The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

But he didn't stop.

He nodded slightly to the people, then continued deeper into the forest. His pace was neither fast nor slow, as if he were merely passing through.

A few hushed whispers came from behind me.

"It's Su Mu."

"He really went inside."

"The monsters inside are of a higher level; he'll definitely be fighting monsters that are level thirteen or higher."

"We need more than ten people to surround a level 10 monster, but he went in alone..."

"Stop comparing. He's level thirteen, and we're level eight. That's a five-level difference. What does five levels mean? Even if we level up two more times, we might not be able to catch up to him."

"Level 13 is just a hurdle. I heard he used to fight level 10 yellow monsters in the arena, and even if a dozen of us went up against those, we'd just be feeding."

"Forget it, stop watching. Let him fight his part, we'll fight ours. Let's clear out this outer area first. We may lack experience, but at least it's safe."

Even after Su Mu had walked a distance, he could still feel the weight of those gazes on his back. But he didn't turn around.

Keep moving forward.

This walk took more than half an hour.

At his speed, he had already covered a great distance in just over half an hour.

The ruins were long gone, the surrounding forest grew denser, the trees thicker, and the light dimmer. Meanwhile, the monsters' levels were clearly rising.

He's already able to encounter monsters at level 17, 18, or 19.

Su Mu crouched behind a large tree, his gaze peering through the gaps in the trunk.

A dozen or so Loulan guards were patrolling a clearing in the forest. They were much larger than humans, covered in dark gray armor, and held stone weapons. Their movements were uniform, like those of soldiers who had undergone long-term training.

Their level is between seventeen and eighteen, their attributes are not particularly outrageous, but their coordination is very tight. Every few steps, someone turns to look to the side and rear, and they are covered from all sides.

For others, such coordination could be deadly. A dozen or so level 17 or 18 monsters advancing in formation would be troublesome even for a level 20 player.

But to Su Mu, these monsters were just walking experience packs.

He didn't wait long before emerging from behind the tree, his spear sweeping across. The first thrust severed the waist of the foremost guard, and the second pierced the chest of the second one from the side.

The afterimage combo is triggered, and pale golden gun shadows spread across the open ground. The ricocheting combo bounces back and forth among the monsters, each ricochet taking away a life.

The guards reacted quickly, but before they could even raise their weapons, their formation was torn apart.

Su Mu didn't use the Ancient King's Battle Blood, didn't activate his Shadow Clone Technique, and wasn't even serious. He simply stood there, his spear thrusting and sweeping, each strike precisely hitting vital points, each attack carrying a secondary hitbox. In less than half a minute, all the dozen or so monsters fell, their dark blood seeping into the humus, leaving large dark stains.

[Defeat a Lv17 Loulan Guardian, experience points +0.5.]

[Defeat a Lv18 Loulan Guardian, experience points +0.5.]

A series of prompts scrolled across the panel. Experience points were increasing slowly, but steadily.

Su Mu collected the loot from the corpse, mostly low-level materials, with the occasional piece of dark gray gravel. He picked up a gravel and glanced at it; a system notification appeared: [Unsealing Stone Fragment... Collect a certain number to synthesize a complete Unsealing Stone.]

He collected the fragments and continued deeper into the area.

The further you go in, the higher the density and level of the monsters.

They rose from level seventeen or eighteen to level nineteen, and occasionally level twenty elites could be seen. Their coordination became increasingly complex, evolving from simple flanking maneuvers to organized formations, with ranged and melee units alternating to provide cover, and even feigning retreats to lure the enemy.

Su Mu was first surprised by their teamwork when he encountered a patrol team composed of Loulan archers and guards.

Four archers provided cover from the rear, six guards advanced in the front, and two priests cast spells on the flanks. Their coordination far surpassed that of ordinary monsters; each round of attacks was timed to coincide with his movements, forcing him to take things a little more seriously.

But I was only slightly serious about it.

The moment the Ancient King's Battle Blood was activated, tri-colored light exploded from his body, his silver hair particularly dazzling in the dim light. He took a step forward, his spear sweeping horizontally, the afterimage combo covering all the guards at the front, his bouncing combo jumping back and forth between the archers and priests, each bounce carrying deadly penetrating power.

After a combo, all twelve monsters fell to the ground.

It took less than ten seconds.

Su Mu holstered his gun, stood on the humus soil soaked in dark blood, and took a slight breath.

He could sense that the monsters' teamwork was indeed stronger than he had expected. If it were an ordinary level 17 or 18 professional, this group of monsters would be enough to surround and kill him.

But for him, it was still a numerical crushing defeat.

His attributes are too high.

With his level 19 base attributes, the doubled boost from the Ancient King's Blood, and the added power from the Overlord Spear, his actual strength has exceeded 3,000 points.

Those level 17 or 18 monsters only have a strength of a few hundred. A five-fold difference cannot be bridged even with the best teamwork.

Su Mu continued walking inside.

The experience points are steadily increasing. Although each one doesn't give much, the sheer number makes up for it.

The monster density here is extremely high; you can encounter a group every few steps, and they respawn very quickly... After he kills a group, he passes by again an hour or two later, and the same group of monsters will reappear in the same spot.

This reminded him of the Abyss Gatekeepers from before. However, these Loulan Guardians wouldn't resurrect or become stronger; they were merely a stable source of experience.

Su Mu became more and more adept at fighting, gradually venturing deeper into the core area of ​​the forest.

The trees here are so dense that they block out almost all light, their canopies completely obscuring the dim yellow sky. Only a few rays of light occasionally pierce through the gaps, casting thin beams of light on the ground. The air is thick with the smell of humus, and the layer of fallen leaves underfoot is so thick that it reaches above the ankles.

The monsters are all level 19 or higher.

Su Mu stopped to catch his breath and leaned against a huge tree trunk. His experience bar had risen to more than halfway to level nineteen, getting closer and closer to level twenty.

The density and respawn rate of monsters in the surrounding area allow him to fight continuously, almost without needing to deliberately seek out monsters.

He was about to push it further in when he suddenly felt a very slight vibration.

It came from deeper in the forest.

It was as if something enormous was moving slowly, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly. The tremors were small, but continuous, with a regular rhythm.

Su Mu glanced in that direction. The canopy was too dense; he couldn't see anything. But he could sense the aura emanating from that direction, a aura that was heavier, more profound, and more ancient than that of the monsters around him.

He did not go there.

At least not now.

He turned and walked in another direction to continue clearing out the hordes of scattered monsters.

........