Chapter 7: The Mosquito Legion

Luffy was surprised at how quickly he picked it up; perhaps it was related to the Dragon Blood Pill he had taken. With a trace of dragon blood coursing through him, he could master the Dragon Emperor’s Overbearing Art. The first level of this technique transformed all one’s power into dragon aura, gathering it in the dantian and meridians. At present, Luffy only had a faint wisp of dragon aura; it seemed it would take some time before he could perfect this first layer. Still, the benefits were substantial: not only did his defense multiply several times, but he also felt strength surging throughout his body.

Turning to Zeng Hongsen, Luffy spoke sternly, “What are you staring at? Go kill some zombies. Don’t you want the Body Tempering Elixir? First place gets two enhanced vials; second through tenth each get one.” Zeng Hongsen, who had suspected Luffy of having some bizarre corpse obsession, rushed forward at once, wildly hacking down zombies with his machete. As the largest and strongest among them—especially after consuming three times the usual dose of Body Tempering Elixir—Zeng Hongsen’s strength now surpassed everyone but Luffy, making him the most efficient zombie slayer in their group.

Luffy had high hopes for him. The man was honest and admired Luffy greatly, making him an ideal candidate for a loyal sidekick who could help manage the others.

Luffy pressed forward, carefully scanning for any more red packets. The second floor was cleared without finding any, which meant only the first floor remained—and it would be dangerous, as the ground level teemed with the most zombies.

So far, after clearing several floors, they had amassed over seven hundred crystal cores—a bountiful harvest.

“Next is the first floor,” Luffy announced gravely, “but everyone must keep quiet. If we attract a horde, things could get ugly. We might even draw wild beasts—remember that. Once the first floor is cleared, you can rest.”

“Yes,” many replied, nodding solemnly.

Luffy led the way downstairs. They moved with utmost caution, entering one classroom after another, silently dispatching the zombies within. The first floor, being the most dangerous, was devoid of survivors. As Luffy scanned the area, he spotted a red packet beside him and went over to tap it.

“Ding. Red packet opening in ten seconds. Ten… nine… eight…”

“Ding. Red packet opened successfully. Congratulations, Host. You have received three Shapeshifting Talismans, which have been placed in your temporary inventory.”

“Shapeshifting Talismans? What the heck?” Luffy immediately opened his virtual panel and found three yellow talismans in his inventory. He tapped one for more information.

Shapeshifting Talisman: Upon use, you can transform into anything—wild beast, zombie, human, etc. Duration: fifteen minutes.

“Whoa… damn…” Luffy hadn’t expected to get something this incredible.

He turned and headed to another classroom when suddenly he heard a scream. He dashed toward the source and saw, inside, more than thirty zombies and a giant lizard beast clinging to the wall—it was already a second-tier wild beast. No wonder the students had screamed, though thankfully they hadn’t yelled too loudly, which would have brought trouble.

“Keep quiet, everyone. I’ll handle the second-tier beast.”

Luffy’s eyes gleamed with excitement when he noticed a huge red packet on the lizard’s back.

Lizard Beast
Tier: Second
Strength: Forty times that of a normal human
Ability: Exceptional speed

A panel popped up with the lizard beast’s stats. The system really was something, even revealing the creature’s abilities. Sword in hand, Luffy charged forward, felling the attacking zombies with swift, decisive blows. In less than ten seconds, thirty zombies lay defeated in his wake.

Everyone gasped in awe at his overwhelming power—he made it look effortless. Luffy now stood before the lizard beast, which stretched a meter and a half long and clung menacingly to the wall, a nauseating sight.

Suddenly, the lizard let out a terrifying screech and lunged at Luffy, moving as swiftly as a gust of wind.

“Courting death,” Luffy muttered coldly, swinging the Azure Edge Sword to meet the attack.

With a metallic clang, the first-tier superior sword actually snapped against the beast’s teeth, and the lizard pressed its assault. Surprised by the strength of the creature’s jaws, Luffy dodged aside just in time, tossing aside the broken blade and squaring off against the lizard.

He now had eight hundred and ninety crystal cores, enough to exchange for a second-tier weapon.

A virtual panel appeared before him. He tapped into the armory: first-tier common weapons, second-tier common weapons, second-tier special weapons.

Bloodsucking Sword, Crimson Flame Sword… each cost 120 crystal cores.

Luffy immediately redeemed a Crimson Flame Sword, a blade imbued with fire attributes.

With a faint whoosh, the Crimson Flame Sword appeared, and the air around them grew warmer, sparks flickering along the blade.

“Wow…” Zeng Hongsen’s eyes widened in disbelief at the dazzling new sword in Luffy’s hand.

Even the second-tier lizard beast hesitated, intimidated by the Crimson Flame Sword.

The lizard retreated, leaping backward.

Luffy would never let it escape. A second-tier crystal core—worth a hundred first-tier cores—was right before his eyes; there was no way he’d let it go.

Sword in hand, he charged, moving so fast he left afterimages as he slashed at the lizard beast’s head.

Some students screamed as the lizard lunged toward them, while others scrambled to retreat.

Possessing the strength of sixty-five men, Luffy was several times more powerful than the lizard beast; he was simply inexperienced in facing such monsters. With one strike, the lizard had no chance to flee.

In a spray of blood, the lizard beast was cleaved in two, its body crashing to the floor.

Luffy promptly dug out the lizard beast’s crystal core and tapped the red packet.

“Red packet opening in fifteen seconds. Fifteen… fourteen… thirteen…”

“Ding. Red packet opened successfully. Congratulations, Host. You have received the Flame Sword Technique, now stored in your temporary inventory.”

Flame Sword Technique? Amazing—he’d just obtained the Crimson Flame Sword and now the Flame Sword Technique as well. This red packet system was truly generous.

Ecstatic, Luffy turned to the group, which had now grown to fifty students.

“Each girl gets a steel crossbow. Each guy gets a gun. The top ten crystal core earners will receive enhanced Body Tempering Elixir,” Luffy announced solemnly.

He kept his voice low, wary of attracting more zombies.

The first floor was the most crowded with zombies. After clearing it, they encountered a swarm of mutated mosquitoes—dozens of them, each the size of a basketball and hideous to behold.

One boy was drained of blood and died.

Luffy’s gaze turned icy. “Get inside the classroom and shut the windows tight. Leave these to me.”