Chapter 92: Inferno Star Skill
[System Points: 253,200]
Cain stared at the number briefly.
It was a massive amount compared to what he had possessed during the first day.
Unfortunately, the cost of upgrading higher-rank abilities had increased just as dramatically.
He could not throw System Points around without considering what he would need later.
Still, this was worth it.
Cain focused on Sonya’s newly obtained Talent.
"Upgrade Flame Compression."
A notification immediately appeared.
[Ding! 100,000 System Points have been deducted.]
[Ding! Flame Compression (B-rank Talent) is evolving.]
A powerful wave of Fire Mana erupted from Sonya.
The small flame above her palm disappeared as reddish light spread through her body.
Sonya inhaled sharply.
Her understanding of Fire Mana changed rapidly.
What had previously required deliberate concentration became instinctive. She could feel how much Mana could be forced into a smaller space before becoming unstable and how to maintain that compression without allowing the flames to collapse prematurely.
The transformation lasted only several seconds.
[Ding! Flame Compression has evolved into Inferno Compression.]
[Inferno Compression (A-rank Talent): Greatly increases the user’s ability to compress and control Fire Mana, allowing a greater amount of energy to be condensed into a smaller volume. Fire Skills formed through compressed Mana possess significantly higher temperature, density, penetration, and destructive power while also becoming more stable and easier to control. The effect applies naturally to all compatible Fire Skills used by the wielder.]
Sonya slowly looked at her hands.
Cain was not finished as his attention moved toward her Fireball Skill.
The ability was simply too weak compared to the Talent she now possessed.
"Upgrade Fireball as far as possible."
The System responded.
[Ding! 110,000 System Points have been deducted.]
[Ding! Fireball Skill is evolving twice.]
The information inside Sonya’s mind changed again.
Fireball first evolved into a stronger variation that concentrated more energy before detonation.
That Skill barely existed for more than a moment before the second evolution began.
A much larger amount of knowledge entered her mind.
Sonya instinctively raised her hand.
Fire Mana gathered above her palm.
Instead of expanding outward, the flames compressed continuously.
The sphere became smaller.
Its surface gradually turned darker as the Mana packed inside became increasingly dense.
Cain could feel the heat from several meters away.
Sonya immediately dispersed it before wasting too much Mana.
A broad smile appeared on her face.
[Ding! Fireball has evolved into Inferno Orb.]
[Inferno Orb: Condenses a large amount of Fire Mana into a highly compressed sphere with an unstable core. The orb possesses powerful heat and impact force, and upon striking a target or reaching the user’s chosen location, the compressed core violently detonates, releasing a devastating burst of flames over the surrounding area.]
Sonya stared at the description for several seconds before looking at Cain.
Her eyes were filled with surprise.
She had already known that Cain possessed some kind of ability capable of improving other people’s abilities. Even so, she had never imagined that the difference could be this enormous.
Her weak Fireball had transformed into something that felt completely incomparable to what she possessed before.
’So he can improve abilities this much...’
A bright smile gradually appeared on Sonya’s face.
She did not say anything aloud.
There were too many people around them, and although she did not know exactly how Cain’s ability worked, she understood enough to realize that it was probably something he did not want everyone hearing about.
Cain noticed her expression and smiled faintly.
Seeing how happy she was reminded him of when Sonya had first become eligible for investment.
At that time, she had already told him about her Fireball while they were traveling together.
Cain had actually intended to improve the Skill shortly afterward.
Unfortunately, Sonya had distracted him before he could get around to it. More precisely, it was because she had offered to help calm down his little brother.
Cain glanced at her for a moment.
The silver-haired woman was still examining the changes to her Skill with obvious excitement.
’Well, that wasn’t exactly my fault.’
No normal man would have remained focused on upgrading Skills after receiving an offer like that.
He quickly pushed the thought aside before his attention wandered in an inconvenient direction again.
At that moment, a wave of cold Mana spread from nearby.
Cain turned his head.
Elara was still sitting beside the bus with her eyes closed.
The final Core had already disappeared from her hands.
Pale blue Mana continuously flowed around her body before sinking beneath her skin. The temperature surrounding her had dropped enough for a thin layer of frost to appear across the pavement beneath her.
Her Ice Mana Core was still processing the large amount of energy she had absorbed.
Cain watched carefully.
He could sense that the Mana gathered inside her body was becoming noticeably denser.
The fourteen 1st Echelon Cores contained far more energy than what Elara normally absorbed at once, but her Mana Core remained stable throughout the process.
Several minutes passed.
The cold Mana surrounding her gradually began withdrawing.
Elara’s breathing remained steady as the energy circulating throughout her body flowed back toward the Mana Core.
Then something changed as the pressure coming from her body suddenly increased.
Frost spread several centimeters farther across the ground before stopping.
