"Damn it, I refuse to believe this could happen! This is just a Stellar Core level arena—it's impossible for the aura of a highest-level Apostle to appear! This must be fake!"
Dilu forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart. After his roar, his seaweed-like hair stood on end.
His entire body became enveloped in seeds of flame.
"Die! Imposter! May the Ember God bless my body!"
He brandished his long mace, leaped into the air, and came crashing down like a meteor.
The headless goblin apostle transformed by Gluttony showed no intention of dodging.
It raised the long-handled hammer to its side, its robust body's muscles tensing.
Dilu found himself locked by pure malice.
His burning body felt a piercing, bone-chilling cold.
He seemed to hear something cawing.
He absolutely couldn't block this hammer strike! And! He would die!!!
"No, no! This isn't real! No, is this real? He's a genuine first-level Apostle?! I need to escape, I need to escape!"
But how, exactly, could he escape?
The long-handled warhammer kept growing larger, and larger!
Then, it swung upward!
Thump—
Like a home run in baseball, a crisp sound echoed through the noisy arena.
Dilu, Apostle of the Ember God, couldn't withstand this single blow.
Splash~ Shattered bones mixed with red flesh and blood scattered across the ground.
"Urgh... urgh.."
Not completely dead yet?
"As expected of an Apostle. Even after losing most of his body below the neck and above the waist, he can still retain a sliver of consciousness."
Well then...
The headless goblin apostle walked closer.
It raised the warhammer overhead.
It grew larger again!
"Can you withstand another hit?"
Boom—!!!
An ear-splitting explosive sound tore through the sky.
Thick dust clouds enveloped that patch of land.
Ye Qiyan covered his mouth and nose, waving his hand.
He used the Storm Eye Stone to summon a small storm barrier to disperse the dust.
The headless goblin apostle gradually dissolved, reverting to the ugly-yet-cute form of the Gluttony Slime.
It wriggled its body and began eating the completely unrecognizable fragments scattered on the ground.
The demon raven that had been circling overhead also descended, stealthily snatching away a piece of flesh when the Gluttony Demon wasn't paying attention.
Beep—!
Cheers! Acclamation!
A massive wave of sound surged through the arena.
On the high screen above, Ye Qiyan's consecutive win count reached eight victories.
The guide girl on his side stared at him dumbfounded, while across the arena, Dilu's male guide wore a pained, bitter smile.
He looked enviously at the girl, then turned his longing gaze toward Ye Qiyan.
"I really envy you... to actually encounter someone like this..."
He shook his head, turned around, and walked away dejectedly.
Inside the arena.
Ye Qiyan leisurely ate White Forest Fruit.
Looking at the guide who hadn't left yet, he asked with a chuckle:
"Tomorrow's coordinates? Not planning to give them to me?"
The guide opened her mouth, then closed it, as if having made some kind of resolution.
"You... are very strong. I'd like to ask you to help me with something. I want to retrieve my own soul."
Ye Qiyan swallowed the fruit pulp in his mouth, not surprised that she would say such a thing.
He remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
"The guides' souls are controlled by Lady Eris, the Nether King. To retrieve our souls, we must guide a competitor all the way up from Stellar Core level until they achieve twelve consecutive victories in a Solar Corona level arena. That means from Stellar Core to Solar Corona, you need at least thirty-six consecutive wins."
"You think I can do it?"
The guide nodded repeatedly.
"Wasteland travelers—people like you from the wasteland are the most likely to accomplish this! The most recent time was six months ago, when someone like you achieved thirty-six consecutive wins, allowing a guide to retrieve their soul. That's why I appeared at your train door."
So that's how it is.
No wonder in previous matches, those monsters didn't have guides following them.
It seems they don't follow just anyone.
"Why should I help you? Thirty-six consecutive wins sounds pretty troublesome no matter how you look at it."
"Solar Corona level—when you reach the Solar Corona level arena, I have an item stored there that, according to you wasteland travelers' terminology, is a level 12 artifact! If you're willing, I'll..."
"Stop right there."
Ye Qiyan waved his hand.
"Don't bother painting such grand pictures. You said it yourself—it has to reach Solar Corona level. I don't have that much time to waste here. Or let me put it another way—why should I help you right now?"
The guide bit her lip, seeming to struggle with something.
After a long while, she made her decision.
She took out a small pouch from her person and retrieved a constantly rotating gear mechanism from it.
"This item is half of that level 12 artifact..."
Lisette stepped forward and took it in her hand.
The moment she made contact.
The system's appraisal light screen appeared before Ye Qiyan's eyes.
[Overdrive·Divine Mechanism Gear (1/2) (Level 12)]
[When complete, can be installed in any mechanical life construct of level 11 or higher]
[Can reconstruct and enhance the blueprint for that construct, using this gear as the core to perform an Overdrive Ascension for the installed mechanical construct]
The moment Ye Qiyan saw this artifact, a flash of delight appeared in his eyes.
Finally!
He had finally encountered a strengthening artifact worthy of being equipped on the Hunt-Patrol Mech-Dragon.
Although the enhancement items he'd encountered before were decent, he always felt they weren't worthy of being used on Hunt-Patrol.
It was special!
So it deserved the very best!
Without a doubt, this gear device.
Was worthy of the Hunt-Patrol Mech-Dragon.
As for Hunt-Patrol only being level 10 and not yet able to use this enhancement item?
Don't forget his talent.
Hunt-Patrol hadn't undergone Sublimation not because it couldn't.
But because Ye Qiyan wasn't powerful enough yet.
That was all.
Ye Qiyan didn't show his interest in this enhancement item. Instead, he casually tossed it in his hand a few times and shook his head indifferently.
"Just half? Can't use it now anyway. Seems... pretty useless."
Even as he said this, he had absolutely no intention of returning the item to the guide girl.
"Then, then what should I do?"
"What I mean is, you need to add more to the offer~"
"......"
When Ye Qiyan saw the five hundred Train Coins contained in the pouch in his hand, he suppressed his completely unrestrainable smile, cleared his throat lightly.
"I'll try my best to help you retrieve your soul. However, I probably can't enter the Lunar Heart and Solar Corona level arenas yet, so..."
The guide girl shook her head.
"It's fine. Ten years—I can wait up to ten years. You are a wasteland traveler, compared to us beings trapped in these arenas, you have so much more time and so many more opportunities to grow."
"Ten years. Please, within these ten years, become the hero who can save me. I beg you. Of course, I mean ten years in your wasteland time. According to what some travelers I've met before said, time in Stellar Core level arenas flows at a two-to-one ratio compared to the wasteland. I will wait here for twenty years, without leaving this place even once."
She spoke these words.
Seemingly having placed all her bets on Ye Qiyan.
"Aren't you afraid I won't come back?"
She wasn't a Train Conductor~ she had no system protection~ Ye Qiyan could simply take the items and never return to this arena.
The guide girl nodded.
"I am afraid, but... I don't have time to experiment anymore. My soul has at most twenty years left before it completely fades away. So, whether you're willing to complete this transaction or not, this is my only chance."
How unfair~
Train Conductors with trains never need to make such desperate gambles.
The train system's favor always ensures they get relatively fair transactions~
While natives, cannot.
"Ten years~"
Ye Qiyan let out a soft laugh.
"It won't take that long."
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