"Whoosh——"
A figure descended from the sky, startling a flock of birds in the quiet forest. They flew across the sky.
Kai Blake landed lightly, stepping on the thick layer of leaves, feeling the soft touch under his feet.
"This place should be safe now."
Kai Blake stretched and began to sort out the gains from this trip.
After killing the Minotaur General, there were no monsters on the first floor of the Tower of Eternity that could pose a threat to Kai Blake.
Even without using skills, just by using basic attacks, Kai Blake could easily kill the monsters.
A blue disc appeared in Kai Blake's palm. It was the greatest gain from killing the Minotaur General - the Forbidden Magic Tome!
"Special item [Forbidden Magic Tome]:
Rank: SS - rank
Integrity: 74.8%
Holding requirements: LV.20, Minotaur bloodline
Effect: The holder can immunize magic damage below ten million and enjoy a high - level damage reduction for magic damage above ten million.
Note: The Forbidden Magic Tome can be crushed to completely withstand the next magic damage received (below the War - God rank)."
After seeing the effect of the [Forbidden Magic Tome], Kai Blake couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed and complained,
"I knew it. These Demon Gods aren't in the transportation business. Why would they be so kind as to send me an item?
Even the special item equipped for the Minotaur General comes with holding conditions. I can't use it at all!"
Well, it wasn't completely unusable.
If the Forbidden Magic Tome was used as a one - time consumable, the effect was indeed powerful.
It could completely withstand magic damage below the War - God rank. Using it at a critical moment was like giving Kai Blake an extra life!
But for Kai Blake now,
using an SS - rank item as a one - time consumable was just too luxurious.
The two conditions for using the Forbidden Magic Tome, however, were firmly restricting Kai Blake: level 20 and Minotaur bloodline.
Kai Blake was only level 10 at the moment, so he couldn't use it for now.
This problem wasn't too big, though. Kai Blake could break through to level 20 soon, so it wasn't a major obstacle.
The really difficult part was the bloodline requirement!
Kai Blake was definitely of the human race and had no connection with the Minotaur bloodline. He couldn't hold the Forbidden Magic Tome to enjoy high - level magic immunity, so it could only lie in his backpack unused.
Kai Blake consoled himself, "Having it is better than not having it!"
After all, it was an SS - rank special item with nearly 75% integrity. If Kai Blake were to sell it in the [Trading Hall in Heaven and Earth], he could at least get a million gold coins!
However, once the [Forbidden Magic Tome] was sold, this rare special item could easily remind people of the Minotaur General that descended today!
It wouldn't be hard to guess that the Minotaur General was killed by the seller!
At that time, someone would surely follow this lead to investigate. If Kai Blake were exposed to the spotlight, it would bring him unnecessary trouble!
"Develop secretly, don't show off!"
Kai Blake knew very well that a dead genius was worthless.
Only by fulfilling the potential of his SSS - rank talent would he be qualified to stand at the center of the stage and fight!
Before that, the right way was to work hard to improve his strength!
Putting away the Forbidden Magic Tome, Kai Blake looked at the huge ox head in his backpack, which basically filled up the entire backpack space.
The dead Minotaur, with its eyes wide open, stared at Kai Blake, silently accusing him of his brutality.
"Unfortunately, the level in the Tower of Eternity is related to breaking through floors. Even though I killed the Minotaur General across levels, I can't get experience or level up."
However, there were still benefits. Kai Blake wouldn't do a losing business!
First of all, the killing rewards of the Minotaur General were all converted into attributes.
The Tower of Eternity rewarded Kai Blake with all - attribute +100 and luck +1.
Kai Blake didn't expect that killing the Minotaur General could increase his luck attribute!
"The Minotaur General wasn't originally a monster on the first floor. He was sent here by the Demon God through special means."
Kai Blake rubbed his chin with his hand and analyzed seriously,
"His descent was a violation of the rules of the Tower of Eternity. That's why he was severely injured and bound by the eternal rules!"
