Chương 56: Upgrade Skill

"But first, I believe there is something that you should learn before you go off and learn skill creation." After Cayman finished, there was a palpable sense of grumpiness and despair in the room. He had just announced that we were ready to learn skill creation, but afterwards, he went against his own words and said that there was something we had to learn before we learn skill creation. The hypocrisy was off the charts.

"What is it?" Ben asked, the impatience oozing out from his body evident in his words.

"What do we have to learn now?"

"I think what you have to learn now links nicely with skill creation, and that's why you're going to learn it first."

"What is it?" Ben repeated his question after not getting the desired answer the first time.

"When you break a mana crystal, a system window shows up with a bunch of options, such as upgrading traits. However, you can also choose to upgrade your skills with mana crystals if you want to."

"You're going to teach us how to upgrade our existing skills before we go on to create new skills?" Maya asked frantically.

"I would rather learn how to create new skills first." But Cayman shook his head.

"It doesn't work like that," he said solemnly.

"It makes more sense for you to learn how to upgrade skills before you go off and create new ones. Just trust me. I am the expert here, and you are all my students." An awkward silence ensued where everyone, including me, pondered over what had just been said. Whilst it was true that Cayman was the expert here, was there really any need to delay learning skill creation until we were at the advanced level? What was the reasoning behind it?

Although Cayman had expressed his personal opinion about when skill users should learn skill creation, he didn't explain his reasoning, and it was practically impossible to understand his views if he didn't have any reasons to back it all up.

"You're gonna need a lot of mana crystals," Cayman explained.

"You're gonna need higher-level ones as well, not just basic-level ones. Since you guys are already at the advanced level, it's better to have higher-level items with you at all times. Otherwise, you're just flaunting the fact that you're weak." Nobody could refute those words. After all, they were all true, unable to be falsified.

"We've been training with advanced-level beasts," Theo said.

"We just need to collect the crystals from the corpses and-""That won't be enough," Cayman interjected abruptly.

"For this, you're gonna need a lot more advanced-level crystals. The ones you will collect from those beasts aren't even a fraction of what you'll need. You'll see what I mean soon." Theo was bewildered; he scrunched his face in confusion. He turned his head, looking at me first, then at Ellie, who displayed her usual inscrutable face. But he didn't get his desired answer.

"Therefore," Cayman continued, "we need to go somewhere. Follow me." With no other way to provide a valid rebuttal, we all followed Cayman, who was the undisputed expert of the team.

Planet 501. Somehow, we were back. As soon as we climbed up the ladder and left the house that was a nightmare for people with claustrophobia, we were greeted by the familiar mundane atmosphere that Planet 501 had to offer: grey, grey and more grey. Saying Planet 501 is dull is an understatement. Just being on Planet 501 was enough to evoke feelings of sadness, depression and despair in someone who had previously been boisterous and effervescent.

Why did Cayman have to bring us to Planet 501 when we had Ben and Maya with us? This felt more like Devon's territory: land belonging to someone whose brain was literally cluttered with worries, with no space left for other things. And ironically, Devon had never even been on this planet before.

"Why are we back here?" Maya asked Cayman.

"This is literally the physical embodiment of dejection. Take me back!" However, Cayman shook his head, suggesting that the moody, gloomy side of him aligned with Planet 501's connotations.

"You'll see," Cayman replied bluntly.

"Just follow me." So we carried on walking. Clop, clop, clop. There was nothing around; this was the epitome of boredom. This atmosphere suited Ellie perfectly; a morose, silent, stoic person with no presence was on a planet that was mundane, grim and dark. It might suit Devon and Cayman quite well, but it didn't suit me, Theo, Ben and Maya. We continued walking, passing the tall, towering, perennial rocks which we saw when we first arrived in this area.

Nothing had changed; the rocks still towered above us like skyscrapers. And that was when I saw it. The huge cave that beckoned for us to enter last time was appearing in view. Its entrance, which was pitch-black, led to the lair of the hardest beast we had ever defeated. We were back, and we had returned earlier than I had expected. There was nothing new about a large cave in the middle of nowhere; this was akin to cave 33 back on Planet 505, with its imposing entrance exuding an aura of grandeur and mystery.

The jagged rocks that protruded out from the sides of the cave were a prominent feature of almost every cave, not just the ones on Planet Earth, Planet 501 and Planet 505. However, in the absence of wild mana beasts, there was nothing to be scared of inside this seemingly menacing cave anymore. Clop, clop, clop. As we delved deeper into the cave, the aftermath of the huge fight against the beasts on Planet 501 were more prominent.

We began to see more rotting corpses, some of which were just a pile of bones on the floor. The faint light from mana crystals was exposed from the beasts that didn't have their crystals looted during the fight.

"I'm collecting these." Ben rushed towards the source of the light. Most of the crystals were emitting a faint blue glow, implying that there were basic mana crystals present. However, there were also areas that had a subtle red glow.

