Triopals
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Chapter 2
🕑 Added 2024-10-14 16:34:06 +0000 UTCCongratulations!
You are granted The Passive System
System Starting Now...
Starting Complete...
Testing Protocol Starting Now...
Granted One Free Roll...
Start Rolling for Skill...
Congratulations!
You get a Rare Skill - [Amplifying Strike]
Skill Granted Complete!
Granted One Free Skill Point...
Skill Level Up Point available to use...
Start Quest Module...
Quest Available in the Log...
System Working as Intended.
Nathan was utterly bewildered by the flood of notifications appearing before his eyes.
After completing its processes, the system interface returned to a static state. It looked rather simple, unlike what Jessica had described. There were no game-like stats, just his information and an area for skills.
Nathan Reed (24 years old -- male)
Spirit Cultivation Level: Tier 1 (Initial), Phase 2.5.
Skill Point Available: 1.
Skills Possessed:
[Amplifying Strike]
With a mental command, information about the skill he had just received immediately appeared.
[Amplifying Strike]
Description: attacks have a 17% chance to amplify, increasing damage by 200%. Effects are tied to consecutive strikes of the same type.
Coup de Grace, Nathan mulled over the name and the effect.
As questions flooded his mind, a notification overlay appeared on top of the information.
Quest: Welcome to the new journey.
Objective: Pass the Outer Disciples' Exam.
Rewards: [Welcome Package], 100 System Credit, and System's Shop Module.
Failing Conditions: Does not pass the exam today.
Penalty: No penalty.
Nathan blinked, barely suppressing a curse at the quest he had received. First, the system had been silent for two years, and now it seemed intent on punching him in the face.
But looking back at the description of the skill he had just received, it seemed that the system was actually paving the way for him.
Increasing damage by 200%, Nathan couldn't stop thinking about this number.
The outer disciple exam was quite simple. It was a test of the strike power generated by the disciples to verify the quality of the Tier and Phase they were at. In the middle of the exam square, there would be a pillar of transparent green stone. Each disciple would take turns performing their strongest strike on that stone. The stone would light up from the bottom, and if it surpassed the average mark, which was level five, it was considered a pass. This test was considered the most effective because there were some geniuses who, despite being at a low phase, could still score higher than five points. The opposite was also true, where someone with Phase 7 energy in their body only caused damage at level 5. This could be due to many reasons, either a special body or cultivation path. Regardless, they still had to try to reach level five. As for Nathan, he possessed a score like most disciples, at whatever level he was at, the damage score would match that level, a modest 2.5.
But with the doubling effect, it would be different. He would score just enough points to stay in the sect, while completing the quest and receiving that [Welcome Package].
Unable to contain his excitement, his heart racing like a horse galloping across a field, he punched the air, grinning from ear to ear. Fortunately, no one saw this childish action of his.
The system sent him another piece of information.
Do you accept this system?
Y/N
Nathan froze. Could he choose another system? Spin the wheel again?
No, you cannot. The wheel only works one time.
If you do not accept this system, normal system will be granted.
Do you accept this system?
Y/N
Nathan calmed himself, took a deep breath, and fell into a contemplative state. This was a difficult question.
Nathan's potential was 'Above Average', so he was quite confident that his results would be better than Jessica's if he possessed a system like other 'travelers'. But why he was given this system was what mattered. Recalling his goals and wishes, he surmised that the ordinary system wouldn't help much on the path upwards. As for this Passive System, just the welcome skill alone had such an amazing effect. What about other skills, or even other features? It could be the hope he had always been searching for.
And above all, if he gave up this system, he would certainly not pass today's exam. Right now, he needed [Amplifying Strike] more than ever.
Without thinking further, Nathan chose 'Yes'.
Registered the user's choice.
And so, Nathan locked himself to the Passive System.
After waiting a while with no further notifications, Nathan returned to his skill. He remembered he still had one skill point to raise. Pressing the plus sign next to [Amplifying Strike], the system interface changed. The name of the technique split into two branches.
Growth Path 1: Pure Chance.
Next Level: increase the chance to 25%.
Growth Path 2: Methodical.
