[5000 Achievement Points Reward: You selected ③ Randomly and permanently gain 1~10 extra Skill Points. Once confirmed, this cannot be changed. Confirm selection?]
“Confirmed.”
Then, within Weilin’s sea of consciousness, it was as if a ten-sided dice thrown by a Heavenly God appeared. The dice spun and spun and spun and spun… Finally slowing to a stop, the number landed on…
Weilin focused her gaze. It was a large [7]!
[Fortune Smiles Upon You, you have gained 7 extra Skill Points]
Not getting a 9 or 10 felt regrettable, but 7 was still good. Considering she once did a ten-pull and only got one Small Sun Nuke, it was clear Weilin’s luck was never anything to boast about.
Furthermore, even ‘mastering the core manufacturing technique’ only increased the synthesis chance for the Giant Explosive Fireball from 2.5% to 25%.
Trash was still trash. It was purely spending money for Achievement Points. If she wanted to get stronger, she’d have to rely on mutation.
The 7 Skill Points were hard-earned, so Weilin needed to carefully weigh which skills to learn.
Unlike mages who specialized in a single element, Weilin’s mana had a unique ‘Chaos’ attribute.
In the ten years since the game launched, while other players strived for the ultimate goal of becoming an Empire noble or a Star Guard (aka lapdog) for the Star God, Weilin had already led the underground army of the Eternal Mineshaft to conquer one ancient God’s relic after another, collecting countless Divine Artifacts and boundless treasure… This included the ‘Chaos’ attribute mana, a server-unique reward obtained after the Eternal Mineshaft guild spent millions, abandoned all basic needs for 30 hours, and ultimately slew the Master of Time in a bloody battle.
‘Chaos’ Attribute Mana: Affinity with the Five Great Elements—Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, and Space +15%
Humans were born with elemental affinity deficiencies, generally around -10% for all five elements. Some self-proclaimed human geniuses were merely unusually talented in a single element’s affinity.
The Illusory Snow Queen, a peerless beauty and a heaven-blessed prodigy of water magic, only had a water element affinity of +30%, not to mention her weakness of -20% fire affinity.
“So the question is, how should I choose…”
Her hand gently brushing the spines of vertically arranged books, Weilin walked slowly through rows of tall bookshelves, her expression full of deliberation.
Sometimes, having too many choices became a hindrance. Weilin was currently facing the ultimate dilemma that mages all over the world could only dream of.
“First, let’s set a small goal: become an all-element mage! In that case, I need to learn at least one spell from each of the five major magic categories.”
“First, Wind…”
She stopped before a bookshelf filled with Wind magic, her serious gaze scanning across the rows of book spines.
1st-tier… Wind Blade?
It might be somewhat useful against the Griffon or Drake Knights of the Federation, but against the Empire’s steel torrent, it probably couldn’t even scratch the armor.
Moreover, Wind magic was ethereal and agile; choosing mobility over attack was better. She only had Spatial Warp; her movement options were too scarce. Most critically, Spatial Warp couldn’t teleport others along with her.
1st-tier Gentle Breeze Spell, 2nd-tier Low-Tier Wind Walk.
Wind Walk was good, but I choose Gentle Breeze.
Without a second thought, Weilin tucked a ‘Gentle Breeze Spell’ under her arm and headed for the bookshelves holding Water magic.
With limited Skill Points, Weilin definitely favored lower-tier magic.
“Water… 1st-tier Water Bullet? Sounds even lamer than Wind Blade. If I add Gentle Breeze to this, and then learn a Wind Blade, wouldn’t I have the complete barber shop set?”
“Ice Wall Technique is good… Pfft, no! A 4th-tier spell costing 4 Skill Points is way too expensive!”
After pondering for a while, her gaze fell upon a dusty, neglected 1st-tier ‘Frost Trap’ placed on the very bottom shelf.
No other choice, it’s decided: you’re the one!
Next was Earth…
Earth magic was typically known for its indestructible defense. Although the Absolute Deflection Prism was strong, it could only be used once per day. Thus, when choosing a defensive spell, Weilin had to be a bit ruthless.
After a brief mental struggle between the 2nd-tier ‘Rock Armor’ and the 3rd-tier ‘Rock Flow Wall,’ Weilin decisively chose the latter for its superior group defense capabilities.
This left 2 Skill Points to make some progress in Fire and Space magic.
“…Fire. What’s even worth learning here? Might as well grab an Illumination Spell first. If the flame is big enough, I can just throw it like a Fireball. One spell for multiple uses, isn’t that great?”
Finally, Space…
Was there a difference between a 1st-tier Air Cannon and a Water Bullet?
Of course, the Space element also encompassed destructive Lightning, healing Moon, and the evil-purging Holy Light, but… they were all so damn expensive.
Especially the healing Moon magic; the most basic Lunar Healing was 4th-tier, showing none of the frugal spirit of the Water Priests.
“Bzzzt—Bzzzzzt, Electric Discharge… Hah?!”
After deep contemplation, considering she still lacked a proper attack spell, Weilin finally chose the only affordable book, ‘Electric Discharge.’
With that, all 7 Skill Points were fully utilized.
Of course, Weilin had only taken the magic books; she hadn’t learned them yet. She could still change her mind and pick others.
Clutching five magic books, without even having time to say a word to the librarian, Weilin, impatient as ever, Spatial Warped outside.
Find an open enough space, Weilin thought to herself.
She kept in mind the bonuses of her exclusive ‘Home Has a Mine’ title talent. With a 10,000% mana amplification, ordinary magic would no longer be ordinary!
Otherwise, Weilin would never choose a bunch of useless low-tier spells. She would have directly learned a 7th-tier skill… or saved up 10 Skill Points for a Forbidden Spell.
Once low-tier magic was amplified a hundredfold, strong or weak, the moment to witness a miracle was about to arrive.
Since it was an academy setting…
…As expected, there was a place like the back mountain!
Weilin headed straight for the quiet, deserted back mountain blanketed in heavy snow, completely ignoring the huge red warning sign at the entrance stating: [Trial Grounds, Danger! Do Not Enter!].
“…Hmm, let’s see who the first lucky one will be.”
Strolling along the snowy, forested path of the back mountain, Weilin idly tossed a pebble in her hand, her gaze brimming with anticipation, excited and thrilled, like a maiden in love eagerly awaiting her sweetheart.
But the large “Danger” warning on the sign was no joke. The back mountain was infested with various snow wolves and snow leopards. If one was unlucky and encountered an Ice Crystal Skeleton without an instructor leading them, it’s possible a student’s life could be lost…
Clack, clack… clack clack————
An eerie sound made the young girl stop instantly, her gaze turning cold.
It was the crisp sound of a skull’s jawbone clattering shut, accompanied by an invasion of cold, deathly aura, sending a chilling shiver down one’s spine…
An icy sword blade cleanly sliced through a huge icy bush. Large amounts of thick snow flew into the air, rustling down. To Weilin’s right front, from the neatly bisected bush, a skeletal general, over three meters tall, with bones of ice and jade, wielding an ice sword and a knight’s ice shield, emerged. It grinned menacingly and strode towards Weilin…
