Episode 530
Zeke’s newfound insight came from discovering the new capabilities of the Holy Grail and the Elixir.
The Elixir had the unique ability to blend substances that were otherwise incompatible.
Surprisingly, this effect extended to the random boxes as well.
By placing lower-grade random boxes into the Holy Grail to enhance their attributes and then combining them with the Elixir, Zeke found that even with fewer boxes, the resulting grade increased.
This allowed him to merge lower-grade random boxes into a special random box.
While the overall karma points required for this combination were inefficient, Zeke believed that if he could upgrade the out-of-standard random boxes through this method, it was worth the cost.
“The Elixir is the key to this combination. Although it’s rare, it’s available for purchase in the shop, and with my current surplus of points, I can use it as much as I need.”
Unlike the Philosopher’s Stone, which couldn’t be bought, using the Elixir when possible was the most efficient strategy.
Rubbing his hands together, Zeke opened the crafting system window.
First, he combined five special random boxes to create an out-of-standard random box.
A resonant hum filled the air as a radiant out-of-standard random box appeared.
While special random boxes could yield useful items, they couldn’t compare to the legendary artifacts that out-of-standard random boxes could provide.
Taking a deep breath, Zeke looked at the two out-of-standard random boxes before him.
He placed the newly crafted out-of-standard random box into the Holy Grail.
Items that entered and exited the Holy Grail always had their attributes enhanced.
With two out-of-standard random boxes enhanced by the Holy Grail, Zeke prepared for the next step.
“This is where it gets crucial.”
He carefully placed the out-of-standard random boxes, along with the Elixir and other necessary materials, into the crafting system.
This was a method he had developed through various experiments with lower-grade random boxes.
Some of the required materials were already in his possession, while others he purchased using points from the shop.
Having recently defended against a demon invasion in defense mode, Zeke had amassed nearly ten million points.
This allowed him to invest generously in acquiring the necessary materials and complete all preparations.
“Alright, let’s do this!”
Even Zeke felt a twinge of nervousness, as this was his first time attempting this combination with out-of-standard random boxes.
A mistake could mean wasting all the expensive materials he had gathered.
Taking a deep breath, Zeke cautiously pressed the crafting button.
The system executed the crafting process, merging the two out-of-standard random boxes into one.
A brilliant light emanated from the system window, producing an effect Zeke had never seen before.
A message appeared before his eyes.
[Crafting proceeds in an unrecorded new method.]
[The user’s strong will activates the power of fortune.]
[Fortune’s influence yields the optimal result for the user.]
[A new method for combining out-of-standard random boxes has been discovered.]
[A previously nonexistent combination method has been created.]
[The method is recorded in the Akashic Code.]
[The rank of the Immortal who succeeded in the combination rises.]
Zeke was taken aback by the message.
“Just discovering a new combination method can elevate one’s divine rank?”
It seemed that divine rank could be increased in ways different from simply elevating one’s soul before becoming a transcendent.
As Zeke pondered the message, the crafting process completed, revealing a new item.
“Huh?”
To his surprise, it wasn’t a box that appeared.
Instead, a sealed jar with a smooth, white surface sat before him, unlike any random box he had seen before.
“Did it say the combination was successful? What is this?”
Zeke checked the name of the jar.
[Primordial Jar]
“Primordial Jar?”
Confused by the appearance of something entirely different from a random box, Zeke approached the Primordial Jar.
His original plan was to enhance the combined random box in the Holy Grail and then open it to obtain new items.
He attempted to place the Primordial Jar into the Holy Grail, but a warning message appeared.
[Items of a higher grade than the Holy Grail cannot be placed inside.]
This meant the Primordial Jar was of a higher grade than the legendary Holy Grail, which contained the power of primordial light.
“What on earth is this…?”
After some thought, Zeke decided to try opening the Primordial Jar.
Taking a deep breath, he attempted to remove the lid, but no matter how much force he applied, it wouldn’t budge.
As he stared at the jar in confusion, another message appeared.
[Insufficient divine rank to open this item.]
“What?”
Even as a transcendent with divine rank, Zeke couldn’t open the item he had created.
He pondered over the Primordial Jar.
“To open this, I need to increase my divine rank.”
The quickest way to elevate his divine rank was to absorb constellations.
He thought of the fallen constellations sealed within Solomon’s Ring.
“Should I absorb them to raise my divine rank and then try opening it?”
The problem was that he couldn’t predict how much his divine rank would increase, and there was a risk that their powers might merge with his unique abilities and disappear.
“Perhaps it’s better to wait until I absorb the seal of the Arrogant Savior to raise my divine rank.”
Though he was intensely curious about the jar’s contents, there was no need to rush. He decided to store it in his inventory for now.
Having settled on what to do with the jar, Zeke moved on to his next task: unlocking the sixth stage of dragon skills.
Unlocking the sixth stage required 20,000 points.
In truth, points were of little concern to Zeke at this point.
What mattered more was whether he could use the skills after unlocking the stage.
“Before gaining divine rank, I couldn’t even unlock the sixth stage. But now…”
Zeke opened the system window and unlocked the sixth stage of dragon skills.
[Unlocking Dragon Skills Stage 6.]
The list of sixth-stage skills appeared before Zeke.
―Dragon Skills Stage 6―
Dragon Speech (Locked)
There was only one skill at the sixth stage: Dragon Speech.
