Chapter 3: Jué: There are two Resonators?!
Frequency. This is the essence of everything in Solaris.
Every flower and blade of grass in the world, be it animal or plant, possesses a unique frequency. Should a certain frequency fall into chaos and lose its original pattern, it will devolve into a monster known as a Tacet Discord.
Tacet Discords, formed from chaotic frequencies, instinctively devour the frequencies of other creatures to maintain their own stability or even evolve. This behavior manifests as harming and consuming any life they encounter.
Therefore, Tacet Discords are the public enemy of civilization!
If left unchecked, the world will eventually be devoured by them!
At this very moment, deep within the Gorges of Spirits, in a place called Memento Square, three Whispering Species Tacet Discords, much like mobs that automatically respawn on a game map, were quietly born into the world.
Two of them were humanoid figures with arms like scythes.
But the third was a giant, several meters tall.
Common Class x2, Elite Class x1.
This was an enemy force that would require a veteran Resonator to handle, and even then, there would be a risk of casualties.
Chasm Guardian: "Roar, roar, roar, roar!"
Havoc Warrior: "Screeeaaah!" x2
The three Tacet Discords let out hungry roars, desperate to devour the frequencies—the lives—of the living. But before they could even find a target to attack...
Swish! x2
Two blades flew through the air with a piercing whistle, directly embedding themselves in the foreheads of the two Common-class Havoc Warrior, killing them instantly! Amon and Rover then charged in front of the remaining Chasm Guardian in a flash.
The two of them clenched their fists and threw a powerful punch!
Bang—!
The next second, the Chasm Guardian, with a body as massive as a city wall, was sent flying like a heavy cannonball. A conservative estimate would put its health bar at less than a third, leaving it like a candle flickering in the wind.
"It's a bit bigger, but it can't take a hit."
"Good thing we held back, or we would've just eliminated it."
Amon and Rover clapped their hands clean, then pulled their blades from the foreheads of the two Havoc Warriors. It was clear their combat habits were also very similar; both liked to use throwing knives to take out the weaker enemies first.
Unfortunately, they realized they now only had one blade each. Once thrown, they were left without a weapon. Although their strength alone made their fists considerably powerful, it simply wasn't cautious enough.
"...We should prepare ten spare blades for later." x2
The two murmured in unison, then glanced at each other and shared a smile. Amon and Rover had more or less grown accustomed to this rapport they shared. But now, there was a problem.
"There's only one Tacet Discord left. Not enough to go around."
Amon and Rover's gazes fell upon the Chasm Guardian, which was wobbling as it struggled to get up from the ground. In truth, although this big guy was an Elite Class, to the two of them, it was just as much of a weakling.
The only reason they had both held back and not killed it instantly was to leave a "target" to test their Resonator abilities on.
Chasm Guardian: "!!!"
Sensing the two Rovers' gazes, the Tacet Discord, born from chaotic frequencies, began to tremble instinctively. Its body, as thick as a city wall, took a few steps back, but...
"Forget it, let's do it together."
"Alright, let's go together!"
Amon said casually, and Rover nodded in agreement.
Just as they had said before, their memories were lost, but all their knowledge of combat had long been ingrained into their very bones, becoming instinct! This included how to use their own abilities!
Amon and Rover clenched their right hands into fists.
A faint golden light shone in their eyes.
"Echo, resonate here and now!"
"Echo, resonate here and now!"
As the Resonance Marks on the backs of their hands lit up, a golden light gathered in their clenched right fists. However, this light was no ordinary light. It was... time!
The next moment, the Chasm Guardian, their test subject, came to a sudden halt. The entire Tacet Discord froze in place, completely motionless.
Then... three, two, one!
Crack—!!!!
A sound like a shattering mirror rang out.
As the time stop was released, a burst of energy suddenly erupted like a terrifyingly powerful bomb. Although there was no sound of an explosion, it caused the entire Gorges of Spirits to tremble!
As for the Chasm Guardian, the subject of their skill test...
Faced with an attack that could shake an entire valley, a mere Elite-class Tacet Discord was now annihilated, not even a speck of dust remaining.
"Er... Was that a bit too powerful?" x2
Amon and Rover stared blankly at the scene they had created.
A massive crater, at least ten meters in diameter, had appeared before them! At this moment, Amon clearly realized that he hadn't been transported into a game; the game he played had become reality!
No matter how impressive the interactive elements in "Wuthering Waves" were, unleashing an ultimate ability in the game would never smash a crater into the map. But this was reality now! The power of a strong Resonator was terrifying!
The power that was once only represented by numbers was now tangibly manifested in reality!
