I've already reached the maximum level, and you guys are just starting out?

Chapter 106 Tenth Tier! The Planet Pulses for You! (33 words update, please vote!)

[You have used a 'Tenth-Order Energy Crystal'!]

[Energy surplus, automatic advancement!]

【…】

Your rank has increased!

[You have become a Tier 10 Evolver!]

On the panel, lines of text flashed.

The 'risk' that Yu Jin had imagined did not materialize.

Obviously.

Yu Jin still greatly underestimated Tongzi's abilities.

only……

"Another earthquake?"

Before Yu Jin could even feel the improvement from breaking through from the ninth to the tenth rank, he sensed the earth shaking beneath his feet.

This movement...

This is much, much larger than the previous Dawn City launch!
[Your breakthrough to the tenth rank has caused fluctuations in the rules of Planet A3!]

The rules of Planet A3 are being meticulously examined, leaving no stone unturned!

【period……】

The entire planet will pulsate for you...

Before Yu Jin could ask, Tongzi had already given his answer.

For an instant.

Yu Jin fell into deep thought.

Planetary pulsation?

Why does it sound like...

Does it look impressive?
……

……

It is tens of thousands of miles away from Dawn City.

A refuge city comparable in size to Nyarlathotep, quietly entrenched.

boom--

Rumble——!
But this moment.

The earth shook violently, and the mountains trembled.

Even the sky began to dim and lose its color.

"what happened?"

"Could it be that the city lord has broken through to the ninth rank?"

"what……"

"Invincible City Lord, have you finally succeeded?"

"Forty years!"

"..."

Within the vast city, tens of millions of citizens wailed.

Available in the next second.

"Noisy!"

A figure appeared out of thin air above the city.

Om-!
Just for a moment.

A terrifying gravitational pressure swept across the entire city.

Tens of millions of citizens who were celebrating the city lord just a second ago were all forced to their knees by the immense force.

Some of those of lower rank, or whose posture was not convenient for kneeling, broke their bones with a 'crack' under the force of gravity.

but……

Even with broken bones and in excruciating pain, they dared not scream.

Just because——

The figure in the sky was their Ghost King City's invincible eighth-tier city lord!

"who is it?"

"Who broke through to the ninth rank?"

Above the city.

Austin Zorn stared into the distance, filled with doubt and uncertainty.

He could feel the entire planet beneath his feet was in turmoil.

This kind of riot is unprecedented...

The most likely explanation is that someone broke through to the ninth rank, alerting the game server!
Swah——

A semi-transparent light screen appeared before Zorn's eyes.

Above the light screen is the leaderboard for Planet A3.

Zorn's gaze fell on the 'A3 Planet Player Rank Ranking'.

【No.1: ? ? ?】

【No.2: ? ? ?】
[No. 3: Austin Zorn]

【…】

You can't see other people's information on the leaderboard.

Zorn was unsure who had caused this commotion.

"That madman from Shili City?"

"That old loli from Moore Star?"

"..."

Zorn speculated for a long time but couldn't get any definite answers.

"There are only 175 days left until the promotion begins."

"At such a crucial juncture, if someone truly reaches the ninth level..."

Zorn's expression turned slightly somber.

Over the past century.

Planet A3 has never produced even a single ninth-tier city lord.

This leads to——

The eighth-order limit is the pinnacle of the pyramid.

The top ten city lords are all equally powerful and influential, and have been in a state of mutual restraint for many years.

Can……

What if a ninth-rank city lord really emerges?
This is unacceptable to any eighth-tier city lord!

"no!"

"If anyone really takes that step, we must communicate with them beforehand and unite..."

Zorn made a decision in his heart.

call--

A breeze blew.

Austin Zorn disappeared.

It can be in the sky.

Black fog still lingered.

Within the black mist, one could faintly hear the mournful, piercing wails of ghosts.

……

……

A369 area.

Mangcheng, the city lord's mansion.

Yu Limin sat there casually, his face glowing.

Across from him sat a middle-aged man with a refined appearance.

"Uncle Yu, let me toast you again."

The middle-aged man, dressed in white, was elegant and charming, which seemed out of place with the wasteland art style.

He picked up the glass in front of him, tilted his head back, and drank the wine in one gulp.

In the wasteland, there is naturally no resource like 'alcohol'.

