Monster Hunting in Pudong New District (Part 5)

«Du Fei, stay here and wear down that Black Iron Crab. Lan Lan and I will go support Qin Chen. Be careful of its counterattack when it's near death, don't get too close,» said Captain Ma Lie as he saw Qin Chen escape.

«Don't worry, Captain,» replied Du Fei.

«Surge Wave — Expel!»

As Qin Chen distanced himself from the Black Iron Crab, blue stars expertly formed a wave constellation under Ma Lie's feet. The moment the constellation completed, an eight-meter-high gray wave appeared out of thin air, crashing into the charging Black Iron Crab, pushing it back and submerging it into the sand.

«That's the Captain's water spirit essence, Heavy Water. It's five times heavier than regular seawater. Even for a Black Iron Crab, getting hit by such heavy water isn't easy.»

At this moment, Lan Lan arrived beside Qin Chen to protect him. Seeing this, Qin Chen felt relieved. Fighting a warrior-level creature alone was too much for him; he preferred to rely on his teammates' strength.

«Thanks, Sister Lan Lan.» Having a light mage by his side greatly increased his sense of security.

«It's nothing. I'm the defensive role in the team,» Lan Lan said with a smile, never taking her eyes off the Black Iron Crab to prevent any sneak attacks.

«Thunderbolt — Overhead Strike!»

While the Black Iron Crab struggled to rise, Ma Lie quickly connected the lightning constellation, aiming to strike again. However, the Black Iron Crab acted unpredictably, leaping out of the sand and charging at Ma Lie before he could complete the constellation.

«Light Protection!»

Lan Lan intended to connect the constellation to protect Ma Lie, but she saw Qin Chen act faster.

«Flame Seed — Explosion!»

«Boom!!!!»

Seven crimson stars quickly connected into a star path. This time, the connection was even faster than before. Qin Chen hurled a fiery blast at the Black Iron Crab, causing a five-meter-wide explosion that sent the creature flying back to its original position.

«Boom!!!!»

At this moment, Ma Lie's constellation completed, and a thick lightning bolt descended from the gathered clouds above the Black Iron Crab, striking its head and sending it back into the sand.

«Qin Chen, well done!»

Lan Lan praised Qin Chen. If she had intervened, she would have had to use a mid-tier spell to block the Black Iron Crab's attack. Now, Qin Chen had managed with a basic spell, which was impressive and more energy-efficient.

Qin Chen smiled, accepting the compliment. His magic might not significantly harm the warrior-level Black Iron Crab, but the explosion's impact from the Vermilion Bird's flame could push it back and hinder its movements.

With Qin Chen joining the fight, Ma Lie focused on attacking while Qin Chen obstructed the Black Iron Crab's movements, preventing it from getting close. After three mid-tier spells, the Black Iron Crab was finally dealt with.

«Good job, Qin Chen!»

Ma Lie praised. It was rare for him to kill a warrior-level monster so easily, just standing in place and casting spells without even needing to dodge. It felt fantastic!

«Captain, the battle isn't over yet.» Seeing Ma Lie looking like he wanted to give him a hug, Qin Chen reminded him.

«Hahaha, yes, yes, the battle isn't over. Let's fight together.» Ma Lie laughed heartily.

Fighting alongside three mid-tier mages felt great. Even facing a warrior-level Black Iron Crab, he wasn't afraid. Level three flame seeds hindered the crab's movements, preventing it from getting close. Teammates provided the damage, and psychic control allowed him to rescue teammates and kill monsters. After about fifteen minutes, his fire and space magic energies were nearly depleted, so he retreated.

Ten minutes later, the Iron-armored Crabs retreated into the sea like a receding tide. It was time to clean up the battlefield and collect valuable materials to sell. This was the most lucrative part of the mission. However, they didn't have to do the collection themselves; there were specialized personnel for that who would then appraise and pay on the spot.

«Hahaha, this mission went very well. No one got hurt, and we killed 50% more monsters than usual. Let's go eat and wait for the money to come in,» Ma Lie said with a hearty laugh. The officials responsible for material collection were trustworthy and wouldn't cheat them out of their money.

«Sure, today we owe it all to Brother Qin Chen. Without him, I might not be here,» Meng Xiong said gratefully. He had truly had a brush with death today.

«That's right. I originally thought Qin Chen was a novice, but he's quite the pro. Impressive.»

Lan Lan also had a high opinion of Qin Chen. Talented, humble, and willing to take advice, such good guys were rare in this world.

«It's everyone's effort. I just provided some support,» Qin Chen said, getting more familiar with the team.

After a hearty meal at a restaurant, everyone went their separate ways. Before leaving, their earnings were already transferred to their accounts. Qin Chen earned fifty thousand after the 20% deduction, which was a decent haul for his first monster hunt.

«Money isn't the biggest gain. The biggest gain is these three soul essences.»

Looking at the three servant-level soul essences and some other fragments in his wand sword's chaos pearl, he smiled with satisfaction. Although there were no direct soul essence drops, the fragments were enough.

Without further ado, he directly infused the three servant-level soul essences into his fire star dust. As soon as the three essences entered the star dust, the seven stars competed to absorb them. The stars that absorbed the essences became brighter and more powerful than the remaining four stars.

«At this rate, it doesn't seem that hard to upgrade my fire, space, and plant elements to level four,» Qin Chen mused.

For the next two months, he joined Ma Lie and the others in hunting monsters in Pudong New District every other day. These two months were the peak period for sea monsters coming ashore, the best time to make money. Missing this opportunity meant finding another place to earn.

After two months of continuous battles, Qin Chen's combat experience with monsters increased rapidly, and his star path connection speed improved. By the time he strengthened his level four spells, his combat power became even more formidable. If he faced a warrior-level monster again, he could probably kill it alone!

However, he didn't reveal his full strength, not even using his plant element or wand sword. Even so, after a month, he showed his level four basic magic, earning no less than eighty thousand each time, making substantial profits.

It wasn't just him earning more; the whole team benefited. With Qin Chen around, their risk levels dropped, monster-killing speed increased, and they made more money.

(End of Chapter)