Chapter 180 Private - Ryan
"Emergency gathering!"

A shrill whistle woke Ryan up. He opened his eyes instantly, stood up, put on his combat uniform in just a few seconds, and then jumped down from the upper bunk. When he looked up, the other people in the barracks were ready, and some had already gathered at the door.

"Damn! How come you guys are so fast!"

Ryan picked up the tactical jacket from the lower bunk and put it on. The whole jacket seemed to be made naturally, without any trace of cutting. It was as if it was an incredible work of art, made directly from tough rune cloth. It was the mysterious power of magic. This tactical jacket could provide protection equivalent to thick leather armor, and ordinary bullets could hardly penetrate it. Even in the Mechanical Heart, only privates above the fifth stage could be equipped with it.

Ryan is a private soldier who graduated from the third term, and they are also the third batch of promoted extraordinary people.

The extraordinary people who were promoted in the first three phases of Mechanical Heart were basically people with extraordinary talents. Ryan used to be a stable boy, but his father was also a warrior. He was born stronger than other children. Logically, he might have been able to get a job in the city defense army, but unfortunately he offended a playboy from a warlock family, so he had to rely on hard labor to make a living.

According to the instructors' test results, Ryan's basic attributes are - Strength 17, Constitution 15, Agility 11.

He didn't know what this meant, he only knew that after Father Terra took him into a dark mysterious room, there was an indescribable horrible black box with tentacle-like cables extending out, and then after a slight electric shock, a line of words appeared on the monitor that suddenly lit up.

——"Qualified. Warrior Path. Rating 86."

So Ryan passed the first step of the assessment, and survived the contamination of the touch of flesh and blood in the subsequent promotion. Finally, after successfully digesting the extraordinary relics, he was thrown directly into the training camp by a bearded gray dwarf.

What follows is a brutal six-month training, during which they need to build up their strength and physical fitness, hone their combat skills, familiarize themselves with all military weapons, and pass the combat expertise assessment of the demon instructors.

That was Ryan's most painful memory.

Because all the training plans were made by a thing called "Seal No. 1 - Mechanical Brain", Ryan almost thought he would die in the training camp. He felt that he could not survive at all. But after being promoted to a Transcendent, he found that his physical fitness had improved a lot. After each exhaustion, he quickly recovered his vitality the next day. It seemed that some energy was nurtured in his flesh and blood. He gained a strong physique and vigorous energy. Even his height grew by nearly centimeters, reaching a height of about meters.

Although the days in the training camp were hard, the food was very good. Ryan had never eaten meat as a meal in his life, but in the training camp, their food standards were better than those of many small nobles and wealthy people. A lot of fresh meat was delivered from the Der area by the spellcasters.

In the instructor's words, their bloodlines are undergoing transformation and require adequate nutrition, as this can change their basic attributes and further enhance their talents.

By the end of the training camp, Ryan, who graduated from the third term, had changed a lot. His facial features became sharp, his eyes were sharp and firm, and his sturdy body seemed like a different person. If his facial features had not changed much, even his mother would not have been able to recognize him. Now Ryan is a qualified private soldier. Even if he stands there casually, the tactical uniform cannot hide his strong muscles, and you can see his strong biceps and pectoralis major.

Ryan heard by chance that it would cost at least 10,000 dinars for the Mechanical Heart to train a qualified private soldier, even without taking into account the extraordinary relics for promotion.

But Ryan also has his own flaws, that is, he is not agile enough, just like he is always one step behind his comrades.

"Stand at attention and take a break."

"Turn right, armory, run forward!" the instructor roared.

Ryan followed the orders almost instinctively. After passing the brutal training program set by Sealed Object No. 1, the Mechanical Brain, they had all transformed into qualified soldiers, and obeying orders had almost become their instinctive reaction.

Obeying discipline has become a brand that is implanted deep in their hearts.

The entire training ground was silent until the instructor gave the order, then the sound of uniform footsteps could be heard.

armory.

