I was ecstatic, my heart pounding harder than when I had kissed a girl for the first time!
The quality of an Essence Furnace was crucial to players. Not only did it determine the speed of Essence recovery in battle, but it also provided substantial Base Attribute bonuses!
The attributes of a level 1 Essence Furnace were essentially its growth potential!
Taking my furnace as an example, at level 1, it could provide its owner with 4 Strength and 3.5 Agility. When its extracted Experience Points raised it to level 2, those attributes would rise to 8 Strength and 7 Agility. If it extracted enough Experience Points to catch up to its owner's level, the total stacked attributes would be no weaker than a full set of top-tier equipment!
And this furnace's Mental growth had actually reached 2.9. That meant my Mental Power wouldn't be too poor in the future. Mental Power was equivalent to "magic resistance." If I encountered classes like Psionicists and Star Speakers that crushed opponents with Mental Power, I would still have a chance to fight back!
However...
I frowned and fell into thought. Had my luck been a little too good ever since entering Star Abyss World?
Other than the slight failure during my first Pandora Solution evolution, I had consecutively obtained S-rank Bio-Optical Invisibility and SS-rank Bio-Electromagnetic Pulse, plus this SS-rank Essence Furnace before my eyes. I was practically heaven's chosen!
Could it be that other players were the same? As long as their real bodies entered Star Abyss World, would they all receive the system's favor?
"Bro?"
Just then, Left Hand's voice came through the star map.
I immediately replied, "I'm here. What's up?"
"Have you awakened an Essence Furnace yet?"
He could barely conceal his excitement. "Damn, I awakened an A-rank furnace with an 88% conversion rate. Isn't that badass? Holy crap... its level 1 growth is insanely good—Strength 3, Agility 2.4, Stamina 2, Mental 1.7. It's absolutely cracked! What about yours? How's your furnace?"
"Cough, cough..."
I was a kind teammate. I really couldn't bear to crush his spirits. "My furnace is average. Same as yours, more or less."
"Damn, then congratulations to both of us!"
"Mm."
I nodded. "Have you leveled up? Got your skills ready?"
"I leveled up, and my skills are ready too."
"Good."
I continued leveling up, using up all my Experience Points in one go to reach level 8, with 78% Experience Points remaining. That was enough to maintain star map contact with Left Hand for 78 minutes—more than enough.
So, I put all 12 Potential Points gained at level 4 into Strength, then learned Basic Swordsmanship from my stored skills. After that, I repeatedly upgraded the skill, instantly raising Basic Swordsmanship to level 10!
With that, Basic Swordsmanship also gave me an additional 6 Strength!
At that moment, I felt like my entire body was filled with power. When I opened my attribute panel again, my combat level had become vastly different from before!
[Shadow Chaser] (Starry Sky Super Weapon · Sword Specialization · Tier 1) Level: 8 Attack: 18-45 Defense: 9 Health: 1100 Critical Hit: 0 Charm: 0 Essence: 100/100 Overall Combat Level: 108 Potential Point Allocation: Strength 30/Agility 15.5/Mental 2.9/Stamina 3 Achievements: 0 ...
In an instant, my Overall Combat Level had soared from 40 to 108. It was terrifying, and the greatest contributor was naturally that SS-rank Essence Furnace!
"Old Six."
I frowned and asked, "Is the explosion for 3:55 ready?"
"Don't worry, it's already timed. Just wait for the bang."
"Good!"
Left Hand was a little dissatisfied. "But Third Brother, could you stop calling me Old Six? It makes me sound like I'm not a skilled player. How about calling me Sixth Brother from now on?"
"Objection overruled. I think Old Six rolls off the tongue better."
"Fine... you call the shots, Bro."
Left Hand sounded helpless, as though he had given up struggling...
A few minutes later, the ground suddenly shook violently, followed by a thunderous boom from the east.
I was secretly startled. Left Hand definitely had some skills, or he couldn't possibly have remotely detonated the base's ammunition depot.
Along with the explosion, alarms blared throughout the base, and countless guards rushed toward the scene.
I stood at the door, frowning as I watched everything outside.
"033, get back inside!"
Outside stood the guard who had brought me dinner. He raised his gun and aimed it at me, roaring, "Don't go sticking your nose in this! This has nothing to do with you. Get back inside and sleep, or don't blame me for getting rough!"
I nodded and backed away several steps.
"Bro, the time's almost here. Keep an eye on it..." Left Hand said excitedly.
"Don't rush."
I smiled. "I'm watching. Don't worry."
"Good."
Time passed bit by bit, and in the blink of an eye, it was 3:59:58!
I immediately triggered the skill icon, silently activating Bio-Electromagnetic Pulse!
"Bzzzt, bzzzt, bzzzt~~~"
In an instant, my entire body bristled. Strands of deep-blue current raced wildly over my skin and hair. It didn't hurt at all, but my body involuntarily hunched over as a clustered Electromagnetic Storm formed on my back. Three seconds later, it erupted!
"Boom—"
With a deafening blast, the Electromagnetic Pulse surged in all directions!
In that instant, every electronic device malfunctioned and was destroyed!
The door before one's eyes lost pressure immediately and rapidly opened!
"What happened?!"
Outside, the guard roared, but the moment he turned around, I was already in front of him.
"033, are you insane?"
The moment he raised his gun to aim, I burst forward and brushed past him. With a stretch of my hand, I yanked the Vanguard Bee Sting combat knife from his waist!
It was only 30 centimeters long, but it still counted as a sword-type weapon!
"This is bad..."
The guard's face changed drastically. He was just about to sound the alarm when the Vanguard Bee Sting had already slashed across his throat!
"404!"
