Chapter 477
Evolution
Chapter 477 Evolution
Therefore, on the entire battlefield outside, you can hardly see any wizards below level six from Norn Workshop.
Because all the low- and mid-level wizards were holed up inside the fortress, taking turns serving as the power source for firing the cannons.
And Jemin...
"emission."
The moment the charge was complete, he gave the command.
The No. 3 turret shook.
A pure white beam of light, five meters in diameter, tore through the air, traversing a distance of over a thousand kilometers at near the speed of light, and landed precisely in the center of the beetle swarm.
The white light exploded, transforming into a purification zone with a diameter of three thousand meters.
Within the domain, three thousand level-four beetles, along with the level-five wizards who were in command, instantly vaporized.
Only a lava pit with smooth edges was left on the ground.
Almost at the same moment the beam of light left his gun, Jemin let out a muffled groan, his face instantly turning pale.
A sharp, stabbing pain shot through my brain, my consciousness began to fade, and all the strength in my body seemed to be drained away in an instant.
This is what it feels like to be mentally exhausted.
An ordinary wizard would be paralyzed for at least one or two minutes after experiencing this before regaining their ability to move.
Therefore, you can see that after firing a round, many wizards on the surrounding turrets are pulled off the control panel by other waiting wizards and moved to the rest area behind them.
But Jemin didn't.
His left hand, already prepared, swiftly grabbed a crystal vial from beside the control panel, flicked the stopper with his thumb, and gulped down the deep blue, viscous liquid inside.
【Holy Soul Echo Elixir】, a level 6 magic potion, can restore all the mental power of a level 5 wizard within 30 seconds. The market price is 3,000 low-level military merits per dose.
The side effect is that continuous use can lead to mental fatigue and dullness. Usually, a maximum of three doses can be used in a single battle.
The moment the medicine entered his throat, the Body Tempering Technique within Jeming's body began to operate automatically.
His digestive system breaks down the medicinal properties with far greater efficiency than ordinary people, and absorbs and transforms the internal energy.
The pure medicinal power surged into the brain, nourishing the parched sea of the spirit.
Meanwhile, the Qi Cultivation Method was quietly put into operation.
Essence, Qi, and Spirit are three treasures that communicate with each other.
The "essence" of the physical body is transformed into "qi" that nourishes the soul, and then into "shen" that restores the spirit.
three seconds.
Just three seconds later, Jemin opened his eyes.
The weariness deep in his pupils vanished, replaced by a renewed, sharp light.
Without hesitation, he activated his power again, his mental energy reaching out like tentacles and connecting to the No. 3 turret once more.
Five seconds later, the charging was complete.
"emission."
The second beam of light blasted towards another group of enemy cannon fodder who were gathering.
This time, however, Jemin sensed something was different.
The process of mental energy being depleted and then restored is like a "tempering" of the mental sea.
It used to take three seconds to fully recover, but this time it only took two and a half seconds.
Moreover, the total amount of mental energy after recovery seems to have increased by a tiny bit.
The adaptive evolution of the Body Tempering Method is at work.
It not only strengthens the body, but also the soul, and even enhances Jemin's ability to adapt to the process of "consumption and recovery," as well as his resistance to the side effects of the drug.
A glint flashed in Jemin's eyes.
He didn't stop and continued to connect the turret.
emission.
exhausted.
Take medicine.
recover.
Connecting turrets.
emission.
The entire process was smooth and seamless, without the slightest delay.
At first, he needed about eight seconds between each shot.
Five seconds are the turret charging time, and three seconds are his own recovery and switching time.
But with each cycle, this interval keeps shortening.
7 seconds.
6.5 seconds.
6 seconds.
By the time the fifteenth shot was fired, the interval had been reduced to 5.2 seconds, almost the same as the turret's own charging time.
This means that, provided the energy supply is sufficient, Jemin alone can keep a super-heavy elemental decomposition cannon firing continuously at a rate of fire close to the theoretical limit.
Inside the control room, the other wizards who were taking turns operating the turrets gradually noticed the anomaly on console 09.
At first, they just felt that the launch frequency of Unit 09 seemed to be a little faster than that of the others.
But soon they realized it wasn't "faster".
That's ridiculously fast. "Hey... over there, number 09, what's the latest shot?"
"The twenty-first shot. And look at the time record... there were only 5.1 seconds between the previous shot and this one."
"5.1 seconds?! How is that possible?! It takes 5 seconds to recharge, doesn't he need to recover his mental energy?!"
“He’s taking medicine. I saw a row of empty ‘Holy Soul Echo’ bottles on his desk… But even if he’s taking medicine, absorption takes time! A normal level 5 wizard would need at least ten seconds to regain mobility after drinking one ‘Holy Soul Echo’, and thirty seconds to fully recover his mental strength!”
"And have you felt it... the mental energy fluctuations on Number 09's side are getting stronger and stronger."
