Chapter 217: 【GOD-035·Machina, the Giant God】, Battle Power Value Test (4K)

Chapter 217: 【GOD-035·Machina, the Giant God】, Battle Power Value Test (4K)



"......How can he be so handsome?"

The woman with silver and gold hair couldn't help but exclaim, her eyes sparkling as she witnessed the scene unfolding before her.

The man with the sinister smile turned to her, his mouth twitching at the corners, "......Help me."

He struggled, but the foot on his back felt like a mountain, immobilizing him.

"You know, it's really embarrassing to fail at showing off and get killed instead. It's hilarious." The silver and gold-haired woman glanced at him, a mix of amusement and contempt in her voice. She then drew a pistol from her hip holster and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger at Xue Jing.

"Pfft—"

A dull gunshot rang out, and a golden bullet shot out, spinning towards Xue Jing's abdomen.

With Xue Jing's eyesight, he instantly judged that the bullet's speed was approximately 320 m/s, not particularly fast. It was the kind of speed he could easily deflect with a precise finger snap.

However, he didn't do that. Instead, almost at the same instant the bullet was fired, he waved his hand at the silver and gold-haired woman. Shadowflame quietly activated, condensing into a solid black flame bullet that intercepted the golden bullet, precisely stopping it between the two of them.

"Clap—"

The golden bullet and the black flame bullet collided and exploded, spraying a large amount of golden liquid that was enough to envelop an adult. It was surprising that such a small golden bullet had contained so much liquid.

Xue Jing twisted his foot, manipulating his strength, and the ground cracked. The man was sunk nearly a meter deep into the ground, becoming a human-shaped dent.

Then, in a flash of movement accompanied by a colorful tail flame, he appeared behind the silver and gold-haired woman and kicked her into the golden liquid that had not yet fallen to the ground.

"Ah!"

The silver and gold-haired woman cried out as she was enveloped by the golden liquid. She didn't know what the substance was, but it stuck to her, forming a golden statue that stood still.

All of this happened in an instant, as Xue Jing's speed was incredibly fast. The onlookers were just beginning to react.

Apart from the sinister man, the silver and gold-haired woman, and Qiao Ying, there were three other members of the Giant God Legion. Seeing the situation, they immediately took action, directing their attacks towards Xue Jing.

But it was too late.

"Flame Chain·Burning Wheel."

The Heaven-Defying Blade's killing move, Flame Chain, combined with the Coiling Dragon Style killing move, Whirlwind Thunder, resulted in a mutually enhancing effect, increasing both the power and speed compared to when they were used individually.

The spiral-shaped trail of colorful flames crisscrossed through the air, too fast for anyone present to clearly see.

"Bang, bang, bang—!"

After three loud blasts, Xue Jing reappeared in the center of the area. The three attackers had been sent flying, crashing through buildings along the way, and no one knew where they had landed.

Yin Mu Hu blinked, staring at the scene of utter devastation before him, dumbfounded.

It had only been less than a month since they last met... How had Xue Xing become even stronger?

"Hmm? Who's that? Are they using martial arts or an exospecies?"

"Probably practicing a new martial art. Which school is it from?"

"Never seen it before. By the way, isn't the U19 Finals about to start? Must be a participant from out of town."

"Such a powerful and good-looking young participant, and we've never seen him before... Could he be from the Outer Ring?"

The onlookers whispered among themselves, impressed by the display.

At that moment, Ning Yuan Tai finally arrived at the scene, surrounded by a red aura that resembled the aura of a World King.

"Ah? Brother Xue, it's over already?"

He looked around disappointedly and spoke.

Among the members of the Giant God Legion present, the only one still standing was Qiao Ying, who was crouching on the ground.

Xue Jing turned his gaze towards her, trying to recall where he had heard her name. He thought hard but couldn't quite remember.

This was a side effect of the divine relic, 'Proof of Love', that he carried—it made it hard for him to remember the names of insignificant people.

According to the information he had found in the divine relic database, this side effect would occur when his favorability towards a target was above 10 points but below 40 points.

However, if the target was involved in something important, he could strengthen his memory by repeatedly reciting their name, forcing himself to remember.

It was a minor side effect.

Xue Jing looked at Qiao Ying, who was staring at him with a dreamy expression, as if she were in a daze. He thought for a moment and, feeling too lazy to bother with her, turned to Ning Yuan Tai and said, "I didn't expect it to be so quick... My opponent was a bit lacking."

Yin Mu Hu shook his head. "I don't think it's that your opponent was lacking. It's that you're too strong... This kind of absolute crush in speed. As long as their strength hasn't reached a level equal to yours, they can't keep up with your speed and don't have sufficient defensive capabilities, the consequence is instant death.

