The terrifying potential of Regeneration instantly drew expressions of shock from both Howard and Tana.
Tana exclaimed in amazement, “Such a skill book would typically only be found on Legendary-grade BOSS, or even Epic-grade BOSS. Your luck is incredible, managing to obtain it so quickly!”
Seeing Howard still in a daze, Tana urged him again, “What are you standing around for? Use it quickly.”
Jolted by her prompt, Howard snapped to his senses and immediately learned Regeneration.
“Diamond-grade BOSS really do provide generous rewards,” Howard mused. “I owe a lot to you this time, mentor. If you hadn’t brought me here, I wouldn’t have reaped such rewards.”
After smoothly flattering Tana, Howard continued to inspect the attributes of the shield.
[Tentacle Shield]
[Level: 35]
[Grade: Diamond]
[Equipment Attribute Bonuses:]
1.HP +300
2.Defense Value +790
3.Strength +270
4.Damage Reduction +20%
5.Upon taking damage, there’s a 7% chance to activate a healing effect, restoring 3500 HP per second for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 10 seconds.
There were a total of five attributes, two of which were special effects, resembling the Death Octopus but with reduced effectiveness.
A Damage Reduction of +20% essentially meant that, once the shield was equipped, all incoming damage would be reduced by 20%.
As for the fifth effect, it was a bit of a wild card.
With a bit of luck, if it triggered multiple times and provided one wasn’t instantly killed, it could render the user nearly invincible.
Regrettably, as a magus, Howard couldn’t wield the shield. He could either sell it or give it to Nick as a gesture of goodwill.
Having made up his mind, Howard stored the Tentacle Shield in his backpack.
Just then, Tana abruptly spoke, “Could you consider selling me that shield? My younger brother needs such a piece of life-saving equipment.”
“At what price?” Howard inquired with a slight arch of his brow.
Compared to gifting it to Nick, if Howard could get a handsome price for the shield, he wouldn’t hesitate to sell it.
After all, earning money to enhance his own capabilities was far superior to offering favors.
Not to mention, selling it to Tana’s brother would also earn him some brownie points with his mentor.
Selling to a beautiful woman, especially one as skilled as Tana, seemed like a jackpot.
“50 gold coins,” Tana proposed with a playful smile, “Although it has formidable life-saving capabilities, its grade and attributes are a tad on the lower side. I don’t have the money on me right now, but I’ll purchase it from you once the assessment is over.”
“That sounds good,” Howard responded, quite pleased with the offer, showing no intention of negotiating further, and readily agreed.
Subsequently, the last piece of loot was unveiled — a unique amulet.
[Regeneration Amulet]
[Level: 1]
[Grade: Epic]
[Equipment Attribute Bonuses:]
1.HP+500
2.Spirit+500
3.When the wearer’s HP drops below 500 points, it fully restores to 100%, healing all wounds. This effect can only be activated once every 60 minutes.
When equipped, it drains 100 MP per second.
“!!!”
“An Epic-grade equipment usable at level 1? And it’s an exceptional piece?”
Tana’s exclamation immediately echoed.
What is considered exceptional equipment?
Typically, there’s a set number of equipment pieces a person can wear. .
Hats or helmets, veils, breastplates, shoulder pads, bracers, belts, leggings, boots, necklaces, and a pair of rings.
Exceptional equipment doesn’t fit within these categories.
As long as you can afford the special energy consumption required to equip them, you could potentially wear dozens of them simultaneously with no restrictions!
After examining its effects, Howard didn’t hesitate and promptly fastened the Regeneration Amulet around his waist.
In an instant, his attributes soared once again.
At this point, Howard could likely withstand two or three attacks from a LV50 monster, which showcased the staggering strength he had achieved.
Remember, he was originally a fragile magus with low HP and defense!
Having secured all his loot, Howard’s gaze towards Tana intensified.
Of course, it wasn’t that Howard had taken a fancy to Tana. Rather, he recognized that much of his recent fortune was thanks to her.
He couldn’t help but grow excited at the prospect: if Tana were to lead him to another map, wouldn’t he stand to gain even more rewards?
“You truly hit the jackpot this time,” Tana remarked with a hint of admiration. “After defeating the Death Octopus, I expect your team’s score to be unmatched and likely in first place.”
Upon hearing this, Howard glanced at his bamboo tablet.
To his astonishment, his score had skyrocketed to a staggering 3,000 points!
Even with the relentless slaughter they had done earlier, their score had only amassed to just over 1,000 points.
This implied that the Death Octopus alone had contributed almost 2,000 points to Howard’s tally!