Whispers filled the control room.
Every wizard, regardless of rank, couldn't help but glance at control panel number 09 out of the corner of their eye.
I looked at the gray-robed wizard sitting at the front of the stage, his eyes closed, his face calm, but beads of sweat kept seeping from his forehead and quickly evaporating.
They saw that after firing a shot, Jemin would experience a very brief moment of weakness—his face would turn slightly pale and his breathing would catch.
But the next second, he grabbed a bottle of potion and gulped it down, then connected the next turret almost without any pause.
The whole process was so fast it was like magic.
"monster……"
A level four wizard, who had just fired a shot with his companion and was now slumped in a chair, panting with a pale face, couldn't help but mutter to himself.
His companion beside him, an old wizard at the peak of level five, shook his head with a wry smile.
“Not a monster. A true genius… no, a monster among geniuses. Did you notice how fast he drank the medicine? ‘Holy Soul Echo’ is a viscous potion that normally takes at least two seconds to drink. But he practically poured it into his mouth and it was gone. This means his body has been modified, and his body’s digestion and absorption speed is astonishing.”
"But my body has also been modified..."
One of the wizards muttered something unconsciously, then lowered his head amidst the stares of the others who thought he was a fool.
Yes, who among us hasn't modified their body?
The rate of energy digestion is of paramount importance and cannot be ignored.
But this monster... or rather, genius, still far surpasses everyone else in terms of digestion speed!
"And you sensed that his mental strength... hasn't it increased significantly since the beginning?"
Only after the old wizard reminded them did the other wizards begin to perceive it carefully.
Then, everyone's expression changed.
it is true.
The mental energy fluctuations emanating from control panel number 09 are increasing at a visible rate.
According to the established standard for mental strength, he has now steadily progressed from the initial level 5 (beginner) to the intermediate level 5, and is still slowly but surely climbing higher.
"Is he using this method... to cultivate?"
"Fighting a war while improving your skills?! Are you kidding me?!"
Shock, envy, disbelief.
A mix of emotions swirled within the control room.
But Jemin didn't notice any of this.
Or rather, he noticed it, but didn't care.
His entire being was immersed in a peculiar "rhythm".
Launch, exhaustion, recovery, relaunch.
With each cycle, the mental sea expands slightly, the control over mental power becomes more refined, and the understanding of the turret system deepens.
By the thirtieth shot, he found himself able to "distract" himself a little.
While maneuvering the turret to charge, aim, and fire, he can spare a small portion of his attention to observe the overall battlefield situation.
This also allowed him to "see" the current battlefield situation.
Overall, Norren Workshop actually... has a slight advantage?
On the high-level battlefield above, although there were over a million level-seven shadow creatures and tens of thousands of level-eight shadow lords replenished by Instructor Clark, the more than one hundred level-seven wizards and more than two thousand level-six wizards from the Chaos Cult and the Tower of Annihilation were not to be underestimated.
The high-level cannon fodder creatures they released were actually slightly higher in number and average level than Clark's Shadow Legion.
But Clark's shadow cannon fodder was of extremely high quality.
At the same level seven, the Shadow Wyvern's tactical flexibility and survivability far surpass its opponent, and its combat power is at least 1.5 times that of an individual opponent.
And those tens of thousands of level eight Shadow Lords... became the "stabilizing force" on the battlefield.
Despite facing the same high-level units, wherever they went, large swathes of enemy cannon fodder were harvested like wheat.
As a result, the Chaos Cult and the Tower of Annihilation had to continuously mobilize other high-ranking cannon fodder to concentrate their forces on surrounding and suppressing those Shadow Lords, which in turn relieved a huge amount of pressure on the other cannon fodder legions of the Norn Workshop.
What truly captivated Jemin's gaze was the battlefield higher up, belonging to the "high-ranking wizards."
At an altitude of about 100 kilometers above the ground.
The battle here is completely different from the cannon fodder war below.
Because there is almost no medium for sound to travel, the sound is not as deafening as the one below.
There was only a silent collision of elements, and... an overwhelming suppression.
Clark was suspended in the void.
He was still wearing a simple black robe, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his face expressionless.
He didn't even take out his staff.
Around him were more than 130 level 7 wizards and more than 2,000 level 6 wizards.
They surrounded Clark like a swarm of bees, each radiating a chilling energy fluctuation, and the magical artifacts they held were at least seventh-tier, some even radiating the unique brilliance of eighth-level creations.
In fact, many of these people were specially selected from the Chaos Cult and the Tower of Annihilation alliance to "decapitate" one of the highest combat forces in the Norn Workshop.
Their mission was simple: kill or severely injure Clark at all costs.
After all, they had already gathered all the information on the new generation of geniuses at the Norren Workshop, so there was no reason for them to let go of such a conspicuous "genius" as Clark.
(Bonus chapter, one more to go.)
(End of this chapter)