"Don't mind if I do," Maya said as she followed suit. Theo did the same. Nevertheless, Cayman didn't say anything; he just let this spectacle unfold in front of his eyes. Eventually, once all of the mana crystals were looted, we carried on traversing through this deep, dark cave. Rogue droplets of water fell from the ceiling, falling on Ben's head, prompting him to say, "Why always me?"

Soon, we reached the area where I butchered the corpse of the boss beast, slashing it until it was a mangled corpse and rendering its condition irremediable. My memory of that event was foggy; although the yellow eyes hadn't appeared back then, I still displayed the symptoms of the yellow eye condition, prompting Cayman to have profound worries about my health.

"You did that," Theo said whilst pointing to the rotting corpse that reeked of blood and the smell of death.

"You killed him to this extent." All I did was smile. And once we passed the brutal scene of a legendary-level boss being eliminated in a demonic manner, we found ourselves inside the impressive vein of mana crystals. Although all of the crystals inside the vein were basic crystals, where blue light radiated from all directions, they were still worth selling, helping us bolster our incomes. I suddenly had a plausible deduction as to why we were back here. It happened whilst I was mining the blue crystals.

We had stumbled upon a vein of advanced mana crystals. Although the vein of advanced crystals contained less crystals than the vein of basic crystals, there was still enough there to last us a few months, if not a few years. It had the possibility of making us into millionaires who didn't even need to work a 9-5 job at any point during our lives. Cayman might have wanted to use the advanced mana crystals that were at our disposal. And sure enough, I couldn't be any more right.

He started descending the ladder once we reached the hole, and one by one, we followed him. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. And soon, our vision was shrouded in red. Cayman reached into his inventory and handed us each a pickaxe.

"Go and mine the crystals," he said simply.

"Mine as much as you can. You can mine up the whole vein if you want to." We didn't need him to say it twice, because in a split second, we rushed towards the huge block of crystals and diligently began mining it. Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack! Larger crystals were broken down into smaller crystals. Smaller crystals were then pulverised, forming mana crystals the size of pebbles. Soon, there was a heap of crystals on the floor. That heap continued to build up until it became an ant mound.

Then, it became a hill of mana crystals. And soon, Mount Everest of mana crystals was right in front of us, manifesting an aura of both extravagance and danger. Will we really need all of these crystals? I thought to myself, unable to discern whether this was too much. This seems like overkill. After about ten more minutes of frantically mining the crystals, Cayman called us back, telling us to leave behind the crystals.

"That's enough," he said resolutely.

"We won't need that many for now."

"You sure?" Cayman sighed at Ben's snide remark. Then, realising what he had said and keeping all of his anger tucked safely inside his brain, he gestured for us to stop mining and return.

"I have limited time. We have to use whatever time we have wisely, so don't spend too much unnecessary time mining the crystals when you don't need them. We can always return, since this is our planet." Theo, Ben, Maya and Daniel all nodded, collectively realising that Cayman's hypocrisy was over the moon at that point.

"Right. Let's start the demonstration, although we're delayed by about thirty minutes." Cayman turned to stare at Devon and Ellie, who were still as statues, listening intently. Then he turned back to the rest of us.

"Pick up a crystal from that massive heap and break it." Just like Theo, Ben, Maya and Daniel, I took small strides towards the mountain of mana crystals and picked one of them up. Then, with an unwavering stance, I smashed the crystal using the renewed strength I had gained in my right hand. Crack! You have chosen to use an 'Advanced Mana Crystal'. What will you be using it for? 1) Strength +5 2) Agility +5 3) Stamina +5 4) Intelligence +5 5) Perception +5 6) Upgrade skill And there it was.

At the bottom of the list of traits sat an option that allowed skill users to upgrade their skills. I had never tried using this option before, but I had a vague understanding of how it worked after reading the 570 chapters of Night Hoppers ten times. Option 6, I said in my head for the system to hear. Just as I expected, another system window popped up. You have chosen to upgrade a skill. Which skill do you wish to upgrade?

1) Reading Bubble (basic) 2) Teleportation (basic) 3) Recovery (basic) 4) Strength (basic) 5) Healing (basic) It was exactly the same as how it was portrayed in Night Hoppers. Once a skill user selects 'upgrade skill', they can select which skill they want to upgrade from their vast arsenal. The choice was completely up to them. Option 1, I said internally, indicating that I wanted to upgrade the skill that corresponded with option 1.

[You have spent 1 advanced mana crystal to upgrade skill, 'Reading Bubble (basic)'.] [You need 3 more advanced mana crystals to upgrade the skill to the advanced level.] [Crystals required: 1/4] This was nothing new to me, since it was exactly how the method of upgrading skills was portrayed in the novel. However, it was a completely different story for the rest of my friends.

"I need four advanced mana crystals to upgrade a skill to the advanced level?"

"That's what it says according to the system." Ben and Daniel were engaged in a long conversation about the methods of upgrading skills.

"That's an absolute steal since we have at least three hundred small crystals here."

"Now you can see why Cayman said to stop mining, since the number we have is basically overkill." Ben nodded after hearing Daniel's words. Soon after, he hastily sauntered towards the heap of crystals, picked up three and smashed them with just the palm of his right hand. Crack!!!

