The Creators: From Night City

Page 362

The 【Frozen Heavy Electromagnetic Sniper Rifle】 features four runes engraved on its body: 'Am', 'Sha', 'Joe', and 'Ro'. These runes form the runeword 【Frozen】, which grants bullets powerful ice damage and significantly ignores target armor while increasing flight speed. This makes it an ideal addition to any heavy sniper rifle.

The only drawback is its high cost; it is expensive to manufacture, difficult to produce, and has high usage requirements.

After all, runewords are not perpetual motion machines. To use enchanted abilities, you must provide the corresponding energy. Although the abundant magic in the air of the Dark World can automatically charge these runewords, activating and controlling this energy requires relatively strong mental control, and frequent use requires even more tenacious spirit.

Of the seven 'Witcher' and 'Torchbearer' so far, none of them have been able to use it properly. Only a girl around 16 years old has been able to fire a single shot, at the cost of depleting her magic and becoming mentally exhausted. This is only because she herself possesses the talent of a mage.

Thus, these weapons ended up benefiting the 'Black King Apostles' and were eventually equipped into the 'Spellcaster Apostles' ranks.

The [Rage-Type Engagement Shotgun] is engraved with the runes 'Puer', 'Ko', 'Be', and 'Mar'. These four runes form the runeword 'Rage'. This enchantment doesn't have any other fancy functions; it simply greatly increases damage output, while also significantly increasing damage against demons and undead monsters.

The gun's violence far exceeded Jiang Bing's expectations, with its power amplification reaching about six times the theoretical design power. It can only be said that magic is simply unreasonable.

Similarly, the super-precision weapon created by Jiang Bingfa can only be distributed to his subordinates, the "Apostles." Only veterans who have undergone "upgrade and modification," experienced the transmission of fire, and whose souls have been nourished by the Ether Flame for a long time can use it normally.

Chapter 743 [Reverse Entropy] STC (Standard Manufacturing Template)

After creating several overly sophisticated weapons, the 'craftsman' finally came to terms with reality, honestly lowered his standards, and curbed his desire to use excessive materials. He then combined these with the physical attributes of most 'demon hunter' recruits to create a 'standardized demon hunter weapon' that was mediocre in all aspects.

The Japanese-style rapid-fire submachine gun is engraved with the runes 'Ote' and 'Ace'. The number of these two runes reduces the manufacturing difficulty to a level that Jiang Bing can barely mass-produce. Of course, the enchantment benefits are also significantly reduced.

With each additional rune required for a runeword, its overall strength increases exponentially. Of course, the difficulty of engraving and the requirements for its use also increase exponentially.

The Japanese runeword increases weapon rate of fire and power by nearly half, significantly reduces recoil, and enchanted bullets will deal electric damage. It also greatly reduces the weapon's weight, which is especially important for submachine guns known for their agility.

The extremely low mental burden of using this gun allows it to become the basic weapon standard for 'Witchers', available to all Witchers.

However, to Jiang Bing's surprise, the rune word known as "God's Armament - Gentle Breeze" by the so-called "Apostle" spread like wildfire throughout the entire "Black King Apostle's" weapon inventory after it was simultaneously added to the armory's exchange list.

Those 'Apostles' who have the means will equip their personal secondary weapons with such a set of runewords.

Runewords have a very powerful advantage: they don't require altering the original structure of the object to be enchanted; the corresponding runes can be directly inscribed on the surface. (Of course, this only applies to 'Artisans'.)

In response to this situation, Jiang Bing directly improved and borrowed the crafting ability of Horadrim Cubes, creating a completely foolproof 'Runeword Consecration Machine' which he placed in the Armory for people to exchange and use independently, thus freeing himself up.

This machine adopts the typical square shape of the Horadric Matrix, but the symbols on its surface have been shamelessly painted over by Jiang Bing as the iconic '∞' symbol of [Reverse Entropy].

Compared to the powerful Horadric Cube, its function is very limited, only able to 'die-cast' the runeword "Wind" onto the items placed inside. Fortunately, when it was made, Jiang Bing spent a lot of money (a large amount of ether) to add an energy conversion framework made of mithril, making the energy source required for its operation more diverse.

Ether is fine, as are chaotic magic and magic from the dark world. Dragon vein crystals from Monster Hunter can also be used without any problem. Even electricity can be used, although the amount of electricity required is quite large.

