Chapter 3 – Basic Trial: Ruins Of Mutation_1
People tainted with the abyss atmosphere have a higher probability of awakening their Abyss Rune.
Jiang Chen was the first, but definitely not the last.
Therefore, Xie Minglei gathered all the survivors, gave a succinct explanation of the reasons, and began to speak.
“You may have already learned some things about the abyss from the internet, but since it’s a matter of life and death, I’ll explain a bit more.”
“The abyss is like a collection of shadow fragments from countless worlds, possessing an almost infinite amount of world shadows.”
“You might see wilderness alien planets infested with giant beasts, enter strange realms where magical spells are wielded, or even find yourselves in apocalyptic ends dominated by mutated monsters…”
“The task of a mecha pilot is to extract abyss atmosphere from these Age-Old Shadows, acquiring materials to strengthen their mechas.”
Xie Minglei was speaking when he paused.
He looked at some of the survivors, whose eyes were filled with longing, and shook his head.
“However, you are not mecha pilots.”
“Even if you have awakened an Abyss Rune, you have yet to pass the trials and have not undergone any combat-related training.”
“Against the enemies in the abyss shadows, the only thing you can rely on is a single model Zero Mecha.”
“You have to understand, the armor value of the model Zero Mecha is only ten points.”
“What does this mean?”
“Even the weakest enemies in the basic trial can deliver a heavy blow that could strip away one point of armor.”
“In other words, ten points of armor can at most endure ten attacks!”
“Once you exceed this limit, the mecha is completely scrapped, returning to the Abyss Rune, awaiting repair.”
“At that point, your only option is to face those terrible monsters with your mortal flesh.”
“You haven’t forgotten just how frightening the monster just now was, have you?”
The survivors couldn’t help but turn their heads to look at the bus not far away.
It had been righted, but the side of the vehicle still bore long, gaping tears.
Mortal flesh against monsters?
There was only one path—death!
Xie Minglei then continued to speak.
“So, what I want to tell you is—”
“Avoid combat!”
“Don’t think about slaughtering your way through the basic trial to achieve top ratings.”
“Those who entertain such thoughts often only one in ten live to tell the tale.”
“What you need to do is to avoid combat as much as possible, observe your surroundings, and find a safe place at the first opportunity…”
“As long as you hold out for twenty-four hours, you can pass the trial and become official mecha pilots.”
“Once you completely control your Abyss Rune, you can freely explore the abyss and purchase materials to strengthen your mecha.”
“You can also grow and develop; there’s no need to rush.”
Xie Minglei surveyed the people, seeing their excitment fade, and nodded slightly.
This group of newcomers didn’t seem to be hot-headed fools eager to rush into danger. Their likelihood of survival should be good.
As for the newcomer named Jiang Chen…
Although he was donning a full-coverage mecha helmet which concealed his expression, his timidity was certain, which meant he would surely heed his advice and hide well.
Xie Minglei continued to speak.
“Of course, the trial world is equally complex, and it’s not possible to avoid combat completely.”
“I will teach you some basic self-defense techniques of the model Zero Mecha before the trial begins…”
“Moreover, if you’re unlucky enough to be attacked by abyss monsters and your armor value drops too quickly, try not to panic.”
“When you kill abyss monsters, your Abyss Rune will absorb the abyss atmosphere and grow.”
“During this process, there’s a probability that the Abyss Rune will condense items, materials, modules.”
“The burst rate in the basic trial is quite high; you may obtain items to repair your mecha and replenish your armor value.”
“`
“Moreover, the trial world itself might also have hidden recovery items…”
After a round of intimidation,
Xie Minglei truly began demonstrating combat methods suited for mechas, sharing even more of his wisdom.
Jiang Chen, as the first person to awaken an Abyss Rune, was also called to the front to train and demonstrate tactics together.
During this process, the rest of the survivors also gradually awakened their Abyss Runes.
Sixty minutes flew by in an instant.
When the countdown reached the final minute, Xie Minglei stopped teaching.
He told Jiang Chen to collect his thoughts and said seriously,
“Surviving is what’s most important.”
Jiang Chen stood there, watching Xie Minglei walk toward the others, his mind completely calm.
He greatly agreed with the mecha pilot senior’s sentiment.
Surviving is what’s most important.
“According to Senior Xie, the burst rate in the basic trials is extremely high… which is unusual in subsequent abyss explorations.”
“Furthermore, the rewards from the evaluations of basic trials are much better than those from later explorations of the abyss.”
“Many powerful mecha pilots earned excellent ratings in their basic trials, which enabled them to create formidable core mechas.”
“Clearly, this is the abyss’s reward for newcomers, for the brave.”
“Also, I am different from other mecha pilots, my talent lies in enhancing the physique with [Undying Barehand].”
“Should other pilots’ mechas get destroyed, they become merely flesh and blood, completely losing their combat power.”
“I, on the other hand, can absorb the attributes of a mecha, without any reduction in strength!”
Under the pitch-black helmet, Jiang Chen’s eyes were resolute.
He did not want to be helpless again the next time he encountered a monster.
For that reason, he would take the initiative, to kill monsters and gain stronger powers.
Because only by becoming more powerful could he live better!
The numbers before his eyes returned to zero, turning into a line of flowing black text.
[The trial is about to begin.]
[Welcome to the abyss.]
A silent black fissure opened, and Jiang Chen plunged down fiercely.
[Current Location: Ruins of Mutation]
[Level: Zero]
[Difficulty: Trial]
[Objective: Survive for twenty-four hours.]
[Description: In Founding Year 3399, a meteorite from beyond the heavens crashed into the city.
In just thirty minutes, the biochemical virus it carried completely spread out, turning over ninety percent of the citizens into mutated monsters, and order completely collapsed.
By the fortieth minute, the Empire employed weapons of mass destruction, erasing the city from the map.
However, the virus had already spread to the outer regions and quickly diffused throughout the world.
Three days later, civilization perished, all returned to ruins, and the planet became a breeding ground for mutated beings.]
[Friendly Reminder: This Age-Old Shadow is a basic trial; aside from the model Zero Mecha, no items are permitted inside.]
In the concrete ruins, where green plants mixed with purple slime, humanoid monsters inlaid with silver metal roamed the streets.
Suddenly, in the sky above a kilometer-tall skyscraper entwined with giant vines, a pitch-black fissure opened.
A warrior in a silver and black exoskeleton fell from the fissure, crashing into the center of the helipad on top of the skyscraper.]