Just call me Thor - Chapter 188

Chapter 188: Expectation was all that mattered
The blood-stained Sea Fury underwent a subtle transformation.

Mike didn’t need to look at Vladimir to know it was his doing.

Whether it was a show of loyalty or an attempt to get closer, Mike’s attitude towards Vladimir remained consistent.

As long as he was truly loyal, he would be rewarded. But if he tried any tricks, Thor had plenty of ways to punish him!

“Sea Fury gained an additional effect?”

Mike opened the skill description and found a new line.

“When dealing damage with [Sea Fury], gain a 5% life steal effect. When health overflows, 50% of the healing effect is converted into shield value, lasting 10 minutes.”

It was akin to the Blood Feast Gems effect.

Blood Feast Gems not only provided life steal but also converted overflow healing into shield value, reaching up to billions.

Since Mike had previously enchanted [Force of Nature] with vampire prince blood essence, he had an 80% life steal effect. This effect could be cast a million times, but Mike hadn’t even reached 50,000 casts yet, far from exhausting it.

Looking at the Sea Fury description, Mike pondered,

“If the life steal effect from equipment or status can be converted into shield value, that would be great!”

Unfortunately, all the monsters in the cursed land had been killed by Mike.

Oh, but there was one live target left.

“Vladimir, come here!”

Mike waved at the vampire in the distance, smiling kindly, “Come closer, I need to test a skill effect!”

Vladimir suddenly regretted it.

He had paid a huge price to help Thor enhance the skill effect, and now he had to be the test subject?!

This was truly tragic!

Vladimir swore that if he ever voluntarily helped Thor again, he would turn into a pig for three hundred years!

Just as Vladimir was slowly walking forward, Thor’s voice came again.

“10 drops of prince blood essence.”

The little bat wings behind Vladimir lit up, flapping excitedly as he flew forward, accompanied by a cheerful shout, “I’m Coming!”

…

When a soaking wet Vladimir appeared in Bandle City, Teemo and the others were not surprised.

Nothing was too strange to happen to this vampire.

The skill test went well, and Mike was very satisfied.

In his happiness, Mike even praised Vladimir a couple of times.

Such free compliments were something Mike was always generous with.

When casting [Sea Fury], all life steal effects generated by Sea Fury would convert 50% of the overflow healing into shield value!

In other words, with Force of Nature’s 80% life steal effect and Sea Fury’s 5%, totaling 85% life steal.

When Mike cast [Sea Fury] at full health, he could gain shield value equivalent to 42.5% of the damage dealt!

This value was very significant.

It compensated for the long casting time of [Sea Fury] and added another life-saving measure for Mike.

The enhancement of [Sea Fury] was a pleasant surprise, but Mike hadn’t forgotten his main goal—SSSS rating conquest.

“The curse has been lifted.” Looking at the approaching chieftain, Mike said seriously, “That land will be peaceful forever.”

Thor had obliterated the source of the curse with lightning, leaving nothing behind.

“Thank you, thank you so much…”

The chieftain waved his hands in the air, too excited to find the right words.

“Child of destiny, you have proven your friendship with the Yordle clan through your actions. Can you bring out the Mushroom Hat? You deserve a new blessing.”

Mike took out the Mushroom Hat and handed it to the chieftain.

The chieftain held it in his hands, climbed up the statue of Mike, and placed the Mushroom Hat on it.

A white light flashed, and the Mushroom Hat received a blessed enhancement.

Mike felt like he had just succeeded in a +18 enhancement.

The Mushroom Hat returned to Mike’s hands, unchanged in appearance but greatly improved in attributes.

Equipment: Mushroom Hat (Lv.200)

Tier: SS

Attributes: Intelligence +3000

Spell Power: 3400

Perks:

[Mushroom Disguise]: Stand still for 5 seconds to transform into a mushroom. Reverts when attacked.

[Mushroom Enthusiast]: Mushroom effects +200%

[Mushroom Wrath]: Nature element spell damage +100%

[Mushroom Grace]: Nature element healing +100%

[Mushroom Hex]: Nature element debuff effects +100%

[Mushroom Bomb]: Killing an enemy with the Mushroom Hat creates a hidden poison mushroom at the location, dealing cumulative nature element damage over 5 seconds (3000 + 5*Spell Power + 2*Intelligence).

