Li Ang wasn't bothered by the shock of the crowd watching him. After browsing the web, he started checking the items and rewards obtained from the "Long Night Approaches" script task.
Because he solved the premature aging disease that had plagued Guardian Village for years, saving the villagers, the village chief thanked him by gifting 40 special items from their village's warehouse.
Li Ang shared the Claude Bag with Hoenhem at an 8-2 split,
and he received 32 items.
Among these 32 items, half were completely broken, or Li Ang didn't know how to use them for the ti being.
The remaining items, 13 of them, could be used normally, ranging from armor, weapons to ordinary furniture.
For the last three items, upon activation, they were deed by the system as transcendent tools,
providing item descriptions, two excellent and one perfect.
The excellent ones are [Trinity Shield], shaped like a clover-sized palm shield. Upon using its special effect, three shields can be summoned nearby, which automatically rebound a portion of flying props (like bullets, arrows) for a duration of 5 minutes.
[Delusional Magnet], shaped like a half-broken U-shaped red magnet. Upon using its special effect, it allows the user to fly at high speed towards a visible target until touching the target location, lasting for 30 seconds.
The perfect item is an ancient-style music box,
made of neither tal nor wood, exceptionally solid, impenetrable by divine sense.
Li Ang activated the Swamp God Power, exerting full force to open it, revealing a cluster of discrete, stable, non-dissipating living lightning inside.
This lightning cluster is the perfect quality magic tool,
nad [Remnant Spark of The Traveling Mage]
He spent a whole night researching this tool,
while the aftermath of the event was brewing worldwide.
————
Ga Square, [Horizontals] Bar.
Horizontals used to be a modestly decorated, deep and quiet bar, but now it's bustling, filled with many high-level players, rcenaries, brokers, and intelligence vendors chatting away.
The reason is simple,
this Yin City upheaval was far too impactful.
rcenaries without fixed camps clustered in groups, intelligence vendors and brokers whispered in the shadows, a few black-robed mbers from the Demon Scientist Alliance occupied a corner,
European Heavy Industry and other regional official bodies booked several rooms for secret talks.
Everyone was discussing the real-world Yin City upheaval and its subsequent waves.
Shortly after the Door War ended, the personal combat strength rankings were updated again,
expanding to 500 nas, featuring many Otherworldly Players,
such as tenth-ranked [Barbarous Thorn Evil], and sixth-ranked [Divine Knowledge].
Since the updated rankings featured many Otherworldly Transcendents,
to prevent intelligence leaks,
many Earth players opted for anonymity,
though prior to going anonymous, Earth Transcendents' overall ranking showed a sharp decline.
The forr seventeenth-ranked European Heavy Industry Group cha girl [Dawn] fell out of the top hundred in the new rankings.
The originally fiftieth-ranked Ant King plumted to four hundred and ninety-nine.
Everybody could only estimate the current first-tier combat rankings based on so players who had not yet opted for anonymity.
"David from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Supernatural Accident Place was tenth in the personal combat rankings previously,
now he's fifty-third after the update.
Given the destructive power Li Rising demonstrated during this Yin City upheaval, his rank in the new rankings might very well be in the top 30, possibly even the top 20!"
A burly rcenary with mutton chops, holding a beer bottle, whispered to his companion, "Do you know what the key thing is?
He has been deceiving the outside world all along!
During the Door War, we all thought he had so power,
but he ended up single-handedly fighting and beating Qing Qiuhu, even killing him.
After that, we thought he was powerful but hadn't touched the first-tier threshold,
wouldn't you know it, he single-handedly fought and beat the Cataclysmic Level Phantom Vermilion Bird too!
How long has it been since the Door War?!
Can a person improve so much from just a couple of script tasks?
How could that be!
The biggest likelihood is he deliberately hid his true power during the Door War, only showing part of it,
thinking he's contributed enough, deserving high evaluation from the system, ready to quit at the right ti and teleport away.
In other words, he likely possesses a doorway!!!
"Indeed."
Another burly rcenary whispered too, "Plus, he's a Lone Wolf with no allegiance to any force.
Previously, all outside forces assud he had so ties with the Special Affairs Bureau,
the Immaculate Furnace, notorious for its terrifying money-making ability, was thought to have the Special Affairs Bureau behind it.
But this ti, we all got slapped in the face.
He was a Lone Wolf from start to finish."
"A Lone Wolf, achieving this without any backing or protection from a force..."
A listener nearby gasped, "Isn't this cheating?"
"If anything, players at the top of the rankings, aren't they all cheating? Just a matter of whose cheating is more intense."
The rcenary with mutton chops shrugged, "When I reached Lv20, I also thought I was unbeatable, that the world was my oyster, welcod and invited by all major organizations wherever I went.
