(Rare) Energy Boost Module
Supercharge your mana, increasing the power and mana cost of your next spell by 50%.
1 minute recharge time.
The module was in the shape of a silver orb. As long as Amara wielded it in her hand, it would activate. Ebba got the same thing.
Meanwhile, Olivia, Peter, Shenlong, Roy, Cheslov, Zhen Hu, Dubaku, and Eboni got various offensive modules. They ranged from tasers to shockwave blasts. Jason decided to get an energy shield, much like the ones the soldier robots had.
(Rare) Energy Shield Module
An energy shield protects you.
Energy Gauge: 500/500
Recharges ten energy a second. It can turn on and off.
Energy shields became commonplace later in the tower. There were magic-based ones and technology-based ones like this module. Compared to the energy shield Jason had in the past, this one was complete crap. Still, it was a start.
With their reputation points nearly gone, Jason’s party decided it was time to leave. They were all eager to test out their new equipment. The laboratory should take them less than a day to get to if no problems occurred.
Chapter 8
Half-destroyed buildings littered the surface, with rubble more numerous than weeds. Not a single building remained intact, and pockmarks left by bullets covered every wall. Holes of various sizes scarred the ground, no doubt the result of explosions. It was like something from a war movie. The world, which should be bright and full of warmth, was dark and dismal. Brown clouds encompassed the sky as far as the eye could see, and thunder rumbled every few seconds.
This was the result of a war between humans and robots. It was a fight that would only end when one side annihilated the other. You could imagine the intense struggle just from looking at the city’s carcass. How many lives were lost?
In the suburbs of this ruined city, on a street filled with abandoned cars, a utility hole plate lifted ever so slightly. Jason’s eyes peeked out as he scanned for enemies. Seeing no danger, he pushed aside the plate and climbed up while gesturing below him. Zhen Hu climbed out next, followed by everyone else.
“What the hell happened here?” Peter sucked in a breath only to go into a coughing fit. Just earlier, he had looked forward to smelling fresh air after fighting underground for so long. Contrary to his hopes, all he got was a mouthful of dust.
Dubaku inspected the ruined buildings, especially the holes in the walls. With a heavy heart, he said, “A war.”
“Definitely a war,” Eboni agreed, her brows furrowing.
Roy glanced at the destroyed homes. Homes that once housed families. He couldn’t help but feel disgusted with the floor. “Why would the tower make such a depressing floor? It makes it look like humanity lost against the robots!”
“They DID lose.” Amara frowned. “Weren’t you listening to Decker earlier?”
“But…” Roy clenched his hands. “I didn’t expect it to be like this…”
Olivia gently placed her hand on Roy’s shoulder and shook her head. She could imagine what Roy was thinking about. Many months ago, she learned of Roy’s reason for ascending the tower. Seeing the destruction around them had most likely caused Roy to think of what would happen to their world.
“Patrol incoming. Five scouts, six spiderbots, two robodogs,” Ebba suddenly announced and pointed ahead of them. While everyone was talking about their surroundings, she had long since sent out her undead minions.
Under Shenlong’s command, Jason and his companions hid inside the nearby buildings. Less than a minute later, three skeletons ran down the street with the robots in hot pursuit. The skeletons bobbed and weaved as they ran, but they couldn’t avoid all the bullets from the spiderbots. Two crumbled to the ground, leaving only one left. Fortunately, they served their purpose.
Jason and his companions abruptly jumped out from their hiding spots, flanking the robots on all sides. The scouts reacted first, followed by the robodogs and spiderbots. Even then, they were too slow as a wave of attacks assaulted them. As if by unspoken agreement, everyone focused on the spiderbots and robodogs first.
By the time the scouts reacted, they were the only ones left. Emotionless at the death of their allies, they spun around, swinging their plasma cutters only to miss every attack. Instead, they were the ones who ended up damaged.
After all, their foes were humanity's strongest!
