Picking Up Attributes From Today c1-406

by Panda Reunion, 团圆小熊猫

  “All of you, hurry up! Don’t let other bastards get there before we do...”

  A few streams of light whizzed swiftly through the mountainous forest outside the basin. A few breaths later, they reached the basin’s periphery.

  Gasp!

  “The whole stone forest has actually turned into such a terrible state?”

  “Just how fierce must the battle just now have been?”

  The few of them exchanged a look. All of them could see the astonishment in one another’s eyes. Then, they looked at a blond young man among them.

  “Carlos, what should we do now?”

  “Are you sure you want to cash in on this?”

  Carlos, the blond young man, was obviously the leader of the team. He didn’t answer his companions; instead, he looked toward the depths of the basin.

  A brief moment later, his eyes widened, and he burst into laughter. “Yes! Why shouldn’t we? Fellows, we’ve struck gold this time!”

  “Huh?”

  His companions exchanged looks of confusion with one another.

  “Don’t ask. We’ll talk again after we head over!”

  An earth dragon automatically rose from underneath his feet and raced toward the depths of the basin with Carlos on its back. At the sight of this, all his companions also followed after him.

  Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

  The group moved at high speed. Soon, they arrived at the basin center, and then they saw something that terribly astounded them.

  A 50-meters-tall enormous creature laid on its back in the stone forest. Riddled with wounds and covered in blood, it was barely breathing anymore. From the looks of it, it was on the brink of death.

  “A B-Behemoth! That’s a Behemoth!”

  “Oh my dragon god! It’s actually a Behemoth!”

  Astounded, the few of them let out a series of exclamations.

  “No! It’s not just any ordinary Behemoth!” Carlos swallowed hard as he said, “That’s a Saint Domain Multi-Armed Behemoth! Who was it that managed to pummel a Saint Domain Multi-Armed Behemoth into a pathetic state like that?”

  Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

  For a moment there, everyone’s gazes practically landed at the same time on Meng Lei, who was opposite the Multi-Armed Behemoth.

  Meng Lei laid on a huge rock; his complexion was as pale as a sheet. With blood at the corners of his lips, he was the very picture of someone heavily injured and on his deathbed after a fierce battle.

  Evidently, his battle with the Multi-Armed Behemoth had worn both parties out.

  “He’s the one that wounded the Multi-Armed Behemoth?”

  “What kind of joke is that? It’s actually a little brat?”

  “It doesn’t seem like there’s anyone else here, aside from the Multi-Armed Behemoth and him. Who else can it be, other than him?”

  “Oh my dragon god, is he really the one?”

  “Not only is a Saint Domain Multi-Armed Behemoth comparable to a Golden Colossal Dragon, but their terrestrial combat strength and wrestling abilities are even stronger than a Golden Colossal Dragon’s. Yet he can actually beat up the Multi-Armed Behemoth into that state?”

  “Who’s that little brat? Do any of you know him?”

  “No, I don’t!”

  “Never seen him!”

  “I know all the Empire-Affiliated Academy Contestants, but I’ve never seen that little brat! He’s obviously from the 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms!”

  “There’s someone that strong from the 15 kingdoms and 48 dukedoms?”

  Carlos, the blond young man, stared hard at Meng Lei as flames of jealousy blazed within him.

  That little brat looked so young, yet he was strong enough to contend against the Multi-Armed Behemoth. Just how amazingly talented must he be!?

  But what about him?

  Born with a silver spoon, he had gone through the strictest education since he was young and enjoyed the highest grade cultivation resources. He was already past 29 years old, yet his cultivation hadn’t gone past pinnacle-level ninth-grade yet. He was only barely bordering on Saint Domain.

  If he had to fight the Multi-Armed Behemoth head-on, it would practically be no different from sending him straight to his death.

  Jealousy burned within Carlos. With a deep, dark look in his eyes, he ordered, “The few of you, kill that Behemoth. Leave that little brat to me!”

  “No problem!”

  “How exciting! This is my first time seeing a Multi-Armed Behemoth, not to mention killing one!”