Next Level: change the way the skill operate. Now the amplifying effect will apply to the fourth attack.
Choosing one path will disable the other.
Nathan's mind began calculating again. Last year when he was still at Phase 1.2, when taking the test, the examiner only allowed him to try once. According to the Sect's doctrine, no one gives you a second chance in life, so don't expect to be given that many. Being allowed to retake the test in the second year was already merciful enough. Therefore, the Methodical Path was quite attractive for Nathan to ensure the result. He just needed to time the fourth attack accurately, and he would pass.
However, he was still intrigued by the potential of the Pure Chance path. Currently, he couldn't see the higher levels. But with his gaming experience, there would surely be levels that increased the damage dealt. Along with this experience, he knew that percentage was a very magical and attractive number. Because the methodical path would require 3 strikes to cause increased damage on the 4th strike. But with Pure Chance, there was a possibility that all 4 strikes would trigger the effect. He knew that chance was very small, occurring only about 1 in 256 cases, but it would sometimes create unimaginable results. Especially when stacked with other effects.
Not letting himself think about unnecessary things, he looked at the watch on his wrist, calculating that there were about four hours left before his exam group at one o'clock. He dashed from Orin's garden, heading to the nearest training ground.
The training ground this morning was much more crowded than usual. Other disciples were also here to practice with the dummies. Some were honing their kicks, some were testing new techniques to see how effective they were, some simply saw this as a daily routine.
Nathan met the instructor and asked for a dummy to practice. After being approved, he went to the designated area. From the ground emerged an object assembled from three spherical stones, looking like a snowman. The contact point between the top stone and the middle one was two arms made of stone bars of different sizes, connected by invisible joints. It clenched its fists, performing a greeting ritual to the opponent and stood in a stance waiting for Nathan to attack.
He adjusted some parameters from a transparent tablet right at the edge of his area. Lowering all other stats, he set the stone dummy to only perform defense, receiving strikes. When everything was ready, Nathan advanced to attack with a punch. The dummy crossed its arms in an X shape to defend.
A blue number popped up above the dummy's head, showing that the strike just caused 1.2 damage. Nathan continued, trying to adjust his mana to control the damage output. At the fifth strike, Nathan only felt himself emitting an abundant source of energy, then concentrated it on his fingers. The impact occurred. The number changed. 2.4.
He stopped, pulled his legs back, his eyes widened, his lips unable to hold back a smile.
It works, he shouted internally.
In his peripheral vision, he saw a notification pop up.
[Amplifying Strike] activated. One credit given.
So, activating the skill would earn points. Excited, he turned back to attack the dummy. Other disciples who saw his mad smile frowned, some who knew who he was either smiled mockingly or shook their heads, but all shared the same thought. He was venting his desperation.
Fourth strike, 2.3.
Triggered [Amplifying Strike]. One credit given.
Ninth strike, 2.4.
Triggered [Amplifying Strike]. One credit given.
Fifteenth strike, 2.5.
Triggered [Amplifying Strike]. One credit given.
Twenty-second strike, 3.0.
Triggered [Amplifying Strike]. One credit given.
Twenty-fifth strike, 3.5.
System determined you are abusing. Credit will not be given for this kind of scenario for 24 hours.
He startled, stopping his attack stance when he saw the new notification. Panting heavily, he saw that it was only natural. If he continued, he was ready to do this to farm credit all day. He wasn't sure what the system's shop feature was, but surely it used credit to buy. The system couldn't possibly let such a big bug slip through.
Wiping the sweat on his forehead with his sleeve, he looked back at the number board above the dummy still showing 3.5. He couldn't hold back his smile again. He raised his fist in the air, whooping loudly. That startled some people, curiously looking back to see what he was doing. When they saw the number 3.5, they just frowned and got angry.
"Shut up, you lunatic!"
"Damn it, if you're not practicing, go somewhere else so others can use it. What a waste of resources."
"Haha, devil take him. Look at that 3.5, everyone. And he's celebrating like he just reached Tier 2."
Nathan ignored all the scolding around him. After celebrating, it was time to think seriously.
