Apocalypse Gachapon

The Cannibal Chain members were recuperating on the Bright Star,

They had essentially sacrificed at least 50% of their close-combat capabilities for this specially trained mage team. This meant that in battle, they either had to cripple or instantly kill their opponents, or else suffer heavy losses themselves.

When facing that guardian beast earlier, one could imagine the devastation they would have suffered if they hadn’t resolved the fight immediately.

Before coming here, Wu Xiu had never imagined encountering such a challenge.

In her mind, this team—which pushed offensive power to its limits—should have been capable of crushing any enemy in their path.

Of course, by “enemy,” she had always assumed they would be fighting other evolved.

Who would have thought that conflicts between evolved here were just the beginning? The main challenge turned out to be battling monsters selected by the wheel space—unintentionally amplifying their risks and exposing their lack of melee combat prowess.

The other teams in the space were preoccupied with their own objectives, paying little attention to the Cannibal Chain. Even Ye Zhongming didn’t fully grasp the depth of this team’s capabilities.

Only Wu Xiu knew the truth: her team wasn’t suited for this kind of combat. They feared prolonged battles far more than others realized.

This was also a major reason she had voluntarily given up on the Mountain King Wheel.

The recent victory had given her some relief, and the space’s decision to wait for all teams to complete the first round before proceeding gave the Cannibal Chain time to recover. With the help of some cooldown potions, they could at least maintain their combat effectiveness for the next round.

“Ideally, we should resolve every fight within two spells. Otherwise, we’re still in danger.”

Ruan Xiao stood beside Wu Xiu, watching his subordinates sit cross-legged with closed eyes, recovering their energy. He sighed faintly.

At this moment, he genuinely envied Ye Zhongming. As a top-tier craftsman, Ye could equip himself and his subordinates with the finest gear, ensuring balanced development. The Cannibal Chain, in contrast, had pursued extreme specialization at the cost of irreparable weaknesses in other areas.

“We’ll adapt as we go. If things get dire, we’ll use the potions Ye Zhongming gave us. That little mountain stronghold always has some trick up its sleeve—hard not to envy them.”

Wu Xiu sighed before continuing, “The first two Bright Stars—the very first one belongs to Cloud Peak. That’s some bad luck. Normally, no one would land on the first star.”

“And the one before us is the Women Guard’s, with Cloud Peak’s right after. We’ll just have to strike the Soaring Crystal hard. Once we land on Cloud Peak’s star, we’ll leave them some money as passage.”

Ruan Xiao nodded. From this perspective, the situation wasn’t bad. Since Cloud Peak would reimburse whatever they spent, landing on their star was the best outcome.

“Now, let’s see what this reward is.”

Wu Xiu opened the small chest they had obtained and peered inside.

“This is…”

Ruan Xiao’s face showed surprise.

“A catalog?” Wu Xiu activated the tablet-like device, which displayed over a hundred images and descriptions of mutated lifeforms.

The two Cannibal Chain leaders exchanged glances, their expressions wry.

………………………………

The mountainously obese Spade Governor struck the Soaring Crystal. The higher an evolved’s level, the quieter they became—because from Spade’s technique, they could discern several subtle refinements.

These were the hallmarks of microscopic control over force.

For a man of his size to possess such precision was remarkable. Compared to Wu Xiu earlier, Spade clearly had a far better grasp of the special stone hammer.

The mist obscuring the Bright Stars parted slightly, revealing where the Soaring Crystal had landed.

“Bright Star No. 5—owned by Cloud Peak.”

This result not only made Cloud Peak’s members tense but also drew curses from the entire Cannibal Chain team.

If no one had landed on that star, their next move would have taken them there effortlessly, allowing them to pass the second round without losses.

But now? If Great America chose to pay the toll, nothing would change. But if they opted for a challenge, the Cannibal Chain would face back-to-back battles.

What would Great America choose? The answer was obvious. This was a contest determined by the number of Bright Stars controlled, and Great America was lagging behind Cloud Peak.

Sure enough, Governor Spade grinned and selected “Challenge.”

“Haha! Your luck’s just as terrible! If not for Great America’s alliance system, they would’ve crushed you long ago!”

The Mechanical Genius, who had just lost a Bright Star and been wailing in despair, now switched to manic laughter, taunting the Cloud Peak King with glee.

“Why are there so many lunatics competing for the Mountain King Wheel this time?”

Ye Zhongming ignored the Mechanical Genius, but Xiao Min had no such reservations. Her sarcastic remark drew collective nods from the Cloud Peak team, infuriating the Mechanical Genius to the point of steam practically rising from his ears.

He had no retort—his entire “team” consisted of just himself. No one was around to back him up.

At that moment, the giant screen appeared, transporting Great America’s team to the Bright Star occupied by Cloud Peak.

Great America had suffered significant losses in earlier battles, but they had started with sheer numbers. The survivors were essentially the elite, stronger than ever.

“Fifth row? They really splurged.”

The Mechanical Genius recognized the guardian beast immediately and muttered under his breath.

Guardian beasts weren’t cheap, especially for evolved who had to purchase Bright Stars. The higher up on the crystal disk, the more absurd the prices became.

The power of the guardian beast on Bright Star No. 3 had left a deep impression. This one, ranked even higher, was undoubtedly far more formidable.

Ye Zhongming watched intently—this was a perfect opportunity to gauge the strength of other teams.

This time, the battlefield was a mist-shrouded swamp.

It became clear that the terrain was linked to the guardian beast’s attributes or natural habitat. This monster moved effortlessly across the muddy water, its human-sized body capable of diving into any waterlogged pit and reappearing unpredictably from beneath the sludge.

Great America’s larger team had been teleported in a somewhat scattered formation. The guardian beast’s attacks were silent and sudden—within moments, one of their members was dead, the corpse dragged into the swamp.

The beast vanished again, only for a severed head to fly out seconds later, striking another evolved. As the team rushed to regroup, screams erupted from the opposite direction. By the time they turned, another member was being pulled beneath the water.

Strike and retreat—never lingering, never predictable. This guardian beast was proving even more troublesome than the previous colossal one.

Most spectators began writing off Great America’s chances, assuming they’d suffer heavy casualties even if they somehow pulled through.

Just as everyone was pondering how they would handle such a foe, a flash of light erupted from Great America’s ranks.

The space’s voice boomed:

“Great America uses Angel Card!”