Chapter 344 Chapter343-The Trapped Thunder Sprite
John watched as the statue lunged directly at him.
Channeling his psychic energy, he formed it into a radiant red blade - the Divine Talent, Divine Blade thrusting forth.
Before the statue's assault could land, John effortlessly vanquished it.
Ignoring the fallen shards of the giant statue at his feet, he moved forward.
The defeated behemoth released a surge of energy, which was promptly absorbed into the gem-laden magic array.
Ahead, as John hastened his steps, one after another, the imposing statues were swiftly defeated by him.
From a spectator's perch, the Pope watched as John blitzed through, leaving behind remnants of the stone behemoths, their energy swirling into the magic arrays.
Beside him, Valerie, the city lord, curiously remarked, "This adventurer hasn't noticed the peculiarities of those stone fragments. He could have easily bypassed these giants. After all, this level primarily involves deciphering puzzles."
"If he continues this onslaught, the guardian of this level - responsible for the defeat of many adventurers - will be the final boss he faces!"
A glint of wisdom shone in the Pope's eyes.
Turning to the City Lord, he slowly said, "Your Lordship, have you noticed the energy that this adventurer emits when he defeats the stone behemoths?"
Upon hearing the Pope's observation, Valerie's gaze shifted to the scene of John's conquests.
Only then did she realize that every time John vanquished a guardian statue, a pure and subtle energy seeped into the stone colossus.
He burst into hearty laughter, "Ah, I see! This Galewind human assassin truly surprises me."
John continued onward.
Along the way, he abruptly noticed that the faces of these statues were initially expressionless.
But as he delved deeper, faint scratch marks began to etch across their stony visages.
These marks grew more pronounced, evolving into sorrowful expressions reminiscent of the sad face at the crossroads.
Moreover, the energy didn't dissipate; it instead flowed into the magic array.
As John ventured further, a sprite, shimmering with electric luminescence, appeared before him.
Scanning it with his data-driven vision, he drew a conclusion:
[Thunder Sprite (Child of the Storm): Level 333!]
[Attributes: ...]
The sprite, radiant with electric brilliance, was surprisingly bound by chains.
Its gaze at John was filled with resentment.
Speaking in the ancient language of sprites, a translation system relayed:
"Sly follower of the Storm Church, you dare trespass into my domain? This will be your demise!"
"You never anticipated that each statue you defeated would feed into my power, aiding me to break these chains."
"Once I am free, I shall let you taste the torment I've endured."
"Ha ha ha..."
On that expressionless face of the sprite, there was now an undeniable smugness that John couldn't help but notice.
Unperturbed, John faced the chained sprite and with a simple snap of his fingers, a resounding explosion erupted.
BOOM!
Crackles and sparks!
A vast explosion sounded from the chains binding the sprite.
Within the deep blue-black chains, tiny red glimmers began to appear.
These glimmers, growing more concentrated, were met with John's steady gaze, his eyes dancing with a hint of amusement as he observed the trapped sprite.
The entire second level felt as if it had experienced a major earthquake.
The once intact environment shattered, and only by the grace of some governing rule did it slowly coalesce.
The Thunder Sprite, sensing the pure energy, trembled slightly, attempting to hasten its escape from the chains.
Yet, it soon realized that the very electric essence within it was being devoured by these minuscule red glows.
With a cry, the Thunder Sprite exclaimed:
"Oh, no! Despicable lapdog of the church!"
This second-level boss couldn't even utter a full sentence before being defeated by John.
The reason for such an outcome stemmed from John's discovery that the energy within the statues he defeated was actually converging into the original magic array rather than dissipating.
John, always one step ahead, had purposely infused a strand of energy into every statue he destroyed.
This derived from one of his lesser-used Divine Skills, an ability considered rather insignificant:
[Boom Seed (Divine Skill): Upon defeating a target, leave behind a seed. The more seeds accumulated, the greater the damage. A mere snap of your fingers will unleash an explosive work of art.]
While the skill held value, its conditions for use were quite restrictive, hence it was largely neglected by John.
After all, once you've defeated a target, was there really a need to plant a seed?
Even if a boss had the power to resurrect, it would be once or twice at most.
The accumulated damage wouldn't be substantial.
However, the Thunder Sprite unluckily became the test subject of this technique.
