BXBX NOVEL Chapter 151: A Strange Discovery!
The "monster" spoke weakly.
"If this is your first time entering reality, you can take a look at the books on that shelf over there."
"There are also maps of the base and introductions to nearby landmarks, but we haven\'t explored the surface in a long time, so the information might be inaccurate."
"I will be nearby. Just call me if you need anything."
"But I am heavily irradiated, so I won\'t stand too close to you."
This "monster" was one of those who didn\'t enter the game but watched over the game pods. It was thanks to their presence that countless players could live peacefully in Transcendence.
Sterl bowed to the "caretaker." He hadn\'t attacked because he recognized these caretakers from the general education he received as a child at the base.
These individuals lived underground, exposed to low levels of radiation. Unlike players who could shield themselves from harm using the game pods, their bodies had become twisted, and they suffered from various diseases due to the lack of sunlight. Their life expectancy rarely exceeded 30 years.
Even though Sterl had reached level 60, he still held respect for this group of people.
Incidentally, the reason he hadn\'t initiated the second class ceremony was that Sterl hadn\'t found the time to absorb two portions of the Netherworld Water to gain additional level caps.
He had been dealing with one thing after another. First, there was Teresa, the deputy star, who encountered danger. Then Sterl had to come to the real world to handle his own data.
While the Earth humans publicly claimed their strongest power was only demi-gods, even if Sterl ascended to godhood, he wouldn\'t have any offensive skills, only the As a Creator\'s Act to trap an enemy.
Once his godhood ascended, and his divine power dissipated, the effect of trapping an enemy would naturally vanish.
Thus, theoretically, revealing Sterl\'s information still posed some risk. Moreover, Sterl, using Moon Law, could sense that the Earth humans were not as simple as they seemed.
So, for now, Sterl could only wait until he went back online to fully absorb the Netherworld resources...
"Go about your business. I\'ll explore on my own."
Sterl casually dismissed the caretaker and quickly found the map, ready to leave. However, before he left, he did one more thing: he took out Star Insight, which he had stored in his small world, and put it on.
Sterl quickly checked the attributes of the departing caretaker.
To his surprise, he could actually see the stats:
[Casillia (Non-player)]
[Level: lv0]
[Attributes:
Constitution: 1 (Less than one point, displayed as one)
Strength…]
[Status: Forbidden Poison: Continuously drains life power and limits the talents acquired during awakening.]
Sterl initially had a casual expression, only somewhat puzzled as to why, when using Star Insight in reality, he saw a template that was almost identical to the one in Transcendence.
However, when he saw the buff on the caretaker named Casillia, he was stunned.
"Shouldn\'t it be radiation?"
"Why is it called Forbidden Poison?" Sterl mused. But after some thought, it made sense. After all, isn\'t it quite normal for one\'s body to mutate and innate abilities to deteriorate after being exposed to radiation?
In Transcendence\'s game terminology, there might not be a debuff explicitly named nuclear radiation.
Sterl quickly left the base. His destination was the location of the "Ironheart" family, which he had found in the manual provided by the base. It was situated in a medium-sized human settlement.
Incidentally, while survival in reality was difficult, some professionals who had no hope of breaking through in Transcendence chose to live in the real world instead of becoming addicted to the virtual one. Additionally, those whose characters died in Transcendence didn\'t immediately resort to suicide, leading to the gradual formation of some settlements.
However, due to radiation, the average lifespan in these settlements was very short.
With a general direction in mind, Sterl could easily find the "Ironheart" family\'s settlement. Large populations inevitably left behind a significant amount of living waste and traces.
As he pondered, Sterl finally passed through a long corridor and emerged onto the surface.
Upon leaving the base, his view opened up to a vast, desolate land with cracked soil everywhere. The glaring sunlight made the whole world appear stark white.
There was hardly any sign of life, except for a few sparse weeds, showcasing their resilience.
Undoubtedly, it was a post-apocalyptic scene.
Sterl frowned even more as the external radiation intensified, making him extremely uncomfortable. What made him feel even worse was...
