had short-circuited and weren't quite functioning!
"How did the Rampaging Pool Salamander die?"
"That's impossible, right? That's a Rampaging Pool Salamander, a Second-Grade Magical Beast, you know!"
"Hey, brat! How did you kill the Rampaging Pool Salamander?"
Meng Lei struggled to his feet and explained with a smile, "My luck was fantastic, and I accidentally cut through the Rampaging Pool Salamander's spine. And then, it died!"
"What? You cut through its spine??"
"No, that's impossible! The Rampaging Pool Salamander's bones are very solid, and its spine is even the toughest part of its body apart from its teeth. How could you have possibly cut through its spine?"
A frowning Millo with a giant axe in his hand raised his doubts regarding Meng Lei's explanation.
Bobby, Yale, and Alison agreed with him. A Second-Grade Magical Beast's strength was all-rounded—be it physique, speed, bone makeup, or magic, all of its attributes were stronger than a First-Grade Magical Beast's!
Although Meng Lei was capable of killing the First-Grade Magical Beast Iron Fire Ant, it was a lot more difficult for him to kill a Rampaging Pool Salamander!
These guys are really not easy to dupe!
Meng Lei was rather resigned as he shrugged. He replied, "You don't believe me? Take a look for yourself, then!"
Yale, the muscular man, glanced at Meng Lei and began to check the Rampaging Pool Salamander. True enough, he discovered that its spine had been cut through. Astounded, he asked, "Brat, how exactly did you manage to do it?"
"I told you, I have a lot of physical strength!"
…
The Rampaging Pool Salamander's death led Alison's team to see Meng Lei in a completely new light. Their attitudes toward him also improved significantly.
The strong were respected, no matter where they went. Although Meng Lei was still weaker than any of the four, he ultimately still possessed fairly strong battle capabilities. It was sufficient to give his presence value!
Of course, this also led the four of them to become even warier of Meng Lei, rather than otherwise. It was alright for them to bring a powerless brat that they didn't know along with them as they traveled. However, now that the same brat had displayed notable battle capabilities, they mustn't let down their guard that they ought to put up!
Meng Lei could sense the subtle changes, but he didn't mind in the least. He had no intention of becoming friends with the four of them. He only wanted to follow them to pick up light balls and gain gold coins along the way!
There was nothing else after that!
After they took care of the Rampaging Pool Salamander, the four of them decided to take a small break, have something to eat, and continue on their way after they had a good meal. After a few battles in succession, even they were rather tired.
Moreover, the scenery at the water pool was picturesque, and it had an ample water source. It was a fantastic place to take a break at!
Skinning, cutting, cleaning, and roasting meat…
All of these were Meng Lei's specialties. He also readied some salt and condiments. Before long, an alluring fragrance wafted from the roasting stand!
"That smells great!"
"Brat, what did you put in the meat? Why does your roasted meat smell so good?"
Alison's four-man team had also roasted their own meat, but none of theirs was as fragrant as Meng Lei's. This greatly puzzled the four of them, and they came over to ask for tips about meat-roasting!
"That's because I added all of these!" Meng Lei took out the salt and condiments and said with a chuckle, "I'd prepared all of these before I left the village. You can try it, too. Spread some on the meat when you're roasting it. It'll taste fantastic for sure!"
The four of them were rather doubtful. Although they took the condiments and tried them out, they didn't completely trust Meng Lei. What if this stuff was poison?
However, when they saw Meng Lei eating the meat that he had seasoned with the condiments, the four of them finally set their hearts at ease and began to happily spread the condiments on their roasted meat.
Those four fellows are honestly too cautious…
Meng Lei shook his head. He couldn't even be bothered to diss them anymore!
"This tastes pretty good!"
"As expected of a Second-Grade Magical Beast!"
After a good meal of roasted meat, the group of five continued on their journey.
In the following few days, the four-man team continued to look for first-grade and second-grade magical beasts to train their skills with, while Meng Lei continued to pick up dropped light balls and mature in a cowardly fashion!
At the end of the few days, his rewards were bountiful, and his personal stats had increased by leaps and bounds!
Host: Meng Lei
Race: Human
Wealth: 916 gold coins
Physical Body Constitution: First-Grade Warrior (126/200)
Spirit: Magic Apprentice (13/100)
Magic Power: Magic Apprentice (26/100)
Spell(s): Fireball Technique, Thorn Vine, Water Bubble, Earthquake, Wind Blade, Burning Hand