God-Tier Skill

"Hahaha, it worked! I created a skill!"

Xiao Fan's face flushed with excitement.

In his eyes, this skill could completely change the situation in Zone 18.

However, the system had still placed restrictions on it.

Whether it was the cost of 200 mana, the 24-hour cooldown, or the restriction that it could only affect targets no more than five levels above or below his own, the system had forcibly added all of these during its review.

Even so, it was more than enough for now.

As for the mana cost, he didn't need to worry about it at all, thanks to the Halo of the Saint skill.

He was level five, and the level-ten Fierce Beasts were exactly within the skill's five-level limit.

There was only one thing to regret: unlike Gift of the Saint, this skill couldn't be upgraded.

"Jiu Chen, are you done yet? The first-ring skill is ready, so use it!" Wind Snow Traveler's roar rang out. The battle at the village entrance had grown brutal. If Xiao Fan couldn't create a skill soon, they were all going to die!

Xiao Fan had no time to celebrate. At the sound of Wind Snow Traveler's voice, he hurriedly used his new skill, Flower Grafting.

He marked the ground beneath every player in Zone 18 with a [Flower] mark. After calculating the timing, he placed a [Wood] mark where the level-ten Fierce Beasts were about to pass.

Immediately afterward, a five-second countdown began.

5!

4!

Outside the village, only three level-nine Fierce Beasts remained. The [Wood] mark lay just behind them.

"Jiu Chen, we can't hold on! Hurry up and use the healing skill!" Wind Snow Traveler sounded like a dying tiger, his voice filled with despair, but Xiao Fan didn't move.

What he wanted now was for everyone to be low on health!

That way, when the two sides' stats swapped, the level-ten Fierce Beasts would have less health.

"Jiu Chen, didn't you hear me? I told you to use the skill first!"

Seeing his teammates' health dwindle until they were on the brink of death, Wind Snow Traveler roared, his voice carrying a trace of tragic resolve.

"Wait, just wait! Two more seconds, and it'll be ready."

Xiao Fan's hands trembled with tension. Seeing the level-ten Fierce Beasts step into the [Wood] mark, he counted down in his head.

2!

"Wait any longer and people are going to die!" Wind Snow Traveler was furious as he saw one teammate's health drop below ten.

1!

"Use the skill!"

0!

Swap!

"It's over!" Wind Snow Traveler's face turned ashen. He watched helplessly as a Fierce Beast brought its paw down on the teammate who had less than ten health left.

Then...

The player stood back up.

Wind Snow Traveler: ...

"How the hell are you not dead?" Wind Snow Traveler was stunned.

The player who'd thought he was about to die was even more shocked.

"I'm not dead?"

The player stared at his health bar in disbelief. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

"2,000 HP!!!!!"

So...

That Fierce Beast's paw hadn't just filled his health back up. It had even given him an extra 900?

How did that work?

The Novice Zone players noticed their own health had risen to 2,000, and they froze in shock.

A veteran in the middle of a fight saw his health change and was so stunned that he forgot to react. A level-nine Fierce Beast struck him with its paw.

-30 HP

"Huh? Why did it do a little less damage than before?"

For a moment, everyone was completely bewildered.

What they didn't know was that the level-ten Fierce Beasts were even more confused than the players.

They weren't intelligent, but their instincts told them something was wrong.

However, the system's Beast Tide mechanics forced them to keep attacking.

"Ah! Look at the level-ten Fierce Beasts' health bars!"

At last, a veteran noticed something was off.

At his shout, everyone looked toward the Fierce Beasts outside the village.

8/1100

560/1110

700/1200

Good grief, not one of them had full health.

Wait! Something wasn't right!

Why did those health bars look so familiar?

And hadn't those Fierce Beasts had 2,000 health just moments ago? Why were they down to around a thousand?

"Our health bars swapped with the Fierce Beasts!"

At last, someone figured it out.

No wonder those health bars looked so familiar. They were the same as the players' health bars from a moment ago!

It... it really had been a swap!

How could something this bizarre happen?

Wind Snow Traveler suddenly realized something and turned to Xiao Fan, his eyes wide.

"Th-this wasn't the new skill you just created, was it?"

Xiao Fan let out a long breath of relief, but put on a mysterious air.

"Health Bar and Resistance Swap lasts three minutes. You have two minutes and forty-eight seconds left."

"It really was you!"

His guess confirmed, Wind Snow Traveler was once again utterly shocked.

How could anyone create a skill like this?

Could a person even come up with something like that?

How had he thought of it?

So skills could be used like this?

