Chapter 425: Blossom
Sylas could feel what was coming immediately. It was likely that this rush was going to help him to Level up quickly. In fact, he might gain as much as 20 or 30 Levels in one go.
This blessing was supposed to be something that was parsed between 40 or so individuals with various degrees of help. But not only was Sylas in a team on his own, he was the only "team" that had even made it here to begin with.
With this sort of baptism, he could probably make it to Level 50 in a single go. However, that was the absolute last thing he wanted right now.
He subconsciously staved off the Mature Aether, using a combination of his own Aether Skin and Rune Soul, but the pressure was greater than anything he could have ever expected.
'Dammit...'
Sylas' gaze flickered. He realized already that he couldn't do this indefinitely. He would end up folding eventually, and by that point, he might as well have accepted the entire blessing. Should he just accept it? Having the entire thing was better than failing in the last stretch and only managing to grasp a tiny part of it. If he was going to Level up anyway, he might as well make it to Level 50 in a single go.
Sylas was under no delusions that he would be able to build this perfect foundation at Level 0, making himself comparable to the strongest Races in the universe. His starting point was too low and he knew that.
This was why he had promised himself that he would start to Level up when his progress stalled too much. But now wasn't the time. He had just made such massive gains, and he had been about to check if he had the 200 Genes he needed to complete his 200 Capacity Gene Crystal. There was still so much room to grow; he didn't want to ruin everything now.
And yet, he was now facing off against something that anyone would die to have but he wanted no part of.
'No. There has to be a way to divert it.'
Sylas thought about the Basilisk King, but he dismissed it. This Blessing was tailored to those with Frostbane affinity; it would likely kill his basilisk.
Nosphaleen was an even worse option. She would collapse the moment she left the
Hibernation Realm, first of all. And on top of that, he wasn't yet sure if she had Frostbane affinity. She might just be more capable than most in resisting the cold thanks to her Mental stats.
Suddenly Sylas' gaze flashed as he recalled something. Without hesitation, he brought out the Mancer's Wand.
By now, it was already beginning to lose some of its luster having not been able to absorb Ice- Poison Aether in so long. In fact, if things continued like this, it would likely revert back to its original form.
The Mancer's Wand had no particular affinity. It was capable of working with any and all Paths of the Mancer. That meant that it was able to morph as the situation allowed.
However, it also gave Sylas an idea.
He was able to learn so much from the Mancer's Wand after absorbing fringe Ice-Poison Aether from the outskirts of the Arctic Emperor's territory. What if he had the Mancer's Wand absorb Aether capable of Leveling up a person to Level 50? Would he have a clear path to understand Ice-Poison to the very ends of the F-Grade?
Sylas inwardly crossed his fingers, hoping the Mancer's Wand could withstand so much energy.
And this time, he wasn't disappointed.
The Mancer's Wand began to greedily swallow up the Aether in the surroundings. Under Sylas' guidance, it didn't hold back in the slightest.
Sylas realized the might of a Silver Grade Treasure at that moment. The Mancer's Wand didn't have an obvious method of leveling up, at least not like the other Legendary Path Treasures he had seen.
[Mancer's Wand (Silver) (Treasure)]
[The Paths of the Mancer are long and complex. There is no one Path that is superior to another, but the distance one can travel depends greatly on your strength of heart. The Mancer's Wand allows you to feel and sense your Path of the Mancer, how to progress it and how to improve it. How far you can see down this road will be decided by your own personal insight]
He couldn't seem to use Genes to upgrade it like he had seen before. But who was to say that it was incapable of Leveling up at all? Or maybe, because it was only temporarily able to maintain such a Level, it couldn't be considered a permanent Level up.
Regardless, Sylas found himself in awe of just how much Aether it was absorbing, and just how much Aether a Level 50 would have.
It pooled together in such a thick concoction that it nearly liquified.
At the same time, the Mancer's Wand began to grow, becoming much more like a staff. And then from a staff, it seemed to root itself in the air, becoming much more like a crystalline tree, exuding gorgeous colors.
Sylas' eyes narrowed.
He would be a fool if he didn't realize that something unexpected was happening.
In fact, he was only saying Level 50 because of assumptions on his part. He had no idea if this Aether would cause him to fall far short of Level 50, or still be too much to absorb even if he did reach Level 50.
But what was clear was that the Mancer's Wand was evolving.
Soon, it had grown from a wand to a small tree about Sylas' height. It wasn't just this, but it began to bud, forming a few fruits on its body.
[Mancer's Blossom (Silver) (Aether Treasure)]
[The Paths of the Mancer are long and complex. There is no one Path that is superior to another, but the distance one can travel depends greatly on your strength of heart. The Mancer's Blossom allows you to feel and sense your Path of the Mancer, how to progress it and how to improve it.]
[Feed the Mancer's Blossom Aether and it will bear fruit to enlighten your path]
[Meditate beneath the Mancer's Blossom to improve Aether Recovery and gain a chance to Level up]