novelraw Chapter 189-1: Divine Artifact – Visage of Omniscience! (1)
Chapter 189-1: Divine Artifact – Visage of Omniscience! (1)
[You gazed at the twisted mass of flesh towering like a small mountain and stepped forward…]
[Dark green ichor continuously seeped from the surface of the flesh, leaving only a very narrow gap through which to enter.]
[As before, you had to pry the gap wider with your hands and squeeze inside…]
[Just as you expected, the mass of flesh suddenly contracted violently, the fissure sealing shut in an instant to repel your intrusion.]
[Do you wish to force your way inside?]
Can you really brute-force this thing?
Lin Xun thought for a moment and switched Shells.
[You possessed the Shell of the Corrupted Earth Giant!]
[You lifted your thick giant club and jammed it into the gap to hold it open. Then, using your immense physical strength, you forced the opening wide enough to squeeze yourself in…]
[You have entered the Small Incubation Pool and begun transformation and evolution.][The dark green ichor rose steadily, spreading from your feet up to your waist, and finally submerging your head.]
[Even submerged in the ichor, you could still breathe freely. At first, you felt nothing unusual, but soon a mild pinprick pain began in your skull, gradually intensifying.]
[You knew this was the process of enhancing Fearless Frenzy of Unyielding Zeal. You endured the pain in silence, waiting patiently for the transformation to finish…]
[…]
While the strengthening process continued, Lin Xun opened his inventory to examine the loot.
The Advanced Essence of Star Faith item had the same effect as before, except the stored faith power was greatly increased.
Using it would fully restore the Ring of the Radiant Stars’ uses again, granting two more charges.
“If I use the Advanced Essence of Star Faith, doesn’t that mean I can summon another Legendary Starborn Spirit and farm more bosses for gear?”
Lin Xun wouldn’t dare to try that on a powerful boss like Thunderbeast Mammoth again, but the weaker ones, like Nightmare Jumping Mantis, might be worth attempting.
“The Star Spirit Palace really is a treasure trove.”
He let out a sigh of admiration and continued inspecting his spoils.
The two materials dropped by Thunderbeast Mammoth were a tusk, displayed as an excellent forging material for high-quality weapons, and a chitin carapace, a superb material for forging armor.
[Legendary Thunderbeast Mammoth’s Flesh Essence (Special Item): A foul-smelling chunk of dark green flesh, one of the many power nodes of the Legendary Thunderbeast Mammoth.]
[This item has two possible uses.]
[First: Use it directly to slightly increase your Shell’s strength.]
[Second: Place it into the Incubation Pool to produce an unknown effect.]
Lin Xun pondered the description thoughtfully.
Previously, the Storm Scroll of Thunder from the Cloudless Wastes was also an item with two usage options.
The Flesh Essence’s first use could strengthen a Shell’s power.
However, the Earth Giant’s strength was already overwhelming. A slight increase wouldn’t significantly improve its combat capability.
But the second option… that was a gambler’s choice.
“Unknown effect… maybe it’ll further enhance Frenzy of Unyielding Zeal.”
After a moment of consideration, Lin Xun chose the second option.
[You endured the fierce stabbing pain in your skull and pulled out the lump of flesh the same color as the surrounding ichor.]
[The Legendary Thunderbeast Mammoth’s Flesh Essence dissolved into the ichor at a speed visible to the naked eye…]
[You soon felt the pain spreading beyond your skull, radiating through your entire body like countless ants gnawing at your bones and flesh.]
[…]
Lin Xun watched the text in front of him.
“I just hope this unknown effect isn’t something terrible…”
He waited with anticipation for the transformation to finish.
[…]
[The pain gradually receded. The overflowing ichor receded as well, and the mass of flesh withered and shriveled…]
[You have exited the Small Incubation Pool.]
[Clenching your fists, you felt your body was somehow different than before.]
[You have acquired the special effect Frenzy of Unyielding Zeal!]
[You have acquired the racial talent Bloodsoaked Wrath of the Thunderbeast Mammoth!]
Lin Xun immediately opened the Shell Panel to check.
[Frenzy of Unyielding Zeal (Special Effect): Among the Starborn, this defensive mechanism evolved during their long war against knowledgeable scholars after enduring countless knowledge-based spell attacks.]
[This effect greatly increases your Shell’s resistance to Knowledge-type skills.]
Lin Xun was overjoyed. With this effect, the Earth Giant’s ability to climb the tower would be vastly improved.
Rising higher meant raising the Knowledge stat cap, which in turn further strengthened him.
He turned his attention to the second effect, no, the racial talent.
[Bloodsoaked Wrath of the Thunderbeast Mammoth (Racial Talent): Among the Thunderbeast Mammoth race, when faced with mortal danger, they never retreat. Instead, the more grievously they are wounded, the fiercer they become, a talent inherent to their kind.]
[This talent activates automatically when the Shell takes damage. The more severe the wounds, the higher the damage you inflict.]
Lin Xun’s eyes widened.
He’d expected Frenzy of Unyielding Zeal.
But the unexpected racial talent was far beyond anything he’d anticipated.
“So now the Earth Giant isn’t just a tank warrior, it’s a berserker. The less health it has, the stronger it gets.”
He recalled how Thunderbeast Mammoth Lonka had fought with even greater ferocity the more it was hurt.
It hadn’t only been because the ‘Weakened’ debuff had worn off, its true strength came from this innate racial gift.
“I didn’t expect you could actually gain a racial talent…”
[The massive form of the Knowledge-Seeking Veiled Aberration Overlord began to blur and warp. Its summoning duration was about to end.]
[You looked toward the remains of the Legendary Starborn Spirits. Many of the preserved specimens in the hall had been damaged to varying degrees by the fierce battle.]
[Those trampled by Thunderbeast Mammoth had been crushed to pieces, their deaths grotesque.]
[You carefully observed and saw that only a handful of the remains could still be considered intact…]
[…]
[Do you wish to use the Advanced Essence of Star Faith to summon a Legendary Starborn Spirit again?]
Very fortunately, the remains Lin Xun had set his sights on, the Nightmare Jumping Mantis Zabi, had survived and avoided damage in the battle.
While the half-crippled Veiled Aberration Overlord was still present, he quickly pressed the option.
[You walked to the remains of the Legendary Starborn Spirit, Nightmare Jumping Mantis Zabi and took out a shard of frigid starlight to offer before it.]
[You were surprised to discover that the radiance released by the Advanced Essence of Star Faith was no longer being drawn toward the remains.]
[Legendary Starborn Spirit – Nightmare Jumping Mantis Zabi has refused your summoning!]
???
Lin Xun’s face darkened.
He tried summoning a different Legendary Starborn Spirit from another corpse.
The text displayed was exactly the same.
Unwilling to give up, Lin Xun tried each remaining intact corpse in turn, but not a single Legendary soul responded to his call.
“Tch… and you call yourselves Legendary Starborn Spirits? If you’ve got the guts, come out here! Hiding and refusing to answer the call, what a joke.”
[…]
[The Veiled Aberration Overlord let out a thunderous shriek. Its massive form dissolved into countless tiny glyphs and vanished.]
[Your special summoned creature, Knowledge-Seeking Veiled Aberration Overlord, has reached the end of its summoning duration!]
[With nothing else to do, do you wish to leave the Star Spirit Palace?]
Lin Xun swept the hall one more time, and seeing no more loot to claim, he left the Palace of the Stars and returned to the Star-Chasing Corridor.