Matrix Survival: One random treasure chest per day

Chapter 440 Miriel's Special Skills (4600 words)
"I've broken through again."

Zhan Zhouzhou suddenly sent Li Zheng a private message. Li Zheng opened it and saw these five words, then replied with a long string of "?".

Zhan Zhouzhou said, "The next step after mastering swordsmanship is becoming proficient in swordsmanship. I estimate that the next level is mastering swordsmanship."

Now Li Zheng looked at Miriel, his face full of "?".

Could this succubus, who looks quite young, be a martial arts prodigy?
Li Zheng thought for a moment, then beckoned Miriel over and asked her, "How old are you this year?"

Miriel tilted her head, her big eyes blinking adorably, making Li Zheng's face turn pale with cuteness.

This little girl is so cute!

She looked like a porcelain doll, with skin as white as snow and delicate features. Although she was only twelve or thirteen years old, her pure and innocent face subtly revealed a youthful sexiness.

Perhaps Miriel wasn't used to this way of communicating where she couldn't understand the words but could grasp the general meaning. She tilted her head and stood there for a full thirty seconds before she reacted and replied, "My mother just held an 80th birthday party for me a few days ago."

Eighty... eighty years old?

You're wrong, aren't you?
Did you add an extra "ten"?
Li Zheng stared at the little girl in front of him with suspicion, who was definitely a death sentence level, and was stunned: "How do you succubi calculate age?"

“A year is roughly three hundred and sixty days and nights,” Miriel replied in a soft, sweet voice. “From the time I was born until now, I have lived for about twenty-eight thousand five hundred days and nights, so I am eighty years old, that’s right.”

When Li Zheng looked at the "little" succubus again, his feelings had undergone a complete transformation.

萌？
Cute my foot!

She's old enough to be her own grandmother!
What kind of fairy did the succubus queen give herself?

Do they really need to test your character before they can entrust it to you with peace of mind?

Please!

You're overthinking it!
As long as you tell me her age, and if I even have the slightest improper thought about her, you can call me a beast all you want!

And at her age, who's bullying whom?
“Um… Grandma Miriel, oh no, I mean Miriel,” Li Zheng asked awkwardly, “at what age do you succubi consider yourself adults?”

“Coming of age…” Miriel extended a white, jade-like finger and pressed it against her cheek, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Mother never mentioned this, but I heard Sister Sylvie mention it in private. It seems that without any intervention, one usually has to be 160 years old to have a coming-of-age ceremony.”

He celebrated his coming-of-age ceremony at the age of 160.

In other words, a succubus's ten years of age is equivalent to one year of age for a human on Earth?
Damn it!
If that's the case, this guy in front of me is only a little over 18?!
This is some kind of age-adjusting surgery?!
Okay... Judging from his appearance, he could actually be considered eight years old. After all, he looks eleven or twelve, which isn't much different from eight. Some children on Earth develop early, and an eight-year-old can look like fifteen or sixteen, which is quite normal.

But damn it, this guy is actually eighty years old!

If Tianshan Tonglao knew, she would cry her eyes out!
Also, your demons' designs are a bit strange!

Didn't you just say there's something that can interfere with the speed at which you reach adulthood?
Wouldn't that mean they could force a newborn succubus to mature on the very day it is born?

Damn, that's incredible!
This race seems to have been created specifically to satisfy certain people with particular fetishes. If there is a creator in the legends of the Abyss Demons, he must be a pervert!

"Alright..." Li Zheng didn't want to dwell on the age issue too much, but he still casually asked, "Didn't the Queen ever use any of those things that interfere with adulthood for you?"

“No.” Miriel appeared very composed, a stark contrast to her appearance. “My mother said that adult succubi experience some unpleasant instinctive impulses every now and then, so she has been controlling my growth, hoping that I can stay in my growth period for a longer time.”

Li Zheng found Mirrell's explanation reasonable.

The Succubus Queen clearly doted on Miriel, unwilling to let her mature too early and suffer the torment of her succubus nature.

Moreover, according to her, if Miriel cannot withstand that torment and has a deep interaction with certain beings, it will affect the upper limit of Miriel's strength.

This was absolutely intolerable to the queen, who was determined to cultivate a succubus emperor.

Li Zheng gathered his thoughts and steered the conversation back on track: "I see that you are skilled with long whips, and your technique seems quite advanced. How long have you been learning it?"

"How can you see that?" Miriel asked in surprise, then realized, "Is it the system panel that Mother mentioned? It can actually display the abilities I possess. It really is as amazing as Mother said."

Li Zheng found this strange again: "What, you don't have a control panel?"

“No.” Miriel shook her head and said, “I was born long after my mother entered this place. My mother said that any individual born in the Matrix does not have a panel or… something like a personal space.”

The auxiliary functions such as the panel and capsules are some conveniences that the terminal provides to players. However, Miriel, a creature born in the Matrix, is not a player, so the terminal does not provide these features to her.