  “Oh my dragon god! To think I actually get to kill a Multi-Armed Behemoth that’s hailed as the king of terrestrial battles in my life! The blood in me is boiling uncontrollably!”

  Unable to wait any further, the others rushed toward the Multi-Armed Behemoth while Carlos walked up to Meng Lei with a complex look in his eyes.

  “Little brat! Although I don’t know who you are, I can imagine that in the kingdom or dukedom where you come from, you must be a genius basking in the limelight, idolized and embraced by countless people, right?”

  “What are you trying to do?”

  Meng Lei’s complexion was ghastly pale.

  “Frankly speaking, I’m very envious of people with excellent talent like you. You can disregard background, resources, age, and without putting in any hard work, still possess strength far beyond others’ to bask in the limelight and be embraced by many.

  “It’s just a shame that there are many things that one can’t get despite their envy!”

  The corners of Carlos’ lips curled upward as he said, “I have a lot of strengths, but having the tolerance for people more outstanding than me isn’t one of them. In particular, amazingly talented monsters like you make me even crazier with jealousy!”

  “Y-you... Don’t you dare!”

  Meng Lei warned with a horrified and fearful expression, “The emperor has prohibited us from hunting and killing fellow contestants. Otherwise, they’ll be eliminated. You can’t kill me!”

  “Kill you? Of course, I won’t do that!” Carlos gave him a chilly smile. “But I can destroy you! So that you’ll no longer have amazing talent and turn into a total cripple!”

  As he spoke, he took out a test tube filled with red liquid from his spatial ring. The content looked like blood! Scarlet, demoniac blood!

  “This tube of blood is filled with Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches. Do you know what Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches are?”

  Carlos gave the test tube in his hand a couple of shakes as he went on. “They are a type of exotic parasitic poisonous worm that lives in humans or Magical Beasts’ blood. They specialize in devouring Battle Aura, magic power, and spiritual power!

  “Once Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches make their way into someone’s body, even Saint Domain experts can forget about ever getting rid of them!

  “The only thing they can do is to watch helplessly as the Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches devour their spiritual power, magic power, and Battle Aura bit by bit until everything’s gone! And perish in the end!”

  A smiling Carlos added, “Before the competition started, I had specially gotten the Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches ready for the sole purpose of dealing with strong and talented monsters like you. If I could, I would like to kill all of you! And you... You’re just the first one I’m starting with!”

  After he spoke, Carlos popped off the cork and prepared to pour the blood infused with Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches onto Meng Lei.

  Meng Lei couldn’t keep his act at this point. With a flip, he got up and caught Carlos’ arm with his own. Then, he snatched the test tube from him.

  (⊙o⊙)

  Carlos was stunned.

  “You’re too goddamn disgusting!” Meng Lei had a dark look on his countenance as he said, “Not only are you robbing me of my battle spoils, but you’re even intending to destroy me with something so malicious! What a goddamn pervert!”

  Then, Meng Lei slammed his fist into Carlos’ abdomen, almost beating his dinner from the previous nig
ht out of him.

  “You loser, I’ll leave you to have a taste of this thing here yourself!”

  With a casual grab, pour, and close, Meng Lei poured all the blood in the test tube into Carlos’ mouth.

  Then, he broke Carlos’ jaw into pieces with a flying kick so that he wouldn’t even have the chance to throw up the Soul-Devouring Hell Leeches!

  “Ughh~”

  Carlos fell onto the ground and began to whimper and scream as he held his stomach. Anxious, in pain, and terrified, he had totally broken down.

  Elsewhere, the few preparing to kill the Multi-Armed Behemoth turned around upon hearing the commotion, their countenances full of horror.

  “Carlos!”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Birds of a feather flock together! None of you is anyone decent!”

  Meng Lei snorted coldly. Then, with a flick of his fingers, several golden rays shot out and instantly slashed across their knees.

  With a neat and organized soft thud, the few of them fell onto the ground—their upper bodies, that was. From the knee down, they were still standing...

