Chapter 76 Chapter 74 Today’s heroes, only you and I_1

Translator: 549690339

Mecha pilots can explore the abyss, acquiring knowledge of magic teleportation arrays, bionic robots, and more, as well as materials like the Spring of Life.

Naturally, they can also strengthen their physical condition in various ways.

Improving physique, spirit, lifespan, and even strengthening the soul.

Many high-rank mecha pilots, despite having no natural talent for physical enhancements,

can still obtain strength comparable to a low-ranked mecha, and even transcendent abilities, through various enhancement items!

Of course, this method of strengthening the body can’t compare to the real physical enhancement talents.

It’s merely to alleviate fatigue so the mecha pilots can focus more energy on strengthening their Mechas.

Otherwise, relying only on the physical qualities of an ordinary person to strengthen a high-rank Mecha as massive as an asteroid…

It would probably take decades just to enhance it once.

And Simon—

Although he had also undergone physical enhancements and was far superior to an average person,

due to his [Rank Transcending Enhancement] talent, he had to expend much more energy than an ordinary person when strengthening his mecha, and he had to do it several times more often.

So, when he completed the enhancements, he was truly on the brink of exhaustion.

In that state, he naturally could not challenge the Age-Old Shadow.

Hence, he entered the nutrient pod, quickly replenishing his spent vitality through abyss technologies, restoring his condition.

This process would take about three days.

At this moment.

Simon was immersed in a dreamless slumber.

Yet a man burst into the rest room, forcefully terminating the sleep mode and waking him from his sleep.

Simon opened his eyes, sat up to look at the man in the suit, and frowned, displeased.

Although it was his brother with whom he had grown up, being disturbed from his sweet dreams was still very irritating.

“What’s the matter? I haven’t had enough sleep,” he said.

“I know you haven’t slept enough, but stop sleeping for now!”

The man in the suit, looking at the drowsy Simon, found it hard to keep a straight face.

“Someone’s single-handedly cleared Hell difficulty!”

“…Is today April Fool’s Day?”

“Your joke is really too fake, it totally can’t fool me,” Simon said.

Simon couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking his head.

For the past twenty years, no one had been able to clear Hell by themselves.

Could someone really have beaten it while he slept for just two or three days?

The man in the suit didn’t say much and silently handed over a transparent information panel.

Seeing his expression, Simon’s smile gradually faded and he reached out to take the transparent panel.

Rows of information appeared on it.

[Breaking news! The ninth SSS-class rookie successfully cleared Hell difficulty solo!]

[Hell difficulty has been completely breached, the Symbol of the Alliance has found its successor!]

[Planet Blue Star’s strongest talent took less than twenty days from basic trials to solo clearing Hell!]

Simon silently read through all the information, his face turning visibly redder.

Especially when he saw the news of [Jiang Chen consecutively clearing Hell difficulty seven times], his hands trembled.

He took a deep breath, set the transparent panel down,

and with a thud, lay back into the nutrient pod.

It must be a malfunction of the nutrient pod, causing a nightmare. If he slept a little longer, he would wake up and it would be fine.

However, not even three seconds after lying down,

Simon suddenly sat up again, his eyes bloodshot.

“I slept for only two days and someone secretly cleared Hell?”

“And to think that’s not enough… they cleared it seven times in a row!!”

“Motherf***er!!”

Simon was completely enraged.

He used to think that all of Planet Blue Star’s mecha pilots were trash, and even the Symbol of the Alliance was merely someone born a few years earlier than a commoner.

He was extremely proud of himself, which is why he allowed the Ark Organization to continually release news.

In this way, proclaiming to the world that the strongest talent was about to arrive!

However…

Suddenly, a Jiang Chen emerged from nowhere.

Younger than him, of a lower rank, and faster at clearing the trials.

It meant that the other party had more potential and was a better talent than he was.

In this moment, every piece of news released by the Ark Organization in the past became a boomerang, striking hard on his own forehead.

Every single one was a critical hit.

Thinking of all the previews released by the Ark Organization,

Simon was so furious that his forehead actually emitted a wisp of steam.

The man in the suit, frightened, hastily comforted him and helped him cool down.

“It’s okay, Simon. You were only beaten to it by one step,” he said.

“There’s no such thing as a first clear in abyss copies; even if someone clears it ahead of time, they can’t possibly drop anything like a Supercharge Module.”

“As long as you clear Hell normally, you won’t be much less formidable than the other party…”

Clearing Hell just to prove I’m not much worse than him?

