He stood in the center of the pristine water.
Lin Chen opened the system panel and examined the Anomaly's details.
[Anomaly: No. 1376.] [Name: Deep-Sea Nightmare] [What unknown mysteries lurk beneath the sea at night?] [Ever since the ancient white sails first unfurled, tales of the bizarre have never ceased.] [The Deep-Sea Nightmare was born at the boundary between fantasy and reality.] [When fresh flesh approaches, it manifests in a form humans can comprehend.] [With song as its lure and dreams as its summons, it leads humans into the eternal abyss.] [Flesh, ideals, and desires are all food it can devour.] [Until the endless tides recede, the Deep-Sea Nightmare remains immortal...]
"Well, damn. Immortal?"
"So even after being roasted into carbon particles by plasma flames, this thing can still come back?"
"Can't leave it alive. I'll just use Field Decomposition..."
After reading the description of the [Deep-Sea Nightmare],
Lin Chen felt an inexplicable hint of danger.
Besides, the [Portable Containment Device] could only hold one Anomaly at a time.
If he didn't exchange this thing for rewards, was he supposed to keep it around for the holidays?
"Anomaly No. 1376, Field Decomposition, activate!"
After he spoke softly,
the lantern in Lin Chen's hand erupted with dazzling green light once more.
Countless densely packed runes formed a spiraling storm.
They ground the grotesquely twisted sea beast into nothingness.
At the moment it vanished, the distant sound of the tide gave one final whisper.
Then everything fell utterly silent.
[Anomaly No. 3769, Deep-Sea Nightmare: Field Decomposition complete.] [Congratulations, host. You have received 3,000 Conquest Points.] [Additional reward, Talent: Intermediate Mental Resistance, has been integrated into the host's body.]
"That's quite a haul of Conquest Points this time. Three thousand! I can buy plenty with that."
"And this [Intermediate Mental Resistance] is a very useful talent, too."
Upon hearing the system's announcement,
Lin Chen felt pleasantly surprised. Conquest Points were the universal currency of the system shop.
Their purchasing power was fairly decent.
For instance, a single Space Marine cost just 50 Conquest Points.
With 3,000 Conquest Points, he could buy 60 Space Marines.
After the battle just now, Lin Chen's understanding of the Conqueror Legion soldiers' combat strength
had finally taken basic shape.
Even in the world of Honkai: Star Rail, the soldiers summoned by the system were unquestionably elite.
At the very least, they were many times stronger than the Security Department personnel aboard Herta Space Station.
His mind had been eroded by the [Deep-Sea Nightmare]'s black aura, and he had nearly lost control of his body.
That experience gave Lin Chen a greater appreciation for talents that resisted mental control.
When facing these indescribable, uncanny creatures,
losing his sanity completely would truly leave him like a fish on the chopping block.
Asta and Arlan were prime examples. Although they possessed considerable strength as Pathstriders,
they had still struggled to escape that deadly mental control.
After receiving the corresponding containment rewards,
Lin Chen was even more surprised to find that the system's announcements hadn't stopped.
[Congratulations, host. You have officially opened the Path of Conquest.] [Current tier: ??] [Exclusive Skill: None.] [Passive Talent: None.] [Traces: None.] [Eidolons unlocked: None.] [Exclusive Light Cone: None.] [Equipped Relics: None...]
"System? Is your display bugged?"
"Everything's blank? How the hell am I supposed to work with this?"
When he saw his personal information appear before him, with every corresponding field blank,
the smile on Lin Chen's face froze.
He had actually been pretty excited about becoming a Pathstrider.
After all, March 7th, Asta, and Arlan all possessed powers that could only be called miraculous.
But why had things turned out like this for him?
[Ding! Because the host is an utterly unique existence in the universe.] [Therefore, you do not need those cumbersome, inefficient enhancements.] [A Pathstrider's power comes from the blessings and gifts of an Aeon.] [On the Path of Conquest, no existence can grant the host an elevation in power.]
"This is fucking... you've got to be kidding me."
"System, don't tell me I'm already the Aeon of Conquest?"
[Judged in objective conceptual terms, the host's understanding is inaccurate and corresponds to only part of the facts.]
The system answered quickly, leaving Lin Chen unsure whether to laugh or cry.
The Aeon of Conquest? This?
It was undoubtedly the most absurd, ridiculous joke Lin Chen had ever heard in his life.
Right now, he was nothing more than an ordinary person.
Even a Pathstrider like March 7th could pin him to the floor and wipe it with him.
Lin Chen genuinely couldn't tell whether the system was glitching or completely deranged.
"System, if you aren't giving me anything, how exactly am I supposed to get stronger?"
A moment later, he rubbed his faintly throbbing temples.
Lin Chen decided to ask the system first.
After the dangerous battle he had just endured, he truly yearned for power.
In this world crawling with uncanny horrors, he was only an ordinary person.
Simply staying alive was already an urgent concern.
[Increase your influence on a world scale, and the host will receive generous rewards.] [The products sold in the system shop can also address any potential crisis.] [What the host should do now is continue building up your resources and foundations.] [Developing the Conqueror Legion is one shortcut to becoming stronger.]
Faced with the system's utterly unhelpful answer, Lin Chen chose silence.
Forget it... I'll just pretend none of this happened.
Whether he had stepped onto the Path of Conquest no longer mattered.
Right now, the only thing he could do
seemed to be increasing his influence in the world while grinding for Conquest Points.
He would focus on giving himself more lifesaving trump cards first.
[The Conqueror Legion has achieved victory in its first combat operation.] [The host has received: Fate's Departure Gift Pack (Unique).] [This gift pack contains randomly selected rewards. Would the host like to open it now?]
Just as Lin Chen was feeling disappointed and dispirited,
the system, which always seemed to favor delayed announcements, dangled another piece of bait.
"Open it..."
"Let's see what junk I get this time."
Despite his casual, indifferent words, Lin Chen no longer held the slightest expectation.
When it came to random draws, Lin Chen had always known exactly where he stood.
With his atrocious luck, he basically had to hit hard pity for anything he pulled.
This Fate's Departure Gift Pack would probably be no exception.
Space Marines ×6, or Space Marines ×12?
Knowing this system, the rewards will probably be something like that.
Soon, the enormous roulette wheel that appeared in Lin Chen's mind began spinning rapidly.
It moved so fast that he couldn't make out any of the rewards on it.
He could only vaguely glimpse what appeared to be blue, purple, and gold sections.
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