In the valley, beside a shallow pool of water.
Mustel—the Level 4 player ranked third on the Divine Gift Domain's power leaderboard—was leading a group of students clad in the Celestial Seraphim's distinctive attire, holding the prime position.
This pool contained a special, energy-rich clear water that would continuously spawn the lowest-rank Demonic Beast: the Slime.
These Divine Gifted could use it to grind monsters and level up at breakneck speed.
Some other Divine Gifted, whether chosen by the Celestial Seraphim or by other races, felt a measure of resentment.
But none dared cross Mustel; they could only creep away in silence.
After all, Mustel was a Legendary Rank class-holder!
Nearby stood a girl with pale lavender hair and pristine skin—her modest clothing did little to conceal her beauty. Morrian, too, was a Legendary Rank holder!
These two not only outclassed any same-rank Divine Gifted in combat, but, thanks to the Celestial Seraphim's resource advantage, possessed truly extraordinary strength!
The others: the Celestial Seraphim had given them only a handful of Demonic Beasts to fight, enough to scrape together a Level 1, after which they had to venture out to level on their own.
But these two had already been trained to Level 4!
Occupying the third and fifth spots on the power leaderboard, respectively!
Moreover, Mustel and Morrian wore Arcanotech Gear granted by the Sacred Celestials to accelerate their leveling. The group around them had similarly been heavily cultivated by the Celestial Seraphim…
This cadre of students was effectively invincible among the Divine Gifted!
The rest could only watch Mustel and the others with envious eyes, scrambling for the stray creatures that spawned.
Mustel, however, stood guard by the energy pool, slashing through Slimes as fast as they appeared.
Normal players needed ten minutes to take down a single Demonic Beast—he was dispatching two to three per minute. The XP difference was staggering!
The others with Mustel managed roughly one Slime per minute.
Mustel's group watched the prompt screens gleefully:
"Ding—You have slain a Minor Slime. Experience +1."
"Ding—You have slain a Minor Slime. Experience +2."
…
Only XP prompts appeared.
Slimes, as the lowest trash-tier Demonic Beasts, dropped no equipment, materials, or skills.
Yet this seemingly dull grind left Mustel and his companions utterly enraptured.
Even if they only earned around ten XP per minute at maximum effort, it still vastly outpaced those outside who needed ten minutes just to earn that much.
Mustel's mind raced with excitement as he calculated, "If I just grind a few more hours, I'll level up again!"
"Then I'll be a Level 5 player—heck, I could even hit Level 6 today and seize the top spot on the power leaderboard."
His eyes lit up, and he glanced at the pale-skinned beauty Morrian at his side. He felt a twinge of regret, but his expression quickly hardened again.
Normally, Mustel wouldn't have to be so domineering; he could share some experience with Morrian to boost favor with the cold-hearted girl.
But an elder of the Celestial Seraphim had revealed a secret: the Divine Gift Domain's leaderboard wasn't just a simple ranking.
The first player to reach Level 25 would receive an incredibly rare reward—one that could carry a Divine Gifted well beyond Level 100!
For that prize, Mustel was determined to claim it, even if it cost him Morrian's favor.
"In Otherworld, power is the only truth!"
"As long as I'm strong enough, there isn't a beauty I can't win over!"
He thought resolutely.
"This leveling grind is just too slow, though, right?" After killing a few slimes, Mustel couldn't help but mutter under his breath, drawing a blank stare from the nearby players. "Boss, this is slow? What does that make us?"
Mustel hurriedly replied, "Haha, brothers, the Celestial Seraphim elders said there will be an upcoming tournament with Divine Gifted from all races—our clan has to field a champion."
"I couldn't help it; I just ate a bit more XP."
"Don't worry. Once I hit my stride, I'll take you guys on a proper grind. These low-level slimes barely give any XP; I'll show you the Shadow Wolf packs in the nearby woods."
"They say each wolf gives over 300 XP!"
He put on a boisterous air.
"Really? Boss, we're counting on you!" The other Divine Gifted looked at Mustel, skeptical but forced to go along.