Shenlong and Dubaku had entered the fourth realm under Index’s guidance. Previously Dubaku could only activate the fourth realm while in a particular mental state, but now he could control it at will. Amara, Zhen Hu, Eboni, and Peter stood at the third realm's peak, while Ebba, Carly, Olivia, and Roy reached the second realm. The worst was Cheslov, having only reached the first realm.
“I still can’t believe how kick-ass this module is!” Peter whistled in appreciation as he saw the numerous deep marks his katana left on the scout in front of him. Before he attached the module, his attacks only left a half-inch mark at most. The difference was incredible.
(Rare) Vibration Module
A vibrational energy field.
Increases penetration by 25%.
Each module varied in shape, but all of them were the size of a computer’s CPU. They could be fitted to a weapon or armor like a magnet, though only one was allowed per piece of equipment. The only thing it didn’t work on was jewelry.
With the reputation they acquired from saving Decker, everyone was able to purchase relatively high-quality modules. Much like Peter, all of them felt an increase in their combat power. The scouts that were previously hard to fight were now no match for them. The battle was over in less than a minute.
After gathering the loot, Shenlong took a glance at the map before pointing. “That way. We’re close.”
Under Jason’s protection as a tank and Ebba’s skill as a scout, they encountered no problems the entire way.
Hours later, they arrived at a destroyed office building. After a quick search through the wreckage, they found an elevator shaft leading underground. Long prepared for any situation, Shenlong pulled out rope from his inventory. He attached one end to a large piece of rubble before tossing the other end down.
Jason went first, followed by the rest. Down and down they went until they ran out of rope. Fortunately, there was a ladder attached to one of the walls. An hour later, Jason stepped onto solid ground. “Whew. Didn’t know it would be so deep.”
“Must have been over a mile at least.” Peter nodded.
Zhen Hu grunted in agreement. He wasn’t one for words.
Jason glanced around, his caution rising. He wasn’t familiar with this facility. By the time Jason reached this floor in the previous timeline, other guilds had long since completed this quest. There was no need to be here, so he never came.
“Light, please,” Shenlong said as he gripped his spear.
“I got it.” Amara was irritated she’d become a human flashlight. Still, she cast her spells regardless, feeling a strange pride nobody else could light things up as well as her. Amara sent out her weakest fire skill. As it took barely any mental concentration, she could manipulate twenty orbs of fire at once. The underground room lit up very quickly.
Jason found himself in a wide-open room made of reinforced steel. It was about twice the size of a school’s indoor gym. At the other end of the room was a door, and seeing no enemies, they made their way over.
“Looks like it’s still powered,” Shenlong observed as he pulled out the keycard given to him by Cable and swiped it across the scanner next to the door. There was a beep followed by a red light.
The room suddenly trembled.
Spinning around, they found the floor in the center of the room open up. A robot larger than any they had seen before stood on a platform that rose from the hole.
“Ah, crap.” Jason clicked his tongue when he saw the monster.
(Field Boss) Corrupted Defense Bot - Level 100
Health: 300,000/300,000
; Chapter 9
A bright light lit up the room as if welcoming the arrival of its master. The field boss was over ten feet tall and weighed more than a tank. Three giant spider-like legs propped it up, their ends sharper than knives. The upper half of its body could rotate separately from the bottom while three red hexagonal energy shields protected it, leaving few gaps. Most terrifying of all, the boss had six guns attached to it, all of them energy-based: two miniguns, two plasma rifles, and two shotguns.
“And here I thought the quest was too easy.” Cheslov whistled when he saw the robot.
Ebba swiftly used her high level Inspect skill and reported, “It has two phases, all of its weapons have unlimited ammo, and—”
A deep thrum cut her off, followed by a thick beam of red energy that ripped through the air. It arrived quickly and without warning.
Ebba was filled with regret as the red light encompassed her. There was still a promise she had yet to fulfill. Even now, the corpses of her family rested in her inventory, lifeless and cold. When her flesh began to melt like snow under the sun, a towering figure appeared in front of her.
