Chapter 74: Triple Circle (1)
“Grrr!”
Tremble! A loud roar thundered in the air, shaking the ground. Each time it happened, a shadow reflecting against the moon closed in on them. There was a giant silhouette rushing toward them as it blanketed the moonlight and the night sky.
The Gigatitan bellowed as it ran, and Ppodong rushed ahead of it. Ppodong heaved a heavy sigh and took each step forward, his leg feeling heavy. But the distance between the Gigatitan and Ppodong was gradually narrowing. Each time the monster’s leg moved in a queue, its thunderous roaring came closer to him.
We don’t have much time. Lloyd quickly glanced behind. At most, he had three minutes. If he was lucky, he had five.
After that, Ppodong will be caught by the monster. He and Javier wouldn’t be safe, either. Lloyd’s gaze sharpened. Skill window. The Asrahan Core Technique. He opened the skill menu and selected the Asrahan Core Technique. The skill information appeared in front of his eyes.
Ding Dong.
[The Asrahan Core Technique: Double Circle Lv. 4]
[Mana amplified to: 260%]
[Skill Options: ① Energizer / ② Latent Power Surge / ③ Power Saving Mode]
[Required RP to level up: 190]
[Current RP: 1901]
Great. He had spent quite a lot of RP to level up the Asrahan Core Technique back at the ant cave. And so, he was able to advance to double circle level one. Afterward, he leveled up once again when he filled the ice in the seokbinggo back at the orc village. Finally, after some continuous training in his skills from time to time, he was able to reach the fourth level.
Whew… I hope I have enough RP. Lloyd checked his remaining RP. 1901. He had a feeling that he would need more.
500 RP was enough for me to quickly advance in the past, but now, it isn’t going to cut it. He needed to spend a whopping 190 RP just to level up. However, his RP usage would continue to rise as he leveled up more.
Let’s just give it a try anyway. There’s no other way around it. As such, Lloyd selected the menu below the skill window to level up his Asrahan Core Technique into a triple circle.
[Would you like to invest your RP in the Asrahan Core Technique?]
[YES / NO]
Of course, it’s a yes. He didn’t have any time to hesitate now. Lloyd nodded right away.
Ding Dong!
[Skill Level Up!]
[The Asrahan Core Technique: Double Circle Lv. 5]
[Mana amplified to: 280%]
[Required RP to level up: 220]
[Current RP: 1711]
Hmm… I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Several pieces of information appeared in front of him. Lloyd opened and closed his fist a few times as he read them. He quickly calculated the numbers he saw in his head.
I leveled up once, and now I need 30 more RP to level up again. At this rate, hmm… I might need more RP. He had a bad feeling about it. Regardless, the situation didn’t change at all. He still needed to ramp up his number of circles to three, which required him to level up once more after reaching double circle level 10.
The problem was that he might be a tad short on RP. If the demanded RP continues to go up like this… I might lack 51 RP in the last stage. But he didn’t have any means to check that in advance. No, there was actually just one way, and it was to continue to level up his skills.
I’ve already begun. I can’t back out now. Don’t know how it will end, but we’ll see! Lloyd was already in a do-or-die situation. Determined, he splurged his RP in the skill. The level of the Asrahan Core Technique continued to go up.
From level five to six. From level seven to eight… From level nine to ten… And the limit was reached.
Ding Dong.
[Skill Level Up!]
[The Asrahan Core Technique: Double Circle Lv. 10]
[Mana amplified to: 380%]
[Required RP to level up: 370]
[Current RP: 319]
“Tsk,” Lloyd clicked his tongue. His ominous gut feelings were never wrong and was proven correct as expected. The predictions he had made in advance turned out to be perfectly accurate.
Whew… Is this for real? The problem was that it was real. Resentment swelled over him.
I had worked so hard to collect RP until now. He had collected every single RP like a wretched miser. He increased his likeability with Javier, the baron couple, and the others, scraping up whatever he could save. He set out to amass various construction projects and accomplishments to earn large amounts of bonus RP.
