Chapter 468: Explosive Growth, Start of the Final Wave

Nom! Nom! Nom!

Leon consumed all three essences, and he felt their power swell inside him as they boosted not only his stats, but also his power, the energy surging through his body like a tidal wave that threatened to overwhelm him.

Ding!

[+125,000 Agility, +120,000 Constitution, +150,000 Spirit, +100,000 Strength.]

Leon stared at the massive numbers for a split second, wondering what the hell was happening, his mind struggling to process the sheer scale of the gains.

’Wait a second, the Serpent King essence gives 25,000 Agility and 20,000 Constitution, while the Ice and Flame King one gives 50,000 Spirit,’ he calculated, his brow furrowing as he tried to make sense of the numbers.

He gained 100,000 on all his stats, and by process of elimination, it was easy to figure out where the extra points had come from, the source becoming clear.

’Holy shit, the Void King Essence is overpowered?!’ Leon’s eyes widened in disbelief.

No wonder its description stated that whoever used it without having a link to the void would die, because the power it granted was immense, far beyond anything he had expected.

Because in exchange for the massive risk, it was incredibly powerful, offering rewards that few could ever hope to obtain, and Leon had just reaped those rewards.

Just from these three essences, Leon’s stats increased by 495,000 points, which was 1,485,000 Combat Power due to the fact each point was worth three combat power for him.

And that wasn’t even considering all his enhancement sub-talents which doubled or even tripled the output, amplifying the gains even further beyond what the raw numbers suggested.

He had grown tremendously stronger in the few minutes since the call for the final wave of the Monster Tide, that was certain, his power now far beyond what it had been before.

’Wait a minute...’ Leon thought, his eyes widening further as he realized something.

In fact, Leon had gained over 5 million combat power from this gain alone, meaning his combat power had reached a terrifying new high, one that few in the higher domains could match.

[Combat Power: 3,175,299 (+15,956,988)]

He had surpassed 19 million combat power from this gain alone, and Leon couldn’t even believe his eyes, the number staring back at him from the panel.

’I mean, yeah, over 100,000 points gained in each stat is amazing by any standards...’ he thought, ’But holy hell, this is something else entirely.’

Leon could feel the power swell through him, not only because of the attribute points, but also because of the other things the essences boosted, the secondary effects that enhanced his existing abilities.

Indeed, the attributes weren’t all that the essences had to offer, as the notifications that followed proved.

Ding!

[Your "Venom Nova (Legendary)" has leveled up to Level 5.]

Ding!

[Your "Venomous Blood (S+-Level)" sub-talent has evolved to Venomous Blood (S++-Level)]

[If a sub-talent manages to acquire three "+" next to its rank, it automatically evolves!]

"Wow, that’s something I’ve never heard about," Leon mumbled, genuinely surprised, "But still...!"

Leon moved to the next essence but it seemed like it only evolved one skill, the effect more limited than he had hoped for.

Ding!

[Your "Ice Spikes (Legendary)" skill has leveled up to Level 9.]

Of course, that was still a three level gain, which Leon appreciated, but it seemed like since he didn’t really have any flame-related sub-talent or skill that could be evolved, it didn’t do anything beyond that.

Still, he was satisfied with the results, the gains more than worth the effort he had put into obtaining the essences.

And finally, there were the last few panels that appeared before Leon, the ones from the Void King Essence.

Ding!

[The void seems to react to your presence, it has acknowledged your presence and its link to you.]

[For some reason though, you have the feeling that the beings that reside inside of the Void can now sense your presence as well.]

[The God of Void has sensed you.]

’...!’ Leon’s expression tightened for a split second, though he quickly returned to his neutral one.

Leon gazed up at the vortex, since that was from where the gods must be watching, their eyes fixed on the battlefield below, observing everything.

Ding!

[One minute until the final wave.]

And then there was the last panel, the one that confirmed his new skill’s growth, a small victory in the face of what was coming.

Ding!

[Your "Void Detonation (Divine)" skill has leveled up to Level 3.]

"Decent," Leon nodded, "Saves me a lot of Skill Stones."

With that done, Leon had completed everything related to the Kings’ items, though that still left most of the other items from the other monsters to sort through.

He simply gave the B-Level Weak Void Affinity sub-talents to the girls for now, ensuring they had some protection against void-based attacks.

Emilia seemed to be doing better after these last few minutes, her condition slowly improving, though she was still clearly in pain.

She could stand up, though her expression was still cold and tight, her body trembling as she looked up at the vortex, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and worry.

She had learned the Supreme Ice Affinity sub-talent, and the one Leon just gave her, making her stronger despite her current state.

The last minute passed with the group talking to each other, though it was mainly Leon, Celeste and Violet, who were checking up on Emilia, their voices soft and reassuring.

Alphox and Pyra also seemed worried about her, their small forms pressing against her legs, offering what comfort they could through their presence.

But before long, the moment they had all been waiting for arrived, the air growing thick with tension.

Ding!

[The Final Wave of the Monster Tide will now start.]

The vortex’ power had surged to its all-time peak, spinning so fast that anyone watching it could get dizzy, the energy within it crackling with intensity.

And from the center of the giant vortex above the stronghold... a massive hand came out, its fingers stretching across the sky, reaching down toward the battlefield below.