Wind Snow Traveler was about to say more when Xiao Fan spoke again. "You have two minutes and thirty-nine seconds left."

"You'll have plenty of time to ask questions later. Right now, killing the Fierce Beasts comes first."

The level-nine Fierce Beasts had been wiped out, and the level-ten ones had reached the village entrance.

This time, it wasn't just twenty veterans holding the line. Every player in Zone 18 was defending the village entrance.

With the health bars and resistance of level-ten Fierce Beasts, the Novice Zone players were so excited they could hardly wait to charge outside and slaughter them.

Only then did Xiao Fan finally relax. He realized his clothes were soaked with sweat across his back.

"Thank goodness it worked."

"Beep. Congratulations, player. You have created a God-Tier Skill. A region-wide announcement will now be made. Would you like to hide your ID?"

With the crisis over and his nerves settled, Xiao Fan finally realized that Flower Grafting was a God-Tier Skill.

"This game actually has God-Tier Skills above Heaven-Tier Skills? Why has no one ever mentioned them?"

After thinking it over, Xiao Fan guessed that no player had ever created a God-Tier Skill before. That was why players had assumed Heaven-Tier Skills were the highest.

"So I'm the first person to create a God-Tier Skill!"

Xiao Fan's eyes lit up.

"Then the reward must be pretty generous."

The appearance of a God-Tier Skill would inevitably draw the attention of every faction on Blue Star. Xiao Fan was still low-level, and didn't want to invite unnecessary trouble, so he chose to hide his ID.

System: Congratulations to the mysterious player who created a God-Tier Skill. This is hereby announced.

System: Congratulations to the mysterious player who created a God-Tier Skill. This is hereby announced.

System: Congratulations to the mysterious player who created a God-Tier Skill. This is hereby announced.

Players in the Novice Zone couldn't see region-wide announcements, so the people of Zone 18 still didn't know that the skill they were using was the only God-Tier Skill in all of Cloud Sea.

"Congratulations, player. For being the first to successfully create a God-Tier Skill, you have been awarded two additional free skill-creation attempts."

"Ho-how many?"

Xiao Fan's relaxed body tensed up again.

"Two free skill-creation attempts! I'm rich!"

Before, Xiao Fan had been torn over whether to create an offensive skill or a survival skill when he reached level five.

Now he didn't have to think about it.

Only children had to choose. He could have both!

"Congratulations, player. For being the first to successfully create a God-Tier Skill, you have been awarded 50,000 Core Power."

"Congratulations, player. For becoming the first player in Cloud Sea to create a God-Tier Skill, you have been awarded 500,000 Core Power."

Xiao Fan: o(*￣▽￣*)ブ.

If he hadn't misread that, it was 500,000 Core Power, right?

Xiao Fan stared at the system interface, counting over and over until he was finally sure it was 500,000!

The first time he created a Heaven-Tier Skill, he'd received only 500 Core Power. A God-Tier Skill had earned him 50,000! And as the first player to create a God-Tier Skill, he'd received another 500,000!

Xiao Fan: I could die of happiness.

That was more than enough for his early development, and he could also improve his family's circumstances.

"In seven days, I'll be able to leave the game temporarily and return to reality. When I do, I'll sell some Core Power points, so Uncle and Aunt won't have to work so hard."

Having crossed over, Xiao Fan had taken over the original owner's body and chosen to take on the original owner's responsibilities.

Of course, that was because he had come to accept the original owner's family.

The world of Cloud Sea.

As the system announcement ended, it was as if the game world had been paused. Every player stared at the system message in disbelief.

God-Tier Skills!

Someone had created a God-Tier Skill!

There were actually God-Tier Skills above Heaven-Tier Skills!

The system announcement shattered nearly everyone's understanding of the game.

Heaven-Tier Skills were already the pinnacle of a player's combat power. Just how powerful would a God-Tier Skill be?

"Damn it! Last time, you told us to find those two people who created Heaven-Tier Skills. Almost a month has passed, and we still haven't found them. Now there's someone else who's created a God-Tier Skill."

"Whatever it takes, you must find this person."

"Yes."

The various factions sprang into action.

Zone 18.

Three minutes had passed. Only two or three Fierce Beasts with low health remained outside the village. As the marks disappeared, all the players' stats instantly returned to normal, and the final burst of damage took out the three remaining Fierce Beasts.

By then, the sky had begun to brighten. No more Fierce Beasts appeared behind the level-ten ones.

Zone 18 of the Novice Zone had held on. Everyone had survived.

The players' cheers of relief rang out through the heavens and earth.

