Both sides poured all their strength into one final strike, determined to settle the outcome in one blow.The massive Tropical Depression sphere, carrying an overwhelming destructive force, plunged from the sky with the intent to assert the evolutionary being's superiority over mere Superhumans. It contained twice the energy, double the power, and had been infused with all of Verne’s effort, compressed into this single devastating attack.Jarred would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared. In truth, fear surged through him, his heart trembling as the air thickened with the scent of death. He knew he needed to dodge immediately, to shift into his Agility Transformation and evade this devilish weapon before it could slice him apart.It was a fifty-fifty chance of survival—half of him might make it, while the other half might be obliterated on the spot. He had no confidence in the outcome.If it were Memphis in his shoes, he would have immediately retreated without hesitation. Forget the
Centered on Jarred’s position, the overwhelming force spread like a tsunami, with countless blade energies bursting forth like a drilling rig, tearing apart the center of the bridge. The bridge’s surface, its supports, railings, beams, and cables were all shredded by the relentless blade energy, while even the waters of Grieving River below were shaken by the residual shockwaves, killing hundreds of aquatic creatures hiding below watching the scene.A small, barely visible nanobot hiding behind Jarred also shuddered, then quickly charged into a blade energy beside it, self-destructing without causing any significant impact.“Lawton, big brother!”“Vice squad leader Lawton!”“Vice leader!”The shockwave from the explosion created unparalleled force, with the energy storm sweeping away all foreign energies, knocking Hope Town soldiers left and right. The area fell into a momentary silence. However, they quickly regained their balance and screamed in panic. More than half of the squad le
This... It means something. No, it’s very serious. He gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath, full of anger:"Damn it..."Memphis, seeing Verne’s expression, seemed to have softened his hostile feelings toward him.The two of them had fought, but perhaps neither had even shown half of their real strength, let alone a third. Both had held back a lot. The terrifying show of power they displayed for the onlookers was, in reality, no different from the back-and-forth exchange of skills between hundreds of people by the riverbank—it looked intense, but the actual effect was minimal. It was more for show than anything else.Verne had, from start to finish, only used one skill: the wind ball buil
After observing for several dozen seconds, Fergus Clark, standing at the forefront, suddenly spoke up:"Memphis, were you the mastermind behind the attack on us?"Memphis, on the opposite side, sighed deeply and slowly shook his head, replying:"I won’t deny it anymore, because none of you will believe anything I say. However, you can provide evidence yourself. If there’s proof of a crime, I’ll bind my own hands and offer myself up to you."Fergus remained silent as he listened, then raised his hand and spoke in a low voice:"Everyone, step back. Unless I give the order, no one is allowed to intervene in the next proceedings."At his command, the Lakeside group hesitated for a moment but eventually began to slowly retreat, returning to their previous defensive positions. On the western shore, Memphis also raised his hand calmly and said:"Prepare for high-intensity defense. No one is allowed to move forward without my command."Three minutes later, only two figures remained on the Lak
The zombie had died, and its body was no longer as tough as a living one. If it had been a normal P2-level 25, Fergus would not have been able to destroy it so easily. But this was just a corpse, so he was able to effortlessly crush it.Memphis leaped from his position, 20 meters away, feeling both terrified and heartbroken. Terrified because the enemy was so fast, closing the 200-meter gap in less than 2 seconds with ease. His agility was easily double his own. Heartbroken because a strong servant had been destroyed just like that, and the opponent seemed hardly exhausted. This was a huge disadvantage."Piercing Strike!"Although he was at a disadvantage, he didn't let it distract him. At this moment, he raised his hand and pressed it forward, activating the enhancement skill of the "Ring of the Heart's Will."The opponent, surnamed Fergus Clark, was incredibly fast, meaning that the potential he allocated to his intelligence must be low. Using his strength to target the enemy's weak
The dozen or so black blade lights, as they slashed toward him, seemed to sink into a quagmire, their speed greatly reduced. When they hit the ice armor, they were covered in a layer of silver frost, and their lethal energy was completely sealed inside.Crack... Crack... Crack...The first strand of sword energy fell to the ground, followed by the second, the third, and all the sword energy slashes that came were frozen and sealed into a narrow strip of black shards, falling and scattering in pieces. After blocking this strike, Memphis pressed his hand down and coldly shouted:"Shadow!"He immediately used the Ice Image technique to move away, switching positions with one of the broken shards of ice from the shattered ice sphere that had exploded at the start of the battle.It was the farthest position, also the one that had been arranged and controlled most precisely to scatter the shards.Fergus, having just struck out a dozen strands of sword energy, immediately jumped and appeared
