It was a good thing that Xavier was not in immediate danger because he was so baffled about the mass of messages that popped up in his view that he took a few moments to collect himself. His mind rattled as he browsed through the messages to understand what was going on, and a weird smile formed on his lips.
It was obvious that he would have to continue fighting now that he had come this far. Completing all bonus missions with high contribution would result in better rewards. Even if Xavier wanted to, could he really reject the system’s remark?
His head flicked to the Goblin Shaman, who was fuming in anger. It let out a hysterical shriek and muttered something in a foreign language before releasing a bombardment of thunderbolts in Xavier’s direction. Xavier was quick enough to react and use Dash to rush to the side, barely evading the bombardment of lethal attacks by a hair’s breadth.
The Minotaur made use of the Goblin Shaman’s rage and distraction to lift a Goblin Warrior high into the air and throw him at the Goblin Shaman as if it was a cannonball.
The Goblin Shaman and the Minotaur were already injured and exhausted but it was evident that they wouldn’t stop fighting before one of them was dead. Xavier couldn’t lose such a great opportunity to increase his contribution rate and potentially complete the last bonus mission to receive the best rewards from the system.
Since I’m already here, I might as well make use of this. The Monster Gate is closed. All I have to do is deal with…these hideous existences. Good thing I got a bunch of extra Soul Essences for devouring Aether, whatever that is.
Xavier was unwilling to leave just like that. He had to get as many benefits as possible.
What is the most efficient way to increase my contribution? Probably killing as many enemies as possible. The stronger ones should get me more points but small flies will increase my contribution rate as well. How do I get as many kills as possible? Well…that should be simple.
He made a decision and retreated even further. Some Goblin Warriors and a small group of Goblins had been ordered to attack him. Fortunately, they were still a bit further away from him. The distance gave him just enough time to glance at the information of his Classless Deck, and to issue a simple command.
Stored Soul Essences: 83
Integrate 50 Soul Essences into the Star of Energy and 33 Soul Essences into the Star of Wisdom!
Integrate 50 Soul Essences into the Star of Energy. Y/N?
Integrate 33 Soul Essences into the Star of Wisdom. Y/N?
“Yes!!” Xavier shouted at the top of his lungs, ready to force his body to go through the worst kind of pain.
Simultaneously, he used Air Bullet as often as possible, trying to use up as much energy as he could before the Soul Essences fully integrated into the Star of Energy and the Star of Wisdom.
He then retrieved something from his pockets. It was an Uncommon Card. Xavier picked up the Uncommon Card Shards whenever some dropped, even mid-battle.
He was lucky enough to procure two Uncommon Card Shards when he dealt with the Goblin Warriors he encountered while jumping across the barricade of cars. Afterward, it had merely been a matter of time before he found the final piece to create his first Uncommon Card.
Xavier had been lucky enough to see the Uncommon Card’s effect just before the Monster Gate destabilized and turned into a devastating shockwave of purified energy.
Spell Mastery
Uncommon - Level 1(0%)
Utility
Passive
No Requirements
Effect –Improves the User’s understanding of Spells.
Allows the User to easily improve the proficiency of Common and Uncommon Spell Cards.
–
Effects increase according to Card Level
Spell Mastery was a pretty simple Card. It improved his mastery of Spells rapidly. The Uncommon Utility Card was also the sole reason Xavier decided to heavily invest in the Star of Energy and the Star of Wisdom.
He added the Uncommon Card to his Deck and allowed the stream of information to flood him.
Utility Card has been linked to your Deck.
In the following moment, Xavier’s abdomen tensed up and a freezing cold swept through his body. It was the energy received from integrating 50 Soul Essences into his Star of Energy. His brain felt like mush as well. Millions of tiny needles poked all over – and within – his brain, inflicting tremendous pain.
However, it was also the pain that kept him awake and ensured that he wouldn’t faint on the spot. Xavier grit his teeth and used Air Bullet more than twenty times in quick succession. Simultaneously, Xavier used Taunt and Sharpness to use up more energy at once.
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Repetitively using Taunt on the Goblins and Goblin Warriors in front of him resulted in a sudden notification.
[Proficiency of Spell Card ‘Taunt’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
It was no surprise that Taunt reached Level 2. Xavier was just unfortunate to be unable to focus on the improvements of Taunt because the Card had leveled up in the middle of a battle. He continued to spam Taunt on the Goblins and Goblin Warriors in front of him while simultaneously releasing one Air Bullet after another.
Xavier used Air Bullet more than forty times in the last minute, whereas Taunt was used on every Goblin Warrior in front of him. By the time 30 Goblins fell victim to his Air Bullets, Taunt had already enraged new victims that charged at Xavier with burning fury.
[Proficiency of Spell Card ‘Air Bullet’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
A thin smile formed on Xavier’s face that was contorted in pain. The freezing cold that spread through his entire body was bad. It was really bad. Xavier regretted having used that many Soul Essences at once. He could have split the integration of Soul Essences into batches of 10 to 15. But that had been too slow for him.
Xavier regretted having increased his Foundation Stars so suddenly and with so many Soul Essences. Despite the regret and tremendous pain, Xavier could sense the changes that occurred within him.
