Steam Mechanical Power Arm (Seeking Recommendation Tickets)

"Piscis isn't a potion master? What's he doing with this mechanical arm?"

Rein took out the mechanical arm, fastened the complex leather buckles, and mounted it onto his right arm.

This type of external mechanical exoskeleton was a specialty of the Oma Empire and essential equipment for the vast majority of strength-based transcendents. For lower-tier transcendents, such equipment offered a significant boost to combat power.

However, this single-soldier steam technology was also incredibly expensive; the more refined it was, the higher the price.

"It looks like a gauntlet-style mechanical arm for the Fighter sequence."

Rein wore the mechanical arm and moved it slightly.

Even without activating the steam boiler, he could clearly feel the significant increase in grip strength. The hydraulic transmission system slowed down the speed of exertion but multiplied his grip force.

He became increasingly curious and ignited the miniature steam boiler.

The boiler's noise was very low, and the vibration was almost negligible.

Clearly, this was a mechanical arm with extremely high technological advancement.

Otherwise, Piscis wouldn't have kept it in his collection.

"Whoa, how is this so powerful?"

The moment the steam power was transmitted, Rein's eyes lit up. The sluggishness in his finger movements vanished instantly.

The miniature steam boiler provided all the kinetic energy needed for the entire mechanical arm. With a slight exertion from his arm, it could amplify his strength manifold.

After a moment's thought, he picked up a stone from the ground and crushed it into powder with a "bang" with a gentle squeeze.

"The grip strength has increased at least fivefold. This mechanical arm is too strong!"

The more Rein tested it, the more amazed he became. He then looked at the instruction manual included in the box.

He discovered that the mechanical arm's gauntlet had a charging valve that, after charging for 3-5 seconds, could unleash a "Second Stage Air Hammer" with a punching force of 700-1300 pounds!

Furthermore, the sturdy external mechanical exoskeleton could easily block sword cuts, making it a well-rounded offensive and defensive piece of equipment.

Upon closer inspection, inscriptions were carved onto the mechanical arm: "Maltz James, Marquis of Crescent Moon."

"Tsk, tsk. It looks like a rare custom piece from some noble lord."

Rein found himself increasingly fond of it, and it had come to him for a good price.

The mechanical arm's only drawback was probably its weight.

He felt its total weight was definitely over one hundred kilograms.

This was heavy equipment only qualified for strength-sequence transcendents to use.

However, the massive strength boost provided by the [Corpse Stitcher] potion gave Rein strength comparable to any first-tier fighter.

Although it was still a bit strenuous to use now, once the potion's effects were fully digested, the weight would be just right.

Equipped with this mechanical arm, he felt his combat power could increase by at least fifty percent!

"Huh?"

Just as Rein was growing more pleased with the mechanical arm, his ear twitched. He suddenly heard a "rustling" sound.

In the darkness... something was approaching!

Firelight could drive away most nocturnal beasts, but it could also pique the curiosity of certain creatures.

For example, the omnivorous "Canine Rabbit"!

These ferocious rabbits, with the adorably clumsy demeanor of a roe deer, wouldn't flee from firelight. Instead, they would curiously approach to investigate.

Then, they saw a human.

Oh... what a delicious meal!

"Damn it! My luck. I shouldn't have expected to get a good night's sleep in the wasteland."

Rein's eyes twitched as he looked into the darkness not far away, where three pairs of eerily red rabbit eyes suddenly lit up.

He hadn't forgotten that on his first day after transmigrating, he had almost died in the jaws of these calf-sized rabbits.

The most numerous beasts in this wasteland were these ferocious rabbits!

The three Canine Rabbits, two large and one small, looked like a family. Seeing the human, the red glow in their eyes intensified, and they charged forward with their sharp canine teeth bared, ready to tear him apart!

Adult Canine Rabbits had low intelligence, but their bite force could easily crush a human skull. They were ferocious beasts that posed a fatal threat even to transcendents.

And there were three of them!

In the blink of an eye, they had pounced.

"Damn it!"

Rein instinctively wanted to dodge the attack with his rogue's agility. But the sudden addition of over two hundred pounds of mechanical arm made his normally nimble body lurch violently.

In that momentary lag, the male Canine Rabbit ferociously lunged at him.

The man and the rabbit were less than half a meter apart. Rein could even clearly smell the foul breath emanating from the rabbit's open mouth.

In the critical moment, he unhesitatingly raised the mechanical arm, thrusting it directly into the male Canine Rabbit's mouth.

With a "crack," the Canine Rabbit tried to bite Rein's arm off.

The mouth didn't bite down, but instead felt like it hit something hard, breaking off several sharp teeth. It yelped in pain.

"Huh!"

Rein's heart leaped with joy. The mechanical equipment collected by that old geezer Piscis was indeed good stuff; it actually blocked the Canine Rabbit's most fatal biting attack!

Without hesitation, while blocking, he swung his left hand holding the scalpel.

Unfortunately, the Canine Rabbit's fur was exceptionally tough and thick, like soft armor that absorbed most of the force.

