In the office at Wolf’s Den,
“Stone, why the long face, buddy? You constipated or something? Crack a smile, will ya?”
Mike looked at Maxen Stoneheart, who was standing there like a deer in headlights, and waved his hand in front of him.
No response.
“Maxen Stoneheart, your card’s tapped out too.”
Nyx Valoria tossed back a card, pointing at the tablet showing the bill, “What about the rest of the tab?”
Tonight’s expenses weren’t small; with the extra time, everyone was partying hard.
Maxen Stoneheart spoke in a barely audible voice,
“Put it on…”
“Put it on what? Speak up, can’t hear ya!”
Maxen gritted his teeth and said, “Put it on my godfather’s account.”
Nyx tapped a few times on the tablet, and the bill was cleared instantly.
Mike raised an eyebrow, curious, “Your godfather’s loaded, huh?”
Mike was really curious.
When Maxen Stoneheart’s godfather finds out how much was charged to Wolf’s Den, would he hang Maxen Stoneheart out to dry?
“Cough, let’s not talk about my godfather today.”
Maxen Stoneheart said, picking up his pace, trying to make a quick exit.
This time, Mike took control.
“Come on, back to the office with you!”
Mike herded Maxen Stoneheart back into the office, urging him, “Hurry up, get the stuff out.”
“What stuff?”
Maxen Stoneheart was totally lost trying to keep up with Mike’s pace.
“SSS-grade materials, got any left?”
“Oh, oh, yeah, King Cerberus’s just came in today, a whole set.”
Saying this, Maxen Stoneheart handed over the remaining skeleton to Mike.
One of the leg bones still had char marks on it, smelling of spices.
Mike: …
“Who grilled this for a snack?”
Mike shook his head in disbelief.
“Doesn’t matter, it wasn’t for me, Nightmare’s Breeze ate it, no biggie.”
Nightmare’s Breeze: …
After taking the skeleton, before they could chat more, time was up.
6:10 PM.
Everyone was forcibly ejected from the Tower of Truth, a full 10 minutes later than usual.
Soon after, the Defense Headquarters made an announcement.
“Due to Thor’s multiple triggers of SSSS-grade ratings, the Tower of Truth’s time limit is permanently extended by 10 minutes!”
The crowd, just winding down from a celebration, was once again enveloped in joy.
10 minutes!
For the past three centuries, the Tower of Truth’s time had always been exactly 6 hours, not a minute more, not a minute less.
Until… Thor’s arrival!
Mike was in a good mood, tapping likes on all the comments praising Thor in the discussion forum before he finally put down his phone and asked with a puzzled look.
“Shadow Nine, why would someone do that?”
“You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? How would I know!”
Shadow Nine snorted coldly, not really in the mood to entertain Mike.
From the shadows, in a whisper too low for Mike to hear, he murmured,
“Has it really come to this point now…”
Eye of Truth: [Shadow Nine: Has it really come to this point now…]
Mike raised an eyebrow, wondering if eavesdropping was really such a good idea.
Perfect!
Clearly, even Shadow Nine hadn’t anticipated that Apollo would pull such a move.
Thinking about it, it made sense.
Of the three Supreme Beings, Apollo was the most mysterious, the least active, and spent the most time in the Tower of Truth.
Mike even suspected that this guy completely ignored the time limits of the Tower of Truth, practically online 24/7!
“Knock, knock, knock—”
“Mike, don’t forget the combat test today!”
Kaelum was really keen on the combat test, knocking on Mike’s door early in the morning.
“Mike, morning activities are canceled, switched to one-on-one training. Afternoon for the combat test…”
“I’ve got a bold idea.” Mike shared his thoughts with Kaelum, who immediately looked perplexed.
“Isn’t that a bit much?”
“What do you mean ‘a bit much’? Do you not want to repeat the year?”
Mike had solid reasoning, and after a moment’s thought, Kaelum saw it was a viable option.
Biting the bullet, he stomped his foot, deciding to go for it,
“Alright, I’ll do it your way!”
