Chapter 364: Self-Detonation

Players who can enter the Steam Phantom dungeon are beings at the pinnacle of the Wasteland Realm, their strength and vision far surpassing those of ordinary level-max players.

Their power is sufficient to resist the effects of Abyssal erosion, allowing them to remain calm at all times and rarely make impulsive decisions.

Of course, exceptions exist among the insane.

Their mental calmness prevented the players from acting immediately after Zhu Li announced the start; instead, they carefully observed their surroundings.

Thirty-five players had arrived, but only five invitation letters were up for grabs.

Many would be eliminated, and the earlier one moved, the greater the chance of being eliminated.

The most important thing among players was to avoid falling into absolute chaos.

Being knocked out by an unknown-area skill, bewildered and resentful, was a scene everyone wished to avoid.

Players slowly moved, forming five small circles around the five invitation letters.

As the first player remotely seized an invitation letter and vanished instantly, the players in the square began fighting.

Aside from Wu Chang's main body, Wu Chang's True Self and the Bureau personnel stood atop the distant clock tower, gathering information on the players in the arena.

After a brief observation, he realized this final struggle was far more interesting than he had thought.

He discovered that the players appearing in the square were not merely leftovers who had failed to secure invitations earlier and came only to test their luck.

Among them were some with considerable strength, here merely to "fish" in the final struggle and showcase their power.

For instance, among those vying for the invitation letter closest to St. George's Cathedral, one player stood out remarkably.

He wore a massive, exaggerated saber at his waist and a black evening suit, as if attending a banquet rather than a brutal contest.

He paid no attention to the surrounding players, walking with elegant steps straight toward the invitation letter.

"Choosing this group proves your taste is unworthy of attending tonight's banquet," he remarked, mocking them as he reached for the invitation letter.

Meanwhile, battles had already erupted at the other four locations; the players near the saber-wielder, already eager to strike, could no longer tolerate his taunt.

A bald man in spiked leather armor and sunglasses instantly ignited flames and launched them at the saber-wielder's face.

"Whether I'm worthy or not, you'll have to—"

Before the bald man could finish his threat, he was flung backward, leaving a black trail on the stone ground until he finally slammed into the battle space's energy barrier.

Everyone turned to look at the flying bald man—his face bore a clear fist imprint, the force so immense it shattered his nasal bridge and caved in his entire face.

Fortunately, it was only superficial injury; the bald man scrambled to his feet and crawled out of the battle space on all fours.

Leaving this place meant he forfeited his chance in the final struggle for the invitation letter.

Before anyone could recover from the bald man's exit, the next moment, the other three males surrounding the invitation letter met the same fate—flung out by blows.

The saber-wielder picked up the invitation letter from the ground and smiled at the two female players who hadn't yet processed what had happened.

"I don't like fighting women, especially beautiful ones—it's too crude and ruins their beauty."

The two women hesitated slightly in their retreat, exhaling a sigh of relief; they were about to say, "I withdraw from this invitation letter contest," when they opened their mouths and could only emit "heh, heh" breaths.

Looking down, they saw crimson blood gushing from their necks—unbeknownst to them, the saber-wielder had already slashed their throats.

They hadn't even seen how he drew his blade.

Both immediately clamped their hands over their wounds; one drank a healing potion and then vanished in a streak of light.

The other, more cautious, feared a follow-up strike and immediately activated her escape-from-dungeon item.

"Incredibly fast blade," whispered Xiang Jianxing from the distant clock tower, unable to hide his astonishment.

As an expert in cold weapons himself, Xiang Jianxing couldn't help comparing his flying sword technique to the man's swordsmanship.

After mentally simulating the comparison, his face darkened.

"Within thirty meters, my sword is slower than his blade."

He could see the saber-wielder's strike—but he couldn't outpace it.

Wu Chang also observed the saber-wielder's performance and said:

"His speed isn't just from his swordsmanship—look closer. He just used a Root Force related to velocity."

Leng Shan nodded, ready to agree—but the word he was about to say turned into a "Huh?"

"You could see him use Root Force from here?"

Leng Shan doubted his ears—Root Force could only be sensed by those with Root Force who were close enough to each other, right?

Seeing Root Force from nearly a kilometer away—what kind of trick was this?

Wu Chang also looked puzzled and asked in return: "Isn't it natural that anyone who masters Root Force can see others' Root Force?"

Leng Shan shook his head. "I've never heard that claim. But I've heard another one—possibly related to your situation."

Wu Chang asked curiously: "What claim?"

Leng Shan's lips moved, then he shook his head. "Never mind. I didn't say anything."

Leng Shan had to exert tremendous effort to suppress the phrase: "Dogs can see what humans can't."

Wu Chang shrugged, guessing Leng Shan was about to spout some baseless "cheat" theory, so he didn't press further.

He truly wasn't cheating—if other players couldn't see Root Force, his ability might stem from two sources.

One: his Breaking Technique Eye. Two: his Insight value. Either way, both were legitimate game mechanics—clean and legitimate.

