Chapter 146: The King’s Gambit
The four of them found refuge in the dark, cavernous hold of a derelict cargo ship in the quietest part of the port. The air was thick with the smell of rust and stagnant water, but it was defensible.
Elisa immediately took first watch, perching on the ship’s railing like a gargoyle with a warhammer, her eyes scanning the dark city. Mela was tending to a small cut on Serian’s arm, her movements practiced and efficient.
Nox sat on a pile of old, rotted rope, his mind a whirlwind. One hundred stat points. A Legendary Skill Box. He felt like a kid on Christmas morning, if Christmas involved brutal, life-or-death combat.
’Okay, Liona. Let’s do this.’
His new, sleek black interface appeared. ’Allocate points. Strength and Endurance are good, but I need more speed. Ragnar was slow, but the next one might not be. And I need more gas in the tank. The Dominion is a mana-hog.’
He dumped a full fifty points into Agility, forty into Stamina, and the remaining ten into Perception. The power-up was a clean, sharp jolt, his senses heightening, his body feeling lighter, faster.
’Now for the good stuff. Open the box.’
[Legendary Skill Box opened!]
[Congratulations! You have acquired a new paradigm ability!]
[Ability Acquired: Void Eater.]
[Description: Your core, the Fragment of a Dead God, is hungry. This ability allows you to directly consume raw mana, ambient energy, and even the skills of defeated opponents to fuel your own growth. You do not just defeat your enemies; you erase them and add their strength to your own.]
Nox’s eyes went wide. ’Lifesteal for skills? I can literally eat other people’s powers?’ The implications were staggering. It was the ultimate tool for growth, a way to evolve and adapt by consuming his rivals. The System hadn’t just given him a new skill; it had given him a philosophy.