Chapter 4

Summon the function panel and open the game map.

A translucent pale-gold scroll unfurled before his eyes; the four large characters "Di Zhao Mountain Range" were printed at the exact center of the map, with the vast majority of the area above shrouded in mist.

The map exploration rate displayed in the upper right corner was 0.001%, and a line of small text below read: Waning Crescent (Low).

"Guide, are there no quests available to accept in this game?"

Closing the map function, Li Zheng looked at the floating guide water sphere beside him and asked.

【This game triggers quests randomly; there are no specific NPCs from whom to accept tasks. As challengers, your most important mission is to explore the Monster World and kill and contain the Meng Yuan Chu monsters. Each successful containment yields generous rewards.】

"Contain Meng Yuan Chu monsters? What does that mean?"

【The background world of this game tells that the supreme deity of the Monster World, Beneath Di Zhao, over ten thousand years ago, in order to explore the unknown mysteries of life, decomposed his own power and scattered it across the Monster World, evolving into various types of Meng Yuan Chu monsters. Today, over ten thousand years later, the Monster World is swept by a terrifying Black Tide, and the world is on the verge of collapse. You, who have received the grace of Beneath Di Zhao's power, must fight against the evil spirits brought by the terrifying Black Tide, while at the same time hunting and containing Meng Yuan Chu monsters to gradually restore the power of the sleeping Beneath Di Zhao until he fully awakens.】

【Simply put, the more Meng Yuan Chu monsters you contain, the stronger the Beneath Di Zhao behind you becomes, and the more game functions he can grant you.】

【When you first entered the game and created your characters, the blue crystal wall you saw was the Meng Yuan Chu Containment Wall located beneath Di Zhao Village. For every Meng Yuan Chu monster a player kills, another monster form option will be added to the containment grid.】

Hearing the guide's explanation, Li Zheng was even more puzzled:

"So we can change our initial monster form later, correct?"

The guide water sphere nodded upon hearing this:

【Of course, the initial form can be changed after selection. In addition, you can master multiple monster forms and abilities, switching at will through the Star Pulse function. Each monster form provides you with one special ability and a stat boost corresponding to that form.】

【And the Body Tempering level allows you to inherit the monster's stat boosts even in your main form, and to use the abilities of various monster forms.】

Speaking, the guide waved his hand and pointed forward; instantly, a huge light screen appeared in front.

Four large characters "Ability Demonstration" were printed at the top of the light screen's image.

In the image stood an ordinary-looking human male, with three monster phantoms floating behind him.

The guide pointed a finger, and instantly the male's attributes appeared:

【Challenger Name: Test No. 1】

Main Form: Human

Body Tempering Level: Level 3 (Can inherit all stat boosts from three monster forms)

Star Pulse Inlay Level: 3

Slot One Inlay: Black-Armored Snake Painful Painful Minghun Lv30 (Trait: Fierce Poison)

Slot Two Inlay: Spiked Ball Painful Painful Minghun Lv30 (Trait: Spiked Shot)

Slot Three Inlay: Long Sky Painful Painful Minghun Lv30 (Trait: Flight)

The guide pointed at the image and explained:

【Test No. 1's Body Tempering level has reached Level 3; even without transforming into a monster form, his original body can simultaneously inherit all stat boosts from three monster forms and can simultaneously use the trait abilities of three monsters.】

Accompanying the guide's explanation, Test No. 1 in the image moved.

A large number of worm-like monsters spawned in front of the character; Test No. 1 conjured a pair of wings behind him, rose into the air, and waved both hands forward; instantly, countless steel spikes fell upon the worm swarm like raindrops.

Green prompts reading "Poisoned" appeared above the heads of all worms struck by the steel spikes.

"I understand; different monster traits can be mixed and used under the main form. The trait of the Black-Armored Snake Painful Painful Minghun is that all physical attacks cause a poison effect; the trait of the Spiked Ball Painful Painful Minghun is releasing area-of-effect physical damage. Combining these two traits can inflict a group poison effect on targets within the strike range."

【Correct.】

"What is the maximum number of monster forms a player can possess?" Li Zheng continued to press.

【There is no limit; Star Pulse level and Body Tempering level can be infinitely improved. Later on, you can master hundreds of monster traits and combine various interesting skill sets under the main form, provided that enough Meng Yuan Chu monsters are contained and there are enough monster Painful Painful Minghun for you to choose and inlay.】

【Of course, in the early stages when Body Tempering level is 0, the main form cannot inherit monster stats; it is recommended to switch to a monster form for combat.】

Hearing this, Li Zheng and the others already understood what the guide intended to convey.

The initial form can be changed, and at the same time, every player can master multiple monster forms, with each monster form possessing one special ability.

"Very interesting setting!" Kill Heart in the squad nodded at this moment:

"Can I understand it this way: containing Meng Yuan Chu monsters is a world-level main quest shared by all players? Players who complete the containment can not only enjoy generous rewards exclusively but also bring shared monster form choices to all players."

【Correct.】

"By the way, what does the Waning Crescent displayed in the upper right corner of the map mean?"