After a pause, Leng Shan resumed the topic Wu Chang had interrupted.

"The man with the saber is called Phantom—the strongest player of the Evolution Committee, at least on paper."

Xiang Jianxing suddenly understood: "The Phantom ranked fifth on the Combat Power List?"

Ranked fifth on the Combat Power List—no wonder his fighting in an S-rank dungeon felt like fishing.

Leng Shan nodded in confirmation, glancing at Xiang Jianxing—actually explaining to Wu Chang:

"Players ranked in the top fifteen on the Combat Power List are called Ranked Players. The threshold for Ranked Players is mastering Root Force."

"Phantom's Root Force is localized control over speed—combined with his class, Blade Dancer, it makes his blade movements astonishingly fast. He's one of the most troublesome figures in the Wasteland Realm."

"The best way to fight Phantom is to attack him from outside his Root Force range using non-projectile skills—like curses or psychic shocks."

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow; to be honest, he'd never paid attention to the Combat Rank List.

The Combat Rank List was a ranking generated by the Abyss Game's algorithm, converting players' combat power into numerical values.

Excluding the small number of high-score, low-ability cases and outliers like Wu Chang, who started with 50 Inspiration and 30 Willpower, the Combat Rank List was remarkably accurate in estimating player ability.

He vaguely remembered that when he first completed a dungeon, the Abyss Game had popped up a prompt asking if he wanted to make his combat value public—he'd chosen to decline, so he wasn't on the list.

Many players who didn't want their true strength exposed, like the Painter, also chose not to publish their combat values.

But the Four Organizations were different; they needed top-player statistics to demonstrate their dominance, so they selected certain top players to appear on the list.

Wu Chang asked Leng Shan: "I never paid much attention to the Combat Rank List—where do you and Xiang Jianxing rank?"

Leng Shan said: "Because there are too many strong players hiding like you, my ranking looks better—I'm currently number two on the Combat Rank List."

Wu Chang clapped and said: "My apologies, my apologies—I didn't realize I was speaking to the number-two powerhouse."

Leng Shan looked exasperated, ignored Wu Chang's reaction, and continued:

"Xiang Jianxing possesses an extremely powerful class transformation that touches upon Root Power, but he hasn't reached level cap yet—there's still huge room for growth; he's currently ranked forty-ninth."

Wu Chang stared at Xiang Jianxing in surprise—he'd first seen this kid with Willpower on the verge of collapse, a weakling who couldn't even clear a C-rank dungeon without calling for help.

And now, he's already in the top fifty.

They say there's always someone better above you, and heavens beyond heavens—but now it seemed the Wasteland Realm's players weren't quite as numerous in talent as claimed.

Either too many players were hiding their true strength, or everyone's combat values really were just that low.

Wu Chang turned his gaze back to the square, focusing on the struggle for the invitation letters.

Many players, sharing the Phantom's idea, hoped to show off their strength by "fishing" and attract the attention of various factions—but only the Phantom pulled it off well.

Other players who came to "fish" usually ran into rivals, got locked in fierce battles, and became just another part of the pond, making the Phantom's dominance even more obvious.

There was no second player in the square at the Phantom's level, but Wu Chang spotted several familiar faces among the players.

The first to catch his eye were Buk from Bai Ta and Veronika from the Evolution Committee.

Two months ago, their strength wouldn't have been enough to enter an S-rank dungeon—even if they'd drawn the worst luck, they couldn't have gotten in.

The Song Saint Company and Bad Luck had been paired with Wu Chang in two consecutive dungeons, allowing them to ride his coattails and gain substantial benefits, greatly boosting their power and climbing into the top five hundred combat values—only then did they qualify for the S-rank dungeon.

But they were merely able to enter; among all players, they were still at the very bottom.

Yet their goal was clear: they weren't focused on fighting, but on observing the players who had already obtained invitation letters in front of Saint George's Church, and the other players in the square.

Wu Chang realized—they were here to confirm whether he'd entered the dungeon, clearly tagging along for a free ride.

He sighed; if even Xiang Jianxing could rank in the top fifty, he no longer cared much about other players' combat values.

Compared to powerful but unknown players like the Phantom, he preferred teaming up with weaklings he knew well.

After all, they were just assistants—their roles were clear, and they never complained.

Colton, who often teamed up with Buk in the "tag-along trio," wasn't present.

Probably Colton's strength leaned toward tech-based abilities; this dungeon, Steam Phantom, lacked electricity and still operated on steam engines—it wasn't suited to his skills, so the Abyss Game hadn't selected him.

Understanding the reason, Wu Chang wrinkled his nose, a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes.

The Abyss Game was genuinely considerate toward all other players—focused on difficulty balance, full of human touch.

But with him, it went out of its way to be cruel, and now it didn't even pretend anymore.

Fighting for invitation letters only determined one's status within a faction and whether one received more privileges—not obtaining one didn't mean failing the dungeon.

That's why players kept their competition restrained; unless the atmosphere demanded a full-out brawl, most didn't unleash their ultimate class skills here.

It was 11:30—the battles in the square were nearing their end.