"

Ning Yuan Tai dispersed the crimson aura of the Red Lotus Volcano taboo art that enveloped him and sighed in disappointment at not being able to fight side by side with Xue Jing. He walked over to the sinister-looking man who had been kicked into the ground by Xue Jing.

"Hmm, this emblem..."

Ning Yuan Tai reached out, pulled the unconscious man out of the pit, and looked at a pattern on his right arm.

It was a golden, crossed pair of arms.

"Is he from the Giant God Legion?"

Xue Jing walked over, nodding. "That's how they introduced themselves... Do you know them?"

As Ning Yuan Tai searched the sinister man's body, he replied, "Yes, it's a well-known borderland hunter group. Their leader is very powerful and goes by the nickname 'Giant God Soldier.' He possesses two 'direct combat-type' divine relics ranked within the top 300."

Xue Jing raised an eyebrow. "Divine relics ranked within the top 300?"

The sequence numbers of divine relics only indicated their order of appearance beyond the 300 mark and had nothing to do with their specific abilities or strength.

However, the rankings within the top 300 divine relics were based on the strength and hierarchical relationship of their abilities. The closer the sequence number was to the beginning, the more powerful the divine relic.

Even the last few divine relics within the top 300 were on a completely different level compared to those ranked 300 and beyond.

Ning Yuan Tai nodded. "Indeed. He possesses 【GOD-205·Left Arm of the Giant God】 and 【GOD-206·Right Arm of the Giant God】."

"These are two very unique divine relics. Not only are they rare 'direct combat-type' relics, but they're also a 'divine relic set'..."

"Their effect is that when equipped, they draw upon the user's stamina, mental power, and vitality to form golden energy limbs. For example, the 【Left Arm of the Giant God】 forms a golden energy left arm. The stronger the user, the larger the arm that is formed."

"If one were to gather 【GOD-203·Head of the Giant God】, 【GOD-204·Torso of the Giant God】, 【GOD-207·Left Leg of the Giant God】, and 【GOD-208·Right Leg of the Giant God】, and successfully wear all six divine relics, they would combine into one, transforming into 【GOD-035·Machina, the Giant God】."

Xue Jing couldn't help but quip, "Who's this dark archmage?"

Ning Yuan Tai continued, "These relics place a tremendous burden on the user. Each one has a danger level of B or higher. Being able to withstand a single piece is already remarkable, but the leader of the Giant God Legion can equip two at the same time, making him incredibly powerful. It's said that he once single-handedly hunted down a Flame-Dwelling species with a danger level of 7 or higher, the 'Flame Devil.'"

Xue Jing stroked his chin. "Oh? That strong, huh?"

A danger level of 7 indicated a strength roughly 32 times greater than that of level 6.

The pure-blood dragon species he had defeated at Roaring Falls was around danger level 6, though he wasn't sure of the exact number.

His victory had been due to clever tactics. That pure-blood dragon had been severely weakened by the Viper Spear Soldier, its core abilities suppressed, and its dragon lightning countered by his 'Implantation.'

He hadn't truly experienced the full might of such a creature, whose flight speed alone in its prime was supersonic.

But he could vaguely sense that even with his current enhanced strength, if he were to face an unweakened pure-blood dragon, he would likely lose, though it wasn't a guaranteed outcome.

If the leader of the Giant God Legion could single-handedly take down a level 7 creature... then his strength was indeed extraordinary.

No wonder it was an inner ring city; even random hunters here had connections to such powerful individuals.

"Yo, a Dimension III Blade-type Floating Sword. These hunter groups are pretty wealthy, and their equipment is top-notch."

Ning Yuan Tai pulled out a palm-sized, hiltless black blade from the sinister man's body and nodded in approval.

He stood up, handed the blade to Xue Jing, and said, "Brother Xue, your spoils of war... This might not be of much use to you, but it's still a nice toy."

Xue Jing took the blade, examined it briefly without gaining any new insights, and then placed it in his pocket. "Let's head to the base... Oh, and," he turned to Yin Mu Hu, "can I bring my friend along to the tour as well?"

"According to the rules, it's not allowed... But the commander gave a verbal decree to accommodate your requests as long as they aren't too excessive, so this should be fine."

Xue Jing nodded and turned to Yin Mu Hu. "Yin Mu, what do you think?"

"Come with me." Xue Jing said to Yin Mu Hu. "Let's chat and catch up."

