Chapter 650 - Secrets

After about ten minutes of Sofia chatting with Lepo, the skill optimization machine finally started functioning again. The request windows simply disappeared, and it returned to the Spine’s skill branches.

[Skill : Spine of the Black Sun - Skill version index SK_SPOBS_1.0]

[Available branches (same version lettered upgrades are mutually exclusive):

1.1 - Channeling is now instant - 1000 TP

1.2 - Unlocks a greatsword form, physical damage equivalent to unenchanted orichalcum - 2000 TP

2.0A - Unlocks a Greatbow form, which supports casting up to five [Angel’s bolt] at once and lets you fire them at curved angles, give the bolts weak target tracking, solar bursts are lost in this form, health recovery instead scales directly on the bolt’s damage. - 50 000 000 TP

2.0B - Unlocks an Atlatl form, which improves aim, projectile and casting speed for the [Angel’s bolt]. Solar burst triggers as a secondary implosion of the ‘explosive’ bolts’ explosion, and as usual for ‘piercing’ bolts hitting a target. - 50 000 000 TP

2.0C - Unlocks a Shoulder cannon form, which only supports ‘piercing’ bolts, but has automatic aiming and fires a secondary solar flare at hit targets instead of a solar burst. - 50 000 000 TP

Request new branch - Already spent for this skill]

“Oh woah. No wonder it took a while. It even gave me three options. But the price…”

“It is too expensive?” Lepo asked from behind his stall, “you must have askem for something really advanced if it took that long, so it’s only logical the price would follow.”

“I don’t know if I would call it really advanced but… That’s certainly what it came up with…”

“Well, I’ll let you think in peace, I’m here if you need anything,” the shopkeeper merrily said as he bent down to pick up a book from under his stall and started reading.

“Sure, thanks,” Sofia absent-mindedly answered, already looking through her options.

Having one of those would certainly help with the incoming events, but I don’t even have the money now, and I should also try to buy the awakening pill early…

I also need to be able to afford one of the hidden items, so I can’t waste too many points… But these upgrades all look so good…

The Greatbow is probably the best for higher level fights with the tracking and the five bolts at once. The counterweight to that is that until I have the mana to support casting five strong bolts at once, it’ll only be good to shoot weak piercing bolts, which isn’t great. And it also loses the solar bursts completely, not too fond of that.

I don’t know what an Atlatl is, but this one looks like a straight up upgrade on all fronts. If I take it I would basically always be using it to shoot bolts instead of normal casting. A bit boring but solid option, I think, and it also gives the solar bursts so I can apply rot with my bolts.

And the shoulder cannon… Cannon are those huge flintlock things they have on ships that fire steel balls, right? I don’t know how I feel about having that on my shoulder, it could hinder my mobility a bit. But it sounds like it would basically be casting the bolts on its own, wich is quite something. It frees up my hands is what this one really does, not a small benefit.

Well, I have some time to think about it, at least. I already have the signature skill as a strong mana sink for when I have more, so maybe I’ll pass on the greatbow, but that would sitll leave two strong options…

Hmm… Pestle has been moving weirdly for a while, I should probably go check it out, maybe she found something.

Sofia let Pareth get his turn on the skill device while she went after Pestle she would check the graveyard and skull choir upgrades later, as she was no in a rush to waste her points anyway.

Pestle had been moving strangely in a relatively small space of the third floor for a while now, so Sofia went down two sets of stairs to reach the newly opened floor. This floor was, for the most part, a wide open space with lots of small stands and arenas. In each section, it looked like trainer helped trialees train in various basic skills like archery, grappling and even flying.

Sofia checked out the closest one to the entrance, the start of a running track that went in a straight line from one end of the ship to the other. A simple wooden sign with a bell hanging from it was inscribed with some words and the prices.

‘Do you really know how to run? No matter how high your stats are, you can only really use them to their full potential if you know how to perfectly move your body! Train your sprinting skills with master Winter Shards today and be faster than you ever were! Guaranteed results, you get a full refund if I cannot improve your top speed!’

‘Basic course (30min) - 100 TP’

‘Intermediate course (1h) - 500 TP’

‘Expert course (6h) - 5000 TP’

‘Master level personnal coaching (1h) - 100 000 TP’

“Everything good so expensive…” Sofia mumbled, looking at the master level price.

Someone came running from the other side of the track. Sofia could barely see her before he stopped right behind the sign. A tall white-haired elf looked down at Sofia with a small smile.

“Well well, do have a customer?” she said outright, “I assure you, a hundred thousand points is not that much for the benefits I can bring you. And you have enough to spare, that I can see. You could even start with the Intermediate course if you’re not convinced, I’m sure you could still learn a thing or two from it.”

“You think so?”

“I do, yes. I can tell, just from the way you walk,” the elf assured Sofia with confidence.

That sounds exactly like street-vendor crap…

“I’m busy now,” Sofia said, “but I’ll think about it.”

The elf shrugged lightly, “come back anytime. I’m here for the entire duration of the trial anyway.”

Sofia nodded farewell to the elf and walked off in Pestle’s direction, feeling too self-conscious to run while the elf looked at her go.

Pestle was in the main hall, from what Sofia could tell, but she couldn’t see where exactly from the entrance. She followed her position, walking through half of the hall, and ended up face to face with a very large pillar that looked like nothing more than a structural element of the Ark.

