Chapter 668 - It’s over, Trial, I have the high ground

Author note: Hi! If you've seen the poll yesterday, (if not go check for detailed explanations) you know we have a slight retcon coming, essentially [Dodge - me]'s aura bonus has been changed from '+100% Aura' to 'Aura gains Lingering'.

I will be updating the previous chapter shortly to reflect that, but here's the main part of how it affects the specialization:

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“The lingering effect is from [Dodge - Me], can I finally get to know what it does?”

[Lingering]: Some effects of you aura linger on their target for a time even after they exit the effective range.

Currently affected: 

• [Exalted Exoskeleton]

• Bone sturdiness bonuses

• Regeneration bonuses

• Skeletal Thralls

That does answer a few of my questions… Looks like I’ll have to do some testing for the duration.

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And now enjoy the final chapter of book 7's epilogue :D

Sofia played around with her new aura and Bookie for a few minutes, until Pareth appeared out of nowhere.

“Oh my!” Sofia exclaimed, “Did you steal that from Peace’s domain?” she asked with a smirk, “It looks like I don’t need to ask which skill you specialized. Can I see?”

Pareth’s new specialization took a very hard to miss form, as what was previously a glorious halo of light above his head had taken a radical shift toward the uncanny. The halo had become three radiant concentric golden rings hovering silently behind his back, two of them spinning clockwise while the center one spun in the inverse direction. Most importantly, they were covered in wide-open eyes with golden pupils that seemed to watch everything.

Pareth gave Sofia a simple nod and opened the skill description for her.

[Ophanim Corona]:

Be not afraid.

Increase the strength of all Holy and Light-related skill for the user and allies in view by 50%. (Does not affect itself)

Whenever your main target attacks one of your allies instead of you, they gain a stack of Judgement, up to three times. Only one target may be judged at a time.

Each stack of Judgement gives ‘+50% damage taken from all sources; Speed -15%’.

You can [Divine Warp] to targets with at least two stacks of Judgement.

Targets with three stacks of Judgement cannot regain health or stamina.

Additional effect (compensation for the inability to improve stat growth):

[Divine cognition]: Processing +100%.

[Divine Warp]: Instantly teleport to the target location through the Superphysical plane unleashing a devastating explosion of light.

No cost. Static three seconds coodlown.

“Hmmm… That was definitely a good choice, even it looks a bit freaky. The effective bonus went from 24 to 50%, and the judgement thing is uh… It’s certainly something. We’ll have to do some testing on what exactly counts as attacking one of your allies, there might be ways to cheat that. Imagine if we just send a bird crashing into three attacks of your target and that counts. I doubt it will, but we won’t know for sure until we try. Care to activate the grounds to see how much health we get now?”

The ground lit up instantly with golden light as if Pareth had been waiting for it. His health was already upwards of 170 million points in sanctified grounds before, so it was going to be even higher now.

Sofia looked at her own health first.

Health : 1 642 443 / 1 642 443

Yeah a 60% increase. Pretty straightforward.

And now, for skeletons… It’s a 240%

Sofia brought up Pareth’s stats.

Health : 223 412 504 / 223 412 504

Stamina : [Bone-Headed]

Mana : 432 994 / 439 166

“We broke two hundred millions just like that!”

Afterwards, Sofia spent more time with Bookie and Pareth just talking skills and trying out different interaction for a bit, until Bookie got bored, and asked about the hidden shop they were in and if Sofia wanted to summon Pestle for it.

“No, it’s a target practice game. If anything I would have you summon the archer skeleton, but I don’t think he’ll do. But no need anyway, now that you’re both here I can go all out. Get me the high priest’s speed buff and the sanctified grounds!” Sofia told them, summoning the full Bloodlight echo skull choir, and chomping down on a mana pearl.

The last difficulty of the shooting range hidden event involved destroying dozens of moving and teleporting targets a second, from hundreds of meters away, all the while avoiding any of the fake target and also being shot at by an automatic cannon on the other side of the room.

Thankfully the targets did not need to be hit very hard so the basic 10 000 mana bolts were enough.

Even with her full buff setup, it took Sofia two attempts to triumph over the last level, throwing out a barrage of angel bolts at a rate never seen before, micromanaging the aim of every single bloodlight echo.

[Marksman’s nightmare Shop - Level 5]

Show me the unique!

★★★★★★★★★U [Tournament Master’s Feller of the Hydra Bow]: 

Carefully crafted from the rarest materials by a genius craftsman, the master bow duplicates all directional skills cast through it.

Number of directional projectiles *3.

Directional projectiles gain higher target tracking.

Using physical arrows: shoot ninety-nine additionnal target-tracking mana arrows instead.

Cannot be destroyed.

Must be primed before use.

Price: 1 000 000 000 TP

“Ah crap, of course it’s a bow… Tripled angel bolts is pretty ridiculous but I can’t really give up my staff. A new catalyst could be nice though if we find one. Mornn will be happy to learn that there are actually Master weapons, I guess; unless you’re interested?”

