Chapter 102: Beneath the Child's Smile
"Okay, it's decided. I can't put off this any longer, and it's better to just pick the upgrade now than wait for who knows what.
Yes, Focus and Mana Manipulation might upgrade at level 30, knowing how much the system likes rounded numbers, but damn, these two skills just sound so nice.
Symbiotic Transference:Learn to transfer the stored energy directly into physical strength, endurance, or speed, increasing combat prowess.
Mana Flow Analysis:Develops the capacity to identify nuanced patterns and rhythms in the movent of mana, offering deeper insight into how skills are invoked and controlled.
But in the end, I go with Symbiotic Transference.
And while I clench my teeth against the pain, I think over my decision. It wasn't easy at all as my skill of learning other people's skills is one of my strongest points and it could even help
to improve my current ones.
Yet I think I made the right decision. With this upgrade, I should be able to ignore strength, constitution, and dexterity even more!
Yes, the reason is as silly as that. I won't need to waste my stat points and instead, I can absorb external attacks or kinetic energy from my orbs to boost the stats I need!
Hell, in the future when I learn to use [Redistribution] better and absorb more types of energy, it could beco a nearly passive skill, making my body stronger the more the opponent attacks .
Damn, it sounds cool as heck!
I excitedly test it for a bit and it's as I thought. Currently, I can only change kinetic energy to one of the stats, it's too hard to boost multiple stats at once. But that's fine, it would be too boring if it were so easy.
And yeah, Mana Flow Analysis is totally the next upgrade and heck, there better be sothing super, super good to make
change my mind and pick sothing else.
I check the community and write one sentence for the 10th ti today, each having a 30-minute pause in between.
Nona (Hell, group 4) - StrongestOne, you have 5 seconds to answer.
Now, after checking the community for a bit, I'm sure that he ended up with Lily so he better not try so shit or he is done. I'm sure he knows it, but I better remind him.
StrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - I'm with Grumpy.
Finally, and as I thought.
Nona (Hell, group 4) - After a while, the buildings are in a better state, try heading that way.
Soph (Hell, group 4) - How is Isabella?
Nona (Hell, group 4) - We might all et sooner or later if we all head the sa way, towards what feels like middle of this city.
Soph (Hell, group 4) - Nona!
StrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - Ok...
You better not try anything funny. I owe Lily too much. Having her die before I pay her back would feel way too sour.
Ciphermind (Hell, group 4) -Nona, we will et you there too :) I'm curious about the skills of people from the hell difficulty, lol.
Frostfall (Hell, group 4) - lol,
too!
I ignore two of the three guys that got to our group from hard difficulty and send a short ssage to Sophie, telling her that her sister is safe. The little girl still refuses to join the community because so ti ago Sophie told her not to do that.
Okay, ti to check my beautiful status.
[Na: Nathaniel Gwyn]
Difficulty: Hell
Floor: 3 - Saint's Eternal Bastion
Ti left until forced return: 4y 274d 16h 31m 30s
Traits (1/3): Mana Circuit (Passive)
Lvl 75
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 19
Constitution: 67
Mana: 229
[Primary Class: Mana Channeler]
[Sub-class: unavailable]
Active skills:
Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 28
Mana Manipulation (Advanced Mana Manipulation) - Lvl 28
Perception - Lvl 22
Oscillation - Lvl 18
Redistribution (Symbiotic Transference) - Lvl 13
Armanent - Lvl 23
Mana Surge - Lvl 10
Disruption - Lvl 12
Constructs:
Reinforcent (Construct)
Passive skills:
Mana Flow (rare)
Cerebral Harmony (rare)
[Upgrade token: 1]
[Difficulty change token: 1]
Pretty good if I have to say so myself. Soon, I will need to create another construct to take care of my ever-growing mana as I already start feeling so push even though I invested so much in controlling it.
As for the Sub-class, I expected it to be unlocked the mont we entered the third floor, in a similar way the primary class was unlocked the mont we entered the second floor. But yes, it seems like the system has different plans.
Upgrade token? I already have plans for it, I just need to take care of a few things first.
