Chapter 17: Centauri Kavach (REVAMPED)

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﴾ Lv.21 Bloodthirsty Earth Bear ⧼Tier-2⧽ Killed ﴿

﴾ 1050 Life Energy obtained ﴿

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﴾ Congratulations! You have earned the Achievement Title,║Greater Bear Hunter║, for slaying a Bloodthirsty Earth Bear from the Greater Bear Species ﴿

﴾ Greater Bear Hunter ﴿ ⧼Uncommon⧽

Increases all Earth-related abilities by 20%.lesser and greater Bear Races will fear you, while Higher races of Bear Species will be aggressive towards you.

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﴾ Congratulations! You are the 457th Tier-1 Existence in the entire Universe to slay a Monster that was three Phases higher by yourself in a full-frontal battle on Day-1. ﴿

Due to causing a Universe Level Achievement, You will receive a random grade reward that will be most useful to you at the present moment.The Grade of the reward depends on your Luck Attribute.

﴾ Congratulations! You have received a Growth type Armour,║Centauri Kavach║﴿

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Beside the fallen corpse of the Tier-2 Bloodthirsty Earth Bear, an ominous piece of armor emerged, its surface a deep, pitch-black hue that seemed to absorb the light around it. 

Yet, what truly captured Jay's attention was the golden imprint at its center—a radiant, blazing symbol of the sun that flickered with a vivid intensity. The imprint seemed alive, as if the sun itself had been captured within the armor's core. It pulsed rhythmically, each flicker a reminder of the latent power contained within the armor.

Jay approached cautiously, his movements slow and deliberate. His eyes stayed fixed on the golden imprint, watching for any sign that the blazing symbol might emit heat powerful enough to harm him. 

Though the sun-like emblem burned with a fierce intensity, there was no warmth radiating from it—no trace of the fire that its appearance suggested. Still, he remained vigilant, inching closer with a sense of caution that the dangerous world had instilled in him.

The closer he drew, the more he could feel the power humming through the very air around it, but nothing suggested the imprint would lash out or burn him.

Once confident that no hidden danger lurked within its glow, Jay reached down and picked up the armor. Its weight was solid, yet it felt balanced in his hands. Without hesitation, he activated║Inspect║, allowing the system's information to flood his mind. The details of the armor unraveled before him, revealing its true nature.

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║Centauri Kavach║⧼Growth type Armor⧽

Common Grade ⧼Upgradable⧽

A bio-integrable body armor crafted by a High-Phase Tier-9 Blacksmith, infused with the essence of a living Centauri Star.Growth-type Spirit Items are unrivalled among the Spirit Items of the same grade.

Effect: Vitality+10✦ | Endurance+10✦

Requirements: 25 Vitality, 25 Endurance

Durability: 100/100

1st Armour Form: Sealed

2nd Armour Form: Sealed

3rd Armour Form: Sealed

Inherent Skills

║Instant Recovery║⧼Common Grade⧽

Able to instantly recover your health as long as Spirit Energy meets the cost requirement. ⧼Not yet applicable for regenerating body parts⧽⧼As the armor's grade advances, the inherent skill's grade enhances accordingly.⧽

Cooldown: 1 Month

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﴾ Growth-Type Items merge with the user's body, creating a Life Bond. Once bonded, they remain permanent, growing alongside the user and staying with them forever. ﴿

﴾ Do you wish to form a Life bond with║Centauri Kavach║? ﴿

Despite its classification as a Common grade Spirit Item, Jay didn't hesitate. The fact that it was a Growth-type Spirit Armour, capable of evolving to higher levels, made it an undeniable prize. 

More than that, knowing a Tier-9 Being had crafted it sealed his decision. The potential embedded in its creation was enough for him to form a bond without a second thought. Accepting the system's notification with a simple nod, he watched as the armour began to react.