Three combat corps have been assembled here. The first three batches of students have graduated, and the fourth and fifth batches of extraordinary people are still in training. After the instructor left, a comrade next to Ryan couldn't help but whispered excitedly: "Do you want actual combat training?"

The captain standing in the front row of the team turned around and glared at him, saying, "Shut up. Keep quiet."

Hearing his comrades' words, Ryan couldn't help but get excited. Although he had worn mechanical gear armor before, that was all in daily training and he had never had actual combat experience.

On the front of the Armory.

A burly man walked to the front of the queue. Unlike ordinary privates, he was not wearing a combat uniform, but a black tactical vest. With his height of nearly two meters and a physique like a little giant, it was inconvenient for him to move in combat uniform.

"It's Owl-Or." Someone whispered.

The sturdy man's exposed arms were muscular, and his exaggerated back muscles looked like the face of a devil. There were faint blood-red magic patterns engraved on both sides of his spine, extending along the muscle lines to his strong arms. There was an exposed silver-white metal dot near the neck of the spine. It was some kind of alchemical wonder implanted in his body. Ryan was not sure what it was, but it was said that only the best privates could pass the first stage of the transformation surgery [Armored Skin] assessment.

Ryan also tried to apply for the assessment, but he failed. He could only be considered a talented person, while those who passed the assessment were all geniuses picked from thousands.

Rumor has it that someone has already gone through the third transformation surgery.

Owl-Or is different from them. They will be mixed into the Star Army, while those warriors who have passed the transformation surgery will directly join the battle group.

The other side of the school ground.

Doctor Monster appeared in a large black cape, holding a magic notebook in his hand, which was filled with densely packed secret symbols. After touching the alchemical artifact next to his ear, he said in a deep voice: "The undead prosthetic transformation is not suitable for human extraordinary people, and it is repulsive to living people."

"We are still researching the practicality of undead prosthetics."

"Our current research progress is to digest the blood talents of the implanted alien species. I will now transmit the information to you through the mental network."

The next second, a strange flash of light emerged.

——"Inhuman Digestive System Transformation (Third Operation) [Strange Bloodline]: Your polluted bloodline grants you the ability to gain nutrition from things that others do not consider to be food. You can gain nutrition from any organic matter, regardless of its freshness and origin. When fighting against ingested toxins and diseases caused by ingestion, you gain a +6 racial bonus on your Fortitude saves."

——"Dynamic Vision Enhancement (Third Surgery) [Strange Bloodline]: Your eyes undergo a genetic mutation, and they look like large compound pupils. After entering combat, they will change to double pupil form and vertical pupil form. You gain dark vision and a +10 racial bonus on reconnaissance."

——"Enhanced Super Hearing (Third Surgery) [Strange Bloodline]: Your cochlea is further enhanced by the polluted bloodline. You can hear many subtle sounds and can control your hearing ability through consciousness to filter out some noise. Your hearing ability gets a +10 racial bonus."

The transformations of advanced warriors are not necessarily all organ implants. Some of them are digested through special extraordinary relics to gain additional bloodline expertise.

There are currently two types of transformation surgeries, one is implantation, and the other is digestion and fusion. The latter will increase the contamination of one's own flesh and blood, but after digestion is complete it basically becomes a part of the body and is transformed into a specific bloodline talent.

A few minutes later, a steel giant strode out of the armory with heavy steps. Ryan's eyes lit up when he saw the bright silver constructed mechanical armor. It was a good thing that they couldn't even touch.

Only those strong warriors who have joined the warband can be equipped with construct armor.

It is rumored that there are even more powerful magic-powered armors, but no one has ever seen them. All we know is that some steel structures as high as six meters have been shipped out from the Golem Factory.

"Line up! Stand at attention!"

The instructor's roar rang out, and Ryan's team began to enter the armory one by one. After crossing the heavy door, he immediately saw two huge monsters made entirely of steel, the Iron Golem guards, the guards of the armory. It is said that one such iron lump can kill a small army.

