LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 153: Pump Those Skill Points Pt 4
Most of the women stepped back to talk, but Mary and Danielle stayed on either side of me. Danielle I understood, but I had only thought Mary's interest was in the things that I made. It was kind of nice to know that she liked looking at this stuff as well.
I might have to see if Mary would maybe want to spend the night with me. Even if it was just to look over everything. So far, she had given me very good advice so far, so I would be interested to know what her opinions were on everything.
Concentrating back on my skills, I selected Thunderstrike.
[(Common) Thunderstrike: 0/10 Skill Points until Skill Evolution.]
This was far more reasonable, but I was surprised to see the skill was only common, but there had been no rank for it previously. Mentally, I added 10 Skill points to the skill and I got a new message.
[(Uncommon) Thunderstrike Evolved: Lightning Surge]
[(Lightning Surge: A swift, electrifying attack that strikes with the speed and power of a lightning bolt. Increases damage based on agility and speed stats. Can chain to nearby enemies when conditions are met. 0/30 Skill Points until next evolution.)]
That was cool, but I had a ton of points! so, before either woman could comment I dumped 30 more points in and got a new message.
[(Rare) Lightning Surge Evolved: Tempest Strike]
[(Tempest Strike: Unleash a devastating storm of lightning strikes upon your enemies, harnessing the raw power of the storm. This skill deals massive damage to multiple targets, scaling with your agility and speed stats. The final strike generates a powerful shockwave, potentially stunning nearby foes. 0/80 Skill Points until next evolution.)]
"Wow, that escalated quickly," Mary commented, her eyes wide with a mix of surprise and admiration. "From a simple lightning attack to a full-blown storm. That's quite the leap."
I shook my head with a wild grin. "I want more! One more time!"
With the encouragement from Mary and the intrigued expression on Danielle's face, I dove back into my skill interface with a fervor that bordered on obsession. My fingers danced over the virtual selections, directing another 80 Skill Points into 'Tempest Strike' without hesitation. The anticipation was palpable, a static charge in the air between us as the system processed my investment.
The moment stretched, a brief pause before the interface blinked with the confirmation of my commitment, unveiling the new evolution of my skill.
[(Epic) Tempest Strike Evolved: Stormbreaker Fury]
[(Epic)Stormbreaker Fury: Summon the full might of the tempest, calling down a cataclysmic storm over a wide area. This skill inflicts colossal damage to all enemies caught within its fury, scaling exponentially with your agility and speed stats. Additionally, the final crescendo of the storm paralyzes any survivors with a high chance of critical strikes. 0/860 Skill Points until next evolution.)]
"Hmm," Mary said and then shook her head. "This is no good. From the description of the skill, this is going to require a massive amount of magical power. I think that you would be lucky to use this more than once in a fight."
Danielle nodded along. "This is clearly a very powerful skill, but it definitely seems suited to larger conflicts. Not to say it would do damage to the boss, but I really wonder if the consumption from using it will be worth the damage it causes? You plan on upgrading your other two skills, but I don't know how far you should take them. I personally don't think you should even use that skill in this fight since we don't know how much Magical Power it will use."
I hung my head. I got so caught up with seeing the skill change that I didn't stop to think of the cost. Now I had basically made the skill useless and wasted a good chunk of points to do it.
"Well, that was a blunder," I said with a sigh, but Danielle shook her head.
"We both agreed with you, and I think that this skill will be invaluable to the war effort. You also should have enough Skill Points to bring both other skills up to a rare rank," Danielle explained, making me smile.
I pulled up my Time Dilation Stance next and I allocated the points. As I did, the interface updated with the new status of my skill.
[(Uncommon) Time Dilation Stance Evolved: Temporal Shift]
[(Temporal Shift: Enhance your perception and agility by shifting your personal time flow. Increases evasion and attack speed for a short duration. 0/30 Skill Points until next evolution.)]
Excited by the upgrade but mindful of my earlier mistake, I carefully considered the implications. This skill seemed to offer a significant boost to my combat capabilities without the potentially prohibitive cost of my Stormbreaker Fury. With a nod from Danielle, who seemed to approve of this more tactical approach, I proceeded to evolve the skill further.
I transferred 30 more points into Temporal Shift, eager to see how it would transform.
