There are too many teammates who are complete losers.

Chapter 25 New Weapons

In the early stages of a profession, regardless of the class, it is impossible to learn powerful attack skills. Therefore, close combat is a required course, and physical strength is very important.

Generally speaking, the physical condition of a mud monster is probably better than that of an adult male who exercises regularly.

If it could be quantified, the Mud Eater's physique would be around 2 to 3 points.

If you are a cultivator of magic or spirit, your physical attributes may not be as good as the Mud Eater when you are in the Flowing Firefly Realm. However, once you advance to the Candle Illumination Realm, all your attributes will be amplified, and your physical attributes will basically surpass the Mud Eater.

Take Shen Yaoxing for example. Her initial stats showed only 1 point in Physique, but after advancing to the Candle Illumination Realm, her Physique increased by 5.65 times, which is now 5.65 points. So, although she is a support class, she is far superior to ordinary people with only 1 or 2 points, and even stronger than low-level Void Beasts like the Mud Eater.

However, Jiang Yueying is an exception.

Logically speaking, with her 7.46-fold advancement boost, her physique stat should be higher than Lu Ren's current 6 points.

However, she is bound by "Heaven's Jealousy," and all her stats except for elemental affinity are locked at 1 point.

The attribute panel displays values ​​that are rounded up or down. Lu Ren suspects that her score is less than 1 point, probably only 0.6 or 0.7. Judging from her physique, she is a typical lazy girl.

It's unrealistic to expect her to take up a knife or sword and engage in close combat. Lu Ren wants to see first how powerful her Iron-level skill, Burning, really is.

……

"Why did you let Yueying go? Ah Huang, look how scared Yueying is. I'll go and call her back."

Lin Huanghu grabbed An Yourong, somewhat helplessly: "Do you want Yueying to live like this forever?"

"What do you mean?"

"You Rong, with Yueying's talent, she will eventually step onto a bigger stage. Rather than being passively swept up to higher places, I hope she can take that step on her own initiative."

Although she knew the other person was right, An Yourong still hesitated: "But..."

"If we continue to spoil Yueying like that, we'll only end up hurting her."

"Ah Huang, I..."

"..." Shen Yaoxing stood behind the two of them, just watching them (ㅍ_ㅍ).

Ah, I get it, I get it. Right now, I'm what they call a third wheel, right?

"boom--"

However, at that moment, a violent burst of fire suddenly erupted fifty meters in front of them.

A blazing inferno shot out a twenty-meter-long jet of flame, bursting into the sky at a 45-degree angle.

Lu Ren's loud shout came from ahead.

What are you doing?

"No, it wasn't you who told me to release the burning sensation?"

"Then at least aim a little better!"

"Whoa, they're surrounding us!"

"Shoot one more! With that kind of power, a few more burn shots will finish them off!"

The girl's voice trembled violently: "Burning, burning—scorching!"

Another burst of flame shot out, soaring straight into the sky!

"Aim! Aim! You haven't even opened your eyes!"

"Whoa, run! They're surrounding us!"

Lu Ren turned around and saw the mud-eating monsters, startled by them, charging towards him like a pack of bloodthirsty mad dogs.

Look at this little guy again. He was excited when he released the burning sensation, but now he's trembling and trying to find a hole to crawl into.

He was almost laughing in anger. If you've got this skill, why are you pretending to be an innocent little rabbit?

Despite being only a Black Iron-level skill, the effect she unleashed was even more terrifying than Lu Ren's "Methane Explosion".

With Lu Ren's strength, she wouldn't be afraid even if the mud-eating monster multiplied several times over.

But now she's so scared she can't even use her skills. With her physical abilities, she definitely can't outrun the Mud Eater.

Lu Ren scooped her up and chased after the three people behind him.

However, the frustrating thing was that when he chased after the three men, they quickly ran away in a direction far from them.

Hey bro, help me out!

He gritted his teeth, grabbed Jiang Yueying with one hand, and swung the shotgun slung over his shoulder with the other.

"boom--"

"Bang bang—"

The power of a shotgun decreases beyond 15 meters, at most injuring but not killing. However, these beasts are fearless and become even more ferocious when wounded.

Within 15 meters, a single blow could be fatal, so Lu Ren dared not let them get within 15 meters.

There are too many mud monsters; you could easily get surrounded if you're not careful.

If he were alone, with plenty of bullets, he could probably take down those 28 mud-eating monsters by fighting and retreating.

But now, he also has to carry an Ansai waist drum in one hand. If he gets surrounded, he can use his hardening skill to hold out for a while, but the little white rabbit in his hand will probably be torn to pieces.

"Try again, this time aim better—"

"Waaaa, I'm so scared! Yoo-yong, please come save me!"

"What are you afraid of? They should be afraid of you!"

"Run! Run! They're catching up!"

Lu Ren gritted his teeth, threw the gun off his shoulder, and adjusted his posture.

"I'll aim for you. Listen to my command and then prepare to use Burn."

"You you you—"

"Give it back my ass! Get ready—"

Lu Ren grabbed her slender wrist and suddenly stopped, his shoes sliding across the muddy ground, leaving a trail several meters long.

He then turned around to face the mud monsters that were chasing him, and lifted the girl's hand towards them.

The girl's wrists were so slender, they looked like tiny figurines in my hand.

"release!"

Jiang Yueying didn't dare open her eyes, but obediently said, "Burning!"