“No seventh-stage skills, huh.”
This meant Dragon Speech was the final skill he could learn.
Zeke had somewhat anticipated this.
As a transcendent with divine rank, Zeke could already wield power surpassing that of a holy dragon.
Dragon Speech was the most crucial mark of a dragon that had evolved beyond the hatchling stage to become a holy dragon.
It was the reason dragons, stronger than any other race, could wield the mysteries that governed the material world.
Zeke checked the details of Dragon Speech.
―Dragon Skills Overview―
Dragon Speech: Imbue your will into words to adjust the composition of the material world with karma. (Unlock cost: 1,000,000 points)
Reading the description, Zeke couldn’t help but be amazed. The ability to adjust the material world through words was a power akin to that of a god.
While Zeke possessed karma points, he couldn’t use them without the system.
However, mastering Dragon Speech would allow him to utilize his accumulated karma points in a different way.
He recalled seeing the Hermit of Stories directly use karma to transcend causality.
With Dragon Speech, Zeke might also achieve such miraculous feats.
Taking a deep breath, Zeke unlocked the Dragon Speech skill.
[You have acquired the Dragon Skills Stage 6
With the acquisition of Dragon Speech, Zeke took a deep breath.
Then, it happened.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His middle dantian, where the dragon’s heart resided, began to beat rapidly.
Simultaneously, a sharp pain emanated from his heart, causing Zeke to fall to his knees.
“Ugh.”
As he tried to understand the sudden phenomenon, a message appeared before him.
[With the acquisition of Dragon Speech, the Immortal’s body fully awakens as a True Dragon Body.]
[The dragon’s heart temporarily stored in the middle dantian merges with the Immortal’s heart.]
The hearts of Bahamut and the Elder Dragon, which had been dormant in his middle dantian, fused with Zeke’s heart.
The middle dantian, forcibly created by Nigel in a past life, merged into his heart, fully awakening as a dragon’s heart.
“Argh!”
The pain was so intense that not even his Immortal Body or Complete Recovery could alleviate it.
At that moment, Zeke’s unique ability, Infinite Breakthrough, activated.
[The unique ability Infinite Breakthrough accelerates the fusion of the dragon’s heart and the Immortal’s heart.]
[The unique ability Complete Recovery reduces the shock.]
As the messages appeared, Zeke’s body felt as if it were experiencing an earthquake.
Crack!
His body underwent another transformation.
His nearly perfect physique was restructured to match the rank of a transcendent beyond human limits.
An ordinary human would have succumbed to the pain, their heart bursting from the strain.
But Zeke, with his two unique abilities, managed to endure the agony.
“Huff! Huff!”
As the pain subsided, his newly awakened body settled into place.
Having overcome the ordeal, a series of messages appeared before Zeke.
[With the awakening of the True Dragon Body, the compression rate of the Sealing Stone decreases to 25%.]
[The proficiency of all dragon skills in possession rises to expert level.]
[The power of the shadow spirits owned by the Immortal increases.]
[With the acquisition of Dragon Speech, the Master Administrator System’s functions are newly updated.]
[The Offense Mode, an extension of the Defense Mode, has been added.]
[However, to activate Offense Mode, you must establish a base by setting up an Offense Tower at the attack point or deploying a mobile base.]
With the acquisition of the Dragon’s Words, Zeke had fully awakened the power of the dragons, gaining not only dragon skills but also new features of the administrator system.
“Offense Mode?”
Intrigued by this new concept, Zeke reviewed the details once more. It seemed to be an expanded version of Defense Mode, allowing him to set up a base and launch attacks on incoming enemies.
As he read through the description of Offense Mode, Zeke thought of the invasion fortresses owned by the demon princesses.
“It seems almost the same concept.”
The invasion fortresses he received from the demon lord were incredibly powerful in siege battles.
If Zeke could wield such power, it would be a significant advantage in assaulting the Abyss’s strongholds.
He quickly skimmed through the structure of Offense Mode.
The idea was to use Karma Points to set up Offense Towers at key enemy locations, establishing a base from which to build a stronghold.
The structure of Offense Mode felt oddly familiar to Zeke.
“This is just like the Demon Chess I played with Anastasia.”
Since Demon Chess was modeled after the celestial battle games, it made sense that the Kabbalah system would have similar features.
Having already mastered the strategies through Demon Chess, Zeke felt confident he could effectively use Offense Mode in battle.
Still, knowing it wouldn’t be exactly the same, he needed to understand it thoroughly. As he examined the features of Offense Mode, he paused at one point.
“A mobile base, huh. Does it mean something like an airship?”
In Demon Chess, you could produce pieces and systems for battle, allowing the use of airships in the later stages of combat.
Zeke figured that if Offense Mode had similar functions to Demon Chess, it would likely allow for the movement of such airships.
“But since I can’t actually produce airships, it means I need to link with existing ones.”
He recalled the list of linkable stronghold areas available in Defense Mode.
“System, are there any mobile bases registered that can link with Offense Mode?”
In response to his question, the system displayed a message.
[There are registered mobile bases that can be linked.]
Zeke’s eyes widened at the system’s reply.
“Show me the list of mobile bases.”
At his request, the system message appeared again.
[Retrieving the list of mobile bases that can be linked with Offense Mode.]