Stellar Flame continued to burn. The bespectacled man writhed in agony, rolling wildly. At the moment his life hung by a thread, he pulled out the small robot again and slammed it hard against his own face.
Blood gushed out, splattering onto the robot.
Its eyes suddenly flickered with red light. The previously rousing music shifted abruptly, now filled with a gentle, melancholic tune.
As the music changed, the flames on his body gradually faded away. His wounds healed visibly, and his HP returned to full.
He stood up, reborn like a believer granted a second life. He hid the faintest trace of fear, pretending nonchalance as he shouted:
“I won’t die by your hand! Bring it on!”
Zhang Luan ignored the lunatic. His gaze locked onto the robot—he recognized it.
“Fighting Spirit T100? I never expected to see it this early.”
He knew this robot well. Even without touching it, he understood its attributes.
[Fighting Spirit T100]
Tier: Advanced
Effect 1: [Song of Fighting Spirit] Plays a rousing song, boosting the lowest attribute by 50% (only for Tier 1 or lower units).
Effect 2: [Song of Angels] Plays a healing song, purging one abnormal effect below Tier 1 and restoring 50% of lost HP.
—
These effects made it seem powerful, even stronger than some rare items. But it was only Advanced-tier for a reason.
It had a hidden drawback.
Negative Effect 3: [Song of Doom] After using the other songs, plays a dirge, reducing all attributes by 77% for 365 days.
—
Because of this damn drawback, the robot shifted from a lifesaving tool to a trap. Zhang Luan knew this firsthand—one teammate had used it after the world fusion. For a whole year, that man endured humiliation, compromising constantly. Only after the year passed did he regain strength, track down the robot’s creators, join them, and rise to prominence. He even became a high-ranking member later, earning the title Mecha Dragon King.
The bespectacled man, ignored, pushed up his glasses. A barrage of blue-white rays shot toward Zhang Luan—he refused to give up.
Zhang Luan respected his persistence. But the gap between their tiers was wider than the man realized. Even at just level 15, even holding back his true power.
The rays nearly hit. Zhang Luan sensed no more tricks. He teleported instantly behind the man, shoved forward, and sent space-time ripples surging into his body. Before the man’s disbelieving eyes, his organs shattered. His health bar dropped straight to zero.
[Defeated enemy. Obtained: [Common Energy Stone · Blue-White Ray] [Fighting Spirit T100]]
[Triggered C-rank special quest [Wandering Merchant]]
[Wandering Merchant]: You killed a subordinate of the Wandering Merchants. They will soon hunt you. Choose: make enemies and claim their goods, or befriend them and build deep “friendship”? The choice is yours. Note: As a massive trading guild in the Central World, opposing them is perilous. You may join their rival, the Golden Coin Empire.
—
Fiddling with the robot, Zhang Luan decided instantly.
“Tch. If I didn’t know the Golden Coin Empire was rotten to the core, I’d consider contacting them. But no—the Wandering Merchants sell better goods anyway.”
He refused to join that empire. Its exploitation of citizens bordered on slavery. In the future, a massive uprising would erupt. Within ten days, rebels would seize every city except the capital. Many players siding with the empire thought all was lost and prepared to flee. But no one expected the emperor to melt the entire national treasury. Molten gold surged out, scalding countless civilians and players alike. A million lives perished under the molten flood.
Later, the gold covering hundreds of miles vanished mysteriously. The empire collapsed—no money, no people. No one cared how the survivors would live leaderless.
Because of this, Zhang Luan felt zero goodwill toward the so-called Golden Coin Empire.
After toying with the robot briefly, he tossed it to the bottom of his system inventory. It was useless to him—he didn’t want to accidentally trigger the Song of Doom.
That risk wasn’t worth the trouble. Out of sight, out of mind. When the Wandering Merchants from the Central World tracked him down, he’d resell it. Maybe trade for something fun.
He wasn’t worried about them finding him. Since the bespectacled man was their subordinate, basic info about Zhang Luan would reach them after his death. He just needed to wait calmly. Those elusive merchants might appear anytime, asking:
“Excuse me. Do you buy goods?”
Glancing at the chaotic secret chamber, Zhang Luan remembered his main mission: eliminate the mountain bandits.
He had easy options—like scattering Stellar Flame to burn everything, or using Force of Creation to collapse the mountain and crush them all.
Simple and efficient.
But Zhang Luan hadn’t forgotten what a player discovered here in his past life.
“If I rescue those slaves, it should trigger a quest too.”
