Chương 40: Final Preparations

It looks like all that hunting paid off. That's a lot of Levels—and far more System Points than I expected, not to mention Stat Points. I should check them now, before I face my hardest battle yet. Since my Inventory had been full for a while, I decided to expand it first. I spent some System Points to raise it to 50 slots, giving me more than enough space for all the materials around me and anything else I might need. Ding! [You have exchanged 1, 500, 000 System Points.] [You have expanded your Inventory: 20 → 50!]"Alright, now that that's done, what's next?" I wondered.

"Astraea, what do you suggest I buy with the System Points? What's available?" [You could purchase more skills and similar abilities,] she explained. [Or you could directly level up existing skills and evolve them, though that usually costs more System Points than normal.]"Hmm. I need to prepare for the next fight," I said.

"Judging by the immense heat pouring from that room, the boss is bound to be far hotter than anything we've faced before. I need to strengthen my Ice Affinity. Is there a way? First, show me my current Skill levels."

♢♢♢♢ <Species Skill Tree> [Divine Dragon – Tier 5]: [Dragon Form Manifestation – Tier 1: Level 8/10] [Small Divine Presence – Tier 1: Level 7/10] [Baby Dragon Breath – Tier 1: Level 8/10] [Young Dragon Scales – Tier 1: Level 8/10] [Newborn Draconic Vitality – Tier 1: Level 8/10] [Chaos Demon – Tier 3]: [Miasma Veins – Tier 1: Level 7/10] [Lesser Demonic Aura – Tier 1: Level 6/10] [Small Corruption Touch – Tier 1: Level 6/10] [Demon Claw – Tier 1: Level 4/10] [Human – Tier 1]: [Tool Mastery – Tier 1: Level 8/10] [Adaptive Learning – Tier 1: Level 4/10] <Class Skill Tree> [Rogue – Tier 1]: [Stealth – Tier 1: Level 8/10] [Knife Throwing – Tier 1: Level 10/10] <Elemental Magic Affinity Skill Trees> [Harmony – SSS Rank]: [Harmonious Restoration – Tier 1: Level 5/10] [Light of Harmony – Tier 1: Level 5/10] [Chaos – SSS Rank]: [Disrupting Chaos – Tier 1: Level 5/10] [Chaotic Miasma – Tier 1: Level 4/10] [Ice – S Rank]: [Sorrowful Ice Garden – Tier 1: Level 7/10] [Icicle Formation – Tier 1: Level 6/10] [Fire – S Rank]: [Origin Flames – Tier 1: Level 9/10] [Water – S Rank]: [Spirit Soul Sea – Tier 1: Level 3/10] Stolen story; please report.

[Nightmare – A Rank]: [Living Darkness – Tier 1: Level 4/10] [Nightmare Thorn Domain – Tier 1: Level 3/10] <Others> [Spiralwalker Abilities]: [Nebula of Memories – Tier 9: Level 9/10] [Cultivation Methods]: [Dragon Soul Refining Method – Rank 3] [Ascendancy Law Divinity Refinement Method – Rank 8] ♢♢♢♢"Huh, Knife Throwing reached max level? And it was the first one to do so. Is that because I kept spamming it?" [Yes. You received a notification, but you ignored it during the fight. I can't blame you, Master. Still, the Skill's power has increased dramatically now that it's maxed out. Have you noticed?]"You're right. I can manipulate the summoned knives more easily now and fuse them into stronger forms. They explode with greater force and deal significantly more damage…" [You should start by evolving this Skill. Since it's only a Tier 1 Class Skill, it will cost 500, 000 System Points.]"F-Five hundred thousand?!" The number left me stunned. Wasn't that a little too expensive? [Yes. Evolving Skills puts a heavy strain on my core, so I need substantial energy. System Points are like sustenance to me—both food and fuel. The greater the task, the more I require. That is simply how the Andromeda System was designed, and I am its daughter.]"I understand. Go ahead. It's not like we have a better option right now." [Understood.] [You have exchanged 500, 000 System Points.] [The Class Skill: [Knife Throwing – Tier 1: Level 10/10] has evolved into [Knife Rain – Tier 2: Level 10/20].]"Awesome!