On the other side, Morrian's face was icy as she killed another slime—she didn't say a word.
Everyone present couldn't help but admire her: such beauty and cold grace. Not even the angelic Celestial Seraphim elders could match her allure. And with Morrian's Legendary Rank class, whoever won her favor would score both a beauty and power bonus!
Sadly, to date nobody had been able to strike up a conversation with Morrian.
Even Mustel had exchanged fewer than three sentences with her, all polite small talk…
No one knew the truth: she wasn't aloof, but rather frowning in worry as she thought, "Munir… how are you doing now?"
Remembering her friend's stubborn streak gave Morrian a headache.
She worried, if Munir's talent wasn't enough, how could he survive in Otherworld…
After all, he wasn't the type to hold back and keep his head down.
With that thought, Morrian's expression grew colder still—her aura drove nearby Divine Gifted to silently step back, unwilling to meet the Legendary Rank holder's gaze.
Only Mustel's eyes burned with enthusiasm: "Let's kick up our grind!"
"The Celestial Seraphim elders all agree this valley is the best spot for low-level Divine Gifted to level up—no other great clan has grounds with higher XP efficiency!"
"I'll surpass that Level 6 guy on the leaderboard soon enough. I don't care what weird luck he had to hit Level 6 in a day."
Mustel's heart raced as he calculated: "Even if that race feeding you Demonic Beasts gives you all you can handle, you still can't match my efficiency. Soon I'll be so far ahead that I'll crush you underfoot—and that Level-25 reward will be mine!"
He stole another glance at Morrian, seeing the girl's cold face fixed on killing slimes ahead.
Mustel couldn't help but fantasize: Right now, I dare not make a move on you, but once I become the strongest Divine Gifted among the Celestial Seraphim, even the angelic elders will support my pursuit of you…
I hope you're still that indifferent then!
Thinking this, Mustel felt his fatigue vanish—suddenly the dull grind was invigorating.
...
Meanwhile, in the Elven Race's underbrush…
Slash slash slash!
Munir loosed arrow after arrow from his bow at lightning speed.
A few Elves ahead froze in terror, but against those purple-gold flaming arrows, they stood no chance—impaled in an instant, then turned to ash.
Three Elves fell with a single exchange, and a message flickered before Munir's eyes:
[You have successfully resisted oppression, slaying three Elves hunting for your trail. Their souls will be converted into nourishment for you! You gain 7,000 experience points, and your level rises to LV13 (7600/7500).]
[You receive a one-time God-Tier Class upgrade attribute reward: All Attributes +10.]
[Congratulations! You have also acquired the lingering souls of Elven Guards. Your Jungle Skirmish Technique has accumulated enough soul fragments to advance to Jungle Skirmish Technique · Rare.]
"Not bad!"
A flash of delight lit Munir's eyes.
He'd been grinding in the jungle for some time now; many Elves had already become spirits in his hands.
Thanks to the Jungle Skirmish Technique's accumulation of Elven Guard souls, he had learned to wield ranged weapons—bows—with greatly enhanced lethality!
And this time, after cutting down three more guards hunting him, not only did his experience soar, but the repeated soul absorption leveled his Jungle Skirmish Technique yet again!
This ability was the very foundation of his unchecked slaughter in the forest!
Munir swiftly opened his profession panel to inspect it:
Jungle Skirmish Technique · Rare: Having absorbed vast amounts of Elven Guard souls, you are the undisputed master of jungle warfare. You possess extremely proficient swordsmanship, archery, tree-climbing, and stealth skills.
Additional Bonus: In jungle terrain, your All Attributes are increased by 15%. This skill has reached its maximum level.
"That's already the cap?" Mustel looked at the skill icon's faint rainbow glow with both surprise and a tinge of regret.
He had thought that by continuously slaying Elves, he could keep upgrading Jungle Skirmish Technique indefinitely.
But on reflection, it made sense.
The power of Jungle Skirmish Technique comes from Elven Guard souls. The techniques they mastered for jungle combat are finite—once Munir had fully absorbed them, there was nowhere left to advance. The skill had naturally hit its peak.