Given the number of statues John had destroyed, the combined damage was so massive that even a deity would've been in awe, let alone the Thunder Sprite, a mere creature of kinship and not a true god.
The lord of Storm City, who had been watching the battle, was utterly shocked.
Before him stood a hero who, with just a snap of his fingers, had obliterated an ancient creature of godly lineage that was over three hundred levels strong.
A shiver of dread ran down his spine, and turning to the Pope, he remarked:
"Your Holiness, if this hero from the parallel world were to unleash such an attack upon our Storm City, the devastation would be..."
The Pope's eyes shimmered with wisdom, as if peering through the fabric of space and time. He gazed intently at John and then turned to address the Lord of Storm City:
"Lord Valerie, you needn't worry. In our vast continent, all forces adhere to one principle."
Valerie, the Lord of Storm City, murmured in realization:
"Conservation of Energy."
Indeed, throughout the continent, among all races, this notion was universally recognized.
Power has its limitations.
Classes like assassins might deal high damage but have low HP, while tanks possess high HP and attack power, but their agility is lacking.
This principle applies to races as well. Dragons, being apex beings, excel in almost all aspects, yet their reproductive ability is incredibly limited, making them the species with the lowest fertility on the main continent.
The same applies to abilities.
The initially flustered lord began to calm down as he assessed the drawbacks of the [Galewind] Hero's skills, putting his concerns to rest.
...
As the storm sprite met its demise before John, a pillar of light manifested behind him. A system notification echoed:
"[Twelve Trials of the Hero - Level Two: Thunderous Maze] completed. Challenger, please be prepared. You will be transported to the next level in thirty seconds..."
Stepping into the pillar of light, John found himself in a magnificent palace, constructed of intricate enamel, glimmering crystal, and luminous glass.
Within the palace, faint blue streaks of lightning danced chaotically.
A game notification resounded in John's mind:
"[Twelve Trials of the Hero - Level Three: Thunder Palace] has begun!"
As John pondered the nature of this challenge — whether it was a puzzle, combat, or something else entirely — a dazzling woman adorned in a splendid dress materialized before him.
She radiated a holy glow, her hair the shade of pale blue, and her eyes a captivating amber hue.
[Name: Angela (Lord of the Storm Palace)]
[Title: Lord of the Storm Palace]
[Level: 330]
[Attributes: ...]
Angela brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and courteously said to John:
"You're the physician from Storm City, aren't you? Hurry, my daughter can't hold on much longer."
[Quest: Heal Miss Annalina]
John glanced at the updated quest and mused aloud:
"This level seems to be a role-playing quest. It might delay my speed-run strategy. I wonder if there's a shortcut I could take."
"He hopes to blitz through this trial, believing that the shorter the time taken to complete the trial, the greater the rewards."
John followed the Palace Lord inside, marveling at the opulence.
Precious gems and treasures were scattered all over the palace floors.
Even the floor tiles were crafted from rare gemstones.
Among the artifacts, there were leaves from the Life Tree of the Sprite clan, Dragonfangs from colossal dragons, and a series of portraits depicting the successive popes of the Storm Church, from the tenth to the nineteenth.
A total of nineteen portraits were aligned in the grand hall, and from each emanated a subtle pulse of energy, signifying the work of court painters.
A holy aura permeated the room.
John eventually entered the innermost chamber where a delicate and petite girl, pale as porcelain, lay upon a grand bed adorned with feathers of the Divine Winged clan.
Upon closer inspection, John discerned:
[Name: Annalina]
[Level: 130]
[Class: Storm Magus]
[Attributes: ...]
[Status: Cursed]
Struck by the room's opulence, John noted various rare herbs that, in the outside world, would be worth tens of thousands of gold coins each!
Recalling his surroundings within the trial, John realized that he couldn't take any of these items with him, otherwise, he'd be tempted to loot them all.
Within the church, the elites watched as John progressed to the third challenge. Some bishops discussed among themselves:
"Do you think this adventurer might clear the level so swiftly?"
"In the past, anyone who made it to this level, barring Priests and Holy Emissaries, couldn't directly heal the princess. Thus, there were no rapid completions."
"Exactly, he's an assassin. The first two levels were combat scenarios, but pure combat won't suffice to complete this one."
The Pope, with a look of keen interest, remarked:
"I have a feeling this assassin might just breeze through it."
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