novelraw Chapter 60: Model A21
Chapter 60: Model A21
Just as Daniel entered the striking range, he dropped to his knees. He didn’t attack the robot.
He punched the floor.
"[Forceburst]!"
BOOOOM!
He unleashed the shockwave directly into the floor tiles beneath the Regulator’s feet. The blast didn’t hurt the robot, but it shattered the floor.
The smooth tiles exploded upward. The Regulator stumbled. Its perfect balance was broken as the floor shattered beneath it.
It thrashed its arms, trying to stay upright. In that brief moment, the robot’s body twisted, exposing the thick power cable on its back.
Daniel didn’t waste the moment. He leaped through the debris. He ignored the robot’s thrashing blades.
He slashed with both daggers.
SHING!
The C+ Grade blades bit into the thick black rubber of the cable. Sparks flew as the metal sliced through the protective coating and severed the copper wires inside.
SNAP!
The cable snapped away, hissing like a snake. The result was disastrous.
The Regulator froze mid-motion. The blue light in its eyes flickered and died. The [Energy Shield] vanished. The [Plasma Lance] flickered and died.
"System failure," Daniel whispered, landing in a crouch behind the machine.
The massive construct shook. Without the direct link to the Core, its systems couldn’t handle the high-level output it was using.
Smoke began to pour from its joints. It turned slowly, trying to face Daniel, but its movements were jerky and slow now.
Daniel stood up. He walked toward the crippled machine. It tried to raise its arm to strike him, but it was too slow.
Daniel stepped inside its guard. He placed his hand on the center of its chest, right over its backup processor. "Game over," he said.
He gathered the last of his mana. He didn’t need a fancy skill. He just needed power.
"[Mana Bolt]!"
He fired the spell point-blank into the machine’s chest.
KA-BOOM!
The blast tore through the unshielded armor and ripped into the internal circuitry. The robot’s chest burst open, spraying sparks and bits of metal.
The Regulator collapsed. It fell backward, crashing onto the floor with a loud and heavy metallic sound.
It twitched once, and then the lights went out completely. Silence returned to the chamber.
Daniel stood there, his chest heaving. He was bruised, battered, and bleeding, but he was standing.
A golden light washed over him, warmer and brighter than ever. It sank into his skin, healing his broken ribs and sore muscles.
[You have slain: Conduit Regulator - Model A21 (Level 6)]
[EXP Gained: 540 EXP (Includes extra 50% EXP bonus for High-level kill )]
[Level 4: 1955/1500 EXP]
He earned 360 EXP for killing a Level 6 monster, plus an extra 180 EXP as a bonus for defeating an enemy two or more levels above him, which is 50% of the base EXP.
The numbers rolled over. The threshold was broken.
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 5!]
[Level Up Bonus: All Attributes +14.]
[Assimilation Charges Fully Restored.]
Daniel closed his eyes and let the power flood him. It was intense. It felt like his body was being rebuilt from the inside out. His muscles grew denser. His nerves fired faster.
He was Level 5. He had caught up to the top rankers. He opened his eyes and looked at the smoking wreckage of the Guardian. He was fully healed.
Daniel was never going to leave the room without taking everything it had to offer. This machine was a masterpiece of engineering, a high-tech guardian built by the mysterious architects of the Astral Verge.
Its essence would be powerful. Daniel climbed onto the remains of the robot’s chest. He placed his hand firmly on the polished metal of the body.
The sensation was immediate and intense. It felt like downloading a massive file directly into his brain. Streams of blue binary code flashed behind his eyelids.
He felt the structured, orderly energy of the machine flow into his veins.
His body seized up for a moment as the energy rewired his nervous system.
[Soul Assimilation successful on Construct: Conduit Regulator (Level 6)]
[Gain: Agility +18]
[Gain: Spirit +15]
[Gain: Adaptability +15]
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (14/15 Remaining).]
Daniel gasped as the stats settled in. The boost to his Agility was massive. He felt lighter.
The Spirit boost expanded his mind, making his [Omnivision] feel even clearer and wider.
But the machine had more to give than just raw stats. Two new notifications popped up, glowing with a promise of new utility.
[New Skill Acquired: Energy Conversion (C-Grade)]
[Skill Description: A passive ability derived from the Regulator’s power core. Allows the user to passively absorb ambient energy from the environment to regenerate mana. Regeneration rate depends on the density of the surrounding energy.]
[New Skill Acquired: Minor Shield Skill (D-Grade)]
[Skill Description: A passive understanding of defensive energy manipulation. Increases the durability of any energy shields created or used by the user by 10%.]
Daniel stared at the description of [Energy Conversion]. A slow smile spread across his face.
"Passive mana regeneration," he whispered. "This changes everything." Up until now, his biggest weakness had been his mana pool.
Skills like [Forceburst] and [Mana Bolt] were powerful, but they drained him quickly. He always had to be careful, counting his shots, saving his energy for the kill.
But with [Energy Conversion], he was like a hybrid car. As long as he was in a place with energy, he would recharge. And the Astral Verge was practically made of energy.
He closed his eyes and focused. He could feel it working already. The humming blue energy in the walls, the static in the air, the heat from the pipes, it was all being pulled toward him.
"I can fight longer," Daniel realized. "I can use my skills more often." He looked at the second skill, [Minor Shield Skill].
It was a D-Grade skill, which wasn’t amazing, but it was useful. He remembered how the Regulator had blocked his arrow with that hexagon shield. If he ever got a shield skill or a shielding item, this passive ability would make it stronger.
"Good harvest," Daniel said, patting the dead robot. He jumped down from the wreckage. He felt energized.
He looked toward the back of the chamber. There was a large, arching doorway there. Unlike the other doors in this facility, this one wasn’t rusted or locked. It was open.
Beyond the doorway, a bright, white light spilled out. It was a blinding white light. And with the light came a sound.
It was a strong, resonating vibration.
THRUM... THRUM... THRUM...
The pressure coming from that room was immense. It pushed against Daniel’s skin, heavy and demanding.
"The Central Core," Daniel said. "The heart of the Verge." He checked his map one last time. The wireframe lines ended at that room.
There were no more tunnels, no more detours. This was the destination.
He adjusted the straps of his C-Grade Deflector Vest. He checked his daggers. He made sure his Skyreaver Bow was secure on his back. Then, he stepped forward.
He walked past the smoking ruins of the Regulator. He stepped through the archway and into the light.
The change was shocking. One moment, he was in a dirty, industrial chamber full of oil and steam.
The White Chamber was massive. It was easily the size of a football stadium. The walls were made of a material Daniel couldn’t identify.
It looked like black obsidian, smooth and perfect, glowing with white energy that pulsed with the vibration.