Chapter 856 - 370: Self-Destruct_2
He’s really not cheating. If other players can’t see the Power of Root, then his ability may have two sources.
One is his Eye of Breaking Method, the other is his Inspiration Value. No matter which it is, it’s a legitimate mechanism within the game, all fair and square.
Cold Mountain paused for a moment before continuing the topic that was interrupted by Wu Chang’s performance.
"That man with the Sabre, named Phantom, is the strongest player in the Evolution Committee, at least the strongest on the surface."
Sword Star suddenly understood: "Phantom, the one ranked fifth on the Combat Power Board?"
Ranked fifth on the Combat Power Board, no wonder his fights in the S-Level dungeons seem like fish in a barrel.
Cold Mountain nodded to confirm. He looked at Sword Star but was actually explaining to Wu Chang:
"Players who rank in the top fifteen on the Combat Power Board are referred to as ranking players. The threshold for ranking players is mastering the Power of Root."
"Phantom’s mastered Power of Root is a small range of speed manipulation, combined with his Reincarnation as a Blade Dancer, making his Sword Skill incredibly fast, one of the trickiest in the Desolate Realm."
"The best way to deal with Phantom is to attack from outside his Power of Root’s effective range using non-trajectory Skills like Curse or Spiritual Shock."
Wu Chang raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, he hadn’t paid attention to the Combat Power Board before.
The so-called Combat Power Board is a list compiled by the Abyssal Game using some algorithm to convert players’ combat power into a numerical value and arrange them systematically.
Apart from a few high-score-low-skill players and exceptions like Wu Chang, who start with 50 points of Inspiration and 30 points of Will, in most cases, the Combat Power Board provides an accurate estimate of a player’s ability.
He remembered that when he first completed a dungeon, there was a prompt from the Abyssal Game asking if he wanted to make his combat power value public. He chose to decline, so he isn’t on the list.
Many who don’t want others to discover their true strength, like the Painter, also choose not to publicize their combat power value.
But the Four Major Organizations are different. They need top players’ values to demonstrate their dominance, so they will select some top players to be ranked.
Wu Chang asked Cold Mountain: "I haven’t paid much attention to the Combat Power Board. What positions are you and Sword Star in?"
Cold Mountain said: "Because there are many hidden strong players like you guys, my ranking looks better, currently ranking second on the Combat Power Board."
Upon hearing this, Wu Chang applauded: "My respects, my respects, I didn’t expect you to be the second on the Combat Power Board."
Cold Mountain showed a look of helplessness and ignored Wu Chang’s reaction, continuing to say:
"Sword Star, despite having a very strong Reincarnation and touching upon the Power of Root, is not at Full Level yet, has great room for improvement, and is currently ranked forty-ninth."
Wu Chang looked at Sword Star with some surprise. When he first saw this kid, his Will was on the brink of collapse, and he needed help even breaking through a C-Level dungeon.
In a blink of an eye, he’s already managed to rank in the top fifty.
They say there’s always someone better, but looking at the Desolate Realm players, geniuses are as plentiful as fish swimming down a river; now it seems that’s not exactly the case.
Either there are too many players hiding their true strength, or everyone’s actual combat power values just aren’t that high.
Wu Chang turned his gaze back to the plaza, focusing on the contention for the invitation.
Many players, like Phantom, want to demonstrate their strength by "fishing," hoping to gain attention from various forces, but the only one who does it beautifully is Phantom.
Other players who come to fish often encounter peers, resulting in unresolved battles and becoming part of the fish pond, further highlighting Phantom’s dominance.
In the plaza, there’s no player of Phantom’s caliber, but Wu Chang spotted a few acquaintances in the crowd.
The first to catch his attention was Booker from the White Tower, along with Veronica from the Evolution Committee.
If it were two months ago, their strength wasn’t enough to enter an S-Level dungeon. Even a terribly unlucky draw wouldn’t get them in.
The Hymn Company and those Cursed, after being paired with Wu Chang for two consecutive dungeons, gained significant benefits by sticking with him, boosting their strength enough to squeeze into the top 500, meeting the requirements for entering an S-Level dungeon.
But even they are only able to enter, belonging to the lowest tier among all the players.
However, their goals are also clear, with the focus not on fighting, but on observing players who have already obtained invitations before Saint George’s Church and other players on the field.
Wu Chang realized they were here to see if he had entered the dungeon, clearly intending to stick with him again.
He sighed, figuring even someone like Sword Star made it into the top fifty, so he didn’t particularly care about the players’ combat power anymore.
Compared to unfamiliar players like Phantom, who are strong but unknown, he prefers to team up with slightly inept but familiar people.
After all, they are just supporting roles, and the useless ones have clear roles without complaints.
In the team of three that typically follows, Colton, who often teams up with Booker, didn’t appear.
Perhaps Colton’s strengths lean more towards technology, and a dungeon plane like Steam Phantom that hasn’t even adopted electricity and is still in the steam engine era isn’t suitable for his abilities, so he wasn’t selected by the Abyssal Game.
Understanding the reason, Wu Chang couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose, showing some dissatisfaction in his eyes.
The Abyssal Game is indeed considerate towards players other than him, paying attention to difficulty balance, full of human touch.
But when it comes to him, they go about it in the most inhuman way, and now they don’t even pretend anymore.