Chapter 426: After Three Weeks, Newfound Strength
Over three weeks passed since Leon unlocked the [Eye of Truth] skill.
And of course, he spent it mostly fighting monsters and grinding for monster essences and items to sell on the global market, his days blending together in a relentless cycle of combat and growth.
Over the course of the three weeks, he and the girls managed to level up a few times, their progress steady and rewarding as they pushed themselves to new heights.
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 97 + Level 98.]
[All your attributes have increased by 2,000 and you have gained 2,000 free attribute points.]
This meant that Leon’s next experience points requirement was insane by any standards, a number that would have seemed impossible just a few weeks ago when he was still struggling to reach level 90.
[Level: 98 (19,295,400/54,000,000)]
’Damn,’ Leon thought, shaking his head at the staggering amount needed for the next level.
The grind was only going to get harder from here.
As for Violet, she had indeed managed to reach level 100, the pinnacle of the higher domains, and both Emilia and Celeste were at level 99, just one step behind her and closing in fast.
As soon as she reached level 100, Violet was asked to join the [Eternal Battlefield] through a system prompt, though she refused the invitation without any hesitation whatsoever.
Unlike the temples where you had to wait for the next prompt to enter, the [Eternal Battlefield] could be entered at any point once you were level 100, meaning she wasn’t in a hurry and could take her time preparing for the challenges that awaited her there.
He also FINALLY received the notification he had been waiting for, the one that would give him a significant power boost and change the course of his training.
Ding!
[Your "Blood Heart" has recharged.]
"Holy fucking shit that took a while," Leon mumbled, his eyes widening with relief as he saw the notification, "I fought so many bosses, including the Vessel of War and Malachar, and it still took this long to recharge."
Was there a reason for it taking so much longer than before? Or was it simply indeed that the more items he blessed, the harsher the requirement became with each subsequent use, scaling up exponentially.
’Or perhaps, that’s because I’m getting closer to ten items blessed,’ Leon mused, thinking about the pattern he had noticed in the artifact’s behavior.
The [Blood Heart] evolved once Leon blessed 5 of his items, and right now he was at 7, eight if he blessed another, meaning he was approaching the next threshold that would trigger another evolution.
Meaning that in another two blessings, the artifact would evolve again, becoming even stronger and unlocking new capabilities.
Leon hesitated for a few days on where to use it, weighing his options carefully and considering all the possibilities, but eventually, he made his choice with confidence and certainty.
"Give me your Frost Rapier," he asked Violet, his voice steady and sure, "Its extremely strong and we probably won’t find anything stronger than it for a while, plus we can still upgrade it later."
Violet simply gave the [Frost Rapier] over to Leon without any hesitation, trusting his judgment completely and knowing he had her best interests at heart.
Leon closed his eyes and focused, his heartbeat aligning with the one of the [Blood Heart] as a crimson hue washed over him, transferring over to the rapier in a wave of power that pulsed through the weapon.
Ding!
[You have used the "Blood Heart" on the "Frost Rapier"]
He didn’t think any of his previous blessings would work on this weapon since it already had its own unique properties and elemental affinity, so he decided to grant it a completely new ability instead.
Fwoosh!
The crimson aura enveloped the rapier, its blade shifting from a pristine silver to a deep, crystalline blue that seemed to hold a frozen galaxy within.
The hilt formed jagged ice-like protrusions that seemed to grow organically, and the guard reshaping into the image of a dragon’s maw.
The entire weapon now radiated an aura of absolute cold that made the air around it frost over instantly.
And with that transformation complete, a notification appeared confirming the blessing and its effects.
Ding!
[You have blessed "Frost Rapier"]
"Here we go," Leon grinned as he gave it back to Violet, "With this, you’re even stronger than before."
[Frost Rapier (Ascendant): +50,000 Attack Power, +50,000 Strength, +40,000 Agility, +35,000 Spirit. Allows its user to make use of the "Ice" element.]
[Blood Heart Blessing: Absolute Zero. Immediately grants the user of the sword elemental ice magic with the power of an SSS-Level Sub-Talent.]
This meant that when Violet used this sword, it was as if she had the SSS-Level ice sub-talent, which was incredible and would make her a force to be reckoned with on any battlefield.
Even enemies beyond level 100 wouldn’t be able to win against her, as they’d be frozen over before they could even mount a proper attack, their movements slowed and their bodies encased in ice.
And indeed, because after she received this blessing, her fighting power had increased tremendously in ways that surprised even her as she tested it out on the monsters around them.
A single swing of Violet’s rapier froze over an entire horde of monsters, their bodies encased in ice, their lifeless forms frozen solid, allowing the rest of the group to kill them with ease while they were helpless and unable to fight back.
"Such power," Violet mumbled as she looked at her rapier, her eyes filled with awe and appreciation, "Thanks, Leon," she smiled warmly at him.
"No problem," he smiled back, "But we’re only getting started, there’s still more to do before we’re ready."
Beside that, the main thing Leon spent doing was acquire monster essences and consume them, as well as sub-talents.
As for items themselves, none of them particularly interested him, so he sold it all, gaining yet another fortune over the three weeks of constant grinding that would serve him well in the future.
’We’ll be able to obtain much better anyway if I focus on increasing my wealth until returning to [Higher Domain #3],’ he thought, planning ahead.
Thanks to that, everyone managed to get their enhancement sub-talent to S-Level at least, a significant milestone for each of them that boosted their combat effectiveness considerably.
As for Leon, he tried many times to enhance his own sub-talents further, but each enhancement failed, the RNG not favoring him, though he was still satisfied as the girls had grown even stronger through the process.
Thousands of monsters fell by his hands during those three weeks, meaning that he acquired a LOT of monster essence, far more than most players could ever hope to obtain in their entire lives.
What’s more interesting, each essence dropped by monsters gave around 250 stat points, a decent amount that added up over time and contributed significantly to his growth.
That was because there was less than a 1% chance to drop a monster essence, meaning any awakener who got one must have at least kill 100 monsters just to see a single one drop, a daunting task.
But since Leon got a monster essence each time thanks to his talent, he got a LOT of stat points, far surpassing what normal players could achieve through conventional grinding methods.
And that wasn’t even including all the different bosses he killed, special monsters, or mutated ones that dropped even more powerful essences with higher stat gains.
Overall, his strength had grown tremendously over the past three weeks, far beyond what he had expected when he first arrived at the Requiem Stronghold.
And so, once it was done...
"Status!"
He gazed at his status panel with a wide smile on his face, taking in all the progress he had made and feeling proud of his accomplishments.