Li Zheng felt that the Succubus Queen and her group must have tried hunting down new players in the past, attempting to obtain their identities and pass them on to their offspring, but they had failed.

Living in the Matrix, with and without system functions, are two completely different experiences.

Even Li Zheng, after getting used to having a system panel to assist him, would try his best to get one for his children if he had them.

"It doesn't matter if it doesn't have them, they're just some auxiliary functions." Li Zheng said this against his will, and asked Miriel, "How long did it take you to master the whip technique? Can you demonstrate its power to me?"

“Of course.” Miriel nodded readily. “As a servant, one should indeed demonstrate one’s abilities to one’s master, so that the master can have a direct understanding of one’s abilities.”

She reached up and took a black and red leather whip coiled several times from her waist, and asked Li Zhengdao, "Do you have a martial arts school here?"

This question stumped Li Zheng; he really didn't have a room with this kind of functionality.

The main problem is the lack of relevant blueprints for modification or the production of related equipment and props.

Li Zheng glanced at the spot where Miriel had hung the whip. There was a patch of dark purple hair there. The whip had been hanging there so inconspicuously that he hadn't even noticed it before.

Perhaps because Miriel is still a minor, she has large patches of dark purple hair covering her private parts.

Only her smooth neck and collarbone, as well as her limbs and flat stomach, were visible.

The adult succubi that Li Zheng had seen, apart from having horns on their heads, tails and wings on their backs, were very similar to humans on Earth, and they also wore clothes to cover their private parts.

“There isn’t a dedicated martial arts hall yet, but we can’t rule out the possibility of one in the future.” He turned and led Miriel outside the residence, saying, “Let’s demonstrate here. The target… that tree looks good, quite sturdy.”

Li Zheng pointed to an old tree that required at least four adults to encircle it; to him, the tree was indeed just “quite sturdy.”

But that might not be the case for Miriel.

Li Zheng felt that it was perfect to give her the target to demonstrate her strength.

Platinum-level champion.

Strength comparison of Diamond-level bosses.

Which one is stronger and which one is weaker?

“That tree?” Miriel nodded seriously. “I’ll give it a try.”

As she spoke, under Li Zheng's expectant gaze, she raised the small leather whip and lashed it out.

Snapped!
Several whip shadows flashed in succession, and the sound produced when they struck the air was so fast that it was as if only one sound was made.

The next second, the huge tree, which was as thick as four people could hug, was snapped in half!
It creaked and groaned, making a teeth-grinding sound, and slowly collapsed.

boom!
The earthquake made a sound.

Miriel's small face turned serious: "It doesn't seem very sturdy. Should we try a thicker one?" "No need."

Li Zheng said, "Show me a few more of the abilities you've already mastered."

“Okay.” Miriel randomly selected a few lucky trees and used “Beyond Reach,” “Binding,” and “Whip” on them respectively.

The whip is designed for long-range attacks. When used, the whip, which is about ten feet long, emits several whip shadows that can hit targets more than ten meters away. It is quite powerful, and each whip shadow can leave deep whip marks on the trees.

Miriel's control over this ability was extremely precise; almost every lash landed in the same spot. After several lashes, a large tree crashed down with a series of "crackling" sounds.

Binding involves unleashing two whip-like strikes that wrap around the target, binding them tightly and penetrating deeply. If necessary, a forceful tug on the whip can cut the target into several pieces.

The last lash was somewhat like hitting a cow across a mountain; the whip's shadow struck the tree without leaving a trace on the surface.

But when Miriel stepped forward and forcefully pried open the surface of the bark, the inside had already been shaken into powder!
Furthermore, these three abilities may seem monotonous, but how to use them or combine them is entirely up to Miriel.

Getting into the swing of things, Miriel went on to demonstrate several combinations and different techniques for using various abilities, knocking down a large number of trees around her dwelling.

Just like a tornado suddenly appearing in the forest, the fallen trees spread outwards in the same direction.

At the open metal door in the distance, the wolf king, who had run back alone to scout the situation, heard the commotion coming from the woods, tucked his tail between his legs, and ran back into the "hunting ground" room with a trembling face full of fear.

Those two-legged creatures are terrifying! They don't sleep at night and wreak havoc in the forest. Several trees that they thought were unshakeable fell down without warning, scaring the wolf cubs to death.

I'm off to now, I'll come back when it's light.

“These ordinary trees aren’t sturdy enough. I haven’t even unleashed my full power yet, otherwise the power could have been several times greater.” Miriel spoke with an innocent, childlike face, saying things that sounded terrifying to others.

Based on those demonstrations just now, when hit on a living enemy, only a creature at the peak of the Platinum level would have a chance of surviving.

If its power were multiplied several times, even diamond-level creatures wouldn't stand a chance against it.

At the very least, he would be seriously injured and on the verge of death.

