Thanks to GreenKiTea on Kofi for the kofis. Enjoy this bonus chapter!

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Today’s exploration went smoothly. 

He didn’t encounter any mutated creatures, and two kilometers from the territory, Qiyu spotted two treasure chests. One was a wooden chest and the other a fine iron chest, both neatly arranged side by side. 

He scanned the area with his senses and, to his surprise, found that no mutated creatures were waiting here.

Could it be that today is some kind of “harvest” after the rain? 

In any case, finding the treasure chests was a stroke of luck. Qiyu put them all away.

He continued onward.

He discovered a resource point: “Withered Black-Striped Moss.”

【Black-striped Moss: A symbiotic magical plant that enhances the vitality of the land.】

It can make life on the land thrive. Unfortunately, by the time he found it, this magical plant had already lost its vitality. 

Qiyu continued exploring. He walked about three kilometers. 

His senses detected a large number of life waves.

What is it?

He concealed his aura and approached silently.

A very, very tall tree—Qiyu estimated it to be forty or fifty meters high.

It was dead; Qiyu could sense no life energy emanating from it. The dead tree had turned black; its leaves had all fallen, leaving only bare, withered branches. Yet it remained a colossal presence, standing like a giant upon the earth. 

And at that moment, the tree’s thick branches were densely crammed with mutated creatures.

Pure white birds—even their eyes were snow-white—perched on the dead tree, their black-and-white contrast creating a sinister scene.

【Swift: A Level 1 mutated creature born during the rainy season. 

Skill 1: Can hide its form in the rain. 

Skill 2: Swiftness.】

The Swift—Qiyu immediately recalled the loot he had picked up on his way home yesterday; it seemed to have come from a Swift.

It’s not just in his own territory—this issue has also come up in the 01 survival squad group chat.

Players in the 01 region have all, to varying degrees, suffered attacks from the Swifts.

After taking a closer look at the information on this group of Swifts, Qiyu realized they were mutated creatures spawned by the continuous rain—no wonder they were so rampant.

A piercing screech rang out.

He instinctively looked up as a massive shadow swept overhead—it was a giant swift, clearly of an extraordinary size.

【Swift Leader: Level 3 Mutant Creature.】

In addition to “Rain Concealment” and “Swiftness,” the Swift Leader possessed two additional skills.

Skill 3: Domination. Can rally a flock of swifts to launch a large-scale attack.

Skill 4: Frostbite. Wherever the Swift Leader passes, it triggers a frostbite phenomenon.

At first, Qiyu didn’t understand what this “frost phenomenon” meant. That was until he heard a crackling sound in his ears.

Ice crystals spread along the Swift Leader’s path, reaching the large tree and the thicket where Qiyu was hiding. The emerald-green branches and leaves were covered in frost; with the slightest breeze, they crumbled into powder.

The mage, whose Magic Resistance was maxed out, didn’t feel any discomfort, but his hiding spot was now completely exposed. Countless pairs of ghostly white eyes fixed their gaze on him.

Several white figures darted toward him.

“Just in time,” Qiyu said, showing no sign of panic.

The Heart of the Great Tree Staff vibrated slightly, and countless flames formed a massive net that blocked the swarm of swifts’ attack. His reasoning was straightforward: since these swifts were born from rainwater, surely they must be afraid of fire? Water can overcome fire, and fire can overcome water.

At his current level of magic, he could practically wipe out a Level 1 magical creature with ease.

Engulfed by the flames, the swarm of swifts could not even utter a cry of distress; they turned into transparent raindrops and vanished without a trace. A vast expanse of white light fell to the ground.

Seeing this, the Swift Leader let out a long, piercing cry. This seemed to be a command to attack; upon hearing this cry, the vast swarm of swallows immediately charged toward Qiyu in unison, fearless of death.

It was the perfect opportunity to test the new spell.

Flames rained down like meteors, striking the swarm of swifts. A Level 3 fire spell: Meteor Fire Rain. 

This was an area-of-effect spell; while its damage per target was actually inferior to Fireball, it was perfectly suited for this situation—ideal for clearing out minions.

Qiyu kept a close eye on the swift leader, which was circling overhead, always on guard against a surprise attack.

Seeing this unfamiliar mage handling the situation with ease, the Swift Leader actually let out a long cry. Paying no heed to its kin who were rushing in one after another to their deaths, it flapped its wings and was about to fly away. 

Qiyu：？

He turned around and cast two consecutive Meteor Fire Rains into the swarm of Swifts, then cast Wind Walk on himself and gave chase after the Swift Leader.

