How Am I Still Alive?

"Ding ding ding! The host has successfully killed four professionals, gaining 4 Life-points...."

Looking at the four piles of clothes on the ground, Lu Ping'an provided his own voiceover for the system.

"Damn, if only I had accepted the concept of 'life is devouring and evolving', everything would be simpler now. Just killing people would do, but now it's obviously more troublesome."

Glancing at the life points on the system that had been reduced once more, he sighed at the hardships of life, with making money being a difficult task.

There were no points for killing people, which was expected.

His "reasoning" was that "life can be traded as a currency".

Thus, the channels for obtaining life points should be "trading" and "adding value" rather than "killing".

At least, it was much better than before when there was no clue at all.

"Why are you looking at me so surprised? Ah, I found out that my BUFF could be used on plants to speed up their growth, so as soon as I entered the profession, I successfully became a Gardener."

Lu Ping'an explained to Meow, who was still wearing a dumbfounded expression.

Some things could not be concealed since he would definitely have to use his "ripening" ability a lot in the future.

Meow head silently nodded, glanced at the "corpses" around, and became a little silent and autistic, even wanting to squat on the ground and draw circles.

These were all newcomers. It was said that only a month ago, he was still an ordinary person, and the gap was so big even though he had already been in the profession for a year and a half....

"...What tier and path were they on? Are they strong, meow?"

But she couldn't help asking.

"I don't know, I didn't see them take any action."

It should be said that there was no chance for the opponents to take action. In a direct confrontation, ten Lu Ping'an would hardly stand a chance.

Yawning, Lu Ping'an turned his attention to his panel, which was once again deducting money.

He wasn't lying; the ability to ripen plants was indeed his 'investment'.

[Used Life Investment on 'Demonized Snapdragon Thunder Seed', life-point -1, target has no higher intelligence, investment failed....]

[Life-points cannot be recovered and are automatically degraded into Life Source Force.]

[The target cannot absorb Life Source Force, so it degrades once more into Life Curse Power.]

[The target is affected by Life Curse Power and begins to transform....]

Very straightforwardly, Lu Ping'an's single life point was degraded twice, turning into a large amount of "curse-power" and forcibly turning the demonized plants into their mature forms all at once.

"Plants are simple, survival is their instinct, and all the curse-power is used for their own growth. The Gardener's path is indeed a perfect fit for me."

Killing, plundering, and making a fortune in gold belts, Lu Ping'an had an urge to venture together with the Four Wolves just by casually liquidating their "legacy".

"Four enchanted weapons, plus simple protective gear, the total market value should be at least 8,000. Four plant codices, and one unusable one (soaked in blood). Various potions, numerous tools...."

Lu Ping'an didn't know the market price very well, but a rough estimate would be over 10,000. It was definitely a fat profit.

This was even after these novice hunters left the majority of their wealth and belongings outside, bringing only personal equipment and spoils of war into the Exotic Realm.

As for the cost Lu Ping'an had to pay, it was roughly....

"Less than 40 coins, made a huge profit."

Baseliga Bloodsucking Vine? It's just a morning glory vine grabbed at random, free of charge.

The 1-tier Demonized Snapdragon Thunder is indeed a bit more expensive, but Lu Ping'an used seeds, the kind that come in a set of 100 for 10, and it was also a giveaway he just picked up at the entrance.

Common demonized plants are divided into two categories: local Earth plants that have undergone demonization and modification, and exotic species from large Secret Realms. The Demonized Snapdragon Thunder is obviously one of the former.

The prototype of Demonized Snapdragon Thunder is Hibiscus Blossom, a common annual herbaceous plant. When its fruit matures, it will automatically burst, ejecting the seeds.

One of the bigwigs on the Gardener's path has intercepted this part of the gene module, creating a very popular low-level combat magic plant called Snapdragon Thunder.

In order to be more "practical", it has discarded its useless components like leaves and stems, retaining only the minimum self-circulatory system and the "flower bud" for nurturing the fruit.

After several improvements, it has focused on increasing its explosive power and range.

