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Chapter 29: Talent Potential
Looking at the description of the talent, there was no mention of a toxin damage cap. If there was indeed an upper limit, it should have been described somewhere. Additionally, the value of 240 points doesn’t seem like a cap; it seems more likely tied to the level. I’m currently at level 12, and twenty times that equals exactly 240.
But why is it 20 times and not 10 times? Suddenly, Wu Shaochen remembered the introduction from the War God Hall, which mentioned that increasing rank could enhance talent potential.
This must be what’s referred to as talent potential. This means that not only my talent, but everyone’s talent potential has a limit, and players can increase this limit by leveling up.
If that’s the case, my talent cap should be 10 times my level, and because I’ve advanced a rank, it’s been increased to 20 times. That explains the situation.
It’s easy to verify this. If I level up again and the toxin damage increases to 260, then the theory will be confirmed. If so, I’ll raise my rank to Bronze tomorrow and test it further.
Having had this thought, Wu Shaochen continued swiftly killing the black bears. Soon, he had killed 76 black bears and leveled up to level 13. He then ventured deeper and found a level 18 monster: a group of giant red lizards. As usual, he used Insight.
[Flame Lizard]
Level: 18
HP: 28,000
Physical Attack: 150
Magical Attack: 380
Physical Defense: 150
Magical Defense: 160
Speed: 50
Skills:
A magical attacker? Wu Shaochen was stunned for a moment. This was the first time he had encountered a magic-based monster. As expected, magic monsters were more troublesome than physical ones. This skill is pretty powerful—if I don’t get out of the skill range quickly, even with over 2,000 HP, I won’t be able to withstand it.
But magic monsters rely entirely on their skills to deal damage, much like mages. Without skills, they are no threat. A mage’s basic skill, Fireball, has a cooldown of only 3 seconds, low cost, and is instant-cast, so it’s essentially like a basic attack. Without skills, mages are still dangerous, but if they run out of mana, they become sitting ducks.
This magical attacker doesn’t even have Fireball. Does its physical attack of 150 points break through defenses? Wu Shaochen chuckled. It should be fine.
The pressure isn’t too high—just need to dodge its skills. However, I can’t fight too many of these lizards at once, or I’ll end up surrounded by a sea of fire with no place to run.
I’ll just fight one at a time. Each takes just over a minute. I’ll lure one, hit it with two swords. Though it runs fast, I still got hit by one second of its skill, but it didn’t make much of a difference.
A minute later, the lizard fell…
Ding, you have killed [Flame Lizard], gained 220 experience, with an additional 110 experience for killing above your level. Your pet [Silver Wolf] gained 66 experience.
Ding, talent trait triggered. Toxin damage increased by 1 point, current toxin damage is 241.
Ding, Immortal Body activated, maximum HP increased by 1 point. Your Immortal Body has increased maximum HP by 297 points.
As expected, Wu Shaochen’s toxin damage increased again. After killing 20 more lizards, the toxin damage reached 260 points and stopped growing.
Now that I’ve figured out the rule, Wu Shaochen let out a sigh of relief. As long as it’s not capped, it’s fine. I haven’t added any strength; I’m relying entirely on my talent. If my talent could no longer grow, I’d be in trouble.
“As long as it can still improve, that’s good. Right now, twenty times my level is already really strong. At least no player can survive a single strike from me.” Wu Shaochen thought to himself.
Looking at the time, it was already past 9 PM. Time for dinner and then sleep. Since my talent has already hit the cap, there’s no rush to level up. Other players won’t catch up with me anytime soon.
Taking off the helmet, Wu Shaochen rubbed his head. He really needed to buy a gaming pod. But he was still a long way from the necessary money. He hadn’t earned any since coming to Yao City, so he’d have to go after some bosses for that.
Wu Shaochen went out for a late-night snack. By the time he returned, it was 10 PM. Setting an alarm for 6 hours, he lay in bed and quickly fell asleep after a long day of effort.
Meanwhile, players across major cities entered a phase of rapid growth. In Jinling City, players had become quite common. Su Muxue had just come out of the War God Hall. She had recently challenged the War God’s secret realm but had clearly failed. Single-player combat wasn’t a mage’s strong suit. Although the magical defenses of monsters in the early stages were generally low, the equipment gained in the newbie village didn’t boost magical attack, and mages were fragile, so they couldn’t withstand the virtual shadow’s high damage. Therefore, she was unable to defeat it.
Thinking for a moment, she decided to ask that guy if he had any magic equipment. But when she opened her friend list, she saw that he had already logged off, leaving behind his impressive level of 13.
“This guy, how does he manage to be so far ahead while still eating and sleeping normally? What a freak.” Su Muxue thought to herself. Looks like it’s time to level up and gear up.
Not long after Su Muxue left, several members of the “Proud and Invincible” guild arrived at the War God Hall. Thanks to their defeat of the Wild Boar King and Silver Wolf King, they had acquired Bronze and Black Iron equipment and had a few enhancement potions and instant-recovery potions left. With their gains, they had leveled up significantly and were in a good mood as they emerged from the hall, finally showing smiles on their faces.
Wu Shaochen slept until the alarm went off. He glanced at the time, and it was 4 AM. The outside world was still pitch dark—his sleep schedule had completely flipped.
After getting up and washing up, he ate the fried noodles he had packed last night, then put on his helmet to log back in.
Once online, he found himself back in the Flame Lizard area. After a moment of thought, he decided to return and finish the War God’s secret realm first. That way, he could verify whether his hypothesis was correct.
Just as he was about to use his Return Scroll, a loud, unusual roar came from Black Bear Ridge.
Wu Shaochen’s eyes lit up. Based on experience, that roar had to belong to a boss. He quickly put away the Return Scroll and rushed toward the source of the sound.
When he arrived, he saw a massive black bear chasing a soldier. The soldier was already on the brink of death. It seemed like the bear was about to slap him to death. Wu Shaochen hurried over and had Silver Wolf help block the attack, saving the soldier.
At this point, Silver Wolf had already reached level 10, with 10,200 HP and 220 physical defense. It could take a hit without much problem.
Rescuing the soldier from under the bear’s claws, Wu Shaochen quickly cast Insight.
[Black Bear King]
Bronze-level Boss
Level: 17
HP: 300,000
Physical Attack: 750
Physical Defense: 420
Magical Defense: 240
Movement Speed: 85
Skills: