At that moment, several incredibly powerful wind blades suddenly shot down from the swirling vortex in the sky, carrying a terrifying force that seemed capable of shredding everything in their path.
"...Run!" Lin Han froze for a moment before shouting in alarm.
But it was too late.
The wind blades howled toward them, and despair instantly flooded Lin Han's heart.
"Did I... die?" he muttered blankly, stunned in place.
The next second, he snapped back to his senses and realized that his entire body was enveloped in a faint golden shield. As the wind blades approached, they dissipated instantly without causing him any harm.
He was completely unscathed.
But the Phantom Cat beside him wasn't so lucky. It was torn apart as if by a dozen blades, its body mangled and bloody. The gruesome sight made Lin Han's mind go numb, and a painful cry echoed in his head—it was the Phantom Cat's dying scream.
Lin Han's face turned ashen. He stood motionless, heartbroken as he stared at the lifeless remains of his companion.
"The magical beast has died. Would you like to revive it on the spot?" The system's voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
"Uh... revive it here." Lin Han was stunned, then muttered, "Wait, I can do that? That's awesome…"
During the cultivation period, if a magical beast dies, it can be revived infinitely without restriction. When the host is in extreme danger, a one-time Absolute Defense will activate, rendering all damage nullified," the system explained calmly. "—Remember, only in the most critical moments."
As the voice faded, the Phantom Cat's broken corpse dissolved into countless motes of light, which slowly gathered and reformed into its intact body at Lin Han's feet.
The Phantom Cat looked completely confused: Didn't I just die? Why am I alive again...?
But before it could process anything, another barrage of wind blades rained down from the vortex in the sky—and in an instant, it was once again sliced into pieces.
...
"Revive on the spot!"
The Phantom Cat was resurrected once again, but its entire body trembled with fear. That soul-tearing pain had etched itself into its very being—it would never forget it. Clinging tightly to Lin Han's leg, it refused to let go no matter what.
"Can I switch to a different area? This place is way too dangerous," Lin Han asked the system, glancing nervously at the surroundings where deadly wind blades had just descended.
"Affirmative. During missions, the host may switch areas at any time," the system replied calmly.
"Great. Switch areas, now!" Lin Han shouted without hesitation.
Suddenly, the world around him spun violently.
When his vision cleared, they found themselves in another jungle. The swirling vortex in the sky was gone, and the environment seemed far more peaceful, though Lin Han could still tell they were within the same realm: Windforest Mountains.
Strolling cautiously through the dense forest, Lin Han kept his guard up. The Phantom Cat stuck close by his side, scanning the surroundings nervously, still traumatized by its earlier deaths.
Out of nowhere, a green figure darted from the nearby underbrush!
It was a spider—completely green and unnervingly fast. With a sharp hiss, it spat out a white silk thread that wrapped tightly around the Phantom Cat, binding it in place.
A sharp jolt struck Lin Han's mind.
Turning his head, he saw it clearly—a green spider emerging from the grass. Its body was covered in sharp barbs, and its bloated abdomen bore a grotesque gaping mouth, oozing venom. The creature looked terrifying.
Worse yet, it was already feasting on his Phantom Cat. Blood was splattered everywhere, a grisly and heartbreaking sight.
"What the hell is this thing?! My poor little cat!" Lin Han cried out in a mix of sorrow and rage.
"The host cannot identify exotic beasts. A 'Beast Scanner' will now be granted," the system's voice announced.
Lin Han suddenly felt something new appear in his mind.
"Would you like to activate the Beast Scanner?" the system asked again.
"Uh... Yes, activate it!" Lin Han quickly responded.
[Name]: Mature Green Venom Spider
[Element]: Wind, Poison
[Rank]: Tier 3 - Lower
[Skills]: Web Bind, Venom Sting, Paralysis Dust
[Aptitude]: F
[Rating]: 31 Points
A full profile of the Green Venom Spider instantly appeared in Lin Han's mind—vivid and detailed, as if he had seen it with his own eyes.
"Revive on the spot!" Lin Han shouted again, his voice full of pain and fury.
The half-eaten Phantom Cat by the Green Venom Spider's mouth suddenly turned into glowing light particles, then reformed into a complete body at Lin Han's feet.
The Green Venom Spider froze in confusion as it stared at the fresh, living version of the meal it had just been enjoying.
"???"
Without hesitation, Lin Han activated the Beast Scanner on the Phantom Cat.
[Name]: Adolescent Phantom Cat
[Element]: Wind
[Rank]: Tier 1 - Lower
[Skills]: Savage Rush, Meow Claw Strike
[Aptitude]: F
[Rating]: 12 Points
"What the hell… So weak? How am I supposed to play like this?" Lin Han stared at the utterly fragile Phantom Cat, feeling completely conflicted.
"..."
Suddenly, a spark lit up in Lin Han's eyes. "Wait—I've got it!"
He quickly channeled the exotic beast contract in his mind and issued a command to the Phantom Cat—Attack the Green Venom Spider!
Still trembling from the trauma of its recent death, the Phantom Cat hesitated—but upon hearing its master's order, it instinctively launched forward.
