Chapter 228: Second Talent

This was the first time Alex had obtained several useful items from a single set of Reward Boxes. There was not even a Trash-rank item among them, which made him wonder if his luck was finally improving, but the thought quickly made him wince.

His luck had always been strange whenever it came to Reward Boxes. Most of the times., he got Trash, and whenever he received something particularly good, he usually found himself in an equally dangerous situation, such as when he obtained his Talent and immediately had to fight a Netherclaw Prowler after waking up.

’Hopefully, getting these rewards doesn’t mean something terrible is about to happen,’ he thought, then realized he might’ve raised a flag.

Alex looked at the white orb again and soon thought about another matter. It was a Talent, and considering its name, it seemed to be related to Runes, which made sense because his Class had now become Runesmith.

The Reward Boxes reward pool must’ve changed after his Class evolution. It was likely that the System now prioritized rewards related to his Class like what he had predicted, which would explain why he had received something like Runic Eye instead of another random Talent.

Alex focused on the orb.

[Runic Eye Talent Orb (D Rank)]

[They say eyes are the window to the soul. Now you can replace your windows, and make them prettier!]

[Effect: Allows you to gain Runic Eye Talent]

If Alex said he was not surprised, he would be lying. His heart began beating faster as he stared at the description because one question immediately appeared in his mind.

Was it possible to have two Talents?

Alex had never even thought about this possibility before. If it was possible, he also wanted to know how many Talents a person could have, but the System did not provide any information about a limit. A faint smile appeared on Alex’s face as he decided to absorb the Talent Orb and find out. He was slightly worried that absorbing a second Talent might somehow replace his existing one, but he felt that such a possibility was unlikely.

The orb melted into his hand and disappeared into his body. He immediately brought up his Status Screen and checked his Talents.

When he saw that his original Talent was still there and that Runic Eye had appeared alongside it, Alex could not help but feel excited.

[Runic Eye (D Rank)]

[The eyes, Chico. They never lie.]

[Effect: Allows you to check the name and rank of the Runes once you know their functions.]

Alex stared at the description for several seconds before finally understanding what he had obtained. He was stunned because this Talent seemed far more useful than its D rank suggested.

At first glance, someone might think the Talent was almost useless because they needed to know what a Rune did before they could check its name and rank. However, Alex quickly realized that this limitation was not as serious as it sounded, especially if they knew how to use it.

Alex looked at the upgraded Fire Element Rune he had created, and three screens appeared in front of him.

[Fire Element Rune (Trash Rank)]

[Improved Fire Element Compression Rune (B Rank)]

[Improved Fire Element Stability Rune (B Rank)]

Alex was surprised by the result. He already knew that the Fire Element Rune he had copied contained several smaller components, with the basic Fire Element Rune acting as the main component while the other runes were added on top of it, but he had always assumed that the runes responsible for increasing compression and stability were actually one rune.

Now, he realized that they were two completely different runes. This was the real ability of his new Talent, as Runic Eye allowed him to break down complex Runes and identify the individual Runes that made them up. Of course, he still needed to understand what a Rune did before he could identify it, and the Talent would likely not distinguish the individual Runes if the complete Rune was too complex, but that was something he could figure out through experimentation.

Alex looked at the two improved Runes again and noticed something else. Both of them had "Fire Element" in their names, yet he had the strange feeling that they could also be used with Runes belonging to other elements.

He was almost certain about it. The feeling was probably coming from his SSS-rank Origin Spell Physique, which had already given him an unusual understanding of spells and anything related to magic, but he still did not understand why the Runes were named specifically for Fire Element if they could be used with other elements.

He would have to check that later. Right now, he was already short on time, so there was no reason to waste it trying to solve a question that could wait.

Alex shifted his attention toward the second reward.

[Protection Amulet (C Rank)]

[You shall not pass!]

[Effect: Can block one attack from Ascendants and monsters up to Level 20 Mid-rank Species.]

Alex raised an eyebrow when he read the description. The amulet was simple, but its effect was undeniably powerful.

Still, Alex could already block attacks from Level 20 Mid-rank Species himself under normal circumstances. The real value of the amulet was that it could save him from a surprise attack, although he did not think he would easily be caught off guard.

After all, he had the Advanced Battle Instinct Spell. The spell had already proven useful by warning him about attacks that could endanger his life, and it was slowly leveling up as he continued using it, so Alex wanted to use it as much as possible and figure out exactly how he could continue to improve it.

If he had a safeguard like the amulet, he might unconsciously become less desperate to improve his Advanced Battle Instinct Spell. In a way, the amulet was like a sweet poison that tasted good but could become harmful in the long run.

Of course, Alex would have used it without hesitation if it could block attacks from Level 25 or Level 30 monsters, because enemies at those levels might actually be capable of killing him with a single attack. The same applied if the amulet could protect him from monsters above the Mid-rank Species level.

That thought made Alex wonder what came after Mid-rank Species. Since it was called "Mid-rank," there was obviously a higher rank beyond it, but he had never encountered enough information to determine what those ranks were.

Alex would have to find out eventually. For now, there was no point in thinking about something he could not answer.

While thinking about it, Alex passed the amulet to Petra.

The little girl looked down at the elegant amulet before looking back at Alex with a questioning expression.

"Take it. You are our healer, so this item is perfect for you," he said.

Petra hesitated as she looked at the amulet. She seemed to understand how valuable it was and was reluctant to simply accept such an item. Alex shook his head inwardly. A kid like her should be accepting gifts happily, yet she was walking around the eggshells.

"If you feel burdened because it’s a high-rank item, then just heal me whenever I need it. That will be enough," Alex said.

That did it. Petra finally nodded and accepted the amulet. Her expression remained mostly plain, but Alex could see that her eyes were almost shining as she looked at the elegant and beautiful item.

Alex found it slightly amusing but decided not to comment on it. Petra was a little girl in the end. IT made sense she liked beautiful things.

Alex then picked up the final reward.

[Mind Soothing Potion (E Rank)]

[Is there a test tomorrow? Have you not studied? Don’t worry! This potion will freshen your mind and allow you to take an all-nighter for the cramming!]

[Effect: Soothes mental fatigue.]

..

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