It expanded on its own, stretching and shifting until it seamlessly enveloped his upper body, sparing only his head and arms. It fit him perfectly, as if it had been tailored to his exact dimensions. Yet, even more remarkable was how the armour melted into his skin, merging with his body in a way unlike any typical armor. 

Jay braced himself as a sharp wave of discomfort surged through him, but thanks to his Lv.50║Physical Pain Resistance║, the pain was significantly reduced—though not entirely absent.

Even with the armour melding painfully into his skin, his resistance skill didn't level up, which left him pondering the threshold of agony required for the next level. 

It took several seconds for the pain to subside, during which the║Centauri Kavach║completed its transformation. When the process ended, the only trace of the armour was a palm-sized golden tattoo at the center of his chest, shaped like a blazing sun.

Curious, Jay scanned the area for any sign of the vanished armour but found nothing. His gaze returned to the golden tattoo. As he concentrated on it, vivid, lifelike flames burst forth from the mark, engulfing his upper body. The flames, though intense, caused no harm. They flickered and danced for a moment before dissipating, revealing the║Centauri Kavach║once more, fully materialized over his form.

He realized then that the║Centauri Kavach║was unlike any armor he had encountered before. It wasn't something he could simply remove; it had fused with his very being. 

When Jay touched the armour, the sensation was startlingly familiar—he could feel the warmth and pressure of his fingers as though they were touching his own skin. The armor felt so natural, so comfortable, that he hardly noticed it at all once it had settled into place.

After a few moments, he willed the armour to return to its dormant state. With a single thought, the║Centauri Kavach║retracted, leaving only the golden tattoo once more. Jay's eyes flicked to the Timer for║INVERSE║mode, his mind already shifting to the next challenge.

﴾ Time left in║INVERSE║mode: 7 min 32 sec ﴿

The battle had surged forward at an incredible pace, with Jay fully immersed in the intensity of combat. Less than three minutes had passed since he entered║INVERSE║mode, but it felt like a drawn-out struggle due to his enhanced perception. 

With his Spirit Attribute in║LOOTED STATUS║at 48, Jay experienced time at 4.8 times the normal rate. Every second stretched into 4.8 seconds, giving him an edge in reflexes, precision, and decision-making. His physical Attributes, also scaled to match his Spirit, allowed him to move and react with an almost surreal speed.

The Tier-2 monsters he fought had similar capabilities, though their time perception seemed a little over four times faster than average. Still, the battle concluded swiftly, lasting only a few minutes in standard time. Yet, for Jay, it had felt like a prolonged clash of wills and strength. 

His recent advancement to Lv.10 came with added perks, most notably the increase in║INVERSE║mode's duration from the initial six minutes to a full ten. The extended time gave him more room to maneuver, but also came with deeper consequences should he push himself too far.

As he checked the remaining time on the║INVERSE║timer, a question surfaced in his mind—what would happen to the║Centauri Kavach║once he reverted from║INVERSE║? 

It wasn't a question he wanted to answer experimentally, not in the heat of battle. To avoid unnecessary risks, Jay quickly opened his║STATUS║menu. 

His eyes scanned the System panels, looking for any indication that the stats from║Centauri Kavach║had been integrated into his overall attributes. Oddly, there was nothing. The armor's power seemed to be present, yet its effects remained separate from his Looted stats.

Not wanting to waste time pondering, Jay turned his attention to the newly acquired Undistributed Stats from reaching Lv.10. He poured the points into his Vitality and Endurance Attributes, ensuring his survivability and stamina were bolstered.

﴾ Undistributed Stats: 20 ➟ 7 ﴿

﴾ Vitality: 17 ➟ 25 ﴿

﴾ Congratulations! You gained the Skill, Lv.1║Passive Health Regeneration-I║⧼Uncommon⧽ by reaching 20 Stats in Vitality Attribute. ﴿

﴾ Endurance: 20 ➟ 25 ﴿

Upon reaching the key threshold of 25 in both Vitality and Endurance, the latent power within the║Centauri Kavach║fully activated and so did the stats that came with it. Instantly, his Vitality and Endurance were enhanced even further.

