34: Chapter 34 The Withered Forest Slaughterground and the Ants No Longer Being Cared For

Boom—!

A thunderous roar echoed from the direction of the cliff, followed by two terrifying auras clashing violently in mid-air. Visible airwaves swept across half of the Newbie Village like a tsunami, knocking countless players off balance and triggering a wave of startled cries.

"Holy crap! Is that the Village Chief and Blacksmith Wang? Why are those two NPCs fighting?"

"Is this a hidden plot? Quick, record it!"

Qin Ji stood on the stone-paved road at the village entrance, his back to the billowing dust, not even bothering to look back. A faint, inscrutable smile played on his lips—the satisfaction of a director watching his script play out perfectly.

"Go ahead and fight. It's best if you beat each other's brains out."

He casually straightened his collar and turned his gaze toward the dark forest on the other side of the village—the Twisted Jungle.

Although he had reached Rank 10 and could head to the main city, the "City of Origin," at any time via the teleportation array, he didn't plan on leaving empty-handed. According to the underlying logic of "God's Domain," although the Newbie Village's dungeons were low-level, they had the highest respawn density.

For someone like him, who possessed Greedy Grasp, this wasn't a leveling spot—it was a buffet.

"Since I've got new equipment, I should find a place to test my blade."

Qin Ji's figure blurred and instantly vanished from the spot, leaving behind only an afterimage torn by high-speed movement.

...

Twisted Jungle, Abyss-level Dungeon entrance.

This was originally a forbidden zone for players at this stage; the requirement of 500 physical defense points discouraged 99% of teams. But at this moment, a dark figure crashed through the dungeon's air wall like a bulldozer, charging directly into the dense forest thick with the scent of decay.

"Roar—!"

Sensing the presence of a living being, the previously still and withered trees instantly came to life. Countless vines as thick as pythons burst from the ground, whipping toward Qin Ji with a nauseating, fishy wind.

[Twisted Treant (Elite)]

[Rank: 10]

[Health: 5000]

[Skills: Spiked Skin (20% Damage Reflect), Entangle, Poison Mist]

Facing the overwhelming vines, Qin Ji had no intention of dodging.

He simply raised his right hand slowly. On his palm, a violent purple light flashed across the surface of the Heavy Thunder Ring.

"Just as well. Let's see if thunder and fire can burn this pile of rotten wood clean."

The next second, he drew the Bone Greatsword from his back.

Without any fancy sword moves, he delivered a simple, unadorned horizontal sweep.

"Whir—"

The air was forcibly compressed by the terrifying weight of the greatsword, letting out an overburdened wail. Where the blade passed, the space seemed to form a momentary vacuum fault.

Bang!

The three treants in the lead didn't even have time to scream before their massive bodies exploded into wood chips upon contact with the blade. Immediately after, a violent power of thunder erupted along the sword, surging up the vines like a wild purple dragon.

Sizzle—!

The originally damp and dark jungle was instantly illuminated by the intense light.

It wasn't ordinary burning, but instant carbonization caused by high-voltage electricity.

The trunks of over a dozen treants instantly became charred and brittle under the rampage of the thunder, then disintegrated into a pile of smoking charcoal under the force of gravity.

[Killed Twisted Treant, triggering Greedy Grasp!]

[Obtained Attribute: Max HP +10]

[Obtained Passive Fragment: Photosynthesis (1/100)]

[Killed Twisted Treant... triggering Greedy Grasp!]

[Obtained Attribute: Max HP +10]

...

A series of golden numbers flashed rapidly across Qin Ji's vision.

But he didn't stop.

More treants swarmed from all directions, their sharp wooden spikes stabbing toward his body like a torrential rain.

Clang, clang, clang, clang—!

A dense series of impact sounds rang out, and a string of ridiculous numbers popped up above Qin Ji's head.

-1 (Forced Damage)

-1

-1

At the same time, the Bone Heavy Armor on his body glowed with a bone-white light. Shields of bone automatically emerged, parrying all the vines attempting to ambush him.

"Too slow."

A flash of impatience crossed Qin Ji's eyes.

He took a sudden step forward, the layer of humus beneath his feet collapsing instantly as he charged into the center of the monster pack like a cannonball.

The greatsword in his hand turned into a black storm.

It was a one-sided slaughter.

Those treants with 20% damage reflect were originally a nightmare for melee classes. But in the face of Qin Ji's perverse defense and the 15% Lifesteal inherent in the Bone Greatsword, that bit of reflected damage was a joke.

Whenever the reflect damage took a few dozen points of his health, the next swing of his sword—delivering thousands of points in Critical Damage—would instantly suck his health bar back to full.

His health bar was like it was dancing at a disco, jumping up and down but always remaining above the safety line.

"Boom!"

Qin Ji cleaved downward with his sword. The Sword Qi, enveloped in thunder, plowed a twenty-meter-long charred trench directly into the ground. The soil on both sides of the gully had already turned into a semi-vitrified crystalline state, still sizzling and emitting steam.