Savage Rush!
Boom!
The Phantom Cat shot forward at full speed, crashing into the Green Venom Spider with all its might.
The spider staggered back a few steps, but didn't appear to be injured at all. Instead, the Phantom Cat ended up covered in wounds, its body pierced by the spider's venomous spikes. Its red blood quickly turned purple—clearly, it had been poisoned.
The Green Venom Spider wasted no time. It raised its front legs and viciously stabbed them into the Phantom Cat's body, tearing it apart without mercy.
The Phantom Cat died once again.
"Revive on the spot!" Lin Han shouted, his voice filled with frustration, heartbreak… and a hint of emotional numbness.
Lin Han didn't hesitate—he had already made up his mind. As long as the Phantom Cat could revive infinitely, he wasn't going to stop. He refused to believe he couldn't wear down this Green Venom Spider.
The newly revived Phantom Cat stood there, completely bewildered. Before it could even process what had happened, Lin Han flashed it a strange, almost sinister smile—and immediately ordered it to attack the spider again.
Phantom Cat looked utterly hopeless, but under the binding power of the contract, it had no choice. With a trembling heart, it once again charged at the Green Venom Spider.
Seeing its meal come back to life yet again, the Green Venom Spider grew enraged. From the grotesque mouth on its abdomen, it launched a purple venomous needle straight at the oncoming Phantom Cat.
"Revive on the spot!"
"Keep going! Attack again!" Lin Han shouted, reviving the cat yet another time.
In an instant, a fresh new Phantom Cat reappeared—and once again threw itself at the spider.
Once...
Twice...
Three times...
Four...
By the ninth revival, something changed.
The Phantom Cat's body suddenly began to glow with a faint green light. Its speed surged dramatically, and it shot toward the spider like a streak of lightning.
"Slash! Slash! Slash!"
Three rapid Meow Claw Strikes landed squarely on the spider's face. Green blood sprayed into the air—it landed a hit!
Lin Han's jaw dropped in disbelief.
A mere Tier 1 adolescent Phantom Cat had just injured a Tier 3 mature Green Venom Spider. It was insane.
That glowing light earlier—could it be a newly awakened skill? But he still didn't know exactly what it was.
Before he could figure it out, the wounded spider let out a furious screech and instantly tore the Phantom Cat to pieces again.
"Revive on the spot!"
This time, the Phantom Cat didn't even look confused. It seemed… used to it. The moment it revived, it dashed forward without hesitation.
Its body once again glowed with that eerie green light, and now its claws were longer, sharper—like a pair of gleaming daggers.
In a blink, it appeared behind the Green Venom Spider, aiming directly for the grotesque, venom-dripping mouth on its abdomen.
With a frenzy of slashes, it tore the spider's abdominal mouth into shreds. Venom was sprayed everywhere.
"RRAAAHHH!" The Green Venom Spider howled in pain, thrashing its tail wildly and flinging the Phantom Cat away. At the same time, it let out a puff of sickly yellow gas, filling the air with a noxious stench.
The moment the Phantom Cat caught a whiff of that pungent yellow gas, it instantly lost all ability to fight. Its legs gave out, and it collapsed to the ground—only to be torn apart once more by the Green Venom Spider.
"Revive on the spot!" Lin Han shouted without hesitation.
By now, the Phantom Cat was completely used to the cycle. As soon as it revived, it immediately lunged forward again.
This time, the green glow around its body grew even brighter. Suddenly, its claws transformed into dagger-like blades and shot out like projectiles.
"No way... it learned ranged attacks? That's awesome!" Lin Han's eyes widened in disbelief.
Eight glowing claws flew through the air like flying knives, stabbing into each of the Green Venom Spider's eight legs, pinning them down and completely restricting its movement.
Then came a Savage Rush—a direct hit!
Boom!
The spider was knocked backward, flipping over as a gash tore open on its abdomen.
Even more surprising—though the Phantom Cat was once again struck by venomous barbs, this time… it didn't get poisoned.
Could it have developed immunity?
The heavily injured Green Venom Spider flew into a frenzy. With a violent shake of its legs, it shattered the claw-blades embedded in them, then launched a barrage of sticky webbing.
The Phantom Cat, glowing green, ran with everything it had—but it was a split second too slow. Webbing wrapped around its body, and it was dragged toward that monstrous, venom-dripping mouth—and swallowed whole.
"Revive again!"
Before the spider could even swallow, the Phantom Cat vanished from inside its mouth, then instantly respawned right in front of it.
And so it went—
Attack.
Death.
Revive.
Repeat.
Again… and again…
Until—on the twenty-fifth resurrection—the Phantom Cat finally tore open the Green Venom Spider's belly, then in a flash, sliced off its head.
The spider stopped moving.
Dead.
For good.
Lin Han stood in silence, staring at the battlefield and his panting, battered Phantom Cat, filled with a strange sense of awe.
This entire fight felt exactly like grinding a dungeon boss in a video game—die, revive, attack again… and again…
Only this time—
It was the Phantom Cat doing all the grinding.