Infinite Terror: Infinite Reversal

Chapter 40 Each person exchanges
Zhan Lan's voice rang out: "Found it, but it needs to be charged for 48 hours. Won't that be too short-lived?"

If it weren't for the invisibility armor, Mu Xiang wouldn't have immediately realized that a cheap, D-grade enchanted ring contained so many useful minor spells. This was a gift from Ai Yi and Hao Xiaoxiao back in the "Primordial Era." The invisibility armor's strength was comparable to a first-tier enchanted armor, but in terms of time, it was significantly more valuable than a regular piece of armor. According to Ai Yi, it represented the solidification of nearly third-tier magic. Mu Xiang had seen this exchange when playing tabletop role-playing games, and he had also found it here, and it was very reasonably priced at D-grade.

"Then take a look at another enchanted ring with a solidified fire resistance ring. This one can be used on yourself or on groups... and it's easier to charge," Mu Xiang recommended.

Zhan Lan was probably comparing it to other rings when she said, "This one is really useful, it even works on spirit creatures."

“Yes, it’s about forcibly pushing away the target,” Mu Xiang smiled. “Whether it’s defense or offense, it can be surprisingly effective when used in coordination.”

Of course, although the main god didn't explicitly say so, there must be a limit... It should be enough for the early stages.

Zhan Lan opened her eyes and looked at Mu Xiang: "So, I'm going to use my two D-level side quests to exchange for these? What about my reward points?"

"My suggestion is to exchange for a set of high-tech armor that doesn't require side quests, buy a high-tech weapon, and use the rest to enhance your physical attributes, especially your mental strength," Mu Xiang advised. "Activating minor spells like the Tranquility Aura also requires mental strength... If you don't have enough mental strength, you might run out of mental strength after just a few uses. After all, mental strength isn't easy to recover in horror movies, and you can't just take a nap."

As he spoke, he showed off his exoskeleton armor, which only cost 500 reward points, and told Zhan Lan that this defense was still a good deal.

So, at Mu Xiang's suggestion, Zhan Lan exchanged these items. Looking at Zhan Lan, now two meters tall and clad in liquid metal armor, Mu Xiang couldn't help but think, "Zhan Lan is a very robust woman..."

Then Zhan Lan showed off the two solidified spells she had exchanged, and everyone nodded in approval.

After removing the exoskeleton armor, Zhan Lan raised her right hand: "This ring, when fully charged, can be used ten times to resist fire, but there is a time interval requirement, otherwise the ring will overload with magic... It is also triggered by mental power, and frequent use will also put a burden on me. It will automatically recharge when not in use, but according to the main god, it absorbs free energy and takes 30 hours to fully recharge."

[Free energy... I suspect that the automatic recharging of these enchanted rings uses the slowest rate to absorb free energy, otherwise the recharging difference between the super-magic plane and the non-magic plane would be enormous. Otherwise, a ring that takes 48 hours to recharge in the Primordial Continent is unimaginable in other planes...]

Mu Xiang pushed up his glasses: "So, does it say that it can be quickly recharged with supernatural energy? Logically speaking, the speed of automatic recharging is definitely different from that of external recharging. If it can't be recharged externally... if I were a magician in some magical world, this ring would be too useless for me."

“It can be charged through magic, mental power, telekinesis, etc…” Zhan Lan could only read three words before she couldn’t continue, because she had never heard of almost anything after that.

Mu Xiang nodded reluctantly: "That's alright."

The other crystal ball was the same; Zhan Lan hung it around her neck and activated it with her mental power, but there was also a limitation on its charging.

Similar to the Calm Aura, the Crystal Ball Solidification Magic—the "Wind Spirit" in the original work—did not mention charging or casting intervals, but they must exist... otherwise, wouldn't it be a permanent buff?

Zhan Lan reserved some reward points, planning to discuss which technological weapons to exchange for after the others had redeemed the main items, and then use the remaining points to enhance physical attributes. The girl was quite cooperative with this suggestion, which further improved Mu Xiang's impression of her.

Then came Zhang Jie. After Zhang Jie's boast, "I don't know anything, I only have a lot of enthusiasm for shooting," Mu Xiang easily assigned him the role of the gunner—and the two of them happily agreed. Mu Xiang recommended several high-tech firearms and weapon combinations to Zhang Jie, but Zhang Jie was somewhat dissatisfied with them all. So Mu Xiang simply gave up trying to persuade him. Their heated discussion was actually just an act; Zhang Jie knew he didn't need these things and couldn't rely on high-powered firearms as his main weapon in a horror movie; Mu Xiang knew all this too.

Ultimately, Zhang Jie decided to save the two D-level side quests, saying he had his eye on some higher-level exchange items and planned to use them later. However, he did follow Mu Xiang's advice, balancing firepower and defense, and exchanged for an M56 smart machine gun from Aliens 2 and a set of high-tech armor focused on defense.

Mu Xiang didn't reveal any opinion, just watching with amusement as Zhang Jie boasted about his cool-looking M56 machine gun. At that moment, he was wondering why Zhang Jie had left behind two D-level side quests. Was it because he didn't want to waste them on technological weapons (which was indeed a waste for Zhang Jie), or was he planning to use them later?

Zheng Zha stared intently at Zhang Jie's M56 smart machine gun armor, its barrel alone over half a meter long. The over one-meter-long gun body, combined with the simple yet rugged mechanical arm and his gleaming armor, gave him the look of a futuristic warrior.

