SSS Ranked Talent: I Can Upgrade My Skills Infinitely

Alvian, unseen, kicked the back of his knee. The spell misfired, blowing up three Acolytes.

The confusion was total. By the time Valeria and the squad hit the line, the enemy formation was already broken.

They breached the Sanctum.

The interior of the Frost Sanctum was a cathedral of nightmares.

The walls were lined not with stone, but with frozen bodies. Villagers, travelers, missing students—all encased in clear ice, their faces frozen in eternal screams. They were arranged in spiral patterns that funneled mana toward the center of the mountain.

"By the Founders..." Elara gagged, covering her mouth. "They're... they're batteries."

"Don't look," Alvian ordered sharply. "Focus on the living. We can't help the dead."

They were in the Subvaults, the lower levels of the complex. The air here was thick with violet mist.

"We need to go up," Valeria said, checking the map. "The ritual chamber is at the summit."

"Wait," Alvian stopped. He knelt down, touching the floor. The stone was vibrating.

"Thump... Thump... Thump..."

It was a heartbeat. A massive one.

"The summoning isn't just a ritual," Alvian realized, his eyes narrowing. "They aren't summoning a demon. They're growing one."

"What?" Arin asked, his voice trembling.

"The Convergence," Alvian muttered to himself. The timeline was accelerating faster than he thought. In his past life, the SnowMages summoned a Calamity Demon. But this vibration... this felt like an Avatar of a Demon God.

"We need to move faster," Alvian stood up. "Arin, light the way. Max output. Stealth is over."

"Are you crazy? We'll draw everything to us!"

"Exactly," Alvian drew his [Wyrm-Tooth Dagger] in his left hand and summoned his runes. "If they're fighting us, they aren't feeding the ritual."

They sprinted through the corridors.

Resistance came in waves. Cultists, Ice Wraiths, corrupted beasts.

Alvian was a whirlwind. He used [Runic Aegis] offensively now. He launched runes into crowds of enemies, detonating them like grenades.

"BOOM!" [-800!]

"BOOM!" [-950!]

Valeria was the anvil. She held the chokepoints, her shield glowing with holy light, blocking spells that would have vaporized the others.

They reached a massive circular chamber. The floor was a grate, looking down into a pit of swirling darkness.

Blocking the exit on the other side was a monstrosity.

[Mini-Boss: The Flesh-Stitched Guardian]

[Level: 32]

[Status: Abomination]

It was a giant made of sewn-together corpses, encased in ice armor. It wielded a massive meat hook on a chain.

"Fresh meat..." the Guardian gurgled, its voice a chorus of stolen vocal cords.

It swung the hook.

"Duck!" Alvian shouted.

The hook tore through the air where Elara's head had been a second ago, embedding itself in the wall.

"Arin, fire on the joints! Valeria, keep its attention! Elara, keep Arin alive!"

"And you?" Valeria yelled, deflecting a massive fist with her shield.

"I'm going inside," Alvian said.

He didn't mean metaphorically.

He sprinted at the giant. The Guardian pulled the hook back, aiming for him.

Alvian slid under the giant's legs. He saw it—the stitching on the abdomen was loose, leaking violet gas.

He activated [Frost Descent +2], but not as a storm. He focused the mana into his hand, coating his dagger in a layer of absolute zero energy.

"Freeze and shatter."

He jumped, driving the dagger into the stitching.

The ice magic reacted with the necrotic flesh. The tissue froze instantly.

"CRACK!"

Alvian ripped the dagger sideways. The frozen belly of the beast split open.

The Guardian roared, clutching its stomach. But instead of guts, unstable mana poured out.

"It's going to blow!" Alvian kicked off the monster, backflipping away.

"Valeria, Shield Wall! Max power!"

Valeria slammed her shield down. A dome of light covered the squad.

"BOOM!"

The Abomination detonated. A wave of rot and ice slammed into the barrier. The shield cracked, but held.

When the dust settled, only a crater remained.

[You have slain The Flesh-Stitched Guardian!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

Alvian stood up, dusting off his shoulder. He was now Level 21.

"That was disgusting," Elara whimpered.

"That was efficient," Alvian corrected. He looked at the door behind where the monster had stood. It was made of pure obsidian.

"The Inner Sanctum is behind that door," Alvian said. "The boss is waiting."

He looked at his team. They were battered, mana-drained, and terrified. But they were still standing.

