Salt Mine & Salt Snakes- X

Saad stood there, breathing heavily, his adrenaline still pumping from the intense battle. He gazed at the spot where the salt snake had once loomed menacingly. His victory was hard-earned, and he felt a surge of satisfaction wash over him.

As a reward for defeating the salt snake, Saad received a small salt crystal chest. With curiosity piqued, he opened it, revealing its contents. Inside, he found an experience point potion, a chance at card selection, and 250 salt crystals. The choices for the card selection were displayed before him.

[Shield]

Increases your resistance to physical attacks by 20%.

[Resistance]

Increases your resistance to poisonous attacks by 20%, stackable up to 40% when dealing with foes with a poison attribute.

[Resistance]

Increases resistance against mental attacks by 20%.

Saad considered his options carefully. Each card had its merits, and his choice would significantly impact his future battles. After a moment of deliberation, he made his decision.

He chose the [Resistance] card that increased resistance to poisonous attacks by 20%. Saad knew that the salt mine was a treacherous place, filled with venomous threats. This card would provide him with an added layer of protection against one of the deadliest hazards in the mine. It was a strategic choice that would help ensure his survival in the hostile environment.

With the card selected, Saad quickly ran to the nearest safe point. He needed to take stock of the cards he had collected so far and decide how best to utilize them. He accessed his inventory and reviewed the effect cards he had acquired.

[Healing]

Regenerates health up to 20% of current HP after dealing a critical strike.

[Vulcan]

Inflicts burn damage up to 20% of maximum attack at the start of the battle.

[Burst]

Up to 4 times per battle, when you deal direct damage, increases the damage by 120%.

[Single]

Increases your damage against single targets by 10%.

[Speed]

Increases your speed by 25%.

Saad, standing at the edge of the safe zone, observed the respawn zone for the salt critters. It was still silent, and the creatures had yet to return. This respite gave him the opportunity to make some important decisions.

With determination in his eyes, Saad decided to invest his attribute points, knowing that each one would bring him closer to becoming a more formidable player. After careful consideration, he allocated his points in his stats.

Character Window  ID: 1221 (5)

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Name: Kael Emberflame

Age: 15

Race: Human

Main Class: Whip Master (In Progress) 

Main Weapon: Basic Whip

Level: 17  535/850 

HP: 430/430

Wealth: 4980 SC

Attributes:

Stamina: 14  Strength:14 

Agility: 24.8  Intelligence: 11

Charm: 7  Dexterity: 8

Vitality: 24  Arcane Points: 51

Status point: 0

Skill points: 6

Saad felt the improvements immediately. His agility and vitality had increased, making him faster and more resilient in battle. The additional intelligence would come in handy for his arcane skills. Next, Saad focused on upgrading his skills. He chose to enhance [Whip Lash] and [Soulrend] to make them even more powerful in combat.

[Whip Lash]

Description: Deliver a swift lash with your whip, striking your target with precision and agility. This basic whip skill focuses on quick attacks and provides some utility in combat.

Damage: 107-157

  Utility Effect: Disarm: There is a 26% chance to disarm the target, temporarily preventing them from using their weapon for 3 seconds.

  Cooldown: 6 seconds.

  Range: Melee range (up to 2 meters from the player character).

  Skill Level Upgrade: The damage is increased by 18% and the disarm chance by 6%.

  (Required skill points: 6)

  Skill Mastery: At maximum skill mastery, the damage is increased by 25%, and the disarm chance is increased by 15%.

  Mana Cost: 20 mana.

  Stamina Cost: 3

  Casting Time: Instant.

[Soulrend]

Description: Unleash the ancient power of the soulinfused whip, tearing through the fabric of reality and rending the essence of your enemies. This rare whip skill taps into dark energies, causing devastating damage and inflicting a unique debuff on the target.

  Damage: 850-1050 points of dark damage.

  Debuff: Soul Corruption: The target's life force becomes tainted by the dark essence, reducing their damage output by 30% and increasing the damage they receive by 25% for 11 seconds.

  Cooldown: 25 seconds.

  Range: Melee range (up to 2.2 meters from the player character).

  Next level upgrade: At the next skill upgrade, the damage is increased by 40% and the duration of the debuff is extended by 2 seconds.

