Chapter 179: Closer to Breakthrough
[ Breakthrough Requirement: To advance beyond Level 30, the Survivor must complete a special quest. ]
[ Quest: Strengthen your foundation.
Possess at least 5 Gene Skills upgraded to Level 5.
Absorb 10 B‑Grade Energy Cores.
Bind 3 Gene Weapons to your body. ]
[ Reward: Unlock Physique Evolution. Gain access to advanced stat growth and new Gene Skill compatibility. ]
[ Survivor will remain capped at Level 30 until the requirement is fulfilled. ]
After a short celebration, Kai wasted no time.
He turned to the weary defenders and gave instructions.
"Gather everything you can from the battlefield. Strip the Dragoons, collect the Sentinel parts, and don’t leave a single item behind. Every piece matters."
The freed workers nodded... They were still trying to compose themselves after seeing their dead companions but they moved quickly.
Soon, they dragged the wreckage toward the shelter, stacking broken rifles, scorched metals, and shattered circuits...
Even the drained cores from fallen Sentinels were carefully pried out and placed into crates.
Kai’s eyes then shifted back to Atom.
The A‑Grade Sentinel had already begun moving toward the Impulse with its sensors scanning the hull.
He knew that look... Atom was preparing to enter.
"Atom! Stop!" Kai shouted
Atom froze from where it stood with its optics’ lights dissipating.
Kai strode forward, his tone firm. "Not this time. Stay away from the vessel."
Mei tilted her head. "Why? Atom could clear it faster."
Kai shook his head. "No. Atom doesn’t distinguish between salvage and prize. It would absorb whatever it finds... energy sources, rare alloys, maybe even the control systems themselves. If that happens, the Impulse will be useless to us. This loot belongs to me."
Indeed, Kai had seen it for several times already. This time, Kai couldn’t allow that to happen.
Furthermore, he wanted to repair this Aerial Gunship...
If Atom absorbed something from it and they had no idea what it was and couldn’t replace it, then this vessel would become useless.
Thankfully, Atom paused, then stepped back obediently. Its blade retracted into storage, and it resumed a silent guard stance beside the vessel.
Kai exhaled, relieved. "Good. Now it’s my turn."
He climbed into the Impulse, forcing open the cockpit hatch.
The interior was dim, lit only by the faint glow of emergency systems. The smell of scorched circuits and burnt oil filled the air...
It needed lots of repair for sure, but it shouldn’t be impossible to fix.
Anyway, the cockpit was cramped but functional. Twin pilot seats faced a wide array of controls, most of them cracked or sparking.
Transparent displays also appeared with unreadable data, while the overhead canopy was simply an armored glass.
Kai ran his hand across the console. "This thing... I don’t think A.I. Aria built this... Must be the Anima Civilization."
He then moved deeper, past the cockpit into the storage bay. The walls were lined with racks for Sentinel deployment, though most were empty now. At the corner, he found a metallic briefcase, probably thrown away during the chaos.
Then, at the center, there was a containment unit and Kai believed that the core was there.
For now, Kai checked the metallic briefcase.
Kai pried it open quite easily, and his eyes went wide...
"Twenty?"
Inside were twenty crystalline cores, each pulsing faintly with energy. He immediately triggered Fast Appraisal skill...
[ You have discovered B‑Grade Energy Core! ]
[ Description: A condensed energy source harvested from advanced war machines. Provides immense Spirit energy when absorbed. ]
[ Requirement: Can only be absorbed by Survivors with a Physique Rating of C- or higher. ]
[ Effect: Upon absorption, the Energy Core will permanently enhance the host’s body, unlocking the potential to surpass human limits and receive a chance to break through the Level 30 bottleneck. ]
[ Warning: Absorption is irreversible. Failure to meet requirements may result in fatal overload. ]
"What the..."
Kai counted carefully...
"There are really twenty of them. Now I’m only lacking Skill Points and decent Gene Weapons."
Well, he needed five Gene Skills reaching Level 5, but getting a Skill Point alone was not easy. Because of that, he would have to rely on his Trailblazer Title, which helps with the mastery increase and his Skill Usage to level it up without Skill Points.
As for the Gene Weapons... He already had one that was a Low-Grade.
Needless to say, he hadn’t bound one of them yet since, according to Sera and Althea, there was no way of unbinding it.
He didn’t want to get stuck with a Low-Grade Gene Weapon right now.
Unless he was desperate, he’d not consider binding one yet.
***
In the meantime, with Kai’s orders, the survivors worked tirelessly through the afternoon.
Atom coordinated the heavy lifting, as it helped drag the massive Impulse Gunship across the battlefield. The freed workers, though exhausted and grieving, pushed themselves to assist. Chains, pulleys, and improvised sleds were rigged together, and slowly, inch by inch, the captured vessel was hauled inside the shelter walls.
The barricades had been battered, but Kai refused to leave them broken.
"Rebuild the wall," he commanded. "We can’t afford another breach."
By dusk, scorched planks were replaced, gaps filled with salvaged metal sheets, and the perimeter looked a little decent now.
The shelter looked scarred, but it was alright.
The Impulse was now inside the compound near the crop fields...
Finally, Freedom Shelter had an aerial war machine under its control.
That night, Kai was already considering building a Guild... He already has enough Survivor Medals anyway... He was hoping that he’d actually get a reward like Skill Points from it.
In any case, he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying the previous battle in his head.
’I could’ve ended it faster if I targeted well.’ He mused.
Then, as he was about to fall asleep, a knock came at his door.
Kai sat up, confused. "Who is it?"
The door creaked open, and Mei stepped inside.
She had already bathed, her hair was damp and loose with fresh new clothes.
The scent of soap lingered faintly, and Kai couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
"Kai," she said softly while closing the door behind her.
"Mei? It’s late."