Mike returned to the Core City of Truth. The place was bustling with noise and excitement, with everyone discussing one topic—Thor! This time, the limited-time buffs were different from the last; they only counted down while inside the Tower of Truth. Thus, instead of rushing into the Tower like last time, everyone could leisurely gather supplies, familiarize themselves with their skills, and prepare for the higher levels.
Mike wandered aimlessly through the streets with the crowd, soaking in the lively atmosphere and blending in perfectly. When his spirits were high, he would join the crowd in shouting, “Long live Thor!” Mike didn’t waste much time; his mind was focused on organizing the gains from his journey.
Summoning his attribute panel, a dense array of text appeared before Mike’s eyes.
ID: Thor
Talent: Eye of Truth (SSS-tier)
Level: 26
Class: Stormweaver (Wind · Fire · Lightning)
HP: 7100/7100
MP: 8600/8600
Strength: 386 (+100)
Intelligence: 565 (+40)
Spirit: 515 (+30)
Agility: 364
Constitution: 231 (+100)
Luck: 12
Equipment: Force of Nature (+1)
Skills: Lightning Arrow, Blessing of Lightning, Charge Up, Thunderclap Strike, Windstride Slash, Wind Fury, Ignite
Status: Lightning Affinity, Lightning Specialization, Fire Element Specialization, Wind Element Specialization
Free Attribute Points: 160
Killing monsters and bosses on the second level had propelled Mike to level 26, significantly boosting his base attributes. Each level also provided 10 free attribute points. Remembering he was a mage, Mike evenly distributed the free points between [Intelligence] and [Spirit]. As an SSS-tier class template, Mike’s attribute growth was much faster than others. His level 26 attribute panel was stronger than many level 50 prodigies!
This meant Mike could achieve better results in the Battle Soldiers tests, enhancing his Battle Soldiers tier! Advancing in Battle Soldiers tier was hugely beneficial for Mike. It not only increased his monthly stipend and unlocked more privileges but also allowed him to take on higher-level missions. Most importantly, it helped Mike gauge his own strength accurately.
[Eye of Truth] could indeed provide Mike with a theoretical evaluation. In terms of sheer damage, Mike, who maximized Charge Up, had an output comparable to a Battle Chief, which was Mike’s greatest reliance! Even in direct, sustained combat without using Charge Up and lightning magic, Mike’s strength was no less than a tier six Battle Soldier.
…
Apart from leveling up and the Stormweaver class template upgrades, the biggest gain from this trip has to be the enhancement of Thunderclap Strike!
Thunderclap Strike, as a scalable damage skill, increased its base damage by 5 points with each use. During this instance run, Mike used Thunderclap Strike as much as possible, totaling 120 times! Now, Thunderclap Strike’s base damage had increased from 200 to 800 points, with an additional 2 times Intelligence damage, and Mike’s current Intelligence was 695 points.
That is: 800 + 695*2 = 2190 points! With Stormweaver’s 100% bonus and Force of Nature’s 15% bonus, even without using Charge Up, it could deal nearly 4700 points of damage! A single Thunderclap Strike from Mike could instantly kill ordinary tier three Battle Soldiers, and tier four and five Battle Soldiers would lose half their health from the lightning damage!
Looking at the damage numbers calculated by Eye of Truth, Mike nodded in satisfaction. “If [Wind Fury] + [Thunderclap Strike] were used together, it could deal nearly ten thousand damage in an instant, enough to instantly kill a tier six Battle Soldier!”
Putting away the attribute panel, Mike casually picked a skill books shop and walked in. Buying all skill books and equipment from the same shop could easily expose one’s identity over time, so he didn’t contact Foreskin this time. Mike’s needs were substantial; he now mastered three elements: [Wind Element], [Lightning Element], and [Fire Element]! He planned to anonymously purchase some transitional skill books in Core City of Truth.
Skill books and equipment related to the wind element could be bought from Foreskin. Currently, no one knew Thor could also use wind magic, so this wouldn’t expose Mike’s [Thor] identity, allowing him to safely acquire resources through this channel.
As for the [Fire Element], Mike had just met an expert in fire magic today—Blaze! Establishing a friendly cooperative relationship with him would be entirely beneficial to Mike. Blaze, a Battle Chief, not only had a distinguished record of military achievements but was also fiercely loyal to the human race, always leading the charge in battle and never retreating.
The most important [Lightning] related items were the most likelyto expose [Thor]’s identity! Mike decided that from now on, he would only trade with [Wolf’s Den] to ensure his absolute safety. While this arrangement might seem cumbersome, it was necessary.
Outside, the earth-shattering chants of “Long live Thor!” and “Praise Thor!” echoed. Why? Because in just two days, Thor’s two SSSS-tier completions had propelled the human race to a new milestone in strength and potential! The more crucial Thor became to the human race, the bigger a threat he was in the eyes of the demon gods.
As the saying goes, “The tree that stands out in the forest is the one that gets cut down.” If Mike wanted to survive, he needed to not only rapidly enhance his own strength but also keep a low profile, hide his identity, and buy time for his development. Resources were no longer an issue for him. What he lacked was time to transform those resources into strength. Time was of the essence for him now.