  Chapter 169: Harsh Competition, I Don’t Hit Women

  Seated atop the Multi-Armed Behemoth’s shoulder, Meng Lei headed to the next Saint Domain Magical Beast’s territory while taking an inventory of his rewards from earlier.

  “Three Saint Domain magic cores, 76 ninth-grade magic cores, and innumerable magic cores of other grades... They already have these many magic cores when it hasn’t even been half a day?”

  Meng Lei didn’t think that Carlos and the others had gotten these through hunting. The only possibility was that they had also robbed other contestants, just like how they had intended to rob him. That was the only way they could collect that many magic cores in half a day’s time.

  Meng Lei remarked with a sigh, “Robbing others, fighting, maiming, and injuring others at the drop of a hat—this exchange competition sure is rather brutal.”

  “The exchange competition is a very brutal one from the start.”

  Ol’ Amos’ voice rang out as he said, “The strong are vicious and heartless while the weak group together for solidarity.

  “For victory, contestants resort to unscrupulous means like ambushing others from the back, making use of others, and other schemes and conspiracies... It’s impossible to guard against them all.

  “Rather than an exchange competition, one might as well just call it a slaughterfest. Numerous contestants die in the competition every time it’s held. If not for the fact that you’re strong enough, you’d have died from others’ schemes a long time ago!”

  “Perhaps, I guess.” Meng Lei chuckled in response to his words.

  “This is especially true when you’re traveling around with two Saint Domain Magical Beasts now. It’s too eye-catching,” Ol’ Amos kindly warned him, “Take it easy. Be careful you don’t slip up in unexpected places.”

  He had only just spoken when Ol’ Amos suddenly laughed. “See? What did I just tell you? Let’s see how you’re gonna deal with it this time!”

  “Hmm?”

  With an eyebrow raised, Meng Lei’s spiritual power swept across the area—in the bushes a few kilometers away, a teenage girl laid in a pool of blood...

  “What’s that supposed to be? A honey trap?” Meng Lei shook his head lightly. Then, he instructed, “Stay here and wait for me, Sacas and Clara!”

  “Yes, Boss!”

  Meng Lei soared into the air. Soon, he arrived right in front of the girl.

  “H-help...”

  Upon discovering Meng Lei’s presence, the weak and delicate girl acted as though she had just seen her savior, calling out as loud as she could in a hoarse voice.

  The magic robe on the girl—probably a Magician—was torn and tattered, exposing large patches of snowy-white skin.

  There was blood on the corners of her lips, as well as on her body... Or rather, all over her body, especially because a spear had pierced through her thigh, pinning her to the ground such that she could barely move.

  “I... I’ve been attacked!”

  The girl’s pretty face was pale as she said, “They robbed me of all my magic cores and even injured me. I can’t move anymore, can you help me?”

  “Of course!”

  Meng Lei repeatedly nodded upon hearing the girl’s explanation, the total picture of a loser begging to please.

  “Can you extricate the spear on my thigh for me?”

  She looked charmingly pitiful with a pleading look all over her face.

  “No problem!”

  Meng Lei walked forward and grabbed hold of the spear. Unexpectedly, the spear in his hand abruptly morphed into a small blood-red snake at this point. It opened its mouth and bit down directly on Meng Lei’s hand at once.

  “Ahhh!”

  Meng Lei let out a cry and shook the small blood-red snake off forcefully. Then, he staggered backward while he held his bitten right hand.

  “Hehe!”

  At the sight of this, the frail and delicate teenage girl immediately broke into giggles. Her crisp and melodious giggles were exceptionally clear in the quiet and tranquil forest, and she looked like a completely different person compared to her previous pitiful state.

  “Y-you... tricked me?”

  His complexion deathly pale, Meng Lei’s eyes bore furiously into the girl!

  There was no hint of her previous wretched appearance to the girl anymore at this point. The blood on her had mysteriously disappeared, and even her torn and tattered magic robe had been restored to a spanking new condition. The blood-red little snake had slithered onto her arm as well.