  Arcane Cost: 50

  Casting Time: 2 seconds.

Saad felt a surge of power as he upgraded these skills. His whip had become deadlier, and Soulrend now inflicted even more damage and had a longer lasting debuff. These improvements would undoubtedly serve him well in future battles.

But Saad wasn't done yet. He had his eye on a new skill called [StormLash]. It combined the finesse of whip techniques with the raw power of electricity, offering both devastating blows and debilitating shocks to his foes. But the main reason was because he just wanted to check the skill. He would have bought all the skills if the usage requirements weren't so hard.

[Stormlash]

  Price: 1000 Salt crystals

  Description: The Stormlash skill combines the finesse of whip techniques with the raw power of electricity, delivering devastating blows and debilitating shocks to foes.

  Damage: 400

  Chain Lightning (Area of Effect): The crackling energy from the whip arcs to nearby enemies within a 5meter radius of the initial target, dealing 50% of the base damage to each additional enemy hit.

  Electrifying Shock (Status Effect): Each successful hit has a 50% chance to inflict the "Electrified" status effect on the target, reducing their movement speed by 25% for 20 seconds.

  Empowered Strikes (Damage Boost): For the next 20 seconds, all whip attacks deal an additional 30% damage.

  Lightning Surge (Critical Strike): When the skill lands a critical hit, there is a 20% chance for a lightning surge to occur, dealing 200% bonus damage to the target and applying the "Stunned" status effect for 5 seconds, rendering them temporarily unable to act.

  Static Field (Area Denial): Creates a static field around the player for 8 seconds. Enemies within a 3meter radius of the player suffer 60 electric damage per second as they are continuously shocked by the lingering energy.

  Thunderous Crack (Finisher): Unleashes a powerful whip strike with an explosion of electricity, dealing 150% base damage to a single target. If the target is affected by the "Electrified" status effect, the damage is increased to 200% base damage, guaranteeing a critical hit.

  Cooldown: 20 seconds

  Skill Improvement: Effects are increased by 20% on the next upgrade. (15 skill points)

  Mana Cost: 75

  Stamina Cost: 10

  Requirements: Skill Level Requirement: Level 25

  Casting time: Instant

Saad knew that to unlock this powerful skill, he needed to reach level 25, and get his arcane points above 75. He wouldn't have wasted his points on the skill if he didn't have any hope but seeing as killing one salt snake leveled him by 2 levels, it wouldn't be impossible. Not to mention, while his power was continuously increasing, at least for today, he might not have much trouble handing the snakes. His next goal was clear: hunt down the salt snakes, but this time, he would do it meticulously, taking them on one by one and avoiding facing two simultaneously.

With a sense of purpose, Saad ventured out of the safe zone once more. He was no longer as fearful as before. Perhaps it was because of having dealt with one snake but his fear had gone down a lot. He felt like he would be able to deal with the snakes.

The next hours were spent Saad finding the salt snakes and attacking the ones that were alone. As he continued to hunt them down, he didn't forget to allocate his points and by the time he had dealt with the 11th salt snake, his level had already increased to 37. He had gained 20 levels by hunting 10 more snakes. If he was getting so many experience points in hard mode, just how many level ups would one get after killing the snakes.

He took a last look on his attributes and felt like he could finally perhaps end the salt mines tomorrow. It felt like forever since he had been in Seraphia.

Attributes:

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Stamina: 24  Strength:24 

Agility: 34.8  Intelligence: 11

Charm: 7  Dexterity: 22

Vitality: 34  Arcane Points: 77

Status point: 0

  As Saad logged out of the virtual world, he felt a profound sense of accomplishment wash over him, like a victorious warrior returning from a hard-fought battle. The transition from the immersive virtual reality to the dimly lit room of his home was always a bit disorienting. His senses gradually adjusted as he removed the VR headset, revealing his familiar surroundings.

The room was softly lit by the gentle glow of the moonlight filtering through the curtains. The digital clock on the bedside table blinked 12:00, indicating midnight had arrived while he was immersed in the virtual realm. Saad couldn't help but groan as he realized how late it had become. Tomorrow was a work day again and he hadn't meant to stay up until so late.