After sacrificing one decoy, Memphis continued to "spray" three more decoys from his "World Bound Ring.” using them to block the ominous, sharp attack. This restored 9 stamina, after which his true body swung his hand down to unleash a fourth-tier "Counterturn.” pushing the weakened sword energy far from him.As Fergus charged forward, he immediately felt his own terrifying sword energy turn back toward him. Realizing that the man named Jackman also possessed "Counterturn.” he didn’t hesitate to raise his left hand. The ring on his ring finger shone with a brilliant light."Lead!"The "Lost Path Ring" Level 4. Enhancement skill: Lost Path.As the sword energy slashed toward him, Fergus suddenly and eerily changed its direction, striking the ring instead. Despite the blade's sharpness, it posed no threat whatsoever, all its power was absorbed by the ring and disappeared without a trace.Three hundred meters from the river, a strange wave of sword energy appeared and sliced downward. Se
To close the gap with someone as fast as Fergus, he couldn’t afford to race in speed. That was futile. It was like trying to outsmart the smartest kid in class. The only solution was to slow Fergus down, make him "dumber.” and then win through slowness and experience—like a tortoise overcoming a hare.To counter Fergus effectively, Memphis had three strategies.The first was to maintain as much distance as possible. This strategy involved using the Ice Phantom skill, but Ice Phantom was a limited-use ability. Starting the battle, Memphis had only eight uses remaining, once they were depleted, it would be game over.Thus, he needed to consider the second strategy: dismantling his opponent's speed. Since the start of the battle, Memphis had been darting from east to west, ostensibly to evade attacks, but his larger purpose was to spread frost throughout the battlefield.Ice Poison was an incredibly effective speed-diminishing skill. Every time an opponent was affected by the frost poiso
Shaina Palmer was diligent and punctual. Having learned Memphis's schedule, she would arrive precisely at 5:40 to start breakfast preparations.The sound of her opening the door was his unofficial alarm for ending his lazy nap.Memphis finally couldn’t afford to be lazy anymore. After grumbling and cursing under his breath for a good few seconds, he reluctantly crawled out of bed and headed into the bathroom.One person busy with cooking, another occupied with personal hygiene.Soaking in hot water in the morning was an excellent way to start the day. Once he slipped into the tub, Memphis lazily snapped his fingers, summoning an Ice Minion. The creature’s single eye on its forehead blinked open as it clo
Each time an urn was set down, the name and background of the fallen hero was read aloud, their deeds recounted, and their dreams and aspirations remembered. It was as if their life stories were being replayed, allowing them to merge into the historical narrative and stir the collective emotions of those gathered.What does it mean to die?Death is not simply the cessation of breath, the stopping of a heartbeat, or the halting of blood flow and neural activity.People only truly die when they are erased completely—when their names are forgotten, their faces fade, and their stories are no longer told.People only die when they are no longer remembered.As long as someone remembers them, they continue to live on in the hearts of the living, becoming part of their memories, their souls, and their consciousness.The immortal."Raymond Lee... my brother..."Xander Palmer and Travis Tate stood in a corner, gazing at the distant stone monument and the beaming photograph of their fallen comra
Amanda, instantly grasping Memphis’s intentions, leaned over and whispered something into Xena’s ear. The idol hesitated for a moment, her cheeks slightly flushed, but after two seconds, she walked up to Torin, sat beside him, and flashed a dazzlingly sweet smile filled with unmistakable allure."Torin, could you say yes? Big sister loves eating fish, and I’ll visit you often."The budding teenager surnamed Zhang was struck dumb. Before him appeared two large, round, pale "fish" that were slightly pink due to pressure—soft, plump, and mesmerizingly supple. From a deep, inviting valley emanated an alluring sweetness."What kind of fish is this?" Torin couldn’t peel his eyes away from the pair of spherical "fishes." His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.And he wasn’t the only one. The other five or six men present couldn’t look away either. Some with sharper eyes noticed a few other enticing "fish" nearby. Some even entertained thoughts of rubbing their own "fish" against these peculi
