Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

The damage layer added to the weapon by the magic-infused blade could double its lethality with additional expenditure of Spiritual Energy. The damage layer enhancement amounted to an additional 210 points of slashing attack power, as Bai E cranked up his limit to the maximum of 200 points/minute of Spiritual Energy expenditure.

Such basic damage was far superior to his own arrows after a powerful strike, and with the full enhancement of instantly killing a hundred, the longsword's lethality would only be greater than the arrows'... and, it would strike faster!

Charging with his sword, Bai E swept past one of the smart mechanoids, leaving behind a faint afterimage, the scarlet electronic eyes already on full alert.

Even knowing that a companion had been seriously injured, as long as 30 seconds could be endured, the companion would be able to fully recover. The chivalrous smart mechanoids wouldn't back down in the slightest.

The best plan, of course, was to flee, but the pride and "humanity" of the first-generation smart mechanoids would not permit such a shameful act.

Only by confronting directly and fulfilling their "humanity" could they draw closer to the legendary "Soul of Ten Thousand Machines" and summon back the master of the smart mechanoids sealed by humans.

The swords swept past, and the blade light flickered.

High-frequency cutting clashed fiercely against the fission field, neither giving way to the other.

However, in a moment of crossing paths, the military longsword bypassed the Dynamic Source Sword's blockade and successfully breached the inner line of the chivalrous smart mechanoid.

The Power Source Shield in the left hand intervened immediately, but what it faced... was a slash as though accompanied by thousands of sword shadows.

"Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom!"

The recovery ability of the Power Source Shield was top-notch, capable of fully restoring itself in just a few breaths even after a lethal penetration, but... what if it faced a barrage of powerful attacks raining down on the shield simultaneously?

The maximum ninefold attack enhancement of instantly killing a hundred could be considered "one strike," or "simultaneous."

One sword falls, a myriad of swords arise.

The nine simultaneously cutting slashes broke the recovery limit of the round shield, and its structure was instantly torn apart under the force of the powerful cuts.

"Bang!"

The shield, forged from an unknown metal, shattered into pieces with a crisp crack, its remnants flying off in all directions.

Behind the round shield, a glimpse of human-like surprise and astonishment appeared in those scarlet electronic eyes.

"Sixteen seconds…" Bai E's lips curled slightly as he landed and rolled backward to dodge the instant counterattack from the Dynamic Source Sword.

Deprived of its round shield, the chivalrous smart mechanoids' swordplay became more agile, yet the first-generation smart mechanoid that had shifted from offense to defense already lost its initial arrogance.

A long guard always leads to failure; Bai E's longsword was like a venomous snake, bypassing the guard of the Dynamic Source Sword and striking at the midline for the second time.

One sword fell, and shadows of blades danced wildly.

If the Power Source Shield couldn't withstand Bai E's one strike, how could the basic smart mechanoid's body withstand this earth-shattering blow.

The sword wind was piercingly cold, shredding everything.

The disassembled mechanical structures scattered on the ground, accompanied by the convulsions and tremors of the entire mechanoid body.

[Your attack has successfully dismantled the target's entire defense, rendering the target's body into a "scrap" state, but it is rapidly recovering under the effect of "Shared Mechanical Power," countdown: 29.9 seconds.]

Another one, 3 seconds left…

Picking up the main remnant of the red smart mechanoid, Bai E threw it next to the blue smart mechanoid before reaching out to grip the iron bar again, as the Spiritual Power Enchantment began to change shape.

"2 seconds…"

"Grow!"

"Grow!"

"Grow!"

"1 second…"

[Activating "Lucky Strike."]

"Boom!"

The iron bar smashed down, shattering the earth.

The fractured ground spread outward from the point where the bar struck, extending all the way to the edge of the factory.

[Loot acquired: Steel*8000, Combat Experience 20000 points, Technology: Fission Field Generator, Technology: Energy Gathering Bullet Manufacturing Process, Blueprint: Energy Gathering Rifle, Blueprint: Dynamic Source Sword.]

