Like a small nightlight, the faint luminescence could light up a small area.
The Luminescence skill worked on mushrooms — such as his main body in the wall crack or the Purple Mushroom on the elf’s head that looked like a hair accessory.
He also tried to give the mycelium this cool lighting effect, but no matter how he tried, there was no change.
Similarly, the elf could not glow.
Skills in this world did not seem to be things one could use simply by possessing them.
Although they seemed incredibly mysterious to him, there was a logical set of principles behind them.
Like Mana Storage.
When a mushroom with this skill was cut open, it contained solid crystals inside, just like a slime.
However, the mushroom’s mana crystal was very small, likely due to a low skill level or the fact that it was not an original skill.
It was only about the size of a fingertip.
Killing a bivalve for a pearl, killing a mushroom for a crystal — once the function of the mana crystals was confirmed, perhaps large-scale cultivation could be achieved.
After all, promoting the growth of such a mushroom only required selecting the Mana Storage skill while using Spread Spores.
Giving skills to mushrooms generated from spores seemed to be a new ability of the System Panel.
Perhaps it had always been there, but he, having no skills, could not trigger it.
Compared to the 1-point mana cost of a spore, adding a skill would drain his current mana bar.
This could be considered a price, but given the mana recovery speed, this restriction was negligible.
The Fungal Network was touched; an uninvited guest had intruded into the mushroom’s territory.
Ning Lan shifted his gaze and discovered an old friend he had seen before.
[Mendelair Gray Wolf]
Level: 7
Skills: Claw Swipe, Stealth
Its average Strength and Defense stats were similar to those of a Level 9 slime, but its Agility far exceeded the latter, reaching 23.
Wait, wait, why did its HP reach 105?
A full three digits!
‘Aren’t we all bottom-tier fodder monsters? We agreed to spend our lives together in the double-digit family. Traitor.’
Combining the opponent’s Level 7, Ning Lan reasonably speculated that the gray wolf’s HP growth per level was as high as 15 points.
At Level 1, it was stronger than a Level 8 mushroom.
The mushroom shed tears of envy.
But it did not matter; he would take action.
‘He has an assassin’s stat panel but stacked so much HP. He clearly doesn’t know how to play. As a pro gamer, I’ll reluctantly accept this experience.’
Well, it was definitely not because he was salty.
Ning Lan sneakily moved over, using the massive trunk of a Screaming Wood to hide himself, then quietly observed, waiting for the right moment.
This gray wolf had likely wandered from elsewhere.
As for whether it came from the Solution Cave to the Woodland, no one could say for sure.
After all, being common in the Solution Cave did not mean they were entirely absent from other areas.
Creatures like this, which were not strongly linked to their environment, should be found everywhere.
Just as Glow Grass was found throughout the Deep Layer.
The gray wolf raised its paw.
It was not used to the ground here; it was damp, sticky, and covered in mysterious, milky-white thin filaments.
It was like a muddy country road after a drizzling rain.
Within a few steps, the soles of its feet picked up a large clump of mud, making it too heavy to lift its legs.
The Mycelium did not affect him much.
Usually, if he did not pay attention, he did not even realize its existence, but these sticky threads were a genuine hassle for other creatures.
They were not dangerous, but they easily stuck to the body, making things awkward and uncomfortable.
However, slimes were an exception.
That group of round creatures was like hungry foodies encountering a free buffet after starving all day.
Everywhere they went, no mycelium survived; it was all eaten and digested into pure mana.
Whenever he felt a part of his territory was missing, it was inevitably slimes gnawing on the Fungal Network.
Ning Lan would then hurriedly rush over with his staff.
By the time he eliminated the troublemaker, two other places would often have suffered a disaster.
Initially, he held a leisurely mentality of waiting for a rabbit to hit a tree — like fishing, where one just pulls the rod when a fish is hooked.
In the end, he was constantly putting out fires and rushing back and forth, as if he had found himself a job.
He reached a point where he had to fight even if he did not want to.
He had to admit, grinding slimes like an assembly line had exhausted him, both mentally and physically.
Fortunately, slimes were not infinite.
He had likely cleared this specific area, finally gaining liberation.
Like seeing meat after eating pickles for half a month, now that a gray wolf had arrived to change the flavor, Ning Lan would not let it go for anything.
Even if the opponent’s HP was as high as 105 and it looked much more powerful than a mushroom, it did not matter.
The elf’s HP was 2,500, making it the ultimate numerical advantage.
Although Ning Lan felt this number was quite inflated:
After all, reality was not a game.