Each time, a strong impulse to use the RP took over him. But he held back, convincing himself that a day would come where he truly needed it. He believed the asset would become a powerful weapon for him. So, he had worked hard and saved as though he was putting a portion of his income in a 10 or 20-year retirement plan or collecting coupons for a restaurant.
And yet, I don’t have enough. Truly, Lloyd thought that it was unfair. But he knew that it wasn’t the time to seethe in resentment.
Roar! Grrrr!
Lloyd noticed that the distance between himself and the Gigatitan had narrowed once again. On the other hand, Ppodong was running slower than a while ago. He was getting fatigued. Lloyd had to come up with a plan. His half-baked double circle level 10 wouldn’t cut it.
I must level it up to a triple circle. That’s how I’ll be able to use the mana blast! It was the only possible way for him to drive into the thick carapace of the Gigatitan, and in order for him to make that happen…
RP! I need RP! Now! Lloyd racked his brain in a frenzy. He went over every possible option he had, and at last, he arrived at one conclusion. The young master lifted his hand up with all his might. His palm forcefully slapped Javier, who was unconscious, across the cheek. Slap!
Lloyd shouted, “Hey, you! Wake up!”
Slap! Slap! He threw more blows. And this time, he grabbed Javier’s collar and shook.
“Wake up! Open your eyes!”
Slap! Slaaap! Lloyd continued slapping one spot on Javier’s face. The knight’s cheek was flushed red. A few more slaps finally got Javier to squint his eyes open.
“Uhm…”
Javier frowned as if he was in pain. Bemused, he gazed at Lloyd’s side.
“Master… Lloyd?”
His voice was soft and feeble. Lloyd’s face beamed at once. A welcoming, grateful expression swept over his face.
“Yes, it’s me. Do you recognize me?”
“Yes, a little… Argh.”
Javier fell back when he tried to rise himself up, panting heavily.
“Don’t move.”
Lloyd quickly held out his hands and helped Javier lie back down. Then, he tapped the man, who was still harshly panting, on his shoulder.
“You’re badly hurt.”
“But, Master Lloyd, I…”
“I know,” Lloyd said, “that you wish to keep fighting.”
“Yes, so I must…”
“No, no. Rest.”
“Master Lloyd?”
“If you try to fight now, you’re going to die. Do you really want that to happen?”
“Obviously I do. If I don’t do anything, a lot of people will get hurt.”
“What about me? Don’t you care that I’ll be in grief?”
“Excuse me…?”
Javier flinched. Lloyd smiled bitterly.
“If I lose you, I’ll be like an eagle with broken wings.”
“Master Lloyd?”
“To be honest, I don’t want to lose you. I hate to see you overwork yourself like this and try to sacrifice yourself.”
“…….”
“So from now on, fight only for me.”
“But, Master Lloyd, right now…”
“Leave it to me. I’ll pick up the fight from here.”
“Master Lloyd?”
“Do you trust me?”
“I…” Javier trailed off.
“I asked if you trust me.”
This time, Javier was silent. Javier’s eyes traveled up to him, which seemed to be asking him if Lloyd was serious. Lloyd received the gaze with nonchalance. Instead of replying back with words, he simply closed his lips and answered with silence. With a solemn and heavy gaze, Javier nodded.
“Master Lloyd…”
Javier seemed to have felt Lloyd’s sincerity as well. His anxious eyes calmed down. The tension all over his body relaxed. Relieved, he heaved a sigh.
“Then, I will trust you… Master Lloyd…”
“Yes, rest.”
“Yes, Master Lloyd…”
Javier’s eyes closed, and he started to breathe with ease. As his muscles began to relax, Javier passed out again. At the same time, the message Lloyd anxiously waited for floated in front of his eyes. Ding Dong.
[Javier Asrahan wholeheartedly trusts your decision and is now relieved.]
[Javier Asrahan is deeply touched by your willingness to fight for a great cause.]
