After a brief moment of elation, Han Xiao's mood quickly calmed down. He had tried his luck more than ten times before finally getting the item he needed, which made him feel much more relaxed. Settlement cards weren't rare items, and he was quite frustrated that he had to try more than ten times, but he finally got it.
Now that we have the settlement card, we no longer need to risk dealing with Grade A superhumans. The strategy of seeking stability is very reliable.
For ordinary players, the level range corresponds to the following tiers: lv1~lv20 is tier F, lv20~lv40 is tier E, lv41~lv60 is tier D, lv61~lv90 is tier C, lv91~lv100 is tier C+, and only above lv100 does one reach tier B. Of course, this is a general range, and there will be slight differences due to differences in each person's skills, stat allocation, specializations, and equipment. For example, professional players can reliably reach Grade C at level 60.
Ordinary players only reach the Grade B level after completing their second racial ascension at level 100. Han Xiao, also at level 100, is far stronger than most players due to his various template specializations, consistently maintaining a B-rank. Combined with the advantages of his Mechanic Class and his own powerful attributes, he is not weak within the B-rank, and his actual combat strength far exceeds the standard for that level. However, level 100 is still the entry point to the Grade B, several dozen levels below the next rank.
Therefore, Han Xiao was unwilling to take risks. Even after advancing to level 120, he was still at the Grade B- rank, which showed the gap between him and the Grade A. Han Xiao was not worried at all when dealing with enemies a few levels higher than him, but what about dealing with powerful enemies dozens of levels higher? Unless he used special methods, there was a 90% chance he would die.
Just looking at the odds, he lost interest in taking risks; he wasn't stubborn at all.
Even challenging someone of a higher level should follow the basic rules!
The roundabout way of obtaining the settlement card was a great help, allowing him to avoid unnecessary danger. Han Xiao had experienced many crises in the past and was not afraid of taking risks, but now that he had more room to maneuver, he felt that quietly accumulating resources was more worthwhile and economically efficient than risking dealing with powerful enemies.
To put it another way, if I were to actually confront Grade A superhuman, I don't know how much time I would have spent on planning and how many resources I would have wasted. By using the mission-farming method, I not only avoid losing money, but I can even make a profit. Why not?
Worried that his hands might shake, Han Xiao was extremely careful and cautiously selected the Mission Settlement Card.
"We never see them usually, but now they've sent two at once. I only need one; I'll save the other one for later. Maybe it'll come in handy if I encounter a similarly difficult task in the future."
Han Xiao saved the two Mission Settlement Card for now, as he was still stuck on his job change quest and planned to buy two high-end mechanical knowledge skills that he had already set his sights on. He wanted to complete the advancement and job change at the same time and level up quickly. His account now had 1.36 million Enas, which was quite a lot, enough to buy the two High-End Knowledge.
"Four consecutive draws, besides the settlement card, there's also a Skill Enhancement Card. I'll use it first."
Han Xiao pondered deeply.
"Enhancement cards improve the base attributes of skills, so even max-level skills can be enhanced. Getting a skill mutation is ideal, but I doubt it... What should I enhance, combat skills or Mechanical Affinity skills?"
Opening his skill bar, a dense array of items unfolded before Han Xiao. He skipped over the blueprints and looked at the other skills. Mechanic Class skills were the core; strengthening them primarily improved his raw strength, with a mediocre effect. Furthermore, future upgrades would unlock more Mechanical Affinity skills, so this improvement would have limited impact on his overall strength.
It seems better to focus on enhancing a skill with a specific purpose.
A flash of inspiration struck Han Xiao, and he had a goal.
"How about enhancing [Willpower Burning]? I lack offensive capabilities, so increasing burst damage would be very useful for me. If the cooldown time can be reduced, this enhancement would be worthwhile." Han Xiao's eyes lit up. Willpower Burning has both active and passive effects. The former has a 10-minute cooldown, while the latter has a 30-minute cooldown. Although the damage bonus is high, the cooldown is also very high, meaning that this skill can only be triggered once or twice in each battle. If the cooldown is reduced, the output rate will increase significantly.
He obtained this skill from Bennett, and it still plays a crucial role to this day, demonstrating the value of a protagonist-type character. He immediately used the Skill Enhancement Card.
