Chapter 5: Infinite Instant Cast! The Humanoid Self-Propelled Spell Machine Gun!

Lin Yi took a short break, ate some dry rations, drank a few sips of water, and continued on his way. At the same time, he remained vigilant, reaching into his personal storage space to retrieve a bottle of alchemical concoction he had prepared. The vial glowed with a faint blue light and looked quite appealing.

Lin Yi gulped down the concoction. Ugh, the taste was terrible. He had no idea what strange herbs were used to brew it; it had a distinct flavor of cilantro. However, Lin Yi didn't pay it much mind; he was more concerned with the status effect that had just appeared on him, which would last for one hour.

[Intermediate Spirit Potion: Increases your Spirit attribute by 30 points and your maximum Mana by 300 points.]

With the bonus from his passive skill [Mana Storm], those 30 points of Spirit effectively increased his maximum Mana by an additional 2,100 points, and the base Mana increase also provided an extra 2,100 points. With this buff, Lin Yi's mana pool had surged from a pitiful 100 points to a staggering 4,300 points!

Given his 70% mana consumption reduction, Lin Yi calculated that he could cast at least a hundred Tier 3 spells without interruption. As for Tier 4 and Tier 5 spells, he could still cast them at a high frequency if he held back just a little. This was the confidence that allowed Lin Yi, with his fragile 1st-level physique, to challenge a 10th-level leveling zone like the Howling Forest!

As he stepped into the forest, a chill instantly enveloped him. The vegetation was incredibly dense; even with the sun at its peak, only a few specks of light managed to filter through the canopy. There were almost no other players nearby. The various schools in Jiangcheng had different schedules for their class-transfer ceremonies, often resulting in a delay of two or three days. Having spent seven days at home idling, Lin Yi wasn't lagging too far behind the main group.

Venturing deeper, he heard the sound of what seemed like beasts wailing and shrieking. In reality, it wasn't a creature at all; it was rumored that deep within the forest lay a cave that emitted fierce, howling winds all year round. When these gusts passed through the trees, they created this eerie, chilling sound, which was how the forest got its name.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from above. Lin Yi grew alert and looked up. He saw a giant python, as thick as a water barrel, staring down at him with two eyes the size of goose eggs. The next moment, the python hissed, opened its gaping maw, and lunged at him.

Lin Yi's mind stirred, ready to kill it instantly with a single skill. But at that critical moment, the dim forest was suddenly illuminated by an orange-red glow! Lin Yi felt a familiar wave of scorching heat behind him, and the next moment, a fireball slammed into the python's head.

The python, struck by pain, shifted its target. Its massive body surged from the tree trunk and lunged toward the source of the attack. However, halfway there, it was met by another fireball—this one even larger, the size of a washbasin—that smashed into it!

Boom! The large fireball struck the python, showering the area in sparks. Stunned by the heavy blow, the python's charred body twitched before it collapsed, completely dead.

Only then did Lin Yi see where the fireballs had come from. It was a young man, looking to be about the same age as Lin Yi, accompanied by a middle-aged mage in grey robes. The young man was currently looking at Lin Yi with an amused expression.

"Uncle Xu, how did I do?" The boy seemed quite pleased with his fireball and eagerly sought praise.

The grey-robed mage beside him nodded. "Young Master, your Fireball spell was very precise. With diligent practice, you will soon be able to level up easily in this Howling Forest all by yourself."

For some reason, Lin Yi noticed that even though both of them were at much higher levels than he was, he could clearly perceive the essence of their strength. Perhaps it was because they both emitted faint magical fluctuations and fire-elemental energy. The boy’s presence was vastly weaker than his own, and the middle-aged mage was only one tier stronger. Both were fire-elemental mages.

The Tier 2 Flame Burst that had just been used was the work of the middle-aged mage. In Lin Yi's view, without the help of this mage, the young man would have had to suffer quite a bit under the python's fangs before managing a miserable victory. He certainly wouldn't be able to "walk sideways" through the Howling Forest with just a Tier 3 Fireball, as the mage claimed.

Encouraged by his elder's praise, the young man grew even more arrogant. He looked at Lin Yi and said, "I just saved your life. Aren't you going to thank me?"

Lin Yi frowned slightly and said something that stunned both the young man and the mage: "Why did you steal my kill?"

The youth clearly hadn't expected Lin Yi to say such a thing. Not only was he not grateful, but he was accusing him of kill-stealing? Did the boy mean he could have handled that 9th-level python all by himself? Because of the level suppression, the youth, who was already Level 7, could see at a glance that Lin Yi was only Level 1. A newbie like this wouldn't even know how they died in this forest. How could he be so arrogant?

Before he could speak, however, the grey-robed mage interjected: "Young man, I can see your level isn't high. This leveling zone is very dangerous; you should leave as soon as possible." With that, he led the young man away.

Lin Yi watched them leave and shook his head. While it was annoying to have his kill stolen, he figured they might have acted out of concern for his low level, so he decided to let it slide. But it wouldn't happen again.

Lin Yi quickly put this small episode out of his mind, for as he ventured deeper into the Howling Forest, he encountered no other professionals. Moreover, the monsters became increasingly dense.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."

This time, seven or eight giant pythons with shimmering golden scales crawled down from the treetops. However, before they could get anywhere near him, Lin Yi raised his hand. Instantly, a dozen terrifying, washbasin-sized fireballs traced scorching trajectories through the air and slammed into the pythons.

Flame Burst!

If that grey-robed mage had seen this, his eyes would have surely widened in shock, leaving him speechless! It was the same Tier 2 skill, but when Lin Yi used it, it was fluid and effortless. He didn't need to chant or prepare. It was incredibly precise—his intent was all that mattered. The fire elements permeating the world would, at his mere thought, transform into ready-made spells, instantly slaughtering these high-level monsters!

Lin Yi was now a human-shaped, walking spell machine. Having grown bored with the Tier 2 Flame Burst, he began to use Tier 3 spells.

"Roar!" Two grizzly bears lunged out from the dense forest behind him, charging forward with a roar. Bears might look like walking tanks, but they were actually quite fast when they ran. However, their ambush was cut short as three flaming spears forged from pure fire crashed down from the sky!

Boom! Boom! The three flame spears pierced the skulls of the two bears, killing them instantly. With both bears dead, the family was finally back together again!