Chapter Forty-One: Thirteen

"Good heavens! Just how high is Ember's Strength? Isn't his starter talent Willpower Enhancement? How has he never lost a contest of raw power?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Didn't you see him drink a Berserker Potion? That’s the kind of high-end loot you can't buy with money—it only drops from high-difficulty, high-rating assessment settlements! I once caught a glimpse of one and was dying of envy, but I gritted my teeth and chose the Evolution Reagent instead. If I’d known the effects were this explosive, I would’ve picked it. Maybe I could have made a name for myself. I regret it so much!"

"Heh, at the end of the day, the one who should regret it most is the lackey who had the 'Sweep Through Thousands' skill. He finally got his hands on a trump card, only to end up handing it to Ember on a silver platter. I wonder what he’ll think when he watches the stream?"

"Hahahaha!"

"Shut it! Do you want a taste of my blade?"

"Ooh! Look at the ID, it seems the man himself is here! Why don't you share your regrets with us?"

"Get lost! I’ll settle this score sooner or later!"

The discussion group was in total chaos, while the aftermath of the charge continued to unfold. Even Ember hadn't expected his Super Armor charge to trigger such a chain reaction. The Scavenger player, desperate to escape, ultimately failed; a mere bump against his side sent him flying like a kite with a snapped string, crashing directly into the crowd. This earned Ember a long string of damage notifications and two system broadcasts.

[Broadcast: Foundation reserve employee "D1106" has killed Scavenger reserve member "X912"!]

[Broadcast: Foundation reserve employee "D1106" has killed University reserve cadet "U334"!]

The former was a member of Nine Divinations who failed to escape, while the latter was a University player traded to Water-in-the-Water by Withered Vine Old Tree. Because their Strength stats were generally three to four times lower than Ember's thirteen, the collision effects stacked; the lucky ones were left critically wounded, while the unlucky ones were eliminated. Water-in-the-Water, standing in the crowd, was nearly caught in the blast, only narrowly escaping by ruthlessly using her last Flame Badge to trigger a Golden Body for protection.

*Ding!*

The sound effect of the Solar Golden Body, heard now by Water-in-the-Water, was incredibly grating. Had she not reacted quickly enough to activate it, there was a high probability that she and her team would have been wiped out by Ember and Cup-of-Wine-Gradually-Thick in less than five seconds!

Indeed, aside from the newcomer Bitter Wind and Rain, Water-in-the-Water was now the only one left in her squad. Though several figures stood or lay nearby, they were all University players following Withered Vine Old Tree. Including the guide, Huashan Yue Buqun, she had sent out four players, planning to wipe out Ember’s trio while they were under the effects of the Stun Potion. Yet, something had gone wrong, nearly leading to the total annihilation of her own squad.

Could someone tell me what the hell just happened?

A few seconds ago, wasn't the decapitation strike proceeding normally?

Cup-of-Wine-Gradually-Thick had fallen for the trap, forcing Withered Vine Old Tree to intervene, while Ember and his group were left controlled and waiting for death. Following that script, she could not only strike a devastating blow to Ember but also vent her frustrations on behalf of her boyfriend, Moon-Illuminating-Water!

If Withered Vine Old Tree and Cup-of-Wine-Gradually-Thick destroyed each other, she could have seized the chance to swallow up the remaining University players and Withered Vine Old Tree’s territory. The relationship between those University players and Withered Vine Old Tree was limited only to their membership in the same organization; Water-in-the-Water was confident that with her methods, winning them over would be no challenge.

In fact, the three University players who had joined the squad shortly before had already vaguely sensed her true intentions. However, they kept their heads down and remained silent, harboring thoughts of officially joining her team. Withered Vine Old Tree was strong, yes, but he wasn't a competent leader; otherwise, his guild, "Heavenly Sand," wouldn't have remained so lukewarm despite having so many high-level players.

Unfortunately, plans could not keep up with the changes, and the most critical link had suffered a fatal error!

Ember hadn't just survived; he had instantly counter-killed four people. This sudden explosion of combat power left her terrified and trembling. Seeing Ember stepping toward her, riding the momentum of his charge, she fell into a state of bewildered panic.

Actually, it wasn't just her. Aside from Withered Vine Old Tree, the four University players were currently so rattled by Ember’s insane performance that they had lost their wits. They were survivors who had lived through numerous player skirmishes, and logically, their composure shouldn't have been this poor. But the sheer intensity of the last three seconds—seven consecutive broadcast notifications, each one dealing a psychological blow, not to mention the impact of the charge wiping out more than half of their health bars—was simply incomparable to anything they had faced before.

Fierce!

Unbelievably fierce!

Facing the aggressive Ember, they couldn't muster the will to resist, even with their numerical advantage. They scrambled to flee the scene, desperate to avoid a meaningless death. Three of them, who hadn't even managed to grab a piece of the action, couldn't fathom why they were suffering this catastrophe. The remaining University player immediately abandoned any thought of joining Water-in-the-Water’s squad; he didn't believe she had any chance of survival, even if Bitter Wind and Rain hadn't abandoned her.

As the poster-boy player of Nine Divinations, Bitter Wind and Rain was utterly exasperated. Water-in-the-Water’s series of maneuvers had ended up being self-destructive, dragging him down and leaving him unable to stay out of the fray.

*Sigh...*

It's a lost cause today...

Why do I always end up with teammates who are good for nothing but causing trouble?

