Chapter 39: Formation Reinforcement, Lin Youwei's Explosive Damage!

[Ding! Respected ten-star qualification player "Netherworld," welcome back to the Heavenly Abyss World!]

It was 8:30 PM. Starlight City was surging with crowds, bustling and vibrant. While waiting for Lin Youwei to log in, Lu Ming checked his current status. He was currently at Level 15 with 1.3% experience. The experience required to reach Level 16 was a staggering 500,000! At a normal player's pace, it would take at least three to four days to gain a single level at this stage. However, Lu Ming’s goal was to push for Level 16 with Lin Youwei tonight. That way, they could enter the second plane of the Ghostly Demon Tower tomorrow, hunt higher-level undead monsters, increase the drop rate of high-purity Soul Stones, and boost their profits.

Shortly after, Lin Youwei logged on. The two formed a party and headed to the Ghostly Demon Tower. At night, the tower was noticeably more crowded than during the day, as many casual players who worked during the day came to the Heavenly Abyss to earn some extra money in their spare time. The Watchman’s Camp on the first plane was already packed, but that did not hinder Lu Ming’s slaughter.

He summoned three hundred Undead Warriors within a 1000-yard radius around him, ordering them to freely hunt Level 15 undead. Simultaneously, Lu Ming cast both "War Stomp" and "Fortress of Life" to buff all his Undead Warriors. In truth, the "Fortress of Life" was redundant; the damage output of the Undead Warriors was already enough to one-shot any monster on the first plane. However, since Lu Ming possessed the Moon Demon set skill "Mana Recovery," which restored 60 mana points per second, he had more mana than he could ever use and didn't need to worry about the 8 mana-per-second cost of the fortress. Since it was a free skill, he kept it active.

Under the reaping of the Undead Warriors, a continuous stream of combat notifications rang in Lu Ming's ears.

[Ding! Killed Level 15 Undead Assassin, EXP +90!]
[Ding! Killed Level 15 Undead Assassin, EXP +90!]
[Ding...]

As his experience skyrocketed, and with the triple drop rate buff in effect, the number of Soul Stones and copper coins in Lu Ming’s inventory surged.

Just then, Lin Youwei, standing beside him, asked cautiously, "Brother Netherworld, can I... go kill some monsters?" She didn't want to just slack off behind Lu Ming, but she was worried that her strength was insufficient and that she might end up being a burden. That was why she hadn't tried fighting before; she didn't know what had suddenly inspired her to give it a try now.

Lu Ming didn't stop her and casually replied, "Sure, go ahead, but don't wander too far."

"Okay, got it!" Lin Youwei nodded, picked up a basic white-grade magic staff, and approached a newly spawned Undead Warrior nearby.

Before she could get close, two Level 15 male players—a knight and an archer—approached. Seeing Lin Youwei alone, they assumed she was solo. The knight smiled and greeted her, "Little sister, it's very dangerous to be alone. Do you want big brother to take you leveling?"

Lin Youwei gripped her staff tightly, glanced back at Lu Ming, and said, "No thank you, I have a teammate."

"The teammate you're talking about wouldn't be that Array Specialist, would it?" The archer followed her gaze to Lu Ming and sneered with disdain. "You're counting on an Array Specialist to help you level up?"

Lu Ming stood there, silently watching their performance without stepping in to help or intervene. Seeing Lu Ming remain unmoved, the two men assumed he was too afraid to approach and became even more brazen.

"See that? Your friend doesn't even dare to come over to help you. What kind of ability does he have to level you up?"

"Little sister, watch closely, big brother is very strong!" The archer looked back at Lin Youwei with a confident smile, then turned to face the Undead Warrior and drew his bow.

*Whoosh!*

An arrow flew, piercing the air and striking the Undead Warrior squarely in the chest.

-276!

The Undead Warrior's health bar dropped by one-sixth. The archer turned back to Lin Youwei, eager to show off. "See? This is my r—"

*Boom!*

Before the archer could finish his sentence, Lin Youwei gripped her staff with both hands and unleashed a Fireball spell at the Undead Warrior. The scorching fireball struck the monster.

-3138!

As its health bar was emptied in a single hit, the Undead Warrior collapsed on the spot. The archer and the knight stared in shock. A second later, they scurried away, not daring to pester Lin Youwei any further.

Having previously feared she lacked the ability, seeing herself one-shot a monster with a single Fireball made Lin Youwei burst with joy. "My damage is so high! Brother Netherworld's array buff is amazing!"

As she spoke, she ran over to pick up the 6 copper coins dropped by the Undead Warrior. She looked back at Lu Ming and asked cautiously, "Brother Netherworld, can I keep these copper coins?"

Only then did Lu Ming realize that Lin Youwei had wanted to fight monsters to earn money! "Of course," Lu Ming said. "You earned them, you keep them."

"Thank you, Brother Netherworld!" Lin Youwei credited everything to Lu Ming, knowing that without his array buff, she would never have been able to kill a Level 15 monster on her own.

From then on, Lin Youwei was full of energy. She kept Lu Ming’s advice in mind and stayed close to him while hunting. Every time she killed an undead and picked up the coins, she was thrilled. Whenever a Soul Stone dropped, she would jump for joy and tuck it away like a precious treasure.

Lu Ming realized that Lin Youwei was quite the little miser. Of course, anyone who earns their wealth through their own hard work deserves respect. Lu Ming assigned two Undead Warriors to circle near Lin Youwei to ensure her safety, while he continued to use "Sword Draw" to reap the undead and improve his proficiency.

Unbeknownst to them, the time had reached midnight. Lu Ming’s experience bar was full, but he intentionally held back from leveling up. Once he hit Level 16, he would be forced to leave the Watchman’s Camp, which only allowed players from Level 11 to 15. Before invading the second plane of the Ghostly Demon Tower, he had to ensure Lin Youwei reached Level 16 so he could bring her along. Currently, she had just reached Level 15.

"At this rate, it will take at least four or five hours for her to reach Level 16. Forget it, it's too late; no need to rush. We'll deal with it tomorrow."

Just as Lu Ming was about to tell Lin Youwei to return to the city and log off, he suddenly received a WeChat message.

Qing Yan: "Are you online? Are you free? Can you come and do me a favor?"

Lu Ming had suspected that borrowing one million from Qing Yan wouldn't be that simple. He had been enjoying his freedom, but now that he had taken the money, orders were coming in immediately! Lu Ming was prepared to bite the bullet and accept, after all, he owed her. But the next message from Qing Yan made his blood boil with excitement: "I'm clashing with people from the 'God Slayer' guild. I urgently need you to resolve this! Please!"

"God Slayer?" At the mention of that name, a cold glint flashed in Lu Ming’s eyes. If it involved God Slayer, there was even more reason to go!

He replied: "Where are you?"

A moment later, Qing Yan sent a location: Level 19 Death Cave.