I've already reached the maximum level, and you guys are just starting out?

Chapter 161 Brother Tongzi is still exerting his strength! Have I grown into a ball?
"not bad."

Yu Jin gazed at the falling meteor and nodded in satisfaction.

In a sense.

I guess I've set off fireworks on Mars.

Despite the fact that behind these dazzling fireworks lies the death of hundreds of fallen individuals.

This included a second-tier, level nine Fallen leader.

Swah——

Before the embers, the system delivered the reward information as promised.

[You, with the body of a low-dimensional ant, have outpaced your level to annihilate 'Level 9, Fifth-Tier Fallen—Dio Nelson'!]

Such a magnificent feat, defying the heavens and earth, has shaken the universe!

[Wasteland Origin Point +19 million!]

[You have obtained the following resource: Tier 5 Unlock Stone *1]

【…】

[You have slain 'Tier 2, Level 9 Fallen One - Dio Nelson'!]

['The Spoils of the Strong' activated...]

You have gained one of his attributes!

[You have awakened your fourteenth attribute: Dark Fire!]

"Ok?"

"Dark Fire?"

Yu Jin was somewhat surprised.

It really is just as I guessed?
The attributes of the Fallen are similar to those of human Evolvers, the difference being the addition of prefixes such as 'Dark' or 'Corruption'?

Swah——

With a thought, Yu Jin brought up his personal panel.

With fourteen attributes, the total number of abilities in the skill column has already exceeded one hundred.

Ember's gaze fell on the nine newly added abilities.

[Tier 1 Dark/Fire Attribute Ability: Fireball Lv1]

[Active Effect: Fires a fireball, dealing damage]

It appears to be no different from ordinary attribute abilities.

but……

Om-!
Yu Jin raised his hand, and a blazing fireball the size of a fist condensed at his fingertips.

The crimson fireball was faintly tinged with black.

"Black mist?"

"pollute?"

Ember sensed that he could manipulate 'contamination' to amplify the power of the fireball.

Om-!
The moment the thought crossed his mind, several wisps of thick black mist rose from the fireball.

Ember sensed that the black mist did not arise from nothing, but rather came from the Martian ground beneath his feet.

For a while.

Yu Jin fell into deep thought.

"This is……"

"Did you turn your buddy into a degenerate?"

……

……

Energy Hub No. 07.

Human camp.

The embers slowly fell from mid-air.

Wherever they went, people silently parted to make way for them.

At the end of the road...

Blue Silver Captain Don Fleck was on high alert.

"Coming for me!"

Don Fleck's entire body tensed up, and the wood element energy within him surged continuously!
He didn't understand...

I don't understand why this young man is so strong.

Even the legendary 'limit breaker' shouldn't have broken through to this extent!

In his perception, that 'Earth Explosion Star' attack was almost equivalent to the full-force strike of a fourth or even fifth-tier unlocked being!

This is a monster, an absolute monster!

"oi."

Ember walked up to Don Fleck and stopped.

The same greeting, exactly the same as Don Fleck's earlier one.

the difference is.

After a spectacular Martian meteor shower, the two sides' statuses have completely reversed.

Yu Jin became the one high above, looking down on him.

Don Fleck, though nominally still the captain of the strongest squad in the camp and the leader of the human faction.

But actually...

What are your attributes?

Yu Jin's faint voice rang out.

Don Fleck was taken aback at first, then his face contorted slightly.

Asking so directly about my personal attributes and privacy is a bit too disrespectful to myself as the captain of the Blue Silver team!

How abominable!
Don Fleck cursed inwardly.

At this moment, he wished he could use his identity as the 'Captain of Athena's Personal Guard' to intimidate this arrogant brat.

but……

He dismissed the idea as soon as it arose.

If Athena knew about this guy's achievements, she would probably promote him to the new captain of the personal guard on the spot, and might even give him an extremely generous reward.

That federal heiress values ​​outstanding talent highly!
therefore……

Using power to intimidate others is definitely a dead end.

That being the case...

"Wood attribute, hammer attribute, entangle attribute!"

Don Fleck answered tactfully.

"Tsk."

It's a bit of a shame that the embers are still there.

He had previously thought that this guy's whole body glowed green when he activated his abilities, and that he possessed an attribute like 'life'.

If it truly is a 'life' attribute, even if Ember has to wait a day for the 'Loot of the Strong' to cool down, he still has to 'defeat' this Blue Silver Captain and see if he can get it.

after all……

In Yu Jin's personal panel, there is also an overpowered ability called 'Death Lv1'.

This ability was acquired long ago in the ashes of Earth, but its use requires the simultaneous possession of both the 'causality' and 'life' attributes.

The causal attribute embers are there, but the life attribute is nowhere to be found.

"alright."

Yu Jin nodded, acknowledging Don Fleck's pragmatic attitude.

"Where is the Fallen Camp?"

