Chapter 656: An Unforeseen Departure, A Gnawing Intuition
After the Dragon Lord of the Abyss severed the active link, Izroth could no longer hear its voice.
'It appears that granting Authority can be tiring for an Immortal Persona. It's safe to assume that it cannot be given endlessly since it seems to have a draining effect on their overall power. It's good it went on without too much trouble. Now...'
Izroth opened his system interface. With the rise to his Authority over the Dragon Lord of the Abyss, he gained two new skills.
However, these skills were not listed with his normal skills. Instead, they were attached directly to his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence.
'Oh? This is considered a portion of the actual skills?'
...
*«Dragon's Mark» - The user can channel any amount of their mana, releasing cerulean energy in the form of a dragon that locks onto any target within the user's line of sight and seeks them out indefinitely. Upon contact with the target or at the command of the user, the cerulean energy is detonated, dealing [100% + 0.05% per 1 mana channeled] of the user's attack or magic(highest stat priority) as mixed damage to all enemies within 40 meters. Damage dealt to the primary target is increased by 500%. This skill cannot be used if «Dragon's Mark» is already active. [Daily Limit 2/2]
Cooldown: None
*«Dragon's Scale» - If the user's HP is above [19,264] 80% of the user's maximum HP, any damage the user would receive is negated and stored internally until a threshold of [43,344] 180% of the user's maximum HP is reached. Healing and Shielding does not reduce the threshold. When the threshold is hit, the user will immediately receive 50% of the stored damage as pure damage. The remaining 50% will be dealt as pure damage every second over the next 5 seconds. This skill cannot be used if «Dragon's Scale» is already active. [Daily Limit: 1/1]
Cooldown: None
...
The first thing that caught Izroth's attention was the daily limit next to each skill.
Seeing that both skills had different daily limits, even though there was no definitive proof, Izroth speculated that there was a good chance that his Authority was tied to it in some way.
'For both skills, it states that they cannot be used if they are already active. Dragon's Mark is understandable since I can use it twice per day; however, if the daily limit would remain at one forever for Dragon's Scale, then there would be no need for such a restriction—even with no cooldown present. It must be that the higher my Authority, the more times I can utilize each skill. It's also possible that each skill's power will further increase.'
The fact that the skills had no cooldown time was huge. It meant that as long as the daily limit was not reached, Izroth could use the skills whenever he pleased!
Dragon's Mark was a homing AOE skill capable of dealing high burst damage to its primary target. In addition, not only did it prioritize the higher stat between one's attack and magic, but its way of judging range was unique.
Essentially, as long as Izroth could see the target with his eyes, they would be within strike range of his Dragon's Mark!
Having consumed the Five Cycles Pill, along with his Heavenly Golden Body, Izroth's eyesight was on another level compared to the vast majority of players. Therefore, a skill like Dragon's Mark was perfect for him in that sense.
Unfortunately, the skill also hit one of Izroth's weakest points—mana. However, he saw this only as a temporary setback.
Thanks to the Seal of Ten Chakrams the Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia, bestowed upon him, his mana capacity would continue to expand. But, Izroth knew that it was not a process that could be rushed and required time above all else.
Nevertheless, although Dragon's Mark had its uses, Dragon's Scale was the clear victor among the two.
It quite literally turned Izroth into a frontline heavy plated tank!
Izroth wondered why Tigran's defenses were so challenging to break through; however, it all made sense after he read over Dragon's Scale. With that kind of protection, it was no wonder his attacks seemed to merely bounce off Tigran without effect! And, if this was just a portion of the skill's true power, then Izroth wondered how far it would evolve when his Authority reached the highest point.
After confirming that there were no other changes, Izroth closed his system interface.
The moment he did so, Izroth heard the sealed cover that led into General Solomon's command tent shuffle around a bit before opening as someone stepped out.
It was General Solomon; however, he was alone.
"Hm? You haven't left yet, Captain?" Solomon inquired as he faced Izroth and halted his steps.
"I was waiting for Menerva's debriefing to finish. If you're out here, I assume it's ended, but..." Izroth spoke as he looked towards the command tent's entrance. Yet, there were no signs of Menerva.
"The debriefing? It finished nearly five minutes ago. Soldier 10th Class Menerva promptly took her leave the second the debriefing was officially concluded. I want to remind you, Captain Izroth, that Soldier 10th Class Menerva is under your supervision going forth. I would advise you to keep a closer eye on her movements. We have determined her threat level to be minimal; however, there are many changes that will be taking place over the next few days. It is best that there are no further surprises until then, Captain." Solomon reminded.
Izroth inwardly frowned. He had informed Menerva that he would be waiting for her outside the command tent. She was not the type who would leave without first saying anything.
