[ Congratulations! Monthly Rankings Concluded! ][ Survivor Leaderboard - Cycle 2 Complete ][ Requirement: Level 10+ ][ All calculations finalized. Rewards are now being distributed. ][ Congratulations, Survivor Max! ][ You have achieved Rank 1 in the Monthly Leaderboard. ][ Special Rewards have been granted. ]“Whoa… Another month had passed, huh…” Max muttered, surprised that he had somehow remained Rank 1 even after being stuck at Level 30.‘I guess it’s because I’m the first to reach Level 30…’By now, several other survivors had also reached Level 30.Aya herself had already reached the same level after the last Global Event.At this point, it would not be surprising if Max checked the Guild Leaderboard and discovered several other Guilds had survivors around the same level.The reason he and most of those survivors were stuck at Level 30 was simple.The requirements for reaching the next level were extremely difficult.They needed to absorb ten B-Grade Energy Cores, raise f

[ Gene Weapon Awakened: War Lance ][ Grade: Low ][ Type: Piercing Lance ][ Effects: +12% Piercing Damage. Attacks ignore 10% of the enemy defense. Effective against armored targets. ][ Secondary Effect: Perfect Thrust - repeated strikes on the same point increase penetration chance. After three consecutive hits on the same spot, the next thrust guarantees armor break. Cooldown: 3 second.Activation Cost: 12 Spirit Energy per activation ][ Durability: 50/50 ]Max wrapped his hand around the lance and tested its balance.It was noticeably heavier than a sword, but that extra weight came with a clear advantage. The weapon had far greater reach, and its ability to pierce armor was something Max could immediately appreciate.“A lance… finally, something for range and armor penetration,” he muttered. “But low-grade… it won’t be enough.”His attention went to the glowing crystal in his inventory.[ Prototype Gene Weapon Core x1 ][ Effect: Can be bound to a Gene Weapon to unlock hidden

Max quickly checked his current status.[ Name: Max ][ Title: Expert Survivor, Trailblazer, Stronghold Defender, Guardian, Strongest One ][ Guild: Codebreakers ][ Level: 35 ][ Health: 2,640/2,640 ][ Spirit: 411/411 ][ Physique Rating: C+ ][ Talent: Infinite Cache (SSS) ][ Active Skills: Spirit Pulse Lv5, Specter Step Lv5, Fast Appraisal Lv5, Beast Arm Lv0 ][ Passive Skills: Keen Sense Lv5, Bio Adaptive Constitution Lv5, Battle Trance Lv5, Bronze Skin Lv5 ][ Skill Points: 11 ][ Reputation Points: 201 ][ Inventory Slots: 9 ]The only skill still at Level 0 was Beast Arm.Max used five of his Skill Points and raised it directly to Level 5.Once that was done, he finally headed toward Jett’s workshop.The familiar smell of oil and scorched alloy greeted him as soon as he entered the area. He had come to test the modified Dragoons Jett had recently repaired.However, before Max could even reach the workshop, he noticed a crowd gathered outside.Apparently, everyone wanted to se

Max had no idea how long it would take to complete the new recruitment mission, so he decided to check the other guild objectives instead.The previous missions had already rotated out, leaving several new ones in their place.[ Mission 1: Fortress Expansion ][ Difficulty: LowObjective: Construct 3 defensive watchtowers around the perimeter of the shelter sector with the highest concentration of Guild Members.Reward: Guild Reputation +50, Energy Core (C-Grade) x15, Passive Buff +10% defense to all Guild Members for 48 hours ]“Mhm… So that’s why Ryan and the others were digging a while ago. They’re preparing the foundation.” Max muttered.He did not micromanage everyone in the shelter, so he had no idea what every group was working on. Still, the mission explained the digging he had seen earlier.He moved on to the next objective.[ Mission 2: Salvage Operation ][ Difficulty: LowObjective: Recover 5 C-Grade Mechanical Units and 10 Weapons from wrecked A.I. Units in the southern r

Max pressed the activation switch, and the generator’s panel came to life with a faint vibration.The vents immediately began drawing in air, pulling moisture into the machine. Condensation gathered inside the chamber, and within moments, droplets started falling into the reservoir. The trickle quickly became a steady stream.[ Atmospheric Water Generator (Unique): A portable device capable of extracting moisture directly from the air. Produces clean, drinkable water even in arid environments. Output increases in humid conditions. ][ Note: Requires steady power input. Consumes 1 C-Grade Core to function for approximately 6 hours. Provides a continuous supply of water during operation, with output depending on the surrounding humidity. ]The survivors stared in disbelief as the first drops splashed into a dented tin cup.“This…”Steven’s hands shook as he picked up the cup and stared at the clear liquid inside. He took a careful sip, and his eyes immediately widened.“It’s… fresh. Rea