Shen Lu: I've Mutated into Multiple Game-Breaking Abilities

Chapter 5: Star Position!

[You defeated a Battle Chicken (Lv1), +1 EXP] Upon seeing this message, Ling Yi raised an eyebrow, then turned and walked away with a sense of relief. As he walked, he brushed the leaves off his shoulders, his gaze unconsciously drawn forward. There, in the very spot where he had summoned the Flame Star, a five-meter-wide crater had appeared. The soil inside was scorched red-hot and still billowing with steam. The ground around the pit was crisscrossed with dense cracks, and the grass that had once grown there seemed to have been completely scorched away in an instant. The only surviving grass could be seen three or four meters outside the pit, but even that was charred black. The destructive power was far greater than Ling Yi had imagined—and this was clearly the result of the attack being amplified tenfold. “... I’m only Level 1; there’s no way I could have that much destructive power.” “It seems it’s all thanks to the mutation.” Now, after being amplified tenfold, “Starfall” was powerful enough to destroy a tree. But once he grew stronger in the future— who knows? Perhaps an entire village, a small town, or even a major city could be obliterated in an instant! His mind raced for a moment as he took a few steps toward the massive crater. As he drew closer, he saw a ten-centimeter-tall orange-yellow diamond-shaped crystal suspended at the bottom of the pit, with a single sparkling light orbiting it counterclockwise. That orange-yellow crystal was the skill. Judging by the number of surrounding light points, it was clearly only a 1-star skill. “A skill drop? Did the probability reversal take effect?” Ling Yi muttered to himself. Skill drop rates are very low. Since a skill dropped on the very first kill, he was already convinced it was due to his talent. He’d find out for sure by killing a few more enemies later. He jumped out of the pit and picked up the orange-yellow crystal. Since he didn’t have a scouting skill and couldn’t view the crystal’s information, he stowed it in his player inventory and checked it from there. [Iron Head Charge (1-star)]: Reinforces your head and charges at enemies, dealing a small amount of damage. “A pretty average skill,” Ling Yi remarked, rubbing his chin. In front of him, the Super Mutation System also displayed the mutation information. “Iron Head Charge (1-Star Skill) — Mutation Potential: Medium” Although it had “Medium” mutation potential, he had no intention of mutating it. Charging at enemies with your head is actually quite dangerous; one wrong move and you’ll end up feeding them a kill. Plus, this move is also... also... Ling Yi couldn’t quite put his finger on the feeling—embarrassing? Lacking class? Not up to par? In any case, he didn’t want it. Besides, his star slots were already full; there was no room for this skill. In Shen Lu. Although players can freely combine skills, there are still limitations. If there were no limits, wouldn’t everyone just learn every skill they came across, allowing anyone to become a jack-of-all-trades? In the end, if everyone had the same skills, what would be the point? And these so-called limits are the Star Slots! As everyone knows, skills in Shen Lu have star ratings. The higher the star rating, the stronger the skill. Corresponding to this strength is the number of Star Slots required by each skill. A 1-star skill occupies 1 star slot. A 2-star skill occupies 2 star slots. A 3-star skill occupies 3 star slots. To learn new skills, players must have enough star slots. Where do star slots come from? Leveling up! Players start with 1 star slot and gain 1 additional star slot for every level they reach. In other words, the number of star slots matches the player’s current level. Therefore, Ling Yi, who is currently Level 1, has only 1 star slot and can possess exactly one 1-star skill! Even if he levels up and gains extra star slots, he won’t necessarily want every skill. Coming back to his senses. Since he was certain he didn’t need this skill, Ling Yi used the Shen Lu’s recycling feature to recycle it. [1-Star Skill [Iron-Headed Charge] has been recycled. You have obtained 10 gold coins. ] Gold coins are the only currency in Shen Lu and will be used in many ways in the future. “Alright, it’s time to go find the next monster.” Leaping out of the pit, Ling Yi chose a random direction and continued on his way. Half a minute earlier. As a Flame Star five meters in diameter plummeted from hundreds of meters above, many players within a radius of several kilometers witnessed it. “What is that!? A meteorite?” Players who saw this scene widened their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief. “What’s going on? Is that someone else’s skill? That can’t be possible! How much time has even passed!?” “But if it wasn’t a player’s skill, could it be a monster’s? I don’t know of any monsters in the beginner maps that can summon meteors.” “But this is way too over the top. Even if that skill came from a treasure chest, the person using it should only be around Level 1 right now—how could there be such a ridiculously powerful 1-star skill!?” “Maybe it has serious side effects? Or is it a ‘pay-to-win’ skill?” “... That’s the only explanation.” Amid the buzz of discussion, the group quickly came up with possible explanations. That meteor-summoning skill was most likely one with severe side effects—or one that required sacrificing one’s life to cast. As for where the skill came from? If you’re lucky enough to find a treasure chest, it’s not at all strange to get a 1-star skill. Boom! Somewhere in the Qingbai Forest, the Chen brothers were battling two combat chickens. Hearing the rumbling sounds drawing ever closer, the two began to grow increasingly anxious. “Hurry up, little brother! Judging by that sound, the guy who summoned the meteorite is heading this way. It doesn’t matter if we die, but we can’t let him steal the monster!” Chen Dajia shouted to his younger brother nearby. Tall and burly, he was using his [Physical Training] skill and sheer brute strength to pin one of the fighting cocks beneath him, pounding it with fists as hard as blacksmith’s hammers. There are no penalties for dying before Level 10, and players immediately respawn in front of the camp’s crystal. He’d rather die than miss out on the experience. Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaoyi nodded in understanding, then immediately cast a skill at another combat chicken charging toward him from a short distance away. “Starfall!” He shouted the command quickly, raising both hands toward the sky. In the next instant, a pale blue, fist-sized speck of starlight appeared one meter above the fighting rooster’s head and, after a brief delay, plummeted toward its head! As if sensing the danger overhead, the fighting rooster immediately used Iron Head Charge. In an instant! The fighting cock’s head suddenly turned bronze, as if it had suddenly donned a copper helmet. Its entire body shot toward Chen Xiaoyi like a sharp arrow! When the starlight struck its head, the fighting cock’s head trembled, and its eyes went blank for a moment. Yet even so, its speed as it lunged forward didn’t waver! Back when he was still in school Chen Xiaoyi had watched countless videos of Battle Chick fights, honing his reflexes in the process. The moment he confirmed the skill had been successfully activated, he darted behind a nearby tree—fighting near a tree was a valuable strategy distilled from the experience of countless veteran players. And reality played out exactly as Chen Xiaoyi had anticipated. The fighting rooster flew past him, continuing forward for several meters before plummeting to the ground. Seizing this opportunity, Chen Xiaoyi cast the “Starfall” skill once more. Players who had learned “Starfall” and “Fireball” generally fought in the same way as Chen Xiaoyi.