BXBX NOVEL Chapter 108: Chapter108-Silver-Tier
Moreover, given his current strength, there was absolutely no need for such tactics.
Transforming into a streak of crimson light, John instantly appeared at the center of the forest.
Beneath his feet lay a vast expanse of forest, so dark and impenetrable that nothing could be discerned within.
Towering trees rose from the ground, their massive forms barely visible.
From somewhere in the depths, unsettling roars could be heard, as if some unknown creatures were crying out, sending shivers down one's spine.
[A notification appears before John: "You have entered the core area of 'Death Island,' 'Slaughter Forest'!"]
John glanced at the message and then dismissed it from his mind.
Names like Slaughter Forest or Death Island meant nothing to him.
Inspired by his recent encounter with the Desert Island Ghoul, he had already devised a method for rapid advancement.
With a cold gaze, John held his necromancer's staff, which suddenly erupted in a blinding blue light.
Frost coalesced and expanded rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, an immense ice sphere, hundreds of meters across, materialized above John's head.
"Ice Meteorite!"
John declared, his expression unchanging as he lightly pointed with his staff.
In the next instant, the ice meteorite plummeted towards the ground, its terrifying descent echoing throughout the Slaughter Forest.
Numerous monsters, caught off guard, looked up only to witness a sight they would never forget.
A gigantic sphere, akin to a meteorite and resembling a shooting star, traced a snowy arc across the sky.
Then, in their eyes, it rapidly enlarged!
With a thunderous crash, the colossal Ice Meteorite struck the heart of the forest, its formidable impact causing the entire Death Island to shudder violently.
Countless monsters let out cries of terror, frantically attempting to flee the area.
But it was already too late.
With a mere thought, a glint of icy blue light flashed in John's eyes.
Suddenly, the Ice Meteorite within the forest exploded with a deafening roar.
Shockwaves of chilling frost spread rapidly, mingled with a powerful force of impact.
In an instant, a forest spanning nearly a kilometer was utterly destroyed.
White frost spread at a visible pace, swiftly encasing everything within a kilometer radius in ice.
The air was filled with a piercing cold, as temperatures plummeted sharply.
Within moments, the sky began to form snowflakes that gently descended.
Notifications began to flood in front of John:
[You have slain a lv23 "Bloodthirst Tiger (Elite)", earning 45000 experience points!]
["Blood Absorption" activated, you have gained 0.7 strength attribute points!]
[You have slain a lv21 "Demon Ape (Normal)", earning 31,000 experience points!]
["Blood Absorption" activated, you have gained 0.3 speed attribute points!]
[You have slain a lv25 "Ghoul Chief (Lord)", earning 79000 experience points!]
["Blood Absorption" activated, you have gained 1.5 strength attribute points!]
...
A dense array of kill notifications appeared, and in just a few breaths, John's experience bar was filled.
A familiar glow enveloped him:
[You have leveled up to lv20, receiving 40 free attribute points!]
[You have acquired a new skill, please check it at your earliest convenience!]
[Your talent "Divine Favor Tome" has been activated, your skills have been upgraded to MAX!]
[You have reached the peak of bronze-tier, you will not be able to gain any more experience until you break through the level cap!]
...
Upon seeing the level-up notifications, a smile spread across John's face.
Indeed, with his current strength, mass attack strategies proved to be the fastest way to level up.
It hadn't taken long for him to reach lv20, and he surmised that clearing this secret realm wouldn't take much longer.
Initially, John had thought that completing the realm would be time-consuming, but it seemed he had overestimated the challenge.
Monsters of his level stood no chance against him; they were merely lambs to the slaughter.
John opened his character panel to inspect his newly acquired skills.
Upon reaching lv20, he had gained three intermediate skills: one passive and two active.
[Elemental Mastery lv20 (MAX)]
[Type]: Intermediate Skill (Passive)
[Description]: Your control over basic elements has significantly improved.
Your elemental skill power increases by 20%, elemental skill cooldown time decreases by 15%, and MP consumption for elemental skills decreases by 15%.
...
[Mana Burn lv20 (MAX)]
[Type]: Intermediate Skill (Active)
[Description]: Upon using this skill, your magical attack power increases by 50%, and skill cooldown time decreases by 20%. During the skill's duration, you consume 1% of your MP per second. Cooldown: 3 hours.
...