﴾ Vitality: 25 ➟ 35 ﴿

﴾ Endurance: 25 ➟ 35 ﴿

Jay noted with interest that despite the significant increase in his Attributes, there was no physical discomfort or pain. It was a stark contrast to his experiences outside of ║INVERSE║ mode, where significant stat boosts typically came with the price of physical strain or pain. 

That discovery was a crucial one—while in║INVERSE║, he could allocate Stats without enduring the normal consequences. The potential of the newfound flexibility wasn't lost on him. 

Taking advantage of the moment, Jay decided to capitalize on this pain-free window. He quickly allocated the remaining points into Strength, Agility, and Spirit.

﴾ Undistributed Stats: 7 ➟ 0 ﴿

﴾ Strength: 20 ➟ 22 ﴿

﴾ Agility: 21 ➟ 22 ﴿

﴾ Spirit: 16 ➟ 20 ﴿

﴾ Congratulations! You gained the Skill, Lv.1║Passive Spirit Energy Regeneration-I║ ⧼Uncommon⧽ by reaching 20 Stats in Spirit Attribute. ﴿

With the last of his points distributed, Jay surveyed his updated Attributes. His Strength and Agility stood at 22 each, bolstering his physical prowess, while Vitality and Endurance, boosted by the║Centauri Kavach║, had reached an impressive 35 each. 

The increase in Spirit to 20 brought a new skill—║Passive Spirit Energy Regeneration-I║, that would ensure his energy reserves recovered steadily over time. These incremental gains had left Jay stronger and more resilient than ever before.

But even with these significant upgrades,║INVERSE║mode presented limitations. While Jay had unlocked skills like║Strength Boost-I║and║Agility Boost-I║upon reaching 20 Stats in those attributes, he found that they remained inaccessible in that form. 

The system seemed to lock away certain skills when his body was in its inverted state. Fortunately, his Looted Skills remained active and usable, which prevented a complete handicap. 

The thought of being unable to use any of his boosted skills in battle would have been far more troublesome, but he found some solace in knowing his Looted Skills were immune to those restrictions.

As Jay navigated the intricacies of his enhanced state, another realization dawned on him—while he could enhance his Attributes through his║STATUS║, any stats gained from Spirit Items or Achievements were not reflected in his║LOOTED STATUS║. 

That meant that only Looted Stats—those gained from the fallen enemies he had defeated—could influence his attributes within the║LOOTED STATUS║tab. It was a critical distinction that shaped his understanding of how his powers worked in the INVERSE mode.

Still, Jay's curiosity led him to experiment. He attempted to add the 3 remaining Looted Stats into his primary║STATUS║, but the effort was futile. No matter how he tried to transfer them, they simply wouldn't integrate. 

Looted Stats were bound to║LOOTED STATUS║and couldn't be manipulated in the same way as ordinary stats. That brought him to a definitive conclusion: Looted Stats were distinct, unable to be directly applied to his primary║STATUS║, existing solely to enhance his power while in ║INVERSE║ mode.

It was a delicate balance—one that required careful management of his resources. While his Spirit Items and personal achievements contributed greatly to his overall strength, they had no impact on his║LOOTED STATUS║. 

That understanding framed the way he would approach future battles. When in║INVERSE║mode, only the stats he looted from monsters would count, and their distribution would be automatic, divided equally among his five main attributes.

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Author Note:

I'm thrilled to share that I'm taking a big leap forward! Alongside Earth's Alpha Prime, I've launched the first sub-book for EAP.

ALTER REALITY: Online (Full-Dive VR LITRPG)

The book is now published on Royal Road with just the first chapter available, and I'll be releasing new chapters at a rate of 3 per week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday). Do check it out!

Chapter Release Rate: 3 Chs/Week.

<<<< Tue, Thu, Sun >>>>

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