The level stayed the same, but the cap increased. That's cool," I said.

"Knife Rain? Sounds stronger. Let's test it." I found another group of enemies and activated Knife Rain. The result surprised me. The familiar instinct took hold as I chose the elements for the knives. They formed instantly. This time, I could control their direction with far greater precision and even summon them directly above my foes.

"Wow!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The explosions thundered. Before, the knives could combine two elements at most. Now I could weave three—Harmony, Chaos, and Ice—into a devastating storm. The monsters froze, then shattered into pieces.

"Deadly as hell. I love this!" The damage had more than doubled. It was more than enough to face the boss. I would definitely be spamming this Skill. The Harmonious Chaos Reversal form, Chain Blade Dominion, had also evolved into Chain Rune Blade Dominion. The blades now appeared in greater numbers, infused with glowing runes and stronger elemental power. Knife Rain felt perfect for overwhelming, rapid assaults, while Chain Rune Blade Dominion was better for coordinated strikes.

Each rune blade moved independently, slashing and unleashing elemental spells on its own.

"This would be even better if it didn't drain my energy so badly," I sighed.

"I'll have to keep injecting venom and reversing it for faster recovery, plus stack every blessing and buff I can get. Anyway… what else? Right—Ice Spells. Astraea, what can I do?" [It's possible to raise your Ice Affinity to SS Rank. Your Ice Spells would become 200% stronger, and you would gain a new one.]"Alright, do it." Ding! [You have exchanged 2, 000, 000 System Points.] [Your Ice Affinity has Ranked Up from S Rank to SS Rank.] [You learned the new Ice Affinity Skill: [Freeze Shock – Tier 2: Level 1/10]!] [The Ice Affinity Skill: [Sorrowful Ice Garden – Tier 1: Level 7/10] has leveled up to Level 10.] [The Ice Affinity Skill: [Icicle Formation – Tier 1: Level 6/10] has leveled up to Level 9.]"Two million?!" I shouted. [It's really not that much! Once you hunt more inside dungeons or across vast wilderness areas, you'll gather System Points much faster.]"A-Are you sure?" I muttered.

"Well… if you say so. Freeze Shock, huh? What does it do?" [There are still a few monsters nearby. Let's test it.]"Fine." We tracked down several creatures hiding in the volcanic underground until we found a large skull resting in the shadows. From a distance, I activated the new skill.

"Freeze Shock!" FLASH! A surge of azure light engulfed the giant skull in an instant, freezing it solid. The creature couldn't move at all.

"Oh, it freezes them completely?!" Crack… crack…! CRASH! The ice shattered violently. The skull broke free but was covered in cracks, its defenses badly weakened. I finished it with a single swipe of Demon Claw.

"So it freezes enemies solid, then damages them when the ice breaks and leaves them vulnerable," I said, nodding.

"That's really good!" [Yes. Now, why don't we evolve the Skill you mastered?]"Sorrowful Ice Garden… Right, we still have about a million System Points left. Go for it!" Ding! [You have exchanged 500, 000 System Points.] [The Ice Affinity Skill: [Sorrowful Ice Garden – Tier 1: Level 10/10] has evolved into [Sorrowful Winter Garden – Tier 2: Level 10/20]!]"Sorrowful Winter Garden…" I muttered with a smile.

"I don't need an explanation to know this is much stronger. From Ice to Winter itself." With my Ice Affinity now at SS Rank, every Ice Skill was 200% more powerful.

"Maybe I'm finally ready for the boss…" Without even testing the new Skill, I strode toward the massive door. Heart pounding with resolve, I kicked it open.

"?!" What greeted me was hell itself.