Just over a dozen days ago, he was but an ordinary man who took over three hours to solo the nightmare challenges, someone I did not even take seriously!

However, victory belongs to the king, defeat to the vanquished.

Simon took a deep breath, suppressing the frustration in his heart, and nodded slightly.

“No problem, I’ll go challenge Hell right now,” he said.

As he spoke, he picked up the transparent panel again, looked at the photo on it, and etched that face deeply in his memory.

“Jiang Chen, huh…”

“To solo Hell, I acknowledge you.”

“In this world of heroes, only you and I stand out.”

“I’ll wait for you at 4th Rank.”

Though Simon was frustrated, he was not so blinded by it that he would hold a grudge against the other party, or even cause trouble…

Under the oppressive might of the Symbol of the Alliance, such petty schemes seemed laughable.

On the contrary, once his mood settled, he actually felt a sense of camaraderie towards this genius he had never met.

He wanted to get to know this genius of the Alliance, to form an acquaintance—

After all, Hell was far from the end.

Above the Hell difficulty level was the Despair Abyss, where all mecha pilots met their downfall!

Only those mecha pilots who successfully soloed Hell qualified to conquer the Abyss.

Simon hoped to join forces with this Alliance genius to conquer the Abyss together!

Of course.

Before that.

He had to solo Hell himself first.

“Jiang Chen, you’ve solo cleared the Eternal Frost Magic Realm at Hell difficulty?”

“And you’ve cleared it seven times?!!”

A holographic image of Lyle was projected from the personal terminal, his expression incredibly excited.

Jiang Chen nodded.

“Yes, the materials and modules you needed can only be dropped at Hell difficulty, right?”

“I tried the nightmare a few times, felt it was manageable, and went ahead and cleared Hell.”

“However, it seems that the materials dropped from solo clearing are a bit richer than those from group clearing, and a few materials not listed in the catalog appeared.”

“I explored a few more times to gather all the materials needed…”

“…I’ve already said, don’t call me senior; I can’t handle that honor. You’re the big brother here, just call me Lyle.”

Just casually cleared Hell?

Does that even sound like something a person would say!?

Lyle had planned to find a couple of teammates for Jiang Chen, and luckily he hadn’t spoken yet, otherwise he might have had to pay up…

To catch a ride on the big boss’s Hell-clearing high-speed train, wouldn’t he have to fork out some travel fare?

The “extra materials” mentioned by Jiang Chen also caught his attention.

Whatever the materials were, as long as they came from Hell difficulty, they were certainly extraordinary.

They might be used as substitute materials to optimize his mecha pathway.

Lyle said,

“Don’t rush to deal with those extra materials you mentioned, let me take a look first.”

“If there’s something I need, I can pay with contribution points… or for the Age-Old Shadow at the sixth layer, if you need anything, just pick it out, I’ll clear it for you.”

“No problem,”

Jiang Chen agreed readily.

“Shall we go to the usual spot in Xuntian City to trade?”

“Sure!”

The reaction of Lyle gave Jiang Chen a reminder.

Clearing the Age-Old Shadow at the Hell difficulty by himself and stealing some of Simon’s limelight had caused a huge sensation.

Although the outside world couldn’t find his private base,

his appearance and photo had long been revealed, omnipresent on the forums for mecha pilots inside and outside the Alliance.

Business aside, Jiang Chen certainly did not want to attract public attention while walking in the streets of Xuntian City.

He simply wore his steam mecha and, together with Bai Ying, went to Xuntian City.

Everywhere in Xuntian City were mechas in transit, and the steam mecha did not attract the slightest attention, easily reaching the trading area.

However, when Jiang Chen arrived at the teahouse private room they had used last time and sat inside waiting for Lyle,

Moments passed, and Senior Lyle had not come.

Instead, a strange man pushed the door and entered.

“Hello, Jiang Chen, my name is Li Xiao, and I’m an 8th Rank mecha pilot with the Alliance.”

“Lyle had something come up, so I’m here to complete the trade for him.”

An 8th Rank mecha pilot?

Carrying out a trade for a 6th Rank mecha pilot?

Jiang Chen looked at the man in surprise, finding his face somewhat familiar.

After a brief recollection, he quickly remembered where he had seen this face before—

in the pictures on the online encyclopedia.

“The Symbol of the Alliance?”

The man sat down across from him.

“Indeed, some people do refer to me as that.”