"We survived! Thank goodness!"

"Uuu, that scared me half to death! We won."

"We won! We actually won!"

Watching the players around him cheering, crying, or celebrating, Wind Snow Traveler suddenly felt his eyes sting.

"It's been four years. This is the first time everyone's survived a Beast Tide."

"Yeah. I can't believe it either—we actually made it out alive again." Blade Shadow's face was almost unrecognizable, and only the slight tremor in his hands betrayed his excitement.

"I take back what I said earlier."

"What did you say?"

"A genius can carve a path to survival, no matter how desperate the situation." Wind Snow Traveler looked at Xiao Fan, a trace of admiration in his eyes.

Next came everyone's favorite part.

Dividing up the Core Power.

The Beast Tide had been dangerous, but it had brought rich rewards.

Wind Snow Traveler checked the total. They had earned 71,268 Core Power in a single night.

Based on contribution, Xiao Fan received 17,920 Core Power by himself. Wind Snow Traveler and the other twenty veterans each received 2,000. Each member of Xiao Fan Team received 1,000, while the other players each got a little over 600.

Xiao Fan accepted his share without hesitation. The others had no objections to the distribution either. They even felt Wind Snow Traveler had already been generous to them.

Xiao Fan had gained the most from this Beast Tide.

Check character information.

ID: Jiu Chen

Level: 5 (0/20000)

HP: 560/560

MP: 4490/10594 (+10029)

Strength: 10

Intelligence: 20

Spirit: 20

Agility: 22

Constitution: 20

Traits: Saint, Gardener

Skills: Halo of the Saint, Gift of the Holy Mother 4, Flower Grafting

Equipment: None

Core Power: 568415

He also had five Free Attribute Points left unused.

Seeing that long string of numbers after his Core Power made him feel completely safe!

After reaching level five, his Gift of the Saint skill could be upgraded again. This time, the upgrade required ten thousand Core Power.

"Upgrade! I can afford it!"

Xiao Fan was loaded now.

Although Flower Grafting was powerful, it had a 24-hour cooldown. For now, Gift of the Saint was still his main skill.

Skill Name: Gift of the Holy Mother 5 (Upgradeable)

Skill Rank: Heaven Rank

Skill Description: When activated, consumes 100 MP to create a pure Radiant Domain centered on the caster. All allied units within its range immediately gain 100 [Holy Light Shield], have their movement speed increased by 75%, and have all negative status effects removed. They also receive [Gift] for 16 seconds: restores 20 HP per second.

Cooldown: 80 seconds.

Creation Attributes: Intelligence 10 (+), Spirit 10 (+), Constitution 10 (+)

Creation Trait: Saint (Unique)

"That ten thousand Core Power was well spent!" Xiao Fan nodded in satisfaction.

This time, the skill's effects had been enhanced across the board, and its duration had even increased by a second.

With a cooldown of just 80 seconds, it was practically no cooldown at all.

They had fought all night.

All the players went back to catch up on sleep.

Only Xiao Fan and Wind Snow Traveler remained.

"Jiu Chen, your newly created skill is Heaven Rank, isn't it?" Wind Snow Traveler suddenly asked. He couldn't see the server-wide announcement due to his level, and the most powerful skill he could think of was a Heaven-Tier Skill.

"More or less."

Only one rank above Heaven Rank, Xiao Fan thought to himself.

"Just as I thought. Only a Heaven-Tier Skill could be that powerful. No, that skill would be powerful even among Heaven-Tier Skills." Wind Snow Traveler looked as though everything had gone exactly as he'd expected.

"Heh." Xiao Fan smiled modestly and didn't explain.

"Both skills are Heaven-Tier Skills. I can't believe a genius like you appeared in Zone 18. Heaven truly has been kind to us." Wind Snow Traveler was overcome with emotion.

Xiao Fan thought, Not just two Heaven-Tier Skills. I've got one at God Rank, too.

"By the way, Village Chief, the thousand Core Power I borrowed from you earlier—"

Xiao Fan initiated a trade, but Wind Snow Traveler rejected it immediately.

"If it weren't for you, Zone 18 would've been finished. Keep the Core Power."

"Jiu Chen, I have high hopes for you. Reach level ten as soon as you can." Wind Snow Traveler patted Xiao Fan on the shoulder and left.

"Reach level ten?"

Xiao Fan had noticed that after level five, the experience required to level up doubled each time. With his current Core Power, he could easily reach level ten.

But Xiao Fan didn't do that.

Because he wanted to farm traits.

He'd previously guessed that traits were determined by a player's recent behavior.