More importantly, there was only one way in and out of the command tent, and with the magic barriers in place, teleporting while inside was not an option.
Unless Solomon was hiding something from him or lying, it did not add up. However, Izroth found it difficult to believe that Solomon would go as far as lying to him about Menerva's departure.
"I understand. I thank you again for your hand in settling this matter, General Solomon." Izroth said calmly.
Solomon nodded and began to walk off, and as he did so, he spoke to Izroth without looking back or stopping, "Be sure to extend your gratitude to Commander Aurie, Captain. Since she was willing to put her name on the line for you, how could I refuse?"
As Solomon headed away from the command tent, Izroth opened his system interface once more.
A few moments later, Izroth furrowed his brows.
'She's offline?'
When Izroth checked his friend's list, he saw that Menerva was listed as offline.
However, there were certain areas that players could not logout from in RML, and a place surrounded by powerful magic barriers like Solomon's command tent was one of them.
Unless it was a forced logout or the player used the emergency logout feature, which came with a penalty, it should not have been possible for Menerva to logout.
'The game forcibly logged me out when there was a fire. Could something similar have happened? No, I shouldn't waste time speculating. For some reason, something's bugging me. Let's see... She's online...'
Izroth sent a voice chat request, and almost instantly after doing so, he received a response as an alert from the system sounded.
〈System Alert: You have started a voice chat with Player Aurora! To end the voice chat at any time, simply say "Terminate Voice Chat" or open up the player system interface and manually end the call.〉
'That was fast.'
The one Izroth contacted was the advisor Mariposa introduced to him in the real world, Fang Qiu.
Fang Qiu's in-game name was Aurora, and she was currently in charge of managing the Mystical Realm Palace. But, her expertise extended well beyond that of a simple accountant or bookkeeper.
[Voice Chat Has Started]
Aurora, "This is unexpected of you—to take the initiative to call me. I figured you would be too busy maintaining your first place spot. I suppose congratulations are in order. Though I assume you did not call me for a casual chat. Is there something you require of me?"
Izroth, "You assume right. The matter I told you to take care of—has everything been finalized?"
Aurora, "I just wrapped up the last of the paperwork about an hour ago. I was planning to contact you once I finished reorganizing a few things. Is that what you contacted me to find out?"
Izroth, "That's part of it. I need to get in contact with someone. Also, it may be unnecessary, but I need you to arrange a ride for me."
'It appears that granting Authority can be tiring for an Immortal Persona. It's safe to assume that it cannot be given endlessly since it seems to have a draining effect on their overall power. It's good it went on without too much trouble. Now...'
Izroth opened his system interface. With the rise to his Authority over the Dragon Lord of the Abyss, he gained two new skills.
However, these skills were not listed with his normal skills. Instead, they were attached directly to his Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence.
'Oh? This is considered a portion of the actual skills?'
...
*«Dragon's Mark» - The user can channel any amount of their mana, releasing cerulean energy in the form of a dragon that locks onto any target within the user's line of sight and seeks them out indefinitely. Upon contact with the target or at the command of the user, the cerulean energy is detonated, dealing [100% + 0.05% per 1 mana channeled] of the user's attack or magic(highest stat priority) as mixed damage to all enemies within 40 meters. Damage dealt to the primary target is increased by 500%. This skill cannot be used if «Dragon's Mark» is already active. [Daily Limit 2/2]
Cooldown: None
*«Dragon's Scale» - If the user's HP is above [19,264] 80% of the user's maximum HP, any damage the user would receive is negated and stored internally until a threshold of [43,344] 180% of the user's maximum HP is reached. Healing and Shielding does not reduce the threshold. When the threshold is hit, the user will immediately receive 50% of the stored damage as pure damage. The remaining 50% will be dealt as pure damage every second over the next 5 seconds. This skill cannot be used if «Dragon's Scale» is already active. [Daily Limit: 1/1]
Cooldown: None
...
The first thing that caught Izroth's attention was the daily limit next to each skill.
Seeing that both skills had different daily limits, even though there was no definitive proof, Izroth speculated that there was a good chance that his Authority was tied to it in some way.
'For both skills, it states that they cannot be used if they are already active. Dragon's Mark is understandable since I can use it twice per day; however, if the daily limit would remain at one forever for Dragon's Scale, then there would be no need for such a restriction—even with no cooldown present. It must be that the higher my Authority, the more times I can utilize each skill. It's also possible that each skill's power will further increase.'
The fact that the skills had no cooldown time was huge. It meant that as long as the daily limit was not reached, Izroth could use the skills whenever he pleased!
