On the edge of the Fallen Forest, morning mist swirled, and a disturbing silence hung in the damp, cold air.
A squad of thirty elite knights and two gray-robed enforcement priests advanced steadily into the woods in a fan formation. At their head was Paladin Captain Bard, his face grim. His knuckles whitened as he gripped his greatsword, eyeing the scorched earth nearby—the aftermath of a thermobaric blast.
"Lord Bard, the mana flow in this forest is highly unstable," a young enforcement priest whispered, withdrawing his sensing hand with a solemn expression. "Roland from the vanguard was an impulsive fool, but he was a Second-Class Knight with the 『Earth Armor』. Any power that could erase him in an instant is not to be trifled with."
Bard pushed aside a thorny thicket, his heavy silver plate armor gleaming coldly in the mist. He let out a disdainful sneer.
"That is because Roland lacked sufficient faith in his heart. Before the judgment of the Holy Church, any heresy, poison, or lowly trap is nothing more than melting snow under the sun."
He halted, scanning the surroundings with a near-fanatical confidence. "Order everyone to maintain the 『Holy Link』 formation. As long as our Battle Qi is joined as one, even a High Mage's 『Meteor Strike』 won't easily pierce our defense. I will personally bring that heretic's head back to the Inquisition."
"Yes, sir!" the knights echoed in unison, their synchronized boots thumping heavily on the forest floor. One knight even let out a relaxed chuckle. "My Lord, perhaps the enemy is just a vagrant who got lucky and found an ancient scroll, and is now shivering inside the ruins."
"Shivering? I won't even give him the chance to repen—"
Bard's words cut off abruptly.
Click.
A crisp, metallic mechanical sound echoed sharply in the silent forest. The laughing knight looked down and saw his boot resting on a strange iron box inscribed with the words: 『FRONT TOWARD ENEMY』.
"What kind of magic rune is this...?" Before he could finish, destruction arrived.
BOOM—!
The M18A1 Claymore hidden beneath the leaves detonated. Seven hundred steel balls, propelled by a directional blast, sprayed out in a 60-degree arc. The knight didn't even have time to scream; he and his armor were shredded into a sieve. Several comrades nearby were instantly maimed, their limbs severed as blood sprayed across the dense thickets like rain.
"Ambush! Defensive formation!" Bard roared, unsheathing his greatsword as golden Holy Light instantly enveloped his body.
High above in the clouds, a palm-sized drone hovered silently. Inside the ruin's hall, Su Zhe gazed coldly down at his panicked "prey" through a virtual headset.
"System, the mine's power was a bit more than I expected."
[Ding! System Sarcasm: That is because the host's understanding of 『Dimensional Suppression』 is still at the level of setting off firecrackers. The Claymore is a work of art designed specifically for soft targets. And these knights... aside from that layer of tin, are essentially no different from the wolves earlier.]
"Then let's show them some higher art." Su Zhe tapped a finger.
[Exchange Item: 『Suicide FPV Drone Swarm (Kamikaze Edition)』 x4. Points Consumed: 400.]
Shua—! Four sharp whistles tore through the mist. The suicide drones performed a series of eerie, agile maneuvers, bypassing the knights' front lines and slamming into the center of the crowd from their visual blind spots. A chain of explosions, fueled by high-temperature thermite, turned the forest into a literal purgatory.
"You coward... come out and duel me!" Bard spat out a mouthful of blood, roaring madly at the empty forest.
The response was a low, heavy thud from eight hundred meters away.
THUD.
A 12.7mm smart-guided sniper round corrected its trajectory mid-air, precisely piercing Bard's throat. The powerful Paladin Captain's eyes bulged as he collapsed into the mud.
Su Zhe stepped slowly out of the shadows of the ruin, his camouflage cloak fluttering in the wind.
[Ding! 1 Paladin Captain neutralized. Civilization Points Obtained: 2,000.]
[Strong Soul Detected. Executing 『Deep Extraction』: Obtained Talent 『Holy Resistance』, Skill 『Greatsword Mastery』 (Expert).]
Su Zhe's eyes were as cold as ice as he looked at the field of corpses. He opened the mall's exchange page.
"System, filter for 『Exoskeleton Armor』. It's time for a gear upgrade."
[Exchange Item: 『Black Panther-V2 Tactical Close-Combat Exoskeleton (Light)』]
[Points Consumed: 1,800.]
As the points were deducted, a set of carbon-fiber components with a sleek industrial aesthetic appeared before him. Su Zhe touched them, and detailed parameters surfaced:
[Equipment Parameters: Black Panther-V2]
- Strength Augmentation: Provides 500kg of hydraulic assistance. Host's punch can pierce 20mm steel plating and block direct impacts from heavy swords.
- Neural Link: Increases reaction speed by 300%. Capable of tracking low-velocity arrows or magic projectiles.
- Shock Absorption: Integrated liquid anti-G suit absorbs 90% of physical impact.
- Hardpoints: Retractable "High-Frequency Vibrating Wrist-Blades."
[System Note: Estimated Stats after equip: Strength 1.2 → 8.5; Agility 1.5 → 12.0.]
[System Sarcasm: Please note, Host. While the armor allows you to charge around like a bull in heat, your brain's processing speed is still human. If your tactical awareness can't keep up with your speed, you will simply become a very expensive iron box smashing into a wall.]
Su Zhe let out a cold laugh as he pressed the chilly neural interface to the back of his neck. "Don't worry. I'm going to show these natives what real... speed and power look like."
The hiss of hydraulic fluid echoed through the forest as a steel beast slowly opened its eyes.