Su Bai was still sitting on the ground, staring blankly into the void, trying to process what had just happened. The last hour had been a whirlwind of chaos, strength, and revelation; he could still feel the weight of the connection with Erisal and the energy of the Guardian of Thresholds' Balance now residing within him.
He felt an overwhelming mixture of power and vulnerability; on one hand, the latent strength inside him was undeniable, yet the path ahead felt uncertain. Finally, he summoned the courage to open his interface, searching for answers.
[ID: White Night]
[Level: 8]
[Occupation: Apprentice Warrior]
[Title: The Fastest Man in the World]
[HP: 15,000/15,000]
[Energy: 4,000/4,000]
[Strength: 208]
[EXP: 600 / 8,000]
[Physical Defense: 700 / Magical Defense: 621]
Guardian of Thresholds' Balance (New):
[Level 1 - Spectral Veil]
Description: Cloaks the user with a veil of dark and luminous energy, balancing the forces of Yin and Yang. Grants 10% evasion and 5% resistance to energy attacks.
Activation Condition: Activates when health falls below 40%.
Duration: 20 seconds
[Energy Balance (Passive)]
Description: Each time Su Bai takes damage, 10% of it converts into energy (mana) for his next skill. When his health is below 50%, he takes 5% less damage.
[Threshold Adaptation (Passive)]
Description: When Su Bai takes repeated damage from the same type (physical, magical, or elemental), he develops a temporary 15% resistance to that type of attack for 10 seconds.
[General Skills.]
[Explore (Active): Allows Su Bai to obtain detailed information about nearby enemies.]
[Piercing Strike (Active): Delivers a precise physical attack, dealing 15% more damage.]
[Celestial CloudSword Skills]
Mystical Frozen Cloud (Active)
Description: Imbues the sword with icy energy, increasing damage by 20% and granting a high chance to freeze the enemy.
Duration: 20 seconds
Cooldown: 1 minute
Endless Icy Cloud (Active)
Description: Creates a frozen mist that slows the enemy's attack speed by 20%
.Duration: 30 seconds
Cooldown: 1 minute
Mist Step (Passive)
Description: Allows Su Bai to move through the mist created by his Endless Icy Cloud skill, gaining 10% additional evasion while within the mist.
Frozen Edge (Active)
Description: A charged attack infused with icy energy, dealing 40% additional damage with a 20% chance of freezing the target for 5 seconds.
Cooldown: 20 seconds
Su Bai carefully reviewed the lines of text that appeared on his interface, trying to decipher each skill and effect granted by his new power; each ability felt unfamiliar to him.
"Energy Balance? Threshold Adaptation?" he muttered, testing the names aloud as if they might unlock some memory to explain them. He sensed this power was deeper than he could understand at that moment.
Su Bai noticed a warm sensation spreading through his torso and limbs, as if his body were trying to adapt to something new moving within him. He took a deep breath, and closing his eyes, he focused on that feeling, exploring every corner of his being for an answer.
"Is this… the Guardian's energy?" he wondered, as the energy flow responded slightly to his control, like a muscle he was just beginning to flex.
With his eyes closed, Su Bai began to feel a faint ripple in the air around him, as if the veil between planes were reacting to his power. As he concentrated, he could almost visualize a thin mantle that seemed to cover everything—a fabric of shadows and lights that pulsed and adapted to him.
Though he couldn't fully grasp its origin, he sensed that this energy resonated with him, as if it were responding to his intentions. "Is this the energy that flows between planes?" he wondered, amazed at how each element around him seemed to harmonize with his presence.
As his resolve grew, Su Bai noticed that the power within him was starting to stabilize. With each breath, the Spectral Veil seemed to synchronize with his thoughts and emotions, adapting to his will. This connection renewed his determination, and the idea of facing the Corrupted Minotaur—the one who had humiliated him in the past—became inevitable. "This time will be different," he thought, feeling the energy flow preparing him for combat.
When Su Bai stood up, still feeling the energy softly vibrating under his skin, he heard a growing murmur outside. From the cabin window, he watched as a crowd of players gathered in the center of the village.
"It's started," he thought, remembering that his early advantage was soon coming to an end. The players, seemingly frustrated, were clustering near the village chief's house, some of them arguing with each other.
He couldn't help but smirk at their confused expressions; they were all waiting for instructions or some mission, completely oblivious to what he had just experienced in that very place.
The players, growing more impatient by the minute, started to crowd around the village chief, hoping she would assign missions. However, the chief, with a look of worry and fatigue, barely paid them any attention, pacing back and forth in front of the cabin.
"What's with this NPC?" muttered one of the players, scratching his head. Another, more frustrated, called out loudly, "Is it a bug or what? There are no missions!" The village chief shot them a severe look, clearly irritated, and motioned for them to back off.
The players, confused and disillusioned, exchanged glances as the murmur of speculations grew louder. Nobody understood why the chief was so unwilling to interact with them.
Determined to face the outside world, Su Bai opened the cabin door and found himself confronted by a group of players who looked at him as if he'd just stolen the last piece of cake.
Instantly, all eyes were on him, and the murmur turned into a clamor of exclamations.
"Hey, you!" yelled a player who looked like he hadn't slept in days, "How did you get into the NPC's house? Did you use some kind of trick or what?"
Another player, with a fierce expression, added, "There are hacks in this game already? We've just started, and you already have an unfair advantage!"
Su Bai raised an eyebrow, resisting the urge to laugh. The village chief appeared behind him, looking at him with a mix of anxiety and apprehension, which only fueled the players' excitement even more.
"It's a hidden event!" exclaimed one of them, almost desperately.
"Event?" another replied bitterly. "I've been looking for one for hours and haven't even figured out how to fish!"
Su Bai observed their confused and envious stares with a small, triumphant smile, thinking to himself, Ah, the pleasure of an unsolved mystery…
The players' frustration quickly turned into whispers of complaints and speculation. "Maybe there's a special mission only he can trigger?" someone ventured, glancing at Su Bai suspiciously.
"Or is it a hidden event we already missed?" another muttered, arms crossed and a look of irritation on his face. The suspicious and envious glances increased, especially when one of the players, with a voice laced with jealousy, commented, "It's not fair. We're just starting, and he already seems to have an advantage." The murmuring grew, and the tension in the air became palpable, increasingly charged with impatience.
Finally, one of the players, visibly more agitated than the others, stepped forward and stood in front of Su Bai, arms crossed. "So, you're just going to ignore us?" he snapped defiantly.
"It doesn't make sense that only you can get in there, while we're all stuck out here with no clues or missions from the village chief." The other players murmured in agreement, feeling emboldened by the confrontation.
Su Bai simply observed them in silence, and a clear thought formed in his mind: Why should I explain something I don't fully understand myself? He knew that trying to justify himself would only feed their confusion and distrust, and he preferred to keep the knowledge to himself, especially now that he was focused on putting his new abilities to the test.