Chapter 360 - 316: The 3rd Talent, Part 2

Chapter 360: Chapter 316: The 3rd Talent, Part 2

[You have successfully slain the Thorny Giant Beast!]

A huge wave of Experience Points rushed in, and the progress bar shot up!

He gained a total of 2,209 Experience Points from killing the Thorny Giant Beast.

Level 33 (324/775) -> Level 36 (133/850). He had gained three levels at once!

He had gained eighteen distributable attribute points all at once!

Without hesitation, Zelir allocated all of them to his Spirit Attribute.

Power: 120 -> 124

Agility: 130 -> 134

Constitution: 114 -> 118 -> 127

Spirit: 178 -> 196

Intelligence: 147

Perception: 32

Charm: 61

Lucky: 51

Talent Skills:

Technique Celestial Calculation

Magic Contract

With the massive increase in his Spirit Attribute, the sea of consciousness in Zelir’s mind was once again expanded by a strange force, allowing it to hold even more Magic Power.

The flow from the Spring Seed grew even more vigorous!

Under the effects of Magic Contract, his physical constitution was further enhanced!

Some of the physical and mental fatigue from his battle with the Thorny Giant Beast dissipated.

And most importantly...

The bottleneck of the Spirit Attribute threshold that had been weighing on his mind was broken.

Having shattered its shackles, his Magic Power swam excitedly through his sea of consciousness.

On his status panel, the grayed-out text for unlocking the next Talent Skill quietly came loose.

With a BANG, it shattered into pieces.

The fragments floated in Zelir’s vision and, in an instant, reassembled into a completely new line of text.

Upon advancing to Middle Level Mage, you can unlock the following talent:

[Seizing Tyranny]

Receive a reward for participating in the first kill of a unique hostile creature.

For a normal Demon, you will gain a corresponding attribute point based on its type!

For a special Demon, you can seize one of its traits, permanently strengthening yourself!

"Darling, I’m not bloodthirsty. I just want to get the ’full collection’ achievement."

Seizing Tyranny...

Zelir’s pupils widened slightly.

’Get rewards for helping to kill unique Demons... Is this the talent I can unlock after advancing to Middle Level Mage?’

But something felt off.

’No, wait. Didn’t I always have to choose between two options before?’

’Why was a future talent assigned to me directly this time?’

As he was mulling it over, his status panel changed again.

This time, the shattering and reassembly were even more magnificent.

A pale blue glow emerged in his pitch-black field of vision.

A single point of light appeared, then suddenly expanded, stretching out into countless pathways.

They interwove and extended, forming a branching skill tree.

The skill tree had two starting points.

They were [Technique Celestial Calculation] and [Magical Surge].

From these two foundations, two branches extended: [Spring Overload] and [Magic Contract].

Beneath these branches, a total of four Talent Skills appeared.

[Absolute Focus], [Seizing Tyranny], [Overflowing Energy], and [Arcane Surge].

Of these four Talent Skills, only [Seizing Tyranny] was awaiting activation. The other three were grayed out.

They were clearly unselectable.

’Could it be...?’

Zelir paused, taken aback.

’After I chose the combination of Technique Celestial Calculation and Magic Contract, was my third Talent Skill already set in stone?’

With a flicker of his will, Zelir began to examine the specific effects of each talent.

The path of Magical Surge and Spring Overload led to Overflowing Energy.

[Overflowing Energy]

Increases the Magic Refill cap from Source Energy Crystal Stones from 100% to 200%.

When Magic Power reserves are above 50%, Magic Effectiveness is increased by 50%!

When Magic Power reserves are above 75%, Magic Effectiveness is increased by 100%!

"Damn it... Why do Source Energy Crystal Stones keep getting more expensive!"

The path of Magical Surge and Magic Contract led to Arcane Surge.

[Arcane Surge]

Your overall Casting cost is reduced by 20%.

You can actively consume additional Magic Power to amplify the Magic you are about to cast.

For every 1% of extra Magic Power consumed, Magic Effectiveness increases by 1.5%.

When consuming more than 50% of your total Magic Power in a single cast, the boost to effectiveness per percentage point increases to 3%.

"Guess what... am I going to use 50% of my power for this punch... or 100%?"

The path of Technique Celestial Calculation and Spring Overload led to Absolute Focus.

[Absolute Focus]

When you use a Magic spell to help kill a hostile creature, that spell’s effectiveness is permanently increased.

The magnitude of the increase depends on the creature’s Level, with a minimum of 0.01%.

