Chapter 4: Limit Release
Su Xiao sat on the bed inside the prison cell, closing the world introduction. The information provided by the world introduction was considerable, the most important of which was the danger level of this world.
The danger level of Demon Spirit Star was Lv.42～Lv.72. The former could be ignored, but the latter was a lethal threat. Demon Spirit Star was indeed a seventh-rank world, but in certain areas, its danger level had severely exceeded the seventh-rank.
It could be said that there was no clear gap in strength between the top-tier seventh-rank contractors and newly promoted eighth-rank contractors. Advancing in rank did not enhance strength; what truly improved a contractor's power was the danger level and resources of eighth-rank worlds.
After advancing to the eighth rank, contractors could obtain more resources. Not only that, but the rank of these resources was also higher, such as Immortal-rank equipment.
This allowed contractors to increase their strength more quickly. As long as they experienced one or two eighth-rank worlds, a significant gap in strength would open up between eighth-rank contractors and seventh-rank contractors.
Besides resources, the danger of eighth-rank mission worlds also greatly improved the overall strength of eighth-rank contractors. The reason was that those who were not strong enough died after just one eighth-rank world, so naturally, the average strength became higher.
This time, eighth-rank contractors had entered the Western Continent of Demon Spirit Star. If Su Xiao guessed correctly, those six people should also be in Smoke Capital.
The historical changes of this world were unique. First came the "Black Smoke," which was soul energy covering the land. People inside the high walls tried every way to break free from the soul energy's coverage, but later, they wished the soul energy were a thousand or ten thousand times more abundant.
Due to people's overuse, the soul energy at present was very scarce. Developing to this day, soul energy could be divided into two types: Primordial Soul Energy and Artificial Soul Energy.
The so-called Primordial Soul Energy could be inhaled into the body, harmlessly extending lifespan or awakening supernatural abilities. As for Artificial Soul Energy, it was produced in the Western Continent. The Magic Association controlled this technology, and every year, the Western Continent produced a large amount of Artificial Soul Energy, which was transported to the Eastern Continent to supply the commoners there.
Artificial Soul Energy could not be inhaled into the body. It was completely different in nature from Primordial Soul Energy. It was mostly used to drive machinery, such as the steam engines in factories, or for lighting, heating, etc.
Almost all commoners called Artificial Soul Energy "Black Crystal." No one could associate it with Primordial Soul Energy.
The birth of Black Crystal was a failed attempt by the Magic Association to artificially synthesize Primordial Soul Energy. After multiple experiments, it was downgraded for civilian use.
Regarding the struggle for Primordial Soul Energy, the Magic Association, the Healing God Cult, and the Steam Alliance had never stopped fighting. The remaining Fate Church never competed for Primordial Soul Energy, yet they never lacked it.
Among the four major powers, the Magic Association was definitely ranked first. The Healing Church and the Steam Alliance seemed to be hostile to the Magic Association, but sometimes the two of them fought even more fiercely.
During one of their chaotic battles, a very funny scene occurred. The Magic Association couldn't stand it anymore and mediated, resolving the conflict between the Healing God Cult and the Steam Alliance. Then, these two sides somehow temporarily united and almost smashed the Magic Association's skull to pieces.
The relationship between the three parties was complicated. The Magic Association and the Steam Alliance were wary of each other. The Healing Church had been quiet recently, and their silence made everyone uneasy.
As for the last one, the Fate Church, they often engaged in human baffling behavior, such as building a towering metal tower to welcome the arrival of a miracle.
The believers of the Fate Church waited under the metal tower for over a month, their bodies becoming rancid, but no miracle came. What they eventually got was a thunderstorm, and then a lightning bolt struck down. A thunderstorm plus a 117-meter-high metal spire—the result could be imagined.
Fortunately, the believers ran fast, otherwise, a few would definitely have been struck to death. Their conclusion afterward was that during a thunderstorm, one must stay away from very tall metal structures.
