The storm outside grew increasingly violent, with the faint sound of crackling flas audible in the distance.
Little Crow resembled a card-dealing magician as she displayed the skill cards in her hand. As a Cup Shadow affinity Transcendent who had recently been promoted to cadre status within the Blackfin Crew, the supernatural resources she gained from this position far exceeded her expectations.
With a graceful flick of her small hand, Little Crow revealed six Shadow affinity skill cards. Chen Qi examined them carefully.
A powerful Shadow skill card could easily cost over two million Shell Coins even at a thirty percent discount! With only five million Shell Coins in cash, he couldn't afford them all. Moreover, while he had eliminated the side effects of overusing skill cards, blindly absorbing knowledge might still lead him down the madness-inducing path of the Book affinity.
Chen Qi ran his index finger across the cards one by one:
Shadowflow Dance - Floral Shadow skill card: Summons two pitch-black shadow clones that mirror the user's movents in a provocative dance, dealing heavy ntal damage. Requires advanced dancing skills and minor comprehension of either Floral or Shadow affinities.
Shadow Soldier Creation - Hamr Shadow skill card: Fuses refined negative emotions with Shadow Demon materials to create personalized shadow soldiers. Requires minor comprehension of Shadow or Hamr affinities plus mastery of prerequisite techniques like "Elent Extraction" and "Elental Refinent."
Twisted Crawl - Void Shadow skill card: Sacrifices half the user's ntal energy to wriggle across the ground while emitting piercing wails to frighten enemies. Only requires belief in Shadow principles with no other conditions.
Shadow Armor - Blade Shadow skill card: An advanced application of physical energy that transforms it into darker, more potent energy to enhance defense. Requires mastery of physical energy and minor Shadow affinity comprehension.
Shadow Step - Lamp Shadow skill card: A movent technique that significantly boosts agility. Requires minor Shadow affinity comprehension, mastery of physical energy, and at least 18 agility points.
Shadow Spear - Shadow skill card: Creates pitch-black spears from empty hands. Requires minor Shadow affinity comprehension and ditation techniques.
After careful consideration:
Shadowflow Dance, while powerful, suited dancers and similar professions - irrelevant to him.
Shadow Soldier Creation seed decent but required too many prerequisites.
Twisted Crawl was practically useless except for those following dark paths toward becoming shadow creatures.
Shadow Spear, a first-tier Transcendent attack move, couldn't compare to bullets in terms of power.
Chen Qi finally focused on Shadow Armor and Shadow Step. Shadow Armor represented an advanced application of physical energy specifically enhancing defensive capabilities. As a close-combat Transcendent with naturally high constitution but lacking defensive skills, this would significantly improve his protection.
Shadow Step was also an excellent movent technique. According to player guides, movent and perception skills were essential for second-tier Transcendents and crucial for agility developnt.
"These two," Chen Qi tapped the cards with his finger after considering their likely high prices.
Little Crow pinched the cards between two fingers and flicked them onto Chen Qi's palm. "Your Breathing Technique mastery is decent - these suit you well. Let's see... 2.5 million Shell Coins each, five million total. If you're short, you can pay later."
Five million Shell Coins... Chen Qi blinked and stopped rummaging through his Backpack Card. These were highly practical skill cards worth at least ten million on the open market - half price!
Little Crow stored the remaining cards. "No need for item collateral. You can owe if necessary." She figured demanding five million Shell Coins outright from a chef was unreasonable.
"You're sure about five million? Isn't this too cheap?" Chen Qi verified.
"Cheap? You actually have that much cash?" Little Crow rubbed her temples. "Between the black whale blood incident and that Black Hunter, my ntal state hasn't been normal lately. Consider it compensation for attacking you earlier. Besides, Shadow skill cards aren't easy to sell."
Without hesitation, Chen Qi withdrew stacks of gleaming Shell Coins from his Backpack Card, counting rapidly - ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand... until five million neat stacks sat before Little Crow. His hard-earned savings vanished instantly.
"Eh?" Little Crow accepted the heavy coins, blinking in disbelief. This chef actually possessed five million Shell Coins in cash! Since when did chefs earn so well? She stared blankly at Chen Qi for a long mont.
"How nice..." The words escaped her lips involuntarily.
Like an invalid girl watching energetic peers enjoying their youth outside her hospital window, Little Crow - despite her superior strength - felt only overwhelming envy toward Chen Qi. No parental pressure, no superior oppression, no petty scheming among friends, no hostility from Black Hunters or the Flower Witch - just sailing freely across the seas. Most importantly, getting to eat delicious food daily!
That carefree life, that unrestricted sailing... A smile flickered across Little Crow's lips before vanishing instantly. While Chen Qi had miraculously escaped the Blackfin Crew, she remained trapped.
Seizing the mont, she retrieved a radio-like device from her Backpack Card and began tinkering. Chen Qi didn't idle either, imdiately activating both skill cards. The cards dissolved at his fingertips, rging with his bloodstream.
[You have mastered Shadow Step Lv1]
[You have mastered Shadow Armor Lv1]
A surge of heat spread through his body... As Chen Qi circulated his spiritual energy, dark energy manifested around his limbs. Both skills were upgradeable to level three! With 8,000 Spirit Points saved from missions, he allocated 3,000 each to upgrade both skills to max level. His accumulated 6,000 points evaporated instantly.
[Your Shadow Armor has reached Lv3, enhancing shadow energy durability while making your defense look cooler.]
[Your Shadow Step has reached Lv3, improving movent techniques and increasing agility by 7 points.]
Chen Qi reveled in the surging supernatural power within. Like ditation and Body Forging Techniques, second-tier skill cards required ti after use to fully master and reveal their true potential.
Tap tap tap!
Frowning, Chen Qi observed Little Crow fiddling with the radio - a supernatural communication device he recognized.
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