【The moon phases in different regions of the Monster World are different. Intensity is divided into five levels from low to high: Waning Crescent, Last Quarter, First Quarter, Full Moon, and Great Evil Moon. Regions with lower intensity have lower-level evil spirit lives appearing, while regions with higher intensity have higher-level evil spirit lives appearing. However, monster strength is unaffected by moon phases; they can move freely in areas of any moon phase intensity. Great Evil Moon scenes may contain low-level monsters, and Waning Crescent scenes may also contain high-level monsters...】

The guide's detailed explanation allowed Li Zheng and the others to gain a preliminary understanding of the game's world background.

This is a crumbling world invaded by a terrifying Black Tide; a vast number of evil spirit lives descended with the Black Tide, wreaking havoc in the Monster World.

The world's main life forms are divided into three types.

They are Meng Yuan Chu monsters, monsters, and evil spirits.

Among them, evil spirits are evil lives that descended with the Black Tide to the Monster World; their range of movement is affected by changes in moon phases, and high-level evil spirits only appear during high-intensity moon phase stages.

And Meng Yuan Chu monsters and monsters are indigenous lives of this world; their range of movement is unaffected by moon phases.

Among the three life types, the most important to players are Meng Yuan Chu monsters; after being killed, they can be contained in the Containment Wall beneath Di Zhao Village, becoming a form selectable by all players.

"Let's go; it's time to level up."

After gaining a preliminary understanding of the worldview, Li Zheng led the other nine players in the squad toward the Di Zhao Mountain Range.

At the foot of the mountain range lay an ancient battlefield.

Tattered flags, shattered armor, broken weapons... were piled into mountains on the ground.

Having walked less than a hundred meters, Li Zheng and the others encountered evil spirit lives.

A bone soldier two meters tall slowly rose from a pile of skeletons; the tattered armor on its body slid to the ground. It turned its head to look at Li Zheng and the others, and suddenly, ink-black flames ignited within its pitch-black skull.

The overly realistic environment, combined with the suddenly appearing monster, made Li Zheng and the others shudder.

As their gaze focused, the analysis information of the bone soldier floated into the minds of Li Zheng and the other players.

【Cursed Soldier (Evil Spirit)】:

Hunting Level: 3

Target Introduction: A life form infected by the corrosive power of the terrifying Black Tide. Once a devout believer of Beneath Di Zhao in life, it was transformed into a Cursed Weapon after death under the infection of the Black Tide's power.

"It stinks!"

Poor enough to eat dirt, he covered his nose with his hand, his expression full of disgust:

"Too real. This stench is making me dizzy."

"Stop talking nonsense. Let's grind monsters and level up first." Seeing Li Zheng struck first. In an instant, his body switched to the Black-Armored Snake form, launched forward, and opened his blood-filled maw to bite straight at the Cursed Weapon:

"Evil Snake Out of the Cage!"

Seeing Seeing Li Zheng move, "Leopard Head Zero-Recharge" in the team decisively bared his teeth and followed. Switching to monster form at the same time, he roared:

"Second Snake Out of the Cave!"

"Third Snake Out of the Water."

"Fourth Snake Pounces and Bites!"

"Fifth Snake... Never mind, Awooo!"

The players of the Liver Emperor group simultaneously switched to monster forms, shouting as they pounced on the Cursed Weapon, surrounded it, and launched a fierce attack.

After a brief clash, finding that biting could not break the Cursed Weapon's defense, Seeing Li Zheng and the other players decisively changed their combat strategy and began trying to kill the Cursed Weapon using strangulation methods.

"Great Snake Coils."

"Second Snake Follows and Coils."

"Third Snake Also Follows."

This move indeed worked. Six Black-Armored Snakes coiled around the Cursed Weapon simultaneously. As their bodies tightened, the sound of bones cracking continuously rang out from the Cursed Weapon, which then crashed to the ground with a boom.

The other four players were not idle either.

The two players who chose the Gargoyle form used their claws to pull the Cursed Weapon's lower limbs from two directions, restricting the Cursed Weapon from rising. The two players who chose the Eagle-Headed Demon used their sharp beaks to hammer fiercely at the ink-black flame inside the Cursed Weapon's head.

In less than a moment, the Cursed Weapon was dismantled by the fierce players, turning into a pile of bones on the ground.

At this moment, a wisp of black mist emerged from the skull of the dead Cursed Weapon, flew toward a player in the team, and seeped into his body after contacting it.

Instantly, a prompt popped up in the team channel:

【Challenger Prompt: Player "Family Shared Godfather" killed the Evil Spirit: Cursed Weapon, gained Life Evolution Points +30, Shou Shou Jili reward: 5】

Amidst the surprised expressions of Seeing Li Zheng and the others, the body of Family Shared Godfather swelled visibly by a size, and a fleeting Level +1 prompt floated above his head.

"Uh, I think I leveled up. It seems only killing gives rewards; it can't be shared." Seeing the teeth-gritting expressions of his brothers, Family Shared Godfather's expression was somewhat awkward.

"Thief, stealing my growth luck, take my bite!"

"You have disappointed your father too much. Watch me enforce the family law!"

"Although you didn't do it on purpose, hogging the loot is wrong. We agreed to grow stronger together, yet you betrayed us and leveled up to Level 2 early. I can't vent my anger without pecking you once. Die!"

Seeing his brothers approaching with ill will, Family Shared Godfather decisively admitted defeat, but what greeted him was his brothers' heavy punches.

(End of Chapter)