No one could refuse more power.
This was true even for a major boss like the Evil Spirit Wizard.
He closed the window again.
He sat back down at his messy desk.
He skillfully opened the Fighting Master system panel, exclusive to Players.
A Professional Card shimmering with starlight slowly unfurled before him like a curtain.
...
[Star Trace Fighter] (30th Anniversary Exclusive Commemorative Edition) (Untradable)
Level: 1.
[Talent]
Gangyi Iron Bone (SS-Level): You possess a will and body of steel.
[Skill]
Basic Skull-Splitting Fist: Level 0
...
In the pioneering era, an A-level Talent was considered an absolutely god-tier start.
If you posted it on the forums, you'd get tens of thousands of replies in minutes.
But by the time the game reached its thirtieth year,
how could the developers attract veteran players to start over in a new World without offering something new?
This [Star Trace Fighter], with its SS-Level Talent and top-tier potential, was a top-tier new character file—a reward given by the developers during the 30th-anniversary event for veteran players like him!
With three main characters already in the Legendary Realm, he had several such top-tier alts gathering dust in his inventory.
But at this very moment, transplanted into "Holy Relic: Eternal Poem" as a completely ordinary person with nothing to his name, this top-tier, SS-Level [Star Trace Fighter] Sequence made Zorn Corick's heart race. It felt like falling in love for the first time!
'The Evil Spirit Wizard may be a World-level boss with an extremely high stat template, but its abilities and methods are mostly ranged and fall into the mystical, bizarre, and Extraordinary science categories. This Sequence isn't good at close combat.'
'But now...'
Zorn's pupils constricted as he carefully scanned the [Star Trace Fighter] Sequence Card.
'With this SS-Level Star Trace Fighter, things are completely different.'
'This is one of the strongest professional Sequences for the early game.'
'It can cover the Evil Spirit Wizard's early-game weakness and make up for its lack of close-quarters combat skill.'
'Plus, a Player template and a boss template... this is a Dual Sequence!'
He took a deep breath.
He gently tapped on the [Star Trace Fighter] Sequence Card.
The Sequence Card scattered into a sky full of starlight, which then formed a vortex and slowly poured into his body.
His soul, will, arms, legs, torso, muscles, and fascia—all of it was being refined with a SIZZLE as the [Star Trace Fighter] inheritance loaded.
Defense, balance, Perception, and reflexes all improved, as did his affinity for [Qi].
Even without a detailed data stream from a system panel to spell it out, as a veteran professional player, he could gauge his condition from the subtle sensations spreading through his body.
A familiar feeling swept over every inch of his skin, blooming gently in the depths of his soul.
An ordinary life, at the intersection of moonlight and night, had now stepped into the realm of the Extraordinary.
In an era stirred by the tides of steam, mysterious and grotesque powers were gradually reawakening.
All Sequence powers originated from hidden depths, a part of the forbidden.
But the [Star Trace Fighter] before him was clearly not one of them.
A joy like the pure white moonlight spread across Zorn's face, and he couldn't help but immerse himself in the wonderful state of Sequence inheritance.
'Without this top-tier Fighting Sequence, I probably would have had to wait until after I formally inherited the Evil Spirit Wizard boss Sequence to make a move.'
'But now... with the Fighting Sequence in hand, my safety and margin for error have increased significantly.'
'Furthermore, the Fighting Sequence can completely hide my true identity as the Evil Spirit Wizard. This point is especially important.'
'There's still a week until I inherit the Evil Spirit Wizard Sequence. That's enough time for me to get a lot done!'
He walked to the window, bathed in the bright moonlight, and tapped his fingers lightly on the balcony railing.
With Extraordinary Power now in his grasp, his mind began to open up with new possibilities.
'The tides of steam are surging. According to the timeline of the core [Major Events], my inheritance of the Evil Spirit Wizard Sequence will be followed by the bankruptcy of the Coric Clan.'
'After that, a series of misfortunes and tragedies, like a giant hand gripping my throat, will push 'me' to sink deeper and deeper into depravity, madness, and despair, until... I become nothing more than a pawn for those bastards in the shadows to play with as they please.'
'And tangled up in all of this is one overt [Event] and two hidden ones.'
'The bankruptcy of the Coric Clan is the beginning of the Evil Spirit Wizard's descent into evil and depravity!'
'Although these [Events] and the conspiracies behind them aren't intentionally targeting me—at this stage, I'm just an unlucky schmuck caught in the crossfire.'
'But... tough luck.'
Zorn's pupils constricted. A cruel smile slowly spread across his face, looking like a Demon's grin under the moonlit night.
'This time, it won't be the reckless, ignorant Zorn Corick, a blank slate stumbling around like a headless chicken in the tides of steam.'
'Instead... I'll be the one wielding the knife.'
'Now that you've run into me, all of you... will be nothing more than food on my table!'
...
「Early in the morning.」
Birds chirped sweetly in the woods.
Zorn, already up, was in the courtyard doing his morning combat exercises.
Having inherited the SS-Level [Star Trace Fighter], Zorn had woken up full of energy before the sun was even up.
Transcendants often needed only a short amount of rest to feel refreshed and full of stamina.
This was even more true for higher-level Transcendants.