This cut only managed to slice through a bit of fur, dealing no fatal damage to it at all.

Just then, the other two Canine Rabbits lunged in to bite!

This time, Rein didn't dodge. Instead, he thrust his fist directly into the throat of the female Canine Rabbit.

The Canine Rabbit also tried to clamp its mouth shut, but its teeth, capable of easily crushing granite, were no match for the alloy mechanical arm.

Seeing this, Rein showed no mercy. He directly grabbed its throat with a fierce grip. The immense strength augmented by the mechanical arm allowed him to easily tear out a chunk of bloody soft tissue.

Then, he swiftly plunged the scalpel into the eye of the other small Canine Rabbit beside him, causing blood to gush out.

In an instant, the female rabbit, whose throat had been crushed, bled profusely from its mouth. As if choking on water, it staggered back a few steps and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

This ferocious beast had choked to death on its own frothy blood!

"This mechanical arm is too powerful in actual combat!"

Rein's eyes lit up as he watched the Canine Rabbit fall.

Without this mechanical arm, facing three Canine Rabbits simultaneously, even with his max-level rogue skills, he would have had to flee ignominiously!

This was because creatures with tough hides like these were fine if you slashed them once, but a light bite from them was fatal. To kill one, Rein's current strength would require at least a hundred slashes.

Could he guarantee he wouldn't get bitten even once? Let alone by three of them!

Wasteland magical beasts, even the lowest-tier ones, were not to be trifled with.

But now, he had actually easily taken down one of them?!

"Might makes miracles. This path is the great highway!"

Rein felt incredibly excited, suddenly developing a liking for this brute-force, overwhelming combat style.

Rogue skills were useless against these magical beasts, but sheer strength could crush them!

With one female Canine Rabbit dead and one small Canine Rabbit blinded, the male Canine Rabbit, ignoring its aching teeth, charged again!

"Let's try that function!"

Rein ignored his arm, which was flowing with blood, and pulled the charging device on the mechanical gauntlet.

He dodged the male Canine Rabbit's pounce. The charge had reached three seconds, and then he turned and punched directly into the male Canine Rabbit's head!

The miniature steam boiler on the mechanical arm whirred. The pressure that had been building up found an outlet and erupted with a roar.

"Second Stage Air Hammer"!

This was the mechanical arm's strongest killing move. A charged strike, the immense steam pressure and the indestructible fist slammed heavily onto the male Canine Rabbit's head.

With a "crack" of bone breaking, this Canine Rabbit, as strong as a brown bear, was actually knocked unconscious.

"Took down another one!"

Rein's heart rejoiced.

Defeating two adult Canine Rabbits in succession greatly boosted his confidence.

He glanced at the undamaged steam mechanical arm, then at the small Canine Rabbit with its blinded eye not far away, and the corners of his mouth turned up in an increasingly confident smile.

A few minutes later, the carcasses of the two large and one small Canine Rabbit lay beside the campfire.

"Families should stick together."

Rein slowly exhaled, looking at the rabbit carcasses and the blazing campfire. A thought popped into his head: If only there was cumin in this world.

Although he had encountered a bit of danger, encountering Canine Rabbits in the wasteland wasn't entirely a bad thing.

Since these cunning, small magical beasts were active nearby, it meant there wouldn't be any other large predatory magical beasts.

However, Rein didn't dare to roast meat in the wilderness. The smell of meat would travel over ten kilometers, likely attracting more terrifying creatures from the darkness.

He buried the bloodstains and planned to sleep with the Canine Rabbit carcasses as his pillow.

During the night in the Ice Ridge Wasteland, the temperature would drop below freezing. These three still-warm magical beast carcasses were the best bed warmers.

But not long after he finished tidying up, Rein's ears twitched slightly, and he immediately became alert.

"Normally," there wouldn't be other magical beasts near a Canine Rabbit's den.

But Rein felt that with his bad luck aura, he probably always encountered the "normal circumstances" outside of the probability.

"It can't be this unlucky..."

Rein couldn't help but complain silently.

But his reaction was swift. He immediately drew his weapon, watching the direction of the sound with full alertness.

"Light footsteps, alternating feet... Could it be some kind of small magical beast that walks upright on two legs? What could it be..."

Rein carefully sensed, extracting much useful information from the "commotion."

The footsteps were lighter than those of a Canine Rabbit, at least not belonging to a behemoth. This distinction prevented him from turning and fleeing immediately.

The next moment, the shadow passed through the mist and entered the range of the firelight.

"Human?"

Rein squinted, greatly surprised.

The beast he had expected turned out to be a person!

And not just any person, but a woman covered in blood?

PS. You might guess, aside from the author's omniscient perspective, it's mostly because the author wanted a significant character's appearance to have a cause and effect, and the foreshadowing was sufficient. Xiu'er, please sit down; there are indeed minor flaws in the handling. If you dislike it, you can skip chapter thirty-three.

Begging for recommendation votes with all my might~ Votes are very important for a new book, I implore you all.