"Me killing the Minotaur General was like eliminating a bug and maintaining the rules of the Tower of Eternity. These attribute rewards are reasonable."
The rules of the Tower of Eternity...
Kai Blake just thought, the more the better!
He had always been fair and just, never exploited bugs, and couldn't stand others doing it either!
Besides the attribute rewards, after killing the Minotaur General, the exploration degree of the first floor of the Tower of Eternity soared directly to 65%!
This progress rate greatly exceeded Kai Blake's expectations.
"It seems I can spare a lot of time today to participate in the battle - soldier test!"
Kai Blake didn't forget his plan. After checking his gains, it was time for him to increase the exploration degree.
"The advancement of the [Force of Nature Staff] is completed. I hope it won't disappoint me!"
Kai Blake picked up the [Force of Nature Staff] and his eyes fell on it.
The hundred - billion damage from killing the Minotaur General met the hidden advancement condition of the [Force of Nature Staff], and it advanced automatically.
The original 1.2 - meter - long staff seemed a bit heavier after advancement, weighing nearly 20 pounds!
With Kai Blake's strength attribute as high as 300 +, this weight of the staff was no pressure for him.
For other mages, just holding the [Force of Nature Staff] might be a struggle.
Not to mention raising it to cast spells and moving at high speed to fight. That would be simply impossible!
As Kai Blake's gaze fell, the information of the [Force of Nature Staff] was fully revealed.
[
Equipment: Force of Nature Staff (LV.10)
Rank: A + - rank
Attributes: Intelligence +40, Spirit +30
Entries:
[Divine Punishment]The thunder - type damage of the staff holder is increased by 15%, the thunder - type damage received is increased by 5%, and the shield/healing provided by wood - type skills is increased by 15%
[Twin]When releasing a thunder - type skill, there is a 1% chance of simultaneously releasing a wood - type skill, and vice versa.
[Thunderstorm]When releasing a thunder - type skill, there is a 0.01% chance of causing double damage!
Advanced Entry:
[The End of Annihilation]Kill 1000 units higher than the holder's level with thunder - type damage (0/1000)
Number of available advancements: 11
Number of advancements completed: 1
]
The [Force of Nature Staff] originally had three entries.
The previous advanced entry was refreshed to [The End of Annihilation] after the advancement was completed.
Killing 1000 units across levels wasn't a difficult advancement condition. It was even quite simple!
The effects of the two entries [Divine Punishment] and [Twin] were slightly enhanced.
Especially [Divine Punishment], not only did it cause more damage, but the side - effect was even smaller!
And the newly added entry [Thunderstorm] after advancement was the most valuable!
"A one - in - ten - thousand chance of causing double damage!"
Looking at [Thunderstorm], the more Kai Blake looked at it, the more he liked it. Oh no, it's that exciting feeling!
From a mathematical expectation perspective, the return of [Thunderstorm] wasn't high.
Casting spells 10,000 times and triggering it once was just double damage.
But!
The [Force of Nature Staff] still had 11 chances of advancement. After advancement, all entries would be enhanced!
That is to say, the later it was, the more significant the increase in both the probability and damage of [Thunderstorm] would be!
Its potential was worthy of Kai Blake's trust!
"Spending 80,000 gold coins was worth it!"
Kai Blake beamed with joy. This money was well - spent!
If the [Force of Nature Staff] was put up for sale in the Trading Hall in Heaven and Earth now, even without disclosing the advancement conditions, it could easily fetch a price of over 300,000 gold coins!
Putting away the Force of Nature Staff, Kai Blake casually opened his attribute panel:
"
Id: Shurason
Talent: Eyes that analyze the essence (sss - rank)
Level: 10
Class: Thor Fury Mage (Thunder - type)
hp: 4600/4600
mp: 3100/3100
Strength: 226 (+100)
Intelligence: 245 (+40)
Spirit: 235 (+30)
Agility: 224
Constitution: 231 (+100)
Luck: 12
Equipment: Force of Nature Staff (+1)
Skills: Lightning Arrow, Thunder Blessing, Ready for Action, Heavenly Thunder
Status: Thunder - type Affinity, Thunder - type Specialization
"
With all five - dimensional attributes exceeding 200, Kai Blake could now pass the first - order battle - soldier test with his eyes closed!