As for the Difficulty change token, I already tried it and it seems like the only way to go is down to Hard difficulty. It doesn't allow
to go higher - as expected - and it also doesn't allow for normal or easy difficulties.
Oh, there is also a [Side Quest]
Side quest:Kill 100 enemies
Rewards:
Common gear of your choice
Food and water rations
This alone helps
to understand this floor a bit more. Up until now, I didn't find any flowing water, didn't see any animal. Just building after building stretching on forever. All of them are two stories tall, rarely so bigger ones.
As for gear, it kinda makes sense as we gained the ability to identify item rarities, so that would an this floor will work more with them.
As for 100 enemies, does that an that the enemies here are a bit weaker, just in bigger groups? That would be kind of logical.
Anyway, it's ti to move.
"Wake up, brat," I poke Isabella and she wakes up, already complaining.
A bit longer and we finally find so signs of life. Corpses of few n. They are wearing leather armor and their bodies are mangled, torn, and pieces bitten off. Even though I tell the girl to stay away, she gets closer, not showing any reaction to the cruel sight in front of us.
I will have to check the thing Sophie put on her a bit closer.
I pick one of the weapons of one of the n, that was left behind, the enemy not caring enough to take them.
Crude Iron Mace (Common):This mace exhibits rough and hasty craftsmanship. Fashioned from crude iron, its head bears uneven edges and a lack of refinent. The wooden handle is worn and splintered, showing signs of neglect and subpar construction.
The remaining gear is mostly the sa and I leave them behind.
A minute later, we find what killed the group of n. We spot a group of 20 or so rats the size of small dogs.
[Rottenfang Vermin - lvl 39]
Most of them are around this level and most of them look sick and diseased. So have big wounds, so are missing limbs.
"Ewww," the little girl says what I am thinking.
Not having any wind to absorb, I make three orbs of mana and spin them around myself and after a while, I absorb their energy. After moving closer, I change it, and a vibrant dark yellow fla cos into existence, created from a point in front of .
Keeping it alive by creating more orbs and absorbing more energy, I burn the entire group.
[You have defeated a Rottenfang Vermin - lvl 36]
[You have defeated a Rottenfang Vermin- lvl 38]
[You have defeated a Rottenfang Vermin - lvl 34]
"My flas are better," the cheeky little girl complains.
Pff, as if! Just wait, give
a month or two, you little brat! I'm sure that you have so fire skill, but I am a master of doing things the junky way.
My poor man's flathrower shall win in the end!
More rats co our way and this ti I absorb thermal energy from my fire that set on fire a building close by, making the yellow fla disappear, and then use the energy to boost my mana orbs, obliterating the rats.
All while holding a kid in my arms!
Easy.
We start moving again and I ask a thing I was a bit curious about.
"So, you said that I am safe, right?"
"Yup," the girl continues to pull on my shirt, bored of being just carried around, but I learned to ignore it.
Her answers might help
to understand her skill better.
"Is Sophie safe too?"
"Sophie is the safest! Even if she is super sad and trying to hide it, she is safe! Soph is…"
"…is really stupid sotis," I finish up.
The girl giggles and nods.
She still refuses my offers to remove Sophie's construct or whatever it is from her brain but I still don't know if it's because of how Sophie set it up or because of the girl's decision.
It makes
curious. I couldn't imagine letting soone ss with my mind even if it was my closest family or a friend. The problem might be on my side but at the sa ti, it might be a little girl who is weird.
"But you still attacked
the mont I appeared near you, even though you said I'm safe?"
"Sorry for that! I was a bit nervous, a few bad guys attacked
before."
That makes
stagger and I stop, looking at the girl in my arms.
"They appeared out of nowhere and were super scary. They told
to co with them."
I already know where it's going.
"But Sophie told
to never leave with strangers!"
I don't know what to say.
"So I burned them!" she smiles while saying so "And only then did you appear."
There is not even a hint of regret as she says so.
A ten-year-old girl says it in a similar way to how she talked about the cute dog she t a few weeks ago.
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