But I didn't realize Lv20 and Lv20 differ greatly,
as much as humans and dogs do.
I bet to those players at their level, we're really no different from ordinary Lv5, Lv10 newbies, easily vast-range one-shotted."
"Tsk..."
People drinking nearby couldn't help but suck their teeth,
although what he said was harsh, recalling the video footage, the looming Deadwood Titan...
They, the so-called "Lv20 top players," might truly be no stronger than a chicken.
"I think it's ti to redefine the first-tier definition."
The rcenary with mutton chops spoke solemnly, "We used to think the first-tier was top 50 on the strength list, each very strong.
But now, looking at it, there should be a tier above the first tier."
The listeners wondered, "Another tier? What do you an?"
"Natural Disaster."
The rcenary with mutton chops grinned, "Humanoid natural disasters walking on two legs, each possessing the power of strategic-level weapons,
even if they just walk ordinarily, leave the borders,
they can alarm and terrify official entities from various regions, requiring utmost care to appease and entertain them.
Though at pure destructive levels,
Natural Disaster level strongn haven't achieved city-level or nuclear-level devastation,
what they do excel at is mobility.
Regular missiles, nuclear bombs, fuel-air bombs, if not detonated within close range, might not even catch up with them—Natural Disaster strongn have the ability to teleport in space or shelter in other dinsions,
as long as they dodge the first wave of strategic attacks, they can flee a thousand miles away,
then hide their identity, return, causing endless destruction.
They're true human-shaped natural disasters.
In their eyes,
even Lv15, Lv20 powerhouses by regular standards are nothing but side dishes, easily crushed without effort,
numbers an nothing to them.
What's more, human society offers them very little—They are not highly dependent on human civilization, utterly needless for the production and life order of the real world.
They can traverse oceans, be unfettered above the sky,
no one can insult or attack them at will, everyone must show them respect and submission, otherwise they might incur the displeasure and wrath of the strong.
They're no longer part of the order that maintains society.
They are the order itself."
The rcenary with mutton chops wasn't as crude and bumbling as he appeared; his solemn tone and neat parallelism captivated everyone present, conjuring daydreams of soaring to the summit themselves.
"They are the order itself.
God, hearing this ignites completely."
Beside him, a red-haired, baby-faced rcenary youth holding paper and pen smacked his lips, put down his paper and pen, and asked the mutton chops rcenary, "So, Bell, old buddy, in your view,
who in the world,
deserves to be called a Natural Disaster level existence?"
"That..."
The rcenary nad Bell, with his bushy beard, felt a bit awkward. In reality, he had just recently reached level 20 and had never been listed on the personal power rankings, either before or after the Doorway Contention Battle.
Nor had he t any first-tier players in the real world.
He was fine with bragging a bit,
but to actually discuss seriously...
"Brother Bai, that's a great question you've asked."
With quite a few listeners gathered around, Bell knew he couldn't just stop his evaluation now without looking bad. He imdiately covered his embarrassed expression with a drinking gesture and slowly said,
"The specific list of Cataclysms can be roughly inferred from their performance in the Doorway Contention Battle.
In my humble opinion,
there are six individuals in the world today who can be called Cataclysms."
"Six people?"
The gathered listeners quickly pressed for more details: "Which six people?"
"First off, there's the previously top-ranked Michael, whose current rank is unknown."
Bell said in a deep voice: "In the Lost World of the Doorway Contention Battle, Michael took on four of the top fifteen players by himself and even maintained an advantage.
The Sword of Flas in his hand could be hundreds of ters long, powerful and unstoppable, destroying the special alloys of the Lost World with ease, like cutting through butter.
Even now, his performance remains the pinnacle of battlefield gas."
The onlookers all chid in: "Michael is definitely a humanoid Cataclysm, and then?"
"Next are Syndicate's Lose Control, Special Affairs Bureau's Cold Waterstone, Bell Tower's Hoenhem, and the Demon Scientist Alliance's Plan of Truth."
Bell rattled off: "These individuals previously held ranks 2 through 5 on the personal power rankings,
each one is the strongest force or even the founder of a major organization.
Their destructive and mobility capabilities are beyond question.
Take the lowest-ranked Plan of Truth as an example; recently, the headquarters building of the Demon Scientist Alliance at Ga Square has transford,
from the original Mage Tower into a U-shaped Star-level Battleship.
The ship's cannons, engines, lights, and doors all function normally,
and inside you can see twisted and bizarre biological specins and devil magic arrays everywhere.
Using a Star-level Battleship as a headquarters, it's not an exaggeration to call him a Cataclysm.
The others also have their strong points,
Lose Control specializes in close combat, Cold Waterstone excels at poison,
and Hoenhem is adept at large-scale ritual tracks,
each one can beco a Cataclysm."
"What about Li Rising?"