Ryan walked quickly to his locker. At present, the Mechanical Heart was short of rare equipment, and the academy graduates from the first to third classes were mixed.

——Strength wrist guard +3. Ryan picked up a pair of heavy wrist guards and put them on his arms. He immediately felt that his strength had become stronger. He could now easily lift more than 1.2 kilograms. If he pushed or pulled, it could reach about tons.

During this period, he felt as if there was a violent burst of power in his body. If he could unleash it, perhaps he could easily push objects weighing several tons.

——Gloves of Agility +2.

To be honest, Ryan didn't feel much change after putting them on. However, this pair of gloves was said to be made of the tough leather of lurking monsters. Compared with other comrades, Ryan was a little bulky, but he had good combat skills. He made up for his clumsiness with cleverness and was always in the first echelon in combat training.

——Constitution amulet +3.

It was an amulet engraved with the holy Terra emblem. As long as Ryan wore it, he would gain the ability to regenerate, and his wounds would automatically stop bleeding and heal. It was also because of this that he became the front-line shield bearer in the team.

——Resistance belt +2.

It is said that this is a rare item originating from the Lizardmen that can enhance various resistances and resist toxins.

After Ryan put on this set of basic strange equipment, he began to prepare to put on armor. He was equipped with mechanical gear armor. This heavy armor was composed of countless small gears, wheels, plates and other metal mechanical devices. Its armor was superior to all other heavy armors, but it was much slower than other types of heavy armor.

These gear heavy armors are all assembled by an alchemical creature called "Clockwork Repairman" after leaving the factory.

The teammates are equipped with removable armor, which looks much lighter and more beautiful. It consists of a helmet with a movable mask, neck armor, chest armor, shoulder armor, arm armor, elbow pads, hand guards, abdominal armor, skirt armor, thigh armor, knee pads, shin armor, metal-clad leather boots, etc. Depending on the different items you wear, part of the armor can be removed.

There are three templates for this type of armor dismantling: a simple version, equivalent to light armor, a half-body version, equivalent to half-body armor, and the last one is a full-body version, equivalent to heavy armor.

call!
Ryan stretched his body and picked up the heavy tower shield in front of him. It was nearly one and a half meters long, with runes engraved on the surface and a little refined gold plating. There were spikes on the front that could provide additional damage when the shield strikes.

The physical fitness of extraordinary people is far superior to that of ordinary people, and it is standard for warriors to wear heavy armor.

He hung the Inferno Roar hand cannon around his waist. Unlike other people's guns, his weapon was equipped with a pop-out bayonet. Others fired in bursts, but he fired in single shots, which was more powerful.

Among the entire team, Ryan's equipment is the heaviest, and only people with a strength of more than 20 points can equip it, otherwise it will be difficult to ensure freedom of movement.

Ryan put three rune grenades in his pocket, checked his equipment, and moved back and forth to make sure there was no problem with the armor before returning to the line. Their combat team had a total of ten people, and everyone had different equipment. The attackers in the front row also carried shields, but they were not tower shields but flexible and light small shields. The output units in the back row were equipped with second-generation Purgatory Roaring Hand Cannons, which could provide continuous fire support, and their weapons were mainly dwarven battle axes, because they were all strength fighters. The last row had snipers and rangers, who used sniper rifles imitated from Dorn and could use rune bullets.

The students of the third batch are basically ready to go.

Following the instructor's orders, they passed through the dark passage of the armory. As a little light appeared in front of them, they soon saw a teleportation array with a diameter of about fifteen meters.

There was a sudden spin.

When Ryan opened his eyes again, he was already in a filthy mudflat. The brown-green mud obviously affected his movements. A strong stench hit his nose, as if asphalt was spreading in the sewage. In the distance, Ryan saw clumps of disgusting and sticky creatures wriggling, which reminded him of his excrement when he had diarrhea. They were very large, with a diameter of about three meters. After discovering the intruder, they immediately crawled over.

