Chapter 34: S+ Growth Potential!
The counterattack from these horned goats was fierce. Coal Ball was nearly struck several times, but even when attacks landed on it, its Void Body granted a 50% chance to evade, allowing it to avoid serious harm so far. On the contrary, the three horned goats were left battered and barely clinging to life under its relentless torment.
At that moment, one of the goats caught sight of Coal Ball reappearing as a streak of black light. It let out an angry bleat and suddenly charged with its head down.
The goat’s second skill, Ram the Heavens, was unleashed!
This time, Coal Ball was less fortunate. The 50% dodge chance of its Void Body did not activate, and it was instantly tossed into the air by the goat’s sharp horns. The piercing horns broke its skin, and a string of black crystalline fluid trickled from its wound midair.
Han Xing’s heart tightened instantly.
This black, crystal-like fluid must be Coal Ball’s blood. Being a creature of the Void Clan, its physiology differed from ordinary beings.
After being flung, Coal Ball rolled several times on the ground before quickly standing back up. A wound appeared on its abdomen, looking rather chilling.
“Woo…” Coal Ball let out a low growl. Though injured, its ferocity remained undiminished.
Seeing this, Han Xing quickly called out, “Coal Ball, come back.”
Coal Ball turned its head, looking at Han Xing with a blank expression.
Relieved that the wound was not as severe as he had feared, Han Xing waved his hand and said, “Well done. Leave the rest to me!”
Upon hearing this, Coal Ball obediently ran back to Han Xing’s side.
Meanwhile, the two remaining horned goats were already driven mad with rage.
“Baa!”
With bloodshot eyes and heavy breathing, they charged furiously at Han Xing.
But in the next instant, two arrows, glowing with a chilling light, suddenly enlarged in their vision.
Thwack! Thwack!
Both arrows struck true.
“Baa~ baa~”
The two goats screamed in agony as arrows pierced through their heads, then fell lifeless.
Only one goat remained on the field, but it too was doomed.
They had already been tormented to near death by Coal Ball. If Coal Ball were a higher level with greater attack power, it could have easily taken down all four goats by itself.
At that moment, a system notification appeared:
[Horned Goat LV3 x4 defeated. Experience gained: 120 points. Pet ‘Coal Ball’ gained 80 experience points.]
Han Xing knelt down to examine Coal Ball’s injuries. The little creature lay obediently on its side, licking its wounds.
---
“This is troublesome. How do I treat a pet’s injuries?” Han Xing rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on.
He looked through his backpack and found only two items with healing effects: Spirit Spring Water and Life Elixir.
“Will either of these work on a pet?” he wondered uncertainly.
With no better options available, he sighed, “I guess I have to try.”
Han Xing took out a bottle of Life Elixir and gently laid Coal Ball down.
Opening the glass vial, a rich, refreshing aroma wafted to his nose.
Just inhaling the scent made him feel revitalized.
“Hiss~”
Han Xing greedily took two sniffs, then poured the entire bottle out.
The emerald liquid shimmered faintly as it touched Coal Ball’s wound, quickly being absorbed.
“It’s working!” Han Xing’s eyes lit up.
He watched as Coal Ball’s wound visibly healed at a remarkable speed.
At this rate, it would fully recover in just a few minutes.
“What a powerful effect!”
Han Xing was deeply impressed—this was his first time witnessing the Life Elixir’s healing prowess firsthand.
At the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good… the Life Elixir works on pets too. Otherwise, Coal Ball would have to rely on its own regeneration.”
All pets possess self-healing abilities, just like humans; the difference lies only in the speed.
But when injured, a pet’s combat effectiveness is greatly reduced, and in severe cases, it could even die.
That thought alone made Han Xing’s heart ache.
With that, he scooped Coal Ball up with one hand and said, “You did well today, but your level is still a bit low. Let’s train a bit.”
Rejuvenated, Coal Ball stretched its short legs and eagerly flailed about.
After a while, Han Xing approached a cloud no larger than a dozen square meters.
Inside were two Level 4 Sludge Slimes.
The battle began. Having just recovered from its wounds with the Life Elixir, Coal Ball regained its formidable combat strength.
It activated its Speed skill and charged ahead, engaging the monsters in close combat.
This time, however, Han Xing did not let it fight alone.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Arrows flew, striking both Slimes and inflicting armor-piercing damage.
At that moment, a flash of black light appeared.
Coal Ball’s sharp claws raked across their bodies, leaving smoking wounds.
---
This was Coal Ball’s third skill, Void Power, which not only suppresses healing but also reduces defense.
Han Xing immediately activated his skill: Multiple Rapid Shots!
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
All five arrows hit their marks.
They easily pierced the Slimes’ gelatinous bodies, dealing terrifying damage without even triggering the armor-piercing effect.
The two Sludge Slimes were wiped out by this barrage.
Han Xing was stunned: “So this is Coal Ball’s defense reduction effect? Incredible!”
“Creatures with low defense like these take maximum damage from every arrow once their defense is reduced!”
The synergy with Coal Ball was exhilarating, and Han Xing clenched his fist excitedly.
[You defeated Sludge Slime LV4 x2. Experience gained: 80 points. Pet ‘Coal Ball’ gained 60 experience points.]
[Pet ‘Coal Ball’ leveled up.]
“Leveled up?”
Han Xing eagerly checked Coal Ball’s stats.
[Pet Information: Void Phantom Wolf (Juvenile)]
[Species: Void Clan]
[Level: LV2]
[Strength: 9, Agility: 16, Spirit: 8, Constitution: 9]
“Wow!”
Han Xing was instantly amazed.
Although it had only leveled up once, Coal Ball’s attributes surged markedly. Strength, Spirit, and Constitution each rose by two or three points, which was expected.
But its Agility shot up by a full 5 points!
What kind of scale was this?
For human survivors like them, each level-up only added about 4 to 6 total attribute points.
Yet Coal Ball gained 14 points from a single level—almost three to four times as much!
If it leveled up a few more times, its base attributes could easily surpass Han Xing himself, even when fully armored.
Han Xing could clearly feel Coal Ball’s speed increasing drastically. Under the veil of black light, he couldn’t even track its movements, let alone strike it.
“Is this what an S+ growth rate pet looks like? Terrifying!”
“If it keeps leveling up like this, it’s guaranteed to become a major boss-type creature!”
Han Xing’s heart swelled with excitement and hope for Coal Ball’s future development.
…