Online Game: Starting with an SSS-Level Plundering Talent - Chapter 186

Chapter 186: Chapter 186: Skill Enhancement, Dark Sea
The ultimate magical skill could only be mastered by those who reached level ten, meaning they must be demigod-level beings.

Moreover, the ultimate magical skill couldn’t be learned directly; it could only be comprehended after fully upgrading an advanced skill to level 10.

John felt anticipation as he upgraded his major career skills.

[You have consumed 1,000 skill points. Inferno Dance has been upgraded to advanced level 10, reaching the current career maximum level. The Blessing of the Archmage talent is triggered, breaking the level limit.]

[Inferno Dance: Level 11, advanced magical skill, breaking the level limit. It inflicts mental *950% fire magic damage to the target and can attack multiple times. It costs 50,000 mana or 5 spirit points; cooldown is 30 seconds.]

The notification flashed. John had upgraded Inferno Dance to the maximum advanced level but hadn’t comprehended an ultimate skill. Instead, he had broken the level limit, increasing the damage bonus to 950% of his mental attribute.

The maximum bonus for advanced magic was 900%, and breaking the level limit only added 50%.

Nonetheless, this was still impressive for John; his skill damage had effectively doubled.

It seemed that due to the conversion of some of his mana into spirit, he could also use spirit points to cast his skills.

He didn’t dwell on this further and continued spending skill points to upgrade other skills.

[Wind Blade: Level 11, advanced magic, breaking the level limit. It inflicts mental *950% wind magic damage to the target, costing 50,000 mana or 5 spirit points; cooldown is 30 seconds.]

…

[Hellfire: Level 11, advanced magic, breaking the level limit. It inflicts mental *630% fire magic damage to targets in an area, causing continuous burn damage. It costs 100,000 mana or 10 spirit points; cooldown is 100 seconds.]

[Sword Control: Level 11, advanced skill, breaking the level limit, increases Sword Immortal skill damage by 41%…]

John had successfully upgraded all his skills to advanced level 11, resulting in a significant increase in damage. The only regret was that he hadn’t comprehended an ultimate magical skill.

However, for him, the damage output of an advanced level 11 skill was quite comparable to that of an ultimate skill.

An ultimate skill at level 1 had a damage bonus of 1,000%, while an advanced level 11 skill had a bonus of 950%.

The difference was just 50%.

With over 40,000 skill points remaining, John decided to spend them all to enhance his Soul Technique level.

Now, his strength made him unafraid of level 9 legendary beings, but the only weakness he had was his Soul Technique.

…

[You have consumed 1,000 skill points. Soul Technique has been upgraded to level 1,800; Soul Technique +1.]

John spent over 40,000 skill points but only increased his Soul Technique by 45 points.

Once the Soul Technique reached level 1,000, the cost to enhance it became astronomical.

It was time to explore the Dark Sea, the Secret Area.

The Dark Sea was a level 7 Secret Area, and he had now reached level 7.

Entering the Dark Sea to help Sini obtain the Demon Gods’ legacy and break the Temple’s seal was his objective.

John returned to the cliff where the others were in seclusion, focusing on their training.

At that moment, Sini wasn’t training; she was chatting with Elsa, their laughter ringing out.

It seemed she had a certain charm, as she got along well with the other women around John.

“Hey, Master, you’ve reached level seven?” Elsa noticed John’s arrival and hurried over to greet him.

Sini’s eyes lit up as she chimed in, “Does this mean we can explore the Dark Sea Secret Area now?”

John nodded.

“The Dark Sea of the demon race? Master, I want to go too!” Elsa said eagerly.

“Alright,” John replied without hesitation. The Dark Sea was a level 7 Secret Area that might contain legendary beings above level 8.

Although he wasn’t afraid, Sini’s strength wasn’t particularly strong, so having Elsa’s protection eased his mind.

Tony and Ben were in seclusion, focusing on their training, and hadn’t shown up.

Without notifying them, John directly tore open a spatial rift and left the Abyss.

The Dark Sea Secret Area was also a permanent Secret Area with no fixed entrance; as long as one had a Secret Area scroll, they could enter anytime, anywhere.

The three appeared in the World of Gods. John didn’t dare waste any time; he and the two women had refined treasures from different races.

He possessed the Immortals’ treasure, Sini had the demon race’s treasure, and Elsa had the gods’ treasure.

The moment they appeared in the World of Gods, a powerful aura stirred, catching the attention of the divine beings.

John quickly used the Secret Area scroll to open a spatial passage. Before the divine beings’ avatars could descend, the three of them hurried through the passage.

Buzz…

The fluctuations of spatial power subsided as they emerged in an unknown area, floating in mid-air above a vast black ocean.

The dark energy here was even denser than in the Abyss.

Elsa frowned, clearly uncomfortable in this environment.

“Sini, do you sense anything?” John asked her.

