Chapter 33: Go, Little Coal Ball!

With an S+ growth potential, "Coalball’s" base attributes are already this formidable; what will happen once it reaches SS rank?

Feeding it spirit cores is all it takes to increase its potential value. Thanks to several previous rounds of trading, Han Xing’s reserve of spirit cores has already exceeded twenty thousand! Even if he fed ten thousand to Coalball at once, he would still have plenty to spare—an amount that would be impossible for any other survivor to produce in such a short time.

Han Xing’s eyes widened in excitement as he reached into his backpack, grabbed a handful of spirit cores, and tossed them all to Coalball. Coalball began to feast with glee.

"Eat! Go ahead and eat! No matter how much you want, I have plenty right here, haha!" Han Xing shouted excitedly.

However, after consuming thirty-some spirit cores, Coalball lost interest in the ones remaining on the ground. Han Xing noticed that the "Satiety" bar on the pet’s information panel had changed.

【Satiety: 100】

"Full already?" Han Xing said with a hint of regret. "It seems the idea of rapidly boosting a pet’s potential by mass-feeding spirit cores is not feasible."

Pets have their own satiety levels, and there is a limit to how much they can be fed each day; this must be one of the system’s balancing mechanics. Shaking his head, Han Xing stopped worrying about it. After all, an S+ growth potential was already astonishing enough.

Satisfied and full, Coalball began rolling happily on the grass. Han Xing smiled and said, "Now that you've had your fill, it's time to get to work." Hearing this, Coalball jumped up with excitement.

With that, Han Xing steered his sky island territory toward a nearby cloud. Ten minutes later, his territory approached a cloud covering an area of about twenty square meters. A system notification appeared: "A group of irritable, long-horned creatures lives inside. Do you wish to enter?"

"Irritable, long-horned creatures? Sounds like they aren't exactly friendly..." Han Xing mused, rubbing his chin. However, he was eager to test Coalball’s abilities, so he clicked "Yes."

The cloud dissipated, revealing four creatures with long gray fur and curved horns.

【Horned Sheep (One-Star Creature)】
【Level: LV3】
【Strength: 8, Agility: 10, Spirit: 7, Constitution: 8】
【Skills: Horn Charge, Sky-Goring】

Against four level 3, one-star monsters, even Han Xing would have to use his high attack power to instantly take out two before picking off the others one by one. If he were to fall into their encirclement, his frail physique would soon be trampled to death by these sheep.

But right now, he intended to let Coalball fight alone. As a pet, the Void Netherwolf "Coalball" followed its master's commands absolutely; even if Han Xing ordered it to fight a Demon Lord, it would execute the command without hesitation.

Level 1 "Coalball," alone against four level 3 Horned Sheep. Despite facing an enemy that outnumbered it four to one, it showed not a hint of fear.

"Go, little Coalball!"

Upon receiving the command, the black puppy on the ground instantly shed its憨 (dull) and cute expression. Instead, it slowly revealed a ferocious look, its fangs beginning to show. Only then did it truly exhibit the presence of a powerful Void Netherwolf.

Meanwhile, the four Horned Sheep locked eyes with Han Xing and immediately turned bloodshot. They lowered their heads, brandishing their sharp goat horns, and kicked off the ground, charging toward Han Xing.

However, a figure moved even faster than they did. A faint black light erupted from Coalball, and like a streak of shadow, it flashed in front of one of the sheep. It extended its sharp claws, raking them across the sheep's neck. To Han Xing’s eyes, Coalball’s attack was so fast it left a blur.

*Slash! Slash!*

The Horned Sheep felt a sharp pain as two claw marks appeared on its neck. The next moment, blood began to spray.

"Baaa!!!"

The sheep let out a painful cry. The other three heard the sound and, with pupils dilated, turned their gaze toward Coalball. The aggro had shifted. Furious, they pounded their hooves and charged at Coalball in unison.

Seeing this, even Han Xing broke into a cold sweat. He gripped his longbow, ready to intervene at any moment. Yet, Coalball felt no panic; instead, it bared its teeth and let out a low, threatening growl. Its eyes held a sense of arrogance, like a king of the jungle, as if it didn't regard the sheep as any threat at all.

The three sheep charged. Coalball neither dodged nor retreated, and a faint black light shimmered around its body again. Han Xing clearly saw that at the moment of impact, the sharp goat horns seemed to pass right through Coalball’s body, as if attacking a phantom, dealing no damage at all.

"Void Body!" Han Xing exclaimed in his heart.

As Coalball’s first skill, Void Body provided a 50% dodge chance. The three sheep’s attacks missed entirely. It was truly a god-tier skill!

The next instant, the black light flashed, and Coalball bit into the head of one of the sheep. It then swiped its sharp front claws with such speed that they appeared as blurs.

*Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!*

In an instant, Coalball struck four times. Including the bite, that sheep suffered five attacks. The creature was suddenly covered in deep, bone-visible wounds that began to emit a faint black mist—the effect of Coalball’s second skill, Void Corrosion.

"Baaa..."

With a final mournful bleat, the sheep collapsed. Coalball’s maw was still stained with blood, and its savage appearance was enough to terrify the remaining sheep, who hesitated to attack again.

Han Xing also noticed that when Coalball moved or attacked, the black light enveloping it seemed to boost its speed significantly, to the point where its actual speed far exceeded its panel stats.

"Is this the effect of the fourth skill, 'Void Flicker'?" Han Xing was stunned. This Void Netherwolf was full of surprises, constantly exceeding his expectations!

Void Flicker effectively doubled Coalball's speed. Combined with the evasion of Void Body, the burst damage of Counter-Spikes, and the debuffing effect of Void Force, these skills formed a formidable melee system that lacked nothing in terms of survival or burst damage.

And "Coalball" was only level 1. Once it reached level 6 or 10, it would activate two more skills. Upon reaching two-star status, it would learn new high-level skills—not to mention what would happen at three or four stars.

Just how powerful would an S+ growth potential Coalball become then? Just thinking about it made Han Xing incredibly excited!

At that moment, the remaining three sheep regained their senses and launched another attack. Coalball, showing no weakness, transformed into a bolt of black lightning, weaving between the three sheep. Every time it appeared, it left behind several more wounds.

Soon enough, blood began to splatter, and the scene became quite gory...