I can receive unlimited protection; my parents handed me over to the state.

"Boy, prepare to die!"

The mage, Ah Hou, with his pointed snout and monkey-like face, wore a ferocious smile. A blinding flame ignited from the staff in his hand, and a fireball the size of a human head roared toward Lu Yuan's chest.

In his view, Lu Yuan, a newbie who was clearly level 0, didn't even have any decent armor. If he were to unleash a "Powerful Fireball," even if it didn't burn him to a crisp on the spot, it would be enough to severely injure him and render him unable to fight.

However, Lu Yuan didn't even bother to dodge.

He simply stood there calmly, a thought flashing through his mind.

[Water God] Blessing, activated!

A thin, almost invisible curtain of water instantly condensed in front of him.

"boom!"

The fireball struck the water curtain with a muffled thud. The intense heat of the flames and the icy cold water collided violently, sending up large plumes of white steam that instantly enveloped Lu Yuan's body.

"Hahaha! Got it!" Ah Hou laughed triumphantly. "How was it? Feeling roasted by the flames?"

Another warrior named Afei charged forward with his greatsword, ready to deliver the final blow to this arrogant brat.

But the next second, their laughter froze on their faces.

As the steam dissipated, Lu Yuan's figure reappeared. He was still standing in the same spot, and far from being burned to a crisp, not even the edges of his clothes showed a trace of char.

He even reached out and dusted off non-existent dust from his shoulders, looking at the two of them with an expression as if they were idiots.

"That's it?" Lu Yuan curled his lip, his tone indifferent. "You call this a fireball spell? It's not even as hot as the water in my shower."

"You...how are you alright?!" Ah Hou's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets; he couldn't comprehend what was happening before his eyes. His powerful fireball spell would take away half a bar of health even from a level 20 shield warrior, so how could it have left a level 0 newbie completely unharmed?

"Is it my turn?"

Lu Yuan was too lazy to waste words with them. With a swift movement, the 200% speed boost brought by the [Azure Bird] buff instantly erupted.

In Afei and Ahou's retinas, Lu Yuan's figure only flickered slightly before disappearing from the spot.

"Where is he?!" Ah Fei exclaimed in shock, and hurriedly turned around to search for him.

"You're behind me, you idiot."

A cold voice rang in his ear.

Afei felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. He turned around abruptly and saw a purple-blue sword light rapidly enlarging in front of him.

He tried to raise his greatsword to block, but his reaction speed was completely outmatched by the speed of "Wind and Thunder Guidance".

"Snap!"

A crisp, heartbreaking sound.

Lu Yuan didn't even try to chop hard; he simply touched the blade of the "Wind and Thunder Guide" sword lightly against the imposing-looking C-grade steel greatsword.

Faced with the unreasonable attribute of "Strength +10", even the so-called fine steel is as fragile as a biscuit.

Afei stared blankly at the sword hilt that was now only half in his hand, and the broken sword blade that had fallen to the ground. His mind was completely blank.

This...this is the weapon I bought with most of my savings! How...how did it break like this?

"Is your sword a toy?"

Lu Yuan's voice rang out again, and this time, he appeared in front of the terrified mage, Ah Hou.

When Ah Hou saw the purplish-blue short sword in Lu Yuan's hand that exuded a dangerous aura, his legs went weak and he almost knelt on the ground.

He tried to teleport away, but found that his body had become incredibly stiff due to extreme fear and the intimidating force field attached to the [Lightning Source], making it impossible for him to even chant a spell.

Lu Yuan ignored his fear and casually swung the "Wind and Thunder Guide" in his hand, the tip of the sword lightly touching Ah Hou's staff inlaid with magic crystals.

"Snapped!"

The staff snapped in two, and the magic crystal embedded in it instantly dimmed, turning into an ordinary stone.

"Now, all your toys are gone." Lu Yuan sheathed his sword, looking leisurely at the two guys who had completely lost their will to fight. "Are you still going to 'take care' of me?"

Ah Fei and Ah Hou exchanged a glance, both seeing endless fear in each other's eyes.

The boy before them was no pushover; he was a monster through and through! A demon who could crush their prized equipment with a mere flick of his wrist!

"No...we wouldn't dare again! Big brother! We were wrong! We didn't recognize your greatness!" Ah Fei was the first to react, and with a "thump," he knelt on the ground and began frantically kowtowing, "Please forgive us! We'll never dare to do it again!"

Ah Hou also knelt down, pleading with a mournful face, "Yes, brother! It was that bastard Li Tianhao who sent us! It has nothing to do with us!"

Just then, Li Tianhao's furious roar came from not far away.

"Ah Fei! Ah Hou! What are you two good-for-nothings doing! Get over here and help! I can't hold on much longer!"

With two fewer people to restrain them, Li Tianhao's team was now completely overwhelmed. The healer who had been suspended by the roots had been drained of his life force and vanished in a flash of white light. The remaining members were also in grave danger, with several of them sustaining injuries.

Li Tianhao himself was being chased and beaten by three thick roots, looking as pathetic as a stray dog. His prized B-grade flame longsword could only leave shallow white marks on the treant's bark, which was as tough as steel—utterly useless.

He was so angry when he saw his two henchmen kneeling before that "good-for-nothing" that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

"You two bastards! How dare you betray me! When we get back to the academy, I'll make you pay!"

Hearing Li Tianhao's threat, Afei and Ahou trembled with fear. But after glancing at Li Tianhao in the distance and then at the menacing Lu Yuan before them, they made a decisive choice.

The academy's punishment is a matter for later; the guy in front of us can turn them into white light right now!

"Big brother! We're not familiar with that bastard Li Tianhao! He forced us into this!"

"Yes, yes, yes! We're willing to abandon darkness and embrace the light! Please, brother, take us in!"

The two of them, with snot and tears streaming down their faces, displayed such superb acting skills that even Lu Yuan was amazed.

"Alright." Lu Yuan waved his hand impatiently. "Get lost. Don't get in my way."

"Thank you, brother! Thank you, brother!"

The two felt as if they had been granted a pardon and tried to scramble out of the instance.

"Stop." Lu Yuan suddenly spoke again.

The two men froze, turning around with mournful faces: "Big brother, is there anything else you need?"

Lu Yuan pointed to the storage bags on their waists.

"Leave all your valuables behind. Consider it... compensation for emotional distress."

The two men turned pale, but dared not hesitate for a moment. They hurriedly emptied all the gold coins, potions, and spare equipment from their storage bags, piled them in front of Lu Yuan, and then ran away without looking back.

Yan Ji emerged from behind the tree, looked at the pile of scattered items on the ground, and then glanced at Li Tianhao, who was still struggling in the distance. A hint of amusement flashed in her golden eyes.

"You certainly know how to make use of waste."

"Even a small mosquito is still meat." Lu Yuan gathered everything on the ground into his storage backpack, weighed it in his hand, and nodded in satisfaction. "If I take these things back and break them down, I can get some basic materials."

He raised his head and looked towards the battlefield.

Li Tianhao's team is on the verge of collapse.

"How about it? Should we go help them?" Yan Ji asked with great interest.

"Help?" Lu Yuan laughed. "Why would I help someone who wants to kill me?"

Instead of helping, he found a large rock, sat down imposingly, took out the snacks and drinks his two henchmen had given him from his backpack, and began to look at them with great interest.

His relaxed posture made it seem like he was having a picnic.

"You..." Yan Ji was both amused and exasperated by his actions.

This guy is not only abnormally strong, but also has a black heart.

On the battlefield, Li Tianhao was on the verge of despair.