Fatal Damage!
As he clutched his throat and staggered back, I launched a seamless assault. The Bee Sting became a flash of cold light, repeatedly slicing across fatal points like his throat, chest, and eyes!
He was only an ordinary level 15 character with 800 Health. He dropped to his knees in an instant!
[Combat Notification: You killed Base Guard Lv.15. You gained 1500 character Experience Points. Your Essence Furnace extracted 750 Experience Points!]
Without stopping, I swiftly collected his Submachine Gun, pistol, and grenades. I even casually stuffed all the magazines he carried into my Dimensional Storage Space.
Just then, another guard rushed out and shouted, "033, you're courting death!"
"Whoosh!"
As he raised his gun to aim, I directly threw the Vanguard Bee Sting with a flick of my wrist!
"Splurt!"
Blood splattered. Level 10 Throwing Skill was truly impressive—it struck him directly in the throat and dealt over 600 damage. I then raised my Submachine Gun and sent a burst of bullets into him!
"Experiment Subject No. 033 has rebelled! All nearby guards, proceed immediately to suppress him!"
Someone shouted in the distance.
Meanwhile, sounds of fighting came from Left Hand's side through the star map. He must have made his move as well, and it was going rather smoothly. Otherwise, the star map connection should have already been cut off!
I swiftly pulled the Bee Sting dagger from the man's throat and headed east. But before I had gone far, a figure emerged, holding a Submachine Gun and firing directly at me!
It was Lakuri!
The moment he fired, I suddenly darted sideways and threw the Bee Sting dagger at the same time!
"Pfft!"
Within ten paces, I still never missed!
The sword struck Lakuri's arm, sending him stumbling backward into a room.
"033, you beast! How dare you betray me!"
Instructor Lakuri roared heartbrokenly.
But I didn't hesitate. Footsteps were already coming from the corridor, and I had little time left. I fired a burst at the glass on the iron door. As the glass shattered, a grenade appeared in my hand. After pulling the pin, I accurately tossed it through the gap in the glass and into the room!
"Boom!"
A muffled explosion rang out, followed by a torrent of curses from inside the room.
"Click!"
I pulled the pin from another grenade and rolled it along the floor toward the end of the corridor. At the same time, I expertly changed magazines, kicked open the door, and charged into the room.
"You bastard!"
Lakuri was covered in blood. Lying on the floor, he raised his Submachine Gun as though he still wanted to resist.
But I stepped forward and kicked the Submachine Gun away with all my strength, then kicked him in the jaw. The moment Lakuri opened his mouth to shout, I shoved the scalding gun barrel directly into it!
"You..."
Lakuri's pupils contracted violently. He had never imagined that he would face a day like this!
"Rat-a-tat-tat~~~"
I pulled the trigger and didn't let go, emptying the entire magazine in just a few seconds!
Lakuri's head immediately slammed against the wall again and again with dull thuds!
Lakuri was a level 15 BOSS with a terrifying total of 4,500 Health. However, the Roarer in my hand might have been white-quality equipment, but its firepower was not weak. Each shot dealt roughly 60 damage. Emptying the entire magazine dealt over 3,000 damage, and with the grenade blast added in, even a BOSS's health bar instantly bottomed out.
"You traitor..."
Lakuri's mouth had nearly been shot to pieces, but he was still stubborn. "You..."
"Who's the traitor?"
I roared, "I've never been one of Dark Tide's people. I'm your father!"
With that, I pulled out the Bee Sting and swept it across, cutting Lakuri's throat and claiming this BOSS's Experience Points!
At the same time, I collected Lakuri's Roarer and Vanguard Bee Sting. Unexpectedly, both were green-quality equipment!
[Roarer MP25 Submachine Gun] (Quality: Green) Tier: 1 Base Parameters: Firepower 55-70, rate of fire 800 rounds/minute, magazine capacity 50 rounds, attack range 120 meters Strength: +5 Weight: 3.3 KG Blessing: Continuous Shooting, attack damage +10% during Continuous Shooting ... [Vanguard Bee Sting] (Quality: Green) Tier: 1 Type: Steel Dagger Base Parameters: Attack 15-25, attack speed 0.7 attacks/second, durability 300/300 Strength: +5 Length: 0.3 M Weight: 2 KG Blessing: Slaughter, critical hit damage +3% when using this weapon Usage Requirement: Level 5 ...
Both were good. Equip them!
I had enough Experience Points. Level up—level 9!
In an instant, my attack power soared to 31-80. That was already terrifying in the early stages of the game!
Noisy footsteps came from outside. If I lingered any longer, I would definitely be dead!
Without hesitation, I instantly activated Bio-Optical Invisibility!
"Shhh~~~"
The skin all over my body suddenly tightened and began turning transparent. The transparent substance spread across my entire body, enveloping my clothes and hair as well. In the blink of an eye, I vanished without a trace!
I swiftly rushed out of the room and headed straight for the eastern exit!
For a time, the countless guards charging into the corridor could only hear footsteps but could not see a figure.
"What is going on?!"
Someone directly opened fire.
A sharp pain came from my back as I was hit several times in a row. My health bar rapidly fell from 1,200 to over 840. If I got hit again, it would drop below 50%, which would be quite troublesome.
According to Star Abyss's settings, when a player's health fell below 30%, they would trigger the "Injured" state. Below 10%, they would trigger the "Severely Injured" state. This wasn't something a few health potions could fix. You had to go to a hospital or use rare items like medical nanobots to remove the injury state!
Eight chapters released on the first day. Hope everyone enjoys them!
Starting tomorrow, there will be three chapters per day during the new book period, updated at 12 a.m., 12 p.m., and 8 p.m.!