Obtaining a 'Divine Skill'

Chapter 24: Obtaining a "Divine Skill"

Whether the Dread Knight had gifted this artisan scroll to Li Wei out of mission necessity or some other reason remained unknown. Even though it was an A-rank skill, it offered no tangible boost to attributes or attack power, so Li Wei did not feel particularly excited.

At best, it was a free skill, though the final annotation was intriguing.

This is a technique that only a god can master!

Was it truly that miraculous, or was it just pretentious nonsense?

He would likely only know the answer once he learned it. Furthermore, Li Wei could barely meet the prerequisites. He poured the 3 remaining basic attribute points he had left, plus 1 point exchanged for 2,000 points, all into his Spirit. His Spirit attribute now reached 15 points.

He gripped the pale blue skill scroll and confirmed the command to learn.

Soon, the scroll dissolved into countless blue light particles that burrowed into Li Wei's body. This time, the process lasted a full five minutes. Afterward, besides a wealth of strange, esoteric knowledge, Li Wei had gained a skill called "Stacking."

"That's it?"

His attribute values hadn't changed at all. There was none of the refreshing, transformative feeling he had experienced when learning "Innate Skill" or "Cloud-Piercing Palm." It felt like drinking a glass of plain water—completely unremarkable.

The "Stacking" skill required multiple items of the same attribute to be used. Li Wei had nothing suitable on hand, except... bullets.

He took a magazine from his pack and emptied the gleaming yellow bullets out. There were 15 in total. The seller of the USP Pistol at Shadow Street had only provided 10 magazines, and only 2 remained.

He scanned the bullets with his Eye of Perception, and a string of information immediately popped up.

"Firearm ammunition, common item, quantity x15, damage 4-6, can be exchanged for 5 points!"

These were the only items in Li Wei's possession that could be "stacked."

"I'll soon find out what is so special about this skill that only a 'god' can master!" Li Wei extended his right hand and activated the Stacking skill.

A beam of deep blue light shot from his palm, instantly enveloping the 15 bullets like a giant ball of cotton candy. Soon, this "cotton candy" began to rhythmically contract, as if a massive hammer were pounding it.

After contracting exactly 15 times, the blue orb of light stopped. It was now much smaller than before—only the size of a finger—but the light radiating from it had become increasingly intense and blinding.

"Stacking complete!"

As the light faded, a bullet unlike any other appeared before Li Wei.

The original metallic luster had been replaced by an indescribable substance; it was heavier and far more beautiful. The azure metallic tip and the matching casing were perfectly fused, engraved with patterns the size of rice grains. Stunned, Li Wei picked up the stacked bullet and activated his Eye of Perception!

"[Wailing Scorching Impact Bullet], blue item, quantity x1, damage 44-72, releases a freezing ring upon hitting the target, can be exchanged for 300 points!"

What was this?

Li Wei stared at the bullet's stats, frozen in place. It took him a long time to recover. The stats were too exaggerated—was this still a bullet? It was practically a missile!

The attack power alone far exceeded that of a Vampire, even surpassing a Withered Wood Guardian. Moreover, it possessed a freezing attribute; a freezing ring was likely a form of ice magic. He hadn't expected such properties.

Li Wei hurriedly took out the remaining magazine and performed the Art of Stacking on the final 15 bullets. This time, the resulting bullet was a vibrant, fiery red.

"[Evil Freezing Impact Bullet], blue item, quantity x1, damage 50-76, continuously burns the target upon impact, can be exchanged for 300 points!"

The attributes were different!

Re-reading the annotation for the Art of Stacking, Li Wei finally understood what it meant by a technique only a "god" could master. This was a skill that truly surprised him, and it certainly deserved the title of "Divine Skill."

Stacking items randomly doubled their attributes and added extra random effects. With this skill, he could manufacture powerful items at will. Thinking of the goods sold on Shadow Street, anything with mediocre stats could become a top-tier treasure after being stacked. If he were to use the Art of Stacking on skill books or cultivation manuals, the results might be beyond imagination. For a moment, Li Wei felt an urge to rush back to Shadow Street to test it out.

Of course, as he was currently on a mission, he could only dream.

The Dread Knight nearby was clearly interested in the two bullets in Li Wei's hand, but Li Wei wouldn't waste them. He had no more ordinary bullets left to "stack."

To put it dramatically, these two bullets were his most valuable trump cards.

He checked his status: "ID 1987: Human (Martial Artist), Strength 9, Agility 10, Spirit 15, Stamina 5, Internal Energy 30; Skills: Innate Skill (Level 1), Cloud-Piercing Palm, Eye of Perception, Art of Stacking, Precision LV4, Shooting Mastery; Overall Rating: E3!"

Still incredibly weak.

Could he complete this mission as he was?

If he had mastered all seven levels of the Innate Skill, the situation would likely be different. Currently, he could only rely on the Innate Skill to improve his attributes. Li Wei gritted his teeth; he had made up his mind to find a way to obtain the remaining six levels of the manual next time.