His accuracy, the ability to calculate the damage his Air Bullets caused, the strength of his Air Bullets, and tens of other processes that happened in his mind simultaneously were much easier to handle now that his Wisdom Star had been strengthened to such a high degree.
He could sense the energy coursing through his body clearly and he could precisely calculate how much energy each Air Bullet consumed. That was when Xavier decided to use more energy and compress it into a single Air Bullet.
He was not even sure what he was doing or how he was doing it but the Air Bullet’s destructive force and velocity improved all of a sudden. His energy was drained rapidly, but the energy provided from the integration of 50 Soul Essences was still overwhelmingly high. It was almost like there was no end to the energy coursing through his body.
Not that he had a problem with that. It was exactly what Xavier needed. His body was in pain, unbearable pain…but it was also brimming with energy. It was practically bursting with strength. Xavier could tell that he would have to focus on the Star of Vitality and other Foundation Stars to strengthen his vessel pretty soon, otherwise, he might actually burst apart into pieces.
He was not going to let that happen. If anyone was going to get smashed into smithereens, it was his enemies.
The bombardment of Air Bullets began shortly after.
Nearly a hundred Air Bullets manifested around Xavier. They stabilized at once and were thrown toward the mass of charging Goblins and Goblin Warriors. The hideous creatures were already more vigilant against Xavier, but they were still obeying the orders of their Shaman.
That was their biggest mistake and the reason death pursued them until the Grim Reaper caught up to them. The Grim Reaper retrieved their Souls as the bombardment of Air Bullets pierced through their thick skin and flesh.
The ordinary Goblins turned into a mess of flesh and bones, whereas the Goblin Warriors were bruised black and blue. Level 3 Air Bullets were not yet strong enough to inflict lethal damage on them. A good thing, however, was that the Air Bullets reinforced with more energy were just enough to keep the Goblin Warriors at bay.
Glut unleashed several ember darts to push the Goblin Warriors backward and to deal some damage to their vital spots. The Ember Sparrow loved to pierce and splatter their eyeballs. But that didn’t work every single time.
[Proficiency of Spell Card ‘Air Bullet’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
By the time Air Bullet reached Level 4, the strengthened Air Bullets that consumed more energy were enough to pierce through the Goblin Warriors’ skin. It was not yet enough to lodge themselves deep into their flesh, but a bombardment of dozens of Air Bullets in quick succession was enough to injure the Goblin Warriors.
Aiming at the same injured spot over and over again on the Goblins’ bodies gave Xavier the power he required to kill the Goblin Warriors with his Air Bullets.
[Proficiency of Spell Card ‘Air Bullet’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
[Proficiency of Spell Card ‘Taunt’ reached 100%. Level Up!]
Air Bullet advanced to Level 5 after more than a thousand Air Bullets found their target in the bodies of the ordinary Goblins and Goblin Warriors. Xavier continued to use Taunt occasionally, but he focused on Air Bullet. He understood that neither the Goblins nor Goblin Warriors were able to do anything against the bombardment of his Air Bullets at this point.
A dozen strengthened Air Bullets were enough to kill a Goblin Warrior. As for the energy it required to conjure so many Air Bullets, it was negligent.
Xavier’s sight grew hazy, his entire body was drenched in cold sweat and his legs were wobbly. He had difficulties standing and realized at last that his mental power was about to be drained.
Integrate eight Soul Essences into the Star of Vitality. Y/N?
He procured some Soul Essences from the massacre he initiated. However, it was far from the number he could procure in the past. Improving his Foundation was the reason he turned into a monstrosity that was strong enough to deal with the Goblin Warriors easily. It was the reason why he was still alive, and also the cause for the scarcity of Soul Essences.
But that was fine. All that mattered was that he was not yet dead and that he won.
Not even the Minotaur or the Goblin Shaman had much energy left. Their injuries grew worse in the time Xavier obliterated the army of Goblins and Goblin Warriors.
The center of the village looked like a bloody battlefield. Corpses and body parts were littered everywhere and the loose sand was dyed red. There were puddles of blood in which the enemies he’d killed lay, blood continuing to ooze out of the gaping wounds he had inflicted on them. It was a gory sight and Xavier took a while to digest the fact that he was the cause of this.
The green monsters were no longer cackling and shrieking but their pitiful cries were still ringing in his ears even though their mouths had fallen silent forever. He was covered in blood and innards and reeked of death. The horrible stench of the corpses that slowly began to rot and attract flies made him wrinkle his nose in disgust.
Amidst the bodies, he saw the broken remains of the Monster Gate. The once imposing structure was now reduced to rubble and a few Goblins met their deaths by getting crushed under the debris. Despite the state of despair and gloom around him, Xavier was grinning. He had suffered a lot and gone through hellish pain but it had been worth it. His plan had been a success!
However, that did not mean the battle was over. Far ahead of him, the Shaman and the Minotaur continued to fight though he noticed the way their movements seemed sluggish.
“I won’t keep you waiting for long.” He muttered while staring at them and tightened his grip over the ruby katana.
Hundreds of Air Bullets formed around the two monstrosities as Xavier’s smile turned brighter and brighter.
“Sayonara, motherfuckers!”