Divine Convenience Store-Chapter 521: Pew! Pew! Pew!
A few minutes later, three early Nascent Soul Stage cultivators - Liu Jingshan of the Liu Clan, Chieftain Borok of the Stormhowl Tribe and Yan Chen of the Azure Gale Sect - gathered around the entrance to the Anchor along with Lin Mo and Liu Xiaoyu. In their hands was the same [Stardust Repeater] that Liu Xiaoyu distributed for testing.
Yan Chen, the younger brother of Sect Master Yan Tianfeng had recently achieved his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage after climbing up to the sixth floor of the Abyssal Forest Conduit Tower.
According to him and the other experts who managed to climb a few floors from it, the challenges with that tower had always been one-on-one against some kind of expert cultivator. However, at the same time, they all believed that those experts were manufactured by the tower and not a living person. Yet, their spells and mystical skills were top-notch, pushing them to their limits. It was an excellent training ground for honing one's combat instincts against humanoid opponents. And thus, many achieved enlightenment for their techniques that were stuck at a bottleneck.
"Indeed. That tower is a crucible," Lin Mo nodded, acknowledging Yan Chen's assessment. "If you can clear it, your combat prowess will be unrivaled in your stage. Xiaoyu here could attest to it. She got quite a lot after clearing up to the last floor of the Jade Hollow Conduit Tower. Now, let's see if that prowess extends to using our new toys."
He gestured to the [Stardust Repeater] in their hands. It was a sleek, silver firearm. And different from his revolver, it had the standard pistol design for a more utilitarian aesthetic suitable for mass production.
The inscriptions along the barrel glowed with a faint, expectant blue light. No matter how many times they inspected it, they couldn't figure out what kind of ore was used in forging it.
"This weapon operates on a simple principle," Lin Mo explained, adopting a tone of lecturer. "It draws spiritual energy from the user, condenses it within the internal array, storing it within the magazine, and fires it as a high-velocity bolt.
"It has two modes. 'Pulse', for rapid fire, and 'Burst', for a concentrated shot."
"Once you fire all the stored bullets or condensed energy, you can either channel your own spiritual energy into the grip or insert a standard Spirit Stone into this slot here or you can prepare another magazine. You can also use any type of qi instead of simple spiritual energy for a more specialized bullet."
He tapped the magazine well. "For this test, we will use your own qi. It will help you gauge the consumption rate. Remember, this is a tool of convenience. It allows you to project lethal force without the complex hand signs or chanting required for most spells. Point. Pull. Eliminate."
Chieftain Borok gripped the weapon awkwardly, his large hands nearly swallowing the grip.
"This thing. It lacks the weight of an axe," He grumbled, living up to his name as a barbarian who favored his heavy axe more than a more convenient weapon. "But if it kills vermin from a distance, I will use it."
"Treat it like a bow that doesn't need a string," Liu Xiaoyu grinned, twirling her own repeater. "Just aim for the ugly bits. Hehe"
"Alright. Formation," Lin Mo commanded. "Liu Xiaoyu and I will take point. And dear customers, since the three of you are stronger than the two of us, you should spread out behind. We are entering a high-threat zone saturated with mental corruption. Keep your minds guarded. If you feel a whisper you didn't hear with your ears, report it immediately."
The group nodded as their expressions hardened.
With that, they stepped through the shimmering distortion of the Anchor's entrance.
The transition was jarring. One moment, they were in the cool mountain air of the Graypeak Mountains, the next, they were standing in a humid, oppressive cavern system lit by bioluminescent fungi that seemed to glow with a sickly violet hue.
Many patrons had already posted a recording of its interior but this was the first time he had ventured inside himself. Sure enough, it's a lot different to experience something on your own rather than reading or watching it somewhere else.
[You have entered - Anchor HLFB#0120]
[Area: 1 of 6 - The Whispering Tunnels]
[Threat Level: Moderate]
[Current Entities: Undefined (Currently Recalibrating)]
[Environmental Hazard: Acidic Miasma (Low), Highland Energy (Corruption) - induces minor hallucinations and paranoia.]
Lin Mo felt the familiar prickle of the Highland energy against his skin yet it felt a lot different. Most likely, it's because of that new environmental hazard that wasn't present at the other Highland Realm Anchor he explored with the Sword Fairy before.
