Chapter 35: Level 10

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Gabriel decided to spend the remaining two hours of the assessment in quiet relaxation. He began by checking the Assessment Ranking to see where he stood.

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[Assessment Ranking Board]

[First Place: Gabriel Heart]

 No. of Kills: 89 - Iron ★, 18 - Iron ★★, 13 - Iron★★★, 3 - Iron★★★★, 1 - Iron ★★★★★★★★★★, 1 - Bronze ★ (shared), 5 - Bronze ★, 41 - Bronze ★★★, 1 - Bronze ★★★★ 

 Points: 101,860 

 Class: Support - Type, Healing

[Second Place: Tigram Gray] 

 No. of Kills: 101 - Iron ★, 15 - Iron ★★, 5 - Iron ★★★, 3 - Iron ★★★★, 5 - Iron ★★★★★★★★★★, 1 - Bronze ★ (shared), 70 - Bronze ★ 

 Points: 72,580 

 Class: Berserk - Type, Barbarian

[Third Place: Dave Blake] 

 No. of Kills: 109 - Iron ★, 11 - Iron ★★, 5 - Iron ★★★, 5 - Iron ★★★★, 2 - Iron ★★★★★, 70 - Iron ★★★★★★★★★★, 30 - Bronze ★ 

 Points: 67,560 

 Class: Warrior - Type, Swordsman

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Gabriel sighed in relief. "Good! I can afford to relax for a bit. Even if my opponents manage to surpass my points, I'll just head to a monster-dense area, drop a Curse Totem, and reclaim my lead," he said with a confident smile.

He surveyed his surroundings, searching for a safe spot away from the reach of any lurking monsters. Eventually, he found a large tree with a hollowed trunk. Cautiously stepping inside, he discovered a spacious room, empty and free of danger.

The air was heavy with a musty, earthy scent, and Gabriel couldn't help but wonder if he had stumbled upon the lair of a formidable beast. He took a deep breath and settled into a comfortable spot, feeling assured of his safety for the time being.

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned his status window, eager to assess his progress.

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[Name: Gabriel Heart] 

[Class: Cleric] 

[Level: 10, Iron Late Stage] 

[Health Point: 3,430/3,430(+1,370)] 

[Mana: 6,220/6,220] 

[Experience: 207,321/200,000] 

[Magic Attack: 1300 (↑260)] 

[Defense: 447+36] 

[Attributes: STR: 10, AGI: 6, DEX: 26, INT: 68 (+142), VIT: 48 (+57)]

[Skills:

Light Hurricane Level 10

Healing Totem Level 10

Goddess Blessing Level 1]

[Tome Skill:

Tail Wind]

[Talent:[☯] Yin-Yang Soul Harmony (D)]

[Harmony Essence: 11,600]

[Equipment: Gold Staff, Gold Robe, Gold Boots, Gold Mitten, Gold Mitra]

[Equipment Effects:

+100% Healing

+40% Max HP

+300 HP

+200 Mana

+50% Mana Regeneration

+20% MATK

+15% Movement Speed

+20% Cooldown Reduction]

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[Light Hurricane Level 10: Unleashes a whirling storm of light that attacks the enemy three times. There is a 20% chance to stun the enemy.]

 Damage = {1,200% x[MATK + MagicPEN]} per hit 

 Mana Cost = 30 

 Cooldown = 1 second

[Healing Totem Level 10: Summons a Healing Totem that heals all party members within a 20-meter radius over time. The summoning process deals 100% of the user's attack as Light-attribute damage. The totem is indestructible.]

 Healing per second = {(10 + INT + VIT)/2 x 10 x 10 x (1 + HealingEffect%) + MATK} 

 AOE Damage = 1,000% x (MATK x MagicPEN) 

 Healing Duration = 5 seconds 

 Mana Cost = 150 

 Cooldown = 4 seconds

[Goddess Blessing Level 1: Summons a light that increases the Physical Attack (Magic Attack) of all allies (including yourself) by 20% and grants a shield that blocks all damage for a set duration or until the shield breaks. Also provides an immunity buff that protects the caster from negative status effects for a certain amount of time.]

 Shield: Blocks damage (physical and magical) equal to 300% of the caster's HP 

 Shield Duration = 5 minutes 

 Buff Duration = 5 minutes 

 Immunity Duration = 10 seconds 

 Mana Cost = 200 

 Cooldown = 20 seconds

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Gabriel couldn't help but feel proud as he reviewed his statistics and skills. Confident that he could easily take down a 1★ - Bronze monster with his Light Hurricane ability, he closed his status window and turned his attention to the loot he had accumulated.

After spending considerable time farming in the Marshes Grounds, Gabriel had managed to acquire some powerful white-grade equipment. Unfortunately, most of it was unsuitable for his class and better suited for spear-wielding fighters.

He did find some items he could use, such as boots, pants, and robes, but his current gear was already superior. However, he saw potential in a pair of white-rank pants and decided to equip them temporarily. With some extra Harmony Essence points, he upgraded the pants to green rank, making them more effective for his journey ahead.

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[Name: Enis Pants] 

[Type: Pants (s)] 

[Defense: 25] 

[Description: Crafted from exceptionally conductive magic leather, these pants offer remarkable comfort when worn.]

 Additional Attribute: +5 All Stats 

 Special Effect: +50 HP recovery per second, +10 Mana recovery per second 

 Durability: 200/200

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As Gabriel examined his newly upgraded pants, he felt a slight twinge of disappointment. They weren't the final piece of the set he needed, but they were still impressive. The pants naturally regenerated his Health Points (HP) and Mana, helping him save a significant amount of HP and Mana potions. The stat boost they provided was also substantial enough to make a difference in his battles.

