Chapter 1015 - 489: [Heartstrings]

"Congratulations on extracting one of the abilities from the Demon [Jackal-Wolf People]: Group Hunting.

"It is currently being improved into the Blue-quality Racial Talent [Group Link]."

Gauss wasn’t surprised that the extracted target was a Jackal-Wolf Person. For one, he had killed a significant number of Jackal-Wolf People recently, which likely increased the probability of it appearing. Furthermore, Gauss ultimately hadn’t used his wishing ability. He felt that no matter what Talent he extracted, the difference wouldn’t be too great—none of them would produce a qualitative change in his strength.

However, he might encounter a powerful enemy tonight, so it was better to save the wishing ability to deal with any unforeseen circumstances. In truth, any choice would have been reasonable, but Gauss simply opted for the relatively safe approach.

[Group Link]: Under your leadership, your subordinates’ morale, combat prowess, and combat synergy will all increase by a certain margin. At the same time, when you are positioned within the team, everyone’s morale will condense into a unified team aura. Under its enhancement, your own strength will also receive a boost.

As expected of a Racial Talent born from the Jackal-Wolf People, this Talent’s abilities carried their distinct characteristics. The terrifying aspect of the Jackal-Wolf People wasn’t their individual strength. Rather, when their numbers reached a certain threshold, they would form a formidable disaster—even a full-blown catastrophe. This was entirely due to their social nature and teamwork. This swarm-like, destructive talent, akin to a plague of locusts, was engraved into their very genes.

"Not bad," Gauss remarked, giving it a decent evaluation.

He already possessed the Profession specialty [Mark of the Leader]. Combined with this [Group Link], his companions’ combat power would be massively improved whenever he was present on the battlefield. This trait also carried an "all for one, one for all" effect. Not only could his teammates receive buffs from their leader, but the leader himself could also benefit and enhance his own strength. Furthermore, he could sense that the ability of this [Group Link] wasn’t as simple as its description suggested. There were likely more possibilities waiting to be developed.

He directed his Perception toward the newly emerged Racial Talent Ability within his body. It was a very magical power. Looking in the direction of his teammates, he noticed that despite the vast distance between them, an invisible thread extended from each of their bodies. Some threads were thick, while others were thin, but they all shared one common trait: the end of every thread ultimately converged on him. His Spiritual Power could follow each thread connected to him to vaguely sense his teammates’ conditions. If he focused slightly, that perception would become even clearer.

Of course, these "threads" weren’t physical entities or energy, but rather a more conceptual existence. Nor could they be perceived by anyone or anything other than himself.

Feeling this power, Gauss briefly fell into deep thought. The more he pondered it, the stranger it felt. He wondered why this thing felt so much like the relationship between a god and their believers. Of course, it was only a superficial resemblance; in reality, the difference was huge. After all, the scale of his [Group Link] wasn’t large and most likely had a strict limit on how many people it could cover. Moreover, its effective range was roughly within a radius of twenty or thirty kilometers, which was a far cry from legendary faith and divine grace.

Then again, the current [Group Link] was merely a Blue-quality Talent. Could he really demand too much from it? Who knew what heights it would reach when it advanced to Gold quality, or even the higher Red quality?

Gauss’s thoughts churned rapidly, but he soon stopped his rumination. It was enough to just lightly entertain these guesses. He focused his gaze on the Commander Points column.

Commander Points: 95.

He had just killed a few Commander-level monster Casters, slightly increasing his Commander Points from before. However, it still wasn’t enough to advance both of his current Blue-quality Talents, [Death Outline] and [Group Link]. He could only prioritize one for advancement. His gaze darted back and forth between the two.

In truth, it didn’t matter which one he chose. Given his speed at acquiring Commander Points, the only difference was advancing one slightly later than the other. After all, the number of Commander-level Demons was still much higher than that of Extraordinary Demons. But after a moment’s consideration, he leaned toward his newly acquired [Group Link].

It wasn’t that [Death Outline] was bad; Gauss actually felt it had immense potential. However, [Group Link] could play a greater role right now. Even if [Death Outline] advanced successfully, it likely wouldn’t be very useful on the battlefield. [Group Link], on the other hand, could enhance the strength of both his teammates and himself. The support it provided to his teammates was especially crucial. On a perilous battlefield, any extra fraction of a chance for survival was invaluable.

Having made his decision, Gauss no longer hesitated and focused his mind on upgrading [Group Link].

"The conditions required for quality advancement have been met. Do you wish to advance the Blue-quality Racial Talent [Group Link]?"

"Yes."

With his confirmation, his Commander Points depleted rapidly.

Commander Points: 95 → 25.

In the blink of an eye, seventy Commander Points were consumed. The entry for [Group Link] began to change. Its blue hue gradually deepened—turning dark blue, indigo, light purple, and then deep purple. He felt the threads transmitting from his team members become tougher and more solid. The mechanics within them also grew more complex, as if they could now bear even more power.