Zhan Lan watched the two men shouting and yelling with a smile, while Li Xiaoyi couldn't take his eyes off them either, and it seemed like he wasn't faking it.

Mu Xiang also thought Zhang Jie looked pretty cool, but the thought that the machine gun-armed mechanical arm was a modification of a Steadicam by the director made him want to laugh. "Zheng Zha, don't be envious yet. Let's practice together after you've exchanged yours..." Mu Xiang stepped forward, grabbed Zheng Zha, and dragged him toward the main god. "Your exchange is very important. A good exchange will also relieve some of my close combat pressure."

Now is the time to give it a try...

Mu Xiang thought to himself, he was already certain that an "author" existed in this world, but he didn't know who that "author" was or to what extent their influence reached. Based on his assumptions about fan fiction, it shouldn't be something like a protagonist or antagonist, but what if it was? Therefore, he had to test it out.

"Zheng Zha, is there anything you particularly want to exchange for? Like Chinese Qigong or something?" Mu Xiang asked with a smile, putting his arm around Zheng Zha's shoulder.

Zheng Zha closed his eyes and watched for a while, his face constantly changing expressions, as if he was watching and laughing. Then he said with a slightly troubled look, "There are so many enhancements that can be exchanged, but why did you ask me about Chinese Qigong? It doesn't seem to have anything particularly powerful about it."

【You actually know that?!】

Mu Xiang cursed inwardly, then thought to himself, "There's a chance!"
“If you don’t have any special talents, my suggestion is to exchange for an enhancement that provides both a physical body and energy,” Mu Xiang said.

Zheng Zha asked, "And then?"

"Then come with me to Tatakai!" Mu Xiang chuckled. "Don't forget you still have us, and all you have to do is be the gorilla!"

"..." Zheng Zha was rendered speechless by Mu Xiang. He wondered how he had turned into a gorilla. Shouldn't his intelligence have increased after being enhanced?

After a while, he asked, "How is the vampire enhancement? I think it's among the top in its class, regardless of the level. It takes into account both physical strength and energy. At level B, it already has considerable vitality. As long as the brain and heart are not damaged, it can keep regenerating..."

Upon hearing the word "vampire," Mu Xiang fell into deep thought... Zheng Zha still chose the vampire path among so many bloodline enhancements. If he hadn't been deliberately guided by Mu Xiang, Zheng Zha would probably have chosen the internal energy vampire path instead.

Therefore, we can draw two conclusions... First, the development of this world does indeed have its own trend, and the lack of interference may very well be preordained; second, the "author's" influence is not that great, great enough to lock down Zheng Zha's exchange? Of course, it's also possible that he is currently writing about Li Xiaoyi, and not about us.

"Yes, there's really no problem with vampires." Mu Xiang smiled. "Is there any other bloodline you'd like to exchange for?"

After a while, Zheng Zha said with a troubled expression, "I was thinking, after all, I can't use up all the B-level side quests... But the main god told me that there is a possibility of bloodline mutation, and there is a 70% chance of becoming non-human... which means a monster?"

Before Mu Xiang could say anything, Zheng Zha added, "Wait, isn't Qigong a kind of energy enhancement, not a bloodline? Logically speaking, this isn't a bloodline or genetic mutation, so it's safe to enhance it?"

These words startled Mu Xiang so much that he almost pried Zheng Zha's eyelids open. He hurriedly grabbed Zheng Zha: "No! Logically speaking, there is a high probability that these energies will conflict with your vampire energy. If you try to circulate a vampire energy, your internal energy and fighting spirit will suddenly spike, and you'll feel like you have diarrhea when you try to circulate your energy. Do you want to try it?"

This is obviously alarmist. Mu Xiang doesn't want Zheng Zha to engage in infighting between internal energy and vampire energy, which would only drag down his own combat strength. If he really wants to comprehend something like "explosion" or "destruction," he can just add another positive energy source later. Besides, judging from the trend that has just been indirectly confirmed, Zheng Zha will comprehend either "Primordial Chaos" or "Primordial Darkness," so there's no need for him to worry.

Zheng Zha was startled by Mu Xiang's words and was about to ask what to do when Mu Xiang advised, "Look at how the Main God tells you about the use of vampire energy. It's about using vampire skills, isn't it? Can you buy them without spending money? Let me tell you, I spent a C-level side quest to buy even the most basic passive skill. If you want to enhance other energies, not to mention the conflicts, do you still have money to buy skills? Do you think it's better to have even one skill, or to have two energies churning inside you and then fight monsters?"

This whole explanation left Zheng Zha quite confused, but he ultimately listened to Mu Xiang and decided on the vampire enhancement. Then, on Mu Xiang's advice, he chose a double-D grade power armor set, a high-tech armor from the Fallout series. It offered near-absolute protection against conventional firearms, and also provided good protection against laser weapons and high-temperature radiation. In other words, with such defensive capabilities, it would be usable for a long time in the early game.

Zheng Zha also had his eye on a vampire ring called "Blood Kiss," which could store 1.5 cubic meters of items and vampire energy, providing a boost to Zheng Zha in critical moments. Of course, as a D-grade storage ring, its additional function wasn't without limitations; this temporary power bank function could only replenish about half of a C-grade vampire's energy, making it a last resort.

However, after considering the elimination process of the Naruto Force Field, Mu Xiang decided not to say anything.

(End of this chapter)