Not to mention that at this stage, not many players can stack their defense to this level. Apart from a few extreme players, there are basically no players who can rival Miriel.

Players using high-tier long-range firearms are an exception, like Lu Li... that guy can blow a target's head off with a single shot from 800 meters away. (These are Lu Li's own words.)
After watching Miriel's demonstration, Li Zheng was quite satisfied with her combat abilities. It was just a pity that her rank was too low and her foundation was too weak, so she couldn't keep up with Li Zheng's combat needs for the time being.

In other words, unless Miriel can raise her rank to Star Glory, or at least to the peak of Extraordinary, she will be able to provide Li Zheng with some effective assistance in battle.

Currently, it seems that she is not as effective as Sakura in battle.

After all, Sakura mainly possesses crowd control abilities, so the requirements for basic rank are not actually high; as long as her combat awareness can keep up, it's fine.

"Not bad, not bad, that's already very good." Li Zheng casually offered a few words of encouragement. "How long have you been practicing?"

What he cared more about was how long it took Miriel to master the art. Those whip shadows that seemed to have a physical form could not be achieved by ordinary whip mastery or whip specialization. It was somewhat similar to mastering the sword energy in swordsmanship to its extreme.

"About seventy years?" Miriel tilted her head, looking somewhat uncertain herself.

Oh, seventy years?
That's alright, it just means their talent isn't that much higher than mine...

Li Zheng nodded with satisfaction, then suddenly realized: "How much?! Seventy years?!"

He looked Miriel up and down: "Seventy years ago, could you wield such a long whip?"

Seventy years ago, when I was ten years old.

A succubus is ten years old, which is equivalent to one year old for an Earthling.

Whose one-year-old child can run around on the ground and swing a whip that is more than three meters long?

Miriel understood Li Zheng's specific meaning and explained, "Actually, I looked like this when I was eight years old, and I haven't changed since."

Li Zheng was stunned once again, and after a long pause, he managed to utter, "You succubi are truly blessed by nature!"

She looked like this at eight years old!

He only officially became a full-time adult at the age of 160!

That is to say...

A succubus's growth period can outlive most of the elderly in Earth's longevity villages!

What an enviable physique!

In the eyes of Earthlings, this is what it means to be eternally young, right?

Oh, those kids of the same age who are still in school aren't envious at all. They've looked like this for 150 years. If that were applied to kids on Earth, it would be like they'd have to go to school for 150 years.

Envious my foot!

Office workers might be incredibly envious – 150 years of student life!

How enviable!

Li Zheng rubbed his forehead and asked weakly, "Do you have any other special skills?"

“There is one more,” Miriel said with difficulty. “However, this talent requires a conscious goal to be demonstrated. And it would be best if you, Master, experienced it yourself to have an objective and authentic experience.”

At this point, Miriel remembered that her special talent might cause trouble for her master, and two blushes rose on her little face, making her look quite alluring.

Looking at her "shy" appearance, Li Zheng immediately had the wrong idea: "Your special skill wouldn't be referring to your succubus race's 'that kind of skill,' would it?"

Miriel thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously: "That's right! Basically all succubi have this skill!"

Li Zheng immediately declined, saying, "Forget it, forget it. If your mother finds out, she'll beat me to death!"

"Kill you?" Miriel asked doubtfully. "But my mother is very supportive of my regular training. I also often ask guards to help me practice this skill. My mother has never stopped me."

"Um???"

Li Zheng's heart skipped a beat. Was the Succubus Queen deceiving him? Did the Succubus race actually have no concept of limiting their own strength? Was it just an excuse to prevent her daughter from being bullied in his presence?
"Since that's the case... then I'll try to cooperate with you." Li Zheng figured that since the Succubus Queen was being dishonest and deceiving him first, he wouldn't be polite either; three years as a minimum was fine...

No loss, a sure profit!
"it is good."

Xiaomi Ruier gripped the small leather whip in her hand, becoming even more flustered. The blush on her face had spread to her ears, making her look even more adorable and alluring.

I was right!
Li Zheng thought to himself, "The Succubus Queen is too careless. She thought that her personal warning would prevent her daughter from being bullied, but Miriel herself revealed all the details."

He certainly didn't really intend to take advantage of Miriel; he was just saying it casually. Such a young child… uh… such an old child… oh wait… no, that doesn't quite fit…

In short, how could Li Zheng possibly bring himself to do it to Miriel, given her appearance?
What's more, she has an age that's even more unacceptable than her appearance.

"I was just saying, but if you... Holy crap???!!"

Before he could finish explaining, Li Zheng's expression changed drastically!
The next second, a barrage of whip shadows attacked him, so dense that it blocked out the sun!
There must be at least tens of thousands of them!
I wrote this chapter until I fell asleep, then woke up in the middle of the night to continue writing, then fell asleep again, and woke up in the morning to continue writing... I'm so tired...

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(End of this chapter)