"We'll need to be more careful with this move in the future. It's too powerful."
"Yeah, you're right. We should have controlled it just now."
Time stop plus explosion—it had both crowd control and damage output. And although Amon and Rover hadn't controlled the power, they hadn't used their full strength either. In other words, that attack was not their limit.
Just then, two stunned voices came from nearby.
"You defeated an Elite-class Chasm Guardian in a single blow?"
"Rover, you... you two are incredible!"
Yangyang lightly covered her small mouth, while Chixia's jaw dropped.
Both of them felt their scalps tingle. That was a Chasm Guardian that even elite Resonators would have trouble dealing with! The Midnight Rangers would immediately dispatch a squad to eliminate it with caution and care upon discovery.
But Amon and Rover had obliterated it in one move!
At this moment, Chixia was simply amazed, but Yangyang had already keenly realized that the two Rovers she met today were no ordinary Resonators!
After all, experts with such strength would be forces to be reckoned with no matter where they were in Solaris!
"Well, it was alright. After all, I had Rover with me."
"No, even without me, Amon could have handled it easily."
As they spoke, Amon twirled his blade with a flourish before sheathing it at his front, while Rover spun her blade by the hilt and sheathed it behind her back. Their movements were equally crisp and clean.
This scene brought a knowing smile to Yangyang and Chixia's faces, and for the umpteenth time, they thought to themselves: (Those two... they're so, so alike~)
After collecting the three "LF Whispering Cores" dropped by the Havoc Warriors and the Chasm Guardian, Amon and Rover noticed a particularly majestic and eye-catching giant statue nearby.
It was a dragon, a statue of an Eastern dragon!
The sculptor seemed to have used the mountain itself as material, carving out a lifelike dragon that made Amon gasp in awe, wanting to take out his phone to snap a picture and maybe say a prayer.
Just then, Amon and Rover found the space around them turning pitch black, followed by the sound of a deep dragon's roar!
"Huh?!" x2
Yangyang and Chixia's figures had vanished.
But the dragon statue before them had come to life!
It had massive, golden, branch-like horns, jet-black scales, and white whiskers. Looking at its winding body, at least a hundred meters long, it exuded an endless aura of nobility and sacred majesty!
However, unlike Amon, who knew the plot, Rover was stunned to find that this divine azure dragon first looked back and forth between her and Amon in surprise, and then... lowered its head!
As if in joy, as if in welcome, as if in submission!
Jué: ...T-Two masters? What in the world is going on... Never mind, I should notify Jinhsi.
It came as quickly as it went.
The scene before Amon and Rover dissipated, and the pitch-black space reverted to the original Memento Square in the Gorges of Spirits. Yangyang and Chixia were looking at them with concern, waving their hands in front of their faces.
"Amon? Rover? Are you two okay?"
"Huh? What did we just do?"
"You two suddenly froze in front of the Sentinel's statue, completely motionless. You didn't respond no matter how many times Yangyang and I called out to you," Chixia said, pointing to the giant Eastern dragon statue behind her.
Amon and Rover looked up again, recalling the dragon they had just seen. All they could say was that while the statue before them could be described as a work of divine craftsmanship, it was a far cry from the real thing.
That azure dragon, which surpassed the limits of ordinary creatures and should only exist in people's imaginations, possessed a form and majesty as if myth itself had been made manifest—something a pile of lifeless stone could never imitate.
As a transmigrator, Amon wasn't confused.
But Rover recounted what she had just seen.
And this, once again, left Yangyang and Chixia utterly astonished.
"What? You saw the real Sentinel?!"
"Er, what's a Sentinel?"
"...Wherever civilization and history exist, a Sentinel will also exist. Sentinels are like gods, guiding and protecting our civilization. This statue commemorates our Jinzhou's Sentinel, Jué," Yangyang said, looking at the statue with immense reverence.
Even the energetic and cheerful Chixia put on a serious expression, her eyes filled with veneration.
"Although views and attitudes toward Sentinels can vary by region, at least for us in Jinzhou, the Sentinel Jué is an unquestionable deity!
"He commands the power of time, knowing Jinzhou's past, present, and future. Time flows like a river by His side. The vastness of ages is but a shallow marsh to the Sentinel, completely within His control!"
Yangyang's words were filled with unmistakable piety.
Chixia nodded repeatedly, her face full of agreement.
However, Rover scratched her cheek, looking a little awkward.
She was somewhat relieved she hadn't told them the full story. After all... if Yangyang and Chixia were to find out that the Sentinel Jué, whom they revered as a deity, had just bowed his head to her and Amon in deference...
She really had no idea what kind of spectacular reactions the two of them would have~