The baby-faced rcenary Bai Zhiyue thought and asked, "He should be a Cataclysm-level existence too, right?"
"Of course he is."
Bell nodded and said: "In fact, just based on the performance during the Lost World period, his transformation into the Deadwood Titan already surpassed Plan of Truth and others.
However, it's been so ti since the Lost World, and Plan of Truth and the others may have also improved,
so I believe, Michael, Lose Control, Cold Waterstone, Hoenhem, Plan of Truth, and Li Rising,
these six people are absolutely in the Cataclysmic Series.
As for their rankings among each other....
Michael is first, and the others vie for second."
"Still, Michael is number one, huh."
The onlookers clicked their tongues in agreent; they couldn't argue with the evaluation, given the terror of seeing Michael suppress Lose Control, Hoenhem, and Plan of Truth simultaneously in the Lost World.
"What about the others who were originally on the rankings?"
The baby-faced rcenary Bai Zhiyue asked: "The seventh-ranked Bell Tower—Selcius,
the eighth-ranked Protheus Laboratory Company—Abel,
the ninth-ranked Special Affairs Bureau—Zhongli Mieming,
and the tenth-ranked FBI's Supernatural Accident Place—David."
"Them?"
Bell shook his head, "These people might have been strong before, but to compare them with Cataclysm-level existences, there's quite a gap.
Think about it, Zhongli Mieming, who was originally ninth, couldn't withstand even a single move from the Deadwood Titan.
Even if he had been out of sight previously, possibly sent on other missions by the Special Affairs Bureau and thus not in the best state,
being defeated so effortlessly by the Deadwood Titan was rather disgraceful.
It's the sa with Selcius and the others; let alone number ten David.
Nonetheless, beneath the Cataclysms, I think there are a few others who have the potential to beco "Quasi-Cataclysms."
"Quasi-Cataclysms?"
The intrigued listeners asked with doubt: "Where did you get this standard from, and aren't you just making it up?"
"Of course not!"
Bell downed his beer and said deeply: "I, Bell, have done many things, but I don't brag.
The key criteria for a Cataclysm are large-scale devastation, extre mobility, and long combat endurance.
You've seen the combat recordings from the Lost World.
Abel and others are indeed strong, but their abilities are mostly single-target; they don't have much in terms of area destruction.
In contrast, so who rank lower on the list actually have more potential to beco 'Quasi-Cataclysms.'
For example, 'Dawn.'
The Capini ch she pilots exceeds other comparable players in mobility, destructive power, and endurance,
most importantly,
as so of you might know from rumors, the Capini ch was summoned by the European Heavy Industry Group using an All-Purpose Wishing Machine at the cost of over a dozen Perfect Level tools.
Just think, over a dozen perfect tools!
The technology on the Capini ch is far ahead of its ti, with much untapped potential.
Other players need to constantly hone themselves and refine their wills,
but the pink-haired girl Dawn, who pilots the Capini ch, only needs to train her body to increase her load-bearing capacity to fully unleash the true power of the Capini ch.
The gains from training are much higher than for others."
"This..."
The surrounding listeners considered it for a mont and found it made sense, "Dawn indeed has the potential to enter the Cataclysm ranks.
And who else?"
"And there's Syndicate's Tai Hao."
Bell shrugged: "I feel he still has cards up his sleeve from the Lost World,
and so rumors say he's the ntor of everyone in Syndicate, ranked above Lose Control.
With Lose Control's unruly conduct in the Sky Arena, it's hard to imagine he would let a weakling be his ntor."
"Hmm... it seems logical."
The onlookers nodded at the statent, as Lose Control is known as one of the more straightforward fighters among first-tier players,
always using close combat skills in the Sky Arena to brutally thrash opponents out of the ring.
"Besides Dawn and Tai Hao, there are two more, or more accurately, one more Cataclysm.'
Bell, noting the listeners' thoughtful looks, proudly said: "That's Amber and Raging Fire of Syndicate.
Previously, they were ranked thirty and
thirty-two,
not very high.
But when they fused through so unknown thod into one person,
a blonde female pirate,
and summoned the complete Black Sail Pirate Ship,
they inflicted unprecedented damage on Desolated Lion,
their performance almost reaching the Cataclysmic Series.
In fact, they are what I consider the most likely players to ascend to Cataclysm status,
far more qualified than those—like David...
,"
Bell spoke with pride, but soon he noticed that all the listeners' expressions had stiffened,
and his good friend, the baby-faced rcenary Bai Zhiyue, was desperately signaling him to stop talking.
"..."
Bell's body froze, his neck rustily turning as he looked behind him,
only to see the protagonist he had been mocking and criticizing—David from the Federal Bureau of Investigation—entering through the door of the 'Crossbar' bar with his colleagues from the Supernatural Accident Place, gazing at him with a blank expression.
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