117. Isn't It Normal for a Mage Like Me to Fight in Melee?
Charge, impact, the ferocious elemental giants embraced Draphis, their forms swelling before exploding.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
Even though the forest was vast, the sheer magnitude of Li Aozi's battle grew more intense, and the aggressive elemental surges quickly drew the academy's attention.
Li Aozi lifted his information rune, which displayed an emergency broadcast:
[Due to unknown causes, elemental disturbances have appeared in the swamp region of the Natural Ecology Academy's forest. All personnel conducting magical experiments in workshops should immediately cease operations, and stay in secure underground facilities until the fluctuations have ceased. Only then may work resume...]
"Looks like an investigation team will be arriving soon."
Janier immediately asked:
「Well, what do you think? Should we leave one alive for them to interrogate?」
"No, I don't want the existence of you or my architectural talent exposed."
The divine artifact was a lesser concern—people knew artifacts had a will of their own and could not be forced, at most stirring up envy.
But the bigger problem was architecture—this technique was only possessed by narrative-level civilizations.
In the Abyss, only the 13th Narrative " Empire of Heroes " and the 12th Narrative " Temple of Annihilation" possessed the final path of the [Architect]. If this were exposed, Li Aozi would likely be labeled a narrative-level spy.
In a sense, [Architects] were trained as strategic assets—building and modifying colony environments during peacetime, and conjuring defenses, fortifications, and even cosmic phenomena during war.
If not for its high entry threshold, even a common [Architect] would match the strength of a first-tier professional.
Li Aozi shook his head:
"Kill her."
「Pleasure!」
[Artifact Synchronization Level Increased]
Boom!
A liquid elemental surged forward, releasing a blast of cold. Draphis crossed her arms, her already battered body taking even more damage. Most of her parts were liquefied by the elemental blast.
Despite this, she still stood tall, fighting more fiercely against the attacking giants. Wielding a blade made of liquid metal, she swung it like a whip, instantly severing the giants encircling her.
"Is that all you've got?"
Draphis continued her relentless counterattacks. As a Delta-tier being equivalent to civilized species, her body was incredibly sturdy, far tougher than ordinary Delta-tier beings.
If she were a Delta-tier Ryuo, she would have been overwhelmed by such bombardment long ago.
But the citizens of [Society] were different—unyielding, fearless. One-on-one, almost no one could defeat a citizen of equal tier.
Their only issue was the predictability of their abilities.
Excluding the inherent mimicry of [Citizens], their abilities included leg blades, white death beam, liquefied form, and steam pressure boosts.
That was the full extent of her powers.
She spun, raising her leg in a sweeping arc. Like a pair of scissors, her legs sliced a treant in half before she steadied herself in a low stance, scanning the area—no elemental giants remained standing.
The freezing explosions had compromised her flexibility, and the effects still lingered.
Regardless, this battle seemed to end in Draphis's favor.
"Now, it's your turn, carbon runt!"
—Or was it?
She scanned the area but found no trace of Li Aozi.
[Warning! Falling Object—]
Clang!
Li Aozi descended from above, riding a burning elemental giant. The flames spread first, heating her frost-damaged metallic body until it became brittle.
Heat expansion and cold contraction—disrupting stability, the simplest and most brutal method.
The sword pierced through her head, the blade's intense glow mixed with crimson lightning, easily penetrating the fatigue-weakened metal. Li Aozi flipped the sword in his hand, striking downward and ripping the mechanical figure in half.
[You have killed 'Jury Member of the Mechanical Realm - [Machina-Soul] Draphis (Heavy Forge, Once)]
[Jury members are the backbone of society and are considered high-value targets]
[Progress toward 'Silver Hunter': Citizens (0/15), Jury Members (1/3), Councilors (0/1)]
[By defeating a new societal citizen, you have unlocked a new hunting list.]
[Mechanical Society - Mashgegang (Medium-sized Predator Society) - Level: 300]
[For the Endless Abyss, slaughter them all.]