The device is functional, but its manufacturing difficulty does not meet Jiang Bing's requirement for the replicability of weapons for large-scale deployment.

This thing is incredibly difficult to manufacture. Ordinary products can't even be analyzed, let alone imitated. If Jiang Bing weren't around, this thing would be ruined if it broke; there would be no way to repair it.

Thinking about this, Jiang Bing stared at the [Anti-Entropy] Pandora's Box, feeling a sense of déjà vu. The more he pondered it, the more something seemed off. Finally, he slapped his thigh and realized: 'Isn't this just the STC (Standard Manufacturing Template) from some galactic cesspool?!'

Dry!

Jiang Bing spared no expense in his deal with Rasmar. Not only weapons, but also a full range of localized armor, including helmets, chest armor, bracers, leg armor, and boots, were provided to the 'Witcher'. If it weren't for the fact that they didn't have nano-junctions (a device that links wearable power armor and nerves, derived from nanotechnology modified from the Mother's Domain, such as heat death armor), Jiang Bing would have even prepared a set of enchanted power armor for them.

Fully armed like this, despite having only trained for a little over half a month, this group of 'new recruits' still hurriedly began their first demon-hunting internship.

There was nothing they could do; Rasma was rushing to meet some deadline, and was in such a hurry to inspect the goods that it felt like her life depended on it.

Agrod is located on the frontier of the northern lands of fear, a territory inhabited by barbarians, characterized by rolling hills, deep ravines, and a harsh natural environment.

Jizhenmu Town, as its name suggests, is a logging village. The village is surrounded by a type of tree called Jizhenmu, which has a dense core and a smooth texture, making it a high-quality timber for making long-handled weapons and arrow shafts.

These trees were also essential for the lives of various barbarian tribes.

But now, this small town where lumberjacks gathered has lost its former bustling atmosphere; all that remains is a suffocating silence and the lingering stench of blood.

In a dense forest of sleeper trees, Flying Eagle, as the instructor and commander-in-chief of this "internship" mission, reads the pre-battle report to the 32 inexperienced "witch hunters".

"The barbarians who survived in the village below have all been transformed by the 'blood plague' into a corrupted monster called 'ogres,' which are no longer human. Remember, do not hold back just because they look humanoid."

"There are also a few symbiotic blood plague vipers and a small number of goat-headed people. I don't need to tell you what they do."

Eagle unscrewed a button-shaped holographic projector on his chest, projecting a fat, robust two-headed ogre and several gaunt, dark-skinned lich monsters in front of all the 'witchers,' along with a map of the entire village and the locations of these leaders.

"They are pure hellish monsters. When fighting them, do not forget to awaken the great flames within you that originate from the 'Black King' and utterly annihilate their souls here. Also, do not panic. Remember what you have been training these past few days. Do not be merciful, do not hesitate."

Eagle shut down the holographic projection and gave a final summary: "Check your weapons and equipment, then pray with me. The raid will officially begin in three minutes."

Behind the group of 'Witchers', Rasmar, with his hands in his pockets, looked at the several 'Apostle' snipers hidden in the dense forest, as well as a dozen fully armed 'Apostle' assault troops who were ready to rush out at any time to intervene in the battlefield and end this training exercise, and chuckled: "I didn't expect you to be so merciful. This doesn't look like a training exercise, but more like taking care of a crying baby."

Jiang Bing glanced at the full set of runeword prototype power armor on the two most capable 'Black King Guards' in the legion beside him, and said without turning his head: "This is called scientific training. You're pushing them so hard, it's already too much of a problem. There's no need to resort to some kind of brutal training."

The enchanted power armor worn by these 'Guards', which Jiang Bing had modified to the [Heat Death IV] model, combined magic and science to the extreme. The surface of the dragon scale armor was engraved with dense runes, and various magical lights flashed by from time to time, making it look both sacred and mysterious.

Chapter 744 Practical Test

For some reason, the 'Black King's Guards' all wore uniquely designed feather-shaped helmets. The guards, who were of Native American origin, adorned their armor with peacock feathers and various animal hides. Some even decorated their armor with the claws and teeth of the monsters they had defeated, making them look even more charlatan-like than charlatans.

He certainly respected these Native American decorative customs.

But this flashy style always reminded him of some big guys with red cans and golden corn, which made him feel uneasy.

He does have a toilet throne, which is painted gold, but he just wanted to cosplay it for fun and wouldn't dare to do anything reckless.