Even if Howard didn’t raid other teams, he suspected they would easily clinch the top spot.
However, raiding other teams for their scores was something mentor Jack had specifically pointed out.
Given that it was likely Daniel’s wish for him to do so, Howard felt compelled to act accordingly, regardless of their current standing.
“Congratulations in advance,” Tana said with a smile. “The prize for first place this year is particularly prestigious. By the way, have you gathered the Clearheart Flower and Moonlight Herb?”
“Yes, I’ve procured them,” Howard nodded in affirmation.
Seeing this, Tana promptly led the way, once again taking to the skies with Howard in tow.
The brisk wind swiftly dried their clothes as they flew.
In no time at all, they had returned to the spot where Abby had been waiting.
Hearing the sound of the air slicing, Abby looked up and immediately broke into a smile.
Nick and Mike remained sprawled on the ground.
Howard hastily produced the Moonlight Herb and Clearheart Flower.
With a graceful gesture of Tana’s right hand, the two herbs floated to her grasp, and she promptly ground them into a fine powder.
As Tana’s ruby lips parted slightly, a gentle breeze carried the powdered herbs, guiding them into the nostrils of Nick and Mike.
“Achoo!”
Almost instantaneously, both Nick and Mike twitched their noses, letting out synchronized sneezes.
Relief washed over Howard and Abby as they saw Nick and Mike regaining consciousness. Tana chuckled, “Keep up the good work! Hopefully, there won’t be a need for me to intervene again!”
With those words, like a streak of lightning, Tana’s figure vanished swiftly into the distance.
After all, being a mentor, she couldn’t possibly accompany students for an extended period.
“Ugh…” Nick and Mike shook their heads, feeling as if their brains were about to split apart.
Given their lower levels, they suffered intensely after being struck by the Hypnotic Pollen.
They were entirely unaware that Tana had even been there.
Fortunately, once the toxin was neutralized, their mental state recovered swiftly.
Glancing around, upon not spotting the silhouette of Butterfly Fae Chieftain Serena, both exclaimed in astonishment, “You guys already took down the BOSS?”
“Boss, you’re truly incredible! Without you, we might’ve been goners,” Mike praised.
“Let’s not stand on ceremony; we’re all one team,” Howard chuckled. “You two rest up. In a while, we’ll resume our monster hunt.”
Hearing this, Nick’s expression suddenly shifted, and he quickly interjected, “Boss, can we switch to another map? It seems we couldn’t dodge the skill from Butterfly Fae Chieftain and ended up incapacitated!”
“It’s alright,” Howard reassured with a smile. “Even though both of you blacked out, you still contributed, allowing Abby and me to easily defeat those Butterfly Fae. Don’t worry; I can counteract that skill for you!”
At this moment, the usefulness of the extra Clearheart Flower and Moonlight Herb Howard had collected in his bag became evident.
Hearing Howard’s words, Nick and Mike exchanged uncertain glances.
Considering that the main damage dealers were Howard and Abby, they eventually nodded in agreement.
After all, lying down for just a short while in exchange for a handsome experience reward seemed like a fair trade any way you looked at it!
They were blissfully unaware of the severe consequences of being hit by the Hypnotic Pollen.
Had their luck been just a tad worse, they might’ve perished on the spot!
It was only Howard, with his exceptional skill and unwavering courage, relying on his possession of the antidotal herbs for the Hypnotic Pollen, who led Abby, Nick, and Mike in their renewed onslaught against the Butterfly Fae.
In truth, Howard was reluctant to leave, eager to ascertain if there were more Butterfly Fae that had evolved into their human forms.
If he could confirm their presence, a future collaboration with Nick and Mike’s families might pave the way for a steady revenue stream.
After all, Howard’s Supreme Synthesis talent demanded a vast amount of equipment and skill books, acquisitions that would undoubtedly require significant funds.
For, post-synthesis, while equipment or skills might surge in grade, their level wouldn’t ascend.
Surely, after acquiring a trove of LV10 or LV20 Supreme Artifacts, one wouldn’t just halt leveling up?
In the end, the collective attributes of LV100 Diamond-grade equipment would overshadow them.
This meant that with every significant level advancement, Howard would need to craft a new set of high-grade equipment to match that level.
For Howard, more money was always better. Wealth was an insatiable craving. Stumbling upon a promising avenue for profit now, he wouldn’t easily abandon it.
For a time, countless Butterfly Fae met their doom at the hands of Howard’s party of four.
Even when a boss-level adversary descended, with Nick and Mike serving as bait, its wings were severed, turning it into a mere target for Howard and Abby, receiving a relentless beating!
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