DRIP—
DRIP—
Gaode carried an oil lamp as he walked through the sewer pipes. Unidentifiable liquids constantly seeped from the walls, dripping into the murky stream of sewage below.
A faint light appeared ahead. Gaode knew he was approaching the entrance. He quickened his pace, constantly unsettled by the slimy, filthy environment surrounding him.
Upon reaching the entrance, Gaode climbed up cautiously, trying his best to keep his clothes from brushing against the unknown liquids clinging to the sewer walls. Just as he was about to leave the sewer, he vaguely heard a strange noise echoing from behind—something resembling an animal's cry. Gaode instinctively looked back.
In the boundless darkness of the sewer, two eerie red dots had inexplicably lit up. A deep, crimson red. They looked just like a pair of eyes staring right at him.
In that instant, a chilling sensation washed over Gaode. Not daring to look back again, he hurriedly scrambled out of the hole and left the sewer.
Gaode returned to the grocery store and informed Pierre that he had finished clearing out the worms. He returned the leftover insecticidal potion to Pierre and collected his meager payment: two Trifoliate Flower Silver Coins.
"I'll bring the ring to you tomorrow," Gaode said decisively after receiving his pay. "I'm heading back first. I reek right now."
Despite his utmost caution in the sewer—even resorting to the Mage's Hand to help with the cleanup—he hadn't been able to completely avoid the filth. He was eager to go back and wash up.
After hurrying back to the Medicinal Garden, Gaode took a quick shower to wash off the stench before heading to the dining hall for his meal.
Given the recent "glorious" combat record of the Night Assassin Elan, the other apprentices in the Medicinal Garden had been keeping a respectful distance from Gaode lately, with the sole exception of his roommate, Amy. Just like now—the moment Gaode sat at the table with his food, the other dining apprentices instinctively ate faster, eager to leave the hall and avoid being in the same room as him.
Gaode paid them no mind. He unhurriedly finished his dinner, cleared his dishes, and headed straight to his workshop.
He had two major projects waiting for him tonight.
Inside his workshop, Gaode sat cross-legged in Meditation, focusing his heart and spirit.
"Wind Spirit Moon Shadow!"
As he chanted silently in his heart, that crude yet familiar interface materialized once again.
In his Magic List, a tiny yellow plus sign flickered next to all four magics, except for [Repair Skill+]. Gaode pondered for a moment before finally locking his gaze onto [Acid Splash].
He thought, "In terms of lethality, Acid Splash outclasses Frozen Ray..."
His attribute allocation this time would only be a choice between Acid Splash and Frozen Ray—his two offensive magics. To put it in "professional" terms: when fighting against a massive headwind, one must spend their limited economy on damage-dealing equipment; only then would there be a sliver of hope for a comeback.
"Add point!"
Without further hesitation, Gaode stared intently at the plus sign next to [Acid Splash].
The next instant, the Big Dipper representing the Origin of the Dark Swamp Crawler drifted out from within the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, merging into the Magic Model of Acid Splash like lightning.
The two blended seamlessly. Building upon the original Magic Model of Acid Splash, new branches sprouted and extended outward. In a matter of moments, the Acid Splash Magic Model, originally composed of nine Stars, expanded into a brand-new model boasting a full eighteen Stars.
In the Magic List, the plus sign next to [Acid Splash] vanished, and its name updated to [Acid Splash+].
[Acid Splash+] (Curse Magic, 0th Ring):
Fires a small glob of acid at the target, with an initial maximum range of 25 feet (approximately 8.5 meters).
You must make a successful ranged touch attack to hit the target; the acid glob deals potent acid damage.
The acid from the glob will dissipate after a few seconds.
Bonus: The acid can now be preserved for up to one day according to your needs.
"It's done," Gaode thought with joy.
The changes to [Acid Splash+] did not disappoint him. The acid from the glob naturally inflicted continuous damage; as long as the acid remained, it would keep causing harm until it was completely depleted. However, in most cases, the duration of the acid expired long before the acid released by Acid Splash was fully consumed.
Therefore, extending the acid's preservation time was, in other words, equivalent to enhancing its lethality.
Moreover, the ability to preserve the acid for up to a day wasn't just an increase in lethality—it held immense strategic value, expanding the magic's potential applications.
For instance, an idea immediately came to Gaode's mind: since the acid could last up to a day, he could easily stockpile the acid from [Acid Splash+] a day in advance. When the time came, he could physically throw it, indirectly "casting" the Acid Splash magic and bypassing his own Mana limits.
The attribute allocation was complete.
Gaode took a deep breath, calming his excited heart and spirit, and began his second major project for the night. He reached into his coat and fished out a ring.
The damaged Divine Guidance Ring.
"Let's give this a try," he murmured.
Focusing his Spirit, Gaode mobilized the Mana within his body, guiding it to flash through the Magic Model of [Repair Skill+]. The Mana transformed into faint, nearly invisible streams of Energy that gathered at his fingertips. They converged into a gentle glow that gradually enveloped the damaged Divine Guidance Ring.
The soft light sank precisely into the ring's fractures. It flowed along the cracks like molten metal pouring into a mold, rapidly filling and healing every single imperfection.
Normally, the process would have ended here. The effect of the standard Repair Skill was limited to mending physical damage. But what Gaode now possessed wasn't the regular [Repair Skill]—it was [Repair Skill+].
Thus, the restoration continued.
On the surface of the ring, the Rune that represented the source of its Magic Power was now bathed in the soft light of the Repair Skill. A golden thread began to extend from the broken edge of the Rune, reaching toward its terminus—the original connection point. It was as if an invisible quill, dipped in golden ink, was sketching over the severed sections of the Rune.
As the final wisp of radiance melded into the ring, the surface of the Divine Guidance Ring shimmered with its original luster. Its lost Magic Power had awakened once more.
Gaode panted slightly.
The Mana consumed to cast [Repair Skill+] was actually equivalent to the amount needed to cast three standard 0th Ring magics. However, the successful restoration of the ring proved that his efforts had been well worth it.
He slipped the fully restored Divine Guidance Ring back onto his finger. The moment he concentrated his Spiritual Power onto the ring, relevant information instantly fed back into his mind:
With the aid of the Divine Guidance Ring, one can cast the Trick [Divine Guidance Skill] once a day without any consumption.
[Divine Guidance Skill] (Prophet, 0th Ring):
Select a target to cast this magic, temporarily and slightly enhancing their performance in their next physical skill or craft.
This includes but is not limited to: lockpicking success rate, archery accuracy, item crafting success rate...