[Elemental Summoning lv20 (MAX)]
[Type]: Intermediate Skill (Active)
[Description]: Upon using this skill, you summon two intermediate elemental spirits to fight for you. You can control them freely. The skill lasts for 15 minutes, with a cooldown of 30 minutes, and consumes 4500 MP.
...
All three skills were impressive.
"Elemental Summoning," in particular, could significantly enhance John's elemental skill damage.
It's a common yet practical passive skill.
The skill "Mana Burn" shares some similarities with "Blood Rage," as both require the consumption of one's own resources to activate.
However, the effects of "Mana Burn" are somewhat weaker than those of Blood Rage.
Nonetheless, this skill could be effectively paired with "Mana Rampage," elevating John's magical damage to a new level in an instant and likely catching his enemies off guard in combat.
As for "Elemental Summoning," it is a summoning skill.
Unlike John's "Novice Skeleton Summoning," which conjures basic skeleton warriors, "Elemental Summoning" brings forth intermediate elemental spirits, undoubtedly more useful than mere skeletons.
After reviewing his skills, a glint of light flashed from John's storage ring as he retrieved the bronze-tier Breakthrough Stone he had purchased not long ago.
The sight of the stone, which cost him over ten million, brought a pained expression to John's face.
Given a choice, he would never opt to spend his resources on such an item.
However, necessity dictates action, and the Breakthrough Stone, being essential for awakeners, was a must-buy regardless of its price.
John calmed his emotions before using the stone.
It shattered with a loud crack, transforming into a stream of light that surged into his body.
[Ding!]
[You have broken through the bronze-tier and reached silver-tier!]
[Your talent "Divine Favor Tome" has been activated, enhancing your skills!]
[Your skill "Spring of Soul" has been upgraded to lv30!]
[Your skill "Blood Absorption" has been upgraded to lv30!]
[Your skill "Elemental Affinity" has been upgraded to lv30!]
...
Dozens of notifications appeared before John, and in just a moment, all his skills were elevated to lv30.
Every advancement significantly boosted John's strength, primarily due to the extraordinary nature of his talent, "Divine Favor Tome."
John casually selected a skill to examine its enhanced effects.
[Elemental Mastery lv30 (MAX)]
[Type]: Intermediate Skill (Passive)
[Description]: Your control over the basic elements has greatly improved. Your elemental skill power is increased by 30%, cooldown time for elemental skills is reduced by 20%, and MP consumption for elemental skills is decreased by 20%.
...
After reviewing several more skills, John estimated in his mind.
On average, each of his skills had seen about a 30% enhancement in effectiveness and damage.
However, this didn't mean his overall strength had only increased by 30%.
Every increment in skill level, when applied in combat, can be exponentially magnified, an aspect not fully captured by mere panel data.
For instance, with John's current use of elemental skills, combined with the cooldown reduction from his equipment, those skills which originally required a minute or two for cooldown could now be unleashed in mere seconds.
Given the quantity of John's skills, he could achieve seamless skill casting, transforming into a relentless spell-casting machine.
In a battlefield context, he could match the combat power of an entire squad single-handedly!
Moreover, John is currently only an intermediate magus.
If he were to advance to a high-level magus, or even a top-tier magus, one can only imagine the terrifying extent of his destructive capabilities.
It's conceivable that he could dominate a battlefield all on his own.
This potential for immense destruction is precisely why Alexander was so adamant about recruiting him into the military.
John's power could reach its fullest expression on the battlefield.
Unfortunately, John, fearing death and unwilling to serve the Federal government without compensation, steadfastly refused Alexander's earnest pleas, no matter how persuasive.
Subsequently, John retrieved the three scrolls he had purchased from the All Season Trade Association.
The scrolls unfurled gently in the sky, transforming into three beams of light that surged into John's body.
A series of notifications cascaded before his eyes.
[You have acquired the new skill "Mana Rampage lv1"!]
[Your talent "Divine Favor Tome" is activated, upgrading the skill "Mana Rampage" to lv30!]
[You have acquired the new skill "Roar of Thunder lv1"!]
[Your talent "Divine Favor Tome" is activated, upgrading the skill "Roar of Thunder" to lv30!]
[You have acquired the new skill "Undead Brand lv1"!]
[Your talent "Divine Favor Tome" is activated, upgrading the skill "Undead Brand" to lv30!]
...