Meanwhile, at the Knight Training Ground, the morning sun shone on the dew-covered grass, refracting brilliant colors. A woman in deep purple leather armor sat on a warhorse, watching the trainee knights practice horsemanship with a look of anxiety on her face.

On a wooden bench nearby sat a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, idly fiddling with a crossbow while his eyes scanned Bai Jie, who was approaching.

Bai Jie had changed into a set of well-fitted armor. She stopped in front of the woman in the deep purple leather armor.

"Miss Zheng, there are already 20 knights in the training ground, and the number of crossbowmen and halberdiers has reached over 200. But I fear this force is still no match for the Undead of Dawn City!"

The woman on the horse was none other than Zheng Yutong. She sighed; this force was clearly not large, but it wasn't small either. Her original plan had been to accumulate troops step by step, forming a combat-ready force only after reaching a certain number.

However, the letter Bai Jie had brought back made her hesitate.

Damn that guy, I knew he couldn't be trusted! Thinking of Li Wei, Zheng Yutong couldn't help but feel angry. Who would have thought Li Wei would "flee before the battle"?

But such things were common. People from Shadow Street were inherently self-serving. Cooperating on a mission was fine if interests aligned, but in most cases, they were wary of each other, and even cooperation had its limits.

Take Wang Kai, the T-Virus enhancer behind her; although he appeared kind on the surface, it was just a facade. Zheng Yutong was certain that if necessary, he would betray or attack her without a second thought.

Bai Jie was the same. She currently lacked combat ability, so she had to rely on the protection provided by this squad, but one could never be too careful. Li Wei, on the other hand, gave her a different feeling.

In the letter Bai Jie brought back, Li Wei mentioned the key to completing this mission: using these seven days to scout the surrounding area as much as possible, discovering resource points and Creature Dwellings, and bringing them under their control, even if it meant sacrificing some of their troops.

Only through such explosive expansion could they recruit enough creatures in a short time. But this would also bring many dangers. Li Wei's letter also mentioned that to achieve this, two essential prerequisites were required: the commander must possess decisive judgment and a global perspective, as well as a little bit of luck.

Zheng Yutong swallowed hard, suddenly realizing that as a veteran with a C3 rating, she lacked any shred of confidence.

Furthermore, there was another possibility: Li Wei was deceiving her!

Of course, this possibility was extremely slim; Li Wei had no reason to lie to her. At this moment, she suddenly recalled the budget meeting where she first met Li Wei, and the formidable analytical and computational prowess he had displayed!

Thinking about it, the plan he formulated shouldn't be too shabby. Besides, even if the plan failed, she could rely on her own formidable strength to escape alone. As for the other two...

Glancing at Wang Kai and Bai Jie, Zheng Yutong sneered inwardly; when the time came, they would just have to trust in their own fates.

Gazing at the piles of Dwarf Warrior corpses, Li Wei couldn't help but marvel at the power of the Dread Knight. Over fifty combat-ready dwarves had been completely unable to resist the blade of the Dread Knight, Mordel.

Opening the strategic map, Li Wei saw he was at the Dwarf Treasury, located at the edge of the forest. He hadn't expected to discover such a treasury here, and naturally, he wouldn't let it slip by.

The strength of a Tier 6 creature was terrifying, especially that of a Dread Knight. Against the Dwarf Warriors, it was almost one strike, one life. These dwarves dropped several wooden Treasure Chests, from which Li Wei obtained a few dwarven warhammers and dozens of points.

Searching the Dwarf Treasury, Li Wei also acquired several treasures.

Ring of Life, a ring imbued with life magic, +3 Stamina, Green quality!

Centaur Battle Axe, +6 Attack, Green quality!

500 Gold!

Li Wei grinned from ear to ear. The Ring of Life, with its +3 Stamina, was a very practical item; equipping this ring brought his stamina to 8 points, double that of an ordinary person.

What excited Li Wei the most, however, was the Centaur Battle Axe. Although it was no different from the one he had obtained previously, that was precisely the reason for his excitement.

Now, even the lowest-level items could be transformed into top-tier equipment as long as he possessed the artisan skill, Art of Stacking.

"Stack Centaur Battle Axe!" Placing the two battle axes together, Li Wei activated the stacking skill.

This time, the two Centaur Battle Axes were enveloped in a green light and merged together. A single, thunderous metallic clang echoed, and as the light dissipated, a battle axe that looked as if it had been sprayed with green paint appeared before his eyes.

"[Venomous Centaur Battle Axe], Attack +12, Poison Attack 1-2, Green quality, can be exchanged for 150 points!"

The attributes had indeed changed. Li Wei took the Centaur Battle Axe in his hand and examined it closely; the blade emitted a faint green glow, clearly due to the poison-type magic imbued upon it.

Thrilled, Li Wei found a few isolated Dwarf Warriors to test the axe. The effect was remarkably clear: the wounds of the dwarves struck by the sharp axe seeped with green toxins, their health points gradually depleting until they were quickly tormented into collapsing to the ground.

The Dread Knight's attack power also increased significantly due to the attack bonus from the Venomous Centaur Battle Axe.