She concentrated for a moment, shrugged helplessly, and replied, “No. Other than the stronger dark energy, there’s nothing special here.”

“Master, could it be underwater?” Elsa suggested, pointing at the ocean below.

“That’s possible,” John nodded. The three of them then held their breath and dove into the water.

Splash!

With a flurry of water, their powerful abilities allowed them to hold their breath for one or two hours without any issue.

Underwater, it was pitch black, and the dark energy was even more intense.

Sini waved to the others, pointing into the distance where something seemed to attract her.

The two understood and quickly followed her, swimming through the water.

Whoosh…

At that moment, the water rippled, revealing a group of dark sea monsters armed with harpoons.

All of them were above level 1000, seven-tiered magical beasts.

Buzz!

Holy Light flickered beside John as Elsa launched her attack, effortlessly dispatching the sea monsters.

They continued forward, swiftly navigating underwater. Occasionally, sea monsters would try to harass them, but none posed a threat.

In the distance, there was a faint glimmer reflecting from the ocean floor.

Sini picked up her speed and swam toward the light.

It was a vast city, surrounded by densely packed sea monsters, blocking their path.

John and Elsa attacked simultaneously, their powerful Holy Light magic illuminating the way, easily carving out a bloody path into the city.

“Wow, there’s no seawater here!” Sini exclaimed, breathing freely.

Among the three, she was the weakest; without the protection of the other two, she wouldn’t have made it this far.

John surveyed the city, puzzled. “Sini, is this what was attracting you?”

Sini nodded. “It should be deeper inside.”

The group pressed further into the city.

New magical beasts appeared: undead skeletal warriors.

The undead had once been minions of the demon race.

These creatures posed no threat to John and his companions, and they soon reached the heart of the city.

“Humans! Angel Race?” Suddenly, a voice echoed, strong and powerful—a level nine demon lord!

“You are not welcome here; leave at once!” He glared at Elsa, wary and unwilling to act rashly.

He could sense Elsa’s strength and knew he was no match for her.

“How dare you! I am a princess of the demon race!” Sini stepped forward, her tone icy, exuding an aura of authority.

“A princess of the demon race?” The demon lord was taken aback, and upon sensing her aura, he quickly knelt down, his expression respectful. “Your Highness, you have finally returned!”

Sini nodded, speaking coolly. “Let us in.”

“Your Highness, you may enter, but what about them…” The demon lord raised his head, casting a suspicious glance at John and Elsa.

Sini responded, “They are with me; they are our allies.”

“Our allies?” He looked doubtful. John was one thing—a human siding with the demon race wasn’t too surprising.

However, Elsa was an angel, a subordinate of the gods, and the relationship between the angel race and the demon race was nearly one of eternal conflict.

Moreover, he could sense that her strength far exceeded his own. A being of such power was likely among the top ranks of the Angel Race—how could she possibly ally with the demon race?

Seeing that he still wouldn’t move, Sini grew impatient. “Do you think you’re their match? If you don’t want to die, get out of the way.”

He swallowed hard, too intimidated to say more, and quickly stepped aside, allowing them to pass.

John entered first, crossing through the city where there was still no seawater seeping in.

The dark energy here was even more intense, mixed with a hint of dark law.

“Dark Sea!” A pool of water ahead caught his attention.

The massive dark energy was emanating from this pool.

Sini was also drawn to it. “John, this pool is what’s attracting me. I feel it can completely merge with the demon race treasures I’ve refined.”

John nodded. “Go ahead; we’ll guard you here.”

“Alright!” Sini jumped directly into the pool.

Curious, John approached to examine the pool’s properties.

[Dark Sea: demon race treasure, contains powerful dark law, direct consumption increases Dark Element Affinity by 10 points and enhances understanding of laws of darkness by 10%.]

It was indeed the Dark Sea.

John could feel that this Dark Sea was even more powerful than the Vein of the Earth.

He recalled that the dark elves of the elves’ lineage were born from the Tree of Life absorbing the energy of the Dark Sea.

He wondered if he could incorporate the Dark Sea into Death Land.

This wild thought crossed his mind.

But he quickly abandoned it.

He sensed two powerful auras within the Dark Sea pool.

They belonged to two demon gods, Michelle and Kamal, who were also Sini’s parents.

These two had perished and now lay dormant at the bottom of the Dark Sea. According to Tony, there was a good chance they could be resurrected again.

They just needed an opportunity.

John was uncertain whether these two would be friends or foes, so he didn’t dare take the risk.

Although he couldn’t incorporate them into Death Land, he could take some of the Dark Sea water.

Bonnie and her companions had been born this way.

John pulled out several containers and began to collect a large quantity of Dark Sea water, enough to allow the Tree of Life to create another batch of elves.

During this time, the Tree of Life had produced two additional batches of earth elves, significantly enhancing the strength of Death Land.