BXBX NOVEL Chapter 100: The Ultimate Golden-Quality Skill
He had heard before that to upgrade to legendary status, one typically needed three fully activated golden-quality skills.
This was why third-class players were so fervent in their pursuit of legendary status points.
But if two people were to ascend to legendary status with three skills each, and one person had [Star Point Finger], which could use up to 8 legendary points, while the other had [Divine Flame Drive], which maxed out at 4 points, it was clear who would be stronger.
Moreover, Sterl suspected that the highest golden-quality skill might not necessarily be limited to just 8 legendary points.
He suddenly felt a bit troubled. "Does this mean that to perfectly ascend to legendary status, I need to collect more golden-quality skills to ensure I have three skills that can use the maximum number of legendary points?"
Sterl wasn\'t lacking confidence in himself, but the resources within the Divine Mountain Empire weren\'t that abundant.
"I can only hope that this mission allows me to connect with the Dark Moon Alliance."
"The alliance itself and its 70-plus member countries must have some resource-rich areas."
He pondered over this. As for the warning in [Divine Flame Drive] about being hunted by the Atlantic Empire upon using the skill, Sterl was not worried at all.
For one, once he added the points, his skill might no longer be traceable. Secondly, he planned to use [Divine Flame Drive] sparingly, mostly as a trump card in The Netherworld. By the time he left this other world, he would likely have new trump cards.
Finally, Sterl even thought that being hunted might not be so bad. It could turn into a new hidden quest. After all, according to Felicia, legends wouldn\'t make a move easily.
Having finished his thoughts, Sterl decided not to rush into using his legendary points. He would first focus on fully enhancing [Divine Flame Drive].
Since he would have to wait for a day, Sterl temporarily ignored his skill panel and decisively left the city to find the shuttle where the fourth prince was located.
The search wasn\'t difficult. In the base of the human race on Earth, the NPCs from the Divine Mountain Empire held very high status. Particularly someone as noble-looking as the fourth prince—even the base commander would bow and scrape before him.
The shuttle was positioned in the most prime location on the outskirts of the base—
It was a very spacious plain, not only open in terrain but also repeatedly cleared of monsters by experts from the base, making it extremely safe.
"Mr. David, you\'re here!" Upon boarding the shuttle, it was naturally the fourth prince himself who came to greet him with a sincere demeanor.
After exchanging pleasantries with the prince, Sterl settled into the most luxurious room on the shuttle and began his training.
Even with the shuttle, the journey to the Pompeii Empire would take a day and a night, giving Sterl just enough time to add some points.
He trained through the night, and once the cooldown for adding points had passed, he immediately allocated points to [Divine Flame Drive].
With a fervent gaze, Sterl checked his panel:
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[Divine Flame Drive (Golden)]
[Proficiency: Beginner (0/5000)]
[Current Status: Inactive]
[Description: The highest secret of the Atlantic Empire\'s royal lineage, only transferable to those with royal blood. Modified through special power to eliminate its flaws and slightly enhance the skill\'s effects.]
[Effect: Creates a seven-colored divine flame to propel the body, greatly boosting agility, constitution, and strength, and adds a divine flame augmentation to attacks. Each time an enemy is hit, the divine flame burns more fiercely, increasing its power but also consuming additional stamina and endurance.]
[Legendary Status Enhancement:
One point of legendary status (Inactive)
Two points of legendary status (Inactive)
Four points of legendary status (Inactive)
Eight points of legendary status (Inactive)
Twenty points of legendary status (Inactive)]
---
"Still golden?" Sterl was momentarily stunned. He had hoped to see what a skill above golden quality would look like, but his expectations were dashed.
However, he wasn\'t too disappointed. Since golden skills required legendary points to use, higher-quality skills might not be usable directly either. They might even require the power of demigod-level laws.
Sterl speculated wildly, as he only knew the term "demigod-level" but little else about it.
He then reviewed the effects of the newly enhanced [Divine Flame Drive] and nodded in satisfaction.
Firstly, the risk of being hunted by the Atlantic royal family had been eliminated.
Additionally, [Divine Flame Drive] had improved upon its previous issue of difficulty in changing direction during an attack and now included a "the more you fight, the stronger you get" effect.
