Bab 196: Thor, you're only level 200, how could you have killed a god?
Mike couldn't shake the feeling that Shadow Nine's words had a hidden meaning.
He was giving Stone an SS-tier piece of equipment.
Deliver now, pay later—shouldn't that be something to celebrate?
Pointing to the Dorakos on the ground, Mike said seriously,
"Shadow Nine, please hand this equipment over to Maxen. Tell him not to worry about the cost; I'll definitely come to collect it from him."
The black mist surged, taking the Dorakos away, leaving a few items on the ground.
Shadow Nine said coldly,
"Kid, we're even now."
Mike looked closely and couldn't help but gasp.
Wow—
Shadow Nine was surprisingly generous?
Three Shadow Element skill books.
A set of instructions for building Thor's Sea.
A storage ring containing materials for building Thor's Sea, and there were two sets!
Mike first looked at the skill books:
[Shadow Meld]: Merge into shadows, becoming untargetable. Cannot attack, cast spells, or use special items and scrolls. Can only heal oneself or the host.
In this state, health regeneration +200%, all healing effects +200%, cannot forcibly enter shadows of entities higher level than oneself.
Note: Shadow Element skill books can only be used once every 24 hours.
"You're the one!"
Clearly, Shadow Nine understood Mike's personality, placing the most suitable book on top.
The remaining two skill books, [Ghostly Mirage] and [Phantom Strike], were stored in the ring for later learning.
After securing the skill books, Mike began reading the instructions for building Thor's Sea.
"Place all materials in the specified order and requirements, summon the core crystal of truth, and place your hand on it to build Thor's Sea."
It sounded simple enough.
Mike stored the materials but couldn't help worrying about another matter,
"Shadow Nine, will the demon race master smith in my private space affect the construction of Thor's Sea?"
Fool was a ninth-tier Battle Lord, with high knowledge and vision. Although currently trapped in the private space and watched by Apollo, she couldn't do much.
But no one could guarantee she wouldn't cause trouble at a critical moment.
Shadow Nine said quietly, "I asked about that."
The room suddenly fell silent.
Mike: ???
And then? We were having a good conversation, why did it have to end on a cliffhanger?
Clearly, Shadow Nine's answers required payment.
Mike's expression changed several times. Taking a deep breath, he said heavily, "Shadow Nine, I don't have any more of Morpheus's embarrassing past."
Then, Mike changed his tone, "I haven't had time to explore the Tower of Truth recently, but the 20th floor must have his embarrassing past!"
The 20th floor, a place where one could achieve an SSSS rating, would undoubtedly have traces left by the three Supreme Beings.
Mike was confident in collecting Morpheus's embarrassing past records!
With Mike's promise, Shadow Nine finally revealed the answer, "No need to worry."
With Apollo's assurance, Mike felt relieved and re-entered his private space.
Fool tossed a blackened object to Mike,
"Your staff upgrade is complete."
Equipment: Force of Nature (Lv.200)
Tier: SS
Spell Power: 4200
Attributes: Intelligence +2500, Spirit +2100
Perks:
[Stormbind Vengeance]: Lightning damage +4500%, Nature Element skills provide +45% shield/healing.
[Twinborn]: 20% chance to cast a Nature Element skill when casting a Lightning skill, and vice versa.
[Thunderstorm]: 7.5% chance to deal double damage when casting Lightning skills.
[Fearless (+3)]: Deal 100%-200% extra Lightning damage to enemies higher level than the wielder.
(Level difference increases extra damage, maxing at 200 levels difference)
[Arcanum Defense Oscillation]: Alternates every 30 seconds between 30% physical damage reduction and 30% magical damage reduction.
[Bloodthirsty Desire]: Gain 15% life steal for 30 seconds when dealing damage, triggers every 10 seconds.
(Life steal: Steal target's max health, converting it to the caster's max health)
Upgrade Perk:
[Lightning's Blessing]: This staff is blessed by a Lightning entity above level 990.
Upgrade attempts: 7
Upgrades used: 5
As Mike examined the staff, Fool explained,
"You gave me four SSS-tier seeds. Besides the Bloodthirsty Seed, the others were used to enhance the perks. The equipment tier was upgraded to SS, and the level was raised to 200."
This showcased Fool's value as a master smith.
If Mike had upgraded it himself, even if Force of Nature reached SS-tier, it wouldn't have reached level 200.
Only in the hands of a demon race master smith could it be done to this extent.
[Fearless] was crucial for Mike.
On this abyssal trip, he would face higher-level abyssal demon creatures, ensuring [Fearless] would be triggered 100%!
Moreover, these demon creatures were born in the small Abyssal Plane.
Meaning, they wouldn't deliberately enhance Lightning resistance!
Even if they wanted to stack resistance, they wouldn't have enough time!
This trip's danger was unlike anything Mike had faced before!
In the Tower of Truth, death meant a chance to revive.
In the Forest of Truth, battles were strategic, more like practice for Mike.
Not to mention, many strong allies protected him.
This time, he was heading to the demon race's territory, needing to ensure his safety while rescuing Professor Gregory!
Surrounded by enemies in the abyss.
Charge Up took time, and Mike needed to ensure he had enough output every second!
[Fearless] was significantly enhanced, and other perks saw minor improvements.
Force of Nature gained a new perk, [Bloodthirsty Desire], allowing Mike to steal the enemy's max health and convert it to his own.
Though it only lasted 30 seconds, it was enough for Mike!
Besides shield value, increasing max health, even temporarily, was crucial.
The new upgrade condition was stringent.
Mike needed to ask Shadow Nine if there were any human Lightning entities above level 990.
Even if there were, Mike couldn't upgrade [Force of Nature] now, as equipment above level 200 would be unusable for him.
Storing the upgraded Force of Nature, Mike chose a clear area and got to work.
"What are you doing?"
Fool asked, raising an eyebrow, "Building the Sea of Truth in your private space?"
Mike's Thor's Sea was essentially [ID + Sea].
For example, Maxen's would be Maxen's Sea, Anderson's would be Malphite's Sea.
Demon race called it the Sea of Truth.
Thinking of this, Fool looked up, as if trying to see Apollo on the 99th floor.
"Thor is only level 200, yet he's allowed to build the Sea of Truth.
Apollo Lawson, how should I evaluate you? Are you too bold, or is humanity running out of time?"
Returning her gaze to the busy Thor, Fool thought, "The first step in building the Sea of Truth will resonate with all entities Thor has killed.
Thor has only existed for less than 20 days since awakening his talent. His leveling efficiency is terrifying, but compared to the top three human Supreme Beings, it's ordinary.
The reason is that Thor grew during a truce between the two races, with no chance to hunt many demon creatures..."
With this in mind, Fool nodded slightly, concluding, "Building Thor's Sea shouldn't cause too much commotion."
When everything was in place, and the core crystal of truth was ready, Mike placed his hand on it.
Boom—
The entire private space shook violently, a terrifying, vast pressure descended from the sky, blue light enveloping Mike, containing a rage that seemed capable of tearing everything apart!
This power, both in tier and quantity, was top-notch in the world!
Belonging to... a deity!
"This is impossible!"
Fool's eyes widened in disbelief, her body trembling uncontrollably!
In her shock, she cried out,
"This is... divine power!"
"Thor, you're only level 200, how could you have killed a god?!"