The counterattack from the horned sheep was fierce.
Coal had several close calls, nearly getting hit by the horned sheep, but even when attacks landed, its Void Body skill granted it a 50% chance to dodge, avoiding serious damage.
So far, it hadn't suffered any significant harm.
In contrast, the three horned sheep were barely hanging on, exhausted by Coal's relentless attacks.
At that moment, one of the horned sheep, seeing Coal appear as a streak of black light again, let out an angry bleat and charged fiercely.
The horned sheep activated its second skill: Sky Ram!
This time, Coal wasn't so lucky. Its Void Body dodge failed to trigger, and it was launched into the air by the horned sheep's sharp horns.
The razor-sharp horns pierced Coal's skin, causing a trail of black, crystalline liquid to spill mid-air.
Han Xing's heart clenched.
That black crystal-like liquid—it had to be Coal's blood. Void creatures had unique body compositions, different from regular beings.
Coal was sent flying and tumbled several times before standing back up quickly.
There was a wound on its abdomen, looking rather gruesome.
"Urrr…" Coal let out a low growl. Though injured, its ferocity remained undiminished!
Seeing this, Han Xing hurriedly called out, "Coal, come back."
Coal turned its head, looking at Han Xing in confusion.
Noticing the injury wasn't as severe as he first thought, Han Xing sighed in relief and waved. "You did well. Leave the rest to me."
Coal obediently trotted back to Han Xing's side.
At that point, the two remaining horned sheep were blinded by rage.
"Baa!"
With bloodshot eyes, they panted heavily and charged at Han Xing.
But in the next instant, two icy arrows streaked through the air, growing larger in their vision.
Thud! Thud!
The arrows struck simultaneously.
"Baa~Baa~"
With a miserable cry, the horned sheep collapsed as the arrows pierced through their skulls, ending their lives.
Only one horned sheep remained on the battlefield, but it too couldn't escape its fate.
They were already half-dead from Coal's torment. If Coal were stronger than just Level 1, it could have easily wiped out all four horned sheep by itself.
Just then, the system prompt appeared:
[You have slain Horned Sheep LV3*4, gained 120 EXP. Pet 'Coal' gains 80 EXP.]
Han Xing crouched down to examine Coal's injury.
Coal obediently lay on its side, licking its wound.
"Trouble… How do I heal a pet?" Han Xing scratched his head, feeling a bit troubled.
He checked his inventory—there were only two healing items available.
Spirit Spring Water and Life Elixir.
"Will these work on pets?"
Han Xing was unsure but had no other choice. Sighing, he muttered, "Guess I'll have to try."
He pulled out a vial of Life Elixir and made Coal lie down properly.
Opening the glass bottle, a rich fragrance filled the air.
Just the smell of the elixir was enough to make one feel refreshed.
"Ahh~"
Han Xing took in a couple of greedy sniffs before pouring the entire bottle out.
The emerald green liquid glowed faintly, and as soon as it touched Coal's wound, it was quickly absorbed.
"It works!" Han Xing's eyes lit up.
He watched as Coal's wound began to heal visibly fast.
At this rate, it would be fully healed in just a few minutes.
"What a powerful effect!"
Han Xing was thrilled, momentarily stunned by the elixir's potent healing abilities.
At the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness… Life Elixir works on pets. If it didn't, I would've had to rely on Coal's natural regeneration."
All creatures, including pets and humans, could heal over time, but the speed varied.
However, if a pet remained injured, its combat effectiveness would suffer drastically. In severe cases, it might even die.
Han Xing wouldn't be able to bear the heartbreak if that happened.
Thinking of this, he scooped Coal up with one hand and said, "You did great today, but your level is still a bit too low. I'll help you train and level up first."
Coal, now fully revitalized, flailed its short limbs excitedly.
A short while later, Han Xing approached a small cloud platform, about ten square meters in size.
There were two Level 4 Sludge Slimes inside.
The battle began, and freshly healed Coal was back in action, showcasing its combat prowess once more.
With a burst of speed, it lunged at the slimes, engaging in close combat.
However, this time, Han Xing didn't let it fight alone.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Arrows flew, dealing armor-piercing damage to the Sludge Slimes.
In a flash, Coal swiped its sharp claws, leaving black smoke-emitting wounds on the slimes.
This was Coal's third skill, Void Power, which not only inhibited healing but also reduced the enemies' defense.
With this, Han Xing unleashed his Multi-Shot skill!
Thud, thud, thud!
All five arrows hit their marks.
The slimes were no match for the powerful attacks, and without needing additional effects, the damage was overwhelming.
The two slimes were wiped out in one strike!
Han Xing was stunned. "So this is the power of Coal's defense reduction skill? Amazing!"
"For creatures with naturally low defense, every shot does maximum damage when their defense is lowered!"
The synergy with Coal was so satisfying that Han Xing couldn't help but clench his fists in excitement.
[You have slain Sludge Slime LV4*2, gained 80 EXP. Pet 'Coal' gains 60 EXP.]
[Pet 'Coal' has leveled up.]
"Leveled up?"
Han Xing eagerly checked Coal's stats.
[Pet Info: Void Shadow Wolf (Cub)]
[Race: Void]
[Level: LV2]
[Strength: 9, Agility: 16, Spirit: 8, Constitution: 9]
"What the heck!"
Han Xing was instantly amazed.
Though Coal only leveled up once, its stats had jumped significantly. Strength, Spirit, and Constitution increased by two or three points—within expectations.
But its Agility had risen by 5 points!
Do you know what this means?
For human survivors like them, each level only adds 4-6 points in total to their stats.
But Coal had gained 14 stat points from a single level-up, nearly triple the usual amount!
At this rate, after a few more levels, Coal's base stats might surpass even Han Xing, fully armed!
Han Xing could already feel Coal's speed increasing dramatically. When shrouded in black light, it became so fast that he couldn't even track its movements, let alone hit it.
"So this is what an S+ growth pet is like? Terrifying!"
"If it keeps leveling up, it'll become a full-fledged boss in no time!"
Han Xing was overjoyed, eagerly anticipating Coal's future growth.