Chapter 5: Hospitable Mega Beedrill

When you find yourself stranded in an unfamiliar large forest, what should be your first action? Search for a water source.

Aomori, who was still a human, also had a need for water. After some friendly inquiries with the elves, he arrived at the bank of a small stream.

At this moment, the green caterpillar in his hand once again opened its cute big eyes.

But upon seeing the scene in front of it, the green caterpillar wished it had never woken up.

The sky was filled with a dark mass, teeming with swarms of giant Beedrills.

Those were Mega Beedrills, one of the three major forces in the forest. They were numerous, extremely protective, unforgiving, territorial, and anyone who provoked them would face relentless pursuit. No elf dared to provoke them casually.

"Is it over for me here? It's all that evil guy's fault. He's probably in deep trouble too..." The green caterpillar glanced at the evil guy out of the corner of his eye, but he found the evil guy's mouth curling up. "Is he laughing? Maybe he's gone mad..."

Suddenly, The green caterpillar felt his body becoming lighter as he was thrown onto the grass, right in front of a horned bug.

"Alright, I've found the source of the problem. I deserve this." The green caterpillar muttered.

"Bzzzz..."

The Mega Beedrills in front of The green caterpillar, however, remained unfazed. They felt provoked and brandished their thick double stingers, swooping down towards him.

Frenzied attacks!

Dozens of Mega Beedrills attacked together. The green caterpillar lowered his head, unable to watch the impending carnage.

Thump! Thump, thump, thump...

"Huh, why do I hear so many landing sounds?" The green caterpillar was surprised and looked up, only to find that what had landed were not Mega Beedrills, but rather the seemingly victorious Mega Beedrills. "How is this possible?!"

Aomori's hands formed a crane shape, and his arms moved like flowing water, accurately hitting the vulnerable heads of the Mega Beedrills. With the power of his Thunder Breath, each strike was enough to shatter rocks, and most Mega Beedrills couldn't withstand it, falling to the ground like dumplings. Soon, only a few slightly larger Mega Beedrills were left flying.

The Flowing Stone Shatter Fist was both seamless in defense, guarding the entire body like flowing water, and relentless in attacking the enemy's weak points, making it an advanced martial art that combined offense and defense. Even though Aomori was a beginner, he could easily deal with Mega Beedrills.

"Do you still want to dance?" Aomori chuckled.

In response to Aomori's question, there was a series of fine needle attacks. Needle missiles!

Suddenly, a large pillar rose from the ground, blocking the needle missiles.

[Totem Chain of 13]! Aomori circled the pillar, knocking down one Mega Beedrill after another. The remaining Mega Beedrills, capable of moving, realized the situation was unfavorable and buzzed back into the dense forest.

Aomori paid no attention to them and carefully pondered his experience with the Flowing Stone Shatter Fist from before. He felt that he had gained a lot from it, and his skill proficiency had also increased by a large margin. Clearly, practice alone wasn't enough; he needed real combat.

"The Beedrills here are really hospitable. They not only provide experience but also serve as sparring partners. The next batch should be coming soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, Aomori heard the pleasant buzzing sound. The fleeing Mega Beedrills had brought even more experience points, nearly ten times the amount.

Aomori smiled and beckoned to the Mega Beedrills with his finger. "Come on, let's have another round!"

Fast forward to dusk, the constraints on the green caterpillar's body had been released at some point, but it didn't run away. Instead, it watched Aomori send away one batch of Mega Beedrills after another, its expression changing from astonishment to horror, then from horror to numbness, and finally evolving into admiration.

"He's so strong. I want to become that strong too. If I follow him, I'll definitely be able to." The green caterpillar's eyes gradually grew determined.

(｀ω) Aomori's battle with the Mega Beedrills had been going on for several hours in this area, and all the Mega Beedrills in this region had been drawn into the battle, one after another, like a furious tide surrounding Aomori. However, Aomori stood firm like an old rock.

There were too many Mega Beedrills, and injuries were inevitable. Whenever his injuries accumulated to the point of hindering his movements, the Holy Light would come to his aid and grant him strength.

Long-term combat had nearly exhausted Aomori's physical and mental strength, but he held on, his trembling hands striking the vital points of the Mega Beedrills before him without faltering. One punch, one Mega Beedrill.

Later on, Aomori didn't stick to using his hands. His knees, ankles, and even his head became weapons, launching relentless attacks until there was nothing left to obstruct his vision.

"Bzzzzzz..."

The Mega Beedrills, which had been trampled all day, lost their morale and fled back to their territory in a sorry state.

When Aomori couldn't see a single Mega Beedrill, he breathed a sigh of relief, sat down on the ground, and rested for a few seconds. Then he stood up again, walking to the edge of the stream and lying down, plunging his head into the stream, taking a few sips of water.