On the barren ground ahead, a humanoid creature inexplicably appeared, drooling as it looked at him.
The creature, with a grayish-white body and thick limbs, crawled towards him.
Using Star Insight, Sterl found that this creature also had the status of [Forbidden Poison]. Before the creature could pounce on him, he noted that its level was only in the 20s.
If this was the weakest monster on this wasteland, it was clear that non-professionals couldn\'t survive here.
Sterl casually unleashed Ignition Flame, reducing the creature to ashes.
This action seemed to stir up a hornet\'s nest. Dozens of monsters crawled out of the soil, poking their heads out, but they were all instantly shredded by the starburst effect triggered by Ignition Flame.
Sterl waited for a moment, expecting to see some drops, but then he realized his mistake.
"What am I thinking?"
"Monsters in reality don\'t drop loot."
He initially thought so until he noticed a pure white mist emanating from the dead monsters.
At first, Sterl couldn\'t interact with these mist particles. It wasn\'t until he had a vague premonition and invoked the power of [As a Creator\'s Act] that he managed to materialize the white mist and absorb it into his body. He then displayed a look of extreme surprise.
"This is..."
After absorbing the mist, Sterl felt as if a certain shackle within his body had loosened slightly.
If he hadn\'t ascended to godhood and gained extreme control over his body, he might not have noticed this at all.
However, the removal of this shackle didn\'t seem to have any immediate benefit for Sterl.
He could vaguely sense that if the shackles continued to loosen, he would be able to awaken higher-level talents. But the problem was, he had already completed his awakening!
This white mist was only useful for those who hadn\'t awakened yet, or for those whose talents hadn\'t reached their full potential after awakening.
For Sterl, who already possessed a 3S-level talent, it was useless!
However, he found it quite peculiar.
Why did these monsters have such an effect?
Sterl, having spent considerable time in Transcendence, naturally knew that if this information got out, countless people from various planets would flock to Earth, hunting these monsters like crazy until they were wiped out! This could help their offspring awaken higher-level talents.
But apparently, this information hadn\'t leaked out...
The real world on Earth was incredibly desolate.
"Wait a minute, maybe I\'m overthinking this?"
"I had to use the power of As a Creator\'s Act just to barely absorb this special energy."
"Other players probably need to be at least god-level to even sense this white mist."
"So, isn\'t it normal that this information hasn\'t spread?"
Sterl quickly analyzed and arrived at a reasonable explanation.
He didn\'t dwell on it any longer and swiftly activated Bloody Rush and Divine Flame Drive, heading towards the "Ironheart" family settlement.
Soon enough, Sterl discovered a well-hidden cave entrance.
He immediately used Shadow Stealth. The coordinates of the shadow world corresponded to those of the real world, allowing this legendary ability to let Sterl Transmigrate through shadows and appear in front of his enemies.
Spotting the cave entrance, Sterl used Shadow Stealth and, combined with the acceleration from Bloody Rush, quickly descended to the underground part of the cave, bypassing any possible guards on the settlement\'s perimeter.
Once he finished traversing through the shadow world, what greeted Sterl\'s eyes was a rather bustling scene: a massive underground base.
Blue crystals on the ceiling illuminated the world, and the streets were filled with many moving robots. The pedestrians in the underground world looked quite healthy, their faces flushed, unlike those living in poor conditions.
However, they all had numerous pustules or similar afflictions on their bodies, clearly affected by radiation, which was somewhat nauseating.
Sterl had no intention of observing the city\'s scenes.
He quickly located the most imposing building in the underground base and entered the largest office within.
After a short wait, a portly, official-looking individual walked into the room.
Sterl used Star Insight and found that this was indeed a professional player who had reached level 26. However, he only had a single white-quality skill, indicating he was not strong in combat.
But at least, with his levels, this official didn\'t bear the ugly marks of radiation.
Without hesitation, Sterl snapped his fingers.
From his small world, he summoned his pet.
The Star Radiance Dragon emerged, its terrifying aura immediately pinning the official to the ground!