"Hey guys, what did you get from the lottery?"
"Don't even ask. I got 15 units of stone."
"I got 20 units of wood. There's nothing good in these treasure chests. I got all excited for nothing."
"Seems like most people are getting resources."
"But I just saw someone say they got a new troop type."
"No way! Seriously? A new troop type? Why can't he just drop dead!"
"Damn lucky bastard, get out of here!"
In the regional chat, everyone was talking about the lottery results.
The outcomes were surprisingly consistent—almost everyone got resource rewards, with only a handful receiving something other than resources.
Alex glanced at the regional chat.
Then he looked at the reward he had just received, and his heart swelled with excitement.
He quickly opened the interface of the Tree of Life and searched carefully. Sure enough, he found a new ability called Mutation at the bottom.
This ability could mutate a specified troop type into another, while randomly retaining one skill.
In other words, no matter how many times he mutated a troop, the resulting unit would always have one more skill than the others.
This was an incredibly powerful ability, and for Alex right now, it was nothing short of a lifeline!
The only downside was that Mutation required Mana.
And he had already used up all his Mana, so he couldn't use the ability for the time being.
How awkward.
For now, the only plan was to find a way to get Mana as soon as possible and test out the Mutation ability. Otherwise, relying solely on these Saplings, there was no way he'd survive until the end of the safety period.
Alex looked at the Saplings on the ground and fell into deep thought.
Thud!
Just then, a dull thumping sound suddenly rang out.
Alex turned toward the noise and saw a black wolf with bone blades on its back furiously ramming against the fence outside his territory.
With each collision, an invisible force from the fence would send the wolf flying several meters away. It would then get up and charge at the fence again.
Clearly, it had spotted Alex as its "prey" through the fence.
Alex was certain that if it weren't for the safety period, the wolf would have already broken through the fence and charged into his territory.
Wait a minute!
Wouldn't killing a monster give him Mana?
Suddenly, Alex thought of something and became ecstatic.
After watching the black wolf outside his territory for a while and confirming that it really couldn't get in, he looked around and soon found a wooden stick about the thickness of his arm, with a sharpened tip. He steadied himself and slowly approached the edge of the fence.
Roar!
Seeing Alex approach, the black wolf became even more frenzied. It opened its bloody maw and roared as it lunged at him.
Alex seized the moment and thrust the stick forward, aiming straight for the wolf's abdomen.
As the stick shot out, Alex was surprised to find that his strength seemed to have increased!
With a howl of pain, the wolf's abdomen was pierced, and it slammed into the fence.
The impact was so strong that Alex was thrown backward, the stick slipping from his hand, his arm numb.
When he looked outside the fence again, he saw the wolf staggering to its feet, badly injured and seemingly trying to flee.
Alex wasn't about to let it escape. As it turned, he quickly got up, grabbed the stick, and aimed for its most vulnerable spot—its rear.
Howl!
The wolf let out a blood-curdling scream, its body stiffening instantly. The stick in Alex's hand snapped in two.
This blow had clearly dealt a critical injury to the wolf. Blood gushed from the wound, and its movements grew slower and slower.
Finally, with a thud, it collapsed to the ground.
[Congratulations, you have killed a Tier 1 Black Wolf and gained 1 Mana.]
Breathing heavily, Alex listened to the voice in his head, his heart pounding with excitement.
He had actually managed to kill a Tier 1 monster!
And he had guessed right—killing monsters did give him Mana!
Without wasting another moment, he rushed outside his territory and quickly dragged the wolf's carcass back inside.
Now, at least, he had food secured, solving one of his immediate problems.
Next, he eagerly approached the ten Saplings.
"There shouldn't be any more surprises, right?"
With a mix of anxiety and hope, Alex used the Mutation ability on one of the Saplings. The voice in his head spoke again.
[Mutating a Tier 1 summoning unit requires 1 Mana. Do you wish to proceed?]
"Proceed!"
Alex's gaze sharpened.
As soon as he spoke, he felt a mysterious force gathering rapidly, enveloping the Sapling completely.
Thwip!
