Leaving the building, Lin Fang walked alone down a shaded tree-lined path that cut through the campus grounds. Suddenly his eyes sharpened as he glanced behind him, spotting a few figures with sacks hiding behind trees, stalking him.
Lin Fang stopped in his tracks, raising a hand as purple magic began to gather, ready for whatever was coming.
The stalkers whispered among themselves. "He solo cleared the dungeon. He's got to be strong. Are we sure we can take him?"
"What's there to be afraid of? He's not even level ten. Plus, he just came out of a dungeon alone, so he must be exhausted."
"Yeah, and I didn't see him use any recovery items either."
The leader made the call. "Exactly. We'll just overwhelm him with numbers. Besides, that demon bear gallbladder gives ten stamina points. You don't want that? He's getting away. Let's move."
Hearing the commotion, Lin Fang turned around completely, pointing at himself with a totally innocent expression.
"Hey, you peasant. Stop right there," they yelled.
"Are you guys talking to me?"
Three burly thugs emerged, their muscles bulging as they cornered him. "Carrying so many rewards. Aren't you afraid of choking on them?"
"Yeah, you must have gotten lucky in that dungeon. Hand over the demon bear gallbladder and the skill scroll. Now. Do it and we might go easy on you. Otherwise we'll show a peasant like you the power of a real combat class."
Lin Fang feigned fear, scratching his cheek as he asked, "With so many people here, why are you guys targeting me?"
The leader picked his nose, a sneer on his face. "Are you really that clueless, or are you just playing dumb?"
They all closed in, pointing fingers threateningly in his face. "It's because of the special reward for clearing the dungeon solo. That demon bear gallbladder adds ten points to stamina. An item like that isn't something a peasant like you deserves to hold."
In Lin Fang's mind, an info box appeared for the item — plus ten stamina — which he immediately compared to his stamina-boosting watermelons. His face twisted with a mix of disdain and confusion. An item that gives ten stamina points is supposed to be good? The watermelons I grow every summer give me that much without ever needing a dungeon.
With that he pulled a piece of red meat oozing dark energy from his bag. "You mean this thing?"
The moment the leader saw it, his eyes lit up with greed and he lunged forward to grab it. "Give me that."
But as soon as his fingers made contact, a massive explosion erupted, sending the thug flying back in a blinding flash of light. The blast was huge, throwing the entire group of would-be robbers clear off their feet.
Before the smoke could even clear, a beautiful girl with pink hair stood protectively in front of Lin Fang. "What do you think you're doing? Private duels are forbidden here. Do you want to be expelled?"
The big leader stepped forward with a smirk. "Ailing, this has nothing to do with you."
The girl's eyes narrowed into a cold glare. "Nothing to do with me? If I don't like what I see, it has everything to do with me."
She summoned a flaming staff, delivering her final warning. "Either you leave now, or I report you to the instructors. Let's see who loses out then."
A vein popped on the leader's forehead, his face twisting with rage. "Report us? We'll see if you even get the chance. If you insist on protecting this peasant, then we'll just deal with you too." He turned to his cronies. "Brothers, get them. Make it quick."
Standing behind her, Lin Fang calmly assessed the new arrival. A level seven mage. Not bad. She was probably pretty tough. She can probably handle these shrimps on her own, right?
But the thugs suddenly threw a blinding powder, making Ailing flinch. "What a dirty trick." She glanced back at Lin Fang and proposed, "How about we team up?"
But all she saw was Lin Fang's back as he sprinted away at full speed, leaving her completely stunned.
While running, Lin Fang suddenly tossed the weird item he was holding back toward her. Ailing instinctively reached out and caught the gooey piece of meat.
Lin Fang glanced over his shoulder as he ran, flashing a bright smile. He waved and shouted, "Thanks for the help. You can have that as a gift."
Ailing was left frozen in place, surrounded by thugs, holding a bizarre item, and looking utterly bewildered. "Wait a minute. I came here to help him. Did I just get robbed instead?"
Later, in a private lounge, Lin Fang sat on the sofa, examining the scrolls, wondering why the dungeon drop skill didn't work for him. What was he missing? He pondered with his chin in his hand when an idea suddenly struck him. Could it be?
Lin Fang picked up the skill scroll and channelled two different streams of magic into it. A blue notification panel popped up before his eyes. New skill acquired: Special Cultivation.
He focused on the skill's description as a faint light enveloped him. Special Cultivation, elementary level. Consumes mana and specific materials to carry out cultivation and enhancement on summoned undead, with a chance to increase their level, quality, or even learn new skills.
Lin Fang smirked, finally understanding the secret of his profession. He needed to use the magic from both his classes at once to activate it.
Immediately he summoned his entire army of the undead. "All right, time to test out this new skill."
Lin Fang placed a hand on his chest, channelling a flow of green and purple energy to begin the enhancement. Under the skill's effect, He Sha was immediately shrouded in a powerful purple aura. The status panel changed in a flash. He Sha levelled up from six to eight. Yu Ya also began to glow, his power surging from level six to eight. The horned demon bear he had just tamed was no exception, letting out a mighty roar as it went from level seven to nine. Even the low-level lizards and horned birds were upgraded all at once, the horned eagle lizards jumping from levels five and six to level seven.
Looking at the elite army before him, Lin Fang smiled with satisfaction. "Not bad. Not bad at all."
His two undead generals stood tall beside their master, radiating an overwhelming aura after being strengthened.
However, Lin Fang sighed, a hint of trouble on his face. There was one downside. He leaned back in his chair and sighed again. "When will I finally get some new farmland?"
He wasn't about to use his family's fields to experiment on new crops, so he decided to go out for a walk.
Lin Fang coolly walked out of the room, hands in his pockets. But as he opened the door, he was startled to find Ailing waiting for him.
"Hey. Here's your demon bear gallbladder."
Lin Fang ignored her, trying to walk past. "That was a gift for you."
Ailing quickly blocked his path with the paper bag, shouting, "No way. This is far too valuable."
Lin Fang glanced at her with a look of pure boredom, muttering under his breath before walking off. "Why are you treating that piece of trash like a treasure?"
Ailing stood there, stunned, clutching the bag, unable to believe her ears. "Did I hear him right? He called this trash?"