Ron, who had been standing nearby, immediately looked toward her.
Elara’s Ice Mana Core had successfully entered the Tempered stage.
The enormous amount of energy she had absorbed had pushed her directly to the same Core stage Ron currently possessed.
Elara slowly opened her eyes.
A faint trace of pale blue light remained within them for a brief moment before disappearing.
She looked down at her hands and quietly sensed the changes inside her body.
The difference was immediately obvious.
Her Mana circulation had become smoother, while the energy stored inside her Core felt substantially denser than before.
Elara stood up.
"My Mana Core reached the Tempered Stage."
"Good." Cain nodded with a smile.
Ron folded his arms.
"So now I’m not special anymore."
Cain looked at him.
"Don’t worry, you’re still our special boy."
Ron’s face darkened.
"Fuck off!"
Nathan chuckled quietly nearby.
Elara ignored them and continued examining the state of her Mana Core.
Meanwhile, Cain waited as he had invested fourteen valuable 1st Echelon Cores into Elara, given Sonya a Green Scroll, and spent more than two hundred thousand System Points improving her abilities.
There was no way the Investment Harem System would remain silent after something like that.
Cain did not have to wait long since a familiar sound soon echoed inside his mind.
His eyes immediately sharpened.
One notification appeared in front of him, then another followed.
Within seconds, several translucent blue panels began appearing one after another before Cain’s eyes.
[Ding! You have made a significant investment in Elara.]
[Elara’s Ice Mana Core has directly reached the Tempered stage with the assistance of 10 purified 1st Echelon Cores and 4 evolved-animal Cores.]
[Investment Return obtained: 14 1st Echelon Cores.]
Cain’s smile immediately widened.
Fourteen Cores.
That was exactly what he had invested.
The Investment Harem System had returned every single one.
Before he could examine them further, another series of notifications appeared.
[Ding! You have invested a Green Scroll in Sonya.]
[Ding! Sonya has obtained Flame Compression, a B-rank Talent.]
[Ding! Investment Return obtained: Green Scroll.]
More messages followed.
[Ding! You have invested 10,000 System Points into Sonya’s Skill.]
[Ding! Sonya’s Fireball has evolved into Explosive Fireball.]
[Ding! You have invested 100,000 System Points into Sonya’s Skill.]
[Ding! Sonya’s Explosive Fireball has evolved into Inferno Orb.]
[Ding! Investment Return obtained: Inferno Orb Skill.]
Cain immediately felt new knowledge entering his mind.
Fire Mana was not his natural element, yet the structure of the Skill became completely clear to him.
He understood how to form the compressed sphere and control its detonation.
The notifications continued.
[Ding! Sonya’s Favorability toward you has increased significantly.]
[Ding! Sonya is overjoyed after obtaining an extremely strong Talent and evolving her weak Skill into a powerful Skill.]
[Ding! The exceptional value of this investment has granted one Reward Ascension Authority.]
[Choose one reward obtained from this investment and increase its rank.]
Cain barely needed to think as he immediately told the system his choice.
"Inferno Orb."
[Ding! Inferno Orb has been selected.]
[Ding! Reward Ascension Authority activated.]
[Ding! Inferno Orb has evolved into Inferno Star.]
[Inferno Star: Condenses an immense amount of Fire Mana into an extremely dense sphere resembling a miniature star. The concentrated flames release intense heat even before impact, scorching nearby targets as the sphere travels. The user can detonate it at will, causing the compressed Fire Mana to erupt outward in a devastating explosion with tremendous heat, penetration, and destructive force.]
Cain read the description with obvious satisfaction.
He finally opened his personal information.
[Cain]
[Level: 25]
[Race: Human]
[Talents: Black Menagerie (Primordial-rank), Undying God Body (Divine-rank), Faultline Vision (SS-rank), Piercing Momentum (S-rank), Vital Restoration (C-rank)]
[Beast: Primordial Chaos Dragon]
[Element: Ruin]
[Skills: Ruin Dragon Force, Greater Restoration, Inferno Star]
[System Points: 43,200]
[Stats]: Strength: 182 (+242) / Agility: 185 (+167) / Physique: 110 (+395) / Sense: 79 (+5) / Mana: 260 / Magic: 160
Cain looked at his ridiculous physical bonuses for a moment before closing most of the information.
Then he remembered something else.
His Inventory had started becoming increasingly cramped at some points.
So, he decided to expand its size while he was at it.
"System. Expand the inventory as much as possible with what I have." Cain ordered the system.
The response came almost immediately.
[Ding! 30,000 System Points have been deducted.]
[Ding! Inventory Space has expanded to 6 cubic meters.]
Cain nodded in satisfaction.
That left him with only 13,200 System Points, but the additional storage would be useful once they left the city and began traveling longer distances.
By then, the battlefield had been completely cleared.