"A walking encyclopedia? Hah... I call that a jack of all trades, master of none! Master of none!"

And finally, the Technique Celestial Calculation and Magic Contract path corresponded to the Talent Skill he was about to unlock: [Seizing Tyranny].

’My Spirit Attribute has already met the requirement for advancement. All that’s left is my Intelligence Attribute.’

’So there was a hidden mechanic like this all along...’

Zelir marveled inwardly.

Judging by the effects of each Talent Skill, the two talents on the Magical Surge branch were geared toward directly increasing Magic Effectiveness, providing immediate combat power.

The Technique Celestial Calculation branch, on the other hand, was more focused on long-term growth and required time to develop.

As his gaze swept over [Overflowing Energy] and [Arcane Surge], Zelir couldn’t help but marvel at their terrifying amplification abilities.

If he had enough Source Energy Crystal Stones to instantly refill his Blue Bar whenever it dropped below 75%, then [Overflowing Energy] could essentially maintain a 100% increase to Magic Effectiveness at all times.

That was equivalent to doubling his combat power!

Of course, Zelir was certain that if he had chosen that path, he definitely couldn’t have afforded to play that way.

An Elemental Source Energy Crystal Stone cost Ten Gold Coins a piece; that price wasn’t something to scoff at.

As he leveled up, Elemental Source Energy Crystal Stones would become less and less sufficient for his needs.

Medium and High-Level Source Energy Crystal Stones would only be more expensive.

Furthermore, without Technique Celestial Calculation, he would have had to spend money on Magic Scrolls to learn new Magic.

Adding in all the miscellaneous expenses for things like Magic Robes, Magic Wands, and Magic Potions...

He’d be lucky to maintain a 50% boost at all times, even with careful management.

’I wasn’t born into the Nobility. I can’t afford that playstyle.’

The other talent, [Arcane Surge], provided a more flexible and versatile burst capability.

A 20% reduction in overall Casting cost.

For every 1% of extra Magic Power consumed, Magic Effectiveness increased by 1.5%.

If he used more than 50% of his Magic Power for a single amplification, the effect would increase to 3% per percentage point.

If he poured all his Magic Power reserves into a single spell, its power would theoretically be boosted by a terrifying 300%!

A one-shot kill!

In battle, he could hold off on amplifying his spells with Magic Power while he observed the enemy.

Then, after finding a weakness, he could pour all his Magic Power into a single fatal strike to secure victory.

The strategy would be all about winning through surprise.

As for [Absolute Focus], the other growth-oriented talent, its effect was also quite striking.

It was equivalent to offering infinite growth potential.

Killing one Demon provided a minimum increase in effectiveness of 0.01%.

’That’s probably for creatures like goblins, right...?’

Killing 100 goblins would equal a 1% permanent boost to effectiveness.

Killing 10,000 goblins would mean a 100% permanent boost, matching the maximum level of [Overflowing Energy].

Of course, a person couldn’t spend their entire life just killing goblins.

Higher-level Demons, like those with a [Difficulty] or [Challenge] rating, would surely provide a greater increase in effectiveness.

However, [Absolute Focus] had one drawback: it couldn’t be applied to non-damaging, support-type Magic.

That was a shortcoming in its own right.

As for [Seizing Tyranny]...

Zelir turned his attention to it.

According to the skill description, he would receive an attribute point reward just for killing a unique type of Demon.

And if it was a special Demon, he could even seize one of its traits to permanently strengthen himself!

Compared to [Absolute Focus], which focused on quantity, [Seizing Tyranny] was more concerned with variety.

The attribute point rewards alone would allow him to grow much faster, far surpassing his peers.

These were the most tangible numerical gains.

As for seizing the traits of special Demons...

’Does the Fog Demon count as a special Demon?’

’And what about the series of [Challenge]-rated Demons, like the Blood-Handed Demon Fish or the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm?’

’If I’d had Seizing Tyranny back then, what could I have gotten from them?’

’Attribute Affinity? A specific enhancement?’

’What about even higher-level ones...?’

’For example, what reward could I get from a [Cruelty]-rated Abyssal Evil Vine?’

’Or a Sea Monster... or even a Giant Dragon...’

And that was just the [Cruelty] rating.

Above [Cruelty], there were [Bloody], [Catastrophe], and even [Nightmare]!

’And a level above that? Creatures that only exist in legends, or something even more terrifying... the Old Gods?’

’Could I seize the authority of the gods themselves?’

This wild thought made even Zelir himself tremble slightly.