"Holy crap. This is real," he said after a while.

"My skill is now at the advanced level." To them, it didn't feel real. The concept of levelling up a skill was still foreign to them. It would take a while for them to get used to this alienating concept. Furthermore, the shock on Maya's face was brazen; it looked like she was about to explode with elation. Smiling, I grabbed another three mana crystals and smashed them with my formerly injured hand. Crack! You have chosen to upgrade a skill. Which skill do you wish to upgrade?

1) Reading Bubble (basic) 2) Teleportation (basic) 3) Recovery (basic) 4) Strength (basic) 5) Healing (basic) Option 1. [You have spent 3 advanced mana crystals to upgrade skill, 'Reading Bubble (basic)'.] [You need 0 more advanced mana crystals to upgrade the skill to the advanced level.] [Crystals required: 4/4] [Congratulations! Your skill, 'Reading Bubble (basic)', has reached the advanced level!] Finally, I said to myself, lost in thought. I'm making some real progress.

I repeated the process for the rest of my skills. With the upgraded skills, I can finally defeat advanced-level beasts with ease. Those cumbersome battles against advanced-level mana beasts can finally cease to exist. This was one giant step towards being a master skill user. Things only got better from here; when I upgraded my strength skill, I was met with a pleasant surprise that I honestly didn't see coming. [Congratulations! Your skill, 'Strength (basic)', has reached the advanced level!] Trait, 'Strength' has been upgraded by 10 points. Strength: 36 → 46 Ten points. My strength trait had been upgraded by ten points after I levelled up the skill. I felt like I was on the top of the world. Mental, I said to myself. This is crazy. I really am living in dreamland. And it wasn't just me either. This profound sense of ecstasy and exuberance instilled a renewed sense of vitality into not just my body, but the bodies of Theo, Ben, Maya and Daniel as well.

They were also buzzing with effervescence and jubilation.

"I can't believe it," Theo said, struggling to finish his sentence.

"This is crazy," Ben added, cherishing this moment for possibly the rest of his life.

"I felt like I've finally achieved something in life," Maya chimed in, putting both hands on her crown in complete shock. Although her flamboyance was already off the charts, this was clearly enough to make her flaunt her newfound possessions.

"I want to start training already!" Ben yelled.

"I want to try these new powers for myself!"

"Agreed," was Theo's calm and composed response. He had been a vicious, feared school bully just a month ago, and now, here he was, taking up the role of the most mature, pragmatic and composed person in our new friend group. The transformation was impossible to predict.

"I'll let you start training," Cayman replied with a wry smile plastered onto his face.

"You guys look like you're about to explode if I don't say yes." And with that, Ben and Maya hurriedly climbed up the ladder leading to the vein of basic mana crystals, sprinting out of the cave, eager to not waste any precious time. It was time for training.

Planet 501 also had its own secret training facility. Like usual, it was behind the portal, with an ancient door separating it from the main portal room. Ben and Maya looked like they wanted to use their newfound strength to forcefully smash the door, but they were stopped by Devon, who was a cloud of darkness, exuding a morose aura.

"These guys are too happy," Devon whispered to himself.

"I was never this happy when I levelled up my skills. They soon need to learn about the true reality of being a skill user." Once the door leading to the training room was open, Ben sprinted towards the red button that released the mana beasts and pressed it at least a hundred times. Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Instantly, a horde of mana beasts were summoned, filling up the training room. But Ben didn't falter; he released a superhuman punch, and the effects were out of this world. Punch! Bang! Thud!

Thud, thud, thud.

"Oh my gosh…" Instantly after the punch made contact with the beast, the beast that faced the brunt of the punch was sent flying at breakneck speed which was almost akin to the speed of light. It crashed into the wall with a sheer force that was enough to leave a small crack, sending small chunks of the ancient rocks crashing down onto the floor. And the beast? Well, the fact that it had perished was all but confirmed. Next, it was Theo's turn. Punch! Bang! Crack! Theo's punch was even stronger than Ben's.

Unfortunately, the beast that had been affected by the punch was struck in the neck, and even before it was sent airborne, there was a subtle cracking noise, indicating that the neck bone had been pulverised, smashed into smithereens.

"Holy crap," Theo whispered to himself as he continued punching the beasts with his monster punches.

"I can finally kill advanced-level beasts with just a single punch." That's right. Those beasts were at the advanced level. Punch! Punch! Punch! We were having too much fun. And Cayman, who was gazing at this lurid image being presented in front of him, only smiled.

"Alright guys," he said once all of the mana beasts were down and deceased.

"You've had your fun for now. This is where the real fun begins."

"What's the real fun?" Ben challenged, trying to refute Cayman's words.

"This is already fun enough. It's satisfying being able to kill advanced-level beasts with just one punch."

"Are you sure about that?" was Cayman's vague response.

"There's something that you'll find more fun than this. Now that you've learned how to upgrade skills, the real fun can begin. That is because I can now finally teach you skill creation."