  “Tricked you? You can only blame your own stupidity!” The girl stroked the blood-red little snake as she giggled. “Everyone employs their own means in the exchange competition and will stop at nothing to get what they want. Fools like you can’t even get past the first day at all!”

  As she spoke, her gaze also fell on Meng Lei’s spatial ring. A smile appeared on her countenance at once, and she said in a girlish voice, “Give that to me!”

  “I got these magic cores through my own painstaking hunting efforts! How can I give them to you?” said Meng Lei, who had an indignant and grieving look on his face and looked as if he’d rather die than give in.

  “You won’t give them to me? You can just die, then!”

  At once, the girl’s expression changed and turned into one of cruel tyranny. She said, “Do you know what kind of snake this is? It’s a Bloodscale Blazing-Sun Snake! It’s incredibly poisonous, and once it bites you, even a Saint Domain will be left paralyzed for half a day, let alone someone like you.”

  “You... How can you be so vicious?”

  Terribly shocked and fearful, blood drained from Meng Lei’s face at once.

  “Cut the crap! If you don’t wish to die, hand over your spatial ring immediately, and I’ll give you the antidote. Otherwise, you can just wait to turn into a puddle of pus and die!”

  The girl spoke fiercely and viciously.

  “You—”

  After a brief moment of hesitation, a deathly pale Meng Lei ultimately still chose to remove his spatial ring. He threw it over to the girl, who received it in satisfaction and upon which, began to check the contents.

  The moment she did, she turned livid. “Five first-grade magic cores? These are the magic cores that you ‘got through your painstaking hunting efforts’? Are you f*cking kidding me?”

  Meng Lei said with an awful look on his face, “What? You don’t believe me?”

  “So you’re just a bloody pauper! What a waste of my time!”

  The girl glared viciously at Meng Lei. That look in her eyes was as if she wished she could eat him alive. Then, she turned and left.

  Meng Lei hastily shouted, “Hey! Where’s the antidote?”

  “You can just die, you goddamn pauper!” spat the girl coldly. Then, she left without even so much as a look behind her.

  Whoosh!

  A ligh
t breeze blew past, and then Meng Lei floated over to her.

  “You—”

  Terribly shocked, the girl stared at Meng Lei, who had suddenly shown up in front of her, in disbelief.

  “Little miss, you robbed me earlier. It’s my turn to rob you now!”

  A total change from his pathetic state just a moment ago, Meng Lei currently had a cheeky smile all over his face.

  “You’re not poisoned!”

  The girl reacted very quickly, retreating with a burst of speed. When she had retreated to a safe distance away, she glared furiously at Meng Lei as she said, “How dare you trick me? Are you tir—”

  Bam!

  Before she could even finish, Meng Lei’s foot had already appeared. His foot hit the girl on her face squarely, sending her flying.

  “Don’t you know how to choose your words properly? Did I trick you?” Meng Lei snorted and replied, “What I did is something known as beating you at your own game, get it?”

  “You bastard! I’m gonna kill you!”

  Thoroughly embarrassed and furious, the girl leaped forcefully off the ground and began to launch a series of attacks as if she had gone mad. Amidst wheezing attacks, the woods and trees around them seemed to come to life.

  Numerous vines morphed into poisonous snakes and pythons that surrounded Meng Lei from all directions. Then, they shot toward him altogether.

  “Playing with wood-elemental magic in front of me? You think too highly of yourself!”

  Meng Lei let out a contemptuous scoff of laughter, and then with a point of his finger... Several whitish air currents burst forth and shot toward the large numbers of poisonous snakes and pythons hurtling toward him.

  Crack!

  Crack!

  Upon coming into contact with the whitish air currents, a layer of white ice crystals wrapped around all the poisonous snakes and pythons, freezing them on the spot.

  A few moments later, all the snakes and pythons turned into vivid, life-like ice sculptures, still and motionless.

  “Break!” Meng Lei commanded.

  Crack!

  Instantly, all the ice sculptures broke into pieces and turned into ice chips that rained down onto the ground, producing crisp and clear clatters as they did so.

  “This...”