Chapter 60: Master Level Proficiency
When Max woke up, it was already 11am. His body clock was beyond destroyed. He already felt the consequence.
Yet, he was unconcerned. After eating, exercising, and resting for an hour, he quickly dived into the game.
His goal was to increase all his skills to the maximum level—the master level proficiency.
Realistically speaking, attaining the master proficiency level skills at D-rank was almost impossible. Those who managed to do so reached A-rank in his past life.
There would be higher chances to maximize them after he gained his second class, but he did not want to increase his burden on focusing too much on his proficiency level. If possible, once he gained his second class, he’d focus on the skills’ proficiency in that class he gained, then continued to complete quests one after another.
Since he had a month of time inside the game, he believed that at least his mana sensitivity should reached that level.
Hence, for the next month inside the game and two weeks has passed in real-world time, Max successfully increased his passive skills to Master level, while the rest of his active skills were at the Expert level.
...
March 21, 2028. It has been about four weeks that Apocalypse Online emerged. Most of the players who joined in the first week of Apocalypse Online finally completed their first-class advancement.
The current leading player was Max, being at Level 79. He was way ahead compared to the second player, who was still at Level 52.
Not only that, Max was way ahead in terms of skills’ proficiency.
At this moment, he glanced at each of the descriptions of his skills that he had not read once, knowing he’d increase them soon.
[Mana Sensitivity (Master)] — You have complete mana perception and full environmental awareness.
Effects:
Detection Range: 20 meters
Can instantly identify spell composition
Can track mana signatures
+25% magical awareness
Full awareness of surrounding mana field]
[Mana Control (Master)] — You possess perfect internal mana regulation and maximum compression efficiency.
Effects:
-40% mana cost
+25% casting speed
+25% spell stability
+25% mana regeneration
-40% casting strain]
[Arcane Bolt (Expert)] — a near-perfect mana projectile with high precision and minimal loss.
Damage: 140 attack
Mana Cost: 16 mana points
Casting Time: 1.5 seconds]
[Mana Shield (Expert)] — a highly stable defensive field with distributed damage absorption.
Durability: 130 defense
Mana Cost: 18 mana points (+1 mana point/sec)
Casting Time: 1.2 seconds]
[Mana Pulse (Expert)] — a high-density shockwave with strong spell disruption capability.
Area of Effect: 5-meter radius
Damage: 110 attack
Mana Cost: 18 mana points
Casting Time: 1.2 seconds]
[Mana Thread (Expert)] — highly responsive threads with long-range precision control.
Thread Count: 6–8
Control Range: 13 meters
Mana Cost: 16 mana points (+1 mana point/sec)
Casting Time: 1.2 seconds]
Each of his passive skills’ mana cost increased, but his Mana Control effects at the master proficiency significantly reduced it.
The increase of mana regeneration effect from the mana control solidified his foundation, bringing him closer to a mage who could infinitely cast a spell.
It wasn’t easy to increase them. He had to sacrifice all his Free Stat Points to increase his intelligence points, allowing him to reach the current level of his skills’ proficiency.
His mana points increased to 790 mana points. His intelligence points were at 87 points, but he was level 79, limiting his mana points to 790.
Max knew how the system correlated his stats.
He was currently at the Mana Controlled Circle Room, meditating in silence. He was delighted that he managed to increase his passive skills’ proficiency to master level, believing at first that only his mana sensitivity would reach that level.
He was even more pleased that all his active skills were at the Expert level.
Although he could still raise them, there was no time left.
He opened his eyes and stood up, stretching his limbs to invigorate his body. He felt relaxed and satisfied.
He swept his gaze and those who met his eyes immediately lowered their head, showing deep respect towards him.
Max smiled.
They weren’t simply those NPC mages anymore, they were players.
For the past month, he didn’t do nothing. Aside from training, Max, once he noticed that the conflict between him and Rhayne settled down, contacted Aethernova to sell the gold coins and silver coins he gained.
In an instant, after auctioning 50 gold coins and 100 silver coins in different batches with three days interval, he already became a millionaire.
He hadn’t informed the loan sharks, though. He planned to stay in the apartment until Enzo graduated before moving to another city.
There was no need to rush.
He had so much money now!
But what he auctioned was not primarily the main reason that he gained their respect.
It was because of his training. Max’s proficiency at his active skills weren’t hidden from their eyes.
They were awestruck.
Not once Max chatted with them, but Max’s disposition as a mage, especially how he interacted with the NPCs, gained their respect.
His lips curled when he noticed how respectful they were to him.
I taught NPCs mages, so they must be thinking I’ll give them a chance to teach them for free, huh?
How funny.
Max couldn’t restrain himself from smirking before leaving the Mana Controlled Circle Room.
He walked in the hallway, proceeding to Archmage Arlen’s residence, greeting NPCs and players’ who initiated first.
He was already getting used to the players’ presence. Even if he still loathed them to the core, he could now control his emotion, which he believed was a great improvement.
As he was getting closer at Archmage Arlen’s residence, he was still awestruck by the numbers of runes placed in every place. Now that he increased his mana sensitivity to master level, he spotted another rune again that was greatly difficult to notice.
So, every time I increased my mana sensitivity’s proficiency, I get to discover more runes? But master level proficiency is already the highest, am I still missing some runes that can’t be detected at my current level?
He thought with a gloomy expression...
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