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GA: Chapter 54 – Grinding Mobs to Level Up? Now That's What I Call Grinding!
"A friend told me later that Luffy's fruit awakened after Kaido beat him—and it wasn't the Rubber-Rubber Fruit at all, but the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan Model: Nika. Some kind of rubber deity from an island nation, apparently—can even use fire and lightning, and is called the Sun God or something."
"The setup was buried so deep. I didn't catch a single hint of it."
He went on and on about the author's foreshadowing, while Bai Xuan's expression had drifted into one of genuine puzzlement.
What?
Mythical Zoan Model: Nika? Not rubber?
And a Human-Human Fruit?
When did that happen? How had he heard nothing about this?
Oh—right. He hadn't kept up with One Piece in a long time. No wonder.
But still… not rubber?
Bai Xuan wasn't exactly a die-hard fan. In his past life he'd only vaguely heard that Luffy had used fire at some point, with lightning crackling around him—he hadn't thought much of it. But apparently that had been foreshadowing all along.
He shook his head. After a moment of mild surprise, he let it go.
Rubber or Nika—neither had anything to do with him.
At most, it'd make for chat group conversation material.
Whitebeard probably knew something about it.
"Rather than me, shouldn't you be checking on those two right now?"
Bai Xuan cut Yang Lu off mid-sentence and gestured toward the two figures lying not far away.
He'd glanced at them earlier. Nothing serious—they'd knocked their heads on something when they fell and lost consciousness. They'd be fine.
Lucky, honestly.
Yang Lu jolted, then hurried over to the two of them, face tight with worry.
"Hello, Hangcheng Spiritual Qi Bureau—two people were attacked by a mutant creature here. Both unconscious."
"Minor injuries only, nothing critical. Their bodies are already passively absorbing ambient spiritual qi. Even without intervention, they'd probably come around in an hour or two."
"I'm sending you the location now."
Bai Xuan called the Bureau and relayed the situation. Anything involving mutant creatures went through them—and compared to a regular hospital, the Bureau had dedicated ability users for treatment, making things considerably faster.
As for why Bai Xuan didn't treat them himself? If they were critically injured or in serious danger, he would have. But for minor wounds with the body already self-repairing—there was no need.
Besides, this might teach them a lesson.
"Why did you come out here in the first place?" Bai Xuan asked, turning to Yang Lu after hanging up. "Curiosity? Exploration? Looking for rare materials?"
"Uh… grinding mobs to level up."
Yang Lu relaxed slightly after hearing Bai Xuan confirm on the phone that his companions were only lightly injured. He hesitated at the question, then answered honestly.
"…???"
"Come again?"
You think this is a video game? Grinding mobs?
What—do mutant beasts drop EXP when you kill them?
"The meat from mutant creatures boosts cultivation speed and sells for good money. Their hides can be made into armor with decent defensive properties. Their bones can be forged into weapons." Yang Lu scratched the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. "So that's sort of how everyone talks about it now."
"The government doesn't exactly approve of us doing this kind of dangerous stuff, but—you might have heard—the creatures are worth a lot."
"We don't really have a choice."
"…"
In terms of age, Bai Xuan wasn't any different from these three—but ever since joining the chat group, he'd largely stopped scrolling short videos and reading news online. Now he felt oddly out of touch.
Mutant beast meat as EXP. Hides and bones as crafting materials. Extra meat sold off as the gold drop.
Grinding mobs to level up.
Ha. Now that's what I'd call grinding.
"Are there many people doing this?" Bai Xuan asked after a pause, his tone mildly curious.
"There were a lot at the start. Then quite a few died, so the numbers have been thinning out."
"Mutant beasts are stronger than us. Except for genuine prodigies, it usually takes several of us to take one down—and we still risk getting hurt."
"Don't let my situation fool you—my ability is a legitimate rubber ability, the stretchy kind." Yang Lu added, then caught himself. "I thought I'd be like Luffy, but turns out he's a Nika-type. Guess even the author figured pure rubber wasn't enough in the end."
He demonstrated as he spoke, stretching his arm out a fair ways—though not by much. Far less than Luffy had managed right after eating his Devil Fruit.
"These two beside me—one's a fire elemental, one's lightning. Together with me, we're roughly three-quarters of a Luffy."
"That python was a complete accident. We'd been perfectly fine grinding wild boars before this."
Bai Xuan gave a small nod, then glanced toward the base of the mountain as though sensing something.
"The Bureau's people are on their way. They'll be here shortly."
"Wait here for them. I have things to take care of—I'll be going."
Before Yang Lu could say a word, Bai Xuan had already vanished, heading deeper into the mountain range.
The idle conversation with Yang Lu had mostly been to keep him company while there was still a risk of other wild beasts closing in. Once Bai Xuan sensed the Bureau members approaching, he saw no reason to linger.
"Got the mutant python. Next target—mutant wild boar."
"Hopefully they're on the larger side. If size is a problem, quantity will have to make up for it."
"Should also find some mutant rabbits while I'm at it. Wondering if a mutant rabbit version of mala rabbit head would taste even better."
He licked his lips. Among the chef team responsible for his meals was a Bashu specialist whose Sichuan cuisine was genuinely masterful.
By nightfall, Bai Xuan surveyed his spatial ring—packed to satisfaction—and allowed himself a quiet smile.
The mountains around him had sunk into darkness. The occasional rustle of leaves drifted through the air.
But none of it unsettled him.
If anything, he was half-hoping something would come bounding out and deliver itself to him.
"Stayed out late enough today. I'll pick up again tomorrow."
He glanced down at the town below, lights already beginning to glow in the dusk—and in an instant, his eyes shifted. Crimson runes bloomed in his irises, and the symbols in his left eye began to spin wildly.
"What I speak is what the divine speaks. What I decree is divine decree."
"I decree: before me shall appear a gate that connects to my dwelling."
Bai Xuan's voice was flat and devoid of all emotion.
In the next moment, the space before him rippled like the surface of water, shimmering with fine rings—and then a door appeared. One that looked exactly like the Anywhere Door from Doraemon's world.
He pushed it open. On the other side was his home.
Once he stepped through, the door vanished as instantly as it had come.
"I used such an imposing incantation… and summoned a pink door."
"Have I just been too deeply conditioned by Doraemon's Anywhere Door?"
Bai Xuan lay back on the sofa, a helpless laugh escaping him.
He could have come home any number of other ways—teleportation, for instance. In some sense, all of nature was his domain, so slipping freely through it wasn't an issue.
Or he could have turned into light and arrived in an instant—though the distance was considerable, he didn't know the route well enough, and he'd probably have needed navigation assistance.
Flying home like a superhero or an immortal wasn't an option for the same reason.