[Your likeability with Javier Asrahan has increased by four points.]
[Current RP with Javier Asrahan: +5]
[You have earned 72 RP by improving relationships with main characters.]
[Current RP: 391]
[Your intimacy level with Javier Asrahan has increased from
[You have earned 25 RP as a bonus for the upgrade.]
[Current RP: 416]
Awesome! Lloyd clenched his fists. His operation to cash out RP on the spot worked.
Whew, I have goosebumps all over my body. Lloyd just barely woke Javier up, and the knight was close to falling back unconscious. He didn’t have much time left.
That was why he threw every cringey word and expression he could think of to Javier before he passed out again. He had to give everything to hold himself back from vomiting as he spewed those words. The toe-curling cheesiness affected every fiber of his being, but he had to endure it.
But it paid off in the end. Javier completely bought the sugarcoated words Lloyd had thrown, saying that he trusted him before heroically passing out.
Lloyd had improved his likeability with Javier, and not only that… I received a sum of 97 RP too. His last hurdle was upgrading to a triple circle. He was held back by his lack of RP earlier, but now, he had enough.
Lloyd opened his skill window and went on to spend his RP without any hesitation. The message he had waited for appeared in front of him. Ding Dong.
[Skill Class Level Up!]
This is what I’m talking about! Lloyd cheered in his head. He felt like he had overcome another challenge. He read through the message that popped in front of him.
[Your Asrahan Core Technique class has been increased to
[Your optional skills have improved following the increase of skill class.]
[The Asrahan Core Technique: Triple Circle Lv. 1]
[Mana amplified to: 500%]
[Skill Option 1: Energizer – Maximizes the efficiency of the double circle. You can move for 20 minutes without experiencing fatigue. (Limit: You can only use this twice per day.)]
[Skill Option 2: Latent Power Surge – Drives the amplification of the circle to its far limit. You can triple your mana amplification for 30 seconds. However, after one use, you will be drained of all energy, and you will not be able to use the Asrahan Core Technique for a day. (Limit: You can only use this once per day.)]
[Skill Option 3: Power Saving Mode – Even in extreme exhaustion, you can use the Asrahan Core Technique, albeit weakly. The mana amplification rate is fixed at 25% at this state.]
[Required RP to level up: 500]
[Current RP: 46]
Wow. This is amazing. Lloyd opened his eyes wide. The amplification rate of the technique soared to 500%. As if to serve as evidence, a new ring was formed around his heart.
Ziiing! A third circle wrapped his heart around, and it began to resonate and rotate around the two circles. The result was marvelous.
Thud! Thuud! His heart started to pound with unprecedented strength. Blood coursed through his blood vessels at an abnormally high speed.
That wasn’t all. His breathing felt different as well. One breath filled his muscles with strength, even when he was just breathing like he always did. It was like he was constantly taking in steroids through the air!
This is absolutely nuts. Is this the power of the triple circle? Lloyd’s body felt the massive difference of a circle. And my optional skills have improved as well. The three skills in his options have comprehensively upgraded. The Energizer could last and happen twice more. The Latent Power Surge could last 10 more seconds. The amplification rate jumped five-fold. The same was true for the Power Saving Mode.
It has upped from 10% to 25%. It was a 15% bump he could utilize even when he was completely drained of energy. That difference would become the deciding factor between life and death during critical moments. That wasn’t the end of his upgrades. There was something else that truly amazed him.
Ding Dong. The notification noise rang in his ears once more. Soon after, a completely unexpected message popped in front of him.
[A new skill option has been made available following your change in skill class.]
[Skill Option 4: Circle Shift – Allows you to adjust each of your circle’s rotation per minute (RPM) in six stages (1-6) and fixedly maintain it. This option will significantly help novices in using the mana blast.]
What is this… The message was a total surprise. A new opportunity he had never expected surfaced out of nowhere. Lloyd’s eyes filled with excitement for his future success as he read them.