NOVEL NEXT Chapter 292: Final Preparations, The Skills' Ultimate Forms
Stark stepped forward, pressing his hand against the wall after seeing the small flicker in the wall.
But nothing happened.
And so he did something you shouldn't do normally.
Or maybe he should have done it from the start, who knows.
'Well… at this point I was going to do it anyway.'
What he did, you might ask, well… he punched the wall, breaking it, revealing a flight of stairs that went down.
This had been Stark's final solution if he didn't find the secret area: if two days remained before the end and he didn't find it, he would begin destroying the tower from the inside.
Even if it could crumble, he would still do it.
"So that's it…" Stark murmured, a grin forming on his face.
He'd finally found it, the secret area.
Without hesitation, he stepped through the passage, descending deeper into the Colosseum Tower.
At the end of the passage, a massive stone archway awaited him, ancient runes carved into its surface.
In the center of the arch was a glowing portal, pulsing with otherworldly energy.
"This must be it..." Stark muttered to himself.
But before stepping into the portal, he had some things he needed to do: upgrade his skills.
[Skill Points Available: 44]
He hadn't used any since leveling up to level 78, meaning that he had a ton of them.
And it was good, he needed the best possible skills he could get to win against Olikar.
[Skills:] Spatial Inventory; Class Wheel; Perception; Domination lv25; Focus lv25; Aura Smash lv25; Clone Frenzy lv25; Invincible Dodge lv10; Double Assault lv10; Crimson Spears lv10; Heaven's Wrath lv5; Alchemist lv5; Potion Crafting lv5; Target Manipulation lv1; Dodge Control lv5; Crimson Ball Transmission lv5; EGO lv5; Crimson Purification lv25; Wielding Cross lv10; Crimson Healing lv1; The Void; Banish; Domination Soul, Revenant's Fury
With 44 skill points and a level 30 skill limit, he had more than enough to upgrade whatever he wanted.
And in addition to that…
"Spatial Inventory," he pulled something out of the portal, and it was the [Max out Core] from it.
It was the item he got it from completly clearing the [Corpse Cemetery] rift during the first trial from all its monsters, not leaving a single one alive inside that rift.
[Description: You can use this core to max out a skill, no matter what its level is, limit doesn't matter either, the skill will reach its ultimate form.]
"Huh," he had actually never read the full description of that item, but now that he saw it, what the hell was a skill's ultimate form?
He got no answer, and so he decided to just use it last anyway.
After all… he already knew the exact skills he needed to upgrade, it wasn't even a choice at this point.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[You have upgraded 'Domination' to level 30 (Gold-Tier Max)!]
[You have upgraded 'Focus' to level 30 (Gold-Tier Max)!]
[You have upgraded 'Aura Smash' to level 30 (Gold-Tier Max)!]
[You have upgraded 'Crimson Spears' to level 30 (Gold-Tier Max)!]
[You have upgraded 'Clone Frenzy' to level 30 (Gold-Tier Max)!]
Upgrading these skills weren't even his personal choice, he was just kind of forced, since they were the ones he upgraded the most among all of them!
And with the remaining 4 he had, well, he couldn't do much, so he decided to keep them for later.
'Well… time to check those new perks,' he smiled.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
…
[Skill: Domination]
[New Perk: Aura]
[Description: You just get more aura ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯, be happy with it.]
…
"Wow," Stark wasn't impressed, but to be honest, Domination's perks were never really that important to begin with, and neither were Focus'.
…
[Skill: Focus]
[New Perk: Flow (Legendary Perk)]
[Description: Your focus is unwavering, and by focusing on an enemy for 10 seconds, grasping their movements and flow of aura, you are able to see their attacks coming at least a second before they come, though if they attack you while you 'focus', then the 'link' is disrupted.]
…
"Oh," looks like Focus didn't let him down after all, this should be useful, but if he wanted to use it he would need to spare time at the start of the battle, since otherwise it is impossible to use.
…
[Skill: Aura Smash]
[New Perk: Fist Spam]
[Description: Instead of summoning 5 fists to either send them at your enemies or merging them to do immense damage, you can instead decide to separate these fists into five distinct ones too, meaning 25 crimson fists.
They do MUCH, MUCH, less damage, but if facing an opponent that requires hits instead of damage, then it is useful to overwhelm them, though do note that these fists cannot stun.]
…
Pretty good, could have its use, and so he moved on to [Crimson Spears], eager to see what new power awaited him.
He had the choice between a LEGENDARY perk or three rare ones this time, but he obviously selected the former.
[Skill: Crimson Spears]
[New Perk: Spear of Judgement (LEGENDARY)]
[Description: You can now summon a singular, colossal crimson spear infused with pure energy (uses up your cooldown, though).
When thrown, the spear locks onto a target's aura and follows them until it hits or is destroyed, regardless of distance or barriers.
The spear also pierces through any known defense or shield.
Upon impact, the spear detonates, unleashing a wave of destruction around the point of contact.]
…
"Wow," Stark muttered, clearly impressed.
A homing spear that could pierce any defense was a game-changer, and even he could feel that this thing would be useful…
The Spear of Judgement wasn't just powerful—it was practically unstoppable depending on the amount of aura he had.
Olikar and the others wouldn't know what hit them, though it did use up all of his cooldown and took a few seconds to charge up, so it had its downsides.
"Well, one more and its over for upgrading my skills with skill points," he mumbled to himself as he stared at the panel displaying [Clone Frenzy].
But when he read it… his eyes widened with shock.
…
[Skill: Clone Frenzy]
[New Perk: The Ultimate Clone]
[Description: By merging five clones instead of the previous three, the Superior Clone transforms into the Ultimate Clone, which possesses the same strength, abilities, and skills as the original. This clone has the ability to act independently, thinking and fighting as if it were the true Stark.]
…
A system notification followed after Stark read the description:
[Clone Frenzy has reached its ultimate form. This skill can no longer be upgraded.]
Continue your journey with m|v-l'e m,p y r
It was then that the meaning of the [Max Out Core] dawned on him.
A skill's "ultimate form" didn't refer to reaching level 30, 40, or 50—it was simply the point at which no further improvements could be made, regardless of the current level.
Clone Frenzy had hit its cap at level 30, but other skills could go much higher depending on them.
Stark's eyes widened as he realized the power behind the Ultimate Clone.
Essentially, he could have another "himself" fighting alongside him.
And with the new revelation about the ultimate form, he felt a renewed sense of urgency to use the [Max Out Core].
Without wasting any time, he put the [Max Out Core] on his palm, activating its powers.
[Which skill do you want to upgrade to the max?]
"Alright… let's see what you can do," Stark muttered.
He had several skills to consider, but after a quick mental debate, he made his decision.
He chose [Crimson Healing], knowing he needed strong support skills if he were to get better later, plus it was the only skill beside [Target Manipulation] that was level 1, making it very cost-effective!
[You have used the [Max Out Core] on 'Crimson Healing'!]
[Crimson Healing has reached level 70 (Ultimate Form)!]