The effect of [Flashstep] far exceeded Caelan's expectations.
Instead of calming down, it only made him even more curious—what kind of power would [Sword Aura] reach after ascending to a higher dimension?
Especially [Thousandblade Rend]. Just hearing the name alone made it sound ridiculously powerful!
Caelan shook his head, forcibly suppressing the surging thoughts in his mind.
"[Infinite Ascension], let's go!"
In the next instant, the small mountain of gold coins vanished once again. In its place, [Sword Aura] was instantly pushed all the way to Lv. 99,999, ascending and transforming into [Thousandblade Rend]!
Unable to wait any longer, Caelan immediately opened his skill panel.
But in the very next moment, he froze completely.
No way… this has to be a joke, right??
Sword Aura… can actually be used like this???
Caelan's initial guess had actually been correct—well, half correct.
The effect of [Thousandblade Rend] was indeed to unleash thousands upon thousands of Sword Auras, blanketing the sky, maxing out damage output. That part was well within Caelan's expectations.
What he never imagined, however, was that the Sword Auras didn't simply end after being unleashed!
According to [Thousandblade Rend]'s description, after a Sword Aura strikes a target, if it fails to kill them immediately, it will leave behind a Sword Aura Fracture on the target's body.
And the most critical part—
These Sword Aura Fractures can stack.
Each stack deals 0.01% of the target's maximum HP as physical damage.
At first glance, the number didn't seem particularly outrageous.
But don't forget—[Thousandblade Rend] releases tens of thousands of Sword Auras with a single use.
If all of those Sword Auras were to land on the same target…
What would that mean?
That's right—100% of the target's maximum HP as physical damage!
Caelan couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
If this were combined with the effects of [Flashstep], wouldn't that mean he could ignore defenses entirely and instantly one-shot a BOSS??
At the thought of this, Caelan's eyes began to burn with excitement.
He took several deep breaths in a row before finally managing to calm himself down.
Reason told him that everything he had just imagined required absolutely perfect conditions.
But even if he could achieve half of that effect, it would still be insanely broken, wouldn't it??
Caelan closed his skill panel and opened his personal quest interface.
After clearing the B-rank Instance earlier, he had already reached Level 30.
Under normal circumstances, a [Class Star Ascension Quest] should have appeared by now.
Only by completing a [Class Star Ascension Quest] could one unlock the next level cap and continue growing stronger.
However, when Caelan looked at his quest list, he couldn't help but frown.
Because instead of [Class Star Ascension Quest], it had been replaced by something else.
[Class Mutation Quest]
Quest 1: Reach Level 30 and possess 2 Lv.99,999 skills (Completed)
Quest 2: Slay a Level 30 World BOSS (Incomplete)
Reward: Class Mutation ★1, unlock level cap to 60
Class mutation… huh?
Caelan rubbed his temples, casually tossing a few copper coins to buy a skewer of roasted Yorde beast meat from a nearby stall.
As he chewed vigorously, he pondered.
Under normal circumstances, completing a [Class Star Ascension Quest] not only unlocked the level cap, but more importantly—
It granted an Awakening Skill.
Each completed Star Ascension Quest unlocked one Awakening Skill.
But now, Caelan didn't even have a [Class Star Ascension Quest]. Instead, it had been replaced by a [Class Mutation Quest].
So what exactly did this "mutation" mean?
Caelan thought about it for a while, but still couldn't come up with any answers.
In the end, he simply shook his head and decided to focus on completing the quest first.
Quest 1 was already done, which meant he only needed to complete Quest 2.
The problem was—
A Level 30 World BOSS was no joke!
World BOSSes were among the strongest types of bosses in existence.
Even at the same level, a World BOSS's attributes were ten thousand times higher than those of an ordinary boss!
For normal adventurers, this quest was practically impossible.
But for Caelan…
It might be worth a try.
The only issue was that he had no idea where to find a World BOSS.
One thing was certain, though—
There had to be World BOSS spawns outside the city.
With that in mind, Caelan immediately turned around and followed the gravel-covered road toward the city gates.
Outside the gates of Mylanne City,
Heavily armored guards stood rigidly in place, their posture flawless.
Yet their expressions were grim.
Not far away, thick white mist seemed almost alive, slowly devouring the surrounding forest bit by bit.
"O Great God of Purification, Xibel above—your faithful servants pray to you!"
As the guards chanted their prayers, the magic arrays beneath their feet began gathering multicolored elemental particles.
Every city-state had its own protective magic formation.
When danger arose, this was the outermost line of defense.
Outside the gates, many adventurers who had just returned didn't even stop to rest before rushing straight into the city.
In the blink of an eye, the city gate—wide enough for four horse-drawn carriages to pass side by side—became completely clogged.
Compared to the congestion at the entrance, the exit of the city gate looked almost deserted.
Caelan barely had to exert any effort to leave Mylanne City.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed on the rolling white mist in the distance.
No one knew what lurked within that fog. But one thing was certain—the mist itself posed no harm to the human body.
In fact, ever since the game invasion, layers of fog had separated cities from one another.
People's lifestyles had changed drastically as a result.
Because of the game invasion, massive quantities of items had appeared in the world—items that could be digitized and freely traded on the auction house.
However, original world items—such as food and natural resources—could not be digitized and still required manual transportation.
Thus, even though the fog was extremely dangerous, trade between cities continued with great difficulty.
Many merchant caravans were willing to risk their lives for profit, but even if they successfully crossed the fog, they often paid a heavy price.
The fog itself wasn't dangerous.
What was truly dangerous were the monsters hidden within it.
Caelan shook his head, pushing all thoughts about the fog aside.
Right now, the priority was simple—
Find a World BOSS!
On the outskirts of Mylanne City,
There were actually many students who came out to train.
Compared to Instance monsters, the enemies around the city were basically harmless small fry.
And parents could accompany them for protection.
As such, training outside the city was the most common choice for ordinary people.
Just as the students were busy slaying minor monsters to level up, a shadow suddenly flashed past, darting deep into the forest.
"Holy crap, did you guys see that just now? Someone just flashed by!"
"No way! During an instability period, entering the fog like that—does he have a death wish?"