CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42 LIMIT ATTRIBUTES_1

On the other side, the three helpless seniors immediately noticed Wang Zhan’s appearance. Seeing Wang Zhan in a soldier-level suit, they breathed a slight sigh of relief. In the wilderness, anything unforeseen could happen, and they had to remain cautious. However, they soon saw Wang Zhan charging straight towards the Man-Eating Spider’s main body.

"Don’t go there! The slime is poisonous, and there are tiny spider eggs in the slime that could enter your body through the air!" a senior promptly cautioned.

Wang Zhan turned a deaf ear. By the time he decided to act, he was already aware of this information.

With my 680 main attribute points, my physical strength is already equivalent to the Limit of a level 5 Martial Artist. As long as I hold my breath, this slime won’t be able to penetrate my skin and respiratory tract.

With this in mind, Wang Zhan had already dashed into the slime. He didn’t hold back at all. Channeling Essence Energy from his Dantian throughout his body, accompanied by a cold wave of intimidation, he stabbed fiercely towards the Man-Eating Spider.

"Military Way Killing Fist!"

The Man-Eating Spider, which was digging into the ground, stiffened noticeably, evidently intimidated by the aura of the Killing Fist. And in the instant it stiffened, Wang Zhan was already before it.

SCHLICK!

The dagger ruthlessly pierced the Man-Eating Spider’s massive abdomen. Sticky fluid sprayed out from the wound, and the spider uttered a strange, sharp, yet faint squeal.

"Holy shit, you made the spider scream! I thought Man-Eating Spiders didn’t have vocal cords?" Huang Pufeng, who had just arrived, wore a look of astonishment.

"Quit joking. Wang Zhan has engaged the Man-Eating Spider! Let’s attack together and kill it!" Song Dongming drew the longsword from his back and slashed from seven or eight meters away.

Huang Pufeng also took the long saber from his back and, in the same fashion as Song Dongming, sent waves of blade energy slicing towards the Man-Eating Spider.

A few more thuds, and several large wounds appeared on the Man-Eating Spider’s body. However, just before they could rejoice, Wang Zhan’s expression suddenly changed drastically.

"Shit, this thing is going berserk!"

Wang Zhan jumped in fright and hurriedly retreated. But before he could take more than a few steps, the Man-Eating Spider caught up to him with incredibly agile movements. Seeing the massive spider leg lifted high and the blade-like sharp point at its end, Wang Zhan widened his eyes and hurriedly blocked with his dagger!

CLANG!

Sparks flew. The Man-Eating Spider’s enormous force knocked Wang Zhan’s dagger aside, and its leg continued to descend, aiming straight for Wang Zhan’s glabella. If this hit landed, Wang Zhan would undoubtedly die.

Fortunately, however, all Wang Zhan needed was that brief moment of blocking the spider’s leg. His left fist was already clenched, and the remaining Essence Energy in his body gathered in his left hand as if his life depended on it.

"Bastard, die!"

A fierce look crossed Wang Zhan’s face as he unleashed his most powerful punch with all his might.

"Wind and Cloud Break!"

The fist, imbued with immense Essence Energy, fiercely pierced the Man-Eating Spider’s abdomen and continued until Wang Zhan’s entire arm was embedded. Immediately after, a burst of internal energy erupted from the back of the spider’s abdomen, piercing clean through it. Even so, the internal energy continued onward unabated, disappearing into the clear sky with a loud sonic boom. The clouds in the sky seemed to ripple and dissipate somewhat from the shockwave.

As for the Man-Eating Spider, it was deader than dead.

On the other side, the three seniors, along with Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming, stood dumbfounded. Quite some time passed. Only when Wang Zhan, pinned beneath the Man-Eating Spider’s enormous and disgusting corpse, gasped out a call for help did they finally snap out of it.

"Too... too savage," Huang Pufeng gulped, fighting back nausea as he flipped over the Man-Eating Spider’s carcass and pulled Wang Zhan out. While supporting Wang Zhan, Huang Pufeng asked curiously, "You didn’t seem this savage during the ranking competition! A level 5 beast is equivalent to a level 6 Human Martial Artist, and you one-shotted it?"

"Just the finishing blow. That thing was already badly wounded." Wang Zhan shook his head slightly, but an irrepressible smile touched his lips. To the others, this joy was presumably the elation from Wang Zhan having slain a formidable beast. But only Wang Zhan himself knew this joy originated from the prompt in his mind.

’Strength +8’

These were the attribute points he had just received for killing the Man-Eating Spider.

But... aren’t extreme attributes supposed to be earned only through arduous cultivation?

"System, what’s going on?"

"When the host kills an enemy more than three levels higher than himself, he will obtain extreme attribute points," the System replied.

"Do I have to kill them to get points?" Wang Zhan pressed, "And if my attribute points have already reached the maximum of 750, can I still gain a higher extreme attribute Limit by killing beasts far above my level?"

"You wish."

Wang Zhan’s expression stiffened slightly. He’d thought the System had become serious for once, but it seemed that was just an illusion; the System was still its usual self.