Now it is probably at V5.0 version. Once it matures, it will explode with just a slight touch, having an extremely considerable destructive power among low-level magic plants.

But the drawback is that it is highly unstable due to having only the explosive components left, and in most cases, it is used as a "landmine."

In the desired location, simply plant the seeds, and after a season, a landmine array is ready.

"Magic plant seeds are mostly worthless, which for me, is a good benefit."

Seeds are, of course, of little value. A single Demonized Snapdragon Thunder would produce dozens of seeds after exploding.

The expensive part is the cost of a quarter's time spent cultivating it and the resources consumed in the process.

Plus, it's too easy to explode, very difficult to be transplanted, and the seeds on the market are not worth much and not easy to sell....

"What do you want to do, planting landmines in a modern city?"

Lu Ping'an still had three small bags with more than twenty seeds in his pocket, which he got as a giveaway when he bought the plant codex.

"Let's go, let's go back."

After this turmoil, Lu Ping'an didn't want to continue walking. Even if he wanted to go further, he would store his spoils first.

"...I don't have any basic knowledge of Magic Plants. Comparing the Codex with real things is too tiring, and it's easy to miss good things. I'll wait for the female Gardener's dividends and raise them for a few days to see..."

Lu Ping'an had checked the system panel. His Professional Skill was still at LV0 (0/100). Obviously, this kind of "planting" was not recognized by the system, and he couldn't get normal planting experience.

But he wanted to leave, and some people were unhappy about it.

Near the exit of the forest, the temporary group was stopped.

A group of people suddenly appeared in their way, blocking the path.

"We are from the Dragon and Snake Group. This is our territory. According to the rules, we will collect a toll. You don't mind, right?"

The one who greeted them was a fat, white young man. Behind him, his men were collecting fees from the travelers ahead.

Lu Ping'an was quite surprised. Was this the famously safe Forest Secret Realm?

What made Lu Ping'an even more speechless was Meow's calm face and how the travelers in front obediently took out their bags and handed over some items.

"According to the rules, about 10% of the harvest will do. It only applies to Magic Plants and related items harvested within, but the minimum is 500 equivalent points."

Damn, meeting peers, they know about sustainable development too.

The young man from the Dragon and Snake Group was very friendly and affable, that's why he was picked to do this job, which can easily offend people.

At this time, another group of people came back. They walked straight, and the people from the Dragon and Snake Group moved aside.

"Who are they?"

"Oh, they are 2-tier."

The fat young man smiled, then glanced at Lu Ping'an's bracelet.

The meaning was clear: if you are a 2-tier Strongman or higher, please go ahead; for 0-tier and 1-tier, please pay up and be done with it.

Lu Ping'an laughed. This was a lesson for him.

After leaving the order of the legal society, are these the survival rules of the shadow underworld, even in the small Forest Secret Realm close to the city?

"Um, you should have seen that I just came in not long ago and didn't have much harvest...are these seeds enough?"

The fat young man glanced and then turned back to say a few words, confirming that Lu Ping'an had just entered and had not been there long.

He took the seeds, put them in a hemp bag, and walked back casually.

"Go ahead, remember to get more next time. Tsk, a pauper."

Meow was a little annoyed, but Lu Ping'an laughed and stopped her.

"Next time for sure, next time for sure."

Lu Ping'an left calmly, as if he had accepted everything and the unwritten rules of this world of survival of the fittest.

Years of social experience taught him that sometimes you have to bow your head when under someone's roof.

But just as the two bypassed this checkpoint and walked out of the forest....

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Violent explosions shook the ground.

The screams of people crying and yelling made Lu Ping'an frown...they could still scream, this power seemed to be insufficient.

"Next time for sure, if there is a next time, hehe."

Unwritten rules? Rules? What does that have to do with me?

Before, when I had nothing, of course, I had to bow down and behave, otherwise, I'd be easily killed, and still, I have half a year left. But now....

"As long as you're happy, as long as you're happy."

And so, accompanied by the continuous explosions and screams, Lu Ping'an laughed even more happily.