Han Xing was extremely pleased with Coal's impressive growth.
At that moment, Coal seemed to sense its owner's joy. In a flash, it appeared beside the corpse of the Sludge Slime, then in another flash, it was at Han Xing's feet.
Han Xing noticed that Coal was holding a few spirit cores in its mouth, as if seeking his approval.
He crouched down, patted Coal's head, and said, "Go ahead, eat them. You've earned it."
Coal happily jumped up and down in place.
After merging the Sludge Slime's territory, Han Xing continued exploring other floating islands.
Now, after Coal had reached Level 2, it seemed like a small but energetic boss.
Since the attributes of the monsters couldn't suppress it, Coal was practically unstoppable!
In every battle, Coal charged in as if it were on a stimulant. No matter how powerful the monster, it always rushed ahead of Han Xing.
Then, before Han Xing could even catch a glimpse of Coal's figure, the battle would already be over, with only flashes of black light marking its movements.
Sometimes, Han Xing would use his powerful attacks to assist from the back, seizing opportunities during Coal's skirmishes to kill the enemies instantly.
But soon, Han Xing realized that when facing ordinary monsters, there wasn't much left for him to do.
All he had to do was follow behind Coal and enjoy the experience points.
With Coal's Void Body ability giving it a 50% chance to dodge, coupled with its terrifying speed, very few monsters could land a hit on it.
One by one, monsters fell at their feet.
Han Xing folded his arms, standing contentedly in the background as he watched Coal charge ahead.
[You have slain Granite Rabbit LV4*3, gained 120 EXP. Pet 'Coal' gained 84 EXP.]
[You have slain Yellowhide Deer LV5, gained 50 EXP. Pet 'Coal' gained 40 EXP.]
[You have slain…]
An hour later.
Suddenly, Han Xing noticed a white light rising from both his body and Coal's, accompanied by a system prompt.
[Your level has increased. Current level: LV4.]
[Your pet 'Coal' has leveled up. Current level: LV3.]
"Leveled up again?"
Han Xing had lost track of how many times he had marveled today.
Coal had just reached Level 2 less than an hour ago, and now it was already Level 3.
Even for Han Xing, it had taken a whole day to level from 2 to 3.
This little guy's leveling speed was like a rocket shooting up.
Han Xing patted Coal's head.
At Level 3, Coal's attributes had completely surpassed his own.
With 21 points in Agility, combined with the 200% speed boost from its skill "Void Blink," even Level 5 elite monsters might struggle to keep up with it.
At this point, Han Xing realized that when dealing with ordinary monsters, he was practically unnecessary.
Not only that, but Coal's speed in ending battles was also increasing rapidly.
System notifications popped up in rapid succession.
Han Xing's experience bar was rising at an unprecedented speed.
In just one hour, he had reached 50% of Level 4, and in another hour, he would likely break through to Level 5!
More importantly, Han Xing's territory size was expanding at a terrifying rate.
456…
478…
512…
Now, Han Xing's territory points had reached 584!
In just over two hours, he had gained more than 100 points, which equated to over 100 square meters of territory!
On the territory leaderboard, Han Xing had re-entered the top 20.
However, his rapid growth didn't attract much attention.
Because at this moment, on the leaderboard:
The first-place player, Whisperer, had already broken the 900-point barrier, reaching 912 points, just 88 points shy of claiming the top spot!
The second-place player, Black Eagle, and the third-place player, Papaya Starling, were also closely trailing, with 874 and 852 points, respectively.
In the chat channel, people began hotly debating the rankings.
"I think this time, the first place will undoubtedly go to our 'Whisper of the Gods' leader, Whisperer!"
"Not necessarily! Papaya Starling from the Plane Boys group is no slouch. The gap between them isn't that big, and Papaya Starling will catch up soon!"
"Dream on! Papaya Starling is a warrior class. They can't even catch up to the rogue-class Black Eagle, let alone Whisperer, who's a mage."
"You're talking nonsense! Our leader, Papaya Starling, will definitely not lose! The first place will surely be ours!"
"Heh…"
As the debate raged on, the top three players on the leaderboard were all highly tense.
At this point, none of them dared to relax for even a second.
Even though their mental states were at their limits and their eyelids felt as heavy as lead, they gritted their teeth and continued exploring.
On a floating island.
Whisperer's eyes were bloodshot, and his face was gaunt and thin, as if he had lost over 10 pounds.
But he kept clenching his teeth, constantly encouraging himself.
"Hold on! Just a little longer!"
"Victory is within reach, just one last step. I have to take first place!"
With his last bit of energy, Whisperer continued fighting the monsters in front of him. Though his movements with his bronze staff were sluggish, he still cast Fireball to obliterate the enemies.
Black Eagle and Papaya Starling were doing the same.
Among them, Black Eagle, the rogue, had previously been a member of a special organization before coming to this world, possessing exceptional combat instincts.
After gaining supernatural powers in this world, he thrived.
At that moment, Black Eagle silently appeared behind a dark elf warrior. A cold gleam flashed, and his bronze dagger slit the dark elf's throat.
The strike was fluid and unremarkable, yet it had a mesmerizing beauty, as if he had practiced it thousands of times.
Blood splattered.
The next moment, the dark elf warrior's body crumpled to the ground.
Around him, five or six other dark elf corpses lay scattered.
It was clear that these dark elves had caused Black Eagle considerable trouble.
He had several new wounds on his body, the most severe being a deep cut on his back from one of the dark elf warriors. Blood continued to ooze from it.
A hint of bloodlust appeared on Black Eagle's usually stern face.
It was the aura of someone who had truly walked through mountains of corpses.
In the mercenary discussion group, someone asked, "Captain, are you okay?"
Black Eagle's expression turned cold again as he replied softly, "I'm fine."
"Although it's exhausting and painful, this nerve-wracking, life-or-death tension reminds me of the battlefield…"
The next moment, Black Eagle noticed a black mist gathering in front of a treasure chest guarded by the dark elves.
The mist grew denser, eventually forming a humanoid figure.
"A Vengeful Spirit… a Level 5 elite monster?"
Black Eagle closed the discussion group and narrowed his eyes, sensing imminent danger.
In the next instant, the black shadow disappeared, rushing toward Black Eagle at an incredible speed.
Before Black Eagle could react, the shadow was already in front of him.
"So fast…"
That was his last thought before he was sent flying.