No one would continuously put all their strength into attacking, as that would easily lead to the body's natural reflex of reducing intensity. If his six consecutive attacks were all aimed at full force 2.5, considering the 17% rate, it was very likely that two or three would only result in 2.3, 2.4.
To verify, he immediately put it into practice. Repeating the learned mana channeling methods, he focused to the maximum and swung his fist towards the stone dummy.
The result was as he thought, 3 punches didn't meet the target. Worse, one of them triggered the [Amplifying Strike] skill with a result of 4.4. That's right, the body wasn't strong enough to reach 2.3.
He turned back to press on the tablet. A stone chair also emerged as a resting place. Attacking continuously like that really drained his energy.
While recharging, he looked at the two skill paths of [Amplifying Strike]. Given the current situation, methodical was probably the most sensible path. Relying on pure chance meant a 75% chance he would be kicked out of Verdant Spire Sect this very afternoon. The risk was truly too great.
He understood that in terms of results, both choices were the same. With a large enough sample, 25% would also mean one in four attacks. The only positive point was consecutive amplification if it fell on a lucky day. It didn't sound worth it, but high-tier battles could last very long, leading to a very large sample size, meaning the case of non-stop amplification was not a far-fetched wish. For example, if four consecutive strikes were considered one case, there would be a 1 in 256 chance. This meant that in about of 1,024 blows, the likelihood—potentially as high as 98%—of experiencing four consecutive amplified strikes existed. Such a streak could dramatically alter the course of any engagement.
Thinking that far ahead, he just laughed. Now throwing 24 punches alone had already exhausted him, let alone 1,024. Let future Nathan worry about future matters. No longer letting everything depend on pure chance, he decided to choose the Methodical Path.
With a command, the Methodical Path lit up and the Pure Chance Path dimmed, becoming a gray area retreating to the background.
After a short rest, Nathan returned to the dummy.
The results came quickly, when the fourth fist touched the surface, that intense feeling came again, giving the desired result.
Trying again, he threw three punches in the air, and the fourth strike still gave a similar result, [Amplifying Strike] had been activated. This time, it was a round number 5.
He let out a breath, as if a mountain had been lifted from his chest. All he needed to do was throw three casual punches before standing in front of the testing pillar. No one would pay attention to his actions, just thinking it was a warm-up.
While rejoicing and with time still left before the test, he proceeded to experiment with other things still lingering in his mind. The system's description of the skill was, effects are tied to consecutive strikes of the same type. Since starting with the dummy, he had only used Force Fist, not Force Palm or Force Kick. It seemed that the [Amplifying Strike] skill was not as simple as that.
Continuing to verify, Nathan used three Force Fists, then switched to Force Palm for the fourth attack. The skill wasn't activated. Then, he returned to punches, and it worked normally again.
His heart started racing as an idea began to form in his mind. He hadn't thought of this possibility when choosing the Methodical Path. Now, he just felt truly lucky to have given up all illusions and calculations from before.
When performing similar movements, three Force Palms, one Force Fist, the effect didn't appear. He continued with two more Force Fists and then took a deep breath.
Moment of truth, he whispered.
A Force Palm and a Force Fist hit the surface of the stone dummy.
4.6 and 4.8.
Two consecutive strikes both triggered [Amplifying Strike].
This time, he was so astonished he couldn't utter a word. Just after receiving the skill, he had already found a way to exploit it.
No, utilize is the right word, he corrected his thought.
Trying once more, this time adding Force Kick to the equation. He successfully carried out three consecutive attacks with outputs of 4.5, 4.5, and 4.6 respectively. At the same time, he realized that the three previous attacks didn't need to put much force into them, as long as they were the same technique, it would work. Thus, to save energy, he could throw three Force Fists with 0.1 damage output, and only put full force into the fourth time.
He saw his path ahead opening up. With practice, he would turn this strange and elaborate way of fighting into a habit. Opponents would go crazy seeing him continuously attack with power beyond his level. Just reaching Tier 1, Phase 5, along with [Amplifying Strike], he could already contend with a Phase 9. Of course, Phase 9 didn't just have raw damage, but had already used part of Tier 2's power, so in a real confrontation, he would certainly lose. But anyway, the future had become a bit brighter for him. Hope had returned.
