Chapter 012: Extinguished

The system notification chimed nine times in total.

Yun Xi didn’t stop because she wanted to—it’s just that all the weak rats she could one-shot were already dead.

Only three medium-sized rats remained, along with their leader.

The village chief was locked in battle with the basketball-sized rat leader. Hada and the middle-aged man each faced a medium-sized rat, leaving the last one to target Yun Xi—who had also drawn a lot of aggro.

Unlike the small rats, the medium-sized phantoms had 200 HP, and their speed and strength were on a whole different level.

Yun Xi’s water arrows were easily dodged by it. If only she had already learned Immobilization…

So far, she had fired off ten Water Arrows, using 200 Spirit Energy, leaving her with 90.

Even if she used all 90 now, she could only deal a total damage of (29×1 + 90) = 119, not enough to finish it—it would only bring the rat down to about half health.

Still, Yun Xi stayed calm. Without a word, she pulled out a white spirit crystal, extracting its stored energy to replenish her own.

While she absorbed energy, she skillfully dodged the incoming attacks from the medium rat.

“Be careful, girl!” the middle-aged woman shouted while holding her daughter, deftly avoiding danger herself. She hated that she wasn’t a spellcaster—carrying her daughter left her helpless in combat, or she would have joined the fight.

One of the twin boys rushed to aid Hada, while the other ran over to help Yun Xi, drawing the rat’s attention and trying to buy her some time.

But since both twins had dumped all their attribute points into Spirit, their Physique was no better than Yun Xi’s. Even though they had trained in martial skills with their father, they could barely make a difference in a real fight.

Yun Xi quickly assessed the battlefield. She didn’t have to kill the medium rat herself—she just needed to stall it until the chief took care of the rat leader.

But plans rarely keep up with changes.

Suddenly, the rat leader unleashed a strange phantom ability—a wave of black mist poured out from its body.

In an instant, the bonfire was extinguished.

Yun Xi’s heart sank. Losing the fire was a blow they couldn’t afford.

Sure enough, the rats seemed supercharged.

Through her Spirit Vision, Yun Xi saw the medium rats’ HP bars swell from 200 to 300—a 50% increase.

That was the difference with and without the sacred flame’s protection.

She guessed that under the rat leader’s close-range phantom aura, the bonfire couldn’t be reignited at all.

The chief and Hada both fired fireballs at the bonfire, but just as she predicted—nothing happened.

And worse still, if they didn’t defeat these rats and relight the fire soon, more phantoms would smell human scent and come swarming from the wilds.

By then, even a mid-tier spellcaster like the chief wouldn’t be able to protect everyone.

The pressure on everyone intensified instantly.

One silver lining: with the twin boy’s help buying time, Yun Xi had finally restored her Spirit Energy to full, using up two white spirit crystals—the equivalent of two gold coins, or 20,000 copper coins.

Maybe it was the fire being out, but Yun Xi got the sense the medium rat in front of her was… smug.

It puffed out its chest, as if showing off its 300 HP.

Seizing the opportunity, Yun Xi made a snap decision—she simultaneously cast Water Arrow and Water Ball, dealing:

(29×1 + 100) × 2 = 258 damage

This was her maximum burst output at her current level, costing 200 Spirit Energy.

The projectiles struck the rat dead-on, sending it flying more than ten meters.

Its health dropped from 300 to 42.

Strike while the iron’s hot.

Yun Xi immediately launched a final Water Arrow, using 20 energy to deal 49 damage—just enough to finish it.

[Ding! Congratulations, +2 Free Attribute Points.]

The nearby twin had a front-row view and was stunned.

So this is a real spellcaster’s power? But… why isn’t big bro Hada this strong?

The black mist was too dense—even with Spirit Vision, Yun Xi couldn’t see how the battle between the chief and the rat leader was going.

She had 70 Spirit Energy left, and as she continued to absorb energy from a white crystal, she began moving toward Hada’s location.

The chief was powerful, and the middle-aged warrior likely had a decent level too—they probably didn’t need help.

But Hada? Just a beginner spellcaster, and now facing buffed-up phantom rats? That was a different story.

Of course, Yun Xi was also doing it for herself—killing malicious phantoms gave her valuable points, and no one would say no to free attribute or skill points.

The twin boy behind her didn’t follow—he ran toward the bonfire, trying to find his mother and little sister.

As Yun Xi neared Hada’s position, the smell of blood filled the air.

She quickened her pace and instinctively allocated her two newly earned free attribute points—one to Spirit, one to Physique.

Her speed immediately doubled.

When the stench of blood reached its peak, Yun Xi finally saw the scene before her.

The other twin lay motionless in a pool of blood.

Hada, holding a machete, was fighting desperately against a medium phantom rat.

His Spirit Energy had clearly long since run dry—he was fighting purely with his body. Just holding out until now was already a feat.

The rat lunged—its fangs aiming for his neck—

Yun Xi’s Spirit Energy was now at 180. She didn’t hesitate.

She fired another max output combo of Water Arrow and Water Ball, dealing:

129 + 109 = 238 water-element damage

The rat’s 180 HP vanished in an instant.

[Ding! Congratulations, +2 Free Skill Points.]

Hada didn’t even have time to thank her—he collapsed on the spot, unconscious.

Yun Xi rushed forward to check both brothers’ conditions. Thankfully, they were still alive.

A loud explosion echoed from the distance—that must be the final blow from the chief’s battle with the rat leader.

Sure enough, a moment later, the black mist dispersed, and the bonfire roared back to life.

“Hada! Are you all alright?!” the village chief arrived in a flash, his eyes full of visible worry.

“Chief, I just checked—they’re badly hurt,” Yun Xi replied quickly.

The chief let out a relieved sigh. “As long as they’re not dead…”

He immediately pulled out a healing potion, giving it to both boys. Then he turned to Yun Xi.

“Adventurer, are you hurt? Here, take this.” He offered her a vial of the same potion.

Yun Xi was caught off guard by the gesture. “No need, Chief—I wasn’t injured.”

“Huh?” This time, it was the chief’s turn to be stunned.

A newly descended adventurer, fighting a Level 2+ phantom rat, and she wasn’t even hurt?

Then he remembered: newly descended adventurers often had temporary damage immunity. He didn’t think much more of it.