"Whoosh——"
The attribute panel slowly disappeared. Kai Blake stretched and looked at the dense forest, full of energy.
"First, raise the exploration degree of the first floor to 100%!"
"Charge on!"
"Wind - Treading Slash!"
A cold light flashed, and Kai Blake instantly killed a ghost ape and easily withdrew his hand.
"The exploration degree is already 80%!"
Thanks to the Minotaur General, the exploration degree of the first floor was 65% from the start, greatly increasing Kai Blake's exploration speed.
"When the exploration degree reaches 100%, I can summon the Eternal Core Crystal and settle the clearance!"
Thinking of this, Kai Blake slightly raised his head and looked towards the sky.
Each floor of the Tower of Eternity was a small world.
No one knew how high the Tower of Eternity was. 1000 floors? 10,000 floors?
No one knew the answer.
For a hundred years, even the supreme powerhouses of the human race had not cleared the Tower of Eternity.
However, no matter what, the road was under his feet!
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and a thousand - foot mountain begins with a grain of dust!
"Wind - Treading Slash!"
Kai Blake once again left a cold light, moving forward without hesitation.
Tonight, he was the coolest guy on the first floor.
...
"Pozz, we're about to start leveling separately, and there's something I want to tell you."
Two dusty people emerged from Wind - Thunder Valley.
Even with all the dust on her, one could still vaguely see Stella Parker's beautiful face. She said seriously,
"About the exploration degree of the Tower of Eternity."
"Exploration degree?"
Pozz blinked, clearly having never heard of this term.
"Yes. After you listen, remember... oh.oh.. also tell Kai Blake."
When mentioning Kai Blake, Stella Parker's expression became a bit unnatural. Fortunately, there was so much dust on her face that it wasn't obvious.
"Go ahead, I'll take notes right away!"
Pozz took out a pen and paper and started to mark the key points.
Stella Parker spent five minutes introducing the function and importance of the exploration degree to Pozz.
Pozz tried to summarize,
"You mean, the higher this thing is, the better?"
"Exactly! You have a C - rank talent, and I remember Kai Blake also registered as a C - rank talent, right?"
"Right."
Pozz nodded. That was indeed the case.
After the talent awakening, there were teachers in charge of registering and reporting. Low - level talents were not confidential and were semi - public.
"According to past experience, for a C - rank talent, reaching an exploration degree of 30% is already quite difficult. After completing these tasks, you can try to break through to the next floor!"
Stella Parker handed over a task list. It required traveling to many places and killing hundreds of monsters. Just looking at it made Pozz's head ache.
"If 30% is this troublesome, what about 100%?"
As a well - known underachiever, Pozz also had the heart of a top student and wanted to see what a perfect - score answer looked like.
"I don't know either."
Stella Parker shook her head and said frankly, "You know, although my grandfather is a War - King, he usually doesn't let me know too many confidential things. Moreover, a 100% exploration degree is just too difficult! Even the legendary Shurason might not be able to achieve it!"
"Is it that hard? I heard on the Internet that Shurason is a top - tier seed?"
Pozz was startled. He didn't expect it to be so difficult to get a perfect score.
"It's said that back then... oh.oh... you'd better not know these secrets. I'm not even sure if it's true."
Stella Parker didn't dare to say that it was rumored that one of the supreme powerhouses had failed to clear the Tower of Eternity with a 100% exploration degree.
Because of this, in a certain small circle, that person had been laughed at for a long time.
However, rumors were just rumors. Without official confirmation, she didn't dare to spread them casually.
