Novels2Search

Chapter 97

Applicable enchantment:

15% Auto-repair

5% Durability

5% Sharpness

10% Returning

10% Expanding

10% Retractable

15% Soulbound

50% Ego Seed

10% Ethereal

15% Vampiric

15% Channeling

5%²x Twinned

5% Living

5% Enduring

5% Incanting

These few, among several others, seem interesting. Some are rather self explanatory, others were better understood after an Inspect; Returning allows the weapon to blink back towards its user, while Expanding and Retractable are opposites in the way one allows a weapon to extend, while the other allows it to fold into itself. An Ego Seed gives the weapon potential for growth and the chance of developing an ego. Ethereal weapons does partial soul damage, Channeling makes the weapon double as a spellcasting focus, and Twinned somehow gives the weapon two forms; two different items combined somehow, both of which are purchased from this store and subjected to the 5% cost. Last but not least, the final three increases resource regeneration, for Health, Stamina and Mana respectively.

I want them all! But with a total of 185% multiplied by my weapon's original cost, I definitely cannot afford all 15. Auto-Repair and Durability are a must! Wouldn't want the weapon to break. Still in doubt about Sharpness, and I have Blink, so no need for the following four though some might come in handy anyways. As for the next, again, I'm not sure about Ego Seed; like my ring, these growth objects are expensive—and undoubtedly great in the long run—but are incapable of keeping up with my current rate of growth, so skip! Then; maybe. Skip. Maybe. Maybe. And probably just the mana one—as I can heal… and fly!

Eventually, I decided upon; Auto-repair, Durability, Sharpness, Returning, Expanding, Soulbound, Twinned, and Incanting. The twinned object being the most durable ring I can find, one Adamantine Ring. How practical to wear a ring that can turn into a weapon! I had given the purchase a trial run and knows that the percentages are applied together. So, 32,500 x 170% = 55,250. Ring with Auto-repair, Durability, Returning, Soulbound, Twinned and Incanting; 500 x 155% = 775. For a total of 56,025 Guanzhong Points. The ring was rather cheap, so I figured there was no harm done to give them similar enchantments. And if I have need for an ego weapon somewhere along the road, I can simply buy another after a few more Dungeon runs… Or get one from The System Store. 'Inspect, x2. Please'

** DING **

Repairing Twinned-Bound Durable Green Dragon Crescent Expandable Keen Blade of Incanting and Returning

Repairing Twinned-Bound Durable Adamantine Ring of Incanting and Returning

Fortunately for another 1,625 and 25 points; I was allowed to rename both items. Now, under my influence, they are called Crescent Emerald Blade and Crescentine Ring respectively… Honestly, I had a hunch and am hoping that being Soulbound and capable of returning, they can return to me across everything; seals, realms, dimensions, etcetera. And, Incanting adds a small boost of 5% to my flat mana regeneration; it's not much, but I suppose people can wear multiple similarly enchanted items for a better boost. Satisfied and with a mere 5000 something points left, I proceeded to step into the portal to leave the dungeon… and instead knocked my head onto a solid surface!

** DING **

Please hold while rewards are being adjusted

Didn't I already get my reward? I question myself, and yet the dots keep appearing.

Phantasmic Dungeoneer updated

Please select your reward

25% extra points

1 Free item below 30,000 points

3 rolled items

Oh! I had forgotten all about that title… Hmm, if I remember correctly, the Title effect gives me an extra reward selected from one of three choices right. Alrighty, so I was awarded about 60,000 points this run, so 25% that would be 15,000 while a free item would give me something double that—I refuse to consider the third option which is wholly dependent on luck—so it's time to recheck the store! My first thought was on purchasing a horse, but instantly dismissed the idea. The same goes for armor. Maybe a..? As a spellcasting devourer, I don't really need much, huh?

Unwilling to waste more of my time, I selected the first option and gained an additional 9,464 Guanzhong Point. This time, the exit portal worked as intended and I find myself standing before the Dungeon gate in True Space. Approximately 5 hours have passed, the time on my VICOS now shows 4.28 am. It's a new day, one day! But I feel like years have gone by—oh, I feel giddy at the idea of wielding such potent time magic. 'Please Inspect Exalted Cultivator.'

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Exalted Cultivator. You now walk the world carrying a well of profound power that combines both the usage and purpose of Mana and Stamina—though its usage is better suited for physical exploits rather than magical conduct. Know that plenty walk the profound path of Ki; most are ordinary, a few may experience rapid understanding, fewer yet comprehends untaught. These few are exalted indeed.

Well, I'd like to see myself as a spellcaster first and foremost! Before I am any part a warrior or others. But dabbling in free stuff that makes me stronger is never a bad thing. After all, who knows what the future holds! The Title also seems to have slightly improved my mana and stamina regen; with the enchantment, by a total of 55%. Now, regarding the five skills that broke their first Threshold. I think it is best I give them a slight bit more attention, the circumstances during their level ups was a rather unique situation… Though thinking that it would not do to cause property damage in the newly built city, I delayed and flew away to find a better location.

Now standing alone on a random empty field of land somewhere south east-east of Beijing. I lift my right hand and the ring on my middle finger instantly shifts left into nothing, then just as fast, shifts in repeat—much larger this time and I am suddenly holding onto my new weapon. I give the Guandao a spin and do a few test swings, Slash Smash Stab—Slash. Slash. Stab. I did all three multiple times before making both Smash and a Slash; replicating Amputate. Then a Slash-Stab to replicate Cleave… It seems the Threshold allows me to combine the three basic skills to replicate a plethora of other skills.