"Also, do you know the locations of the other energy hubs?"

After a moment of contemplation, Yu Jin asked two questions in succession.

Don Fleck paused for a moment, hesitated, and then answered truthfully:

"I don't know the location of the Fallen Camp."

"But I know the locations of the 06 and 08 energy hubs."

Yu Jin nodded in satisfaction.

"Just know."

"Lead the way."

Don Fleck's eyes widened.

The remaining nearly a thousand evolved beings in the camp, who had been cautiously listening to the conversation between the two, remained rooted to the spot.

"what……?"

For a long time.

Don Fleck then responded.

Yu Jin glanced at him indifferently and said nothing.

"bring!"

"I'll bring it!"

Don Fleck nodded vigorously.

To take or to die, it has never been a choice.

……

……

Martian desert, central camp.

Athena stared at the projection on the screen before her, her exquisitely sculpted face filled with seriousness.

The battle for the hub has ended.

A new phase of the war has officially begun.

but……

The situation on the battlefield is not optimistic.

On this planet called 'K-4', a total of 20 energy hubs were created.

among them.

The human faction occupies 7 of them, which is only one-third.

The remaining 13 were occupied by the Fallen faction.

Even if the combat power of humans of the same level is far inferior to that of the Fallen, the gap should not be so huge.

The key reason is...

The leader of the Fallen faction this time seems to have quite a background.

Athena brought a total of 10 guards this time, each with a Tier 2 Level 9 Unlimited user as the captain.

Level 9 of Tier 2 is enough to serve as a faction leader in a typical Tier 2 Wasteland Online server.

But why!
In the past two days of the battle for the hub, several second-tier level nine powerhouses have emerged from the Fallen faction...

Athena's eyebrows furrowed even more.

She stared at the bright or dim spots of light projected on the screen, and even had a fleeting thought of taking matters into her own hands.

In interstellar wars, faction leaders generally do not participate in the fighting easily; instead, they stay behind the lines, directing troops and deploying forces.

Only in the final stages of the war, when the losing side is about to be defeated, will they launch a decisive counterattack under the leadership of their faction leader.

"If this continues..."

"I will lose!"

Athena quietly clenched her fist.

Her login to Wasteland Online was precisely to prove herself.

all the time.

Due to her noble status as the 'Federal Heiress,' she has always been in the spotlight of countless dignitaries and ordinary people in the Ophelia Federation.

This spotlight gave her a glamorous appearance, earning her admiration and respect.

However, this also brings immense pressure.

but……

It would be extremely unwise for a faction leader to easily engage in battle, especially in the early stages of a war.

According to the rules of Wasteland Online—

If the leader of one faction is killed, then the corresponding faction will be automatically declared the loser.

This rule ignores the number of energy hubs occupied by each side.

Therefore.

Athena remained stationed at the central camp, which was protected by tens of thousands of soldiers. This was because, in the history of Wasteland Online, there were numerous instances where the death of faction leaders had led to a reversal of fortune.

The leader of the Fallen is most likely now, like Athena, stationed at his headquarters, guarded by tens of thousands of people.

"hold on……"

"If all else fails, I'll have to take matters into my own hands."

After much hesitation, Athena made her decision.

Her own unlock value is as high as 8%, but due to the rules of Mars Online, the actual unlock value is only 2.9%.

Unlike Don Fleck.

She possesses the talent of 'breaking limits', and her limit-breaking value is as high as 1%.

this means.

On Mars, where everyone's maximum unlock value is only 2.9%, Athena can break through the unlock value by an additional 1%, reaching 3.9%.

Such an improvement is undoubtedly enormous; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a "dimensional reduction attack."

but……

Athena speculated that the leader of the Fallen faction likely also possessed the 'Limit Breaking' talent.

Time passes slowly.

Inside the central camp.

Athena kept her eyes glued to the changes in the light screen projection.

Energy Hub 01 has not yet been captured.

At Energy Hub 02, the human team has launched an attack, but it is not going well.

……

Energy Hub No. 06 has been successfully captured.

"Um?!"

Athena suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Energy Hub 06?!

That's the key point occupied by the Fallen True Faction!
But now?
The game panel displays the message: "Occupied by the Human Faction!"
"what happened?"

Athena's emotions fluctuated wildly.

Om-!
She waved her hand.

A brilliant golden light surged forth.

In an instant, she made contact with the human team outside Hub 06.

"Miss Athena!"

There was sound on the light screen, but no picture.

This is also a limitation of Wasteland Online: faction leaders can command their troops, but they cannot easily see the front lines of the battlefield.

Most of the time, leaders can only issue orders and cannot establish two-way communication.

At this point, communication was only initiated after Athena had used one of her only five attempts.

"what happened?"

Despite her immense curiosity, Athena maintained her dignity in front of her subordinates and asked in a deep voice.

