In Wolf's Den, room ss-002.
After devouring the skull, Nightmare's Breeze actually let out a satisfied burp. Seeing this, Mike tossed in the newly acquired giant bone club as well.
This time, Nightmare's Breeze consumed it even faster, and after a chilling sound of grinding, not even scraps of the bone were left.
Having devoured two pieces of SSS-tier material, the durability of Nightmare's Breeze was 'significantly' restored.
The corresponding information appeared before Mike:
Equipment: Nightmare's Breeze (Lv.21)
Tier: SSS
Durability: 0.201%
Attributes: Agility +201, Strength +200, Constitution +200
Physical/Magic Defense: 201
Perks:
- [I'm Broken]: Please fix me, I really miss being intact
- [Tri-element Mastery]: Choose any three elements, all spell effects +2%
- [Cerberus Phantom]: Summons a Cerberus phantom (Lv.20) to fight for you. After being defeated, it requires 24 hours of rest before it can be summoned again.
After consuming the two bones, the durability of Nightmare's Breeze had only increased by 0.2%.
"A single King Cerberus can only provide 72 bones, which equates to 7.2% durability. To fully repair Nightmare's Breeze, nearly fourteen King Cerberus would be needed!"
Mike's face fell as he greatly underestimated the consuming power of Nightmare's Breeze.
"However, looking at the perks [Tri-element Mastery] and [Cerberus Phantom], it seems that whatever material is thrown in triggers a chain reaction, enhancing corresponding perks!" Mike pondered.
Once he had used up all of King Cerberus's bones, he would consider if there were other suitable SSS-tier materials. To maximize the combat effectiveness of Nightmare's Breeze, he needed to ensure a diversity of materials during the repair process.
For Tri-element Mastery, Mike set it to [Wind, Fire, Lightning]. Although it was only a 2% enhancement, it was sufficient. Once all of King Cerberus's bones were accounted for, this percentage should increase further.
Thinking about the massive debt of 60 million gold coins he still owed made Mike's head ache.
"Let's not think about that now."
Mike fastened the cloak and with a thought, summoned the Cerberus Phantom. A half-human-sized hellhound leaped out from the Guardian Shadow, baring its teeth and looking ferocious.
Monster: Cerberus (Juvenile)
Lv.20
HP: 45,000
MP: 30,000
Physical Defense: 380
Magic Defense: 400
Skills: Howl, Watchdog...
In terms of combat power, this Guardian Shadow could sweep through a sixth-tier Battle Soldier.
"Not bad, better than nothing."
The strength of a sixth-tier Battle Soldier was indeed not much for the current Mike. But this was just a phantom of Cerberus, cultivated from two bones! Its strength was modest, but its potential was sufficient.
"Once all the bones are gathered, it might not reach Battle Lord level, but it should at least be comparable to a Battle Chief!"
This added another layer to Mike's means of survival.
"Come back." The Cerberus turned into a shadow and merged back into Mike's Nightmare's Shadow. As long as it wasn't defeated, it could exist indefinitely. If defeated, it only needed 24 hours to be summoned again.
Putting aside the matter of the Nightmare's Shadow, Mike began to study the five skill books gifted by Ares.
"These level requirements are too high!" Mike couldn't help but roll his eyes, only now understanding why Ares had given him five books at once. Four of them required a minimum level of 200 to learn!
The only one Mike could currently study was one book.
"Stay calm, the higher the level requirement, the stronger the skill!" He had already decided to use the Thunderclap Hammer to exploit a bug, so these five skill books were destined to be his.
Mike focused on studying the skill books in front of him:
[Ares·Void Tremor]
The skill book even included a background introduction!
[At level 50, I mastered a strike that could slay a Battle Chief]
"Alex really knows how to show off. This is good, I'll copy this down for future use."
Mike had already planned it. In a few decades, he too would leave behind a skill book.
[Thor·Lightning Arrow]: At level 1, I mastered a move that could slay gods and demons.
Mike placed the skill book in his palm, and a flash of white light passed over, "Skill 'Void Tremor' learned successfully!"
[Void Tremor]: Attack the opponent with your weapon at an extremely fast speed, causing (2000 + 1.5Physical Attack) physical damage. Targets hit by Void Tremor cannot recover health for 5 seconds.
Cost: None
Cooldown: 5s
The skill description was very straightforward, with two effects from Void Tremor: damage and healing prevention.
No, it wasn't just healing reduction; it was a complete healing ban!
"Typical of Ares, this skill is very strong."
However, Mike was puzzled about one thing, "Aside from the healing ban, the damage itself isn't very high. Ares said this skill could slay a Battle Chief... was he exaggerating?"
Knowing Ares, that seemed unlikely. "Perhaps, combined with Ares's own talents, Void Tremor could unleash terrifying power capable of slaying a Battle Chief."
Storing the remaining skill books, Mike tried releasing Tremor Cleaver a few more times and was quite pleased with it. "This move, Ares probably hasn't taught it to anyone else."
"Good, from today onwards, I am the successor of Void Tremor!"
Mike left room ss-002 and approached the front desk. Nyx Valoria, clearly impressed by him, initiated the conversation, "Need anything else?"
To preempt Mike, Nyx quickly added, "Maxen Stoneheart instructed that you can no longer charge to his account."
"Am I that kind of person?"
"I just wanted to ask, if Thor achieves an SSSS-grade rating, what kind of promotions do we have here?"
"Ah, that..." Nyx was taken aback; this guy was still hung up on the freebie!
"For a single SSSS-grade completion on the same day, all expenses are 20% off. Two completions, 50% off. Three, 90% off. Four, it's free."
Nyx quickly set the rules and even wrote them on a blackboard, hanging it in a prominent place at the front desk.
"Thanks, I understand now."
Mike calculated internally. With only six hours today, he could at most achieve two SSSS-grade completions, which meant he'd still have to pay half price for food—not worth it!
Why pay when you can get it for free? Maxen Stoneheart had just sponsored 5000 meals, enough for the miners for a few days. He'd wait until he was confident he could achieve at least three SSSS-grade completions before stocking up.
After bidding farewell to Nyx Valoria, Mike left the Combat Power Test Hall and walked onto the street. He summoned the Core Crystal of Truth and placed his palm on it, feeling a slight chill.
"Please select the level number."
"The seventh level."
A flash of white light engulfed Mike, and a familiar voice echoed,
"Best of luck in conquering the Tower of Truth."