The five treants in the direct path of the attack, along with the massive boulders behind them, were completely annihilated by this single strike.

That kind of destructive power simply didn't belong to this Rank.

It was pure numerical suppression, a supreme performance of violent aesthetics.

In just ten minutes.

The entire Twisted Jungle looked as if a Category 12 typhoon had passed through. Broken withered wood and charred craters were everywhere. The air was filled with the pungent smell of ozone and burnt wood.

Qin Ji stood in the center of the ruins, his greatsword pointing diagonally at the ground as a drop of dark green sap slowly dripped from the tip.

He opened his panel and took a look.

His Max HP had increased by a full 2000 points.

The passive skill [Photosynthesis] (recovers 1% HP per second in sunlight) had also been fully assembled.

"That's about enough."

Qin Ji sheathed his greatsword, his gaze sweeping over the wasteland that no longer spawned monsters.

The wool here had been plucked bare.

It was time to move to a larger stage.

...

Emerald City, inside a luxury box on the top floor of the City Lord's Mansion.

As one of the Rank 1 main cities in "God's Domain," Emerald City was not only prosperous but also a strategic stronghold that every top guild vied for.

At this time, a woman in flowing mage robes with a cold expression sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the bustling crowd of players below. Above her ID was a golden guild prefix—[Dream Chaser].

Dream Chaser in the Mist.

She was the Vice Guild Leader of the "Dream Chasing Guild," one of the top three guilds in the national server, and also the fifth-ranked expert on the current Rank leaderboard.

"Sister Yanxue, that solo player named 'Snow Emperor' still hasn't replied to our recruitment message."

Behind her, a player dressed as an assassin reported in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction. "Furthermore, according to our monitoring, he still hasn't come out of that Newbie Village numbered 10086."

"Still in the Newbie Village?"

Dream Chaser in the Mist's slender eyebrows knitted slightly, and the wine glass she was swirling paused for a moment.

"Yes. Supposedly he got caught up in some NPC task. A large-scale NPC brawl just broke out in that village, so he's likely wasted quite a bit of time in there."

The assassin player sneered. "In my opinion, he just got lucky with a first kill. To still be lingering in the Newbie Village at a time like this shows that his awareness and strategic vision are both far too poor."

Dream Chaser in the Mist remained silent for a moment, the flicker of expectation in her eyes gradually cooling.

In a game like "God's Domain," where the snowball effect was extremely strong, being one step slow meant being slow at every step.

The first-tier players had already reached Rank 15 and were starting to tackle the main city's first Team Dungeon. Yet that Snow Emperor was actually still playing in the mud in the Newbie Village.

Even if he had secured a first kill before, that small advantage had long since been eroded by the gap in time.

"In that case, there's no need to pay him special attention anymore."

Dream Chaser in the Mist set down her wine glass, her voice returning to its usual indifference. "Withdraw the S-Rank contract offered to him. Change it to a B-Rank contract and lower the annual salary to one million. If he's willing to come, we'll treat him as an idle hand; if not, don't force it."

"Understood," the assassin player nodded. "A lone wolf with no foresight like him is destined not to go far. By the time he comes out, he won't even be able to catch the exhaust fumes of the first-tier players."

Dream Chaser in the Mist said no more, simply turning her head to look back out the window at the magnificent Mage Tower.

In her view, that ID which had once caught her eye was ultimately just a fleeting shooting star. It would soon be submerged in the vast flood of data, unable to stir up any more waves.

...

Newbie Village, Teleportation Plaza.

The plaza was now sparsely populated, as most ambitious players had long since left this backwater place.

Qin Ji's figure appeared before the teleportation array.

He didn't know that he had already become a "has-been influencer" in the eyes of a certain big shot. Of course, even if he did know, he would only find it amusing.

Some gaps cannot be bridged by Rank alone.

Just as an ant can never understand why a dragon's breath can trigger a storm even while it sleeps.

"Checking player status..."

"Check passed. Target: City of Origin."

"Teleportation countdown: 3, 2, 1..."

As the System's mechanical prompt sounded, the runes around the teleportation array lit up one by one. An azure glow shot into the sky, completely swallowing Qin Ji's figure.

Just as the teleportation pillar of light was about to vanish, a shrill and agonizing scream suddenly came from the direction of the distant cliff.

"Qin Ji!!! You little brat! This Ore is fake!!!"

That was Blacksmith Wang's voice, sounding as full of despair and rage as if someone had poked him in the backside.

It seemed that the simple blacksmith uncle had finally discovered that the "Magic Ore" he had risked his life to snatch back was actually just an ordinary stone coated in fluorescent powder.

Inside the pillar of light, Qin Ji's figure had already become blurred.

But his purple-gold pupils, peering through layers of space, revealed a heart-stopping sense of mockery.

Goodbye, Newbie Village.

Goodbye, my lovely Leeks.

The light dissipated, and the plaza returned to tranquility, leaving only a few fallen leaves stirred up by the energy. They swirled powerlessly in the air before finally settling slowly in the center of the empty teleportation array, as if mourning the departure of an...

Indescribable monster.