A qualified fighter must adapt to any combat environment.

Ryan took a deep breath and relied on his willpower to fight the disgusting stench. He rolled up and raised his tower shield in an instant, blocking a ball of corrosive liquid falling from the sky.

boom!
A dull burst of gunfire rang out, and the slime aggregate in the distance was instantly blown into pieces all over the ground.

"idiot!"

"Save the bullets! Your entire squad is only equipped with 120 rune bullets!"

"Now that it's all used up, are you all going to eat shit next?" The instructor's roar echoed, making people's eardrums buzz.

Ryan's hands trembled as he put away the Infernal Roaring Hand Cannon. He recalled the painful training and moved his feet quickly and with difficulty. Teammates on both sides also raised their shields. At the back of the team, the Ranger's comrade said in a deep voice, "Leave these small fry to me."

The ranger's pupils shrank slightly in an instant, and he entered a unique 'Eagle Eye' mode. He locked onto the monster in front of him and aimed directly at the enemy's vital points.

boom!
With a gunshot, the bullet penetrated the mucus in an instant and hit some kind of crystal core in the monster's body, which was the core of semi-elemental life. From the exploding viscous liquid, one could see a blood-red rock. It was said that the blood of God fell from the sky and turned the rocks of this land into strange blood rocks.

"Don't die!"

The instructor's cold voice sounded, he waved his hand, turned around and left without looking back.

Actual combat is cruel.

He couldn't protect these little guys forever. They could only grow up after experiencing blood and fire. Only three people died in the first batch of students' actual combat test. The second batch encountered a little accident and seven died. He just hoped that the third batch of students would not let him down. After all, their equipment was better.

Early students did not have such a complete set of rare equipment. Some of the armor was rushed out after the construction of the Mechanical Heart's assembly factory was completed, and the extraordinary people on the alchemical path also enchanted a layer of runes.

As for higher-level constructed mechanical armor, there are only seven sets in the entire demiplane.

They are extremely expensive to manufacture, and require the use of mithril enchantments and the addition of anti-gravity arrays before they can be worn and moved. Otherwise, 30 points of strength are required to move freely. The cost of constructing a mechanical armor is around three million dinars, and the equipment is more expensive than human life.

As for the magic-powered armor, it seems that only a mechanically modified Terra priest has installed a constructed mechanical arm. His mechanical arm has a strength of 35 points and can easily lift several tons of weight.

This group of students will be officially incorporated into the Star Army only after they pass the actual combat assessment.

At present, the entire Mechanical Heart's extraordinary people have been promoted to the seventh stage. After selecting talents in the demiplane, they have begun to select talented people from the ring city. Most of the people in the first six stages are warriors. The seventh stage begins to cultivate more wanderers and rangers, and a small number of talented people are promoted to spellcasters.

As the quality of life improves, the strength and physical fitness of some ordinary people are also getting stronger. At this rate, as long as they can reach the threshold of 14 points in strength or 14 points in physical fitness in the future, they will have the opportunity to be promoted to extraordinary people on the warrior path.

However, this group of people probably cannot be considered as talented fighters, as they will probably have to rely on firearms as their main combat force.

Combat with cold weapons requires a lot of physical talent, and a dwarf heavy axe cannot be swung without 16 points of strength.

At present, the resources of the Mechanical Heart are not abundant, and they prioritize the promotion of extraordinary people from talented people. Ordinary people will probably have to wait until next year for a chance. It's a pity that there are too few people here who have received higher education. If there are some college students who have passed calculus, they can also consider the promotion path of spellcasting.

The intelligence threshold of 13-14 points is almost the requirement for a qualified college student. A mage does not need a high EQ, he can be a talent in a niche study or scientific research field.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of universal education, the average IQ of people here is only 10 points, and the better ones are only 12 points.

Their brains must be developed from an early age in order to raise their intelligence to around 14 points.

………………

(End of this chapter)