However, seeing the additional stamina and endurance consumption made Sterl feel slightly troubled again. It seemed his energy deficit was growing larger.
Finally, Sterl vaguely confirmed one thing: the maximum legendary points that could be invested in a single skill was likely twenty.
His golden finger had subtly given him feedback that [Divine Flame Drive] was already at the highest limit for golden-quality skills.
Secondly, the activation tiers for [Divine Flame Drive] required a doubling of legendary points for each tier. The jump from the last tier, which needed 8 points, to 20 points was quite significant, indicating something special.
Thus, it made perfect sense that 20 legendary points would be the maximum investment for a golden-quality skill!
Seeing that he couldn\'t invest any more points into the newly enhanced [Divine Flame Drive], Sterl allocated his two available legendary points into it.
The results were quite gratifying.
The first two activation entries for [Divine Flame Drive] now read:
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One point of legendary status: Divine Flame power increased by 100%.
Two points of legendary status: You can release the accumulated Divine Flame in one go, causing devastating damage.
---
The first entry was straightforward, allowing the golden-quality skill to truly shine, while the second entry added a burst capability, both of which were quite impressive.
Satisfied with the ultimate effects of his golden-quality skill, Sterl then closed his eyes to meditate, continuing to train his arcane skill while waiting for the shuttle to arrive.
After a long while, the shuttle gradually decelerated from its originally high speed, and the surrounding scenery became clearer.
At the border town of the Pompeii Empire, a large area had been cleared out. The original inhabitants had been forcibly relocated, leaving behind a newly expanded open space.
Sterl could see through the window that the area was shrouded in a dense magical aura, seemingly emanating from a conspicuous teleportation vortex in the center of the open ground.
The entire sky had turned a pale purple, with highly concentrated magical elements.
A normal person would surely feel uncomfortable here, but Sterl, being attuned to arcane elements, felt quite at home.
Casually observing the strange surroundings, he mused, "So this is the entrance to the other world?"
Watching the gigantic vortex churn and cause spatial rifts around it, Sterl felt a surge of anticipation.
Not wasting any time, he noted that the cooldown for adding points had completed.
Sterl retrieved an item from his backpack, aiming for the amulet [Blessing of Peace]. The first amulet crafted through his blood magic couldn\'t be enhanced, but the two subsequent amulets he exchanged for in the Divine Mountain Empire\'s contribution shop could be.
He had previously lacked the points to enhance them.
"Let\'s add some points." he murmured. The ancient-looking wooden piece in his hand began to glow brightly, transforming and adding a ribbon to its form.
---
[Blessing of Peace]
[Type: Amulet]
[Description: A blessing from the Divine Mountain Empire\'s military, enhanced by special energy to reveal a more perfect form.]
[Effect: +15 to all attributes, special ability [Good Fortune: When killing monsters, there is a 5% chance to drop additional or rare items].
"Hmm... it seems useful, yet not so much." Sterl muttered as he looked at the newly enhanced amulet. The all-attributes increase was only five points, which felt a bit underwhelming.
The passive skill\'s effect had increased fivefold, and there was now an additional chance to obtain rare items. However, even at five times the original rate, it was only a 5% chance. Against powerful bosses, this effect might not even activate.
"Let\'s hope this thing can bring me some surprises." he murmured. The shuttle further decelerated, clearly approaching its docking point.
...
Meanwhile, in another room on the same shuttle where Sterl was, Faye\'s eyes were filled with a heavy seriousness, a stark contrast to her usual youthful demeanor.
She observed the surroundings and the group of players/NPCs below, dressed in blue-purple robes with a crescent moon emblem on their backs, with a deep, contemplative gaze.
"We\'re meeting again, the Dark Moon Alliance." It was evident that Felicia was in control of the body at this moment.
"Ancestor, please calm down!"
"If we provoke Gloria, or even just her legendary subordinates, we\'re doomed!" Inside the consciousness, the displaced Faye anxiously called out.
Having spent some time together, she had come to understand her ancestor\'s personality quite well. Despite being a demigod who had lived for centuries, Felicia could sometimes be even more capricious than Faye herself.
"Don\'t worry."
"Like I need you to tell me that." Felicia replied, rolling her eyes. There was no way she would make such a rookie mistake.