Jason put the full weight of his body behind his shield, but even then, the plasma beam pushed him back. It destroyed his energy shield in the blink of an eye. Tank let out an anxious squeak as she cast Bulwark around Jason, the barrier now able to absorb over two thousand damage, while at the same time using Rejuvenating Waters on Ebba.
“Spread out!” Shenlong commanded as soon as he reacted. It was a meaningless order; everyone already understood that splitting up was the best option.
Intense heat washed over Jason, the destructive power of the plasma beam astonishing him. It came at the speed of light and deals over four thousand damage per second! Does it have no weaknesses?
Even including his defensive skills and equipment, Jason would die in four seconds under the beam. Thankfully, after a second, his companions no longer stood behind him. Jason used Burst to escape the beam, his eyes locked onto the boss. The plasma beam tried to keep up with him, but it was far too slow.
“The beam’s slow!” Jason shouted as soon as he saw this.
Since the ascenders scattered, the boss activated the rest of its weapons, hundreds of beams blasting out. Each shotgun blasted out a hundred small orbs while the miniguns unleashed an endless barrage. The plasma beam coming from the robot’s eye switched its target to Olivia.
The boss was a mobile fortress as it attacked in all directions. It was a beautiful display of light, like something you’d see at an art festival. Only when you saw the steel walls slowly melt into liquid would you realize this was no light show.
Everyone activated their ultimate skills. Eboni morphed into a tigress, Zhen Hu shrouded himself in wind, Olivia’s body split into ten shadows, and Ebba summoned a hulking abomination. Roy and Carly hid behind the undead creature, prepared to heal at a moment’s notice.
Lightning covered Peter’s body, his speed surpassing everyone. This skill was the most reliable one he possessed, purchased from the tournament’s reward shop. After six months, its level was much higher than before.
Lightning Shroud - Level 4 - Apprentice
Consume 25% mana to become the embodiment of lightning for 1 minute.
+100% Agility
+50% Reaction speed.
+Attacks have a chance to stun targets for .1 seconds.
+You are no longer affected by air resistance.
15-minute cooldown.
Ascenders called these abilities Berserk skills, and only a handful of ascenders had them. They were extremely rare as they could turn the tides of a battle. Among Jason’s party, only Eboni, Zhen Hu, and Peter had them.
The boss’s shotgun fired at Peter when he charged forward. A hundred energy orbs closed in, the gap between each one no more than an inch. Peter’s eyes flickered with lightning as he sped up. His katana struck out, deflecting over twenty orbs. In the next moment, Peter was at the robot’s feet. He jumped up, his katana the embodiment of a lightning bolt. Flash after flash struck the robot’s body, its health falling at an astonishing rate.
In response, the boss focused on Peter. Both miniguns and a shotgun forced him back, but even that wasn’t enough to wound him. Though he could no longer attack, he significantly reduced the pressure on his allies.
Eboni pounced forward, her massive body slamming into a red energy shield. Cracks spread across the barrier as she swiped and bit with wild abandon.
Miraculously, Zhen Hu flew in the air. His berserk skill was similar to Peter’s in that it focused on speed, although the element was wind, not lightning. Zhen Hu flew around the boss from a distance, wind coiling around his arms. The physical strength of his body infused into the air around him. With every punch, wind blasted towards the boss, leaving dents across its body.
Olivia’s shadow clones wrapped around the boss’s legs and squeezed, slowing it. Sharp tendrils rose from the shadows and slashed relentlessly.
Amara bombarded the boss from afar, her damage shockingly high. With the boss focused on Jason and Peter, she could unleash the terrifying firepower of a mage.
Underneath the robot, Shenlong’s spear stabbed out. He followed the boss as it moved, targeting the same spot every time, a joint between its leg and body. The dexterity required to accomplish this was extraordinary. To attack the same spot hundreds of times while the boss was moving was no easy feat.