Pestle?

You’re inside?

Pestle stopped moving for an instant, before her erratic movements started back inside of the pillar.

What the hell is she doing…

Sofia put a hand on the pillar and forced her mana senses through. Trying to feel up the inside. It was not too hard, as, unsurprisingly, the pillar was hollow. There were some slight magic movements going on inside, but it was hard to say what with how much Pestle was moving.

Nymphs please.

After a quick casting, making sure that no dead trees spouted up out of nowhere in the training hall, a hand of wooden bones emerged from the wall, pulling Sofia inside, much to the surprise of a few nearby onlookers.

Inside the pillar, Pestle was currently not even invisible, as she was confined inside of a glass cube, flying around like a mad wasp. There was a grid on the floor of the cube, with squares that lit up constantly in red and green. Pestle was madly flying from green square to green square, as every time the color of the floor’s square changed, the red ones fired up some red light, and it seemed that was the real ‘danger’.

Sofia observed silently for a while, trying no to disrupt Pestle’s concentration. After about twenty seconds of observing this unexplained spectacle. The squares stopped flashing, and text appeared on one side of the cube.

‘Level 1 cosmic cube shop already unlocked. Continue?’

Pestle nodded.

A shop? This must be for one of the hidden uniques! Way to go Pestle!

‘Loading saved setting - challenger size ‘Tiny’ - event level 2 - Objective: do not touch the red light for 60 seconds.’

The grid on the floor lit up again, its squares smaller than before, shrinking from being about a meter across to eighty centimeters. But most importantly, a second such grid appeared on one of the side walls of the glass cube.

The grids lit up, and the test started immediately.

She has to avoid the red light coming from the floor and the side, no wonder she was moving so strangely all this time…

Sofia silently watched as Pestle flawlessly avoided all the lights for half a minute.

‘Level 2 cosmic cube shop already unlocked. Continue?’

‘Loading saved setting - challenger size ‘Tiny’ - event level 3 - Objective: do not touch the red light for 90 seconds.’

The grids lit up again, there were many more squares as they had shrunk again to about half a meter across each, and most importantly, a second wall had lit up, perpendicular to the first one.

This time, despite needing to have very fine control on her position, Pestle managed very well at the start. But things quickly went downhill. As the seconds counted down, the squares started flashing faster and faster, and the number of green squares slowly went down, until there was only on safe safe in the entire cube at any time.

With about twenty seconds left to hold, Pestle failed. The tip of one of her wings touched the red light, and the entire cube shone red for an instant before powering down.

“I fail again…” Pestle complained, letting herself fall to the floor like a dead leaf.

‘Challenge failed. You may lock in your result to access the level 1 & 2 cosmic cube shop, or try again from the start.’

“I see… We probably need to complete the hardest level to access the best unique in the shop. You’re perfectly fitted for this Pestle, good try already, but let’s try again with a few buffs. No reason to struggle by yourself like that, is there?”

“I not strong, embarrassing…” Pestle weakly complained. It was understandable that she would feel that way, as she had been doing this for a while already, and must have failed on the third level several times.

I’m not sure I could even get past level 2… At least I assume the squares would be larger for me, but that also mean I need to fly further between each round flash…

“Don’t say this Pestle, that was impressive. You’re very strong, but together we’re stronger. Pareth!”

Pareth appeared next to Sofia, ready to fight.

“Hey hey, put that sword away, you’re not killing anything. We just need Sanctified Ground’s 200% physical stat bonus for Pestle.”

Pareth seemed not to really understand the situation at hand, but he just activated his halo and sanctified ground anyway.

There we go, now…

Sofia then summoned the high priest skeleton, as he had a speed boosting spell that he rarely used since it was a weak, but was quite a long lasting buff, which was perfect for the situation.

Lastly, Sofia activated the second tier of [Runeforged Overlord] which she could sustain for more than forty minutes now, giving Pestle another 29.3% speed and agility boost. She could also sustain tier three for about two minutes if needed, but she felt that it wouldn’t be necessary.

“There you go Pestle, try again now, you should be much faster!” Sofia encourage the deflated fairy.

The results were night and day compared to before, Pestle cruised through the first two levels without even trying, and also completed the third level right away. But there was a fourth level.

Blue squares?

Some squares lit up before the level even started, with a notice appearing on one of the walls. ‘Blue light squares are always deadly and touching their light even between flashes will count as a loss.’

Even with the new rule, there were still only three walls that lit up, and Pestle managed the fourth level on her first try.

Then came the last level.

‘Any square can turn yellow for a short time at a moment’s notice, entering a yellow square is an instant loss. If a yellow square appear where you already are, you must stop moving immediately until it is no longer yellow, in this situation, if you move it will count as a loss.’

That notice was scary enough, but the ceiling of the cube and a third side wall lit up as well, leaving only one side clear and see through for Sofia and Pareth to spectate from.

This level was only 60 seconds long, Pestle flew from green square to green square at tremendous speed, avoiding the yellow and blue lights as the red squares flashed every half a second. Until a yellow square appeared on the ceiling just above her, and she failed to kill her momentum in time. She failed. She had only lasted for a total of five seconds.