Wish Upon a Star had failed.
Roy was not surprised.
If he could replicate Nfirea's class, he would instantly break through the level 100 cap.
That was something only the [Eternal Serpent Ring] could accomplish.
He was merely testing the waters. He had plenty of Shooting Star Rings anyway.
Roy then gave an order:
"Nika, invite our alchemist over."
"Yes, Master."
Veronica would not casually leave Roy's side, so she summoned Celia, World City's physicist, through a message.
In her character settings, Celia was a scientist who explored the laws of the physical world.
Unfortunately, the game had no scientist class, so she could only exist as an alchemist.
As soon as she arrived, she started making a fuss:
"Supreme One, the new explosion experiments are still underway."
"We're probing God, and this God seems to be working against science."
"All sorts of chemical reactions still occur, but they can't produce explosions."
"It's simply unbelievable."
"Mmph, mmph, mmph..."
Before Celia could finish, Veronica stuffed a ball gag into her mouth to stop her from behaving so brazenly before her master.
To enhance these scientists' abilities, Roy had given them all a trait that made them obsessed with science.
Even in Roy's presence, they had endless things to say whenever science came up.
But Roy had no time for her fussing and activated the [Shooting Star Ring] again.
This time, the wish was different.
"I wish for Celia's alchemist class to become [Alchemist (Genius)]."
Since Wish Upon a Star could not break through the level 100 cap, he would try something else.
He would bring in someone with the same class and see whether their class could mutate and gain the genius attribute.
According to her settings, Celia was a supreme genius in alchemy, capable of uncovering the world's secrets through it.
Could she integrate this mutated class, then?
The answer was encouraging.
Celia's class changed immediately.
Alchemist → Alchemist (Genius).
The word "genius" was not all-powerful. Celia merely furrowed her brow, then made a couple of muffled sounds.
Veronica removed her ball gag, and she hurriedly said:
"Supreme One, I feel that my mental agility has increased slightly, by about two percent. I've also had some ideas for improving low-tier alchemy."
"I'll go back and improve our alchemical products right away."
"No rush. Wait a little longer."
Roy activated the Shooting Star Ring again, helping Celia copy the [Potion Maker (Genius)] attribute.
This would have been enough to bring the Bone King to tears.
Even in a team of big spenders like the Great Tomb of Nazarick, only two people possessed [Shooting Star Rings], and their supply was limited.
Yet Roy used them freely, taking out another whenever he exhausted one.
His stockpile was more than sufficient.
Celia instantly acquired another genius attribute, and inspiration struck her:
"Supreme One, if you can't change your class, you could try an innate talent."
"Turn the genius attribute into an innate talent."
"That way, you can make full use of Wish Upon a Star's limits!"
You have a very good point.
Roy's eyes lit up.
He could not break through the level 100 cap for now, but could he turn this genius attribute into an innate talent uniquely his own?
It should be possible.
Wish Upon a Star could not copy a special class because Roy was already level 100.
Breaking through the level 100 restriction lay beyond its capabilities.
But Roy still had plenty of capacity for innate talents.
He immediately put the idea into action, taking out a fresh Shooting Star Ring.
"I wish to obtain Nfirea's genius talents and convert them into innate talents."
"Consume all three charges at once."
As though struck by inspiration, Roy used Fate Aria Singer to stack a pile of luck buffs on himself, then expended the entire Shooting Star Ring in one go.
A wish was meant to create a miracle.
Copy both talents for me.
Buzz!
Roy felt heat surge through his brain.
This had never happened when he copied the previous two innate talents.
Through Veronica's eyes, her master's innate talents had changed.
[Name: Joshua] [Innate talents: Spirit Appraisal Eye, Item Affinity, Genius (Alchemist, Potion Maker)] [Rank: A- (7 slots), A+ (9 slots), S- (10 slots)]
It worked.
This time, Wish Upon a Star had finally delivered, directly helping Roy copy both genius talents.
Although he was neither a potion maker nor an alchemist, he could feel that his mind had become more agile.
Genius had broad applications and could improve a person's ability to learn in other fields.
For example, someone good at mathematics would not be slow to learn physics either.
If Roy gathered every piece of the genius puzzle in the future, he could turn himself into an unrivaled genius by conventional standards.
Humanity still had many outstanding genes waiting to be discovered.
Even the original story had plenty of geniuses.
Brain: Warrior (Genius)
Golden Princess Renner: Genius (Princess)
Remedios: Paladin (Genius)
Erya: Warrior (Genius)
The most unusual genius among them was the Golden Princess, Renner.
The others were geniuses in a particular field, but she possessed the genius class itself.
Whenever the Golden Princess needed to, she could convert her genius class into any one [General Class] or [Basic Class].
She could choose only one, and after changing classes, she needed training to reach a proficiency matching her [Genius Class] level.
For example, if Princess Renner converted her class to [Warrior], she would not immediately become a level 5 warrior.
She had to undergo warrior training before she could become a level 5 [Genius (Warrior)].
Of course, the process was very quick. With her talent, even casual effort would suffice.
Roy's current situation was very similar to the Golden Princess Renner's, with the potential to go a step further.
If he copied the Golden Princess's genius class and used it to replace his fifteen levels in [Armed Merchant], there was another possibility.
With every piece of the genius puzzle gathered as well, might he be able to retain all the basic classes?
That would open a tiny crack in the game's level 100 restriction.
Roy felt that his mind had never been so nimble, ideas galloping through it like wild horses freed from their reins.
Just as he was about to organize his thoughts, Veronica suddenly spoke:
"Master, the adventurer Momon will arrive soon with his companion, [Narberal]."
"Their mission is to rescue the missing Nfirea."
They're here.
Roy had played along with Nfirea's act precisely to implant false memories and lure in the forces of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Nfirea was highly important. Although he had left a letter before disappearing, he was Lijie's last remaining relative.
In the original story, Lijie had been willing to pay any price to save her grandson, including the Bareare Family's entire fortune.
Now that he had vanished, the entire Adventurers Guild was in an uproar.
The reward was eight thousand gold coins, the highest missing-person bounty in E-Rantel's history.
Naturally, the adventurer Momon could not refuse this mission.
After repeated verification, the Great Tomb of Nazarick had discovered the traces Veronica left behind and believed there was some connection to the Dragon Worship Cult.
Thus, Pandora, disguised as Momon, had deliberately brought along the newly arrived companion Narberal, accepted the mission, and headed toward the Draconic Kingdom.
The Draconic Kingdom's queen was said to have ties to dragons and was known as the Dragon Queen.
It fit. Everything fit.
The Bone King's side was particularly sensitive to anything involving dragons at present, so they immediately made arrangements, putting the Great Tomb of Nazarick on its highest alert.
Everyone worked to pave the way for this operation, but just as Momon arrived at the secret base under investigation, something unexpected happened.
A brutal battle erupted at the secret base they had uncovered.
The Dragon Worship Cult and the Dragon Slaying Cult had begun fighting.
How could they prove that the Dragon Slaying Cult was a friend of the Great Tomb of Nazarick?
Simple. Have the Dragon Worship Cult come over for a fight and complete the ally certification.
Legends were one thing; now they would have the imperial army's seal of approval.
After finishing his act, Roy withdrew immediately, leaving behind only a [High-Tier Double Phantom] to play Ragna and flee with Nfirea.
"Nfirea, run!"
"The Dragon Worship Cult is here!"
"Mr. Ragna, why don't you run with me?"
"No, I'll stay and fight. I won't spare a single dragon!"
"Kill!"
The stage was set, and the performance officially began.
All that remained was the operation to capture the Battle Maid and the Dragon King.
Before you continue