Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Choose 1 of 2 Talent Skills
The other members of the squad were also watching Lante, all of them ready.
Marcus’s muscles were tensed, ready to Charge at any moment.
Gray’s sword was drawn three inches, his next move a deadly lunging slash.
Valles’s bowstring was drawn, the arrow imbued with Fighting Qi ready to be released.
Hill’s fingertips held a Flying Saber, ready to be thrown at any moment.
Even at the tip of Zelir’s White Wax Wood, a Wind Blade spun and coalesced, ready to be unleashed.
If Lante really couldn’t do it, they would kill the Kobold before its Stone Axe fell.
They gave Lante a chance to make a mistake, but they wouldn’t let him suffer the consequences.
Just as the Kobold was less than five meters from Lante, and Zelir was about to fling his Wind Blade Technique, Lante’s eyes snapped open, his gaze exceptionally firm!
"URAAAAARGH!!!"
A roar filled with courage burst forth as Lante broke through the cowardice in his heart!
Driven by his subconscious, the complex pathways in his mind activated with incredible smoothness!
At the tip of his Magic Wand, the Sapphire’s light flared, and an Ice Crystal radiating bone-chilling coldness condensed.
Ice Cone Skill!
"SWOOSH!"
The Ice Crystal shot out, precisely hitting the Kobold’s head!
"BANG!"
With a crisp Ice Burst, the Kobold’s charge came to a sudden halt.
Its skull was completely blown apart from the inside by the ice, killing it instantly!
The headless corpse, driven by inertia, stumbled forward a few more steps before collapsing with a THUD in front of Lante.
A kill!
Lante felt as if all the strength had been drained from his body. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.
’I... Did I succeed?’
Lante first looked at his own hands, then at the corpse on the ground.
"I... I really did it!"
"It’s just killing a Kobold, no need to get so worked up."
Seeing Lante’s reaction, Gray chuckled lightly from the side. "Still, congratulations, Lante. You’ve taken the first step."
A shadow fell over him.
Zelir smiled and extended a hand, pulling Lante up, then clapped him firmly on the shoulder.
"Well done, Lante."
Level 7 (40/250) -> Level 8 (55/275). Level up!
This time, Zelir had killed a total of two Giant Beast Dogmen and over a dozen regular Kobolds, earning 265 Experience Points.
Additionally, the Cloud Mist Skill that Lante had just cast was also added to the analysis queue.
Without the slightest hesitation, Zelir continued to dump all his points into Intelligence.
’I refuse to believe I still can’t reach the threshold for Junior Mage this time.’
Power: 65
Agility: 61
Constitution: 68
Spirit: 71
Intelligence: 86 -> 90
Perception: 30
Charm: 50 -> 51
Lucky: 41
Talent Skills:
Technique Celestial Calculation.
The moment his Intelligence Attribute reached 90, a wondrous feeling suddenly blossomed within Zelir’s sea of consciousness.
It wasn’t the same gradual improvement he felt every other time he added points.
This time, it felt more like breaking through some kind of barrier, bringing him to the very brink of a breakthrough.
’Could it be... I’m about to break through the shackles of the Junior Mage level?’
Zelir temporarily suppressed his excitement.
’No need to rush. I’ll study this slowly after I get back...’
With the last Kobold taken down, the battle in the main cavern had come to an end.
The squad began to clean up the battlefield.
Unlike goblins and Skeleton Soldiers, Kobolds produced Demon Cores.
Gray used a dagger to cut open a regular Kobold’s corpse, prying out a stone sphere the size of a longan from the center of its chest cavity.
After wiping off the blood, he could see a faint, ember-like red light flowing across its surface.
The Demon Core from a Giant Beast Dogman was much larger, like a jet-black egg. The red light flowing over it was richer, and the entire Demon Core radiated a faint warmth.
"Um..."
Lante’s voice was hesitant. He pointed at the Kobold he had killed. "Can I keep this Demon Core?"
"Of course you can."