After organizing his thoughts, Mike’s plan became clearer: first, purchase a batch of wind element skill books to study, then use the newly learned wind element skills to participate in the Battle Soldiers tests.
“Can you get me a copy of ‘Low-Tier Wind Shield’ skill book, and also ‘Wind Blade’, ‘Lightness Technique’, ‘Wind Bind’…” Mike continued to buy several more skill books of average tier, spending a total of 80 gold coins.
“Bro, a wind element mage, huh? I’ve got some top-notch wind element staffs here, want to take a look?” The skill books shop owner was very enthusiastic, having just made his biggest sale of the day, and it was clear he was in a good mood. 80 gold coins, and this guy wearing a Lone Wolf mask didn’t even blink before spending them! You should know, these low-tier skill books, although practical, would take an ordinary person some time to save up enough money to reluctantly buy one! After all, the price is there—a single skill book could cost thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars.
And the wealthy? They prefer to learn skills that are more effective and look down on these street goods. Who else would buy these low-tier skill books like they’re picking up groceries at the market like Mike?
“No need for staffs, do you have other weapons?” Mike asked, “Like gauntlets or other close-combat weapons?”
“Gauntlets?” The owner frowned, wondering what this guy wanted with gauntlets. A mage learning close combat?
Despite his doubts, the owner still fetched two sets of gauntlets from the nearby weapon store. In the end, Mike purchased a pair of blade gauntlet usable by all classes for 15 gold coins, which had a very slight armor-piercing effect. This temporarily compensated for Mike’s close combat output capabilities.
Mike put on the gauntlets and left under the astonished gaze of the shop owner. “All the wind element skill books are learned; now I have offensive capabilities just with wind element skills!” Mike had participated in Battle Soldiers tests before and remembered that the testing rooms were monitored! James and others had once caused a fuss due to a sudden increase in difficulty, forcing Sam to delete the recordings.
Mike wanted to continue participating in Battle Soldiers tests without revealing his identity. He would have to use [Wind Element] skills as much as possible, minimizing the use of [Lightning Element] and [Fire Element] skills.
After making thorough preparations, Mike once again entered the Battle Soldiers testing hall. After picking up a number tag and scanning his Lone Wolf badge, Mike was directed to the express lane.
“Manager Sam, a tier one Battle Soldier wants to retake the Battle Soldiers test, his identity is Lone Wolf,” a man watching the monitors called out.
For some reason, his boss had instructed them to notify him whenever any tier one Battle Soldiers wanted to test recently!
“What?” Sam jolted, standing up abruptly and rushing to the monitors, his gaze locked on Mike’s figure. “Does it look like him, can’t tell… no ID, no markings… is it the genius from yesterday?”
Sam hesitated, unsure. The man beside him, noticing the extraordinary nature of Mike’s mask, exclaimed in surprise, “Wow, a golden Lone Wolf at tier one Battle Soldiers, that’s a first for me!”
This comment from the security guard caught the attention of many, who crowded around to get a better look. As he said, it was extremely rare for a tier one Battle Soldier to be a golden Lone Wolf!
“Move aside, everyone move aside!” Unlike the crowd, Sam’s face turned pale as he recognized the person’s identity, hurriedly pushing through the crowd to emerge from the throng. Without a doubt, this was the genius from yesterday! In just one day, he had become a golden Lone Wolf! He must report to the Director immediately!
Sam, desperate to rectify his earlier oversight, dashed towards the Director’s office with unprecedented speed, wishing he had four legs instead of two. He didn’t even bother to knock, bursting into the office breathlessly.
“Director!” Sam gasped, his face drained of color, struggling to catch his breath.
“What’s the matter that you’re in such a panic?” The Director, who was in the middle of a meeting, scolded Sam after being interrupted, “Sam, how many times have I told you to stay calm in situations, to handle things without alarm, and not to lose your composure over minor issues?”
After reprimanding him, the Director offered an apologetic smile to his guest, a gesture of politeness. He then turned to Sam, casually picking up his coffee cup, and asked nonchalantly, “So, what is it?”
“Yesterday, that genius came back!” Sam wiped the sweat from his forehead, carefully choosing his words, “He’s become a golden Lone Wolf now, and he’s here to take the Combat Power Test again!”
“Pfft—” The Director spat out his coffee in shock, blurting out, “Holy fuck, really?”
Sam nodded affirmatively, “Absolutely certain!”
“What are you waiting for then?” The Director stood up abruptly and headed for the door, “The Combat Power Test monitoring for a golden Lone Wolf is highly confidential, it can’t be accessed on mobile devices, and is unavailable to anyone below the Battle Chief level.”
“Let’s go to the monitoring room!” Excitement sparkled in the Director’s eyes; he was exceptionally interested in this mysterious prodigy. “Just how far can you go? Tier two Battle Soldiers, tier three?”
The Director was eager to find out the current strength of this enigmatic genius.