**Chapter 79: Tina, Leveled Up in One Go, Rewards Su Yu with a Gift**
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One hour later, in Zangar Swamp.
The swamp lies to the west of Oran City, home to creatures like the [Swamp Hydra] and [Giant Swamp Crocodile]. Enveloped in green mist year-round, Zangar Swamp almost entirely blocks out the sunlight, casting an eerie, perpetual gloom.
From the depths of the swamp came the growls and roars of hydras, but as the clash of weapons and magical surges filled the air, the area soon fell silent. Through the hazy green fog, bodies of slain [Hydras] littered the swamp floor, awaiting their eventual respawn.
It was Su Yu and Tina who left this trail of carnage.
At the center of the carnage, Su Yu sat atop the body of the largest hydra—a massive creature that was, in fact, the [Swamp Hydra Boss] he needed to defeat for his quest. This rare-quality Level 12 boss was no ordinary opponent.
Given his earlier triumph over the Wolf King back in Nolan Village, Su Yu had expected this battle to be straightforward, especially with Tina by his side. But the swamp hydra was an entirely different beast.
With three heads capable of spewing poison, fire, and frost from a distance, this boss was a nightmare. Su Yu was accustomed to dealing with close-range attackers, but against this ranged juggernaut, he had to rely heavily on his [Lightning Shield] and frequent [Blink] teleports to dodge its attacks.
And when the battle dragged on, things only got harder. The [Swamp Hydra Boss] entered a [Frenzy State], increasing its casting and attack speed by at least 60%. It was like fighting a machine gun of spells!
After finally bringing it down, Su Yu was exhausted, slumping on the hydra's slimy scales, feeling as though he could fall asleep right there.
But the rewards were worth the effort. The boss dropped five valuable items:
1. Mail Armor [Bone Chain Leggings (Rare) - Level 12]
2. Plate Armor [Cast Iron Headgear (Rare) - Level 12]
3. Skill Scroll [Rain of Fire (Excellent)]
4. Skill Scroll [Ferocious Recovery (Excellent)]
5. [Swamp Hydra Sac of Poison (Rare)]
The [Ferocious Recovery] skill could be used in a Druid's bear form, restoring 30% of health by channeling rage. Not particularly helpful for Su Yu, but the [Rain of Fire] scroll certainly was.
Without hesitation, Su Yu clicked to learn it and upgraded it to Epic quality.
**[Rain of Fire (Rare)]:** Summons a rain of fire, causing 360% spell power damage to all enemies in an 8-meter radius for 3 seconds, inflicting [Burning] status for an additional 3 seconds. Cast time: 1 second, cooldown: 8 seconds, mana cost: 40.
"Ding! Please confirm the enhancement path for [Rain of Fire]:
1. **[Extended Rain of Fire]**: Increases duration by 30%
2. **[Quickened Rain of Fire]**: Reduces cooldown by 2 seconds."
"Option one, please," Su Yu selected.
The cooldown reduction was tempting, but he figured a longer-duration spell would maximize his area damage, particularly when paired with his other AoE spell, [Chain Lightning].
The fallen hydra's scales were soft and slippery, a texture more like snake skin. After resting for a bit, Su Yu glanced over at Tina, who had been resting nearby.
"Tina, did you get hurt in the fight?" he asked.
"Me? Not at all. Why do you ask?" Tina responded, looking a bit confused.
"Nothing, just checking," Su Yu said, slightly disappointed. His hopes of collecting a bit of her blood for his hidden quest remained unfulfilled.
With a shrug, Su Yu jumped off the [Swamp Hydra Leader's] corpse and gave it a nudge with his boot. "Useless creature," he muttered. "So, what's next?"
Tina, still catching her breath from the battle, pushed herself up and replied, "I'm here for its blood essence. My talent allows me to absorb it to boost my strength—but only if I deal the killing blow."
Tina lifted her saber, and a faint golden aura surged around her, coiling and intensifying until she seemed to glow with a warm, fiery light.
With a swift motion, she struck the hydra's neck, her blade glinting with golden radiance.
**Crack!** The hydra's head rolled free, and a surge of dark green blood sprayed from the severed neck, covering Tina completely. Yet, she didn't flinch. Instead, she let the blood soak into her skin, and as it did, the golden aura around her grew brighter, intensifying until it burst into a blinding light.
Su Yu quickly activated [Insight] to check her stats.
**Character:** Tina Garcia
**Level:** 16
**Class:** Warrior
**Hobbies:** Cats, sweets
"Tina leveled up from 10 to 16?" Su Yu's jaw dropped. "Is this her bloodline power at work?"
But Tina wasn't done. She pulled out the blood essence she'd gathered from other hydras earlier, sprinkling it over herself. As the blood soaked into her skin, her level continued to rise!
When she'd finished, Su Yu used [Insight] on her again.
**Character:** Tina Garcia
**Level:** 20
**Class:** Warrior
**Hobbies:** Cats, sweets, and... blood?
Su Yu chuckled to himself. "Well, congratulations, Tina. Looks like you'll be reaching Tier 2 sooner than I thought."
Feeling the intense power coursing through her veins, Tina grinned. "Thank you, Nemesis! With this new strength, I can protect myself much better."
"Yeah, yeah, congrats," Su Yu muttered, feigning bitterness. "Wish I could level up as fast as you."
Blue Star players would be unstoppable if they could level like Tina, but reality was harsher.
Then, Tina looked at Su Yu, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Actually... there might be a way. It's called [Blood Connection]. It won't boost your strength like mine, but it'll give you a small boost."
At that moment, a system prompt flashed before Su Yu:
**"Ding! It's detected that Tina Garcia's favorability towards you is above 20 points. You can enable the [Task Reward Prepayment] feature."**
**"Ding! [Tina Garcia] has prepaid you a reward for the fifth stage of the main quest 'The Maiden of Oran City': [Blood Connection (One Hour)]. Accept?"**
**[Blood Connection]:** For one hour, gain 10% of the experience Tina acquires.
Su Yu's eyes sparkled with anticipation. This was the advantage he'd been hoping for!