Silence fell on the other side of the light screen.

After a while.

A weak voice rang out.

"We...we don't know what happened either..."

"Suddenly, two humans flew down from the sky."

"A blue-haired youth and a black-haired youth."

"The blue-haired youth leads the way, and the black-haired youth follows."

"The two came from the east. After arriving here, the black-haired youth fired a fireball at the Fallen camp without saying a word."

"Then……"

"Hundreds of people in the Fallen faction were all burned to ashes."

"And then……"

"The two of them left without looking back. Before leaving, they asked me about the location of other energy hubs."

Athena looked astonished after hearing this.

"Fireball?"

She repeated a sentence.

"Fireball."

"perhaps……"

"A fireball several hundred meters in size."

On the other side of the light screen, the human captain's tone remained dazed.

Communication ends.

Athena remained silent for a long time.

Blue-haired youth?

She did have a captain in her personal guard who indeed had striking blue hair.

Blue Silver Captain, Don Fleck, a Tier 2 Level 9 Limit Breaker.

At this moment, he should be stationed at Energy Hub 07.

Athena looked at the [4/5] two-way communication count and hesitated.

Contact Don Fleck for more details?
Or should we simply wait a day for the daily battle reports from each squad?

……

……

Martian desert.

Energy Hub No. 08.

A human squad of nearly a thousand is engaged in a fierce battle with the fallen forces.

Compared to Energy Hub 07, the battle here was much more brutal.

For some reason, both sides were really angry and fought fiercely. Despite the huge energy consumption, neither side took the initiative to stop the fight.

"Um……"

"unimportant."

Above the heavens, Ember looked down upon this scene and offered its assessment.

Beside him, Don Fleck stood with a tense expression, not daring to speak.

a moment ago.

In front of him and thousands of human unlockers, this formidable man unleashed a fireball that wiped out the Fallen in the 06 Energy Nexus.

That scene deeply shocked Don Fleck's young mind.

Its intensity even surpassed that of the 'Planetary Explosion' at Hub 07.

because……

Ember was right beside him at the time, and so casually, effortlessly, and with unparalleled ease, he conjured a fireball several hundred meters in size.

The fireball was even emitting wisps of black mist.

Not to mention Don Fleck, even the hundreds of Fallen Ones were stunned.

The density of that black fog was greater than that of the strongest leader in their camp!

boom--!
Boom——!
The sudden clap of thunder brought Don Fleck back to reality.

"?"

Don Fleck was stunned.

He looked down at the earth below.

On the ground, both sides, who were originally locked in fierce combat, were stunned.

Who?
Who is firing the cannon?
Yu Jin remained silent, only raising his hand.

As he raised his hand, he also thoughtfully greeted the team of human unlockers below.

"Give way."

"To avoid accidental injury."

Ember's voice was soft, yet it reached the ears of every human being.

Swish-

Thousands of people were confused, but their physical instincts made them retreat rapidly back to their camp.

And the other side.

The hordes of fallen ones looked up at the sky, sensing a deadly danger emanating from the thunderclouds.

"Go back!"

The leader of the Fallen shouted.

No refunds allowed.

Yu Jin pointed.

Om-!
Spatial fluctuations spread.

Hundreds of fallen beings were frozen in space.

then……

"Thunder comes."

Yu Jin murmured, then pointed again.

[Ninth-Tier Lightning Attribute Ability: Cosmic Tribulation Lightning Domain!]

[Active Effect: Generates a thunderstorm starfield, instantly unleashing ten thousand pillars of annihilating lightning!]

boom--

Boom——!
Terrifying lightning instantly engulfed the land below.

Hundreds of fallen beings were annihilated by lightning and turned into nothingness before they could even scream.

"..."

Don Fleck's body trembled slightly, which was quite unfortunate.

The thunder and lightning could easily annihilate him.

"!!?"

Inside the camp of Energy Hub 08.

Nearly a thousand people who have broken through human limitations looked completely bewildered.

"A big shot sent by Miss Athena?"

"Isn't this a bit too much?"

The embers remained silent, only relentlessly unleashing thunder.

Rumble——!
After several breaths.

The thunderous roar finally subsided.

The once reddish-brown Martian landscape was scorched black under the barrage of lightning.

Meanwhile, Ember stared at the system panel in front of him, checking the rewards.

You killed...

【…】

Lines of text messages pop up.

Wasteland Source, Limit Relief Stone...

The rewards are all standard and there are no new changes.

until...

[You, with the body of a low-dimensional ant, single-handedly repelled the fallen beings of a higher dimension and successfully occupied 3 planets!]

Such a magnificent feat is breathtaking and awe-inspiring!

You have received a reward.

【Planet K-2 (3/20)】

"Ok?"

"Is Brother Tong still exerting his strength?"

"Planet K-2?"

"Venus?"

"I've grown into a ball?"

(End of this chapter)