Dragon's Mark was a homing AOE skill capable of dealing high burst damage to its primary target. In addition, not only did it prioritize the higher stat between one's attack and magic, but its way of judging range was unique.
Essentially, as long as Izroth could see the target with his eyes, they would be within strike range of his Dragon's Mark!
Having consumed the Five Cycles Pill, along with his Heavenly Golden Body, Izroth's eyesight was on another level compared to the vast majority of players. Therefore, a skill like Dragon's Mark was perfect for him in that sense.
Unfortunately, the skill also hit one of Izroth's weakest points—mana. However, he saw this only as a temporary setback.
Thanks to the Seal of Ten Chakrams the Wiseman of Everpeak, Kryxelsia, bestowed upon him, his mana capacity would continue to expand. But, Izroth knew that it was not a process that could be rushed and required time above all else.
Nevertheless, although Dragon's Mark had its uses, Dragon's Scale was the clear victor among the two.
It quite literally turned Izroth into a frontline heavy plated tank!
Izroth wondered why Tigran's defenses were so challenging to break through; however, it all made sense after he read over Dragon's Scale. With that kind of protection, it was no wonder his attacks seemed to merely bounce off Tigran without effect! And, if this was just a portion of the skill's true power, then Izroth wondered how far it would evolve when his Authority reached the highest point.
After confirming that there were no other changes, Izroth closed his system interface.
The moment he did so, Izroth heard the sealed cover that led into General Solomon's command tent shuffle around a bit before opening as someone stepped out.
It was General Solomon; however, he was alone.
"Hm? You haven't left yet, Captain?" Solomon inquired as he faced Izroth and halted his steps.
"I was waiting for Menerva's debriefing to finish. If you're out here, I assume it's ended, but..." Izroth spoke as he looked towards the command tent's entrance. Yet, there were no signs of Menerva.
"The debriefing? It finished nearly five minutes ago. Soldier 10th Class Menerva promptly took her leave the second the debriefing was officially concluded. I want to remind you, Captain Izroth, that Soldier 10th Class Menerva is under your supervision going forth. I would advise you to keep a closer eye on her movements. We have determined her threat level to be minimal; however, there are many changes that will be taking place over the next few days. It is best that there are no further surprises until then, Captain." Solomon reminded.
Izroth inwardly frowned. He had informed Menerva that he would be waiting for her outside the command tent. She was not the type who would leave without first saying anything.
More importantly, there was only one way in and out of the command tent, and with the magic barriers in place, teleporting while inside was not an option.
Unless Solomon was hiding something from him or lying, it did not add up. However, Izroth found it difficult to believe that Solomon would go as far as lying to him about Menerva's departure.
"I understand. I thank you again for your hand in settling this matter, General Solomon." Izroth said calmly.
Solomon nodded and began to walk off, and as he did so, he spoke to Izroth without looking back or stopping, "Be sure to extend your gratitude to Commander Aurie, Captain. Since she was willing to put her name on the line for you, how could I refuse?"
As Solomon headed away from the command tent, Izroth opened his system interface once more.
A few moments later, Izroth furrowed his brows.
'She's offline?'
When Izroth checked his friend's list, he saw that Menerva was listed as offline.
However, there were certain areas that players could not logout from in RML, and a place surrounded by powerful magic barriers like Solomon's command tent was one of them.
Unless it was a forced logout or the player used the emergency logout feature, which came with a penalty, it should not have been possible for Menerva to logout.
'The game forcibly logged me out when there was a fire. Could something similar have happened? No, I shouldn't waste time speculating. For some reason, something's bugging me. Let's see... She's online...'
Izroth sent a voice chat request, and almost instantly after doing so, he received a response as an alert from the system sounded.
〈System Alert: You have started a voice chat with Player Aurora! To end the voice chat at any time, simply say "Terminate Voice Chat" or open up the player system interface and manually end the call.〉
'That was fast.'
The one Izroth contacted was the advisor Mariposa introduced to him in the real world, Fang Qiu.
Fang Qiu's in-game name was Aurora, and she was currently in charge of managing the Mystical Realm Palace. But, her expertise extended well beyond that of a simple accountant or bookkeeper.
[Voice Chat Has Started]
Aurora, "This is unexpected of you—to take the initiative to call me. I figured you would be too busy maintaining your first place spot. I suppose congratulations are in order. Though I assume you did not call me for a casual chat. Is there something you require of me?"
Izroth, "You assume right. The matter I told you to take care of—has everything been finalized?"
Aurora, "I just wrapped up the last of the paperwork about an hour ago. I was planning to contact you once I finished reorganizing a few things. Is that what you contacted me to find out?"
Izroth, "That's part of it. I need to get in contact with someone. Also, it may be unnecessary, but I need you to arrange a ride for me."
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