Chapter 16: Chapter 16

(Note: Up to 40% of experience can come from combat at this level.)

[HP: 160/160]

[MP: 80/80]

[Attributes: Strength 8, Constitution 10, Agility 11, Intelligence 12, Perception 15+1, Charisma 11]

[Languages: Common, Elvish, Druidic]

[Skills: Nature Sense, Wild Empathy, Animal Companion, Woodland Stride]

[Spells: (0-level) Druid Tricks, Light; (1st-level) Shillelagh, Entangle, Cure Wounds]

[Free Attribute Points: 1]

Mu Ying immediately noticed her experience requirement had tripled! And the cap for combat experience had dropped again—now only 40% could come from fighting.

A lot of people were probably going to cry about this. Profession experience wasn’t easy to get for most.

But Mu Ying always felt that profession experience was more authentic—earned through real practice and training. It was slow, but solid, and gave her peace of mind.

Her HP and MP had also increased.

She’d always played it safe, with “survival” etched into her soul, and hadn’t been hurt so far. But more HP meant she could take more hits, giving her the illusion of a longer life.

As for mana, that was always in short supply. Ten more points meant two extra 1st-level spells—definitely an improvement.

She scooped up her round, fluffy companion and, feeling refreshed, headed outside.

The skill for Woodland Stride was now deeply imprinted in her mind. While there was still a gap between knowledge and practice, it was much easier than learning spells.

After a bit of practice, she’d basically gotten the hang of it.

The forest’s tangled terrain and thorny bushes could no longer stop her. When she approached, they either softened or moved aside to let her pass.

It was hard to describe the feeling—as if the whole forest had accepted her. The woods wouldn’t harm her, and her actions wouldn’t damage the forest. This harmony and sense of being cherished touched her deeply.

She ran freely through the woods, like a fish in water, unimpeded and exhilarated.

She didn’t know how far she’d run before she finally stopped, panting, and happily rubbed the ball of fluff in her arms, shouting excitedly, “From now on, I, Mu Ying, will never have to take the usual path through the forest again! Haha!”

The round fluffball quietly shifted, burying its head in Mu Ying’s arms, leaving only its plump backside exposed.

Today’s master was acting so weird—squishing it like kneading dough. It was a little worried the fur on its head would get rubbed off. Sigh, life is hard, thought the panda with a sigh!"

"After reaching Level 2, Mu Ying holed up at home for two days, working hard to master Water Creation, Thorn Whip, Fireball, and Swift Step.

With these spells under her belt, she felt a bit more secure. It was time to figure out how to pay back the debt she owed Grandpa Xiao Mu.

To get a large amount of plant seeds, the most convenient place was naturally the seed market.

But the seed market was in the southern suburbs of Binhai City, and getting there meant crossing all of Qingshan Town.

Before the apocalypse, that distance was just a two-hour drive, but now, with all vehicles gone, she had to rely on her own two feet. The road was dangerous, and a round trip could take several days.

That was also why, even after she posted the location of the Qingshan Camp on the forum, not many people had come. As of this morning, there were just over forty residents in the territory.

Mu Ying hadn’t set any screening criteria for residents—anyone who paid the entry fee for the day could stay.

Still, these forty-some people had contributed quite a few copper coins over the past few days. Counting what she had left from before, she now had a total of 8 silver coins and 80 copper coins.

She converted all of this money into energy and set the territory shield to auto-recharge, so she wouldn’t have to worry about it every day—the shield would automatically draw from the territory’s stored energy.

Before leaving, Mu Ying made sure to add extra Spring of Restoration water to Old Yellow Ox’s drink. She patted the ox’s increasingly glossy coat—he’d have to work hard for the next few days.

“Mu Ying, are you going tree planting this morning?”

At the entrance to Treehouse No. 3, the hiking club had gathered to rest and regroup. The newcomers from Binhai University were with them too.

“No, I have some business in the southern suburbs,” Mu Ying replied, swinging herself onto the ox’s back. She and Old Yellow had become quite the team lately—she could almost ride him like a horse, though he was much slower.

“The southern suburbs? That’s pretty far!”

“It’s too dangerous. Most things from before the apocalypse have rotted away, and there’s nothing good left in the city.”

Mu Ying nodded. “I know, but I have to go. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. See you!” She waved goodbye with a smile, tugged on the rope, and Old Yellow Ox ambled out of the camp.

Watching the girl and her ox disappear into the distance, Liu Luoluo muttered, “It always feels like she’s not playing the same game as us. We’re struggling to survive the apocalypse, and she’s just enjoying a leisurely country life…”

Si Qing overheard his girlfriend and teased, “Maybe we’re playing Apocalypse Romance?”

“…Romance? More like doomed lovers on the run!” Liu Luoluo shot him a glare.

“What about the rest of us? Are we just doomed single dogs?” someone else joked.

“It’s not that bad,” Li Wei chimed in, having adapted well. He treated the apocalypse like a hardcore game with only one life. “From what I’ve seen, the zombies’ strength is pretty stable—they’re not leveling up. But we’re getting stronger. If this is as dangerous as it gets, upgraded players will wipe out the zombies soon enough.”

“True. Let’s get going and kill as many as we can. Once more people show up, we might have to fight over monsters!”

…

But Mu Ying’s supposedly carefree journey wasn’t so smooth. Not long after leaving, she ran into a small group of wandering zombies.

With limited mana, she stuck to the principle of avoiding fights when possible, saving her energy and making haste. This meant leaving the mountain path and cutting through the forest, using her Forest Traverse skill to lead Old Yellow Ox along.

Thanks to her familiarity with the woods and her skill, Mu Ying made it safely out of the forest park.

Beyond the park, the trees thinned out, and signs of human activity covered the land. But compared to the lively bustle before the apocalypse, it was now eerily silent and desolate.

The once traffic-choked roads were empty. The brightly colored, chaotic plastic tarps looked as if a gray filter had been laid over them—poke one with a finger, and it would tear, already rotting away.

Mu Ying used to think the forest air was better, but now, with no car exhaust, the air outside was just as fresh. The sky was a rare, brilliant blue.

Still, she felt uneasy—a lack of security.

Fewer trees meant less natural energy, which slowed her mana recovery.

And the solid concrete beneath her feet stunted plant growth, weakening the effects of her Entangle and Thorn Whip spells.

So Mu Ying gave up on the shortest route straight through Qingshan Town, choosing instead to follow the riverside path along the Qingshui River, skirting the town’s edge. At least there were landscaped trees and lawns by the river.

It would make her journey several times longer, but it was much more comfortable.

She moved slowly. Most of the riverside trees were species not found in the forest, and she stopped to “touch” each one, sensing the shape of the natural energy within.

Each tree brought her significant gains—almost every species gave her at least one point of class experience.