After considering the effects of the equipment, Gabriel carefully stored them in his magic bag. He knew it was time to move on to his next task.

He checked his inventory and counted the number of beast cores he had collected. In addition to the Raging Inferno Liger's beast cores, he had also obtained ten cores from the lizards he had hunted earlier.

Gabriel decided to dismantle the cores he had collected before working on the Lord-Rank core.

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[Prompt! Do you want to convert it to Harmony Essence? Y/N?]

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Since he was down by 10,000 Harmony Essence points, Gabriel quickly clicked "Yes."

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[Prompt! You obtained 11,200 Harmony Essence] x 10

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Next, he dismantled the Lord-Rank beast core.

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[Prompt! Do you want to convert it to Harmony Essence? Y/N?] 

[Prompt! You obtained 50,000 Harmony Essence]

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Gabriel's face lit up with excitement as he eagerly checked his total Harmony Essence points. He was hoping to upgrade his equipment to blue rank. However, something else caught his eye, prompting him to pause and reminisce about his previous equipment upgrades.

As the memories replayed in his mind, Gabriel suddenly realized something that made him curse under his breath. "Damn it!" He recalled that his staff had mutated into a different, higher-rank item during an earlier upgrade, rather than simply being enhanced.

This realization filled him with anxiety. If he proceeded with upgrading his current equipment, he might not receive the same items again. Gabriel had put in a great deal of effort to acquire his gear, and the thought of losing it made him uneasy.

He decided to double-check the description of how to use Harmony Essence, wanting to confirm his doubts. Without wasting any more time, he quickly pulled up the information panel.

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Gabriel read through the guide on using Harmony Essence to upgrade equipment, but the instructions were somewhat confusing. He was particularly uncertain about whether he should use the Essence to mutate his equipment or simply upgrade it by one grade.

Just then, he received a notification that provided some clarity.

The prompt explained that when using Harmony Essence, he could choose between two options: mutating his equipment into a different, higher-grade item or upgrading the same equipment to a higher grade. However, upgrading the same equipment required more Harmony Essence points than mutating it into a different item.

Gabriel felt relieved to finally understand the process. He realized that he hadn't been able to upgrade his equipment to a higher rank before because he lacked the necessary Harmony Essence points. As a result, he had been forced to use the basic option available, which was to mutate the item.

To his relief, Gabriel learned that he could retain his current equipment and upgrade it to a higher grade without needing to mutate it. However, he was still unsure what would happen to the set effect.

Thankfully, another notification clarified that if he upgraded two or more pieces of the same grade, the set effect would automatically update to the blue level. Gabriel realized that even if he upgraded just one piece to blue level, the set effect would remain unchanged unless he upgraded another piece to blue.

Feeling more confident in his understanding, Gabriel inspected his staff and decided to upgrade it to the next level. However, when he attempted to do so, he received a red notification that left him puzzled. Carefully, he read the message, hoping to gain more clarity.

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[Name: Gold Staff] 

[Type: Staff] 

[MATK: 500] 

[Rarity: Green]

[Description: A special staff adorned with a red pattern of a divine cross, commonly used by high-status clergymen.]

Additional Attribute:

+15 INT 

+15 VIT 

+10% Max HP 

Equipment Effect: Healing + 20%] 

[Durability: 200/200]

[Requirement not met: Required Harmony Essence: 100,000/100,000, 1st Class Advancement: 0/1, Required Level: 10/20]

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Gabriel felt a wave of disappointment as he read the requirements needed to advance his class and level up to 20 in order to obtain blue-grade equipment. He let out a heavy sigh and tried to refocus on the task at hand. He began sorting through the materials dropped by the beasts he had slain. Carefully, he arranged the Liger fangs and mane, Wind Wolf King skin and claw, poison toad tongue, and more within his inventory.

As he sorted the materials, Gabriel couldn't help but reflect on the time and effort he had invested in acquiring them. He had spent hours farming, slaying beasts, collecting materials, and leveling up. Obtaining blue-grade equipment would make a significant difference in his performance, but it seemed like an insurmountable task at the moment.

Gabriel then turned his attention to the two skill books he had obtained during his farming sessions. He materialized the books and examined them closely, hoping they would provide him with useful skills to enhance his capabilities.

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[Name: Skill Book] 

[Type: Tome of Skill] 

[Grade: White] 

[Skill (Blessings of the Ocean): Conjures an armor made of water around a target. The water armor increases the target's defense by 30%.]

 Duration: 5 minutes 

 Mana Cost: 100 

 Cooldown: 5 seconds 

 Class: Support Type

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[Name: Skill Book] 

[Type: Tome of Skill] 

[Grade: White] 

[Skill (Gift of the Element): Imbues a target's weapon with water element, increasing the Attack (magic/physical) of the target by 30%. Monsters with a fire element will receive 75% more damage, while monsters with a wind element will receive 55% less damage.]

 Duration: 5 minutes 

 Mana Cost: 100 

 Cooldown: 5 seconds 

 Class: Mage Type

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As Gabriel read the descriptions of the new skills, excitement surged through him. The skill book for supporters was particularly enticing. If he used it in conjunction with his talent, he could deal even more damage to enemies than before. Gabriel couldn't believe his luck—this was exactly what he needed to elevate his gameplay to the next level.

"Good!" he exclaimed, his heart racing with anticipation.

"I'll just wait here until the assessment ends," he added, settling back into his seat, feeling content with his progress.

With his tasks completed, Gabriel now had some time to think about how to use his remaining time effectively. An idea began to form in his mind—a technique he had been contemplating. The thought of replicating its effects filled him with excitement, and he couldn't wait to put his plan into action.