[(Rare) Temporal Shift Evolved: Chrono Acceleration]
[(Chrono Acceleration: Dramatically enhance your movement and attack speed by accelerating your time flow. This skill allows for near-instantaneous reactions and the ability to outmaneuver opponents with ease. Additionally, it temporarily increases your critical hit chance. 0/80 Skill Points until next evolution.)]
"I think that you should stop here with this one," Mary suggested. "You have a Passive skill left that you can upgrade with your other skill as well. If anything, Time’s Favor should have been the skill that you improved to an epic rank, not that active skill. Still, I agree with Danielle that it will be helpful in the war effort to hold Reshan's borders."
"Very true, but hindsight is always easier to look back on," I said and switched to my last skills.
Continuing the allocation of my remaining Skill Points, I focused on enhancing both Time's Favor and Chrono Warp.
[(Uncommon) Time's Favor Evolved: Time's Embrace]
[(Time's Embrace: This passive skill further manipulates the flow of time around you, granting even greater reaction speed and reducing the impact of enemy attacks by slightly distorting their timing. This not only improves evasion but subtly enhances your ability to counterattack. 0/30 Skill Points until next evolution.)]
With 30 points dedicated to evolving Time's Favor into Time's Embrace, I felt a subtle yet powerful shift in my perception. The world around me seemed to move in a more languid flow, granting me an edge that felt almost like precognition.
Turning my attention to Chrono Warp, I was eager to see how its capabilities would expand with further investment.
[(Uncommon) Chrono Warp Evolved: Temporal Anomaly]
[(Temporal Anomaly: This skill now allows you to create localized time distortions that can either speed up allies or slow down enemies with greater intensity. Additionally, you can now choose to freeze a single target in time for a brief moment, offering a strategic advantage by isolating key threats. 0/30 Skill Points until next evolution.)]
With my remaining points, I carefully upgraded both skills to their rare forms, ensuring that each point was spent to maximize my combat effectiveness and strategic versatility. This left me with a solid foundation to adapt to any situation, whether it required brute force or cunning tactics.
[(Rare) Time's Embrace Evolved: Temporal Dominion]
[(Temporal Dominion: This enhanced passive skill now significantly alters the flow of time in your immediate vicinity, making you appear to move with supernatural speed and grace. Attacks that would hit you seem to slow down at the last moment, providing ample opportunity to evade or counter. Additionally, your own movements are so fluid that they can disorient opponents, making it difficult for them to predict your next move. 0/80 Skill Points until next evolution.)]
[(Rare) Temporal Anomaly Evolved: Chrono Vortex]
[(Chrono Vortex: Elevating your control over time, this skill can now affect a wider area and offers the option to selectively accelerate, decelerate, or freeze multiple targets within its range. The strategic applications are vast, from disrupting enemy formations to creating openings for devastating attacks. 0/80 Skill Points until next evolution.)]
With my skills now refined and evolved, I felt a renewed sense of confidence and power. The blunder with Stormbreaker Fury still stung, but the enhancements to my other abilities offered a silver lining.
"Looks like you are finally ready to go?" Scarlet asked, after remaining quiet for the most part since the other women had come.
I nodded, taking a final look at my skills.
1. Identify
2. Restore
3. Instant Print
4. Fusion Artistry
5. Technomantic Engineering
6. Soul Surgeon
7. Guardian Golems
8. Material Strike
9. (Epic) Stormbreaker Fury
10. (Rare) Chrono Acceleration
11. Primal Elemental Forging
12. (Rare) Chrono Vortex
[PASSIVE]
1. Arcane Harmony
2. Mana Affinity
3. Soulforge Master
4. Technomantic Engineering
5. (Rare) Temporal Dominion
6. Lightning Forge Technique
[DIVINE]
1. Eye of Eldros
2. Dice of Fate
[13 SKILL POINTS]
"Yeah, I am sure that I could do more, but I am getting tired of looking at my menu. Plus, having all of you here makes me just want to get this done, and over with so we can go back home and relax," I said after closing my system windows.
It was time to wrap things up with the Crystal Cavern and finally complete my first dungeon only days from participating in my first war. For some strange reason, I wasn't as excited about the second first-time as I was for the first. Go figure.