Ryze was montarily stunned.
This kid... Sure, his foundational knowledge is solid, but to recall such a specific ranking instantly?
He couldn’t help but wonder—had Link morized every single race on the Moonfolk Leaderboard? Did he have the entire ranking engraved in his brain?
But his surprise lasted only a second before he nodded and said, "Yes, it’s exactly the one you’re thinking of—the Starshatter Wasp Clan. You’re probably familiar with the social structure of bees, right? Individually, they’re not powerful. But gather them into a swarm... and they beco a terrifying force."
"I’m not exaggerating when I say—even I would struggle if surrounded and attacked by a swarm of Starshatter Wasps."
"But that’s not the real reason I brought you here," Ryze continued. "The main purpose of this visit is to help you acquire two key talents unique to the Starshatter Wasp species."
As he spoke, Ryze pulled out a pen and paper and quickly scribbled down two lines.
Link leaned in and read the nas aloud. "Astral Tide... Stellar Resonance? ntor, are those the two core talents held by the Starshatter Wasp Clan?"
Ryze confird with a nod. "Exactly. Both are classified as SSS-tier talents. Astral Tide enhances your ability to absorb and increase your Power Values rapidly. As for Stellar Resonance—that one’s typically only found in the queen of the Starshatter Wasps. It allows the user to tap into the power of the stars to resonate with and refine their existing talents."
"Refine talents?!" Link’s eyes lit up with excitent.
At that mont, Lib—his AI assistant—projected a new information window before his eyes, outlining the specifics of Stellar Resonance:
[SSS-tier Talent: Stellar Resonance]
The talent holder gains the ability to resonate with stellar power by absorbing talents from mbers of the sa or different species. This stellar power can be used to enhance both the talent frawork and genetic sequence of the individual.
Offspring born of the user will inherit portions of this stellar power, significantly increasing the chance of being born with rare and powerful talents.
Note: Stellar power accumulated by the holder of a primal origin-type talent can only enhance talents up to the SSS tier. Each offspring consus a portion of the stored stellar power. Once depleted, the stellar power must be accumulated again from scratch.
"...Well then." Link’s face twitched as he finished reading.
The idea was incredible. But he didn’t even have a girlfriend, let alone plans to raise children. How was he supposed to activate this talent?
Though the Stellar Resonance sounded tempting on paper, its activation requirents were... a bit too steep.
Even so, it wasn’t hard to see why Ryze had chosen Starshatter Mountains as their first destination.
If queens of the Starshatter Wasps were born with Stellar Resonance, it ant every generation birthed under them had a much higher probability of awakening SSS-tier talents.
And that made this place a treasure trove for soone like Link.
All his earlier frustrations evaporated.
"ntor," he grinned, cracking his knuckles, "let’s not waste any more ti. Let’s get to copying!"
Ryze chuckled at Link’s growing enthusiasm. "Hold on. Let ask you first—do you want to handle this on your own, or should I escort you deeper into the mountain range where the wasps are more densely populated... and leave you to fend for yourself?"
Link thought for a mont. "Let try it on my own first. I think I can handle it."
Ryze gave a small nod. "Alright. Your call."
He stepped back two paces and waved Link forward toward the cratered landscape that lay ahead.
Before they parted, Ryze called out one last warning. "And don’t get cocky just because you can’t die. You’re my top disciple now. If sothing happens to you... I’ll be very upset."
Link didn’t look back. He simply raised one hand over his shoulder, forming an "OK" sign with his fingers.
Then, without hesitation, he stepped forward—into the dark, pitted terrain of Starshatter Mountains.
A few minutes later, Link reached the center of one particularly large impact crater.
He halted, holding his breath, eyes scanning the terrain with keen alertness.
Bzzzz... bzzzzzz...
A soft, electric buzz started humming in his ears.
Just as he turned to investigate the sound behind him—CRACK—spikes suddenly erupted from the ground, piercing upward like blackened thorns.
In that sa instant, the earth burst open, and a swarm of dark-purple winged creatures erged, white-glowing dots flickering along their backs.
They looked like wasps—massive, armored, and aggressive.
They dove toward him, fast.
Too fast.
Link couldn’t dodge in ti.
With no other choice, he activated his low-tier spatial magic, forcibly shifting his location within the crater by recalibrating his internal coordinates.
SWOOSH!
He narrowly escaped the first wave of attackers.
Now in a safe zone, Link exhaled in relief and finally took a closer look at his enemies.
[Species: Starshatter Wasp Clan]
[Power Values: 4012 (Equivalent to early-stage T4 esper)]
[Talent: Piercing Stinger (Grade D)]
[Traits: An unusual species native to Starshatter Mountains. Individually weak, but terrifying in large numbers.]
[Weakness: Removing their stingers significantly reduces their offensive capability.]
After reviewing the data, Link couldn’t help but sigh in awe.
"Talk about a deadly welco gift..."
A swarm of wasps with T4-level strength? Right off the bat?
Still, he quickly reminded himself: this was a clan ranked in the 700s on the Moonfolk Leaderboard. This level of danger was expected.
"Fine then," Link muttered, wiping his thumb across his nose. "T4 it is. Let’s see if I can take you head-on."
Though the goal was to acquire talents, testing his combat abilities against T4 espers held just as much importance.
He raised his hand and murmured, "Domain Unfold—Infinite Void Domain."
The mont his fingers locked into the correct gesture, a unique energy burst forth from his body, rippling across the crater like a shockwave.
Imdiately, the Starshatter Wasps lost all coordination.
So dropped from the air. Others spun helplessly mid-flight. A few simply collapsed onto the ground, twitching.
Total chaos.
Link didn’t hesitate.
He drew the standard longsword from his waist and charged back toward the swarm, blade swinging with brutal precision.
The clang of tal, the crunch of chitin, the splatter of ichor—it was a symphony of carnage.
[You were killed by a Starshatter Wasp. Talent acquired: Piercing Stinger (Grade D).]
[You were killed by a Starshatter Wasp. Talent acquired: Strength Enhancent.]
[You were killed by a Starshatter Wasp. Talent acquired: Speed Enhancent.]
...
...
[You were killed...]
Who knew how long it went on?
When Ryze finally returned, he found Link sprawled motionless atop a mound of twitching wasp corpses.
"Had a good run?" Ryze asked dryly.
Link gave a weak chuckle and rolled off the pile, landing at Ryze’s feet. "It was... fruitful. Very fruitful."
"But..." he added, his face pale, "no sign of an SSS-tier talent yet. I think we’ll have to go deeper into the mountain to find the queen. ntor... I’m counting on you. I’ve officially reached my chopping limit."
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