Mike hadn’t learned any nature element spells yet, so most perks weren’t immediately useful.

However, the new [Mushroom Bomb] had a very powerful practical effect!

[Mushroom Bomb] could stack with [Mushroom Wrath]’s damage bonus, making a single poison mushroom quite deadly.

Additionally, [Mushroom Bomb]’s kill trigger could likely be activated by creatures like Fire Extinguishing Ants.

This meant Mike could pre-place Fire Extinguishing Ants, use [Meteor Fire Rain] to stack [Meteor Mark], and plant a sea of poison mushrooms!

The only downside was that the Mushroom Hat, as an SS-tier equipment, was only level 200.

It was perfect for Mike’s upcoming trip to the Abyssal Plane.

But as Mike’s level increased, the Mushroom Hat would eventually be outclassed.

A level 200 SS-tier equipment couldn’t compare to a level 300 SS-tier equipment.

Given the same quality, Mike preferred higher-level equipment.

Yet the Mushroom Hat was so fitting for Mike that he was reluctant to part with it.

After all, who could resist the joy of standing still and pretending to be a mushroom to kill enemies?

Mike thought to himself, “I need to find a way to get Fool to enhance this hat.”

As a master smith capable of forging SSS-tier equipment, she could certainly do it.

However, Fool had insisted on forging only one SSS-tier equipment for Mike, with no room for negotiation.

But Mike believed that if she stayed in the private space long enough, she would eventually come around.

Why worry about missing out on freebies when you’re sitting right at home?

Stowing the Mushroom Hat, Mike bid farewell to the Yordle chieftain.

Teemo could stay here for now and return to Thor’s private space whenever he wanted.

Having cleared the cursed land and built a new city for the Yordle clan, both tasks were completed to perfection.

Current Exploration Rate: 100%!

After sending everyone back to the private space, Mike summoned the core crystal of truth.

“Settle!”

“Calculating conquest rating…”

The next second.

The humans in the Tower of Truth received a familiar announcement.

“Congratulations to participant Thor for conquering the eighteenth level with an SSSS rating!”

…

“Congratulations to participant Thor for conquering the eighteenth level with an SSSS rating, granting all humans in the Tower of Truth the buff [Bloodthirsty Curse]!”

“Limited-time buff [Forest Blessing]: Nature element items, skills, and scrolls used by humans in the Tower of Truth have a 30% increased effect, limited to 6 hours!”

“Limited-time buff [Height Advantage]: Humans in the Tower of Truth deal 25% extra damage to creatures taller than themselves, limited to 6 hours!”

“Limited-time buff [Height Dominance]: Humans in the Tower of Truth deal 150% extra damage to creatures shorter than themselves, limited to 6 hours!”

“[Bloodthirsty Curse]: Gain a 30% life steal effect when dealing damage. All nearby monsters also gain a 15% life steal effect, limited to 6 hours!”

After the global reward announcement, Mike reviewed the buffs.

[Height Dominance] could increase damage by 150%.

Though it only lasted six hours, it was enough.

Mike needed this buff to complete his class change tonight.

“SSSS rating conquest of the eighteenth level, reward: [Bloodthirsty Seed] *3!”

[Bloodthirsty Seed]: SSS-tier material, can be embedded or forged into equipment to grant a certain degree of life steal and other special effects.

Three SSS-tier materials as a personal reward were a bit underwhelming.

Mike didn’t have time to embed or forge them now, so he set them aside for later.

Returning to the Core City of Truth, Mike didn’t immediately go back to the Tower of Truth.

He first sent a message to Foreskin, asking for a list of potions and mushrooms that could increase size and height, and to prepare them.

They had to be free of side effects.

He didn’t need anything like blood pressure medication.

