Reidar sat on a fallen tree and waited for his mana to stabilize. The fight had been expensive, but at least they had completed the quest and gotten some levels from it.

He had hit 100% proficiency on four skills during the fight, albeit not the ones he wished for, and the System had evolved them.

He opened the skill interface.

[(Mark of Frailty) reached 100% proficiency.]

[(Mark of Frailty) tier increased.]

[(Mark of Frailty) skill has been upgraded to (Gaze of the Pariah)]

[(Bastion of Will) reached 100% proficiency.]

[(Bastion of Will) tier increased.]

[(Bastion of Will) skill has been upgraded to (Sovereign's Aegis)]

[(Font of Life) reached 100% proficiency.]

[(Font of Life) tier increased.]

[(Font of Life) skill has been upgraded to (Tide of Renewal)]

[(Universal Panacea) reached 100% proficiency.]

[(Universal Panacea) tier increased.]

[(Universal Panacea) skill has been upgraded to (Aura of Absolute Purity)]

Reidar checked the first one.

—[« Gaze of the Pariah »]—

Tier: T32

Proficiency: 100.0%

Type: Active

Casting: Instant

[ Description ]

Applies a powerful curse to up to 3 targets simultaneously within visual range, rotting their defenses from the inside out. This debuff dramatically increases all damage the targets receives and reveals its vulnerabilities.

[ Core Attributes ]

Base Power: Targets' Physical Resistance is reduced by 45%, and Magical Resistance is reduced by 30% for the duration.

Damage Type: Arcane / Debuff

Mana Cost: 800 Mana (Fixed Amount)

[ Secondary Effects ]

Cooldown: 5 seconds

Duration: 60 seconds

Weak Point Detection: Reveals structural and magical weak points on marked targets, highlighting them in crimson for the caster and all party members. This allows for precision strikes on vulnerable areas.

Multi-Target: Can mark up to 3 targets simultaneously within visual range.

[ Acquisition Data ]

Source: Skill Evolution from [Mark of Frailty]

Requirements: [Mark of Frailty] at 100% proficiency

—[<<END>>]—

"Visual confirmation of weak points," Reidar said, reading the description twice. "This will be useful."

Before, [Mark of Frailty] could only target one target per cast, which meant it would be hard to fight against multiple opponents and not use all his mana using the skill. This made things better. Now, it provided tactical intel. If he could see where a monster's armor was thinnest, he could direct the Vorathid Sky-Hunters to strike there with surgical precision. In a sense, it worked similarly to Predator's Echo, Lena's trait.

He moved to the next one.

—[« Sovereign's Aegis »]—

Tier: T35

Proficiency: 100.0%

Type: Active / Aura (Toggle)

Casting: Instant

[ Description ]

Projects a fortress of mental resolve, creating a protective aura that extends outward from the caster. This aegis shields the mind and spirit of the caster and all allied summons within its range, rendering them impervious to mental manipulation and psychic assault.

[ Core Attributes ]

Base Power: Grants the caster and all allied summons complete immunity to Fear, Charm, and Domination effects up to Tier 35. Reduces all incoming psychic damage by 60%.

Damage Type: Buff/Defensive

Mana Cost: 150 Mana/sec (Active State)

[ Secondary Effects ]

Cooldown: None (Toggle ability)

Duration: Continuous (while active and mana is sufficient)

Mental Fortress: Creates a semi-permanent zone of mental protection that cannot be dispelled by effects below Tier 35.

Area of Effect: 50-meter radius around the caster.

Extended Protection: All summons within the area receive the full benefit of the aegis, maintaining their effectiveness even against powerful psychic enemies.

[ Acquisition Data ]

Source: Skill Evolution from [Bastion of Will]

Requirements: [Bastion of Will] at 100% proficiency

—[<<END>>]—

Large-scale battles against high-tier enemies usually involved fear auras that broke his control over summons. With this, his army would be mentally unbreakable.

The healing skill was next.

—[« Wellspring of Vitality »]—

Tier: T32

Proficiency: 0.0%

Type: Active

Casting: Channeled (Continuous)

[ Description ]

Generates a powerful zone of accelerated regeneration that continuously heals all allies within range. The sustained nature of this ability makes it ideal for prolonged engagements where consistent healing is required.

[ Core Attributes ]

Base Power: Heals all allies for 4% of Maximum HP per second

Damage Type: Healing

Mana Cost: 2,000 Mana (Initial Cast) + 500 Mana/sec (Sustained Cost)

[ Secondary Effects ]

Area of Effect: 30-meter radius around the caster

Cooldown: None (Toggle ability)

Life Ward: Excess healing beyond maximum HP is stored as a protective barrier (Maximum: 20% of Target's Maximum HP). When the skill ends or the barrier is destroyed, the accumulated energy detonates, instantly healing for the stored amount.

[ Acquisition Data ]

Source: Skill Evolution from [Font of Life]

Requirements: [Font of Life] at 100% proficiency

—[<<END>>]—

Finally, the cleanse.