These two bottles of wine were purchased with points from the Refuge City's 'Resource Mall' specifically to entertain Yu Limin.

"Oh, you're too kind, you're too kind!"

"Ha ha!"

Yu Limin is a good drinker and loves to drink.

at this time.

After a few glasses of baijiu, he was already quite dizzy and his speech was incoherent.

"Xiao Luo!"

"Why are you calling me 'Uncle'?"

"From now on, we'll be brothers!"

"You call me brother, I'll call you younger brother, but the others are still the same, they call you city lord!"

"How about it?"

The middle-aged man smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"Brother Yu, as your younger brother, let me offer you another toast."

The voice just fell.

Boom——!
The earth in and around Mangcheng suddenly trembled.

The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly, and his brows furrowed a little, but quickly relaxed again.

"Nothing happened, Brother Yu, let's continue..."

……

……

A349 area.

Cui Xiangyu walked alone across the wasteland.

He carried a heavy bag, his face covered in sand and dust.

now.

In his field of vision, he could already see the faint outline of a refuge city in the distance.

"Finally, we've found another refuge city..."

Cui Xiangyu breathed a sigh of relief.

Boom——!
Suddenly.

The ground beneath his feet trembled.

not far away.

The refuge city also began to 'shake'!
"wipe?"

"Earthquakes in the wasteland?"

Cui Xiangyu was shocked. He steadied himself and formed a hand seal.

A series of spatial energy fluctuations emanated from his body.

This is a new ability he unlocked in the previous refuge city.

【Warped Path Leap: Charge up in advance and teleport in a fixed direction】

Although this ability has no combat power, it is a god-like skill for him to 'wander' in the wasteland!

Over the past few days.

It was this ability that allowed him to repeatedly escape danger when encountering powerful mutated beasts and infected beings.

Boom——!
Earthquakes continue.

Cui Xiangyu stood ready, on high alert, wary of the mutated beasts that might suddenly leap out from all directions due to the earthquake…

……

A316 area.

Alpha City.

Five days ago, a new bookstore opened in the city.

Bookstores in the wasteland are quite 'rare'.

The bookstore owner is none other than Wu Yufei, who has awakened to the attribute of 'knowledge'.

Through his bookstore, he sold knowledge to the vagrants and also acquired knowledge from them.

The journey took only five short days.

Having inherited the third-tier level from the old man of Alpha Star, he was already not far from the fourth tier.

Boom——!
Alpha City was shaken.

Yufei, who was engrossed in his work at his desk, put down his pen.

"earthquake?"

Wu Yufei shook his head.

"According to historical records, no natural earthquakes have ever occurred in Alpha City and its surrounding areas."

"It is either natural or man-made."

Yu Fei pondered, unlike the other refugees in the city who felt panicked and lost. Instead, he picked up a pen and wrote on the paper—

[Speculations on the Game Mechanics of Wasteland - Part 1]

Man-made earthquakes

[Personal speculation: When a player or refugee city faction unlocks a new achievement or breaks through to a very high rank within the game, it may trigger a localized or global earthquake.]

The earthquake is merely a symptom; the true underlying issue is a fluctuation in the rules of the game...

Finished writing the last sentence.

Yufei put down his pen.

He closed his eyes gently and waited quietly.

Om-!
A sudden fluctuation emanated from his body.

【congratulations!】

Record new knowledge!

This knowledge is extremely confidential and of immense value for transmission!

Your rank has increased...

You have become a fourth-tier evolver!

Yufei opened his eyes, his face showing neither sorrow nor joy.

"Knowledge is power."

He murmured to himself and continued working at his desk.

……

……

"Come on!"

"Down with the city lord!"

"Take over the refuge city!"

"Boss Yu Chen promised—"

"Once he becomes the city lord, we will never again suffer the oppression we used to endure!"

Inside a nameless refuge city.

Yu Chen led over a hundred evolved beings in a massive assault on the city lord's mansion.

"Troublemaker—"

"How dare you do this!"

A powerful figure emerged from the city lord's mansion.

He looked at Yu Chen, who was in the lead, and laughed angrily.

"Oh it's you!"

"Three days ago, it managed to escape from my grasp."

"Three days later, they actually dared to come knocking on our door?"