Memphis flicked his hand lightly, summoning an Ice Minion beside him. Almost immediately, the minion disappeared, replaced by Wylie standing nearby.Next to them was the frozen corpse of the fish, its body locked in a rigid state and marked with the "Ice Poison" seal.A new servant in the shape of a fish had replaced the regular Ice Minion. Along with this servant were a skill scroll, an item card, and an experience crystal encased in frost.In just one second, a Level 18 mutant fish had been taken down by the coordinated efforts of three people.Torin’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he watched. A chill of fear coursed through him. This... this...The three lessons he had proudly shared earlier suddenly felt utterly worthless when faced with absolute power. The leader and his two deputies had slain a water monster in the blink of an eye, seemingly without breaking a sweat. The sheer power was terrifying.In the Grieving River, fish blood spread out in murky streaks, filli
Without his earnest explanations, no one would have understood his methods. No one could have stolen his skillful "force control." It was his alone.System skills, when examined closely, had a balance. Each skill came with a brief description, the clever could utilize it well, the diligent could master it, and the creative could innovate and reach grandmastery. But the lazy, foolish, or incompetent... well, they’d struggle.Just as Wylie finished speaking, the surface of the Grieving River showed signs of movement. Over 50 meters away, ripples began to radiate from where the bait was placed. The water bubbled furiously, whitening a large area—clear evidence that a big fish was approaching.Torin stared at the scene for a few seconds before shouting in a trembling
If the procurement department had set quotas for fish from the beginning, the boy could have argued: “I intended to sell this to the procurement office at the assigned price, there’s no way I’d sell it off in the black market." In that case, the Heavenly Wolf gang would have no excuse.Torin, fearing his fish would be stolen, resorted to fishing only sparingly. When he did catch something, he often released it or kept just one or two pounds, discreetly hiding it in his clothes to take home and cook for his brother and himself. If he didn’t land a big catch—a fish large enough to attract the attention of the upper management—there was no way he’d reveal his success.This was a systemic flaw in the organization, even a nation—a lack of proper oversight and loopholes in management.If the system cannot ensure a clean and healthy environment, cannot guarantee the rights and rewards of laborers, and cannot ensure that their efforts yield what they deserve, people will never be motivated to
"Spotting a monster isn’t too difficult. Just pay attention to the ripples, bubbles, mist, wind, and whirlpools.""If the waves ripple unevenly in arcs, with small, varied bubbles, it’s likely small fish—safe to catch.""If the waves form thin, even streaks with thumb-sized bubbles appearing in clusters, you’re approaching danger. Be cautious.""If the waves form concentric circles with clusters of three bubbles, sticky chains of tiny bubbles, or fist-sized bubbles, you’re looking at a water monster. The two-mouthed carp we just killed gave off concentric ripples and sticky bubbles.""And if you see a whirlpool, that’s a full-fledged aquatic monster. Move at least 15 meters from the bank immediately. Such monsters can create waves up to three meters high, sweeping everything into the river. Delay, and you’re done for.""Just a few days ago, Betsy, Uncle Lovez’s son, was dragged under by a whirlpool. He didn’t make it.""There’s more. If you see countless white threads spreading across
"They love rolling around and often clear out grass and shrubs nearby to make themselves comfortable. So, the muddier and messier the spot, with long drag marks and signs of chewed-up vegetation, the more likely you’ll find large fish."However, not all fish behave this way. Some prefer floating on their backs near the surface, others stick their heads into the mud with their tails sticking up. Some swim in circles, biting each other's tails in groups of five or six, others continuously leap above the water. The bubble crabs, in particular, trap themselves inside bubbles and float in the air. In short, you need to choose the right spot and target to catch the most productive type of aquatic creature."Once you’ve picked a location, you need to consider timing. Early mornings are great for catching silver-eyed goldfish, flickering fish, or bubble crabs. Late afternoons are better for nozzle-head fish, spined fish, striped boxer fish, pistol shrimp, or skull frogs. Midday is ideal for c
Torin, flustered by the leader’s direct engagement, quickly understood that his share was legitimate. After glancing around briefly, he honestly replied,"I’d like it divided at the supply office..."Hearing this, Memphis sighed deeply and lamented:"Memphis, oh Memphis, you’re hailed as the leader of a faction, yet here you are, finding it difficult to divide a fish you caught yourself.""What’s worse, the portion of fish meant for this boy might not even make it to the kitchen before some unrelated party snatches a bite, leaving the one who contributed to cry silently, unnoticed, unheard, unresolved.""If this is the state of Hope Town, what hope is there to Hope at all?"After his musings, Memphis’s gaze shifted to the right.Amanda’s face turned ashen.As the head of civil law enforcement, how could she explain the prolonged bullying and extortion that had occurred on her watch? Now there was a victim too afraid to take their rightful share of resources from the leader himself.La