Chapter 138 Reaching Level 30
The date was September 19th. The time is nine o'clock in the evening.
The Excalibur artillery team has been pounding the incoming waves of zombies approaching the Oriental at four fronts. And ever since Richard ordered the artillery strike on their positions, he had killed about, from the last update of the system, another 5,000 zombies.
His updated system stats are:
[User: Richard Gonzales
Health: 100/100
Age: 21
Level: 30
Experience points: 5,341,456/5,828,232
Current gold balance: 34,945,000]
And the moment he reached level thirty, a system notification popped up in front of him.
[Congratulations on hitting level 30! New content is now available for purchase! Please take a look at the system shop for new gear and upgrades.]
Richard's eyes scanned the notification, a sense of accomplishment mingling with the urgency of the situation. Leveling up was always a welcome development, but there was no time to bask in the achievement. He quickly accessed the system shop, his fingers moving deftly over the holographic interface that appeared in front of him.
The shop displayed an array of new items: advanced weaponry, sophisticated armor, and unique gadgets designed for high-level users. Among these, a particular item caught Richard's attention – a state-of-the-art exoskeleton suit named "Titan's Guard." It cost about 25,000,000 gold coins. It promised enhanced strength, agility, and resilience.
At long last, the one he had been waiting for. Richard was finally able to buy futuristic items aside from the conventional weapons that were made available to him since he had received the system.
Without hesitation, Richard purchased the Titan's Guard. The system deducted the gold coins, and instantly the suit was in his inventory.
Richard opened his inventory tab and there, aside from the gold and experience capsules, the Titan's Guard glowed, indicating its new and unused status. He selected it, and within seconds, the suit materialized around him.
"What the fuck?!" Richard cursed in excitement and dumbfoundedness. The staffers around him, including Sara and Mark, widened their eyes at the new sight of Richard.
The head-up display displayed an array of new features and statistics, showcasing the capabilities of the Titan's Guard. Richard quickly familiarized himself with the suit's interface. It was alien to him as he didn't know what the icons or the display meant. The heads-up display was full of technical readouts and unfamiliar symbols, but Richard's military training kicked in, allowing him to quickly decipher the basics.
He toggled through the different options, getting a feel for the suit's enhanced targeting system, defensive capabilities, and its integrated communication tools. The Titan's Guard was not just armor; it was a high-tech command center. Which meant that he could communicate from the front lines while handling the base of operations.
"I can't wait to try this..." Richard muttered under his breath, grinning goofily.
"Sir, is that your new purchase?" Sara asked, her eyes looking up and down at the exoskeleton suit curiously. The suit is a dark-gray optical camouflage suit that covers his entire body, with green light accentuating its design.
"Yeah, it is. Titan's Guard. It sounded cool so I thought it would be stupid if I didn't purchase it. Though it is expensive, I believe the suit's specifications justified the cost. Where is Graves anyway?"
"He is preparing for the upcoming wave sir with his team," Mark replied. "Why do you ask sir?"
"I'm going to need his assistance," Richard revealed. "Get him here at the Rise, tell him that we are going to conduct some tests."
"Understood sir," Mark pressed his earpiece and communicated the instructions to Graves. "I'll have him here as soon as possible."
While waiting for Graves, Richard continued to familiarize himself with the Titan's Guard. He practiced maneuvering in the suit by punching in the air. He just threw a light jab yet he felt an unexpected surge of power.
The suit's hydraulics amplified the force of his punch significantly. Richard paused, surprised by the power at his fingertips. He experimented with a few more punches, each time feeling the hydraulics kick in, enhancing the strength and speed of his movements.
"Sir, you should be careful where you are punching," Sara warned.
"Sorry, but I don't know if it's the work of hydraulics since there are no hydraulic tanks around me...is it built-in perhaps?"
Graves, arriving at that moment, exclaimed. "What the? Who is that?"
"That's our commanding officer, Graves, and he is wearing some high-tech suit," Sara explained simply. Richard turned around and faced Graves.
"Graves, you finally arrived. I want you to help me test out the features at the rooftop, are you in?"
Graves looked at Richard, still slightly taken aback by the sight of the advanced suit. "Yes, sir. I'm in. Let's see what this suit can really do."
They proceeded to the rooftop, which offered ample space for a thorough test of the Titan's Guard capabilities. Richard wanted to test the suit's mobility, responsiveness, and offensive capabilities in a more open environment.
"First, let's test the agility of the suit," Richard said and began running in circles. He could feel himself accelerating as time passed. The suit's design allowed for swift, fluid movements, and he was able to change direction on a dime without losing any momentum.
Graves couldn't help but be impressed by the suit's agility. "Well with that suit sir, you might stand a chance against weak mutated zombies."
"We can't say that too early. Let's try another test. This time the suit's defense. Graves, I want you to draw your pistol, aim at me, and pull the trigger." n-.OVelb1n
Graves blinked upon hearing the request. "You want me to shoot you?"
"Yes you heard me," Richard confirmed. "I want to know if the suit is bulletproof. Just shoot me in the least fatal area."
"But sir...the wave is about four hours away. If you are injured, who would oversee the operations?"
"Mark is there. Please, Graves. At least I would know the limitations of this suit before I hop into the fight. I don't want to stand on the back, I want to be on the front, and this suit would seemingly give me that opportunity. So shoot me."
Graves pulled out a pistol hesitantly, "Alright, sir, but I'm aiming for a non-vital area. Just in case."
Richard nodded, bracing himself. "Go ahead."
Graves aimed carefully and fired a single shot at Richard's thigh area, where the suit was heavily armored. The bullet struck, and it bounced off.
A notification appeared in Richard's heads-up display.
[Shield Integrity: 99.90 percent].
"Wait..." Richard gasped softly. "It didn't hurt. Graves it didn't hurt!"
"That's good to hear sir...the bullet just bounced off," Graves said, chuckling.
"Let's try the chest area."
Graves hesitated, but seeing Richard's determination and the previous success, he complied. He aimed at Richard's chest area, ensuring it was a part of the suit well-protected, and fired again.
The bullet hit the suit squarely on the chest, and once again, it harmlessly bounced off. Richard's suit displayed another notification:
[Shield Integrity: 99.87 percent].
A grin spread across Richard's lip. This would be his weapon.
