Chapter 118: The Greatsword Warrior

Below the snowy peak lay a vast, level expanse of ground.

In the very center sat a circular silver metal disc, embedded in the snow like a flat cake. Though it spanned several hundred square meters, it resembled a sacrificial altar, its surface etched with deep, coarse grooves that, upon closer inspection, formed a massive hexagram.

At the heart of the pattern stood a sacred celestial sphere, a tool commonly used by Controllers. At its apex rested a giant white crystal orb, pulsing with a deep blue light.

The strangeness lay in the fact that while the surrounding snow was deep, the hexagram remained completely untouched by the drifts, as if protected by some mysterious power that defied the freezing cold.

More than thirty people surrounded the hexagram. Lost Sunshine stepped forward, seemingly intending to touch it, only to be barked at by 1860: "Don't touch it! There's likely some kind of trap or mechanism involved."

Lost Sunshine was startled and sheepishly pulled her hand back. Wu Hua nodded; 1860’s caution was well-founded.

After studying the crystal orb for a long time, 1860 said slowly, "Everyone, step back. Let me try."

As the group retreated to the snow, 1860 slowly raised his energy staff. The crystal ball at the tip of the staff emitted an extremely thin, distorted bolt of electricity. It struck the orb with a sharp "crack," sparking slightly, but the orb remained unresponsive. 1860 breathed a sigh of relief.

"Boss, let me try," said 3166, captain of the Esper squad. He stepped forward and raised his hands, a wave of telekinetic energy slowly coalescing over his gloves. Like a pair of invisible hands, the energy gently lifted the orb.

Wu Hua could tell he was testing to see what would happen if the orb were removed, but the orb still did not react.

"Alright, no problem. Take it down so the Metal-smiths can examine it. Let's see if it’s a form of technological energy," 1860 ordered.

Only then did Lost Sunshine step forward to retrieve the orb.

In truth, no one—including Wu Hua—anticipated that cleverness could sometimes lead to disaster. Curiosity can be fatal; this orb was not meant to be touched.

The moment Lost Sunshine’s hand brushed the surface of the orb, the transformation began. The entire orb flared with intense blue light, causing her whole body to glow in tandem. The orb began to discharge electricity like a lightning globe, emitting a constant hissing sound that bathed the entire wilderness in a blue hue.

"Careful!" 1860 shouted. "Drop it and get back, quickly!"

Lost Sunshine turned and fled, yet the orb hovered in mid-air, refusing to fall. The air surrounding it began to turn blue, swirling into a vortex as beams of azure light emerged.

As the group retreated, the blue light coalesced into a silhouette—a translucent, crystalline warrior taking shape.

"An Atlantean Titan!" Bluey screamed.

Wu Hua nodded. Bluey was right; the warrior’s appearance was identical to an Atlantean Titan. The blue light quickly solidified into ice, leaving the Titan composed entirely of transparent blue blocks. It held a massive, transparent ice sword—the blade alone five meters long—while the white crystal orb was now embedded in its chest, likely serving as its power source.

The ice-sword warrior’s legs began to move, causing the entire snowy plain to rumble.

"Scatter! Form up!" 1860 roared.

As soon as he spoke, the Gunners opened fire with their AKs. Orange tongues of flame erupted, and a hail of bullets surged forth.

"Ding, ding, ding, ding!" A series of shattering sounds echoed from the Titan's chest as ice chips flew in all directions. After a hundred rounds were spent, the warrior’s movement was only slightly hindered. A small, dented hole appeared in its chest, and the damage numbers floating above its head were all "-75." It seemed to have taken almost no damage; even the power of the purple-grade AKMs had been reduced by a factor of six.

Wu Hua raised his AUG and fired a burst, then quickly activated his precision calculation: HP 491,220/500,000.

Wu Hua had to shout to warn 1860: "It has 500,000 HP!"

Upon hearing this, 1860 realized they had encountered a major threat—definitely the guardian of this place. However, the boss's defense didn't seem particularly high; a few AKMs had instantly shaved off 10,000 HP. Of course, for a boss with low defense, its offensive power would not be low either.

The ice-sword warrior’s first strike was both thunderous and imposing. It brought the blade down in a vertical cleave, slamming into the snow with a dull thud. A dark, massive trench was gouged into the ground, sending a flurry of snow into the air.

It had aimed for the warriors. Of the five, only the captain, "998," was a Chip Warrior; the others were Gene Warriors, quite agile, and they managed to roll out of the way. However, the sheer force of the blow left everyone feeling unsteady on their feet.

"Attack!" 1860 was the first to strike, unleashing a bolt of lightning. Immediately after, the Controllers began discharging electricity, the Medics cast support buffs, the Espers unleashed telekinetic waves, the Gunners’ AKMs sounded like firecrackers, and the Metal-smiths ran to a distance to remotely control their armored vehicles and fire mortars.

While not exactly spectacular, 1860’s team was elite. With a few bolts of lightning, five "-1500" damage numbers appeared. The telekinetic waves, looking like rounded dumplings, slammed into the boss’s chest for "-1000" damage each. The Medics, naturally, did not participate in the attack, instead focusing on casting "Heal, Shield, Armor, Haste, Focus, and Agility"—buffing everything that needed to be buffed. Lost Sunshine and Bell were high-level Medics; they fired their PPK and Type 54 pistols, though the damage was negligible, they were at least contributing.

The most formidable asset was the armored vehicle, crafted from S-grade pure fire crystal and twelve-element alloys. When the boss struck the roof of the vehicle, not even a dent appeared. In turn, as the Metal-smiths operated it, incendiary shells exploded against the boss, setting it aflame. The "-100" damage numbers over the boss’s head appeared like soap bubbles, and the flamethrowers unleashed four long dragons of fire, dealing "-50" damage per second.

In just thirty seconds, the boss’s HP had dropped by over 20,000. Despite having only thirty-some people, 1860’s group was far more capable than Murong Longcheng’s force of ten thousand.

Wu Hua had remained still, merely saying to Squid, "Follow me."

Squid, who was enjoying the firefight, looked surprised. "Where to?"

"To the hillside to fight!" Wu Hua rushed toward the snow-covered peak. The peak wasn't high, but the slope was gentle, and the distance was about 700 meters.

However, they had only covered half the distance when the thing Wu Hua feared came to pass.

This boss moved in a completely different way than the one in the Ayatt Dungeon. The boss stood upright, then suddenly swung its sword from its feet toward the sky, like a golfer.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Three waves of energy erupted from the ice blade, transforming into three hurricanes that whipped the snow into the air, reaching several meters high. It looked like a tsunami; as the waves of snow crashed down, they instantly buried several Medics and Metal-smiths.

The boss then charged forward, swinging its sword horizontally.

1860 reacted quickly, shouting, "Don't come out! Stay down!"

But the buried Medics and Metal-smiths were struggling to climb out, choking on the snow, when the thick blade of light swept across the horizon.

-20,000!
-20,000!
-20,000!

The white snow turned red instantly, and three beams of white light ascended to the heavens.

1860 stood stunned. "What high attack power!"

Wu Hua was also taken aback. "Damn, this is too insane, isn't it?"

Seeing this, everyone realized it was a special-grade boss. The four Gene Warriors immediately downed several potions, their faces shifting through blue, red, and green hues—these were Survival Genes (doubling HP), Power Genes (increasing strength and defense by 30%), and Evolution Genes (drastically increasing speed and flexibility).

After consuming the potions, the four warriors were truly transformed, immediately becoming the primary damage dealers.