[Skill Enhancement Card activated, target: [Willpower Burning lv10], enhancement in progress...]
[You have triggered a skill mutation]
[You have mastered a new technique; you have gained the skill [Gene Liberation lv1]]
Han Xiao exclaimed in delight, "Wow, my luck has really turned around! I've won with a 20% chance!"
On the panel, [Willpower Burning] had been replaced by a new skill. New techniques and knowledge of their application surfaced in his mind as he looked at the skill description.
[[Gene Liberation Lv1]: Active Effect -- Consumes 1000 HP, grants an attack bonus for the next 1.5 seconds, with a 50% chance to deal 200%~220% damage, a 30% chance to deal 300%~330% damage, and a 20% chance to deal 400%~440% damage. Cooldown: 8 minutes 30 seconds]
[Passive Effect - When health drops below 20%, this skill will automatically activate once without cost. Passive effect cooldown: 18 minutes]
[Note: You have mastered a method to break through your own limits by squeezing the vitality of your cells, temporarily unleashing power beyond your limits, but this will damage your body.]
After reviewing it, Han Xiao felt that this enhancement not only reduced the cooldown but also lowered the original randomness.
The original [Willpower Burning] had four random ranges, with a maximum damage of more than five times, but the probability was too small. So far, Han Xiao has only triggered it less than five times. The current [Gene Liberation] has reduced the maximum bonus, but it has also changed from four random ranges to three. The reduced randomness means more stable output.
Most importantly, this buff isn't just for a single attack; it's a buff that lasts for a certain period of time. Based on my understanding, it's definitely not just for one hit!
We're a turret-style mechanic, with an extremely high attack frequency per second. As a result, this skill is absolutely explosive!
Moreover, this was only the level 1 effect. Without hesitation, Han Xiao threw in tens of millions of experience points to level it up to level 10. The bonus effect changed from 1.5 seconds to 2 seconds, the cooldown was reduced to 7 minutes, and the damage bonus in each of the three areas increased by 10%, which is a minimum of 220% and a maximum of 480%. The cost was reduced to 800 health points. Now, Master Han's health is close to 20,000, so this cost is nothing to him. Not to mention that he also gained the [Self-Healing] ability two months ago, which allows him to recover in seven seconds.
"That skill is pretty powerful!" Han Xiao exclaimed in amazement.
After tidying up his things, Han Xiao pushed open the door, feeling refreshed. In the spaceship's lobby, Melos was playing cards with the Volga Brothers again, looking smug, while the Volga Brothers looked dejected.
"I'm not playing anymore! How come you always manage to draw the cards you want?" the Volga Brothers complained indignantly.
Melos shrugged and chuckled, "Because I'm good. Don't just stand there, a bet's a bet, pay up now."
Frustrated, the three brothers transferred the money. No matter how much Melos tried to persuade them, they refused to play again this time. They had already lost four games in a row. The three of them often played cards with Melos, and they always lost more than they won. Melos seemed to have divine help, always drawing the most suitable cards, making the three brothers' gaming experience extremely poor.
Seeing that the three were determined, Melos had no choice but to turn to Han Xiao and call out, "Black Star, come play cards!"
Han Xiao said irritably, "Do I look like I have a lot of free time?"
Just then, Fording came out of the room, heading towards the simulation room, when Melos suddenly brightened up and hurriedly called out, "Fording, let's play a round!"
Fording stopped, turned around, and shrugged. "I don't know how to play."
"Oh, it's very simple, I'll teach you. If you can't even play cards, what's the difference between you and a native?" Melos stood up and, with a combination of dragging and pulling, pulled the helpless Fording to sit down opposite him.
"Okay, how do you play this kind of card game?" Fording shook his head and picked up a stack of cards to look at them.
"The official name of this deck is ' Galaxy Wars,' but we usually call it the Veyne Cards. That's the common language of the Federation of Light, meaning ' Shining Cards.' Look, our mercenary group is even in it! Isn't that interesting? Let me tell you about the rules..." Melos enthusiastically explained the rules.
"... Alright, that's the rule. You're a telekinetic master, so I don't need to repeat it again. Let's play a round, and you'll know how to play once we start. You can use the three brothers' cards; they're also using the Shattered Star Ring deck."