Five invitation letters had been issued; four had already been snatched.

Aside from the Phantom, whose power gap was too great—he simply walked over and sat in the chair zone, with no one daring to stop him—the other three players guarding the remaining letters were alert, watching the crowd to prevent anyone from stealing their letters before the deadline.

Thirty-five players had arrived; nine had withdrawn, leaving twenty-six in the square.

Altogether, except for the entire Unlucky group around the Phantom, only two players from the other four groups had been eliminated early.

No wonder "fishing" made people hate you.

As the invitation letter struggle neared its end, players who had lost hope gradually gathered, becoming spectators, waiting to witness who would claim the final letter.

Just as all players focused on the final battle, a nondescript figure in the crowd emitted a faint click.

The tiny clicks were drowned out by the sounds of clashing skills—no one noticed.

Except Wu Chang.

Both his body and his True Self noticed at once—the transcendental who had been knocked down early and abandoned the fight for the invitation letter was now emitting mist-like Root Power.

This Root Power originated from the same source as the Root Power of the Steam Phantom realm.

True Self pointed at the anomaly and asked Leng Shan:

"That guy—is he one of the ranked players you mentioned?"

Leng Shan glanced at the anomaly, studied him for a moment, then shook his head: "I've never seen him before. Why ask that?"

Wu Chang said: "I saw Root Power on him—the current realm's Root Power."

As if to confirm what he'd seen, the clicking sounds from the anomaly grew louder, loud enough for nearby players to notice.

Then steam began pouring from the anomaly's seven orifices; his body turned red and began glowing.

In Saint George Square, whether players still fighting or those seated with invitation letters, all paused what they were doing and turned their gaze toward the anomaly.

A massive, undeniable energy was rapidly gathering inside him.

He had become a giant bomb, ready to detonate at any moment.

"Fuck, are you insane?!"

A player dressed as a mage beside the anomaly acted first—his staff glowed, forming a blade of light that stabbed straight at the anomaly.

But the light blade, upon touching the steam the anomaly emitted, melted instantly like butter on a hot pan.

The staff, now powerless, poked the anomaly—not only did it fail to move him, it made him glow redder and spew even more steam.

The mage refused to believe it, determined to try again with more force, but before he could unleash a stronger skill, a punch from a player beside him landed square on his face.

"You're the crazy one! We're this close — if you make him blow up, we'll be the first to die!"

The mage finally caught on, a look of lingering fear flashing in his eyes. Mimicking the other players, he layered defensive skills on himself while edging toward the rim of the plaza.

Wooo~

A colossal steam-whistle blast erupted from within the Aberrant. Sensing that the players meant to flee, it released a massive surge of steam that in an instant swallowed the entire St. George Plaza, St. George Cathedral and all.

The players discovered that their abilities failed inside the fog; only a handful — like Buck with his motorcycle power — could still use theirs normally.

Worse still, as some players tried to escape, the Aberrant's self-destruct countdown kept accelerating, the power inside its body surging wildly.

It was as if the players' fear fed it extra strength.

"Don't run!"

Just as they were shouting for the players at the plaza's edge to stop, the Aberrant's entire body transformed into a red orb of light, on the verge of detonating.

The power now积蓄 within it was enough to make even Zhu Li and Phantom's hearts skip a beat.

Just as they were about to move to stop it, a figure materialized out of thin air before the Aberrant. Ignoring the surging steam, he slammed it to the ground with an elbow strike, buying a brief pause in its self-destruct.

Immediately after, a great hole burst open in the Aberrant's chest. The power积蓄 within it, as if finding an outlet, poured out as thick steam through the breach, blinding everyone's line of sight.

The one who struck was naturally Wu Chang. He had used Teleport to appear before the Aberrant, first breaking its casting with a Mamba Iron Elbow, then — guided by the All-Knowing Crystal — used space distortion compressed to its absolute limit to neutralize the source of the steam while simultaneously punching through the detonation device inside the Aberrant's body.

Unfortunately, to keep the other players from being on guard, his Mamba Iron Elbow had to be used covertly, without a shout — and that left him feeling, at the moment of impact, as though something were missing.

He pressed his hand against the Aberrant's head. What met his palm was not the feel of flesh and blood, but more like steel wrapped in a layer of human skin.

As the Aberrant finally stopped struggling, a line of information surfaced before his eyes.

"Item Name: Self-Destruct Steam Modified Human" (King's Badge unlocked)

"Item Type: Special"

"Item Description: A special product made from a Transcendent as raw material, processed through a special technique in which steel replaces most of the bones, flesh, and organs. The Steam Modified Human retains part of its living combat awareness; upon receiving the order, it will self-destruct."

"Note: This Self-Destruct Steam Modified Human was manufactured by a Frankenstein-class Transcendent Machine-Tool. The Frankenstein-class Transcendent Machine-Tool is a fusion of Steam Rules and occultism, capable of跨越 the distance between life and machinery — the masterwork of the Sterling Machine-Tool, a dazzling jewel upon the crown of industry."

(End of Chapter)