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

Chapter 7: Starfall, Star Ascension, and Convergence

It could only be attributed to the Mutation System. Whether it was the [Starfall] skill itself or [Probability Reversal], which allowed him to summon a tenfold Flame Star every time, both are products of the Mutation System. Combined, they unleash a terrifying power far surpassing that of players at this stage! [You defeated a Red Berry Monster (Lv2), +1 EXP] [You defeated a Red Berry Monster (Lv4), +3 EXP] [You defeated a Red Berry Monster (Lv3), +2 EXP] [...... ] A series of kill notifications popped up one after another. He opened the interface and checked his experience bar again. Lv2 (15/300) A single skill cast yielded over ten experience points—he was gaining experience much faster than before! “At this rate, I might level up again in less than ten minutes!” “Once I reach Level 3, my skills will be even more powerful, I’ll clear monsters even faster, and I’ll be able to level up to Level 4 in no time...” A virtuous cycle! As long as he keeps working hard without slacking off, his advantage will only grow! Ling Yi couldn’t hide his excitement; he felt even more confident about his future path as a full-spec character. “Go for it!” Cheering himself on softly, he sped up his skill casting. Using skills consumes stamina. But luckily one of the two beginner perks in Shen Lu is that players’ stamina regeneration is increased a hundredfold. Therefore, players below Level 10 can cast skills freely without worrying about stamina. [You defeated a Red Fruit Monster (Lv. 5), +4 EXP] [You defeated... ] In just eight minutes, his Level 2 experience bar was completely filled. [Congratulations! You have earned enough experience and have automatically leveled up to Level 3! ] [You have gained 5 free attribute points! ] He allocated all his attribute points to Mana and cast [Starfall], just as Ling Yi had anticipated, the diameter of the Flame Star increased to 15 meters! It’s even more powerful now! Just as Ling Yi was still reveling in the joy of his faster monster-farming speed, a Shen Lu notification suddenly appeared. 【Notice: With sufficient proficiency, your growth skill [Starfall] has been upgraded to 2 stars! 】 “It leveled up!? That fast!?” Seeing this message, Ling Yi’s eyes widened in surprise. But upon closer reflection. He had used this skill over a hundred times so far; it actually made perfect sense for the skill to advance from 1-star to 2-star with that amount of use. He hurriedly opened the skill details to examine the upgraded [Starfall]. [Starfall (2-Star · Evolvable)]: Channel a Flame Star to strike the target area, dealing massive damage to everything within it (5-second delay). There is a very small chance the Flame Star will grow ten times larger. “Huh???” Ling Yi was filled with confusion. “The effect hasn’t changed at all.” He read the skill description twice to confirm it was exactly the same as before, then decided to test it out in practice. After all, there are many factors about a skill that won’t appear in the specific description. You only know the changes after using it. Lying on the grassy slope, he tilted his head back slightly, gazed up at the sky, and murmured, “Starfall.” No sooner had the words left his mouth than a crimson-gold glow appeared higher in the sky than before—about three or four hundred meters above the ground! “Oh? The Flame Star has risen higher!” Just seeing that, Ling Yi understood. He knew the skill had a 5-second delay—meaning there were 5 seconds between the Flame Star’s appearance and its impact on the target area. Given that the time remained constant, the increased height would inevitably accelerate its descent! A faster descent meant greater impact force upon the ground! Simply put: The damage to the ground is even greater! What happened next confirmed his guess. When the Flame Star hit the ground, a massive “BOOM” echoed like a thunderclap out of the blue. In an instant, a shockwave erupted, carrying a torrent of golden flames as it surged in all directions. Within just one or two seconds, the grassland within a thirty-meter radius was completely scorched, leaving behind a barren, parched expanse. All the Red Fruit Monsters within that area were instantly melted! A massive crater fifteen meters in diameter formed where the Flame Star struck, with a maximum depth roughly equal to the height of an adult. There had originally been two trees within the area; one was located in the core impact zone—that one was gone. The other stood on the edge of the Flame Star’s destructive radius—and was now blazing fiercely in the golden flames. [You have defeated... ] ...... Time flew by. Two hours had passed since the opening of this year’s Shen Lu. On the plain outside the camp, players who had originally scattered in all directions to level up were returning one by one. Ling Yi was among them. He was now sitting on a patch of grass, watching the other players rush back from all directions, a sense of anticipation in his heart. ‘We’re about to take on the Grassland Wolf Camp together soon. I wonder what levels everyone else is at...’ Beside him, a few young people were chatting casually. “The Grassland Wolf Camp is the prerequisite stage before the main path opens. Only after clearing it can we enter the main path of Shen Lu and officially set out on the journey to defeat the Demon King.” The main path is the core area of Shen Lu. It’s a dangerous path, filled with countless powerful monsters and all kinds of BOSSes. It requires players from across the entire server to work together to conquer it. The Demon King lies at the end of the Main Path. Unless he’s defeated, no one can enter the intermediate maps or break through the level cap of 30. You could say... Compared to the Main Path, all other areas are just “the wilderness.” “Speaking of which, what levels are you guys at?” “How high could it be? Anyone who’s made it to Level 2 by now is a badass, right? ... Hehe, I’m pretty lucky—I just hit Level 2.” “... I’m almost there too; I’m only a dozen or so experience points short.” Hearing the people next to him say this, Ling Yi couldn’t help but furrow his brow. What? Is reaching Level 2 really that impressive these days? He looked closely at the group and noticed that the person who claimed to be Level 2 wore a smug expression, as if reaching Level 2 right now were some extraordinary achievement. The others were also looking at him with a hint of envy. It didn’t seem like they were just making things up... Then... What the heck is up with my Level 7? 『 Name: Ling Yi Level: 7 (17/800) ...... Mana: 35 ...... (omitted) 』 “Could it be that they don’t have any shortcuts for leveling up fast? No methods for leveling up quickly?” Ling Yi muttered to himself, a look of confusion on his face. He knew he leveled up quickly—perhaps faster than anyone else—but he didn’t dare underestimate the rest of the world. In his view, since Shen Lu had descended twenty years ago, people in this world must have long since discovered strategies for rapid leveling that he wasn’t aware of. Using those strategies, it might be difficult to reach his current level, but reaching Level 5 or 6 should be possible... “No! It’s too early to draw conclusions based on just these few people.” “The descendants of those powerful figures and the rising generation of the major factions—their levels must be even higher!” No sooner had he finished speaking than Ling Yi heard waves of commotion coming from the distance. Looking up, he saw hundreds of people walking toward them. At the front were several spirited young people who, like celebrities, drew frequent glances from the surrounding players. As they approached, other players who had been watching from various spots rose one by one and began walking toward them. It was almost time. Everyone was gathering.