Rasmar was unaware of Jiang Bing's rich inner thoughts. He gazed with fervor at the group of 'witch hunters' who carried the future hope of Sanctuary, but his words were utterly cold: "Only through real battles and fights, through death, can a qualified army be trained. Bulkasol often says that qualified warriors grow from the blood and bones of their enemies."

"Death is inevitable, so rather than letting them die from overconfidence and arrogance later on, it's better to temper them with cold reality from the beginning."

“That won’t do,” Jiang Bing said directly, “We are all born of parents, you can be so heartless but I can’t bear to do it.”

"Besides, you guys were using your lives to fight demons before I came, and you're still using your lives now that I'm here. Did I come for nothing?!"

Rasma wanted to retort, but Jiang Bing stopped him with a gesture.

"Shh, don't say anything. The operation has begun. Quickly take a good look at those excellent results you want."

Amidst the howling wind, reconnaissance drones surveyed the entire town from high above, providing dynamic intelligence for the battle.

The 'witchers' charged toward the town with guns at the ready, but thanks to their enchanted armor and Professor Flavius's agility, none of them made a noticeable sound.

These corrupted ogres are capable fighters, but they lack tactical skills. At the very least, in the freezing weather, there isn't even a sentry on the outskirts of the village.

They never imagined that someone would intentionally invade their territory.

And so the group naturally entered the village.

As the old saying goes, killing someone is just a matter of beheading them, but the old saying doesn't say what it means to kill a demon.

To compensate for this deficiency, Comrade Flying Eagle specially summarized a set of tactics for eradicating heretics.

The safety pins of the two fragmentation grenades were pulled, and sacred golden flames rose up as the two 'fire givers' whispered prayers. If this stuff could adhere to swords, there was no reason why it couldn't adhere to guns and explosives.

The loyal grenade was thrown into the heretical monster's 'nest', and within three seconds, the small house, built of bricks and logs, was subjected to a house quality inspection by the [Anti-Entropy] audit team.

In the sudden blast of air, a figure crashed through a door and fell face-first onto the street.

The smoldering golden flames on its body caused far more pain than dozens of shrapnel bullets.

This is a female cannibal with an unexpectedly strong vitality. The 'blood plague' caused a severe mutation in her body, giving her power beyond that of ordinary people.

But this power seems to have come at the cost of intelligence.

Instead of dodging the attack, she bared her teeth and howled wildly at the crowd, grabbed the door panel beneath her, and charged at them.

The Witcher, adhering to the principles of "counter-attack and cover, harass the enemy with firepower" from the manual, began frantically emptying his magazine while moving, never engaging the enemy at close range.

That's the good thing about modern technology; it can easily bridge the gap in experience between two sides in close combat.

The 'Witchers' had only undergone half a month of training, and were undoubtedly at a disadvantage in close combat, a sport that requires time and experience.

If you're weak, simply don't fight; playing to your strengths and avoiding your weaknesses is the most efficient solution.

During these ten days or so, besides training their marksmanship, the 'Witcher's' remaining training focused on how to escape efficiently.

Before the cannibal could even get up, the light bombs from the crossfire blasted the door in front of her into pieces. One of her forearms was blown into a bloody pulp first, and the next bomb hit her chest cavity precisely, severing her cervical spine. Her head rolled to the side like a ball.

The first shot was fired by Ryan, and the second shot was fired by Gaza.

The gunshots alerted the villagers, and instantly the roars of demons echoed throughout the village.

These roars quickly attracted the attention of many witchers, as they revealed their location to everyone.

Bullets were being sprayed like water, while the cannibals were burning through funds as if they were the money for the war.

The Witcher trainers are based in the territory of the Blind Sisters, so how could their training be without the participation of the Rogues?

Although their exceptional marksmanship could not be transferred to firearms, the Amazons' shooting philosophy, methods of action, and combat wisdom had already permeated this fledgling legion.

They move silently, shoot ruthlessly, move swiftly, and kill decisively.

Driven by hatred, the teenagers became ruthless reapers of life.

The dozens of cannibals in the village were stunned, and they deserved to be stunned too.

After the third brave warrior who rushed out of the door was blown to pieces by the 'witch hunters' hidden in various places, this group of degenerate humans who still possessed normal intelligence were finally crushed by fear and cowered inside the house, no longer daring to move.

The more violent ram-headed man, however, died early on the way to the front lines.

The battle then turned into a brutal indoor assault.