The city lord sneered, and the aura of a fifth-tier evolved being emanated from his body.

Just one second.

The city lord's cold smile froze, gradually turning into terror.

"What, how is it possible?"

"How did you break through from the fourth rank to the fifth rank in just three days!?"

Yu Chen remained silent, only charging forward.

Swish-!
The blade flashed past.

Blood splattered everywhere.

The head of the fifth-tier city lord shot into the sky.

"Ah--"

"Has no one told you that villains die from talking too much?"

"While you're babbling on and on, my fifth-tier ultimate move is already fully charged!"

Yu Chen shook his head dismissively.

Just two hours later.

The refuge city changed hands.

Amidst shouts of "Lord Yu!"

Unable to refuse Yu Chen's earnest invitation, he reluctantly agreed to take up the post of the new city lord.

It is worth mentioning that.

From beginning to end, the ground beneath his feet did not tremble in the slightest.

……

……

Dawn City.

The earthquake caused a small-scale commotion.

but……

The commotion wasn't panic, but excitement.

"They're flying again?"

The new citizens of Dawn City, who had just registered their information and successfully joined the city, were filled with anticipation.

Outside the city gate.

The displaced people queuing up were all extremely anxious.

"Don't fly, don't fly yet!"

"I haven't gotten on the bus yet, no, I haven't even entered the city!"

Chen Gang stood at the city gate, looking at the refugees, and snorted softly.

"Queue up properly!"

"No cutting in line!"

"Otherwise, you won't get a chance to collect crystals anymore!"

at the same time.

Dawn in the inner city, inside a detached building.

Yin Yao, who had just finished consuming a fourth-tier crystal and was quietly digesting and absorbing its energy, suddenly froze.

"This……"

She sensed that something deep inside her body was about to emerge!
That is……

An incomparably vast and surging energy!
boom--!
It was just a fleeting moment.

Yin Yao's aura rose steadily!
Fifth tier, sixth tier, seventh tier...

Yin Yao was shocked to discover that although her rank had not improved, her aura and energy had surged to the level of a seventh-rank evolver!

Feeling lost.

Yin Yao recalled what Yu Jin had said to her three days ago.

"Leveling up while lying down?"

Yin Yao murmured, somewhat puzzled.

She hasn't even gone to bed yet...

How did it get upgraded?

……

……

Dawn City.

core zone.

Yu Jin lay on the ten-meter-long bed with his eyes closed.

After breaking through to the tenth rank, Ember did not rush to test his abilities because the rules of Planet A3 were looking for loopholes everywhere.

With nothing else to do, he decided to open the 'Tenth-Tier Powerhouse's Legacy Blind Box'.

result……

The ninth-tier widow did not appear.

[You have obtained a fragment of the memory of a tenth-tier powerhouse!]

Without a doubt, it's crooked.

In that instant, Yu Jin knew that this was the worst blind box he had gotten out of the three.

but……

It's already open.

Not claiming it is a waste.

Yu Jin decided to accept it and see what this 'memory fragment' was all about.

As it turns out, it's alright if you don't look at it.

At first glance...

Having just broken through to the tenth rank and feeling invincible, Yu Jin suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis!
My name is Sik, and I'm from Planet Owen. Today, I unexpectedly received a gaming helmet.

【…】

[After fifty years, I, now at the ninth rank, lead the level-nine Owen City to ascend to the star system wasteland.]

【…】

The galactic wasteland is extremely dangerous, teeming with powerful Tier 10 mutant beasts and infected creatures. My subjects and I must proceed with extreme caution.

【…】

[I have successfully broken through to the tenth rank, which has increased my chances of being chosen by a higher-dimensional civilization.]

【…】

I've discovered a barren planet; conquering it will boost my ranking.

【…】

A group of strange players descended from the sky, attempting to seize the planet I had occupied. They were clearly only ninth-tier players, yet I was no match for them.

【…】

I died at the hands of a ninth-tier evolved being.

[Before I died, I heard him call my name—]

"A vermin of inferior civilization"

……

(P.S.: Just to clarify, although I mentioned the protagonist's background earlier, he is from Earth and has pure Earth blood. This is to avoid any misunderstandings later in the story.)

　Thank you so much lv90lv90 for the generous donation! I'll be adding an extra chapter tomorrow just for you! Thank you!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)