The sweet stream water quenched his thirst, and Aomori lifted his head from the stream, ran his wet hair through his hand, and took out [Delicious Rice Balls] from the system, swallowing them in one gulp. He finally felt some of his energy return. He then used his remaining mental strength to cast [Minor Healing Spell], which quickly healed most of his minor injuries and fatigue.

Opening the system log, which was filled with numerous system notifications that had been blocked during the battle, Aomori skimmed through most of the experience point notifications from defeating the Mega Beedrills and found a few unusual pieces of information.

Firstly, his level had risen to 7. He had gained two levels in the first day of the dungeon, which was like riding a rocket compared to the previous three months it took him to reach level 5.

Compared to the legendary "Max Level from the Start," he was still quite ordinary. "I get it, next time, I'll find Pidgeys to grind for experience."

Next was the significant increase in points: 15,071!

Each Mega Beedrill provided 10 to 30 points, thanks to their large numbers.

In the world of Aomori, encountering a strange creature like this was a rare occurrence, unlike in the dungeon world, which was practically a paradise in comparison!

Then there was the upgrade of his [Flowing Stone Shatter Fist] skill to level 3. Skill level quantified Aomori's mastery of the skill and showed just how much he had gained from this battle.

Finally, there was a system notification he had never seen before:

[Ding! Congratulations to player Aomori for defeating Mega Beedrill and receiving a loot chest * 1.]

There was a total of 12 such notifications, which meant Aomori had obtained 12 loot chests.

Loot chests from battling monsters? The probability must be quite low. Nearly a thousand Mega Beedrills, and he had only received 12 chests.

Aomori found the loot chests in the system backpack and didn't waste any time. He opened them all at once.

[Ding! Congratulations to player Aomori for opening loot chest * 12 and receiving 300 points, 3 free attribute points, 1 treasure map fragment, and 5 Mega Beedrill stingers.]

A treasure map fragment? Aomori clicked to check it and found that he needed 9 fragments to combine into a treasure map. The map would lead to a hidden treasure.

As for the Mega Beedrill stingers, the system description said they were a common material and not worth much.

Aomori allocated the extra 3 free attribute points to Energy, so his attributes became [Physicality 45 (25), Energy 20, Spirit 20].

He checked his progress on quests: [Grass Type (4/10), Bug Type (50/50), Flying Type (1/10)]. The quest to defeat Bug Type Pokémon had been successfully completed. Next, he needed to seek the help of Grass Type and Flying Type Pokémon.

With everything sorted, night had fallen. Aomori decided to make a fire on the spot, found a somewhat large rock to lean against, and took out an orange booklet, engrossing himself in reading.

Not far away, the green caterpillar, which had regained its freedom, watched Aomori silently from the bushes. It wanted to approach but was also afraid, so it fell asleep in a dilemma.

In its dream, it was easily tamed by Aomori and followed him to defeat one powerful opponent after another. Finally, amidst cheers and praises, it evolved into an elegant dragon with a bright green body.

Just as it was soaring gracefully through the sky, a sudden sensation of weightlessness woke it up.

"So it was just a dream."

The green caterpillar immediately perked up and looked for Aomori. It breathed a sigh of relief when it saw the familiar figure lying on the ground, moving up and down.

Remembering the scenes from its dream, the determined green caterpillar decided to crawl towards Aomori.

By this time, it was already the second morning since Aomori had entered the dungeon. Having slept for only two hours, he woke up and resumed his morning training.

After completing his morning training, Aomori suddenly lowered his head and saw a green caterpillar at his feet, staring at him with bright eyes.

(｀ω) "It's you," Aomori recognized the green caterpillar from the minor wounds on its back. He looked up at the sky and murmured, "It should be time."

He raised his hand, and the green caterpillar, innocent and puzzled, watched. "???"

"There's still no notification, huh? It seems that grinding monsters won't work."

Aomori stretched his body and continued walking downstream along the creek. After a good rest, it was time to find the next training partner.

After a while, the green caterpillar woke up and, not finding Aomori's figure, drooped its head in disappointment.

"Am I being rejected? Well, who would care about a weak green caterpillar?"

But the image of Aomori, standing alone against thousands of opponents, lingered in its mind, unforgettable.

"No, I can't give up. I must become strong like that. Don't underestimate the young caterpillar. Just wait!"

With renewed determination, the green caterpillar embarked on the path to becoming stronger. In the slanting sunlight, its silhouette appeared tall and upright.

"The river flows for thirty years to the east and thirty years to the west. Don't underestimate the young caterpillar. When it weaves its cocoon in ten years, it will become a dragon when it encounters the wind and clouds!"

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