Chapter 86: Chapter 86

So those with 10 in their casting stat were stuck at level 1, and those with 11 couldn’t reach level 3.

With no other way to gain free attribute points, her high Wisdom of 17 would only let her learn up to 7th-level spells, probably capping out around level 15.

She didn’t know what the maximum level was, but seeing her own limit looming ahead was still a bit unsettling.

But now, things were different. Reaching level 4 had given her a free attribute point, which meant that every few levels, she’d get another one. Most likely, it was one point every four levels, which would greatly raise her potential cap.

Mu Ying put the free attribute point into Wisdom as usual.

Finally, she looked at the class skills gained at level 4.

Nature’s Ward was a passive skill, and Mu Ying didn’t feel much from it. She hadn’t even encountered any fey creatures yet, so she didn’t pay it much mind for now.

What really excited Mu Ying was getting the Wild Shape skill.

The Druid’s class trait was its versatility—no real weaknesses.

They had a spell list only slightly smaller than other casters, access to Cleric-exclusive healing spells, and physical toughness and melee ability on par with frontline classes.

Mu Ying had already experienced the first two, but the last one hadn’t come into play yet.

Now she understood—it must be reflected in Wild Shape.

An animal’s claws, fur, and teeth are natural weapons no human can match.

If she could transform into animals and inherit their stats and abilities, her melee capabilities would get a significant boost.

The most crucial part was that her animal form’s HP was separate from her human form’s. In other words, even if her animal form was beaten to the brink of death, as long as she wasn’t killed outright and had at least 1 HP left, she could revert to human form and return to full HP—like swapping to a fresh character at will.

Mu Ying imagined it: just as the enemy was about to finish her off, she transformed or reverted, switching to another full-health form. Why did that feel so satisfying?

Of course, this skill would take a lot of work to master—it wasn’t something she could do instantly.

Luckily, the method for learning it was also transmitted into her mind when she gained the skill.

“Yin, I might be able to turn into a wolf now!” Mu Ying said excitedly to her figurine Shi Yin.

The figurine Shi Yin patted its head, turned into a mini wolf, licked her hand, and wagged its tail so fast it was a blur.

For her first animal form, Mu Ying decided to pick the animal she knew best: the wolf.

Having grown up in a wolf pack with Shi Yin since childhood, she understood wolves better than any other animal, making them the perfect first subject for observation and practice.

Even so, just relying on her memories and knowledge about wolves wasn’t enough to successfully transform.

Mu Ying turned to gaze into the depths of the Green Mountain Forest. “It’s time to visit the mountains again. It’s been over two months—I wonder how the wolf pack is doing. Yin, you miss them too, don’t you?”

Wolf-shaped Shi Yin stood on a rock, raised his head toward the mountains, and let out a silent howl."

"“Wu Yaya, I’ll take one of these tents, this set of portable cookware, this kind of oil lamp, some insect repellent powder, rice, seasonings…”

Since she was heading out with no set return date, Mu Ying went back to her territory and stocked up on a bunch of supplies.

Wu Yaya, while handing her things, marveled, “You’re finally leaving your territory for once?”

Mu Ying snorted, annoyed. “Am I really that much of a shut-in?”

She did go into the forest from time to time, even if it wasn’t far and she always came back the same day. That didn’t count as being a shut-in, right?

“Every other team in this territory is out from dawn till dusk every day. They’ve all bought outdoor gear ages ago. Only you are coming to buy it just now.”

Wu Yaya complained as she used her claws to flip through the store catalog. “This, this, and this—you’ll need all of them when you go out. And since you’re not worried about running out of space, just get them all!”

Mu Ying knew the gemstone ring on Wu Yaya’s foot was a spatial storage item; much of the shop’s inventory was kept inside it.

So when she was the only customer in the shop, she’d just store heavier purchases directly in her own storage pouch. Wu Yaya knew she had storage equipment too.

Mu Ying glanced at the items Wu Yaya had picked out. She could tell it was all well-intentioned and thoughtfully chosen, so she accepted them gladly—better to be prepared than not.

“Thanks! I’ll bring you some crow persimmons when I get back. I heard crows love those.”

“I told you, I’m not a crow! Ugh, I’m so mad! I never should’ve tried to help this brat!” Wu Yaya screeched in outrage.

Hearing Wu Yaya’s indignant squawking behind her, Mu Ying felt oddly satisfied. A trip to Oak Tree General Store just didn’t feel right unless she had a little spat with Wu Yaya.

Back at her treehouse, she teleported to the house at the plantation, cooked up a big meal with her culinary magic, and then called Yuan Gungun, who was still sulking in the iron bamboo grove.

“Cheer up! At least you’ve got Old Yellow Ox to keep you company. I made all these dishes just for you. While I’m away, remember to take money and eat at the canteen, and you can help yourself to any veggies in the garden. Be good. Once I master the Shrinking Spell, I’ll be able to shrink you down and take you with me next time.”

Mu Ying planned to travel by flying broomstick, which meant she could reach the wolves’ former territory deep in the forest by tonight. She’d master her wild wolf transformation there before coming back.

She’d leveled up to 4, boosting her HP and mana. Her swordsmanship and archery were now fairly proficient, and she’d almost finished learning the last few third-circle attack spells—only some less urgent support spells remained.

At this point, she’d pretty much mastered all her abilities.

Given the apocalyptic game’s restrictions on direct arrivals and dungeon monsters, she’d have no trouble surviving in the wild for a while.

Flying by broomstick would help her avoid all sorts of unexpected dangers in the woods. She did have good affinity with ordinary animals, but there were still many unknown threats in the forest—especially at night, like the will-o’-the-wisps she’d encountered before.

Now that she was level 4, her kill-experience quota had reset, so she could gain another round of experience by fighting monsters.

But from level 4 to 5, the proportion of kill-experience allowed had dropped again—only 20% could come from kills. Leveling to 5 required 1,000 XP, so only 200 of that could be from kill-experience.

Thinking about how long it would take to reach level 5, she decided to save that quota for when she really needed it. Based on her previous experience, there was no need to rush—otherwise, she’d risk wasting XP from future fights.

The only downside to traveling by broomstick was that she couldn’t bring Gungun along.

Gungun was no longer the palm-sized little guy she could just tuck into her pocket—Mu Ying couldn’t even pick her up anymore.

She’d have to wait until she’d fully mastered the Shrinking Spell and could shrink living creatures. Otherwise, with Gungun’s size and speed, it would be impossible to take her on long trips.

Gungun had thought that after awakening her “Black Bread Nemesis” ability, she’d finally be useful. But it turned out she still couldn’t help and could only loaf around the territory, eating and drinking.

She felt like a useless bear.

Sensing Gungun’s gloom and discouragement through their animal-bond, Mu Ying stuffed some stir-fried bamboo shoots into her mouth.

“Gungun, you’re still young—not even an adult yet—and you’ve already awakened awesome abilities like Fruit Pitcher and Black Bread Nemesis. You’ll definitely be a big help in the future. For now, don’t overthink it. Just eat well and grow strong.”

Gungun sadly ate plate after plate of fancy stir-fried bamboo shoots, but she had to admit her master was right. She was still in her juvenile stage and had already awakened two skills—even Grandpa Shaum praised her. No need to rush.

She’d just focus on eating and growing. If she had to take it easy for now, so be it. Everyone said her master was number one and super strong—she could handle things for now.

“Rawr, bamboo shoots are delicious!”

After comforting Gungun, Mu Ying made sure to fill her own belly, then took a bottle of hair-dyeing potion from her bag and drank it.