NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 69: Skill-Tier Upgrade
After the last encounter with Celestia and her puppets, Adam was left with a burning determination to grow stronger and climb the Tower of Yxthar at an even faster pace.
He had barely survived that battle, and the thought of being caught unprepared again left a bitter taste in his mouth.
More than that, he had a theory...
Perhaps Celestia's obsession with the "hidden floor" was the reason the Tower of Yxthar had deemed humanity as "retaliating", which eventually lead to the catastrophe that wiped out their entire world...
Of course, he wasn't sure about it as he had no proof that what Celestia had said to him was a lie just to let him keep his guard down.
However, If it were true, then her actions had set everything in motion, and humanity's downfall had been sealed the moment she started meddling with the unknown.
Adam clenched his fists.
Whether or not his theory was correct, one thing was certain.
He could not afford to remain weak against the greater powers that stood at the top...
The next two weeks were spent relentlessly grinding for experience points.
Every waking moment was dedicated to leveling up, pushing his abilities to their limits, and refining his combat techniques.
Whenever the opportunity arose, Adam would single-handedly trigger siege wars by invading undead strongholds.
The undead faction always reclaimed these strongholds eventually, but he didn't care.
All he needed were the experience points and the resources gained from each conquest.
Beyond the strongholds, Adam also scoured forests where undead warriors gathered in bulk, cutting them down in waves.
His rapid growth did not go unnoticed of course.
Before long, the name [The Chosen Conduit] spread throughout the second floor, becoming synonymous with destruction.
At first, other Stream Hunters tried to stop him from conquering strongholds.
He was, after all, disrupting the momentum of the Undead Faction, making them unable to retaliate much.
Yet, no matter how many times they tried, Adam always managed to claim victory.
Even when they rallied C and B-tier hunters to stand against him, he would slip through their defenses, outmaneuvering them time and time again.
They could delay him, but they could never kill him...
Eventually, they gave up.
The moment Adam set his sights on a stronghold, the defending Stream Hunters would simply withdraw, knowing that resisting was futile.
They learned to wait for him to leave before reclaiming their lost ground.
Adam didn't care.
He wasn't interested in territory, only in leveling up.
Now, standing before a towering Death Knight, Adam raised his weapon.
[Divine Edge] shone in his hands, its holy power leaking out as he delivered the final strike.
[Death Knight has been slain.]
[Faction Points are increasing…]
[+8,200 EXP]
[+5 Soul Cores]
[+1,200 Gold]
[Level 93 → Level 94]
[Magic Output has improved by 1%]
[D-tier item has been found!] : [Death Tattoo]
Adam exhaled, surveying his status.
He was close now. One last push, and he would reach the next rank...
Although it wasn't unheard of for there to be Stone-ranked hunters lingering on the first and second floors, Adam's rapid ascent was exceptional.
Most Stone-ranked individuals remained on these lower floors out of caution, grinding endlessly to ensure they were fully prepared before advancing.
But Adam wasn't like them.
He wasn't staying behind out of fear.
He was here because he needed power fast.
[Undead Stronghold 21 has been conquered.]
[Objective has been completed]
[Siege Battle has been won!]
[Faction points have been distributed!]
[Siege Battle Ranking]
1. [The Chosen Conduit] – 9,412 points
2. N/A
3. N/A
[As the highest contributor of this siege battle, rewards have been given out!]
[+900 EXP, +500 Gold]
[As the only contributor of this siege battle, extra rewards have been given out!]
[+500 EXP, +300 Gold]
Adam skimmed through the notifications before opening the stream chat.
[nonexnihilio42069 has donated an F-tier gift.]
[You have received] Calming Herb: Allows one's mind to stay calm even under tense situations, maximizing thinking capabilities.
[haremphobic has donated an F-tier gift.]
[You have received] +3 Soul Cores.
[haremphobic] : Next rank is almost there, can't wait to see what happens when you rank up!
[Disciple of Ice] : You have a viewer status, you're overreacting. You already know what happens.
[something_wicked has donated an F-tier gift.]
[You have received] +1 Soul Core.
[pb_jelly has donated an F-tier gift.]
[You have received] +1 Soul Core.
Adam allowed himself a small smile.
