"Atom is just throwing them around..."
Everyone realized just how strong this Sentinel was...
Another Digger came flying out of the poisonous fog with its massive body tumbling through the air before crashing into the ground...
Boom!
It slid several meters across the dirt, leaving a deep trail behind it, and then finally stopped moving.
After that, there was nothing.
The battlefield fell strangely quiet.
The poisonous fog still covered the area, but the sounds of the Diggers had disappeared. There were no more drills grinding against metal, no more mechanical engines running beneath the earth, and no more impacts against the Advanced Barrier.
Victor smiled as he activated his eye’s ability again.
He carefully scanned through the thick fog, searching for any remaining signs of movement.
A few seconds later, his expression relaxed.
"All of them are down."
"You’re certain?" Wallace asked
Victor nodded.
"Every Digger has been destroyed."
Only then did the soldiers on the walls finally lower their weapons.
Dozens of B-Grade machines had appeared beneath their shelter, and for a brief moment, it had seemed as though they had discovered a method of destroying the Codebreakers’ strongest defense.
Yet none of them had managed to survive.
Atom had simply walked into the poison and destroyed every last one.
"The poison is still affecting the barrier," one of the operators suddenly reported. "But the corrosion has stopped spreading."
Althea looked toward the battlefield.
"Then keep monitoring it. Once the concentration drops, send the cleanup team."
"Understood."
Not long after, the dark green fog began to thin as the wind carried it away from the shelter. The wreckage of the Diggers gradually became visible again, scattered across the battlefield like discarded pieces of metal.
Then a black figure emerged from the remaining mist.
Atom walked back toward the shelter.
There wasn’t a scratch on its Aetherium armor.
Althea watched as it approached the gates and smiled...
She wanted to pat Atom’s shoulder but realized that there were still corrosive matter on its body...
"You need to wash up for a bit..."
She then turned to Wallace and shouted.
"Wallace, can you wash Atom? There’s still some poison residue or something on its body."
"Got it!"
Just like that, the immediate crisis was over, but she didn’t allow herself to relax completely.
Her thoughts returned to the strange machine that had appeared earlier.
The Nightmare Unit had discovered their shelter despite Claire’s illusion. Only a few minutes later, the Diggers had emerged from underground.
"Increase the surveillance range," she ordered. "I want every unusual movement around the shelter reported immediately. That Nightmare Unit must be eliminated."
The operators acknowledged the order, as they swiftly arranged a few people to watch over...
But as Althea looked beyond the ruined battlefield toward the distant wilderness, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this attack had been more than a simple raid.
Something had found them.
And sooner or later, she suspected that something would come back.
***
In the meantime, Kai became almost completely absorbed in Perfect World.
Although he had originally entered the virtual world to search for clues regarding the Divine Gene, he had never forgotten the other reason he was here.
His breakthrough.
In the real world, Kai had already reached Level 39 and accumulated enough experience to reach the maximum limit of the level. However, the system had made it clear that he could not advance any further until he completed the special requirements of his breakthrough quest.
[ Quest: Forge Your Legacy ]
[ Requirement 1: Strengthen your foundation further. ]
[ Progress: 8/8 ]
[ Requirement 2: Possess at least 5 Fused Gene Skills created through Skill Fusion. ]
[Progress: 5/5 ]
[ Requirement 3: Consume a Soul Enhancement Serum to unlock higher compatibility with advanced systems. ]
[ Progress: 0/1 ]
Kai stared at the final requirement for several seconds.
Everything else had already been completed.
Over the past several weeks, he had deliberately strengthened his Gene Skills and created additional fused abilities, gradually pushing himself toward the requirement that had once seemed distant.
Only the Soul Enhancement Serum remained.
Fortunately, even that problem had already been solved.
He had already spent 20,000 Credit Points to purchase it and Cornelio Aries had finally fulfilled his side of the transaction.
The Soul Enhancement Serum had been handed over through Farrah, allowing Kai to finally obtain the item he had been waiting for.
Soon, Kai looked at the small transparent vial in his hand.
The liquid inside was strangely clear, almost colorless, yet there seemed to be something moving beneath its surface whenever he tilted the container.
Kai carefully examined it using his Appraisal.
[ You have discovered Soul Enhancement Serum ]
[ Grade: Special ]
[ Description: A rare serum capable of enhancing the compatibility between a living soul and advanced evolutionary systems.
Effect: Upon consumption, the Soul Enhancement Serum will strengthen the user’s soul and establish the foundation required for higher-level evolutionary progression. ]
[ System Compatibility: Increased ]
[ Soul Compatibility: Increased ]
[ Advanced System Access: Unlocked ]
[ Warning:
The enhancement process will directly affect the user’s soul.
Individuals with insufficient Soul Resistance may experience severe mental strain, soul instability, temporary loss of consciousness, or other unforeseen complications during the enhancement process.
The effects of Soul Enhancement cannot be completely reversed once the process begins. ]
[ Special Requirement Detected ]
The user has fulfilled all other requirements for the Level 39 Breakthrough Quest.
Consumption of this item will fulfill the remaining requirement.
[ Level 39 → Level 40 Breakthrough: Available ]
"Incredible..."
Unlike ordinary Gene Stimulants, there was no familiar information describing simple physical enhancement. The Soul Enhancement Serum affected something much deeper.
It was meant to improve compatibility with advanced systems.
That alone made Kai cautious.
Anything capable of affecting the soul was unlikely to be completely harmless.
For a brief moment, he considered putting it away and waiting until he had gathered more information.
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
There was no point in obtaining the serum if he was too afraid to use it.
More importantly, he had already reached the limit of what Level 39 could provide.
His experience was capped and his breakthrough requirements were complete.
The only thing standing between him and the next stage was this final step.
Kai slowly uncorked the vial.
"If there’s a problem, I’ll deal with it."
He raised the serum to his lips and drank it...
Soon, the liquid entered his body and for several seconds, nothing happened.
Kai frowned.
Then his expression suddenly changed.
A strange sensation spread through his body.
It wasn’t pain... at least, not yet.
It felt as though something had suddenly entered the deepest part of his consciousness and begun searching through it.
His vision blurred as the room around him seemed to disappear for an instant, replaced by countless unfamiliar images.
Kai’s breathing became heavier.
The Soul Enhancement Serum wasn’t simply strengthening his body... it was changing something within him.
His spiritual energy began fluctuating violently, while the system interface in front of him blinked a few times...
[ Warning: Soul compatibility adjustment detected. ]
[ Warning: The process cannot be interrupted. ]
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