With his strength nearly doubling in one go, this massive power boost brought with it immense self-assurance. Su Li felt an unprecedented confidence and an urge to challenge a formidable monster.
Every muscle in his body felt restless, with a strange sensation that if he didn't fully engage in battle, he would be uncomfortably constrained.
Ding Longyun jumped in alarm. "Throw more corpses?"
The Advanced Corpse Beast that could spray fangs had given him a nasty scare, and he was still recovering. Fortunately, he had absorbed a Spiritual Source, pulled the fangs out of his skin, and his wounds were healing, so he was mostly fine.
Gong Xiao, standing at the edge of the roof, slowly backed away, clearing an area. She was preparing to let the Sea Spiders climb onto the roof before she began her attack.
The Level 3 Sea Spiders were not overly strong, making them her ideal targets for hunting.
The Sea Spiders climbed the exterior wall of the building very quickly. More and more were appearing in the water below.
Soon, the first Sea Spider climbed onto the roof. Gong Xiao let out a sharp cry, gripped her baseball bat, and charged first.
Although she was a woman, she was extremely brave. Her desire to get stronger was certainly no less than Su Li's; in fact, it might be even stronger. She refused to fall behind and wanted to be first in everything she did.
The basin-sized Sea Spider leaped up, aiming for Gong Xiao's head and face. Gong Xiao swung her baseball bat, accurately hitting the leaping Sea Spider.
She noticed that the Sea Spiders were less agile on land than in the water, making them much easier to handle once they were out of the water.
The basin-sized Sea Spider was smashed open, its internal fluids splattering.
"Level 3 Spiritual Source Wielder: Spiritual Source 10/30"
A Spiritual Source flew into her forehead and vanished. The message sounded in Gong Xiao's mind.
"Only twenty more," Gong Xiao muttered, biting her lip. Three more Sea Spiders climbed onto the roof. She charged toward one of them.
Ding Longyun also rushed forward. Since killing a Level 3 Sea Spider still granted him one effective Spiritual Source, he couldn't miss this opportunity.
"Xuehui, these Sea Spiders aren't strong. Their only advantage, agility, is severely reduced on land. You have nothing to fear. As long as you stay calm, you can easily deal with them. Just be careful not to get bitten."
Su Li encouraged Xu Xuehui to attack the Sea Spiders. He, too, grabbed his machete and strode toward the spiders, hoping for more to appear, or even for a stronger monster to show up. He wanted to test the limits of his current strength.
Xu Xuehui softly acknowledged him. She slowly followed, gripping the iron hammer. She felt a mix of curiosity and fear toward the black and white striped Sea Spiders.
A large number of Sea Spiders appeared this time. Quickly, seven or eight of them climbed onto the roof, with a dense crowd of them appearing below and climbing the building's exterior.
Gong Xiao moved with speed and decisiveness, killing several Sea Spiders in quick succession. Messages in her mind continuously reminded her that she had gained new Spiritual Sources.
"Level 3 Spiritual Source Wielder: Spiritual Source 13/30"
"Only seventeen more," Gong Xiao silently calculated. The baseball bat in her hand swung down, successfully killing another Sea Spider.
Ding Longyun also killed two Sea Spiders in this short time, gaining two Spiritual Sources.
However, after becoming a Level 4 Spiritual Source Wielder, he needed a full 50 Spiritual Sources for the next advancement—20 more than before. Advancing again would be truly difficult for him.
Su Li struck with measured speed. He effortlessly swung his machete, killing two Sea Spiders easily. He felt unbelievably light. The two consecutive muscle enhancements had provided an astonishing boost to his strength. Not only had his power nearly doubled, but his speed and reaction time had also increased.
The Sea Spiders now seemed completely vulnerable to him. When he focused his attention, their movements appeared to be in slow motion.
By the time they killed the seven or eight Sea Spiders that first climbed up, a dense swarm of them had poured onto the roof. The sheer number was startling. Gong Xiao and Ding Longyun finally felt the pressure, and even Xu Xuehui, who had been following them, was now under attack and forced to fight back.
The swarm of Sea Spiders charged, surrounding them on the roof. Su Li finally felt a sense of challenge and began to accelerate his movements.
He swept the machete in his right hand horizontally. Two Sea Spiders were sent flying, sliced in half by the blow. He then sprinted to Xu Xuehui's side.
Xu Xuehui was performing well. She successfully killed one Sea Spider. Since she was a Level 2 Spiritual Source Wielder, killing a Level 3 Sea Spider yielded her two Spiritual Sources at once.
However, this was her first time facing such a chaotic situation. Though she had successfully killed one Sea Spider, another one lunged and bit her calf.
The Sea Spider was venomous. A bite could paralyze the nerves.
Fortunately, Su Li had been keeping a watchful eye on her and had already rushed over. He kicked the Sea Spider, which had bitten her, with his foot.
The power in his casual kick was terrifying. It instantly exploded the Sea Spider.
Gong Xiao and Ding Longyun were also fighting with all their might against the surrounding Sea Spiders.
Despite the immense pressure, cold sweat beading on her delicate forehead, Gong Xiao's face was flushed with excitement.
The pressure was high, but the rate of Spiritual Source gain was fast.
In just a short time, she needed only twelve more Spiritual Sources to break through to the next level.
Ding Longyun harvested three more Spiritual Sources. He still needed forty-one Spiritual Sources to break through.
Su Li needed even more: a full forty-five Spiritual Sources.
However, he was steadily closing the gap on Ding Longyun. The difference between them was continually shrinking.
Su Li moved like a galloping horse, circling around the other three, forming a protective barrier. If anyone was in danger, he would immediately rush to rescue them, though most of his attention was focused on Xu Xuehui.
Xu Xuehui's performance tonight was a pleasant surprise. The little girl, who was utterly helpless at first, had already killed three Sea Spiders with the iron hammer in her hand.
Su Li also noticed that her attacks never missed. She struck with perfect accuracy, and there was one time when her strike seemed to preemptively catch the Sea Spider's attack trajectory. She brought the hammer down, and the Sea Spider seemed to actively smash itself against the hammer.
Su Li's heart stirred when he saw this.
"Is this related to her eye enhancement? Can she predict the opponent's attack trajectory? If so, that eye enhancement is terrifying. It's a shame I never got the option to enhance my eyes. Otherwise, I would try it."
Su Li couldn't help but feel tempted, but the option to enhance his eyes had not appeared in any of his advancements.
(End of Chapter)