He still didn't understand why viewers were willing to part with valuable items for his sake, but he wasn't about to complain.
Every little bit helped.
During this period of time, two particular names caught his attention.
[Nalyd has donated an F-tier gift.]
[You have received] +10 Soul Cores.
[Nalyd says to keep up the good work.]
[Belisarius2018 has donated a C-tier gift.]
[You have received] Head of an Ancient Priest: An artifact that contains a very large amount of holy power, which will explode within a 500-meter radius after activation.
These two seemed to really enjoy spoiling him with gifts, which made their usernames quite memorable to Adam.
They weren't just regular viewers... they were among the elite, the kind who had deep pockets or high ranks in the strange hierarchy of this viewing system.
He speculated that both Nalyd and Belisarius2018 were at the top of some unseen ranking among the strange viewers.
Their frequent and high-value gifts made them stand out, and Adam couldn't help but wonder about their motives.
Were they genuinely interested in his success, or was there something more?
Either way, he wasn't about to complain.
Their generosity saved him an incredible amount of resources!
After taking a moment to sort through his inventory, Adam realized just how much these gifts had bolstered his arsenal.
He didn't have to buy nearly as many items himself thanks to their contributions.
As of now, he had an impressive collection:
Location Swapper – Swap locations with any desired living target and object that does not exceed five times the mass of the user. (Uses : 5)
Information Panel – Allows you to view the skills and abilities of other Stream Hunters. (Uses: 10
One-Time Use Instant Rejuvenation – A powerful consumable that would restore him to peak condition in an instant.
Head of an Ancient Priest – A relic imbued with immense holy energy that could explode within a 500-meter radius when activated.
Skill-Tier Upgrade – A rare and valuable item he had received from Nalyd's A-tier gift, capable of permanently tiering up one of his abilities that were still D-tier and below.
In addition to these, there were smaller consumables sent by other viewers.
Items like calming herbs and blood crystals, useful but not game-changing.
The major gifts, however, were going to be crucial in the upcoming battle against Lord Varos.
Adam's gaze lingered on the Skill-Tier Upgrade in his inventory.
He hesitated.
It was one of the most valuable items he had ever received, and he needed to use it wisely.
At first, he had planned to hold onto it until he ranked up.
If he could obtain a particularly powerful D-tier ability upon reaching level 100, then he could use the upgrade to push it even further.
However, things hadn't gone according to plan.
His two-week grinding period had come to an end, and he had fallen just short of level 100.
Now, time was against him.
In less than an hour, they would begin their assault on the undead's main stronghold.
There was no room for more grinding for more experience points right now...
Once the battle began, he would have to be at his absolute best.
Adam mulled over his options.
He could save the Skill-Tier Upgrade until after they defeated Lord Varos, using it on a newly acquired ability in the next stage of the tower…
Or he could use it now.
His fingers hovered over the item in his inventory.
He exhaled sharply, making his decision.
He had to use it now.
Not because he was impatient...
But because he would most likely trigger Lord Varos' [True Body] status.
Compared to the first-floor boss with the True Body status, Lord Varos was on an entirely different level. If the first-floor boss had been twice as strong after revealing its true form, then Lord Varos was beyond ten times stronger.
There was a reason why players were forced to ally with the Orc Faction just to stand a chance against him. Facing him alone. or even with a small team, was suicide.
Adam furrowed his brows as he went into deep thought...
He couldn't afford to hesitate any longer.
He tapped on the Skill-Tier Upgrade.
[Skill-Tier Upgrade has been used.]
[You have applied it to: Body Blood Magic.]
A surge of power flooded through him.
His veins burned as if molten fire had replaced his blood, and his vision blurred for a moment as his body adjusted to the forced evolution of his ability.
[Body Blood Magic's skill tier is being forcefully changed by an external force.]
[Body Blood Magic has evolved to its C-tier version.]
[Body Blood Magic → Crimson Dominion]
[Crimson Dominion] – Beyond merely controlling blood, you now possess a caster ability. By channeling a spell for ten seconds, you can temporarily summon a creature forged from your own blood. The summoned entity's power is determined by the amount of blood sacrificed. Stronger creatures require greater sacrifices.