Now incorporating movement into my practice. First, I allow mana… and added stamina to produce Ki; then made the three complicated steps that are Sidewinding, my body flashed and I shifted by 90 degrees in relation to the direction I was facing, which would position me to the side of an opponent. Ki made the movement more than twice as fast! I harnessed more Ki and took a step, moving 12 meters in that one act, then another step took me 15 meters away… and another, and another… Soon, a few hundred charging-steps later while moving as far as approximately 20 meters with each step, I find myself before a young forest—then on the roots of the largest tree I can find. Two more steps on two protruding bark and I managed to ascend the 30 meters tall tree… I stared at the open air and felt new possibilities—so I jumped and the Ki on my legs allowed me to slightly find footing on solidified air… eventually, I found myself running above the ground. This process of applying mana or Ki to my movements is exactly what the Threshold entails, it also serves to greatly increase the movement overall.

I do not deem any test is necessary for Pain and Poison Resistance; I was hit a lot during the years warring as Zhang, sometimes the arrows or weapons are rusty from mistreatment, or purposely coated with some… Things. Thus, the two skill Thresholds serve a similar purpose, that is they allow me to maintain almost intact bodily functions despite the pain or poison coursing through my veins. And lastly All-Armors Proficiency—a Threshold I would have never achieved with my Conjure Trilattic Swarm; because one is something already part of the spell—which is how I can infuse an armor I have equipped with mana or Ki circulation, this serves to give me a modicum of magical defense, and allows me to boost an Attribute of my choosing by approximately 10% for the duration I maintain said circulation. This was useful for giving my defense, attack or agility a quick boost, and sometimes, to intimidate enemies. Again, a feature I would never have figured out anytime soon with my combat path leaning more towards spellcasting.

With a final air-leap. I cast Micro Flight and in conjunction with Blink, return to Quadpeak through the Taiwan gate. It's about time to refine my finest Wand to date! I Blink into Agus's Enchanting Chamber, "hi! Where is it? Did you manage to figure out a way to lower the mana costs?"

He points to his table, and on it, my Buster Sword shaped Mana Core lies. "There's not much progress so far. With the Hilt-Foci, I did so by providing an actual hilt, and also an example of what material to make the weapon with. I can't do that with this one."

I give him an I'm disappointed in you look. In his defense, he exclaimed. "It's only been one night, okay!? Night, not even day!"

I chuckle, "s'fine! There's plenty of mana in there anyways. If only I know how to attune the core to spatial magic."

"Well, I know the dwarves would saturate their core with earthen mana rich materials for a few days before refining the core, while still heavily saturated with mana." He told me.

"Is it that simple?"

"Nothing simple about that man!" He complains.

"Are the various materials more important or is the attuned mana more important?" I ask him; one would be expensive, while the latter I can probably do something about.

He ponders for a while. "I would think the mana is, as that is what would ultimately affect the Core. What the various materials do is emit the altered mana… Of course this is just my educational guess."

Hmm, I can always make another wand and all that would cost me is one day to let the Cores regen… "Ah well, let's give it a try! I'm gonna infuse the machine with spatial attuned mana. Can your refining machine handle 34,500 mana?"

He nodded to my question, "the written specification says it should hold as much as 100,000 mana."

"Awesome!" I check the Core in my Core Vault and quickly count 696-thousand mana is available. "Uh, what happens if we refine the Core with more than 5x its pool?"

"Should be fine, might boost it by more than the usual 50%. Just know that the effect diminishes greatly beyond the standard 5x." He answered, before suddenly complaining. "Go read the books in our library already man!"

"We have a library?" That earned me a facepalm.

Yet, after pausing for a fraction of a second, he suddenly said. "I guess you never did return to Rumah."

"Yeah, maybe I should soon…" It has been a while. Though currently, there are more important things. "Well, let's stop dallying, I'm gonna use 14 times the mana needed!"

He visibly paused while his brain did the math, "96,600… let's do this! But if my Burst Refiner breaks, you're buying me a new one!!"

Luckily Agus had the mind to recheck the manual, as it turned out; we needed a minimum of 75% of the provided mana unattuned to provide the machine enough fuel to produce adequate heat. So, 75,000 unattuned mana and 25,000 Spatial mana. We decided it'll be fine to push the machine and go for the maximum capacity of 100,000 infused mana. The thing only costs about 1 million Creds anyways… First, I pulled and mixed 15,000 mana from my personal pool and 85,000 mana from my Cores, then I separated exactly 25,000 from the whole mass. Next step, infusing the larger mass into the machine, which serves to free a large part of my mind from the burden of maintaining Mana Manipulation.

Next I focus on the batch hovering above my hand; spatial mana..? I first try to get a feel of what it really is by moving a tiny part of the smaller mass of mana in between the various spaces; approximately 100 points worth. First from the most familiar True Space to the Subspace where my Repository resides; the mana phased out, losing a majority of its attachment to the world—no, to True Space. Then it slipped through the spatial borders and arrived within my Repository purely through Mana Manipulation.

Here, the mass of mana attuned itself and it feels to me as if they once again become real—attuned, in relation to the Subspace. So I assume space mana is the unattuned mana?