Chapter Fifteen: Type VII Swordguard

The old elevator creaked upward slowly, humming as it worked.

The small lift they took was for staff only; there was a larger freight elevator stopped on the third floor, but its button couldn’t be activated from the second floor.

The four of them squeezed together inside. Lin Bo worried the thing might malfunction—after all, when the barbarian stepped in, the entire elevator car had visibly shuddered.

[Starry Eyes]: Elevators are such a marvelous invention. No need to climb stairs—how wonderful!

[Nightingale]: Right? I wish I could take an elevator home, but where I come from, there’s no real “industry.” Without electricity, it’s just a metal box.

[Sky-High Grass]: You guys don’t know—if an elevator breaks down, it can trap people inside until they suffocate. There are often news reports about it.

[Starry Eyes]: News… what’s that?

[Nightingale]: It’s information about things happening around us, written on paper and distributed to the public. That’s called news.

[Starry Eyes]: Ah, I get it now. Like when the local lord sends messengers to announce news.

Lin Bo glanced sideways. Among the three teammates, the barbarian, who looked the most primitive, had the most modern background. Though with his appearance, he did stand out a bit in modern society.

Ding—

The elevator arrived.

Opening the door revealed a spacious third-floor factory. Sunlight poured in through vents on the side walls. As the fan blades turned, their giant shadows slowly rotated on the dusty floor, thick particles floating in the beams of light.

The Wanderer was the first to step out. The moment he touched the floor, four rows of lights overhead gradually illuminated the factory, revealing two motionless steel statues standing sentinel.

The black-coated alloy giant bowed its head low, holding two riveted heavy shields before its chest like a massive gate. It evoked the image of dark hills under moonlight.

This was the Type VII Biomimetic Mechanical Guard—Shield. According to its description, it possessed an overwhelming power no novice player could counter, with an impenetrable frontal defense.

Its flaw was its heavy frame, which slowed its movements; dodging its attacks was not difficult. Its weak points were the seemingly stable lower limbs, prone to failure after repeated impacts due to worn-out parts. Once immobilized, bombs could be thrown at it.

Standing beside the bulky, steady two-meter-six guardian robot was a slender but still tall one-meter-nine Type VII Biomimetic Mechanical Guard—Sword.

Its exquisite silver-white coating had a bluish tint, like icicles hanging over a winter mountain stream. Its lithe form resembled a sleek, muscular thoroughbred, with reverse-jointed legs akin to a cheetah’s, promising exceptional speed.

It wielded a double-headed sword, actually two single-handed longswords joined together. The clasps at the sword’s pommels could be unscrewed to separate them into twin swords.

[Sky-High Grass]: Here we go again—the classic double boss fight, one fat, one thin. The manufacturers really had a sense of fun making these two.

As the lights brightened, the whole arena was shrouded in a terrifying aura of awakening beasts. A sharp, piercing alarm shattered the silence. Both biomimetic machines activated automatically, their head indicator lights glowing an ominous red.

The Wanderer raised his hand, firing two shots to smash the annoying alarm, then dashed straight to the wall corner, followed closely by the shrine maiden.

[Nightingale]: You guys stay put for a moment.

Pressure plates littered the third-floor floor, triggering traps when stepped on.

The Wanderer sprinted to the wall and climbed up the pipes. He needed to shut off several gas valves; otherwise, the upcoming battle would turn the floor into a fiery hellscape. The fire alarms also had to be disabled—they sprayed strong acid.

The shrine maiden remained on the ground; being small, she couldn’t climb quickly.

The mechanical guards targeted them. The shield soldier moved his chest shield aside, revealing a thick electromagnetic cannon barrel beneath.

[Nightingale]: Help!

[Starry Eyes]: I’m on it.

She summoned a third spirit creature—a silver butterfly made of four mirror shards. It absorbed the light on its surface and projected a bulky, crude goblin illusion in front of the enemy, provocatively taunting them and successfully drawing the shield soldier’s fire.

The shrine maiden kept conjuring silent illusions to buy time. Once the Wanderer shut off the gas valves, he immediately informed the team over the channel.

[Nightingale]: Go!

The barbarian clenched his fists, laughing heartily. He nodded at the mage beside him and charged forward with long strides.

He was the second shortest in the group, not even 1.6 meters tall—barely taller than the young witch—but when he let out an explosive roar, his physique swelled rapidly. After three steps, he had transformed into a towering giant of over two meters, muscles bulging.

This was the barbarian’s path to becoming a giant, awakening the giant’s power within when enraged. As his size grew, so did his weapons and gear—no embarrassing Hulk-like clothes tearing here.

“Waaah!!—”

The barbarian demonstrated the meaning of his nickname to his teammates. He leapt fiercely at the enemies, raising his giant axe behind his back, arching his body like a drawn bow, and plummeting downward with reckless fury.

“Sky-High—Grass!”

Gathering all his strength, he hurled the massive axe at the duo of guards. The crescent blade sliced through the air with a dull, rapid wail, crashing thunderously toward the ground.

The sword guard sensed danger and swiftly retreated, springing several meters back like a coil. The shield guard calmly raised his shield, colliding head-on with the giant axe.

A booming clang echoed throughout the third floor, layers of reverberation rolling through the air.

The barbarian landed, raised his hand, and caught the rebounding axe with a grin revealing his large white teeth.

Even in giant form, he was still shorter than the shield guard, but he faced him fearlessly and charged straight in.

The sword and shield guards always fought in tandem. The double-headed sword spun, its sharp blades humming. With legs bent, it charged at the barbarian with explosive force.

Its speed was so swift that to the human eye, it left a long silver afterimage, like a rushing torrent.

The barbarian swung his axe, focused solely on the shield guard, unaware of the sword guard rapidly closing in from behind.

The double-headed sword rose smoothly, targeting the giant’s back. Mounted cavalry riders often just leveled their blades to decapitate the enemy with momentum. The charging sword guard’s force was no less than a galloping horse, enough to slice the barbarian in two.

[Nightingale]: Watch out!

The Wanderer climbed the wall like a gecko, turning back just in time to see his teammates in grave danger. His warning blared frantically over the team channel.

The silver sword guard’s charge allowed almost no reaction time. Even if the mind kept up, the body couldn’t.

The barbarian caught the warning, turned his head slightly. His pupils reflected a rapidly expanding cold light, every hair on his body standing on end; even his beard stiffened in alarm.

In that split second, a white armored arm swung across like a whip, striking the blade of the double-headed sword.

Clang!

At the last moment, the sword’s trajectory shifted.

The mage appeared before the charging sword guard, extending his left arm to shield the barbarian’s back. With legs tucked midair, he kicked fiercely at the sword guard’s head.

Infused with incantation power and driven by will, his body unleashed force beyond muscle limits. He sent the sword guard reeling backward, losing balance and sliding across the metal floor, sparks flying.

[Starry Eyes]: Phew, the mage made it just in time!

[Nightingale]: Great! Our beloved mage!

[Sky-High Grass]: Dude nearly scared me into changing pants.

Lin Bo pressed forward relentlessly. Once the sword guard’s speed picked up, even his eyes struggled to keep pace.

The rapid maneuvers and the mage’s powerful kick left his internal organs and leg muscles aching. He paused to ease the pain.

The sword guard flipped over and stood, a little unsteady. Its leg design gave great mobility but made it clumsy after a fall.

The sword guard tried to regroup with the shield guard, but Lin Bo firmly blocked its path. He circled a short spear in his hand, the sharp tip gleaming coldly like a living snake assessing its prey.