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nCarlos Bartel was astute.

nHe knew that inviting Abby alone would be futile, so he decided to make it a group affair.

nSure enough, Abby’s eyes lit up at the idea of a group activity.

nShe eagerly turned to Howard, “Howard, should we join them? With their help, we can level up much faster!”

nUnaware of Howard’s capabilities, Abby naturally thought working in a group would be safer and more efficient in terms of leveling up.

nHearing this, Howard hesitated.

nHe preferred to explore the Silent Forest on his own, but he didn’t want to deny Abby.

nHe realized that if he adamantly refused, Abby would definitely accompany him, depriving her of her own social circle.

nHoward couldn’t always be by Abby’s side.

nAfter a moment’s consideration, Howard nodded, “Alright, when are you all planning to depart?”

nCarlos Bartel replied with a smile, “We’ll meet at the city gates at noon tomorrow. Remember to bring some supplies; we might be living in the Silent Forest for two to three days.”

nUnlike excursions led by academy tutors, guards and strongmen from their families would be more dedicated and present in larger numbers, ensuring safety even during the night, without needing to return to the city for rest.

n“Thank you,” Howard responded, nodding. He took Abby’s hand and they walked away.

nWatching the retreating figures of Howard and Abby, Carlos Bartel’s expression darkened.

nA subtle murderous intent gradually surfaced in his eyes.

nAt that moment, Howard was engrossed in Abby’s tales about the elite team, oblivious to the looming threat.

nOn their journey, Howard opened the skill book gifted to him by Abby.

nFire Resistance Ring (B-level active skill)

nLevel: 1

nEffect: Summons a ring of fire, violently striking nearby targets with a 100% chance of repelling them to a distance of 30 yards from the caster, inflicting damage equivalent to 135% of the caster’s magical attack power. Additionally, there’s a 20% chance to set the target ablaze, reducing their health by 300 points every second for a duration of 10 seconds.

nCooldown: 60 seconds

nMana Cost: 100 MP

nProficiency: 0

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nThe Fire Resistance Ring, as the name suggests, is a fiery skill designed to repel adversaries and keep them at bay!

nThis skill boasts a reliable knockback effect spanning nearly 30 yards, coupled with the added bonus of infliction damage and a burning status.

nIt’s an elegant blend of control and damage output – a divine tool in the arsenal of a magus.

nMagi are universally recognized as the most potent ranged damage class.

nHowever, their weakness lies in close combat.

nIf a monster gets too close, it’s almost always a death sentence for them.

nWith the Fire Resistance Ring skill at their disposal, the magus at least doesn’t have to fear enemies getting too close.

nUnless an adversary can approach within the skill’s cooldown period, they wouldn’t stand a chance!

nUnderstanding the significance of this skill book, Howard didn’t hesitate and immediately began to study it.

nDing! Congratulations, Awakened Howard, you’ve successfully acquired the B-level active skill – Fire Resistance Ring!

nAs he successfully learned the skill, it was also time for Abby and Howard to part ways.

nWhile Abby might not hail from some prominent family, her parents were affluent businesspeople who had amassed a considerable fortune and held strict rules for her upbringing.

nIn many ways, Howard and Abby’s romance was still in its clandestine phase.

nAbby had to tread carefully, lest her parents discover their relationship.

nAfter all, Howard’s F-level talent awakening was looked down upon by many.

n“By the way,” Abby suddenly queried as they were about to part, “You haven’t been entangled with any other temptresses lately, have you?”

nWith an indignant expression, Howard retorted, “Of course not! I’m not that kind of person!”

nHe internally scoffed.

nThose were other women taking the initiative with him!

nWhether it was Margaret or Caitlin, Howard never instigated anything, and he was utterly adamant about it.

nAbby studied Howard’s face closely.

nSeeing no deceit, she chuckled, “Good on you, Howard. I’ll reward you well tomorrow! So, see you then!”

nWith a radiant smile, Abby skipped her way home.

nThis elite team journey, despite resulting in the death of several students, didn’t affect Abby much. She wasn’t close with those who perished and hardly gave it a thought. Instead, the numerous benefits she accrued had her brimming with joy.

nUpon returning to Saint City and witnessing Howard’s progress, her happiness became so palpable, it was painted vividly across her face.

nSeeing her delight, Howard murmured, “Silly girl, you treat me so well. How should I ever repay you?”

nIf not for the matter of the supreme talent being of utmost importance, Howard would never have kept secrets from Abby.

nFor now, he had no choice but to let things unfold this way.

nHoward pondered the right moment to let Abby in on his secret: that he was the one who summoned the fire dragon and with a single skill, obliterated the Bloodfiend Larva.