Zelir said, "Keep it safe. Consider it a souvenir from your first adventure."
After the squad collected all the loot from the cave, they took the carriage back to Black Stone Town to turn in the quest.
The squad had killed a total of two Giant Beast Dogmen and twenty-three regular Kobolds.
The bounty for a Giant Beast Dogman was Five Gold Coins, and its Demon Core was worth Three Gold Coins.
The bounty for a regular Kobold was Five Silver Coins, and its Demon Core was worth Three Silver Coins.
In total, they earned seventeen gold and eighty-four silver coins. Marcus divided the shares according to a 3:2:2:1.5:1.5 ratio. Zelir received the largest share, with Silvalis getting the next largest, followed by Marcus and Gray.
Lante also immediately made good on his promise, giving each member of the squad an extra Five Gold Coins.
From this quest, Zelir received a total of ten gold and thirty-five silver coins.
His total wealth also smoothly increased to forty gold and seventy-one silver coins.
For a Junior two-star quest that wasn’t too difficult, the reward was almost as good as the twelve-gold-coin Goblin Community extermination quest.
"Thank you all so much for your protection and guidance today."
「Under the setting sun, at the entrance of the Adventurer’s Association.」
Lante gave a deep bow to the squad members. "I learned so much on this adventure, and it made me realize my own shortcomings. I’ll definitely work hard and hope to go on another quest with you all in the future!"
"Will there be an extra reward next time too?" Gray laughed.
"Urgh..."
Lante patted his now-empty coin pouch. "L-Let’s talk about that next time!"
Although Lante wasn’t usually short on money, spending twenty-five gold coins all at once was his entire monthly allowance... He would have to save up again.
"Alright, don’t listen to that guy Gray’s nonsense."
Zelir ruffled Lante’s hair. "Go on home. I look forward to your progress."
"Yeah! I’ll definitely work hard!"
...
「Black Stone Town.」
「The outskirts.」
By a clear stream, Zelir sat cross-legged, mobilizing his Spiritual Power to enter a state of Shallow Meditation.
For several days after completing the Kobold extermination quest, Zelir had been focused on this one thing.
He kept trying to recapture that wondrous feeling he’d experienced in the cave.
Zelir slowed his breathing.
His consciousness gradually sank into darkness. His surface thoughts receded like a tide, and within the vast universe of his sea of consciousness, the Spring Seed radiated a brilliant light.
Finally, a clear sense of enlightenment emerged from the depths of his sea of consciousness.
Zelir opened his eyes, and a fluorescent blue panel materialized before him.
The Talent Skills column trembled slightly before showing a new change.
[Advanced Talent Skills]
Unlocks upon becoming a Junior Mage.
Choose one of two.
Option 1: Spring Overload.
When actively triggered, your Spring Seed will enter an overloaded state for a short period.
During this period, your Magic Power Strength and Magic Power recovery speed will be significantly increased.
In addition, the Casting Speed for all Magic will also be reduced to some extent.
This state has no side effects.
However, be aware that after using Spring Overload, you must have a high-quality sleep to fully restore your Magic Power before it can be used again.
"You think this is my limit?"
Option 2: Magic Contract.
You have reached a perfect consensus with your own Magic Power, forming a complementary contract.
Upon selecting this talent, your Power, Agility, and Constitution Attributes will be immediately increased.
The amount of the increase is equal to 25% of your current Spirit Attribute.
Thereafter, for every 4 points your Spirit Attribute increases, you will gain an additional 2 attribute points that can be freely allocated to Power, Agility, or Constitution.
"Why don’t you try cutting me down now?"
Zelir stared blankly at the two Advanced Talent Skills that had appeared, his breathing unconsciously shallowing.
’Finally... I can finally see the next stage of my Talent Skills!’
Just like when he first transmigrated, he couldn’t choose these two talents yet, but he could preview them.
This also meant one thing—with just one more level, he could officially break through the rank of Magic Apprentice and reach the realm of a Junior Mage!