—[« Aura of Absolute Purity »]—

Tier: T32

Proficiency: 0.0%

Type: Passive / Reactive

Casting: Instant (Automatic)

[ Description ]

A powerful cleansing aura that automatically detects and neutralizes all negative status effects, poisons, diseases, curses, and corruption of Tier 32 or lower from the caster and all nearby allies. This protective field continuously monitors threats and responds instantly.

[ Core Attributes ]

Base Power: N/A (Removes all negative effects)

Damage Type: Cleansing / Utility

Mana Cost: 400 Mana per cleanse

[ Secondary Effects ]

Area of Effect: 20-meter radius around the caster

Cooldown: None (Passive ability)

Multi-Target Cleanse: Can cleanse up to 5 targets simultaneously per second.

Automatic Detection: Continuously monitors all allies within range and triggers instantly upon detection of any harmful status effect.

[ Acquisition Data ]

Source: Skill Evolution from [Universal Panacea]

Requirements: [Universal Panacea] at 100% proficiency

—[<<END>>]—

Reidar closed the window. These were massive upgrades. The [Aura of Absolute Purity] alone meant that fights involving poison and acid, like the Monitors, were now trivial.

But there were more prizes to check. Reidar looked at the boots.

—[« Boots of the Eternal Vanguard »]—

Rarity: Legendary (+80%)

ILVL: 300 → Tier 30 (+300%)

Slot: Feet

Type: Medium

Weight: 3.2 kg

RESISTANCES

Physical: +43.2%

Cold: +28.8%

Shock: +21.6%

CORE ATTRIBUTES

A.C.U.M.E.N.: +90

F.L.A.I.R.: +38

S.H.I.E.L.D.: +25

COMBAT/UTILITY STATS

Movement Speed: +45%

Evasion: +12%

Cooldown Reduction (Movement Abilities): -30%

SPECIAL PROPERTIES

Swift Vanguard: Increases movement speed by 45% for the wearer and all active summons within 50 meters.

Unyielding Advance: Movement speed cannot be reduced below 75% of base speed by any effect.

Commander's Stride: Summons matching the wearer's movement speed gain and +25% attack speed.

Vanguard's Command: Once per day, designate a location within visual range. For the next 60 seconds, the wearer and all summons gain 200% movement speed when moving toward that location, ignoring terrain obstacles and minor crowd control effects.

—[<<END>>]—

Reidar unlaced his current boots and put the new ones on. The difference in speed was immediate. He stood up and felt weightless. The +90 A.C.U.M.E.N. flooded his body, expanding his processing speed. He took a step, and the world seemed to lag behind him. He moved ten feet in a blur.

"Fast."

He focused on the Sky-Hunters still patrolling the perimeter and went past them in a blink. He had never been so fast in his life.

"Reidar?" Jake said. "You're glowing. Like, actually glowing."

Reidar looked down. The blue lines on the boots were flaring. He sighed and sat back down to unlace them.

"They're incredible," Reidar said, pulling them off with more force than necessary. "But I can't use them."

"What?" Lena asked. "Why the hell not? They are great! The speed boost alone is—"

"They break my set bonus," Reidar said as he swapped back to his old greaves. "My current armor is far better suited for me. If I swap the boots, I lose the set bonus. With the Dreadmaw and the evolved auras, my mana consumption is already bordering on unsustainable. I can't afford to lose the efficiency."

He also checked the Item Level. Level 300. His current gear was on average Level 337. With these boots, it would lower. Besides, it wasn't like the rest of his set wasn't legendary. Of course, a legendary item for level 340. There were far more powerful items out there for higher tiers.

He tossed the boots to Jake.

"They're yours," Reidar said.

Jake caught them looking stunned. "Mine? But... these are Medium armor. I wear Heavy."

"They significantly boost A.C.U.M.E.N., and you need it," Reidar said. "And the speed boost applies to summons. Your hounds are summons. If you wear these, your dogs will move 45% faster and attack 25% faster."

Jake stared at the boots, turning them over in his hands like he was holding something fragile, then hurriedly stripped off his battered iron sabatons.

"Thank you," Jake said. "I mean it. These are... I won't waste them."

Jake pulled the boots on, stood up, and bounced on his toes. He vanished, reappearing three meters to the left in a flicker without the need to use his trait.

"Whoa," Jake laughed, his grin wide and genuine. "Okay. That feels way better. This is really cool."

"Nice haul," Lena said, twisting the Ring of the Unseen Hunter on her finger. "Between this ring and the level up, my stealth just jumped to the next level. I think I can walk right up to a church zealot now and slap him while standing in front of him. Hell, I might be able to steal his sword while I'm at it."

"Don't test that theory," Reidar said. "Not unless you want to find out what a high-level zealot's sword feels like."

He stood up and looked around.

"As for the materials from the mantis," Reidar said. "I will see if I can do something with it."

He looked at Jake and Lena. They looked stronger. Their gear was improving, and their levels were climbing.

"We're getting there," Reidar said. "But we're not done. Silas is at Level 390. That Mantis was Level 362. The gap is still real."

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