nIn a relationship, there should be no room for deceit.

nLost in thought, Howard found himself at the familiar magic shop.

nUnfortunately, this time, all the gains were with Glyn and Caitlin.

nSince they hadn’t yet handed over the elixirs to the Church for rewards, Howard hadn’t received his share of the money.

nWithout any funds and lacking confidence, Howard was about to depart when a servant from the shop spotted him.

nRushing out, he addressed Howard respectfully, “Sir, you’ve finally come! The young lady’s message has reached me through her guards. From today, you are this shop’s Amethyst-level Member, with a monthly allowance of fifty gold coins to spend on any item.”

n“Furthermore, this privilege extends across the entire alliance. Wherever there’s a Thorn Store, you’ll enjoy these benefits.”

nSaying this, the servant pulled out a purple crystal card from his pocket, offering it to Howard.

nThis left Howard slightly taken aback.

nWhy had he been granted the status of an Amethyst-level Member at the Thorn Store without any prior indication?

nCould this be a favor from Caitlin?

nHis eyes darting, Howard didn’t hesitate and accepted the violet crystal card.

nOnly a fool would reject such benefits! 𝑖𝘦.𝑐𝘰𝘮

nEven if Howard sensed that Caitlin harbored special feelings and intentions towards him, he was confident that he could repay her in abundance in the future, ensuring she never suffered any loss.

nAccepting Caitlin’s gift now simply meant he’d repay her later!

nHolding the violet crystal card, fully embracing his newfound status, Howard softly inquired, “Do you have any low-level equipment or skill books available recently?” .

nHearing Howard’s request, the servant immediately chuckled, “Knowing you’re in search of these low-level equipment and skill books, I’ve especially procured many. Though it hasn’t been long, we have amassed 65 copies of the electro basic skill, Thunderous Spell, and over 70 of fireball!”

n“As for equipment, we have acquired 107 pieces of Iron Cotton Belt, 83 of Iron Cotton Leg Guards, and 39 of Iron Cotton Wrist Guards.”

nUpon hearing this, Howard swiftly calculated in his mind and said, “I’ll take all the Thunderous Spell and fireball skill books. As for the equipment, bring me the Cotton Leg Guards and Cotton Belt. As for the wrist guards, call on me once you’ve collected up to 90 pieces.”

nThe quantity of Cotton Wrist Guards was too small.

nEven with merging, it wouldn’t achieve a high-tier equipment status, so Howard had no interest.

nThe servant promptly nodded and bowed, acknowledging the request, and hurried back to the storage room.

nIn a short while, when he returned, he held a tray, and upon it sat a neatly placed storage ring.

nIt was undeniable; with Howard’s elevated status, even the method of delivery had become far more upscale.

nHoward recalled that previously, the servant would directly hand over the storage ring.

nWhile Howard reflected internally, his facial expressions remained undisturbed.

nHe swiped the violet crystal card, picked up the storage ring, and departed with satisfaction.

nThe previous night, having spent a wild evening with Margaret, Howard didn’t revisit her place but instead returned to his own residence.

nHe promptly emptied out all the items from the storage ring.

n70 copies of fireball and 65 of Thunderous Spell were sufficient to be merged into an S-level skill book!

nEspecially with fireball; having previously merged it into the S-level skill Dragonfire spell, another merge could potentially upgrade the Dragonfire spell into an SS-level skill!

nFiddling with the fireball, Howard couldn’t help but murmur to himself, “After advancing Cryo and Geo skills to SS-level, both had ties to deities. I wonder what surprises the next evolution of Dragonfire spell will bring?”

nFilled with anticipation, the supreme talent was activated, and a Synthesis Interface immediately materialized before Howard.

nAs he placed the two fireball skill books into it, a brand new tome appeared in its stead.

nDing! Congratulations awakened Howard, synthesis successful, you have obtained…

n…

nThe crisp notification sounds chimed continuously, and the fireball rapidly advanced into the Dragonfire spell.

nTaking a deep breath, Howard retrieved the Dragonfire spell skill book he had comprehended and, together with the newly synthesized Dragonfire spell skill book, placed them both into the Synthesis Interface.

nThat’s right, in this world, understanding a skill book doesn’t consume the tome.

nInstead, one harnesses the strength within the skill book.

nIf one’s proficiency is raised to the utmost level, skills can even be unleashed without the need for the book!

nThis is precisely why many top-tier skill books can be passed down through generations.

nDing! Congratulations awakened Howard, synthesis successful, you’ve obtained the SS-level skill book…

nVisit .

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