“I’m rooting for you!”
Kaelum dashed off to find Elena.
This wasn’t something he could handle alone.
Meanwhile, Mike took the opportunity to delve into the personal rewards for this SSSS-grade conquest.
After completing his second class transition, Mike upgraded from [Stormweaver] to [Stormwalker Magus], significantly boosting all his attributes.
ID: Thor
Talent: Eye of Truth (SSS-level)
Level: 60
Class: Stormwalker Magus (Wind, Fire, Lightning)
HP: 56,200/56,200
MP: 112,600/112,600
Strength: 1205 (+800)
Intelligence: 2917 (+480)
Spirit: 2671 (+390)
Agility: 891 (+246)
Constitution: 951 (+500)
Luck: 12
Equipment: Force of Nature (+4), Nightmare’s Breeze, Flame Rhythm Boots, Thunderclap Hammer
Skills: Wind’s Reach, Meteor Fire Rain, Lightning Phantom Form, Void Tremor, etc.
Status: Lightning Affinity, Lightning Specialization, Fire Element Specialization, Wind Element Specialization
The foundation of an SSS-level Class template is indeed formidable, and Mike’s current stats are already stronger than many Battle Generals.
The biggest gain is the evolution of three Class skills!
Wind Fury, after upgrading, allows for three consecutive attacks/spells instead of two!
Thunderclap Strike, after upgrading, if it kills an enemy, will automatically jump to the next target, dealing 50% damage.
Ignite, after upgrading, deals true damage and has a 50% chance to blind the enemy while gaining their vision.
“Although my skills are primarily lightning-based, it would be great to add another element sometime.”
Through his second class change, Mike realized that mastering only lightning could be quite limiting. Only by mastering more elements can he complement his skills and achieve unexpected effects.
Of course, the difficulty of training multiple elements grows exponentially.
For most people, even mastering two elements is a struggle.
The realm of class change is their biggest challenge, nearly impossible to conquer.
Only a few geniuses can manage it.
Yet Mike feels that mastering three elements isn’t enough; he wants to up the ante!
In the morning, Mike trained while also busy imprinting [Wind’s Reach] skill books.
Ares had all the frontline wind element experts pulled back to create raw materials for Mike.
50,000 [Wind’s Reach] skill books, to be completed in three days—no small feat!
The morning passed quickly.
After lunch, it was time for the combat test.
Kaelum, Anderson, and Elena gathered together first.
“So, how confident are you about your plan to repeat the year?”
Elena asked, “Anyway, Jessica is definitely staying.”
Kaelum rolled his eyes helplessly, “Who doesn’t know she’s awakened an S-level talent?”
Anderson chimed in, “I didn’t know.”
…
The trio fell into a brief silence before Anderson spoke up again.
“Cain’s staying,” he declared confidently.
As Cain’s mentor, he was well aware of Cain’s capabilities. Some folks are like sponges, some like springs, but Cain? He’s like a competitive eater—just by sheer intake, the kid’s way ahead of his peers.
The conversation shifted, putting the pressure on Kaelum.
“Mike… it’s hard to say. I feel like he’s got this knack for turning the decrepit into the divine,” Kaelum said, ruffling his own hair into a mess. “He’ll definitely stay. It’s just that the process might be beyond any of our imaginations.”
“Here he comes.”
Anderson raised an eyebrow, sensing a slight tremor in the ground.
At the entrance of the training hall, a slender figure appeared.
“There you are, been looking for you guys,” said Mike, as he approached the trio with Big Bertha slung over his shoulder.
Inside the gym, all eyes instantly turned towards Mike.
“Is that the guy who knocked out James?”
“From Florida Magic High School’s DDF trio, that’s Mike… What’s he doing with Big Bertha?”
“…”
Watching a young man casually shoulder a several-ton weapon, all the students scheduled for the combat test felt a chill down their spines.
“Is this dude seriously gonna take the test with Big Bertha on his shoulder?!”