Chapter 165 - 163: New Skills: Thorn Shield, Sunfire Aura

Chapter 165: Chapter 163: New Skills: Thorn Shield, Sunfire Aura

’So Rosalind’s actions during the event actually count toward my progress in the end?’

Jon was lost in thought as he looked at the description in the quest summary.

’If that’s the case, once I have more loyal followers, maybe I can just assign them the quests I trigger and sit back to reap the rewards.’

’That’s pretty nice. It seems there’s a lot of potential to exploit in this follower system. It’s just... this whole model seems a bit familiar...’

He hoped he wouldn’t turn into a ruthless, unscrupulous capitalist and get hanged from a lamppost for over-exploiting his followers...

The final quest reward was from the random quest triggered during the battle with the Eternal Frost Sect in front of the commerce association.

——

[Battle of Defense (Rare Level · Timed Random Quest), Completed]

[Confronted by the Eternal Frost Sect’s gambit to abandon Meis Town and shift their forces to Birch Town in an attempt to retrieve their "Saintess," you returned in the nick of time and played a crucial role in the battle. You shattered the Eternal Frost Sect’s grand ritual and killed several High Tier cultists.]

[Completion Rating: A, reward multiplier 3.0]

[Completion Rewards: 15,000 Universal Experience Points (5,000 Basic Reward x 3.0), 1,500 Heta County Noble Union Chamber of Commerce reputation (500 Basic Reward x 3.0), 900 Birch Territory reputation (300 Basic Reward x 3.0), 1x Random "Guardian" Domain Skill (Minimum Rarity: Excellent) to be drawn.]

[Your reputation has changed. Your reputation with Birch Territory has increased to Friendly (157.5 / 20,000).]

[Your actions in Birch Territory will now be supported by many.]

[Your reputation has changed. Your reputation with the Eternal Frost Sect has decreased to Mortal Enemy (0/0).]

[Warning: This faction will use all possible means to attack you.]

——

Since the enemies he faced were generally at the Official Level or higher, the Basic Reward for this quest was also on par with the Official Level—the numbers one would expect for level 20 and above. It was just that his completion rating was a bit low.

If he had managed to kill the Frost Scale Young Dragon after shattering the High Tier Eternal Frost Cultists’ formation, the quest’s completion rating might have reached S-Rank.

But things didn’t always go as planned.

Jon was philosophical about it.

’I almost got beaten to death at the end. Getting an A-Rank is pretty good, all things considered...’

The three quests awarded a total of 39,000 Experience Points, bringing Jon’s reserves to 154,460.

This was enough to raise his Warrior level to 20, opening the gateway to the next stage for a Professional: the Official Level.

However, Jon didn’t do so immediately.

Advancing from the Apprentice Level to the Official Level required passing through a series of trials. The results of these trials would ultimately determine the tangible and intangible benefits one received from the advancement process.

This directly impacted a character’s fundamental power. It was in these very trials that the gap between pro players and average players was formed.

He couldn’t be sure if he would have to go through these trials again now that he had started over.

If not, it would be a small loss, but one that was acceptable since his Dual Professions could compensate for it.

But if he did need to go through the trials again, his current resources were far from enough to obtain the highest-tier rewards.

Recalling the Trial Tasks he had experienced in the past, as well as the "Advancement Guides" shared by pro players, Jon felt a sense of trepidation.

’Still a long way to go...’

Finally, it was time for the most important part: the two opportunities to draw a skill, granted by the two Rare Level quests.

This time, he didn’t have the luxury of setting out a Divine Emblem to the Goddess of Luck. His head was still groggy, so he didn’t overthink it and just drew with his eyes closed.

’Come on, come on... Just get this over with so I can get some sleep...’

[Drawing Random "Guardian" Domain Skill (Minimum Rarity: Excellent)...]

A familiar light flickered. Countless skill icons flashed by before finally settling on the image of a shield radiating a spiky glow.

[Skill Learned: "Shield of Thorns LV.1 (Excellent)"]

[Shield of Thorns LV.1 (Excellent): Activation reserves 20 Willpower and consumes 40 Magic Power. Applies the "Thorns" status to your shield. While this status is active, your shield attacks gain Piercing Damage based on your Constitution. You also gain an additional 20% Defense Value, 10% Block Value, and 3% Damage Reduction.]

Jon was no stranger to this type of status-enhancing skill for shields.

As a main tank, he had plenty of similar skills on his list, such as the Official Level "Shield of Steel," the Advanced Level "Dragon Blood Barrier," and the Ascension Level "Immortal Stronghold."

It was just that those skills were still a long way off. For now, this "Shield of Thorns"—which should have been classified as a Saint Knight skill—was a perfect fit for his current needs.

’Gaining Piercing Damage based on Constitution? What a coincidence.’

He, Jon, was running a full-Constitution build!

’Not bad, not bad at all. This is great.’

After this brief appraisal, he turned his attention to the second skill draw.

It was a skill from the Solar Domain. Since he was currently inside the Sun Church, he figured he might as well offer a little prayer.

’Boss Po Ao, my standards aren’t high. Just give me something useful...’

As if in answer to his muttering, the mural of the sun painted on the infirmary’s domed ceiling flickered faintly.

[Drawing Random "Solar" Domain Skill (Minimum Rarity: Rare)...]

The light flashed again, and an icon of a sun encircled by a ring of fire came to a stop, causing Jon’s eyes to widen slightly.

[Skill Learned: "Sunflame Aura LV.1 (Rare)"]

[Sunflame Aura LV.1 (Rare): Activation reserves 40 Willpower. While the Aura is active, you and your allies gain the "Sunflame" status. All Flame Damage is increased by 10%, Flame Resistance is increased by 10%, and Damage Reduction is increased by 5%. When an enemy attacks, they will suffer a Sunflame counterattack, taking 50 points of Divine Attribute damage.]

It was the Sun Knight’s signature skill!

The numbers on the skill might look average, but it was an Aura Skill!

It could affect all allies!

What’s more, he, Jon, had "Aura Mastery" to combo with it, allowing him to flexibly switch between stances suitable for any situation!

Jon stared dazedly at the mural on the ceiling, his mind reeling.

’Boss, I was just spitballing... You actually gave it to me...’

’Could it be that Po Ao really sees me as a Divine Favored?’

’Why else would I get exactly what I ask for?’

First came the Damage Reduction from Shield of Thorns, and now Sunflame Aura, which also came with Damage Reduction.

It was as if Po Ao was afraid he’d actually die after that near-fatal ambush and was just piling all sorts of Damage Reduction skills on him.

Only then did Jon’s groggy mind recall that he still had "Po Ao’s Gaze," a buff that could dispel all abnormal statuses and revive him at full health once per day.

’That explains it... That explains everything...’

’Boss Po Ao, thanks a million...’

But along with his gratitude, a sense of caution arose within him.

Even with trump cards up his sleeve, he still needed the opportunity to play them.

Just like this time, an enemy far more powerful than him had ambushed him, beating him to within an inch of his life. He hadn’t even had the chance to call upon Divine Power to heal himself.

What good were trump cards and great abilities then?

If it weren’t for his high health pool and quick reflexes—activating every single damage reduction ability he had at that moment—he likely would have died right there, long before any rescue could arrive.

Jon soaked in the warm Holy Water, gazing up at the infirmary’s domed ceiling with a sigh.

’You only get one life. I’m still too weak...’

’And that bastard who ambushed me... I will kill you...’

He then reached out with his consciousness and touched the light.

A miracle descended once more.