Melos tapped the table, and the deck was automatically shuffled. These cards had simple, industrially-engineered enchantments, and many effects could be completed automatically. He raised his hand to signal Fording to play, and laughed, "This time we're not playing the regular modes. We're playing free-for-all mode. The way to win is to reduce your opponent's health to zero. Since it's your first time, I'll let you play first."
Fording nodded.
"Alright, you'll have to go easy on me a little."
Three minutes later...
Melos stared in disbelief at the field.
"Did I win?" Fording blinked. "It seemed pretty easy."
"Hehe..." Melos wiped his sweat, "You were just lucky this time. I had a bad hand. Let's try again..."
Not long after...
Melos slumped on the sofa, looking utterly dejected and listless.
Are you lying to me? You actually know how to play?
Fording gave a wry smile. "This is really my first time playing. You're just unlucky."
In such a short time, Melos has already lost five games in a row, and he's been so badly beaten that he's questioning his life choices. He doesn't know why, but his luck, which used to be so good, has suddenly turned sour. He can never draw the cards he wants, while Fording on his opponent's side has been having a smooth run, able to play whatever cards he draws.
The Volga Three Brothers watched the whole thing, feeling a surge of pride and laughing uncontrollably, exclaiming, "That's exactly how it feels!"
Han Xiao shook his head; this was why he didn't like playing cards with this group of people.
As long as there's any element of luck in the battle mode they're playing, Fording can basically get a god-like draw every time, or have an amazing starting hand. It's just too unfair. Melos's luck can crush the Volga Three Brothers, but when he encounters Fording's superior aura, he can only get utterly crushed.
How can a person beat a dog?
"Stop playing around, we have a new mission. Ames wants us to go with her to Noriosse to find someone, so we're temporarily not accepting outside hires."
Han Xiao interrupted the group, saying, "She's not in the Shattered Star Ring right now. Before she returns, I need to go to other star systems to buy some things. I've already set up the flight path."
Everyone nodded, indicating that they understood.
Han Xiao naturally wanted to purchase High-End Knowledge. Since the Dragon Emperor had not yet arrived, he planned to put everything aside for the time being and advance his cultivation level. This was an opportunity he had been looking forward to for a long time, which would allow him to reach a higher level of power.
The greater the power, the freer the action becomes. To complete his plan, great power is necessary, and even his own planning is for the purpose of better acquiring power.
In the months leading up to this, Han Xiao had already scouted the area, traveling through several star systems and successfully acquiring the two High-End Knowledge he had been eyeing. Because he didn't take the route of cultivating faction favor, and High-End Knowledge sold privately was very expensive, his savings suddenly plummeted to 500,000 Enas. The two High-End Knowledge cost him a total of over 800,000 Enas.
But the effort is worthwhile; money can be earned again, but personal growth is permanent.
The two High-End Knowledge are [High Energy Mastery] in the energy branch and [Advanced Virtual Intelligence Technology] in the manipulation branch.
[High Energy Mastery] is crucial, as it allows control over higher-level energy sources. It is core-level knowledge, enabling the creation of more stable shields and energy weapons. Energy weapons are conventional weapons that are more powerful than electromagnetic kinetic energy weapons.
Because only a portion of the knowledge was being sold, Han Xiao could only choose the relatively more useful knowledge from it, so his second choice was [Advanced Virtual Intelligence Technology], which he used to create artificial intelligence.
The High-End Knowledge in the Mechanic Class has even more significant uses, with each one playing an indispensable role. No knowledge is useless. Ordinary players can only make choices because the potential points consumed by High-End Knowledge have increased by one point. Learning it requires 3 points, and each level up also requires 3 points.
A quick calculation will show you that there are a total of 15 High-End Knowledge across the three branches. Learning all of them to level 5 will consume a total of 225 potential points. If you also want to learn all the Advanced Knowledge and Basic Knowledge to the maximum level, then you will need a total of 450 potential points!
Beyond High-End Knowledge lies even higher levels of knowledge. The Mechanic Class is an abyss that consumes a huge amount of potential points, and it's virtually impossible for players to accumulate that many. Therefore, Han Xiao was saving his potential points from the very beginning, as they only become increasingly scarce.
Having completed all these preparations, and now that he was within the territory of the Garton Star System, Han Xiao sailed back to the Juberly Hub.
He plans to advance to level 100 here.