As he watched this mutated creature leave a trail of ice and frost in its wake—as if carving a path through the Star Forest—Qiyu’s killing intent toward the Swift Leader gradually reached its peak. 

This innate ability poses a huge threat to the territory: if it even passes by, his plants will suffer.

Perhaps the magical plants’ resistance to frost might be slightly stronger than that of these ordinary plants, but Qiyu didn’t dare to take that chance—nor was he willing to. 

In his heart, his territory was his home, and the plants under his rule—who were completely loyal to him—were his possessions and practically part of his family. 

Even the Swift Commander was getting fed up with him.

Especially during Qiyu’s pursuit, the spells forced it into a series of desperate evasive maneuvers.

It had some intelligence, but not much.

After twenty minutes of relentless pursuit, it was thoroughly enraged.

It spread its wings, and several snow-white wing feathers shot down toward Qiyu like swords.

Qiyu dodged this wave of attacks and watched the feathers embedded in the ground, thinking to himself: This attack method is certainly unique—I just wonder if, after a few more rounds, this Swift Commander will end up completely bald? 

However, he soon noticed that the white feathers embedded in the ground had transformed into transparent water droplets, seeping into the soil and vanishing.

Sure enough, the large white bird was merely an illusion; at its core, this creature was essentially a magical being mutated from rainwater. He silently recited a spell and raised his staff upward.

A massive firebird emerged from the flames. Upon closer inspection, aside from being composed entirely of fire, the bird’s shape and size were identical to those of the Swift Leader.

Third-level fire magic: Spirit of Fire.

Upon receiving its master’s command, the Spirit of Flame let out a long cry and lunged at the empty Swift Leader. A firebird and a waterbird tangled in midair, pecking at each other in a fierce battle. 

Feathers flew everywhere, transforming into sparks and raindrops as they fell from the sky.

Qiyu had been closely observing the Swift Leader’s attack patterns; the moment he grasped them, the Spirit of Flame in the air did as well. The Swift Leader finally realized that as long as that guy below remained, he would never be able to shake off this pesky ball of flame. Damn mage!

Its aura surged; ignoring the claw strikes from behind, it tore open one wing. Blood dripped down, turning into transparent droplets before it even hit the ground.

All of a magical creature’s moves originate from the mage. These frail mages—as long as it could get close, it would surely be able to— Just as six sharp claws were about to strike the frail mage, a hard object blocked them.

Claws capable of easily tearing beasts to shreds couldn’t even leave the slightest scratch on it. The Swift Commander looked up in confusion.

The frail mage had already drawn a wand and assumed a stance of readiness. 

Thud. 

“……”

Qiyu stared silently at the deep pit at his feet. 

He had underestimated the true power of a 48-point attack—mainly because he hadn’t been given a chance to test it before, and he’d held nothing back just now.

As a result, the Swift Leader—whose bulk was twice his own—was smashed directly into the ground by the wand, creating a crater so deep that

a single feather was visible above the ground. 13

Soon, a dazzling white light flashed from the bottom of the pit.

【Killed a Level 3 Mutant Swift Leader, obtained 1 Brass Chest.】

【Obtained Swallow Cloak (Blue). Equipment effect: When walking in the rain, you become completely invisible and gain a 50% movement speed bonus.】  

 【Obtained 1 Level 3 Beast Crystal.】

A brass chest, a blue-quality piece of equipment, and a Beast Crystal he’s never seen before. Not a bad haul.

【Beast Crystal: Has a chance to drop when killing mutated creatures.】

It was something Qiyu had never seen before, so he stowed it in his backpack.

He then retraced his steps along the same route and returned to the location of the large tree about half an hour later. Unfortunately, the remaining swarm of Swifts had vanished, leaving only a vast expanse of faint white light on the ground.

【Obtained Swift Feathers x190.】

【Obtained 2,300g of Mutant Swift Meat.】

Originally, he hadn’t thought there was anything unusual about mutated creatures dropping meat. That was until today, when he saw with his own eyes what the swifts really were. A group of mutated creatures formed from rainwater—why would they drop meat? 

It wasn’t until he clicked on the details.

【Mutant Swift Meat: A specialty of the Star Forest; can be eaten raw or processed. Consuming 1g of swift meat is equivalent to drinking 500ml of water.】

This thing…

Qiyu instantly thought of Zone 88, where “God Has No Form” was located. 

As expected, a product that sells even better than the emerald crystal peach is about to appear.