Picking Up Attributes From Today

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 light 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…”

Alarm interspersed with horror took over the girl. She hastily began to chant a magic incantation, intending to cast an even more powerful spell.

Whoosh!

Meng Lei appeared quietly in front of her.

“I’m a kind, thoughtful, and gentle man. I’ve never been one to hit women, so you don’t need to worry about that.” Meng Lei gave her a warm and mild smile as he went on. “But I’d like very much to have a taste of what it feels like to hit one now. Are you ready?”

And then…

Smack, smack, smack!

Bam, bam, bam!