"Huff~"

"Huff~"

Cold sweat trickled down Bai E's forehead like rain, soaking the only remaining half of his uniform trousers.

The temples throbbed violently, and the massive replenishment and depletion of Spiritual Energy brought unimaginable shock damage to Bai E's will, making the moment the battle ended feel like a red-hot knife stirring inside him.

Waves of overwhelming fatigue surged up, and darkness tried over and over again to take over Bai E's entire field of view.

[After an exhilarating and intense battle, your body's training has reached its limit, and you've achieved a transcendental enhancement: Physical Strength +0.2, Insight +0.2, Reflexes +0.2.]

The surge of newly birthed strength brought a sliver of lucidity into his mind, allowing Bai E to barely cling to the last thread of consciousness without fainting.

The power of Spiritual Energy burst out for the last time, merging with the iron rod to sweep across the land.

What remained of machine gun turrets, newly created Smart Machinery, and all other defensive systems were obliterated in this final strike, leaving the ground marred and scarred.

Having done all this, Bai E scanned the land with weary eyes, and after seeing no more moving threats, finally closed his eyes in contentment as his body fell heavily backwards.

"It's our turn now!" Rose threw aside everything in her hand and slammed down on the gas pedal, roaring out.

The incoming convoy in the distance was probably people called by Bai E, but she couldn't just watch Bai E's fallen body end up in the hands of some riffraff.

Take full control!

Bai E, unconscious, needn't worry about a thing, and faced with the fierce record of a single person taking down an entire Smart Machinery Factory, no one dared to harbor any unusual thoughts.

The uncollected Smart Machinery still laid scattered about, who would want to try their luck and meet the same fate?

The convoy summoned by Gilder and the player-led small town convoy, seeing this inconceivable scene, could only emit a united exclamation of awe from the uninitiated—

"Turtle turtle!"

"Turtle turtle!"

They had watched the whole process of the battle, and though from a distance, they at least knew the target of the battle and the terrifying destructive power that both sides had unleashed.

Not to mention the final peak battle, even the initial cluster rocket bombardment wasn't something these inexperienced nobodies could withstand.

And an entire factory... was just taken down by one person?

Every time their gaze occasionally swept over the closely guarded off-road vehicle, everyone's eyes held the same admiration and reverence.

"So personal might in this game can grow to be this fierce?"

"It seems our lord had been holding back when teaching us..."

Players busily moved everything transportable within the factory, all the while fantasizing about their own future development limits.

They didn't ask for much, just to have a template like this NPC's would suffice.

With that strength, what bugs, demons, Smart Machinery, and orc-like catastrophes? We would be the damn catastrophe!

...

The convoy swayed and wobbled.

The daylight sun shone through the window, illuminating the interior of the vehicle.

Bai E, placed as gently as possible on soft bedding, slowly woke up amidst a warm touch.

He felt a cool, soothing moisture nourishing his parched sea of consciousness.

The external Spiritual Energy carefully nourished his recently overstretched and cracked land, and his sea of consciousness, having endured a full exercise, birthed an even more condensed surge of Spiritual Energy.

[After several cycles of depletion and replenishment in a short period, your Spiritual Energy has undergone substantial training, Spiritual Energy +50/50.]

An extraordinary breakthrough.

This was a superlative leap that ordinary Spiritual Energy users could only achieve after meditating for an unknown length of time.

Spiritual Energy users were already rare, and the upgrades available to a second tier Spiritual Energy user were exceedingly slow.

That's why the process from the second tier to the third tier was so incredibly prolonged, so much so that a Spiritual Energy user might never touch the third tier in their lifetime.

And as for myself... Spiritual Energy 281/281.

The 1000 points needed for a third tier Spiritual Energy user... still a considerable distance away.

Bai E opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Nova's eyes, moist and gleaming.

"Wow! Big Bai!"

"Cough cough cough~" The girl's strength was no joke, and as Bai E was still somewhat weakened upon waking, he weakly patted the girl's head buried into his neck, "Relax a little... relax..."