The fourth attack pattern, he mused.
He really looked forward to other passive skills in the future.
Feeling there was nothing left to tinker with, he left the training ground. Better to go eat and save energy for the afternoon.
In the afternoon, at the gathering ground of the southern area of Verdant Spire Sect, the outer disciples were all cultivating. The number reached over two thousand disciples. More than a thousand were in the field, the rest stood in the outer ring to observe.
At the end of the field, mounted on a high platform were five testing pillars. They were cylindrical columns about three meters tall, inlaid with a mythical stone emitting green light, blending with the sunlight to create magical rays. Beside them was a supervisor in a solemn robe with gold-plated patterns. Behind them, if not paying attention, one wouldn't see another man being covered by the shadow of the cliff behind.
Nathan arrived and immediately felt the pressure. His eyes looked towards the trail behind the high platform, beside the mountain. That was the entrance to the inner sect, the dream of all outer disciples. Some other disciples, like Nathan, had their inner hearts filled with burning fire and passion, staring intently at that path.
He saw Elen's group in the distance laughing and joking happily. Elen didn't necessarily have to take the exam this year, but since her ability was sufficient, there was no need to hesitate and wait. After passing the outer sect assessment, everyone would have ample time to continue cultivating to aim for the inner sect. Anyone who passed today's test would have the opportunity to participate in the outer disciple tournament held a month later. The limit was below Tier 2 and disciples with a maximum study time of two years. Those in their third year would not be allowed to participate. For them, only reaching Tier 2 would be considered by the inner sect elders. The tournament rewards were very attractive, but Nathan didn't think about participating. He would only be a stepping stone for others. What he aimed for in the third year was the right to perform more diverse missions with higher reward points.
"SILENCE!" the call of an examiner rang like thunder when the time came.
Everyone stopped their conversations and looked towards the man in the robe.
"Everyone knows what to do today, so I won't say anything more," he continued. "Listen for your name, step up to strike the testing pillar, and hear your result. For subsequent procedures, follow the Sect's manual. Any questions?"
After a moment with no response, the examiner turned to both sides, nodding to his colleagues.
"Then let's begin."
Nathan gathered at pillar number four according to his pre-issued test registration card. Elen stood in front of him.
While waiting, he spent time watching other disciples called up before him. In the group to his left, the first disciple had already scored 8. The remaining disciples in the same group looked up in admiration at the Phase 8 guy smiling radiantly in front. On the right side, a girl stepped up and performed a special technique by clustering her fingers into a bundle and striking straight at the testing pillar. The displayed score was 9.5.
"Zahra Kinyara," the examiner read from the tablet in his hand, his face expressing surprise, "Tier 1, Phase 8.0. Score 9.5. Passed."
The girl received a resounding round of applause from below. It was clear she was a special and talented disciple. To score higher than one's current Phase was a very rare thing. Some whispers nearby were certain that Zahra would be one of the next disciples after the upcoming outer sect tournament.
The procession continued to move forward. Rarely did anyone have disappointing results. First of all, to enter Verdant Spire Sect, an individual must have at least 'Average Potential'. That means they will easily level up without encountering any significant obstacles. The real difficulty is at higher Tiers. With a rating like Nathan's, 'Above Average', it would only take about two years to reach Tier 2, even up to Phase 2 or Phase 3. As for higher ratings, Nathan wasn't clear. The information he gathered only said that such innate geniuses usually had very different cultivation methods. Nathan was also such a person, but in the opposite direction.
"Elen Solis!" the examiner at the fourth group called loudly.
Nathan looked back at the younger boy who had once followed him, now stepping up with a calm demeanor, steady steps, and eyes full of confidence. Lowering his stance, taking a few seconds to gather strength, Elen kicked towards the testing pillar.
"Elen Solis, Tier 1, Phase 6.5, Score 6.5. Passed"
He's already halfway to Phase 7, Nathan thought.
When turning back to smile at his friends, Elen caught Nathan's gaze and his expression hardened. Nathan quickly shifted his gaze to other candidates.