Thankfully, his body was still attuned to the Highland Energy, allowing him to only feel a slight inconvenience. Still, he expanded his [Stellar Domain], creating a three-meter bubble of clear, purified air around him. He extended it slightly, encompassing Liu Xiaoyu.
"Status?" He asked.
"Uncomfortable," Liu Jingshan muttered, his brow furrowing as his Nascent Soul aura flared to push back the miasma. "It feels like... tiny insects trying to burrow into my ears. Is this mental corruption?"
"Only the surface level," Lin Mo noted. "Make sure to take the [Mind-Fortress Syrup] again if its efficacy wanes. Let's move."
That syrup wasn't exactly for mental defense. It's something that was marketed for those suffering from an inner devil, allowing them to conquer and expel it from their minds. It's an alternative while the foundry has yet to produce results.
Naturally, there were other products related to mental defense in the store, but it was always sold out before midday because of its effectiveness, regardless of its steep price, thanks to an old Nascent Soul Stage patron posting about it in the Bulletin Board.
They advanced cautiously through the twisting tunnels.
The ground was slick with moisture and littered with the traces of previous battles.
A while later, it didn't take long for the foreign creatures to once again introduce themselves.
From the shadows of the stalactites above, a chittering sound echoed. Dozens of red eyes opened in the gloom.
"Ambush!" Borok roared, his instincts, honed by endless battle, were naturally sharp.
A swarm of Decrint Skirmishers dropped from the ceiling, their jagged blades glinting. There were at least thirty of them, moving with the frantic, jerky speed typical of their kind.
Compared to the ones he encountered before, these Decrint Skirmishers seemed to be stronger. Their Threat Level indicated in the corner of his eye was almost 30. Just a few levels below the Decrint Tribe Chieftain which acted as an Area Boss back in HLFB#0227
"Open fire!" Lin Mo started by pulling his revolver, firing it at the one jumping at him.
Meanwhile, the three Nascent Soul cultivators dashed forward as they reacted instantly.
Like him, they raised the [Stardust Repeaters].
Pew! Pew! Pew!
The sound of the discharge was distinct and a little comical. Yet it was followed by a sharp, compressed hiss of air before it cracked on impact.
Bolts of blue spiritual energy tore through the gloom.
Yan Chen, accustomed to wind arts, fired with precision. With the Decrints leaping down and charging forward, he didn't need to aim at all.
His shots took another Decrint in the throat, punching clean holes through its tough skin. And he didn't stop at one. He fired all the stored bullets before stopping.
The creatures dropped mid-leap, dead before they hit the ground.
"That was… quick!" Yan Chen exclaimed, his eyes widening as if questioning why he had to chant or gather energy before executing a spell or technique.
"The activation time is... negligible! Faster than even my Wind Blades!"
Borok, on the other hand, treated the repeater like a heavy weapon. He switched the selector to 'Burst' and held the trigger down. A volley of heavier, condensed shots slammed into a group of Decrints, blowing them backward with kinetic force.
"Hah! It kicks like a mule!" The barbarian chieftain laughed, the recoil vibrating up his arm. "Good! Very good!"
Liu Jingshan was more methodical. He fired in controlled bursts, testing the range.
"The spiritual energy cost is... surprisingly low," he observed. "If I have more magazines to store bullets, I could maintain this rate of fire for hours without depleting my reserves."
Lin Mo watched the slaughter with a critical eye.
The [Stardust Repeater] was performing within parameters. It wasn't a weapon meant to kill bosses, but against fodder enemies like the Decrint swarm, it was a grinder.
It allowed cultivators to conserve their potent, high-level techniques for meaningful threats. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"Xiaoyu, clear the left flank!"
"On it, Boss!"
Liu Xiaoyu didn't even aim. She simply pointed her repeater and unleashed a barrage of rapid-fire shots. But unlike the others, her bolts were infused with a trace of her lightning qi, turning them into miniature stun-grenades.
Zzzzt-Pop!
The Decrints on the left convulsed as the lightning-infused bullets hit them, frying their nervous systems.
In less than a minute, the ambush was cleared. More than fifty Threat Level 30 Decrints lay dead, and not a single cultivator had drawn a blade.
"How efficient…" Lin Mo stated, walking over to inspect a corpse. "This is what 'bringing a gun to a swordfight' means. And to have a few trusted gunslinging cultivators… this is quite amusing."
