The Rule-Breaker of the Doomsday Game

"Without active interference, the Ashen Bandage Man will appear roughly every hour I hold it."

"And with each death, its two main stats will increase by 0.1 until they reach the 2.0 mark, at which point they will suddenly spike to 3.0."

"After that, its power stops growing and instead, its combat techniques and experience are enhanced."

’If it depends on the host, doesn’t that mean it’s benchmarked against my own limits?’

Qi Suian looked at the copious records in his hands. Every data point was formed from the ashen death of an Ashen Bandage Man.

The creature didn’t burst into blood, so "ashen" was fitting—"bloody" wouldn’t work.

"However, the Ashes of the Sun in a Bottle itself shows no change and cannot be observed for now." Qi Suian found this somewhat regrettable.

’So, where’s the value in it?’

Qi Suian wondered to himself. Surely this thing couldn’t just be a trap.

"Besides that, the creature seems to have left some kind of mark on me. Even if I’m no longer in contact with the item, Ashes of the Sun in a Bottle, it will appear once every twenty-four hours."

"This means it’s latched onto me."

"But if I’m under the sun, the Ashen Bandage Man can’t appear. It doesn’t matter if I’m holding the item or not; it just won’t show up."

"Clearly, its nemesis is the sun."

’So what would happen if I let it kill me?’

It was just a thought; Qi Suian had absolutely no intention of letting an enemy kill him.

Dying on his own terms versus being killed were two completely different concepts. The former was a strategic use of his death-and-rebirth ability; the latter was just asking for death.

Besides, the Ashen Bandage Man’s origins were mysterious. Who knew if being killed by it would affect his death and rebirth?

’But it’s not all bad news. The Ashen Bandage Man is extremely efficient as fuel, especially when it’s still alive.’

’It’s worth as much as a special zombie, but it’s much easier to deal with.’

’The only drawback is that it dies too quickly, so it never burns completely.’

’Still, one pops up every hour, with an extra one thrown in every twenty-four hours. It’s basically a freebie.’

So it wasn’t that Qi Suian got nothing out of it; in fact, he had gained quite a lot.

He originally needed to hunt everywhere, but now he could just be a shut-in and still collect fuel.

Hunting outside was never such a sure thing. On bad days, he might not find a single suitable Desolate Beast all day.

If his luck was even worse, all he’d encounter were Desolate Beasts that were too strong, forcing him to kill them instead of capturing them.

It was nothing like his current situation. If this kept up for a few more days, the Tai Sui God would be able to evolve again.

"AI Brain, what have you found? Summarize it for me," Qi Suian asked.

He usually studied and researched things on his own first, then consulted the AI Brain to see if he had missed anything.

He didn’t rely on the AI Brain from the start. It was support; you couldn’t always let it be the main carry.

[The currently available data is not significantly different from your own. However, my recommendation is to eliminate the hidden danger as soon as possible.]

The AI Brain’s advice was standard and predictable. Qi Suian wasn’t surprised; this was normal.

After all, the AI Brain was right. The thing was obviously a hidden danger.

’I know it’s a hidden danger, but unfortunately, I can’t get rid of it.’

’Unless I turn this item into a module. That might be a complete solution.’

’But to be honest, after studying this Ashen Bandage Man in depth, I’m a little averse to the idea.’

’This module would definitely be powerful, but it would also be like the old Ancient Dian Kingdom Jade Seal—only providing specific buffs.’

’If certain conditions aren’t met, it would just become a burden and a liability.’

If Qi Suian had to choose a module, he would rather pick an ordinary prototype.

With the previous lesson in mind, the Ashes of the Sun in a Bottle was clearly no ordinary item. If he really turned it into an SSS-grade module, he couldn’t even imagine its power.

There might not be a backlash, but Qi Suian might not be able to handle its power.

That’s why he wasn’t keen on turning items with such ominous origins into modules for the Tai Sui God.

In the end, all modules would be SSS-grade anyway. Even if there were some differences, Qi Suian didn’t want to take such a risk himself.

’The best way to deal with it is actually to just throw it into the Melting Furnace as fuel.’

Qi Suian’s thought process was: if I can’t use it, no one else can!

This mindset was certainly selfish and spiteful, but to ensure his own survival, Qi Suian felt he had no other choice.

He couldn’t just bury it somewhere or give it away. He had dug it up, so it was his to do with as he pleased.

[You are hesitating because if the bottle breaks, the ashes will leak out and cause problems for the Melting Furnace.]

"Exactly. The bottle is likely some kind of spatial technology. If the ashes inside are really the ashes of a sun, then their temperature is definitely not as simple as it looks on the surface."

"Forget the Melting Furnace; the Tai Sui God, the Mantle Sanctuary, and the entire Extreme North State would be affected."

Qi Suian sighed. If this glass bottle could truly contain a sun, then the ashes inside couldn’t possibly be just the small pinch visible to the naked eye.

Once released, the explosion would be too fast for even the Tai Sui God to escape.