He momentarily set the matter aside.

Just as they stepped out of the area covered in the Man-Eating Spider’s slime, not only the three seniors but also the mentor who had been observing the battle approached. The mentor first swept an appreciative gaze over the Team of Wang Zhan and two others, then his expression turned stern. "Who told you to come here?"

The accusatory tone left the Team of Wang Zhan and two others stunned.

"Teacher, we were just..."

"Do you remember the conditions the Academy set for your participation in this operation? You dared to take on something like a Man-Eating Spider?" The mentor’s tone was stern.

Huang Pufeng retorted, unconvinced, "Teacher, if it weren’t for us, the Man-Eating Spider would have escaped."

"Let it escape then! In that situation, if something had happened to Wang Zhan, or to you and Song Dongming, which do you think would have been the greater loss? Was a single level 5 beast worth you risking your lives?"

The Team of Wang Zhan and two others were rendered speechless. Actually, it wasn’t that they truly felt they were wrong. Although they understood the mentor was saying it for their own good, what was the point of coming out here if not to fight high-level beasts? Spending all day killing weak creatures was meaningless. But they didn’t dare to argue, fearing that if this mentor became displeased, he would report them to the Academy’s high-levels, and the three of them would be dragged back to stay at the school.

Luckily, this senior mentor calmed down after a few more words. "First, use the scent-concealing spray. It also has a sterilizing effect. You’re covered in the Man-Eating Spider’s slime; who knows how many microscopic spider eggs are on you."

As he spoke, the mentor had already extracted the level 5 beast core from the Man-Eating Spider and casually tossed it to Wang Zhan. "Take it, but don’t be so reckless next time."

"Uh, we just lent a hand. This beast core..." Wang Zhan said, glancing awkwardly at the three seniors.

Before the seniors could speak, the mentor sneered, "They don’t deserve it. Three level 5 Martial Artists not as decisive as a mere level 3 Martial Artist like you. Vice President Liu was right; the students of the Martial Arts Academy are indeed too complacent."

Seeing the three seniors looking as quiet as cicadas in winter, the Team of Wang Zhan and two others exchanged glances and chose to remain silent.

Everyone soon cleared up the site and then dispersed.

After a somewhat perilous battle, Wang Zhan had depleted more than half of his Essence Energy in a short time. Therefore, the three-person team had to rest temporarily. After all, in the wilderness, one could never be too cautious.

A little over an hour later, Wang Zhan had fully recovered.

"Let’s go. Last time I was in the wilderness, I found a place to stay," Wang Zhan suggested.

Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming naturally had no objections. As a special team participating in the operation, they had no specific mission. As long as they ensured their own safety, no one cared where they went. Precisely because of this, they had no plan and were just winging it.

The small team soon set off again. This time, they ignored any low-level beasts they encountered, focusing instead on getting away quickly and pressing on.

Finally, around five in the afternoon, the three of them arrived outside the cave where Wang Zhan had previously hidden. However, Wang Zhan hadn’t expected that the bushes he had placed to conceal the cave entrance were completely useless. The cave mouth was now wide open; clearly, during his absence, it had acquired a new master.

Meanwhile, Song Dongming suddenly took a couple of steps closer, squatted down, brushed the ground near the cave entrance with his hand, then brought his fingers to his nose and sniffed. "There’s a scorched smell. And look, there are traces of burnt wood nearby."

"Someone started a fire? Why would anyone burn wood for no reason?" Huang Pufeng asked, puzzled.

Wang Zhan also frowned, unable to figure it out.

"Let’s go in and take a look. The cave isn’t deep," Wang Zhan proposed.

The three of them entered the cave together. But when they had ventured less than ten meters inside, a wave of heat washed over them from the depths of the cave.

"It’s so hot, what’s going on?"

"I don’t hear any breathing inside. It must be due to whatever new master has taken over this place."

"Why don’t we find another place? If it can leave the environment this hot even when it’s not here, the beast that lives here must be tough to deal with," Huang Pufeng suggested.

Wang Zhan and Song Dongming exchanged a look, each seeing the intention to withdraw in the other’s eyes. It wasn’t cowardice, but dusk was already painting the sky; it wouldn’t be long before night fell. The wilderness at night was countless times more dangerous than during the day. Stirring up trouble now was not a wise choice.

"Let’s go. We’ll retreat for now and come back to check things out tomorrow," Wang Zhan said.

But just then, heavy, muffled footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the cave. The footsteps grew louder and closer. Within seconds, most of the light at the cave entrance was blocked.

When the Team of Wang Zhan and two others saw the behemoth at the cave entrance, their breathing hitched.

"How... How can this be!"

Song Dongming’s eyes widened. He recognized the big guy before them, which was precisely why he was so astonished. "How can this kind of beast appear in this region?"

Wang Zhan and Huang Pufeng also stared gravely at the beast that blocked most of the cave entrance.

"I didn’t expect trouble to find us so quickly," Wang Zhan said coldly. "Still, at least tonight’s dinner is settled."