C13 Do It Yourself

This was precisely why he had ventured into the depths of the Wasteland, marking Lin Tian's first encounter with the Lava Monsters.

"Um, Bai Li, are you sure I can handle these Elite Monsters?"

Upon reaching the Wasteland's depths, Lin Tian spotted a solitary and formidable Lava Elite Monster nearby, and he couldn't help feeling a bit intimidated.

"Oh, my foolish master, how many times must I tell you? You're nearly at Rank 1. By the game's standards, you're at least a Level 10 now. That Lava Elite Monster is 5 levels below you, so you can easily take it down. Even though you haven't learned any spells, your sheer physical strength is more than it can handle," Bai Li said, her voice tinged with impatience. It was clear she had repeated this to Lin Tian numerous times, but she bore no resentment. After all, before all this, Lin Tian was just a regular coder, never imagining he'd one day battle such a menacing creature.

Yet Bai Li also understood that this was a necessary step in Lin Tian's journey.

What Bai Li hadn't disclosed to Lin Tian was that while he could rely on the Reincarnation World to have ordinary players slay these lower-level monsters for now, as the enemies he attracted grew stronger, this tactic would become obsolete.

The explanation was simple: once someone attained the prowess of a Level Eight Dominator, they could wield powers on par with those of the Reincarnation World, rendering it incapable of confining such formidable beings.

Thus, should such a powerful adversary threaten Earth, Lin Tian would have no choice but to confront them himself.

Their battleground would inevitably be the vast cosmos, but that was a tale for another time. Although these events lay far in the future, they underscored an important truth: Lin Tian needed extensive combat experience. Otherwise, even with comparable strength, those battle-hardened Level Eight Dominators would easily overpower him.

"Fine, I'll trust you this time. Just don't let me down," Lin Tian said, feigning a couple of coughs to shake off his trepidation before charging at the Lava Monster with renewed courage. The Lava Monster, which had been roaming peacefully, sensed the ambush and instinctively hurled a Great Fire Ball Technique at Lin Tian.

Lin Tian instinctively started to dodge as the Great Fire Ball Technique hurtled towards him at a high speed. He doubted he could evade it, but to his surprise, his reflexes were quicker than he anticipated. With just a turn of his head, the fiery projectile whizzed by, narrowly missing him.

Realizing his own formidable power, Lin Tian let out a chuckle and launched a punch at the creature. With a resounding boom, the monster shattered into fragments unexpectedly. However, unlike when players defeated them, the pieces did not vanish.

Instead, a mysterious, transparent energy emerged from the remnants of the monster. "Collect!" Bai Li exclaimed excitedly, her hand sweeping through the air. The energy swirled and spiraled until it vanished into her forehead.

"Ah, the soul power I've missed for so long. You know, the souls of these other beings are quite pure. Now, if you hunt down a few dozen more of these monsters, I can craft the dungeon you wanted earlier, as well as two other treasures from the shop."

Lin Tian watched Bai Li revel in the sensation, somewhat bemused. Was absorbing a soul really that pleasurable?

"Alright, alright, I'm on it!" he agreed.

With his newfound confidence in his strength, Lin Tian's bravery grew. Initially cautious, only facing one or two monsters at a time, he soon found himself charging into groups of Lava Monsters without hesitation.

In just half an hour, Bai Li had absorbed the energy of nearly fifty Lava Elite Monsters, a vast and pure force that left her immensely satisfied.

Perhaps Lin Tian's hunting spree had drawn the attention of the Lava Monsters' leaders. As he prepared to depart, a searing power surged from above, ambushing him.

The skirmishes had transformed Lin Tian, altering both his demeanor and mindset. As the energy from above bore down on him, he dodged on instinct. He had expected to evade it as easily as he had the Great Fire Ball Technique from the Lava Elite Monsters, but this force seemed to track him. Despite his efforts, Lin Tian was struck.

With a thunderous roar, Lin Tian's head was filled with a resounding boom, and he found himself hurtling backward. Strangely, Lin Tian's body sustained no injuries whatsoever.

"Human, you've actually managed to make it this far. You've got guts," said a voice.

Lin Tian looked up to see a Fire Elf hovering in the sky, the very one who had launched a sneak attack on him.

Picking himself up off the ground, Lin Tian faced the Fire Elf with a smirk. "Heh, your ambush didn't do much damage. If everyone here is as weak as you, why wouldn't I take my chances?"

When it came to banter, the Fire Elf was no match for Lin Tian. A single sentence had the Fire Elf seething with rage, charging at Lin Tian once more.

"Smack!"

Lin Tian was braced for a confrontation, but unexpectedly, Bai Li leapt out and landed a slap on the Fire Elf. To Lin Tian's dismay, the formidable Fire Elf was reduced to ashes with a single slap and scattered into the wind.

Lin Tian gaped at Bai Li, at a loss for words. It was hard to reconcile the image of the fierce fighter before him with the adorable little girl he knew as Bai Li.

"Hmph, stinky master, stop staring. Its attack was quite unique—a soul attack, which you're not equipped to handle yet. I had to step in, but it cost me a lot of energy. You'll need to find a way to make it up to me," Bai Li said with a haughty pout.

Lin Tian gave a wry smile and nodded in agreement. It looked like he needed to push the players to grind and level up quickly. After all, it wouldn't do for him, the master, to be outclassed by Bai Li. What a frustrating predicament.