After sending the message, Mike opened his personal attribute panel:

ID: Thor

Talent: Eye of Truth (SSS-tier)

Level: 199

Job: Stormwalker Magus (Wind, Fire, Lightning), Wrathful Sea Mage (Water)

HP: 468,400/468,400

MP: 1,036,800/1,036,800

Strength: 5,893 (+7,350)

Intelligence: 12,238 (+2,360)

Spirit: 11,679 (+1,740)

Agility: 3,576 (+6,871)

Constitution: 3,405 (+6,710)

Luck: 12

Equipment: Force of Nature (+4), Nightmare’s Breeze, Thunderclap Hammer (+1), etc.

Skills: Sea Fury, Wind Fury, Charge Up, etc.

Status: Wrathful Sea Fighter, [Height Dominance], Immortal and Indestructible, etc.

With dual jobs, Mike’s attributes had skyrocketed as he leveled up to 199.

However, since Force of Nature was still a level 60 staff, its Intelligence and Spirit bonuses were relatively low.

Additionally, the Mushroom Hat required level 200 to equip, so Mike couldn’t use it yet.

The high bonuses to Strength, Agility, and Constitution mainly came from Nightmare’s Breeze, Thunderclap Hammer, and other equipment.

His five basic attributes had all surpassed ten thousand, significantly enhancing Mike’s overall capabilities.

After closing the attribute panel, Mike didn’t waste time while waiting for Foreskin to prepare the supplies. He made a trip to Wolf’s Den to find Maxen.

In the office, Maxen was smashing a turtle.

Mike pushed the door open, “Busy?”

Putting down the flail, Maxen wiped his sweat and said helplessly, “This turtle is only one-third mine. Apollo told me to take as much as I could.”

Clearly, Maxen couldn’t take anything.

Mike offered some advice,

“When you smash it, shout a slogan. It gives you more energy.”

Maxen was puzzled, “What slogan?”

At his level, just a step away from Ultimate Battle Lord, it was hard to find anything that could touch him spiritually.

Relying on slogans for motivation?

Maxen didn’t believe it.

Mike slowly said, “Shout ‘Payday, payday!’ with each swing of your flail. Just imagine you’re getting a big bonus with every hit on this turtle.”

Thinking of his massive debt, Maxen felt his blood pressure spike, wanting to give Thor two flail strikes first.

“Aren’t you supposed to be rushing through levels? What are you doing at Wolf’s Den?”

Maxen was wary, quickly adding, “No one’s treating today!”

“Come on, don’t look down on me.”

Mike pointed upwards, lowering his voice, “Do me a favor, pass a message to that person.”

That person, of course, referred to the deep recluse of the Tower of Truth, Shadow Nine’s good student—Apollo.

Maxen was even more interested, “What message?”

Thor actively seeking Apollo was a rare event!

“I’m about to head to the nineteenth level for my third class change realm.”

Mike said seriously,

“After I achieve SSSS conquest, can the global reward and announcement be delayed?”

“Huh?”

Maxen gasped, incredulous, “Can he even do that?”

“Give it a try. If it works, great. If not, no worries.”

Apollo had high authority in the Tower of Truth.

Partly due to his high level and high floor.

Partly due to Apollo’s secret, which even Shadow Nine could only speculate about.

Mike took his third class change very seriously tonight.

The problem was, every time Mike completed a class change, there would be a global announcement.

Sometimes it exposed some of his trump cards, which was frustrating.

For example, during his second class change, Thor’s secret learning of the [Wind Element] was exposed.

After tonight, Thor would join the team heading to the Abyssal Plane, a perilous journey.

The abyssal demon race was always watching Thor’s movements.

Though the demon cult was severely weakened, such global announcements couldn’t be hidden.

If the global reward could be delayed, Mike could hide more trump cards, giving the demon creatures a big surprise!

Only Apollo could do such a thing.

Maxen left Wolf’s Den with the turtle and returned a few minutes later, looking pleased,

“Apollo said he can delay it for up to 10 years. He told you to hurry back.”

Mike: …

Mike only wanted a one-month delay, but Apollo offered 10 years. He was definitely showing off!

With his worries settled, Mike took the potions from Mystic Market and hurried off.

Meanwhile, deep in Wolf’s Den, rhythmic shouts echoed:

“Payday! Payday!”

Maxen smashed with increasing vigor.

Though it didn’t yield results, it was filled with expectation!

And expectation was all that mattered.