"By the way! My grandfather said that if someone can clear the Tower of Eternity with a 100% exploration degree, something unexpected and good will happen!"
"Oh? What kind of good thing?"
"He was very vague... probably something like"
Stella Parker recalled the scene at that time and repeated what her grandfather had said,
"Once someone clears the Tower of Eternity with a 100% exploration degree, all the dormant existences will wake up. The old monsters who haven't shown up in the world for years will come out in force. The situation will change drastically, and the world will enter a truly era of great contention and great debate!"
"It sounds amazing. Is it really that mysterious?"
Pozz was intimidated by the War - King's words. He didn't dare to question the War - King's statement, so he just typed "666" in his mind.
"Alright, it's getting late. You should go level up."
The two then parted ways.
On Stella Parker's shoulder stood a delicate canary, looking weak and harmless.
When Pozz's figure was out of sight, Stella Parker shook her shoulder, and the canary expanded rapidly in the wind, turning into a golden roc!
"Roar——"
Under the attack of the golden roc, the monsters fell one after another, without any power to resist.
Where the golden light reached, not even a blade of grass remained, only desolation!
Stella Parker's level was rising rapidly!
"I have to become stronger as soon as possible!"
Stella Parker coldly looked at everything in front of her, recalling the scenes that happened in Wind - Thunder Valley.
The mysterious warrior who used Wind - Treading Slash had left a deep impression on her!
"Even a casually emerging mysterious powerhouse is far stronger than me, not to mention the legendary Shurason!"
Stella Parker clenched her staff with one hand, her eyes determined.
Become stronger, become stronger, and become stronger still!
To catch up with the powerful people of her age, to catch up with the legendary Shurason, and also to... repay Kai Blake's kindness!
When thinking of Kai Blake, Stella Parker's cold face actually showed a slight sign of softening.
Anyway, becoming stronger was the right thing to do!
"I have an S - rank talent. I can try to aim for a 70% exploration degree, something my grandfather couldn't achieve back then!"
Stella Parker's gaze was firm and full of power.
...
"Finally, the exploration degree has reached 100%."
Kai Blake inserted the Force of Nature Staff obliquely into the ground, scooped up a handful of clear water, washed his face, and shook off the leaves, feathers, and other debris on his body.
"2 hours and 40 minutes. It took a lot less time than I expected!"
"Alright, it's time to move on to the next floor!"
Pulling out the Force of Nature Staff, Kai Blake summoned the Eternal Core Crystal and placed his palm on it.
At the bottom of the rhombus - shaped crystal, golden liquid emerged and kept flowing upwards, quickly filling the entire crystal.
"Congratulations on completing the trial of the first floor of the Tower of Eternity!"
"Calculating the exploration degree...."
"Exploration degree: 100%, clearance rating: SSS - rank!"
"Praise to Goddess of Luck takes effect! The clearance rating is automatically increased by 1!"
"....."
After a short silence, the pleasant prompt sound rang in Kai Blake's ears again.
"Congratulations on clearing the first floor of the Tower of Eternity. Final rating: SSSS - rank!"
At the same time,
all the players in the Tower of Eternity, including the powerhouses in the Eternal Core City, heard the announcement in their ears simultaneously.
"Congratulations to player [Shurason] for achieving an SSSS - rank clearance on the first floor!"
"Congratulations to player [Shurason] for achieving an SSSS - rank clearance on the first floor!"
"...."
"Shurason has cleared the level?!"
There were some discussions on the public channel at first.
Soon, someone noticed something remarkable.
"Shurason cleared it with an SSSS - rank, not an SSS - rank! My goodness, there's an extra 'S'!!!"
"Could the Tower of Eternity have made a mistake?"
"What's going on? Why does he have an extra 'S'?"
"Quick, go get the Supreme Powerhouse Devilson!"
"....."
The whole world erupted with excitement at this moment because of this one announcement!
In the history of the human race, the first SSSS - rank clearance was born!