"...Upgrade Lava Body!"
[Host will consume 100 gold coins to upgrade Lava Body. Confirm?]
"Confirm!"
Ur's voice trembled, but he gritted his teeth and chose anyway.
Before the lottery draw, he'd already more or less decided what to upgrade next—Evil Equilibrium. That passive fits this world like a glove.
But the draw had crushed all his plans. Reality, as always, was cruel.
Ur's magical aptitude was simply too poor.
Whether it was the D-Class water attribute or the B-Class earth attribute, they were barely passable in the early stages. But as his strength rose, they'd choke his growth more and more.
He had intended to use the lottery to boost his magic aptitude. But instead, he got saddled with two physical-combat talents.
Damn it!
He'd wanted to become a grand mage who could sweep away entire battlefields with a single spell, not some musclebound brute who punched monsters into tears.
What use were these so-called talents? Even if his body was reinforced a hundred times over, could he really compare to a certainbald-caped man who leveled cities with a punch?
The upgrade sequence was much like the lottery. A golden sphere of light burst from the black vortex and sank into Ur's body.
Then the agony struck.
"Arghhh!!"
It tore through every cell, a white-hot pain that made his vision swim. For one terrible moment, he even forgot how to breathe. Sweat poured from his body in streams.
Thankfully, the torment came as quickly as it went. Within seconds, it was gone, as if it had been an illusion.
Ur sat stunned, chest heaving, before jolting upright in alarm. He was about to curse the system bloody when the familiar ding chimed again. His eyes were drawn to the glowing words on the panel.
Ding!
Right then, new text appeared across the system panel, instantly hijacking his attention.
[Congratulations! Passive ability upgraded.]
[Lava Body has evolved into Behemoth's Power!]
[Behemoth's Power: The Host's body is blessed by the behemoth of molten stone, gaining colossal strength...]
[Host's Earth Affinity has been raised to A-Class.]
[Host has awakened a new Fire Affinity (A-Class).]
[Host's armor growth potential has been reinforced, durability enhanced…]
Ur stared at the glowing lines and could only admit. The hundred gold coins were well spent. The surge of raw, ferocious power inside him only confirmed it. Something told him the real prize wasn't the improved aptitudes. It wasn't the armor growth either. It was this so-called Power of the Behemoth.
Yes, it was yet another body-strengthening talent.
[Insert Sad Meme.jpg]
With the upgrade complete, Ur's attribute panel shifted once again.
Invincible Passive System
Host: Wei Yi (Ur)
Passive Abilities:Void Hunger, Behemoth's Power, Evil Equilibrium, Perseverance, Way of the Wanderer
Health: 20
Magic Power: 161
Mental Strength: 21
Magic Resistance: 1%
Armor: 2%
As his power grew, fewer passive abilities gave him direct boosts. After all, passives weren't the same as active spells. Unlike active spells, they didn't show dramatic numerical gains.
But the truth was, Ur's power now was leagues apart from just a few days ago. Especially in sheer physical force, the difference was terrifying.
That said, it seemed the bonus from Behemoth's Power wasn't factored into "Health" at all. Ur didn't know why, but decided not to sweat it.
Once the last of his coins vanished, the system logged off on its own.
His membership rank rose, but the required top-up amount only got steeper. This lucky windfall had let him push through, but the next lottery? The system wanted ten million.
Yeah, no way he was reaching that anytime soon.
That was also one of the reasons he'd chosen to upgrade Lava Body instead.
When he had once asked the system about the benefits of higher membership, it had answered with maddening simplicity:
[It improves the Host's class.]
And when he pressed for details? The system only gave two letters—
[AC.]
"…."
❖≔﴾═══════ﺤ
After a long, hot bath, Ur returned to his room and meditated until dawn.
As expected, once the battle between Devil's Fang and Angel's Wing ended, the two armies at Kiyin's borders also withdrew.
This conflict had never really been about the nations. It was the guilds' personal feud. A full-scale war was unlikely.
Of course, if either guild had achieved a sweeping victory, the war might have spread.
But from the outcome, neither side had truly profited.
With the danger gone, merchants who'd been trapped in the kingdom now scrambled to leave.
Ur seized the chance as well, quietly slipping out of Kiyin Kingdom and beginning his journey back to the guild.