Jiang Yueying's small hand was less than half the size of Lu Ren's. At this moment, it was spread out like a small flower. A meter away from her palm, orange-red flames solidified in the air, and sparks danced in the forest. The next second, a fierce pillar of fire shot out.

"boom--"

Flames shot into the sky, a pillar of fire dozens of meters long, instantly engulfing the nearest mud-eating monsters. The surrounding mud-eating monsters were also terrified by this divine fire from the sky and screamed in terror.

"Wow, that's awesome!"

This is much better than a shotgun with a π!

This attack created a human-shaped torch with a radius of over 20 meters. Although the distance was short, its power was no less than that of napalm bombs during the Vietnam War. The high temperature of over 4 degrees Celsius caused the four mud-eating monsters that were directly hit to have their bodies completely charred, emitting a fishy smell of roasted mud.

"A few more shots, I'll aim, you just fire!"

Lu Ren, like a child who had received a new toy, held Jiang Yueying's little bottom with one hand and her wrist with the other, while aiming at the surviving mud monster.

"No, no... We need to wait a bit..."

"What's the rush? See if they agree to let you delay. Launch it now."

"Yes, wait another ten seconds!"

She can't use this skill repeatedly yet.

Mud Eaters are low-intelligence ethereal beasts. These beasts don't even know fear, and the tragic deaths of their companions cannot make them flee.

The moment Lu Ren hesitated, the remaining mud-eating monsters surrounded him again.

He transformed Jiang Yueying back into the Ansai Waist Drum, slipped away, and then, after the little one was ready, he made a sudden stop and then delivered another blow to the several virtual beasts chasing after him.

"Come!"

"boom--"

"Again!"

"boom--"

"Moon Shadow Cannon, fire!"

"Waaah! No, no, don't give me a random name!"

"boom--"

The three people hanging at a distance watched their fighting style. An Yourong laughed so hard she almost fell over, while Lin Huanghu smiled helplessly.

Shen Yaoxing's face was full of black lines, and she was a little speechless.

I have a feeling that it's not quite what she expected.

"Moonshadow is amazing! She's already taken care of 16 Mud Eaters!"

An Yourong asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why was Brother Lu eating while he was running away?"

Lin Huanghu glanced at Shen Yaoxing and guessed, "He should be able to recover his strength by eating, right?"

"What amazing ability! Is this Brother Lu's talent?"

Shen Yaoxing remained noncommittal, neither denying nor affirming.

An Yourong asked curiously, "There are still 9 left, why aren't Yueying and the others continuing?"

From three minutes ago until now, it seems they've been running away the whole time, without ever turning back to fire a shot.

"It's reached its limit."

Lin Huanghu analyzed, "Before, she could only use 2 to 3 shots at most, and then she would need to rest for more than ten minutes. Now that she has broken through to the Candle Illumination Realm, she has used Burning 9 times in a row, and it should be her limit."

An Yourong didn't understand the situation of these mages: "400 elemental affinity, only enough to unleash 9 burn spells?"

"She only broke through yesterday and hasn't adapted to the elemental affinity intensity of the Candle Illumination Realm yet. Moreover, she's been misusing her spiritual power, wasting more than half of it."

"What should we do then? Brother Lu doesn't seem very strong. Could he be a shield warrior? But a shield warrior from the Flowing Firefly Realm would have a hard time dealing with nine mud-eating monsters, right?"

The three stats for physical cultivation are Physique, Vitality, and Weapon Manipulation, corresponding to the three professions of Warrior, Shield Warrior, and Item Master.

Physical strength is related to power, speed, and explosiveness, while vitality is related to endurance, recovery, and resilience.

The class classifications reveal that warriors are primarily offensive, while shield warriors are primarily defensive, acting as the front-line tanks to protect others.

Lin Huanghu nodded, "Yes, Yueying and the others have done a great job. Let's go and support them."

However, just as they were about to make a move, they were stopped by Shen Yaoxing.

The young lady said confidently, "There are only 9 left. They can handle it."

An Yourong frowned slightly: "Even if Brother Lu can resolve it, Yueying will definitely get injured, right? The training effect has already been achieved, so there's no need for her to get hurt."

Jiang Yueying is different from ordinary Candle Illumination Realm professionals. Her physique is too weak, and if she can't use her skills, she's no different from an ordinary little girl.

"No, some people haven't taken it seriously yet."

Shen Yaoxing watched the person being chased around, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"That's what makes this person so annoying. He likes to dawdle and complain about being tired. Sometimes you have to teach him a lesson."

An Yourong and Lin Huanghu both felt strange. They could both see that Lu Ren was almost at his limit. With their eyesight, they couldn't possibly not see that Lu Ren was deliberately hiding his strength.

Lu Ren's physical attributes, particularly his physique, should be less than 10 points. This is much higher than that of ordinary cultivators in the Flowing Firefly Realm, but compared to ordinary physical cultivators, he is like a bean sprout standing out among a group of strong men, conspicuously weak.

Lin Huanghu knew that Shen Yaoxing wouldn't make baseless accusations, but An Yourong couldn't stand it anymore.

Just as she was about to go and save the person, she was horrified by what she saw next.

Lu Ren, who was still fleeing, suddenly stopped. Thick, smoky mist suddenly rose around him and quickly spread outwards, enveloping everything within a radius of several dozen meters.

"Swamp Mist!"