Chapter 42: Apocalyptic Tech

Chapter 42: Apocalyptic Tech

"Three Life Soul outputs needed for the purification mission—immediately apply to join my squad and depart."

"Looking for strong teams for the purification mission. Second Stellar Vein activated, running a Gargoyle+Tauntweaver combo. Guaranteed safety for all other squad members."

"Need players for the purification mission. No one below monster level 8 should apply—only strong players required."

...

After the regional announcement, the voice chat channel flooded with recruitment messages.

Groups of players rushed toward the Gloomspire Caverns.

A long line had already formed outside the cavern entrance. While the underground area contained five layers capable of accommodating massive crowds, the entrance itself only allowed two players to pass side-by-side. The influx of adventurers caused bottlenecks, forcing everyone to wait in line.

Inside the dungeon, players steadily descended deeper, engaging in fierce battles with Iron Shellworms. Periodically, players fell in combat, their avatars respawning at Dizhong Village. The entire process felt chaotic and intense.

Meanwhile, players waiting outside passed time browsing forums or chatting.

Suddenly, a forum post drew massive attention.

[Did I enter the wrong game? These guys’ combat style is way too absurd—they must’ve hacked, right?]

Poster: Darklandsissofun

Content: (Video attached)

In the video, a group of players clad in basic black robes fought hordes of Iron Shellworms on the second underground layer of Gloomspire Caverns.

Unlike nearby players who switched monster forms to fight, these individuals pulled strange gun-like weapons from their spatial satchels. After loading Spirit Stones for energy, they opened fire on the Iron Shellworms.

Energy bullets rained down in dense volleys, igniting sparks as they pierced the creatures’ armored shells, leaving smoking holes and blood splatter.

This combat style consumed no stamina. Replenishing bullets was simple—just replace the Energy Crystals purchased from the marketplace. Their combat effectiveness remained unaffected by stamina depletion or Mental Energy consumption.

The sight stunned nearby players and forum viewers alike.

Responses poured in beneath the post:

Nightlong: "Wait, did I enter the wrong game? Where’d they get those guns? I checked the marketplace, and there’s no firearms listed!"

Rejectingburnout: "Cheaters! I’m reporting this. How do they have guns powered by Spirit Stones? This isn’t the same game the rest of us are playing!"

Beaverbeats: "Huh? Isn’t this just real-world Spirit Energy Firearms? I study psionic mechanics, so I’m somewhat familiar. Never thought the game would implement them successfully. My jaw’s literally dropped."

Wordduck: "Players’ creativity knows no bounds. If this is a perfect reality-simulating game, theoretically any real-world tech should work here. These guys are just crazy enough to make it happen."

...

The so-called "cheaters" in the video were actually members of the recently launched Apocalyptic Tech weapons R&D division.

Due to funding shortages, they followed Qin Ye’s advice and spent two days mining ores in a cave.

After Duan Xing’s arrival, they trailed his movements between the Ancient Battlefield and Crimson Plains, collecting Vile Crystals. Finally, they’d scraped together enough startup funds.

Without advanced weapon-manufacturing equipment, they first bought engraving knives from the marketplace, then crafted a batch of Spirit Energy Firearms using Spirit Stones.

Though simple, these firearms packed a punch. Their mechanism involved engraving energy pathways inside Spirit Stones. Pulling the trigger activated the circuit, rapidly drawing power from the attached Energy Crystals. The energy compressed into bullets within the gun’s chamber, then launched with a final burst of spiritual propulsion.

As the global mission launched, Apocalyptic Tech’s members debuted their self-made weapons on the battlefield, unleashing overwhelming firepower.

Yet internally, the guild felt the strain.

While the guns’ relentless barrage looked impressive, their consumption rate was astronomical.

Normal players relied on stamina when fighting in monster forms, but Apocalyptic Tech’s weapons drained Sacrificial Power—each bullet purchased with hard-earned currency.

Thankfully, Iron Shellworms were plentiful. Each sweeping volley earned substantial Sacrificial Power rewards.

But no one yet calculated profits and losses. This was their first field test—meant to showcase Apocalyptic Tech’s strength to the wider gaming community.

After days of testing, they were fully satisfied with the game. To build a vast technological empire for experimenting with dangerous weapons, they’d need massive funding.

Their current resources were insufficient. Recruiting more players was essential—even if recruits lacked technical expertise, financial support alone would ease resource shortages.

Apocalyptic Tech’s R&D director, Yang Tianxuan, kept his vision simple: build a powerful guild, use it to amass Sacrificial Power, and fund dangerous weapon R&D.

As Yang envisioned, their debut sparked heated forum debates.

The slaughter continued. Apocalyptic Tech members occasionally heard level-up notifications, their faces breaking into smiles.

Though their focus was weapon development, levels still mattered.

Initially, they assumed monster level systems held little relevance for their playstyle. After all, they never envisioned direct combat with monsters.

But everything changed when a guild member entered the Testing Tower.

Upon completing the tower, the member delivered electrifying news:

The tower housed numerous monster traits that could aid weapon development.

For example: Cerebral Overclocking and Mental Spring.

Cerebral Overclocking enhanced brain efficiency, drastically improving memory, focus, and cognitive processing. Mental Spring accelerated Mental Energy regeneration while reducing mental fatigue.

To most players, these abilities seemed utterly useless—Cerebral Overclocking even ranked among the weakest Primordial Abilities on forums.

But to Yang Tianxuan’s team, these traits were god-tier—hundreds of times more valuable than combat-oriented monster traits.

Even their long-ignored "Vengeful Howl" ability from the base Hawk-Headed Demon form proved useful. Testing revealed that higher levels allowed microscopic vision during perception scans—a direct boon for weapon development.

After verifying these findings firsthand in the Testing Tower, Yang Tianxuan and his team conceived an entirely new archetype: a "Sage" build centered on Cerebral Overclocking.

This build would discard all combat Life Souls, focusing solely on functional Life Souls.

Suddenly, monster levels and specific traits became crucial—they could drastically improve R&D efficiency.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end