The cannibals were not bad at fighting. As monsters transformed from barbarians, they naturally inherited their former martial arts skills. In the early stages of the battle, they were stunned by the novel modern technology and tactics. However, when the real battle began, the rhythm of the battle returned to the territory they were familiar with.

So the 'witchers' could only engage in a stalemate with them outside, which temporarily kept them inside.

As the most outstanding 'Witchers', Ryan and Gaza have an even more important mission.

They charged forward at breakneck speed, determined to eliminate the deadliest threat in the village.

The 'Blood Plague' is named after blood, spreads through blood, and also uses blood as its source of power.

There is a blood pit in the center of the village.

Shredded human flesh and bone were mixed with blood, turning the blood in the crater into a viscous paste of bone and flesh. Several sharp-clawed vipers, who were dedicated to the blood plague sacrifices, soaked their tails in the blood, while their deformed claws were raised high to the sky in silent prayer.

A two-headed ogre, as large as a small mountain, crouched in the blood pit, while several dark lich monsters flew around it, their dark magic transformed into blasphemous runes that continuously seeped into its body.

It is the point of desecration in this village, the target of a demon from hell, and one of the main objectives of the 'Witcher's' journey.

Galahar, the two-headed ogre.

Chapter 745 The Fatal Blow

Around the pit, there was a sparse circle of cross-shaped wooden stakes, on which a large number of innocent prisoners were hanging upside down. Without exception, their necks had been torn open with a large hole, and blood flowed over the white, congealed eyeballs of the dead, slowly dripping into the pit.

The corpses on these wooden stakes were mostly the elderly, children, and women. The reason was that they could not withstand the corrosive effects of the 'blood plague' and could not be turned into qualified soldiers. So they were simply used as consumables to breed darkness.

"How blasphemous!" Ryan always grasped these novel phrases very quickly.

Gaza, on the other hand, prefers to express his attitude through actions, strengthen his resolve through prayer, and express his views through bombs.

The world is a mixture of various beliefs, and many believers like to recite different prayers to strengthen their faith and enhance their courage.

The Zakarum sect likes to constantly mention the name of its founder, Akarat, while the Cathedral of the Holy Light likes to proclaim the Father above and the Holy Light protecting all things, sanctifying the image of Inarius as pure white. The necromancer order sometimes also chants the holy name of Rasmar, thus emphasizing to themselves the need to adhere to the way of 'balance'.

But all of this was ultimately in vain.

Most beings never respond to the prayers of those who pray; they either choose to ignore them or simply cease to exist.

Conversely, the demon lords of hell are quite fond of responding to the prayers of their followers and bestowing rewards, even though these gifts are filled with malice, corruption, and distortion.

But this is also the key to why the belief in hell is so difficult to eradicate.

Human beings are short-sighted, always believing that what they see is everything, and that short-term rewards are all there is.

But humans are also the best potential; the future depends entirely on what kind of vessel the 'craftsmen' will mold it into.

"Sabur above, may your eternally burning holy flames consume all!"

Gaza felt neither sorrow nor joy. The thick bloodstains from the family feast of yesteryear flowed through his memory, and hatred ignited like golden flames, transforming into prayers that were poured into the weapon in his hand and spewed forth.

As a Kejistan, Gaza and his family were devout believers in the Cathedral of Holy Light, attending morning and evening prayers and offerings without fail. However, when the devil ravaged his family, the Holy Light did not show him any mercy.

The Black King is different. He has no doctrines, no dogmas, no teachings, and no rituals. The great Dark King, the eternal flame, never forces you to believe in Him, never demands that you dedicate yourself to Him. His authority comes entirely from His actions, and His mercy is reflected in every aspect of life.

He sheltered orphans, provided them with knowledge and education (schools and compulsory education), ensured their survival (distribution of basic living supplies), generously shared in His glory, and mercifully gave believers the hope of revenge.

He never responds to prayers unless he is forced to, but he never forgets the cry in the heart of every believer.

To understand a person, don't look at what they say, but look at what they do. This was a lesson his Gaza businessman father had taught him more than once.

He wholeheartedly agreed.

Gaza, already a believer in the Cathedral of Holy Light, became the most loyal follower of His Majesty the Dark Lord, Sabur, in just a few days.

His faith was so devout that even Jiang Bing had to pay close attention to him. The faith power he generated was practically equivalent to a hundred people. He was one of the most loyal "money-printing machines" under the Black King's command.