Pareth shook his skull.

“As expected, your weapons of light are hard to beat especially now that you can throw them. Would you consider a master shield if we find one?”

Pareth strongly nodded at the idea. He seemed more than a bit enthusiastic.

“With a real shield brother Pareth can make the weapon in his other hand stronger because the magic isn’t split!” Bookie chimed in.

“Let’s find it then. If there’s one. We have plenty of time until the next event I think, the other’s haven’t even returned yet, so we might as well, you can summon all the scouts, Bookie.”

It only took a word, and Pestle and a swarm of skeletal rats and birds invaded the Ark.

By the time trialees started to fill the halls of the Ark again, Sofia had found time to buy and eat and awakening pill, Pareth to optimize more of his skills, and the skeletons had uncovered a total of four more hidden shops that had yet to be cleared. Sofia was in the process of trying to clear one, which was some kind of giant treasure hunt, and was proving to be a huge headache even at the lower difficulties, when the next wave of events rolled around.

In a luxurious room, the four Seraphs were bent over a table displaying holographic images.

“It’s time for the midpoint event…” the exidian Seraph said with a tired voice, “What do we do? Can we really leave it as is?”

“I see no issue with it,” Afil, the Andarian Seraph answered with a thin smile, “This is not the first necromancer to come and it won’t be the last.”

“The potential for issues here is indeed very high…” the beastman Seraph said, “But that is on us, not the trialees.”

“I’m for using the emergency backup event instead,” Mid chimed in, “I’m not even done fixing the last instance crash yet!”

“Are you out of your mind?” Afil retorted, “the emergency backup is not even fully functional, they never finished making it! They could actually die!”

“I also think it is best not used, despite the troubles that trialee might bring again…” the beastman agreed.

“Ah, I can tell you’re not dealing with the back end of her crap like I am! Well, fine, whatever, but when she breaks everything I’m not the one fixing the casino,” Mid reluctantly answered. “Besides, even with Nex here, I have a feeling we’ll end up using the backup anyway…”

“Surely not…” the exidian mumbled, uneasiness oozing from her voice, “Surely not…”

[Fourth wave: Gambler’s end - Second Death Casino]

[Singular event: Everyone participates in the same event. Although you are in groups with a shared score, you will be able to participate in both solo and group activities at your own discretion.]

[Ranking and Scoring: The value of items and money earned by the end of the event will be converted to TP. Only half of what you have earned is kept upon death. Groups will be ranked directly by total TP earned.]

[Ak’Virad, the evil Arch-lich chronomancer has retired. He is now running the Second Death Casino, where fools from all around the world can come gamble with their life. Can you beat the lich at his own game, make a fortune, and escape with your life still within your own hands? Beware, the undead dealers of the casino have eyes everywhere, and they no longer have a life on the line.]

Before they could even reunite to discuss a strategy, Sofia, Pareth, Mornn and Kuli were all teleported together to a heavily guarded room with no windows. They were standing on a teleportation circle.

Since they were not being attacked, Sofia’s first reflex was to expand her mana senses.

We’re deep underground…

Four hulking zombies were waiting in the room’s corner, while a skeleton mage was wiping the forehead of his skull, breathing heavily. He wore nothing and only held a shabby looking wooden staff with a blue ball-shaped catalyst embedded at the top

I have to believe that this guy is supposed to have teleported us here? He barely has any mana…

“There we go!” the skeleton said, out of breath, “This should be the last group for today… Welcome to the Second Death casino, dear customers,” he greeted the group, “For starters, please store your weapons away. Visible weapons are not allowed on the premises, we have a locker here if you have no storage device.”

“I already dislike the place,” Mornn grumbled under her breath as she stored all of her swords.

“Now now, do not be like that,” the skeleton mage said, “we are a fine establishment. It is of crucial importance that everyone feels welcome here,” he chastised Mornn,”Alright, all the weapons are away? Good. Now you may enter,” he told everyone, “If you can!”

With a subtle raise of his staff, the skeleton telported away, disappearing from the room, while the four Zombies readied their swords.

Pareth, well!

Pareth executed the order. Casting [Gravity Well] the four charging zombies were pulled in even faster. As the room was relatively small, they were quickly in the critical range of 12.6 meters, entering Sofia’s close aura. 

All it took was a single thought, Sofia stopped the Zombies’ bones. While their skeletons were frozen in place, their flesh was not, pulled in by the Gravity well, the two were forcefully separated.

Four mounds of rotten flesh collapsed around the group, while their skeletons were left hanging a few steps behind, still covered in torn shreds of their putrid corpses.

[You have defeated Elite monster ‘Second Death’s bouncer’ - Level 299]*4

Sofia stored the bones, and looked up, smiling at a tiny and easy-to-miss bone-spider that had been observing the group from the ceiling.

“I will be keeping those, thanks.”