"Checks potions," Alvian ordered. "This is it. Once we cross this threshold, there is no retreat. We kill the SnowMage Lord, or Silverwood falls."

Valeria drank a stamina potion and nodded. "We're with you, Alvian."

Alvian pushed the obsidian doors open.

-------

The Inner Sanctum was vast. The roof of the mountain was gone, replaced by a swirling vortex of purple clouds that churned directly overhead. The snow here didn't fall down; it fell up, drawn into the sky by a gravity-defying ritual.

In the center of the chamber, atop a dais of black ice, stood the architect of this nightmare.

[Boss: SnowMage Lord - Malagor]

[Level: 35]

[Status: Calamity Host / Empowered]

Malagor was tall, draped in robes woven from shadows and frost. He held a staff that pulsed with the heartbeat of the mountain. Beside him floated the [Seed of the Endless Winter]—or rather, the Master Seed.

Surrounding the dais were four pylons, each channeling energy into the Lord.

"You are late," Malagor's voice boomed, echoing from everywhere at once. "The Sequence is 98% complete. The Avatar descends."

He raised his staff.

"Die."

He didn't cast a spell. He commanded the room.

Thousands of ice spears materialized in the air, aiming at the squad.

"INCOMING!" Valeria screamed, stepping in front of Elara and Arin.

"Arin, barrier! Now!" Alvian barked.

The spears fired. A rain of death.

Valeria's shield buckled. Arin's barrier shattered instantly.

One spear clipped Alvian's shoulder.

[-450 HP!]

Pain flared, cold and sharp. His health bar dipped.

"He's too strong," Arin cried. "He's Level 35 and empowered by the ritual!"

"Break the pylons!" Alvian realized instantly. "He's drawing invulnerability from them!"

"I can't reach them!" Valeria grunted, holding off another wave of ice. "The pressure is too high!"

Alvian looked at the pylons. They were spread out in the four corners of the room.

"I'll take the back two. You take the front two," Alvian ordered.

"How? We can't move!"

Alvian's eyes glowed. He checked his inventory. He had one charge of [Super Upgrade] left for the day. He had saved it for an emergency.

This was an emergency.

He looked at his [Prowler's Boots]. They were good, but they lacked burst speed.

'System. Upgrade [Prowler's Boots].'

[Ding!]

[Consuming final daily charge… Upgrade successful!]

[Item Evolved: [Shadow-Stride Boots] (Unique)]

[New Ability: [Shadow Step] - Instantly teleport to a shadow within 20 meters. Cooldown: 10 seconds.]

"Perfection," Alvian grinned.

He didn't run. He vanished.

"POOF!"

He reappeared behind the first pylon, emerging from the shadow cast by the dais.

Malagor turned, surprised. "What?"

Alvian didn't hesitate. He unleashed a fully charged [Runic Aegis], launching all 7 runes at the crystal pylon.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

The pylon shattered.

Malagor roared as a backlash of energy hit him. His shield flickered.

"Now, Valeria!" Alvian shouted across the room.

Seeing the opening, Valeria charged. She ignored the ice shards cutting her skin. She reached the front left pylon and swung her claymore with a scream of fury.

"CRASH!"

The second pylon fell.

Malagor was furious. "Insects! I will freeze your souls!"

He pointed his staff at Alvian. A beam of pure violet energy, the [Death Ray of Winter], shot out.

It was an instant-kill spell.

Alvian's [Shadow Step] was on cooldown. He couldn't dodge.

"Alvian!" Elara screamed.

But Alvian didn't flinch. He raised his hand.

"[Frost Descent +2]."

He cast the blizzard on himself.

The storm erupted around him, creating a dense wall of swirling ice and mana.

The Death Ray hit the blizzard. The beam struggled to penetrate the hyper-dense storm. It burned through, inch by inch, but the storm diffused the energy.

When the beam finally reached Alvian, it was weakened.

[-1,200 HP!]

Alvian was blasted backward, slamming into the wall. His health was in the red. He coughed blood, but he was alive.

"He... he blocked a Level 35 ultimate?" Arin stared, jaw dropped.

Alvian wiped the blood from his mouth and stood up, his eyes burning with a terrifying light.

"Two pylons down," Alvian spat. "Two to go. Then, we kill the god."

He looked at Valeria, who was panting but ready.

"Squad Alpha-9," Alvian's voice was calm, deadly. "Execute Phase Two."