The first group furthest away was getting noisy with the result that had just appeared. He squinted to read more carefully and startled. 10.2.
"Xander Caldoran, Tier 1, Phase 8.1, Score 10.2. Passed!"
This year was truly full of monsters. He remembered last year there was only one person who scored significantly higher than their Phase. And that was only a one-point difference. Now there was Zahra exceeding by 1.5, and Xander surpassing by more than 2 points.
After Xander, the second group also started shouting, but it seemed not because of the result but more like screaming for an idol. When looking towards the high platform, Nathan understood. Although not very clear, the girl with smooth golden hair was exuding a charm incomparable to anyone else.
"Keira Valaine, Peak Tier 1, Phase 9.9, Score 8.0. Passed!"
Although the score was lower than her Phase, it couldn't stop the calls of "goddess" from the boys below. As Keira walked down, she was immediately surrounded by other female disciples. Her eyes were only looking at someone in the first group. Nathan guessed it must be Xander.
Returning to Nathan's group, it was almost his turn. The person in front of him passed the test with a result of 6.1, and finally, it was Nathan's turn according to the order.
The examiner of the fourth pillar shifted her gaze from the tablet to Nathan. Her stern eyes became confused, then shook her head with a smile. It seemed she would be receiving the first failing disciple of the day. Not achieving the score was rare, but it happened in every batch. It could be due to neglecting practice, not finding a suitable cultivation method, many reasons and not just negative ones. As for this disciple, trying until the second year without quitting, the examiner couldn't help but conclude he was of the weak category.
Without saying anything, she signaled Nathan to proceed with the test.
Taking a deep breath, he punched the air three times with Force Fist at the lightest intensity possible. The action reminded him of a detective movie he had watched long ago, something called arm reload. Smiling, he hoped everything would truly reload after today, giving him the bullets to break through the walls ahead.
With determination, Nathan closed his eyes, exerted all his strength, and launched the fourth strike on the testing pillar.
Triggered [Amplifying Strike]. One credit given.
He didn't dare open his eyes, waiting for the result. But after an awkward silence, he peeked at the examiner. Her brows were furrowed, eyes pensively looking into space. He guessed she was communicating via PsiLink.
The crowd behind also gradually noticed the strange point, beginning to whisper. Elen's group near the testing platform also turned their eyes back.
Nathan began to feel his stomach twisting, his heart beating faster, his mind being occupied by fear.
"Nathan Reed," the examiner finally spoke, her voice still carrying a hint of disbelief, "Tier 1, Phase 2.5. Score 5.1. Passed!"
The group hearing the information also blinked, their faces all showing disbelief like the examiner looking at Nathan. Being able to score twice one's level was extremely rare, but not unprecedented. What was special was that the Phase had never been this low. Low Phase meant that the mana adaptation intensity was still poor. This led to learning special techniques being impossible. Mana circulation would encounter blockages, leading to more bad consequences than good. So, when hearing Nathan's Phase and clearly that he had surpassed the average point, it made everyone buzz.
The fourth group never expected that the one who would attract attention from the group would be a low Phase 2.5 like that.
As for Nathan, his mind became empty, unable to think of anything other than the fact that he had done it, with an utterly silly smile.
"Hey," the examiner shouted, "get down so others can come up. You're grown up now, show some manners."
He startled, bowed his head apologizing to his superior, and complied. He dazedly found a place to stand, still unable to believe he had done it. Elen glanced from afar but he didn't pay any attention. Memories of the past two years flashed through his head, the times of training alone, the times of enduring pain from injuries, the sleepless nights due to aches and pains but not daring to buy medicine. All for today's result. The score wasn't high, but it was like a mountain he couldn't climb to the top all this time. Others might not regard him as anything, or even look down on him. The future was still difficult to walk. But in this moment, the glory was his. His alone. That was enough.
Quest Completed!
Rewards Granted: 1 x Welcome Package, 100 Credit, Shop Module Unlocked.
Welcome Package includes: 1 Ultra Rare Skill Roll and 2 Free Rolls.
Proceed as you wish.
