Apocalypse Gachapon - Chapter 1637: Cruel reward upgrade

Now it all depended on how effectively Red Hair can utilize this item.

But no matter what, one thing is certain—this equipment, with its separate cooldowns, will make Red Hair even more formidable, significantly boosting her strength.

As a top-tier craftsman, even Ye Zhongming felt a twinge of desire for this piece of equipment. He hadn’t expected an A6-tier reward to be this good. If it were A1-tier or even S-tier, how incredible would it be? Could it actually reward a purple-grade item?

He turned his gaze to the glowing orb in front of him.

Initially, Ye Zhongming hadn’t paid much attention to this B6-tier reward, assuming it would be more symbolic, with the real focus on the individual rewards.

But after seeing Red Hair’s Magic Stickers, he became genuinely curious about what was inside his own orb.

He reached in and pulled out an item.

The Cloud Peak members naturally gathered around him.

“Earth-Treading Cloud?”

Compared to Red Hair’s Magic Stickers, the Earth-Treading Cloud was much simpler.

It was a transportation tool—a group transportation tool.

Despite its name, it couldn’t fly. It could only hover about ten centimeters above the ground while moving.

As a group transport, it had a weight limit: currently, it could carry up to five tons of items or evolved.

It had two speed settings:

First gear: 40 km/h

Second gear: 100 km/h

Its power source was demon crystals, and consumption depended on speed.

Ye Zhongming sighed inwardly, slightly disappointed.

This was a group transport, but whether in terms of capacity or speed, it wasn’t particularly impressive. It also required demon crystals—starting from level-five crystals.

It could only carry 50-60 people, and larger battle beasts might not even fit. For transporting goods, its capacity was limited, far less convenient than spatial equipment.

It seemed the B6-tier reward truly paled in comparison to the A6-tier.

However, the description mentioned that the Earth-Treading Cloud could be upgraded—though the conditions were harsh:

Specialized materials

High-level demon crystals

Usage duration

After a quick glance, Ye Zhongming concluded that upgrading it anytime soon would be impossible.

However, after the upgrade, its utility improved significantly. For example:

Capacity would jump from 5 tons to 30 tons.

Speed would gain a third gear (150 km/h).

Hover height would increase to 30 cm, significantly improving terrain adaptability.

Whether by coincidence or not, both rewards Cloud Peak received were upgradeable.

After briefly explaining the equipment’s features, the others seemed quite pleased. While evolved had ample stamina, long-distance travel was still taxing. The Earth-Treading Cloud could lighten the load. Plus, it operated completely silently, which could be tactically advantageous.

Hidden Snake Journey couldn’t see the equipment’s attributes, but judging by Cloud Peak’s expressions, they knew the rewards were excellent. Envy gnawed at them, fueling their determination for the second match.

“The second arena match begins. The losing side may choose the format.”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t another singles match as initially arranged—they could choose.

The little golden-armored boy’s eyes lit up. “I choose doubles!” he blurted.

“Doubles match confirmed!”

Cloud Peak wasn’t particularly bothered, though they felt a tinge of regret.

Had the second match remained singles, Ye Zhongming would have taken the field, securing a 2-0 lead. That wouldn’t have guaranteed victory, but it would have been highly likely, while also crushing the enemy’s morale.

“Both sides, choose whether to increase the reward tier for the second match.”

The sudden announcement silenced the crowd. Many exchanged confused glances.

Increase the reward tier? What did that mean?

“Reward rules are the same as in the singles match. Quantity adjusts based on participant count. Either side may choose to increase the reward tier—no agreement required.”

“If one side chooses to increase the reward tier, victory will raise the base reward by 1 to 5 tiers. If they lose, the opponent gains a +1 tier reward.”

“If one side declines to increase the reward tier:

Victory: Reward remains unchanged.

Defeat: Penalty applies.

If the opponent also declines, the penalty equals the cost of increasing by 1 tier.

If the opponent increased rewards, the penalty equals their chosen tier’s cost.”**

Ye Zhongming sighed softly.

The wheel of fate tested luck and exploited greed—this was no exception.

Everyone wanted more, better rewards—human nature. These rules tempted people to gamble. Worse, they forced you to raise the stakes.

Sure enough, before the announcement even finished, the little brat shouted that he wanted to increase the reward—by the maximum five tiers! “

“Choosing to increase rewards requires a sacrifice.”

“I accept!”

The boy didn’t hesitate, drawing disbelieving looks from many.

“Increasing rewards by five tiers requires the sacrifice of 100 levels’ worth of evolved lives.”

A chill ran through the crowd.

Before anyone could react, the space continued:

“Locking onto leader—Adam. Please select…”

The little tyrant’s name was Adam.

What did “100 levels’ worth of lives” mean?

Simple: The sum of the sacrificed individuals’ evolution levels must equal 100.

Ten 9-star + one 1-star = 100

One hundred 1-star = 100

A seemingly straightforward rule—brutal in execution.

Everyone knew: Low-level evolved would be the first to go.

Most leaders would hesitate—or even regret—if they knew this rule in advance. Even if they won, their team’s morale would shatter, leading to collapse.

But to everyone’s shock, Adam didn’t hesitate at all.

He turned and started pointing at his subordinates.

With each finger he raised, an evolved human exploded into a bloody mist.

The manner of death made the sacrifice even more horrifying.

Soon, nearly 20 people died, their levels summing to 100. The source of thɪs content is novelFɪre.net

The little tyrant licked his lips, almost regretful that it was over, then pointed at a man and woman nearby.

“Troyilia, Melphis—you’re up!”