How Do We Play If This Boss Isn't Nerfed?-Chapter 36: Efficient Leveling
Lin Ye’s gaze moved down to his newly acquired Level 1 skill.
[Charged Heavy Strike (Level 1): Channel all your strength into a devastating heavy blow. The longer you charge, the stronger the attack. Maximum charge time is three seconds, dealing 150% damage.]
[Cost: 100 Physical Strength Value]
[Cooldown: None]
This was different from a normal attack.
This was finally a true active skill.
Lin Ye let out a long sigh.
He glanced at the time. It was 10:00 PM.
’It’s about time. I should head to the Ruined City and grind some levels.’
Lin Ye had always held the most pragmatic attitude toward power.
No matter how impressive the stats on his panel were, they needed to be tested in actual combat.
The night was as black as ink.
Lin Ye changed into a set of black clothes that were easy to move in. His figure melted into the darkness like a phantom as he headed for the Ruined City once more.
This time, his mindset hadn’t changed at all compared to before.
Although he was stronger.
And not just by a little bit.
But Lin Ye remained cautious.
He wasn’t the one calling the shots in this Ruined City yet.
Soon, near the ruins of a collapsed factory, he discovered a pack of mutated creatures gnawing on something.
It was a pack of mutated hyenas.
There were four of them in total, every one of them Level 7.
If this had been a day ago, Lin Ye’s only option upon encountering such a situation would have been to retreat immediately, then find a way to lure them out one by one and pick them off.
But now...
...an idea sparked in Lin Ye’s mind.
He wanted to test the influence of his "Crush" mechanic...
...to see if he could improve his grinding efficiency.
By killing all four at once!
Lin Ye took out the vial he carried with him.
The two Blood Burst Elixirs inside were his source of confidence.
If things went south, they would be his last resort.
"Grrr..."
The moment he appeared, the four mutated hyenas, which had been frantically tearing at some rotting flesh, froze mid-action.
They raised their heads in unison. Four pairs of bestial eyes, glinting with a baleful green light in the dark, locked onto Lin Ye.
A tense atmosphere filled the air.
However, the anticipated roars and pounces never came.
The four Level 7 mutated hyenas let out uneasy growls, their bodies instinctively crouching low. Muscles tensed, they had actually assumed a defensive posture.
Lin Ye didn’t break his stride.
Unbeknownst to him, as he drew closer step by step, an oppressive aura stemming from a higher order of life washed over them like a tidal wave.
The Crush mechanic had activated!
The ferocity and greed in the four mutated hyenas’ eyes were rapidly fading, replaced by a growing sense of intense fear and agitation.
Finally, when Lin Ye was less than ten meters away from them...
...the nerve of one of the slightly smaller mutated hyenas was the first to break.
It let out a warning cry, tucked its tail between its legs, and prepared to flee!
One hyena losing its nerve was like the first domino to fall.
The other three instantly lost all will to fight and scattered, attempting to flee in different directions.
Lin Ye was secretly pleased.
’These mutated creatures are almost all frenzied and bloodthirsty by nature.’
’Normally, when they see a human with a stronger aura like me, forget about a pack of four...’
’...even a single one would pounce and try to kill me.’
’Running away would be completely out of the question for them.’
’But now, they have no fighting spirit whatsoever; they only want to escape.’
’That makes things much easier.’
Lin Ye’s legs exploded with power. He instantly became a straight black line, shooting after the nearest hyena.
The speed from his explosive increase in Agility allowed him to catch the hyena in just two seconds.
He brought his long staff crashing down in a simple, direct overhead strike!
Lin Ye discovered that the closer he got, the stronger the effect of Crush became.
The hyena’s speed actually slowed, as if it were scared out of its wits.
SPLAT!
The long staff landed squarely on its back.
It was instantly smashed into a meat pulp!
An instant kill!
Without breaking stride, Lin Ye spun and gave chase to the second target.
The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, with no wasted motion.
In less than half a minute.
The four Level 7 mutated hyenas had all been converted into numbers on his experience bar.
Lin Ye stood still, feeling his experience points rise, a thrill of excitement surging through him.
’It seems that when I face mutated creatures of a lower level than me, I can try pulling a mob and killing them in a group to increase my efficiency.’
’But for monsters at my level, and for those higher...’
’...I’ll stick to my usual caution.’
He ventured deeper.
This time, he no longer deliberately sought out isolated prey, but headed straight for the areas where the presence of mutated creatures was most dense.
Soon, he found a new target for his test.
A Level 8 mutated giant bear, the same level as him, lay sleeping soundly in a crater below.
With its thick hide and flesh, the giant bear was clearly a strength and defense-type monster.
The Crush mechanic was ineffective against it.
Lin Ye didn’t rush to attack. He bent his legs slightly, sinking his center of gravity. He gripped the alloy long staff with both hands and raised it high over his head.
’Heavy Staff Style!’
At the same time, he also activated Charged Heavy Strike!
’Encountering a sleeping, almost defenseless mutated beast like this is a golden opportunity to test the skill’s power.’
VMMMM!
A visible current of air began to converge frantically, centering on his long staff!
The ground beneath his feet began to crack inch by inch, unable to withstand the force!
The mutated giant bear below was extremely alert.
Even this slight disturbance was enough to jolt it awake from its slumber.
It raised its head and saw the human above.
"ROAR—!"
The giant bear reared up on its hind legs, let out a deafening roar, and charged toward Lin Ye with heavy footfalls!
Fortunately, Charged Heavy Strike only required three seconds to reach its maximum charge.
In a life-or-death struggle between Martial Artists, he likely wouldn’t get a three-second opening.
But this mutated giant bear was clearly a simple-minded creature.
It had no thought of dodging, instead stomping its paws and lunging at Lin Ye with its massive, blood-red maw wide open.
Charge complete!
’Now!’
Every muscle in Lin Ye’s body tensed to the absolute limit. His arms exploded with power, and the long staff, imbued with all his strength, came crashing down!
THOOM—!!!
An incredibly dull thud echoed out.
The terrifying force smashed into the mutated giant bear’s hard skull with the power of an avalanche!
Amid the dull crack of bone, the massive bear’s head burst like a watermelon smashed by a sledgehammer!
Red and white matter splattered everywhere.
The bear’s massive body plummeted as if struck by an invisible sledgehammer.
BOOM—!!
It was smashed right into the ground, reduced to a mangled heap of flesh and blood!
Even though it was a sneak attack, to instantly kill a same-level mutated beast renowned for its high defense and health in a single blow!
The impact it had on Lin Ye was immense.
Heavy Staff Style already came with its own damage bonus.
When stacked with the additional damage from Charged Heavy Strike...
...that single blow was Lin Ye’s strongest attack at his disposal.
With Crush and this skill, two god-tier abilities, his grinding efficiency would soar to unprecedented heights.
「For the next few hours.」
Any mutated beast below Level 8 stood no chance against him, barely lasting a single exchange.
Against same-level opponents, even without a sneak attack, Lin Ye could create distance, bait an attack, and use the brief opening to finish charging.
Then, with his incredibly high damage, he could either kill the target instantly or leave it crippled with just a sliver of health.
Even though Lin Ye was only gaining half the normal experience from kills due to his Cultivation Technique...
...his experience points still shot up at a visibly rapid rate.
His efficiency was in a completely different league than before.
