n

n

nHaving all these points and skills that could make him stronger by a considerable amount, Viktor felt a rush of excitement.

nViktor Romanov

nStrength – 30

nAgility – 60

nEndurance – 39

nBattle Power – 42

nSpirit Force – 70

nCore of Anvil – Stage 3: 100%

nEarth Realm – High stage

nThe bonus magic points and the stats were quite straightforward, so they did not really attract his attention. They were great, yes, but instead of those things, what Viktor was most excited about was his core upgrade.

nAs Viktor thought about it, he could not help but wonder what a stage 4 core would give him.

nPreviously, every time he upgraded his core, each new stage gave him a new skill. Stage 1 gave him Metal Extraction, stage 2 gave him Metal-bending, and stage 3 gave him Metal-tempering. Because of that, he greatly looked forward to what this upgrade would bring him.

nAnd now, it was time to check it.

n“Add one stat point to endurance,” Viktor said with an unrestrained smile.

nYou received 1 point in endurance.

nWith the previous 3 points and this 1 point added to his initial 36 points of endurance, he now had 40 points in total, just enough for the upgrade.

nAs expected, just like what the Djinn said, another notification entered his mind.

nYou have completed the requirement to upgrade your Core of Anvil to stage 4. Upgrade?-.

n“Yes, upgrade,” he said without hesitation.

nRight after he finished saying those words, Viktor could feel his blood pumping. At the same time, a certain rush of energy circulated all over his body before converging toward his solar plexus. A moment after all the circulated energy gathered, he could feel his power significantly upgraded.

nWith the newly-upgraded power, Viktor was also filled with anticipation. The moment he had been waiting for was finally here.

nYou have successfully forged Core of Anvil – Stage 3.

nYour spirit core has been upgraded to stage 4.

nYour spirit force has increased by 5 points.

nYou have learned a new spell – Metal Fusion

nMetal Fusion – The ability to fuse the power of metal into your flesh.

nViktor silently looked at the notification.

n“…What the heck? What ability is this now, Djinn?”

nHe was baffled. He was happy since he indeed received a new skill, but what was this supposed to be?

n

nSeeing Viktor waiting for an explanation, the Djinn told him to gather a piece of metal using Metal-bending. After a moment of thinking, Viktor decided to use his supply of excellent-quality metal and gathered it on his palm like a basketball.

n

nMetal Fusion

nUnder the Djinn’s guidance, Viktor focused his newly-gained ability on the metal ball in front of him. The moment he used the spell, he immediately felt his spirit energy flow from his spirit core into his arms before it then flowed to his palms and the metal ball on it.

nSlowly but steadily, the metal ball turned softer until it finally turned into a liquid-like state and the liquid metal started to flow onto his palms.

n

nFollowing the flow of his energy, the liquid metal kept moving. It flowed from his palms to his arms, then to his chest and legs. When it finally reached his neck, Viktor stopped the flow of energy per the Djinn’s guidance.

nSubsequently, Viktor felt the liquid metal slowly enter his skin pores, and the moment it all seeped in, it immediately hardened, turning the surface of almost his whole body into metal. It was like wearing a suit of armor that pressed into his skin.

nViktor first thought that the ability would only provide him with some kind of armor but it appeared that he was only half-right as the metal’s form was still interesting with his body.

nWhat surprised him most, though, was how exhilarating it felt as the metal’s form slowly formed. The feeling was quite akin to when he used All Might.

nA moment later, notifications came into his mind.

nYou have completed a metal fusion.

nYour body has been strengthened.

nStrength – 30 (35)

nAgility – 60 (65)

nEndurance – 40 (44)

nBattle Power – 42 (47)

nViktor was taken aback. He thought that it would only boost his endurance stat at most since it covered his body like some sort of armor, but it was actually a body transformation skill that boosted all of his stats!

nFinally, a skill he could really use in a fight!

nThis skill provided him a boost similar to All Might, but it did not have a drawback that would render him powerless.

nNot only that, but Viktor could see that his body had now become like one of those metallic robots, which was pretty cool.

n

nHearing the Djinn’s last sentence, Viktor’s ears immediately perked up.

n

nThe moment he heard the first sentence, Viktor instantly made another attempt, and because his focus was already somewhere else, he only understood half of what the Djinn said.

nWhen he detected the skill, the armor covering his body slowly returned to liquid and gathered onto his palms before then reforming back into a ball of metal.

nAfterward, Viktor walked toward the remaining gold in the middle of the vault.

n“What about this one, Djinn?” he asked enthusiastically.

nWhen the Djinn saw the bright expression on Viktor’s face, he felt as if he was looking at a kid who was just given a brand new toy.

n

nUpon hearing the Djinn’s words, Viktor touched the gold and used the skill.

nMetal Fusion

nThe process was similar to, almost completely the same as the previous one. However, instead of a metallic silver liquid, it was a golden liquid that covered almost his whole body, turning him into a golden figure.

nYou have completed a metal fusion.

nYour body has been strengthened.

nStrength – 30 (37)

nAgility – 60 (67)

nEndurance – 40 (47)

nBattle power – 42 (49)

nViktor was elated.

nAn increase of 7 points!

n

nViktor instantly understood what it meant. Gold was only half as hard as steel, hence fighting with it would not be as safe as if he fought with high-quality steel.

n“I understand, but gold really suits me, you know… It looks really cool.”

n<…>

n“Haha, I’m just kidding, of course.”

nIf better-quality metal essence meant higher buff, wouldn’t that mean that using his ax, which was made of tier 2 metal, would be a better choice?

nUnfortunately, when he tried to focus on the ax, the skill did not work.

n

n“Ah… too bad.”

nWith this in mind, Viktor went out of the vault and took Barry’s tier 1 sword. He was about to immediately return to the vault, but after a second thought, he also decided to take Boris’s tier 1 dagger before returning to the vault.

nTaking his companions’ main weapons would certainly decrease the team’s overall performance, but for him, his own performance was always a top priority.

nViktor started with using Metal-bending on the two weapons to turn them into a chunk of steel, and as soon as he was done, he began using Metal Fusion.

nUnfortunately, after waiting for a while, a different notification came into his mind.

nYou do not have enough metal to form a fusion.

n“…”

nHis expectations were crushed.

nMissing things like this was really, really annoying. Out of desperation of not having enough metal, Viktor decided to try mixing both the tier 1 material and the gold in front of him.

nMetal Fusion

nAs the two different metals slowly mixed, Viktor’s eyes widened.

nIt actually works!

nWith his good control, he could even form the metal and separate the tier 1 material to cover more critical areas like his neck and chest while the gold would cover his joints and such.

nUnconsciously, Viktor was drawn into designing his armor.

n“Now this is what I call an amazing metal suit!”

nYou have completed a metal fusion.

nYour body has been strengthened.

nStrength – 30 (38)

nAgility – 60 (68)

nEndurance – 39 (47)

nBattle power – 42 (50)

nNot only did it give an upgrade of 8 points, but it still had his critical areas protected.

n“Hahaha, I’m ready for battle now!” he happily exclaimed while looking at the final product. He really could not wait to try it out.

nAt this moment, the Djinn interrupted his marveling.

n

nHearing this, Viktor’s smile widened.

n“Excellent!”

n