Chapter 174: Grinding, grinding and more grinding Part1

"That is indeed a great idea, senior!" Lu Chen excitedly exclaimed. They had been running around all this time that he didn't even think about simple solutions like planting new seeds for food.

The resultant growth might not only be fast enough to be used in the near future itself, but the grains might also be rich in mana and complement all the meat they have eaten so far.

Though they had figured out several things about this new world and the new changes in their bodies, there was still a lot yet to be discovered. Like for instance, the requirement of other nutrients.

Just eating meat alone couldn't possibly satisfy all of the body's needs. So this was very much a needed experiment. Lu Chen took out some goblin mana cores from his spatial pouch and handed them to the elder.

"Ah… This is too much for my old bones." The elder quickly rejected him, but Lu Chen insisted. "You should take them, senior. This is for your hard work."

They still didn't have a hard set system for work and reward, but now he was thinking about implementing one. That sort of positive encouragement might be good for morale.

After chatting with the elder a bit Lu Chen then climbed out of the tunnels to step outside. He informed the person standing as a lookout that he was leaving and then dashed into the nearby thick lush greenery.

He started with the hospital zone and then moved about the city's outskirts, leaving out the areas bordering the military camp. 

Things were indeed peaceful currently but he had a feeling that if they continued to enjoy this peace, then they might not be prepared for the next creature that eventually reaches their doorstep.

So he decided to move about and scout the area. Considering that he had no idea what he might come across, this might be very risky, but Lu Chen was determined to do it anyways.

No risk no reward!

Unless he wanted to forever rely on Qin Hua, he needed to do things like this. He simply had no other choice.

Even if things went south and if something unexpected popped out, he was confident in his abilities to at least freeze the enemy partially and run away.

Lu Chen's sharp eyes darted here and there as he scanned the area and continued to move through the buildings and trees.

The dagger in his hand wasn't too effective in clearing the thick stubborn bushes, so he materialized a long ice sword and used that to clear the things hampering his path.

An icy aura flowed from his palm, maintaining the shape and the rigidity of this sword.

"This mana core is definitely not something simple…" Lu Chen slashed down another branch in his path and jumped across. 

If it was before it would have been difficult for him to maintain something like a sword for so long, but now he was able to do it with ease.

And the more he manipulated mana and used ice magic, the clearer the picture of the mana core became in his mind.

He could almost feel everything solidifying at the center of his body.

Snapping him out of these thoughts, suddenly a loud roar sounded near him. Lu Chen became alert and slowed down his speed, moving cautiously as he had no idea what made the noise.

However, even though he had slowed down, the other party didn't do any such thing.

Rustle Rustle Rustle

Something barged in through the thick branches and the leaves and was coming directly at him.

"Damn it. How did it sniff me out so soon?"

All of Lu Chen's brain cells instantly screamed in alarm and he was about to turn back and flee, but after taking a few steps, he stopped himself and forced himself to at least take a look at the enemy.

He did not want to run away without even taking a look. Moreover, judging from its speed, he had a feeling that he would be able to handle it.

Lu Chen took a few deep breaths and steeled his nerves and the next second, a scrawny hand protruded. This was followed by a torso and feet and the creature howling in front of him was nothing but a mana zombie!

He sighed in relief and then chuckled lightly, hitting the palm of his hand on his forehead. Luckily no one else was around him to witness this sight.

Lu Chen then casually lifted his sword that he held tightly in his hand and then dashed forward, swinging it at the zombie.

Ka cha!

The sword struck the rigid body with precision and accuracy. 

However… instead of the mushy feeling he expected, where the sword sliced through the neck of the zombie like it was mud, this time something else happened.

The ice sword trembled, even cracks appearing on it in places and he had only made a superficial wound on the zombie's disintegrated body.

Lu Chen was taken aback by this and his previous confidence quickly turned into caution once again. He leaped back and stood a few steps away, while simultaneously freezing the enemy in place.

Roaarrr! Roaarrr! Roaaarr!

The zombie screamed in annoyance and tried to claw at him with its two hands, its legs unable to move forward.

Lu Chen's cold eyes dragged on the hideous creature, looking at it from top to bottom. What had changed? Why was this stronger?

From just its looks, the zombie wasn't all that different. A lot of its flesh and skin were still intact and blood had coagulated in a bunch of places forming dark black spots.

It had also suffered a few injuries which left ghastly scars and more blackened spots. Otherwise, this was the same creature that they had faced in dozens in the past several days.

But still, the strength alone was weirdly several times higher. 

Lu Chen stopped analyzing it and once again started attacking. 

He sent out sharp icicles one after the other aimed at the injury in its neck, soon taking down the mindless dead creature which was once a human being.