It was said that this incident even made the newspapers in the Eastern Continent. That spire was preserved to this day because that thing was simply too damn useful. It perfectly solved the problem of tall buildings in the city being struck by lightning. No building was taller than that metal spire, so all lightning was attracted to it.
After this incident fermented for a while, the Divine Envoy of the Fate Church came out to make a public statement, smiling and saying, "That's right, this is the will of the gods!"
The Fate Church had committed countless similar human baffling behaviors. For this reason, they were the weakest among the four major powers in the Eastern Continent.
Su Xiao didn't need to worry about the Eastern Continent for now. The Western Continent he was in was not easy to leave. It was completely sealed off by the Magic Association, even the space was blocked. To leave the Western Continent, one could only pass through the Magic Association's checkpoints.
Now, the entire Western Continent was almost becoming the Magic Association's experimental area. The Magic Association's image in the Eastern Continent was very glorious, but in the Western Continent, there was no commoner who didn't hate the Magic Association. No, there were no commoners here, only refugees. They were vigilant, fierce, and poor.
In the Western Continent, even the lowest laborers would carry a fish-cleaning knife with them. There was no other way; the Western Continent was too dangerous.
A cruel experimental ground, ancient era treasures, various gangs, the Magic Association's branch, and bizarre anomalous objects—these were the main components of the Western Continent.
If the Eastern Continent was heaven, then the Western Continent was hell. Heaven and hell were separated by a sea and the Magic Association's blockade.
It wasn't the Magic Association that caused the chaos in the Western Continent. The resources here were too barren. At the peak of the Western Continent's chaos, the four major powers—the Magic Association, the Healing God Cult, the Steam Alliance, and the Fate Church—dared not easily send people here.
Even today, the Magic Association could only blockade this place. The secret mages from the Magic Association did not dare to act recklessly in the Western Continent. Not a few secret mages had died on the night roads. In the black market of Smoke Capital, the Magic Association's secret mages were very valuable, especially female secret mages.
From beginning to end, the Western Continent was not playing the role of a victim. The Magic Association was taking advantage of the chaos here to conduct experiments on Black Crystal.
[War Mission: World Core (First Ring, Total Three Rings)]
Difficulty Level: Lv.70
Mission Brief: Find the nodes (six in total) within Mist Capital. The Hunter must set up temporary coordinates on at least four nodes.
Hint: Every 6 hours, one random node will undergo a spatial resonance reaction.
Mission Info: After successfully setting up 'Temporary Coordinates' on four nodes, Reincarnation Paradise can strip the World Core of this world. After successful stripping, the initial ownership of the World Core will be held by our side's contractors (our side's contractors are currently in the Eastern Continent).
Mission Time Limit: 3 natural days.
Mission Reward: Visible upon victory in the World War.
Mission Penalty: No penalty. Upon mission failure, forced return will occur, all gains in this world will be cleared, and the promotion mission will fail.
Hint: The promotion trial can be attempted at most twice. If both attempts fail, the Hunter will lose the qualification to advance to the eighth rank.
……
[Promotion Mission: Pending Activation.]
Hint: This mission will be activated after the Hunter completes the War Mission.
Hint: After completing the War Mission and successfully seizing the World Core, the Hunter can obtain World Source within this world. The acquisition amount is increased by 200%. After leaving this world, a world settlement can be conducted.
……
[Due to the Hunter needing to compete for the temporary coordinate setup rights of the 'nodes' in this World War, the following restrictions have been lifted, effective until the end of this World War.]
[Mission Penalty Mechanism has been reduced by 50%.]
[World Contact Platform speech restrictions have been lifted.]
[Kill Permission being determined...]
[After killing an enemy Paradise contractor, the Hunter will additionally obtain Scarlet Honor (Scarlet Honor can be used to exchange for Blood-colored Weapons. Such weapons have no fixed quality, with a rating of 500～??? points, and a maximum possession quantity of 1).]
[Permission being lifted...]
[Kill restrictions have been completely lifted!]