A fatal state like suffocation would cause HP to drop to zero immediately, no matter how high it was.
It was not like in a game where one could remain lively and perform a counter-kill as long as the HP bar was not empty.
However, a win on paper was still a win.
2,000 versus 100 — the advantage was his.
Ning Lan gripped the staff with both hands.
Compared to the exquisite and gorgeous equipment of the mages in his party, the Priest’s Staff primarily emphasized being sturdy and durable.
The shaft was made of gray-white fine iron.
The triangular groove at the top was embedded with a yellow gemstone, and a small weight was added to the lower end for balance.
It seemed to have been designed for close combat, so it was very handy as a club.
Even without powerful magic, he could knock out a slime in one hit.
Presumably, it would be the same for the gray wolf, whose Defense was not much different.
Since he currently only had bludgeoning as an attack method, he was very afraid of encountering an opponent whose defense he could not break.
As long as he could cause damage — even if it was just a scratch — his current tenacious vitality ensured the one to be worn down would be the opponent.
Having made up his mind, Ning Lan appeared and rushed out.
Even though the gray wolf was a bottom-tier monster, its size exceeded that of common large dogs, being roughly the same as an adult human male.
As for the elf, she was likely underage, making her look somewhat petite compared to the gray wolf.
‘This is a bit scary.’
The gray wolf immediately noticed the movement.
It assumed a defensive posture toward her, baring its teeth and letting out a low, warning growl.
As the two sides faced off, Ning Lan swallowed nervously, his mouth feeling dry.
This was his first time facing a beast, a cruel life-or-death struggle.
Slimes did not count.
Since those strange creatures did not exist in his previous life, he did not feel the reality of killing a living thing when he defeated them.
Wolves were different.
In his memory, this animal was labeled as a beast — cruel, terrifying, and an absolute predator.
The pressure it exerted could not be compared to a slime.
The gray wolf launched a charge.
‘Instead of turning to run, it’s actually coming toward me?’
‘I’m really being looked down upon.’
He narrowed his eyes, timed it perfectly, and used the tip of the staff like a spear.
As the gray wolf charged in front of him, he leaned his body back, aiming a sliding kick at its belly.
However, the gray wolf changed its movement, leaping high to jump over this obvious move.
It landed steadily and turned its head to charge at the elf again.
Every movement and its agile posture perfectly demonstrated its high Agility.
By the time the next attack arrived, Ning Lan had not even risen from the ground before he was slapped back down by the gray wolf’s claw.
Before he could struggle, the wolf’s mouth bit into his neck.
The trachea was likely punctured.
It was a clean and efficient attack, as smooth as flowing water.
The gap in actual combat experience and awareness between them was too large.
As the one being hit, Ning Lan felt it clearly.
Although he had deliberately exposed a weakness, the sliding kick was still too foolish.
It was like a suicide move; if it failed, it meant throwing one’s life away.
The goal was achieved, but the loss was a bit ugly.
The gray wolf maintained its grip on the vital spot, waiting for the prey to die completely.
However, the opponent’s negligence after victory was enough for Ning Lan to complete his intended attack.
He swung the staff with all his strength, striking the gray wolf’s waist from the side.
The crisp sound was the mournful cry of breaking bone.
The wolf’s mouth suddenly loosened.
He immediately stood up and swung the staff in a full arc, delivering a blow to the gray wolf’s forehead.
If he could shatter a slime’s core, the gray wolf’s bones were no match.
The reason he showed weakness was only because the opponent’s Agility was too high.
If he did not bait the wolf by sacrificing himself, it would likely escape.
It would be a pity to let an offensive skill go.
The result was as expected: using a non-vital “vital spot” to trade for the opponent’s negligence, and then following up with a fatal blow.
It was perfect, but it really hurt.
The sharp pain made his fingers tremble as if they were no longer under his control.
He touched the wound on his neck.
It had already begun to heal.
Since his mana bar was constantly changing, he guessed the Mycelium was passively repairing him.
But the effort was worth it.
The Mycelium climbed onto the corpse.
In a short time, the human-sized gray wolf was reduced to nothing but fertile soil residue.
The title effect was triggered, and he obtained the offensive skill he had been dreaming of.
[Claw Swipe Level 1]
‘It hurts so much. Am I not dead? Why does it still hurt?’
Lumina felt a surge of grievance for no reason.
They said one could not take anything after death, so why did she take a body full of pain?
‘Ah, God of Nature and Life, God of Wisdom and Knowledge, God of Love and Virtue, and God of Courage and Hope… whichever deity it is, please end my pain.’
The elf is still alive. Symbiosis achieved!