Lu Chen channeled the power of Anemo, his footsteps swift and light.
With a stamina stat of 6, he could run a full lap around the tidal flats without breaking a sweat. He looked like a troublemaker stirring up chaos wherever he went—wherever he appeared, swarms of Hydro Slimes would spring forth.
Before long, a countless number of Hydro Slimes were trailing behind him. The sight was quite the spectacle—borderline comical with all the slimes bouncing and tumbling after him.
He planned to round them up and take them out all at once—far more efficient for leveling up.
The title of "Slime Killer" wasn't just for show.
Lu Chen pulled out Debate Club, gripped the hefty two-handed weapon tight, and used [Song of the High Sky] to rise into the air on a gust of wind.
Once high enough, he gathered strength and slammed down hard.
The surrounding Hydro Slimes burst into puddles of slime, at least a dozen taken out in a single blow.
Back when he first arrived on this beach, he had to strategize and use all sorts of tricks just to win against these creatures.
But now? He didn't even have to think. Lu Chen couldn't help but marvel—truly, strength could overwhelm any strategy.
When your power reached a certain level, tactics became irrelevant. Just charge in and smash everything in your way.
For some reason, the image of that fox pinning him down flashed in his mind...
Grudge-holding as he was, Lu Chen silently swore to himself—once he regained his power, he'd make her pay!
He'd pin that fox beneath him and go wild rubbing her ears!
Hmph!
Morning and night were when elemental energy was at its densest. After Lu Chen's fierce barrage, the number of slimes had dropped significantly, but off in the distance, more Hydro Mimics were closing in.
These were much more troublesome.
And it looked like their numbers were still increasing...
Could it mean... the Oceanid was about to appear?
As he pondered this, Lu Chen decided to try something new.
Cryo was undoubtedly the best counter to Hydro. He had only recently acquired a Cryo Vision—it still sat untouched in his inventory.
Always one to train under pressure, Lu Chen figured this was the perfect moment to test it out.
He swapped his weapon to the lighter Lion's Roar and tried to awaken his Cryo talent in the heat of battle.
A few crane-shaped Hydro Mimics flapped their wings, sending water shockwaves hurtling toward him.
For Lu Chen's still-mortal body, this kind of attack was seriously dangerous.
After landing, he didn't have time to summon another wind field to take off again.
In that critical moment, the Cryo Vision shimmered with a cold light.
A ring of sharp ice crystals burst forth around him, freezing the water shockwaves coming from every direction.
The air temperature plummeted. Water vapor condensed instantly into solid form, turning the water waves into frozen sculptures suspended in midair—beautiful and eerie all at once.
Even the surrounding Hydro Slimes were frozen into lifelike ice statues.
[Shinryu Style: Ice Blossom – Summons blooming ice flowers around the body, knocking back nearby enemies and dealing AoE Cryo damage.]
He had finally activated his ice-blue Vision—but before he could even celebrate, another barrage of shockwaves came from the Hydro Mimics flapping their wings.
Ranged enemies were always annoying. Lu Chen leapt back into the air, riding a gust of wind to dodge the attacks that came at him like cannonballs.
Looking down, the beach looked like it had been shredded by a fleet of excavators—craters everywhere.
Lu Chen spread his Wind Glider and dove toward the Hydro Mimics.
Cryo energy still clung to his blade. Lu Chen focused, trying to recall the Kamisato Clan's secret sword technique. He surged forward in a crescent-shaped iaijutsu strike.
The crane-like mimic had just started flapping its wings to attack—but was instantly frozen by the icy energy.
The devastating strike of Kamisato-style iaijutsu caused the two-meter-tall ice sculptures to crack and shatter into glittering shards.
With the last of the mimics down, Lu Chen exhaled. The remaining Hydro Slimes were no longer a threat.
He glanced at his level:
[Lv.38]
Grinding monsters every day had its benefits. Even if the experience gained from each one wasn't much, it added up. Too bad there were no treasure chests today.
Wiping sweat from his forehead, soaked from head to toe, Lu Chen decided it was time for a shower.
He checked the time—7:15 AM. Still early for school.
Back home, the breakfast he'd prepared had been devoured, leaving only Qiqi's coconut milk untouched.
Lu Chen glanced toward the balcony and saw Qiqi still out there, facing the sun and diligently doing her stretching routine.
"Seven-two-three-four, seven-two-three-four..."
"Five-six-seven-seven, five-six-seven-seven..."
Why was she counting more and more randomly?
Lu Chen figured that if no one stopped her, she might just keep going forever...
So he called out helplessly, "Qiqi—breakfast time!"
Morning sunlight bathed her small figure. Not a single drop of sweat on her face after all that stretching—Lu Chen actually envied her for that. He sniffed himself—he reeked of sweat.
Qiqi touched the talisman on her forehead and turned around with a puzzled look.
"Breakfast..."
"Yes, you have to eat breakfast in the morning..."
"To be like normal people..."
To maintain a body condition similar to that of a normal human, Qiqi insisted on doing her stretching routine every day. If she relaxed, her body would grow cold and stiff.
She also tried to live like a regular child—eating breakfast with everyone, though she only drank coconut milk.
Qiqi climbed onto the high dining chair and, upon seeing the coconut milk, her usually vacant eyes lit up just a little.
Lu Chen went back to his room to grab a towel. Glancing around the clean, neatly made room—Ei wasn't there.
Strange? Where'd she go?
Back in the living room, Yae Miko was curled up on the sofa, intently flipping through the light novel she'd "acquired" from the comic convention.
The moment she saw Lu Chen, her pretty fox eyes widened and locked onto him, staring until he felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Why are you staring at me?" Lu Chen frowned. "By the way, where's Ei?"
"She went to class."
"Class? This early?" Lu Chen was puzzled. Usually, they left together. Why'd she head out first today?
Yae Miko stopped him as he tried to head to the bathroom, her alluring gaze gleaming with mischief.
"So, how was your night?"
Lu Chen gave her a side glance, clearly not in the mood.
"Thanks for asking. Slept like a rock."
He walked around her, heading for his shower.
A purple blur flashed in front of him. Yae Miko narrowed her eyes. "You know that's not what I meant! Who cares how well you slept?!"
"Hmm? Isn't that exactly what you asked?" Lu Chen replied deadpan.
"I meant... you and Ei... did you two..."
"Did what?"
"That... that thing..."
As the editor-in-chief of Yae Publishing House, Yae Miko tried to find a more elegant and suggestive way to phrase it, something not so crude.
But Lu Chen didn't even pause. He brushed past her again.
The bathroom door closed. The sound of running water followed.
"Tch." Yae Miko flopped back onto the sofa, returning to her light novel.
But her curiosity was already piqued—she couldn't concentrate at all.
Images of the two of them tangled together kept flashing through her mind.
Strangely... she wasn't the one in those images...
Before she knew it, Miko's cheeks were flushed red.