NOVEL NEXT Chapter 96: The Storm Unleashed
After a whirlwind trip from Astral City—culminating in a successful visit to the Deep Corrupted Forest dungeon and claiming its reward—Ryan finally returned to Stormhold Fortress. Only now, standing in familiar territory again, did his mind settle enough to focus on what mattered most: fine-tuning his character's attributes.
Reaching Level 21 came with a steep price tag—two hundred and twenty thousand experience points. Fortunately, the recent takedown of the Overcharged State Guardian had given him a massive boost: two hundred thousand XP in one go. Add in the leftover experience from yesterday and the rewards from his completed quests, and he had just enough to make the leap.
He initiated the level-up without hesitation. The moment it was done, he exhaled in quiet satisfaction and funneled every attribute point from his Glorious Achievement reward straight into Stamina. Then he pulled up his updated stats, letting the numbers sink in.
The power staring back at him was… terrifying. Could anyone else possibly match this?
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Godslayer: Featherlight (Flowing Light)
Race: Human
Class: Paladin (Protection)
Level: 21
Health: 3,493
Mana: 1,167
Strength: 36
Stamina: 52
Agility: 29
Intellect: 26
Spirit: 29
Fire Resistance: 0
Frost Resistance: 0
Arcane Resistance: 0
Nature Resistance: 0
Shadow Resistance: 0
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If these numbers ever hit the forums, they'd set off a storm—pages upon pages of players arguing, envying, dissecting his build. But so what? In this world, if you had the capital, you could reap absurd returns. Skill, influence, insider knowledge—Ryan had them all in spades, especially knowledge. More than anyone else.
And knowledge was the sharpest weapon of all.
Being a step ahead meant staying steps ahead. He wasn't about to let his lead slip—not for anyone, not for anything. This was about ambition, yes, but also about something larger. The greater good… in his own terms.
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As the gryphon's wings carried him back toward Stormhold Fortress, Ryan opened his talent interface, his pulse quickening at the sight of his available points. He had enough Auxiliary Talent Points to fully light up eight entire talents. For once, he could indulge—test combinations he'd only imagined before.
His gaze went straight to the fourth tier of the Retribution tree:
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Radiant Power : Increases critical strike chance for all spells and attacks by 1%, and boosts Exorcism damage by 15% (0/3).
Conquest: Increases damage against Humanoids, Beasts, and Elementals by 1%, with an additional 1% against Demons and Undead, but reduces damage against Dragons and Giants by 1% (0/5).
Eye for an Eye: When you take a critical hit, the attacker suffers damage equal to 20% of what you took, capped at 50% of your max health (0/2).
—
No contest—he dumped five points straight into Conquest, maxing it out. Then his attention moved to the fifth and final tier.
Only two talents waited there:
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Two-Handed Weapon Specialization: Increases your damage by 2% while wielding a two-handed weapon (0/5).
Divine Storm: An instant attack that deals 25% weapon damage as spell damage to all nearby enemies, healing allies for 40% of the damage dealt. Hitting more than five enemies grants one Divine Power. Shares a cooldown with Fist of Light (0/5).
—
Ryan didn't hesitate—he clicked Divine Storm. This was it, the ultimate move for shredding through crowds while keeping allies alive. Area damage and group healing in one neat package. Why would he bother with Two-Handed Weapon Specialization? He was a tank. His shield and one-handed weapon weren't going anywhere.
That choice only cost him two Auxiliary Talent Points, leaving plenty to spend. His eyes shifted to the Holy tree.
Compared to Retribution, these talents were underwhelming—at least for a Protection Paladin.
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Focused Mind: Reduces the chance of your spells being delayed by attacks by 14% (0/5).
Divine Intellect: Increases your Mana by 2% (0/5).
—
He put a point into Focused Mind. That alone would let him heal in smaller dungeons without worrying about constant interruptions. As for Divine Intellect… he hesitated, then shook his head. A Protection Paladin's mana pool wasn't exactly vast—dumping points here felt wasteful.
The second tier wasn't much better. One talent reduced mana cost of spells by 10%, the other shortened Fear and Charm durations by 20%. He ran a hand through his hair, thinking it over. He did have a lot of points to play with… and some dungeon bosses loved their fear effects. Best to avoid having the party scattered in a panic. He took the Fear/Charm reduction.
The third tier was worse—three aura talents once worshipped by Holy Paladins everywhere:
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Devotion Aura: Increases armor of allies within 40 yards by 5% (0/2).
Concentration Aura: Reduces casting time of allies within 40 yards by 5% (0/2).
Retribution Aura: Deals damage to enemies that attack allies within 40 yards (0/1).
—
Ryan stared at them, unimpressed. Spending precious Auxiliary Talent Points here? No thanks. Others would grab them eventually for raid groups. He quickly backed out, tossed a point into Divine Intellect after all—better a little more mana than an aura he'd rarely use.
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Healing Radiance: Reduces the cast time of Radiant Light by 0.1 seconds (0/5).
Aura Mastery: Temporarily increases the effectiveness of auras by 20% for 20 seconds (0/5).
—
He sighed. Healing Radiance got the point; Aura Mastery was ignored.
Finally, the fifth and last tier:
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Divine Grace: Reduces the cast time of your next three heals by 20% and grants 50% spell feedback for those spells (0/5).
Holy Radiance: Increases crit chance of Radiant Light and Shock by 2%, and boosts Radiant Glory healing by 2% (0/5).
—
Now these were worth it. He took both without hesitation.
That left him with one Auxiliary Talent Point. His talents were now sprinkled across all three trees—Retribution, Holy, and his mainstay, Protection. He hadn't maxed out any single path, which meant missing some endgame rewards… but he'd built himself into an all-rounder with strong survival, solid defense, and respectable damage. Most players weren't even close to reaching their final tiers.
By the time he was done, Stormhold Fortress was beneath him again.
"Time to pick up new quests! Arid Plains, here I come!"
He hopped off the gryphon, landing with a spring in his step, and strode out of the flight point ready for whatever came next.