Chapter 466: Increased Monster Tide Difficulty, Using the Kings’ Items [1]

As the vortex spun faster and faster, it became quite obvious that it was charging up something in its center, the energy within it growing more intense with each passing second.

The swirling mass of power pulsed like a heartbeat, and the air around it grew heavy with anticipation.

In fact, all of the servants of the gods which were previously standing below the middle of the vortex moved out of the way, their forms gliding through the air to create distance, though they didn’t engage with the remaining players yet.

They simply watched, their eyes fixed on the swirling mass of energy above, waiting for whatever was about to emerge.

Though of course, the remaining players were mostly just the Requiem Guild and Leon and his group.

Everyone else was gone, either dead on the battlefield or inside of the stronghold, which was the only safe place around.

Cavin was rushing around, talking to every Requiem Guild member and ordering them to back away if needed, as this was an unexpected outcome that he hadn’t planned for.

His voice carried across the battlefield, sharp and urgent, leaving no room for argument.

Meanwhile, Leon quickly focused on all the items he acquired from the kings, aiming to use them as fast as possible before the next wave arrived.

He knew time was running out, and every second counted.

But right as he was about to open his [Storage Space], something happened that made his blood run cold.

"ARGHHHH..."

He heard a familiar voice, and saw Emilia fall to the ground, dropping her scepter and coughing blood, holding her head with both hands as if she was in immeasurable pain.

Her body trembled, and her face was pale, contorted in agony.

’...!’ Leon’s eyes widened.

He instantly realized what was happening: it was Emilia’s talent’s passive, the one that warned her of impending danger.

[Passive: You can sense danger coming your way much more efficiently, allowing you to predict whether something catastrophic will happen to you or your companions.]

The first time it activated, she had been in immense pain, her body unable to handle the sudden surge of information.

But the few times afterward she managed to slowly get used to it, building a tolerance over time.

These past few weeks it hadn’t been activated at all, so seeing her like this now meant something truly terrible was approaching, something far worse than anything they had faced before.

"S-Something terrible is coming," Emilia gasped as Celeste and Violet helped her up, "W-We need to r-run!"

She then turned her head toward Leon, her eyes filled with desperation and fear.

"L-Leon, even you can’t beat what’s coming...! Please...!"

Seeing her in this state made him tremble for a split second, her fear infectious and real.

Though he was still determined, his resolve unwavering despite her warning.

"I still want to see what this thing is," Leon replied casually, trying to keep his voice steady, "We need it for later, plus, if I can manage to obtain the items from whatever that thing is... I’m sure we’ll grow even stronger."

"I actually agree with Leon," Violet spoke normally, her voice calm and measured, "We have to see what it is before leaving, plus, we can always use the World Map or whatever to escape, right?"

"As long as we’re not in combat, yes," Leon confirmed, "So until then... lets watch."

Seeing them like this, Emilia simply sighed, though she sat on the ground to ease the pain that still throbbed in her head.

Pyra and Alphox surrounded the elf girl and tried to comfort her, their presence warm and reassuring, though the pain in her head was still high.

This made Leon even more eager to use the items, as he needed to be quick about it before the situation escalated further.

The first thing he did was to focus on the sub-talents, as the other items relied on them to either function or be used properly.

He pulled out [Venomous Blood (S-Level)] and [Void Sovereign (SS-Level)] scrolls and without waiting poured his mana into them as they seeped into him, the energy integrating with his being and reshaping his very essence.

Fwoosh! Ding!

["Venomous Blood (S-Level)" is a stronger variant of your "Mega Poison Resistance (S-Level)" sub-talent.]

[The two will be fused to create an even stronger sub-talent.]

Ding!

[You have acquired the S+-Level Sub-talent: "Venomous Blood"]

"Oh?" Leon’s eyes glinted with surprise, "I didn’t expect that."

[Venomous Blood (S+-Level): The essence of an extremely powerful poison flows through your veins, making it almost impossible to poison you normally. Able to resist up to high-level poisons easily, and all poison-related attacks will tremendously increase.]

[As your blood is filled with poison, if you manage to shed it onto an enemy, they will be poisoned.]

"Good," Leon nodded.

This was a noticeable upgrade, and more interestingly, it could have its uses too if Leon ever shed blood onto an enemy that couldn’t resist poison, turning his own wound into a weapon.

The possibilities were endless, and he filed that thought away for later.

Then finally, he turned toward the second sub-talent, his anticipation building with each passing second.

Ding!

[Your "Void Affinity (A-Level)" sub-talent has evolved into "Void Sovereign (SS-Level)"]

[Void Sovereign (SS-Level): You are one with the void, gaining immense resistance to void-based attacks. Your void-based abilities are tremendously enhanced, and you can manipulate the void to a degree that few beings can match.]

With that, Leon had evolved a supreme element to SS-Level, one of the strongest elements was within his grasp, its power coursing through his veins like a second heartbeat.

But of course, more than anything... it meant he could use the other items now, the ones that required a void-related sub-talent to function.

Before then, he threw the [Supreme Flame Affinity (S-Level)] one toward Celeste, who grabbed it, and placed the [Supreme Ice Affinity (S-Level)] sub-talent in front of Emilia as she was still in pain.

"I already have an S-Level flame sub-talent though," Celeste spoke as she glanced at the scroll, "[Ultimate Flame Control (S-Level)]."

"Sub-talents can have different variants," Leon explained, "And if you manage to learn several of them... they fuse and become stronger."

"Oh!"

Celeste didn’t waste any time, pouring her mana into the sub-talent scroll as it fused into her, the energy surging through her body and merging with her existing abilities.

And indeed, the fusion worked perfectly, the two sub-talents combining into something greater.

Ding!

["Supreme Flame Affinity (S-Level)" is a stronger variant of your "Ultimate Flame Control (S-Level)" sub-talent.]

[The two will be fused to create an even stronger sub-talent.]

[You have acquired the S+-Level Sub-Talent: Supreme Flame Affinity.]

"W-Wow!" Celeste’s eyes widened with excitement, "You were right!"

"When was I ever wrong," Leon smiled, a hint of confidence in his voice.

With that done though, it meant he could move to the other items he acquired... and Leon knew they would be good, his fingers tingling with anticipation as he prepared to use them.