YM778.TV Chapter 9: Life Vein
"Life Vein huh?" William muttered as he placed his hand on the tree. This probably hadn\'t been noticed before because the Lifeshrooms concealed its aura. Although Lifeshrooms were valuable to William, others probably thought of them as random garbage you could find anywhere.
———
-ABSORBING LIFE VEIN...
...
...
--ERROR--
--ERROR--
...
-Cannot absorb Life Vein. System Level too low.
———
I totally forgot that I just earned a ton of Potential Points! Menu!
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INFO: ( - )
—Name: William
—Race: Human
—Age: 20
—Lifespan: 45 Years (Medium physical health)
TITLES: ( - )
—Manamatus (Uncommon): ( + )
STATUS: ( - )
—Health: 97/100
—Mana: 102/150
—Cultivation: None (No suitable techniques)
TALENTS: ( - )
—Magic: ( - )
-Fire: D (Cost 25PP to next rank)
POTENTIAL POINTS: 31
SYSTEM RANK: F- (20PP to next rank)
———
Upgrade my Fire Affinity.
--UPGRADING TALENTS...PLEASE WAIT
William\'s hands started heating up without warning. He had felt this before, and was prepared for it this time. The pain became even more intense, and William\'s skin began cracking. He fell to his knees while moaning in pain, as hot blood burst from the cracked skin. Steam rose from William\'s body, and his eyes became a deep fiery red.
The agony continued for nearly 15 minutes this time. Once the side effects of his upgrade dissipated, William laid heavily on the ground. He had probably lost a third of his health points from that upgrade.
———
TALENT UPGRADED
Fire Magic: (D --> C)
Next rank up: 100PP
POTENTIAL POINTS: 6
SYSTEM RANK: F- (Upgrade Available!)
--DETECTED SYSTEM UPGRADE--
--UPGRADING. PLEASE WAIT--
...
...
--UPGRADE SUCCESSFUL--
SYSTEM RANK: (F- --> F)
Next rank up: 245PP
*New features available:
-Ask Function: System will answer simple questions.
-Bestiary: Keep a log of monsters you encounter.
-Talent Absorption: Gain Potential Points from absorbing natural treasures.
*New Changes:
-System has reached version 1.2 and has improved its visuals.
-Reduced the number of symbols in System Logs.
-System will no longer announce upgrade processes.
-System has determined a character trait: Greedy.
--Unlocked Title: +1 Potential Point
-Loot Goblin (Uncommon): You have expressed a desire for Goblinry, the lost art of being greedy for treasure. Looting speed increased by 10%.
———
William was stunned at the amount of System Messages he just received. He upgraded Fire Affinity to C and the System to F in one go. William also got a new title, and there are three new functions to mess around with. The only downside was the amount of suffering involved in the Fire Affinity upgrade. William didn\'t expect the effects to worsen. What if the upgrade kills him?
He decided to try the new question function. System, can upgrading my Affinity kill me?
-Request requires 1 Potential Point. Yes/No?
Ugh, and you called me greedy. One point to ask a question? Ok fine, Yes. William said with a tinge of regret. His Potential Points decreased by 1, then a message appeared in the chat log.
-The effects of upgrading your Affinity will increase each time and will increase in difficulty for each Element you have an Affinity for. This can kill you if your body is not strong enough to handle the effects. Depending on the Element, there will be different effects on your body when your Affinity is upgraded. Increasing your Cultivation will lower the chances of dying to an upgrade, as your body will naturally increase in strength with each new Realm.
William thought about it for a while, before nodding his head in understanding. The next upgrade should still be bearable, but 100 Potential Points? That\'s too expensive. If this is to B Rank, how expensive will the next ranks be? It\'s better not to think about it. He decided to try out the other features.
Bestiary
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BESTIARY: (1/1350 Beasts Encountered)
-Showing newest magical beast--
Name: Liffox
Family: Elemental Fox
Element: Life
Lifespan: ?
Drops: Life Fur
Cultivation Range: Qi Refinement - Core Formation
Info: Incredibly weak beast with green fur and red eyes. Territorial but otherwise neutral aggression.
———
"A Liffox, so that\'s what I fought.." William muttered. He read the information about the beast, then looked over to the dirty bloody mess that was once the same creature and felt a little bad.
There\'s nothing I can do about it. Morals only matter in a world of peace. I doubt the Liffox would let me off the hook if it was in my shoes. William steeled his resolve and looked toward the last new feature. His hand was placed on the tree as the absorption process began for the second time.
-Absorbing Life Vein...
William\'s hand suddenly felt an intense pull toward the tree. He tried to pull away, but it felt as if his hand was glued to the tree. A vibrant green light flowed over William\'s hand and up his arm, while a comfortable feeling rushed through his entire body. The comfort transitioned into intense euphoria as William\'s face contorted in pleasure, his knees buckling. He leaned against the tree while the absorption process was in effect.
The feeling continued for a few minutes, before fading rapidly. The unusual glow of the tree dulled, and the previously intense vitality was greatly decreased.
———
-Absorbed Lesser Life Vein: +5 Potential Points
-Life Element Acquired: +1 Potential Point
-Unlocked First Rare Element: +5 Potential Points
--Upgraded Title to Rare: +3 Potential Points
-Manamatus (Uncommon) --> (Rare): You are a rare individual with a talent for two kinds of magic that appeared before you started cultivating. All magic you use will be 20% more powerful.
-Obtained your first Rare Title: +5 Potential Points
POTENTIAL POINTS: 25
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I just upgraded myself and am already at 25 Potential Points, awesome! William was ecstatic. It turns out that becoming a loot goblin was the right path to take. He didn\'t care about the potential consequences of his actions.
Did he just slaughter a weak beast that only cared for life energy? Maybe. Did he displace dozens of smaller animals by picking hundreds of Lifeshrooms? Perhaps. Did he potentially destroy an entire ecosystem by depriving a large section of the Livingwood Forest of the Life Element? Sorry, couldn\'t hear you over the sound of Potential Points!
Talents
———
TALENTS: ( - )
Magic: ( - )
-Common:
--Fire: C (100PP to next rank)
-Rare:
--Life: F (3PP to next rank)
POTENTIAL POINTS: 25
SYSTEM RANK: F (250PP to next rank)
———
"3 Points to upgrade? A bit stingy but I have enough. Let\'s continue!" William clapped his hands together, before signaling to the System.
Upgrade my Life Affinity.
--Upgrading--
William clenched his eyes and prepared for the worst. The intense pain he expected was replaced with warmth. His body emitted a slight glow before returning to normal.
———
TALENT UPGRADED
Life Magic: (F --> E)
Next rank up: 15PP
———
"Again!"
--Upgrading--
———
TALENT UPGRADED
Life Magic: (E --> D)
Next rank up: 75PP
———
William felt an immense increase in power from the consecutive upgrades. He focused a small amount of Life Element mana and cast it on himself, quickly healing his injuries from upgrading his Fire Affinity.
This is barely weaker than Charlotte\'s Life Element, and she is a late stage Qi Refinement Cultivator! William didn\'t know how strong his magic was before, but having someone to compare to made him realize his strength was not low at all. If my Fire Element is stronger than this, I should be able to fight most Qi Refinement beasts already!