Fire Swamp was one, and Water-in-the-Water is even worse!

Can't I just play the game and flirt with beauties in peace?

Guild Leader, oh Guild Leader, I wonder what you'd think if you saw this?

Bitter Wind and Rain sighed, yet in this moment of defeat, he adopted the heroic posture of a Western cowboy, standing before Ember—who had transformed into a bloodthirsty demon—to provide shelter for the frail Water-in-the-Water. To many female viewers, this gesture was incredibly gentlemanly; though they despised Water-in-the-Water’s schemes, it didn't stop them from appreciating Bitter Wind and Rain’s loyalty.

Of course, Bitter Wind and Rain wasn't foolish enough to use his own flesh to confront such illogical, ferocious attacks. Guessing that Ember’s excessive damage must stem from some time-limited item, he tossed down a shield generator, attempting to use its 500-point energy shield to weather Ember’s berserk state.

"If it weren't for all this mess, I’d actually like to be friends with you..."

Bitter Wind and Rain watched Ember from behind the shield, his wrist flicking to spin the cylinder of his revolver, checking if it was fully loaded. The energy shield he used provided protection from both inside and out, meaning he couldn't attack Ember through it. After losing her Golden Body protection, Water-in-the-Water quickly regained her composure. She fished an attack potion with splash damage from her bag, clutched it in her palm, and sneered coldly at Ember, who had been forced to halt: "Come on in if you have the guts! 500 shield points—let's see if you can break through!"

"Five hundred?"

"What? Scared now? Once your buff wears off, let's see how arrogant you can be!"

Because her perfect plan had been ruined by Ember, Water-in-the-Water wished she could grind him into dust, and she began to mock him with everything she had. Ember, targeted by her verbal assault, didn't pay much heed, as he was temporarily focused on his exchange list. Meanwhile, Bitter Wind and Rain, trapped in the shield with her, was being bombarded by the crazy, surround-sound, high-volume cacophony. He tried to stop her several times, but could never find an opening to interject.

"No matter how pretty the exterior, once they go hysterical, they all turn into shrews..."

Bitter Wind and Rain thought with a touch of sadness. Then, he saw Ember activate an Arcane Scroll on himself. His eyes narrowed, then relaxed; he happened to know the effect of that scroll was to temporarily increase Strength by one point, but he couldn't imagine how a one-point change could have any significant effect. He put his mind at ease, waiting for time to run out.

To be fair, the 500-point energy shield did pose a certain problem for Ember, forcing him to spend an extra two points to exchange for a temporary Strength-enhancing Arcane Scroll.

[Notification: You have used "Basic Strength Scroll," increasing your Strength to 13 points. Effect lasts for five seconds!]

In Western culture, thirteen is a symbol of misfortune—Judas, who betrayed Jesus, was the thirteenth person at the Last Supper. But to Ember, thirteen was an undeniably beautiful number, as it allowed him to once again grasp the surging power emanating from his palm.

[Notification: You have activated the "Energy Infusion" enhancement effect of the weapon "Active Soft-Tissue Biological Arm," increasing the attack level of your next three strikes by 1.] *2.5

When Ember decided to upgrade the base attack of his Active Soft-Tissue Biological Arm, he had once thought he would have to shelve the "Weapon Accumulation Stone," which required 13 Strength, for a long time. Who would have thought that the dual buffs of the Berserker Potion and the Strength Scroll would bring his strength exactly to the required threshold?

*Hum!*

The violent vibration from the anomalous weapon became more powerful than ever. Ember wanted to calculate just how far this destructive force could go, but considering that his Super Armor state was about to expire, he decided to let the system notifications tell him.

He raised his hand, brought it down, and the energy shield shattered by more than half!

[Notification: You have dealt 131 damage to "Basic Energy Shield."] (14 * 2.5) * 2.5 * 1.5

[Notification: Due to the use of "Basic Berserker Potion (Normal Version)," you have gained the "Overpower" effect, dealing double damage to targets with lower Strength levels than yours.]

[Notification: "Basic Energy Shield" does not possess a Strength level. "Overpower" effect successfully triggered!]

[Notification: You have dealt a total of 262 damage to "Basic Energy Shield!"]

A single strike, and over half the shield was gone. Bitter Wind and Rain’s eyes widened, his composure shattered, while Water-in-the-Water stood speechless, her face drained of color.

262?

Am I seeing this right? Is this really not 26.2?

The intense shock made the two players inside the shield feel as if their eyes were playing tricks on them. But when Ember struck again and shattered the shield in one blow, they were completely stunned by the cruel reality.

How the hell can this be damage dealt by a player?

He’s hacking, right?

He must be hacking!

You’re using a "Health Bar Vanishing" hack, aren't you?

How is anyone supposed to fight this?

It's not that our side is incompetent, it's that the enemy is god-like!

I can't win, I might as well just surrender...

Bitter Wind and Rain, not wanting to suffer this humiliation, simply conceded and logged out. Water-in-the-Water, meanwhile, had forgotten how to dodge. A light tap from the Active Soft-Tissue Biological Arm immediately triggered the kill broadcast.

"Next time before you speak, remember to brush your teeth. You look so striking, why is your mouth so foul?"

Ember shook his head with a sigh, appearing truly disappointed. He then looked toward Cup-of-Wine-Gradually-Thick, who had forced Withered Vine Old Tree into his Golden Body state, and couldn't help but smile faintly: "My number one tool, aren't you going to come and report for duty?"