Beating Instances through Words Left by the Dead

Cold Mountain faced Xavier, who was approaching him and Sword Star, observing the retreat route from the corner of his eye, and said with a dry laugh:

"Mr. Xavier, we have already gained extraordinary power, further transformation is unnecessary."

Xavier had anticipated their reaction. He stood his ground without continuing to approach, but the other Steam Councilors in the underground space took a step forward in unison.

Nearly twenty black-robed figures slowly closed in, forming a semi-circle.

Xavier said:

"What we need is not simple transcendents; such power should be eliminated. What we need is the great force from steam and machinery."

"At first, it may feel unfamiliar, but soon you’ll experience the marvel of a mechanical body."

As Xavier spoke, the Steam Councilors removed the black robes covering their bodies, revealing what lay beneath.

Cold Mountain and Sword Star could clearly see that everyone present had parts of their bodies transformed into metal.

This included the four people he previously identified as players, with multiple areas of their bodies, especially the entire back of their heads, transformed into metal structures.

The connection between metal and flesh was seamless, devoid of any abruptness as if they were born as these half-human, half-machine entities.

No wonder during the last few days spent with the short, stout man, they always felt something was off about his body but couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

It turns out all formal Steam Councilors were transformed into cyborgs by the extraordinary steam engine at the center of the space.

What native plane inhabitants would look like after being transformed, they were uncertain, but Cold Mountain was certain that players would certainly perish post-transformation.

The pupils of the four players who took off their black robes were now cloudy white, and their facial expressions proved they weren’t peaceful when they departed.

Cold Mountain subtly signaled Sword Star, both gathering power step by step, backed toward the exit.

"Mr. Xavier, we’re just here in Stilan to make a living, there’s no need to escalate to this extent."

Xavier’s voice turned icy as he said: "Only those transformed are truly one of us."

Cold Mountain sighed helplessly, then covered his mouth and began to cough.

With each cough, the temperature in the underground space dropped a few degrees, and by the third cough, steam rules in the air condensed into ice crystals that fell to the ground.

Affected by the low temperature, the Steam Councilors’ movements slowed, and the weaker ones already had a layer of ice coating their bodies.

Sword Star naturally wouldn’t miss this opportunity. He performed the sword technique, a flying sword piercing through his cloak, hovering above his head.

The flying sword’s surface glowed with golden thread-like brilliance. Each golden thread was a strand of Sword Qi, encircling the sword, emitting a slight humming sound as even the air was severed by the Sword Qi.

The flying sword was named Longwind, a newly promoted A-level growth item with only two characteristics: speed and sharpness.

Longwind transformed into a golden stream, in the blink of an eye, severing the three Steam Councilors blocking their way.

Seeing how easily the Steam Councilors were defeated, Sword Star’s tension eased. Just as he prepared to showcase his skills, Cold Mountain grabbed his wrist and urgently shouted:

"Run!"

Sword Star didn’t understand what was happening but chose to trust Cold Mountain, following him in turning around and running.

As soon as they burst out of the underground space, Sword Star glimpsed from the corner of his eye steam gushing from the machine at the center of the room.

The dense steam rules dispelled Cold Mountain’s cold Power of Root, allowing the Steam Councilors to regain mobility.

Some steam chased out of the underground space, these erupting steam like erasers specifically targeting energy, just brushing past three meters behind Sword Star, erasing the Sword Qi imbued with Power of Root around him.

Seeing this, Sword Star broke into a cold sweat.

If he had lingered in battle, staying below a moment longer, he wouldn’t have escaped once swallowed by this steam.

Sword Star composed himself, wielding the flying sword to slash through secret doors, charging out of the underground alongside Cold Mountain, returning to the factory.

"What should we do now?"

Cold Mountain said: "Head to the Secret Security Department, find Peace and Sir Sean."

"Xavier mentioned earlier that their target is to seize Stilan, entering Stilan Palace. We can’t stop them with our power, we must quickly relay the message for Peace to prepare."

The ground had lighter steam rules compared to the Steam Councilor’s base, but after the Hall Company incident, any non-steam compliant skill, even A-level skills, couldn’t be performed.

Only abilities with the true Power of Root could resist the ubiquitous steam rules.

But at this point, the two disregarded energy conservation, one riding a flying sword, the other with snow and wind billowing beneath, rushing towards No. 6 Bai She Avenue.

Once they had left, even their silhouettes vanished, Xavier finally leisurely emerged from the underground base space.

"Such swift actions, but it’s good to act quickly, gathering those damn transcendents together makes it easier to clear them all at once."

Clack, clack.

A steam carriage drove out from the underground, the driver still a black-robed Steam Councilor.

Xavier grabbed a handful of ice crystals from his pocket, handed them to the black-robed figure, and said:

"Track their aura, kill those two last, first eliminate the transcendents around them."