Suddenly, a thorny vine burst out of the ground, followed by another, and another, as if triggering a chain reaction.
The Sapling, now the main body, grew rapidly, transforming into a root-like plant entangled with vines. At its top, a closed bud resembling a head appeared.
The vines that had burst out of the ground seemed like its tentacles, swaying around its body, as if celebrating its transformation.
[Name: Thornvine]
[Race: Plant]
[Tier: 1 (0/10)]
[Strength: 6 (Attack Power)]
[Constitution: 10 (Vitality)]
[Agility: 0 (Speed)]
[Spirit: 5 (Skill Power)]
[Skills: Nature's Breath, Vine Whip (Uses vines to whip enemies, dealing 100% of Spirit attribute as ranged damage.)]
[Description: The lowest-tier plant summon. The thorns on its vines possess considerable attack power.]
It worked!
Alex stared in delight at the drastically changed stats. He hadn't expected the Mutation ability to be this powerful, directly transforming the Sapling into a Thornvine.
Not only did it gain an attack ability, but it also retained the Sapling's healing skill!
Combined with the naturally superior vitality of plant-type units, its survivability could easily be considered the best among Tier 1 units.
Few other troops could match it.
The only downside was its Agility, which was still 0.
This was probably the weakness of all plant-type units—they were too dependent on the ground.
"Well, let's test its attack power first."
Alex didn't dwell on it and turned his attention to the few black wolves outside his territory.
They had been attracted by the earlier commotion and the scent of blood, making them perfect test subjects for the Thornvine's attack power.
"Go, take them out!"
Alex immediately issued the attack command to the Thornvine.
In the next moment, several whooshing sounds filled the air as the thorn-covered vines shot past Alex, extending five meters straight toward the wolves outside the territory.
The wolves stirred, immediately opening their mouths to bite the vines, but the vines twisted around, wrapping around their bodies and pulling them to the ground. The wolves struggled desperately.
At this point, the healing skill inherited from the Sapling came into play, continuously repairing the cracks in the vines caused by the wolves' struggles. No matter how hard the wolves tried, they couldn't break free, only sinking deeper into the vines' grasp.
Finally, with a series of pitiful howls, the wolves' throats were slit by the thorns, and they lost all signs of life.
[Killed a Tier 1 Black Wolf, gained 1 Mana.]
[Killed a Tier 1 Black Wolf, gained 1 Mana.]
[Killed a Tier 1 Black Wolf, gained 1 Mana.]
"So strong!"
Alex's eyes widened in shock.
In just a short while, the Thornvine had killed three black wolves, earning him 3 Mana.
The surviving wolves, seeing the fate of their companions, panicked and fled into the forest, disappearing in an instant.
If it weren't for the three wolf carcasses lying on the ground, Alex might not have believed it.
After all, he had personally experienced the strength of the black wolves earlier. If it weren't for the fence and the safety period, he wouldn't have been able to kill one so easily.
But the Thornvine had done it with such ease!
This made him wonder if his own combat power was even below 5.
As he pondered this, he didn't waste any time. He quickly passed through the fence and dragged the wolf carcasses back into his territory.
Then he checked the Thornvine's stats again.
[Name: Thornvine]
[Race: Plant]
[Tier: 1 (3/10)]
[Strength: 7 (Attack Power)]
[Constitution: 11 (Vitality)]
[Agility: 0 (Speed)]
[Spirit: 6 (Skill Power)]
[Skills: Nature's Breath, Vine Whip]
[Description: The lowest-tier plant summon. The thorns on its vines possess considerable attack power.]
"Huh?"
Alex noticed something different.
The Thornvine's stats had increased!
The number after its Tier had also changed from 0 to 3.
Could it be…
Summoned units could gain experience by killing monsters and then advance?
The moment this conclusion dawned on him, Alex was overjoyed. If this was true, then he could level up all his summoned units to Tier 2, and his chances of survival would increase significantly!
With this in mind, he immediately went to the remaining Saplings and used the Mana he had just earned to apply the Mutation ability to three of them.
"Transform for me!"