Although she didn't know what the 'base' was, Yin Mu Hu trusted that Xue Jing wouldn't harm her, especially after he had just helped her. So, she nodded in agreement.

Soon, the group left, leaving behind a few members of the Giant God Legion lying around and Qiao Ying, who remained crouched on the ground, staring at Xue Jing's retreating figure in a daze.

...

Using the Dragon Core Fighter as transportation, they arrived quickly. The aircraft had departed from C6 District and landed in the Stop War Subdivision Base located in B3 District.

This base occupied a large area, roughly square in shape, and was surrounded by a nearly five-meter-high wall with several sturdy-looking steel gates.

Xue Jing estimated the size of the base in his mind, calculating that it occupied an area of about 30,000 square meters. The layout of the facilities within was quite ingenious, exuding a simple beauty with its high space utilization.

The aircraft slowly descended in an open space, and the cabin door opened, allowing Xue Jing and his companions to exit.

A middle-aged man in navy tactical attire was already waiting outside. As soon as he saw Ning Yuan Tai, he smiled and said, "Young Master Ning, it's been a while."

Ning Yuan Tai frowned in displeasure. "Old Xu, I've told you not to call me Young Master Ning. I got to where I am today through my own efforts and have nothing to do with my family."

The middle-aged man didn't respond to that and instead turned his attention to Xue Jing, his eyes lighting up. "So, this must be Brother Xue Jing?"

He extended his hand and introduced himself. "I'm Xu Hongzhong, the base commander of the Stop War Source City B3 Subdivision Base."

Xue Jing shook his hand and smiled. "Commander Xu."

Ning Yuan Tai interjected, "Just call him Old Xu, Brother Xue."

Xu Hongzhong smiled. "Yes, call me Old Xu. It sounds more friendly."

After some brief pleasantries, Ning Yuan Tai waved his hand dismissively at Xu Hongzhong. "Alright, Old Xu, you can get back to work now. I'll take Brother Xue around and show him around."

Xu Hongzhong nodded at Xue Jing and Yin Mu Hu and smiled. "Since Young Master Ning has spoken, I'll take my leave now."

He then arranged for a base member to help Xue Jing with his luggage before hurrying off.

"Let's go, Brother Xue. I'll show you around and let you experience the high-tech wonders that the outer ring doesn't have!" Ning Yuan Tai said excitedly.

Xue Jing had no objections and followed along with Cat, who was perched on his shoulder, and Yin Mu Hu trailing behind.

Soon, they entered a large building.

Along the way, Xue Jing spoke up. "That Commander Xu from earlier seemed quite strong."

Ning Yuan Tai was a little surprised. "Oh? You noticed that?"

"He's well-known for his ability to conceal his strength. He doesn't reveal any aura at all and usually looks like an ordinary middle-aged man. But in reality..."

"...he's a Limit-Breaking Master of the New Martial Sect who has crossed the dragon gate!"

Xue Jing's eyebrows rose.

He had vaguely sensed the strength of Base Commander Xu Hongzhong but was surprised to learn that he was a Limit-Breaking Master!

Aside from the artificially created defective Limit-Breaker, Jiao Hongyuan, he hadn't encountered any other Limit-Breakers in the outer ring.

Once again, he couldn't help but marvel at the differences between the inner and outer rings.

"We're here." Ning Yuan Tai led Xue Jing and Yin Mu Hu through a set of transparent double doors into a spacious laboratory.

Xue Jing looked around, taking in the various equipment and facilities that he couldn't quite understand. Dozens of white-coated technicians were bustling about.

"Brother Xue, look over here." Ning Yuan Tai pointed to a small cubicle that resembled a transparent shower stall.

"This is the 'Physical Power Measurement Machine.' It can accurately measure one's physical power level with an error margin of no more than 0.001 levels. It's currently the most precise device on the market."

He then pointed to a circular platform a short distance away, above which hovered a faint blue spherical water membrane with a diameter of about three meters.

"And this is the 'Spiritual Power Measurement Machine,' used to measure spiritual power levels."

"Usually, by testing on these two machines, we can get a fairly accurate idea of a person's overall battle power value. What do you say, Brother Xue? Want to give it a try?" Ning Yuan Tai raised his eyebrows in anticipation.

Battle power value, huh?

Xue Jing looked from one machine to the other.

He was quite curious about his current battle capabilities, as he had no idea how strong he had become.

After a moment's thought, he nodded and smiled. "Sure, why not?"

...

(I just re-read 'Cyberpunk: Edge Runner' for inspiration. It's so good!)



(My hand is feeling a bit better now, and I'm looking into how to supplement my vitamin intake... quite a complicated topic!)

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end