The chaos on the streets continued, but Aiden Cross had already completed his initial harvest.
After killing seven or eight Level 1 monsters in succession, his experience bar rose steadily. More importantly, the sporadic Soul Essence absorbed through [Sovereign of Souls] had quietly pushed his overall strength well beyond that of an average Level 2 player.
His Strength, Agility, and Constitution had each increased by 2 points, while his Spirit had risen by 1.
Though the gains seemed small individually, their cumulative effect was already becoming obvious.
His body felt lighter and more coordinated. His strength had increased, his stamina was noticeably better, and even his thoughts seemed a little sharper and clearer.
However, the experience and Soul Essence absorbed from these scattered Level 1 common monsters had already begun to diminish.
If he wanted to rapidly widen the gap between himself and everyone else, especially those destined to rise quickly, like Damien Vale and the other future powerhouses, he needed to challenge stronger prey.
Aiden Cross turned his gaze toward a city park several blocks away, its dense canopy of trees standing out amid the surrounding buildings.
’Jadewater Park.’
According to the memories of his previous life, during the early stages of the game invasion, every sufficiently large green space had a high probability of spawning an early-game elite monster or mini-boss.
Their strength far surpassed that of ordinary monsters, but the rewards for killing them were equally extraordinary, vast amounts of experience, high-quality equipment, skill books, rare materials, and sometimes even unique treasures.
Deep within Jadewater Park, near the abandoned rose garden beside the artificial lake, was the spawn point of a Level 3 elite monster:
The Thorn Flower Demon.
For players who were still Level 0 or had only just reached Level 1, a Level 3 elite was an almost insurmountable existence.
But for Aiden Cross, who had already reached Level 2 with his experience bar nearing Level 3, possessed battle-hardened combat instincts from his previous life, and wielded both the [Sovereign of Souls] and the [Damaged Ring of Greed]...
Killing it was far from impossible.
After all, risk and reward had always gone hand in hand.
He no longer wasted time on the scattered monsters roaming the streets.
Locking onto his destination, Aiden Cross nimbly weaved between abandoned vehicles and collapsed buildings, skillfully avoiding large groups of monsters and the completely out-of-control crowds as he made his way toward Jadewater Park.
Ten minutes later, he arrived at the park entrance.
The place that had once been filled with leisurely strollers and laughing families had now become a demon’s den.
Lush vegetation had grown wildly under the influence of the falling data light, twisting and mutating into grotesque forms that radiated an ominous aura.
Scarlet eyes flickered occasionally within the dense undergrowth, while thick, sticky spider webs draped from the branches overhead.
Aiden Cross steadied his breathing and focused his senses.
Like a prowling leopard, he followed the route etched into his memories, carefully advancing toward the depths of the park.
Along the way, he avoided several patrols of Level 2 Venomous Thorn Vines and swarms of Level 1 Corrupted Squirrels, never once losing sight of his objective.
The closer he drew to the abandoned rose garden beside the artificial lake, the stronger the air became with the nauseating scent of rotting flowers, mixed with an unusually sharp surge of energy.
Finally, after passing through an unnaturally dense bamboo grove, the view before him suddenly opened up.
The flower bed, once filled with blooming roses of every color, had been completely consumed by a gigantic, hideous plant.
Its main trunk resembled a twisted, dark-brown ancient vine that stood nearly three meters tall. At its summit bloomed an enormous blood-red flower, its petals gleaming with a metallic sheen that reflected an icy chill.
Where pollen should have been, a writhing mass of purple tentacles occupied the flower’s center, constantly twisting like the tongues of venomous serpents.
Most unsettling of all were the countless dark-green vines extending from its body. Covered in razor-sharp barbs, they slithered across the ground and lashed through the air like living vipers, transforming the entire flower bed into a domain of death.
[Thorn Flower Demon (Elite)]
[Level: 3]
[Characteristics: Venomous Thorn Vine Whip, Pollen Hallucination, Root Entanglement (Low-Tier)]
"Found you."
Aiden Cross remained hidden within the shadows of the bamboo grove, calmly observing every movement.
There were no ordinary monsters accompanying the elite.
That was good news.
However, its attack range was enormous. Those constantly dancing vines covered nearly half the flower bed.
A frontal assault was out of the question.
The level difference, combined with the massive attribute bonuses granted by its elite template, was more than enough for the Thorn Flower Demon to tear his current self apart in a direct confrontation.
He would have to outsmart it.
Drawing upon memories from his previous life, Aiden quickly recalled the strategies used against this type of early-game elite.
It feared fire.
Its mobility was poor since its main body was rooted in place.
And its greatest weaknesses were the massive crimson flower atop its body and the slender stem supporting it.
Without hesitation, Aiden reached into the miniature storage space attached to the [Damaged Ring of Greed] and retrieved two items.
Several bottles of cheap, high-proof liquor he had taken from a roadside convenience store.
And the red lighter. These two were the tools he had prepared specifically for this battle.
During the early stages of the game invasion, before reality had been completely overwritten by the world’s new data-based laws, many ordinary items still retained their original physical and chemical properties.
Against monsters that had crossed over from another world, especially plant-type monsters, those properties could still prove surprisingly effective.