[Cross-tier Kill Bonus, High-Value Target Reward, Total Damage Contribution 100%...]
[You have gained 58.95 million experience points]
"See? Experience just comes like this."
Li Aozi let out a sigh of relief.
After so long, he finally had a substantial gain of experience.
Pulling his blade from her body, his colonial form left no trace. As long as no [Eerie]-type user decided to mess around and summon spirits here, there shouldn't be any issues.
And as for the [Eerie] type—where would a magic civilization get such a subjective heretic?
Idealists were not welcomed in any tech-aligned civilization, let alone given the chance to awaken or pursue a path.
Leaving the remnants where they lay, Li Aozi had no intention of revealing himself. Exposing the infiltration of [Society] citizens would undoubtedly cause panic, and if the academy ramped up security, his colonial identity would definitely be exposed. Even if the higher education bureau intervened, they couldn't protect him.
After all, interstellar civilizations considered colonial beings 'dangerous biochemical troopers.'
No one knew how many dangerous weapons were stored inside a colonial body—biological agents, lethal toxins, high-intensity radiation—anything was possible.
"Now, let's see if there's anything worthwhile."
Searching through the aftermath of the battle, Li Aozi did find something valuable.
Though he couldn't use [Eye of Truth] to appraise it, Li Aozi remembered the attributes of this object.
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[Item Name]: Saint Core
[Category]: Material/Power Source
[Quality]: Societal Construct
[Description]: "A jet-black sixteen-faced substance, faint crimson light seeping through its cracks, containing an unknown force."
The [Mechanical Society] Mashgegang was a terrifying creature that had evolved from a machine civilization. Among many predatory societies, it wasn't the strongest, but it was certainly among the most notorious.
Its most famous achievement was participating in the Siege of the [Dominion World]. Some even said it was one of the few societies that survived a direct confrontation with the [God of the Present World]—a testament to its formidable power.
Mashgegang's Councilor, 'Mechanical Holy Father'—Alpinot Meganiros, was a six-time reforged powerhouse (Level 320, approximately equivalent to Omega tier, represented by the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet).
To meet the needs of increasingly demanding battles, the Holy Father created a unique series of constructs—the 'Saint Cores', which served both as power sources and as pollution agents for fellow machines. Each core had a specific serial number, controlled by a dedicated 'Machina Bishop.'
The bishop would install the Saint Core in a machine, and through a complex ritual, they could add a genuine citizen of the Mechanical Realm.
Without the corresponding ritual, the Saint Core was merely a semi-permanent battery capable of powering machinery, requiring periodic recharging.
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"Now, this is a find."
Generally speaking, [Societies] didn't drop loot, but [Outer Societies] and [Mechanical Societies] were exceptions.
With just a bit of thought, it was obvious how valuable demons and machinery were to both spellcasters and tech-aligned civilizations.
Each citizen of these two factions was a walking collection of rare materials, a prime opportunity for players to loot large quantities of gear.
Saint Cores had a special use—equipping them directly on guns, tanks, warships, aircraft, or mechas could endow the equipment with self-awareness, known as 'machine spirits,' or 'machina-souls.'
The effect was quite good.
Even if he didn't use it himself, the Saint Core held immense power, enough to provide energy to any machine.
At worst, someone knowledgeable could modify it and craft an anti-matter bomb capable of leveling an entire city.
Though Li Aozi had no need for it, [Machinists] were desperate for such things. He could consign it at Soul Tavern.
Or... he could use it to befriend a renowned [Craft] master in exchange for an [Architect] heritage.
Of course, one core wouldn't be enough—this wasn't some magical grub, after all. The Mechanical Society was in this Abyss layer, and he'd need at least fifteen cores.
Weighing the black core in his hand, Li Aozi smiled playfully.
"I wonder how many more citizens of the Mechanical Realm are hiding in this school..."
Li Aozi's opportunity to make a fortune had just arrived.
"You better be numerous, heh heh..."