Not long after, the moment he was waiting for arrived. The metal joint broke off, leaving a handful of wires as the only remaining connection.
“Leave it to me!” Cheslov appeared at Shenlong’s side. He planted his foot on the ground and swung his warhammer with both hands, sending the boss’s leg flying. The tip of the leg embedded itself a foot into the ceiling.
The boss groaned as it fell over, no longer able to support itself. Even better, it crushed a minigun and plasma rifle underneath the weight of its body.
The difficulty of the fight dropped drastically. Now that they didn’t have to pay as much attention to defense, the damage the boss took skyrocketed. Soon, its health fell to twenty percent.
“Phase two, incoming!” Ebba warned from behind her abomination.
Everyone backed off, caution long since baked into their very being. A phase change was always a serious matter, even more so on a new monster.
The boss deactivated its weapons and shields as hundreds of holes opened up all over its body.
“Seriously?” Roy gasped from behind Ebba’s abomination, a thought forming in his head.
Small barrels, no larger than a finger, sprouted out from the holes. Thousands of energy beams shot out in every direction, leaving hardly any room to dodge.
Shenlong instantly deduced what the best decision to make was. “Form up behind the abomination! Charge as one!”
An abomination was a meatshield. It might be the slowest undead to exist, but it more than made up for it with its health pool. By using the abomination as cover, Jason and his companions slowly approached the boss. Unfortunately, while Tank’s Rejuvenating Water’s healing was percentage-based, the abomination was an undead. Healing spells would only wound it.
By the time they were next to the boss, the abomination had dispersed into light. Jason took over, trying to absorb as much damage as possible. Shenlong and Peter both excelled in swift attacks, so they cut down as many beams as possible. With all three working together, the pressure the rest of the team faced was nearly nonexistent.
Eventually, the boss let out a mechanical groan before disappearing in a flash of light. Loot littered the floor, an amount equivalent to a raid boss.
“We got a jackpot!” Roy shouted with glee.
Chapter 10
Monsters had a chance of dropping more loot than usual. Ascenders called this phenomenon a ‘jackpot.’ It could also happen to field and raid bosses, but the odds were much lower, especially for raid bosses. In all of Jason’s years ascending the tower, he’d only had a raid boss drop a jackpot less tha
n ten times. It was already lucky enough to have a jackpot once a month.
Before going through the pile of loot, Shenlong glanced around the room, searching for threats. He turned to his companions after he determined they were safe. “Everyone okay?”
Eboni morphed back into a human before grunting, “Damn energy barriers got in the way. I don’t think I dealt a single point of damage.”
“Don’t you have any other forms?” Dubaku inquired.
“Like a dragon!” Roy’s face lit up as he recalled his experience as a dragon.
“Psh.” Eboni rolled her eyes. “I wish I had a dragon form.”
“Maybe a phoenix?” Roy blinked.
“I dare you to become a phoenix!” Amara growled in annoyance, the phoenix tattoo on her forehead flashing.
“Relax.” Eboni waved her hand dismissively. “You guys think too highly of my master. If she could transform into a phoenix or dragon, don’t you think she’d be one of those gods?”
“So, what can you transform into?” Roy asked curiously. He still recalled the powerful and mighty strength he felt when he was a dragon. In comparison, his human body was too weak and frail. It wasn’t even close.
Hearing Roy’s question, Eboni proudly thrust out her chest. “A winged snake.”
“Oh!” Roy imagined an eastern dragon with long slender bodies and thin wings. “Can you fly?”
“Yeah.” Eboni pointed at the low ceiling. “I didn’t think using it here was a good option. The room is too small.”
“That’s true.” Roy nodded in agreement.
“I’ll get other forms in the future; I’m just not strong enough yet.” Eboni was looking forward to learning other forms. She was wild by nature, so she loved the feeling of becoming a monstrous animal. She was lucky to have found a master tailored to her character.
Towers of Heaven: A LitRPG Adventure (Book 3) Page 4