Especially if he threw it into the Melting Furnace as fuel.

’This thing is a hot potato in my hands. I seriously suspect I might have snatched the destined opportunity of the protagonist from the Ancient Martial World.’

In Qi Suian’s hands, aside from the Ashen Bandage Man serving as fuel, it had no other use.

But it would be a different story in the hands of the protagonist from the Ancient Martial World.

The Ashen Bandage Man had growth potential, along with formidable combat experience and techniques. As a training partner, it could guarantee a rapid improvement in the other protagonist’s Ancient Martial Techniques and Power Realm.

Ancient Martial Techniques emphasized courageous advancement. As a killing art, one had to experience life-and-death battles and challenge powerful enemies.

And the Ashes of the Sun in a Bottle could provide all of that.

Unlike Qi Suian, who, after the creature’s stats reached 2.5, had the AI Brain and the Tai Sui God do all the work. The moment it appeared, it was met with a silky-smooth combo and then tossed into the Melting Furnace.

If anything unexpected happened, he’d just take it out with a single shot from a Floating Cannon.

There was no life-and-death challenge at all. It didn’t even make a splash.

Giving it to Qi Suian was a complete waste.

As for how Qi Suian managed to snatch the other’s opportunity, it was naturally because he had a protagonist halo too.

And his was a protagonist halo +2. Theoretically, his halo was stronger than the other guy’s.

’I snatched his opportunity... so did he maybe snatch one of mine?’

The thought suddenly occurred to Qi Suian.

’You know... it’s actually possible.’

"AI Brain, let’s set out to kill that red dot we encountered on the road before." Since there was nothing more to study about the Ashes of the Sun in a Bottle, Qi Suian thought it was a good time to go out and collect protagonist halos.

’But before that, I need to seal the entrance to the Mantle Sanctuary so no one else can find it.’

If he could get information about the Northernmost State Mantle Sanctuary, then there was a high probability that the protagonist from the Ancient Martial World could have corresponding clues as well.

They both had protagonist halos. Qi Suian’s was indeed +2, but the other guy had the help of the Doomsday Game. His growth and development might not necessarily be slower than Qi Suian’s.

Especially since he was inherently Extraordinary, his starting point was much higher than Qi Suian’s.

He couldn’t underestimate the other protagonist just because his own halo was stronger.

The last person who underestimated a protagonist halo was a reincarnator, and he ended up getting counter-killed by Qi Suian.

’First, I’ll hide the entrance. Then, after I’ve killed those few female protagonists, I’ll consider repairing the Mantle Sanctuary.’

’At the very least, if they want to get in, they’ll have to go through a hail of bullets.’

Qi Suian quickly assigned this task to the AI Brain.

He wasn’t skilled in civil engineering, firearms, ammunition, or related fields. His own energy was limited, and his knowledge was focused on areas like biology and medicine.

How else could he have modified his own body?

As for whether he would stay in the Mantle Sanctuary in the future, that was another matter entirely.

But he probably wouldn’t leave in the short term. It was rare to find a place that wasn’t scorching hot, and Qi Suian wouldn’t give it up so easily.

Unless his protagonist halo dumbed him down and made him realize he should go out to pick up or snatch opportunities, he wouldn’t be leaving.

-----------------

"Essence, Qi, and Spirit merge into one; Inner Strength condenses into a core."

Qin Sheng exhaled a turbid breath, a look of joy spreading across his face.

He had smoothly broken through to the Dan Jin stage, becoming an Ancient Martial Grandmaster.

At the same time, an item named "High-Efficiency Solar Liquefaction Device" sat quietly in his inventory.

It was a D-grade item. As long as it was installed on his Behemoth, it could absorb solar energy and convert it into Liquid Solar Nutrient.

Liquid Solar Nutrient contained all the sustenance the human body needed. Just one standard unit was enough to provide a full day’s nutrition.

In the Polar Day World, the one thing they didn’t lack was solar energy. This High-Efficiency Solar Liquefaction Device alone could easily sustain his entire mutual aid society.

It could even serve as a substitute for the resources needed to practice Ancient Martial Techniques.

Not only could it sustain the mutual aid society, but it could also be used to train more Ancient Martial Artists.

More importantly, the item’s grade could be upgraded, further enhancing its effects and output.

It was just that Qin Sheng didn’t know how to upgrade it yet.

"With this item, plus the Behemoth, the trip to the Northernmost State Mantle Sanctuary is a sure thing." A smile appeared on Qin Sheng’s face.

Finally, there was a glimmer of hope. By now, only one percent of the original survivors remained. Those who died were all his compatriots.

And among that one percent who survived, many were from Ancient Martial Families.

Ordinary people were useless even when they banded together. Instead, it was the clan factions that practiced Ancient Martial Techniques who were able to survive in this extreme environment.

But these Ancient Martial Families, after gradually understanding the true nature of the apocalypse, had become unscrupulous. They gave no thought to continuing civilization or protecting their fellow countrymen.

Most of them just wanted to be a class above others.