Due to the slight modification Noel had done to Valyr's subclass, not only did the young man's Attack stat now scale off of his DEX stat, it now also scaled off of his INT stat whenever he used any of his magic skills.
However, as the modification was more or less on the spot, with the basis for it being a lingering thought from one of Noel's past disciples, the Attack stat did not scale fully while using INT, its effects only being 50% effective.
Nevertheless, the amount of damage he could now deal due to the change was more than just 50%, especially with the aid of [Hunter's Tracking Eyes]. With him being somewhat confident that evolving the subclass would eventually allow his Attack stat to scale off of INT properly, he thought about planning ahead by forging a magic weapon for himself, the form of which he was still unsure.
'I'll think more about it once I leave the inheritance,' thought Valyr to himself as he put the idea to the side for the meantime. 'I don't have the advancements unlocked nor the materials needed to forge it anyway.'
With that, he continued with his onslaught, methodically killing any aberration that looked to be within his range. Of course, while doing so, he would make some time to head over to Faulus and give the latter a few tips on how he could fight against his foes more efficiently.
After putting all of his attention on the first few aberrations he had fought to see if he could kill them without many difficulties, the young man would usually look in Faulus' direction from time to time, gaining an idea of what the alchemist could improve upon as he cross-referenced his thoughts with his memories from the past.
Once Faulus had killed a few aberrations of his own, only then did the young man impart a few words of wisdom, most of the time eliciting an enlightened expression on the former's face. Taking some time to ponder over Valyr's words and internalize its concepts, it was only after a few minutes did Faulus resume fighting once more, his capabilities in combat undergoing a considerable increase.
With how many times Valyr had imparted Faulus with tips regarding combat by the time the former had slain his 100th aberration, it went without saying that the latter now had the air of a combat veteran around him, giving him the confidence to even fight a small group of aberrations without getting flustered.
Then again, compared to someone like Valyr and Hal, the alchemist had a long way to go.
…
After imparting Faulus with another important tip regarding combat, Valyr resumed his fight against the many aberrations in the area he claimed, slightly surprised that their number did not decrease from their wanton killing whatsoever. Shrugging his shoulders as he thought it was some kind of magic from the inheritance, the young man swiftly sent out a crimson blade towards what was his 111th aberration, snuffing out its life before it could even realize it had died.
"Hmm?" With how anticlimactic the fight was, Valyr was about to walk a bit deeper into the territory to fight a couple more aberrations. However, as he passed through the corpse of the aberration he had just killed, he noticed a small shard jutting out of the hole he had made, which glistened under the rays of the sun.
Sensing that there was nothing nefarious about the shard whatsoever, the young man let his curiosity get the better of him and yanked the shard out of the aberration's body. Though, at the very moment he did so, a few tidbits of information surged into his mind as a notification sound resounded soon after.
'The Gates of Enlightenment are open to everyone. However, only those that proved themselves to be worthy of enlightenment may enter.'
As he listened to the voice that resounded in his mind, Valyr felt like it had come from someone that had experienced the vicissitudes of time. However, underneath that layer of boundless experience was an exuberant vigor that would normally only be found in people their age, which made the young man feel like the voice had become jarring all of a sudden.
Thankfully, the confusion he felt from the voice swiftly cleared up on his own as he took a look at the notification that had appeared, his expression becoming jubilant.
Ding!
[You have received a new quest: Gates of Enlightenment' Trial (1).]
Reading through the notification he had received, an obvious thought gradually came up to the surface of Valyr's mind. 'Is this perhaps the true reason as to why the Four Pillars' Inheritance has been entered by many people already?'
From the name alone, Valyr had no doubts that he would be able to gain a lot if he were to enter a place like the Gates of Enlightenment. Fortunately, it looked like he had already taken a step in the right direction to gain access to such a place, opening up the description of the quest he had received.
Ding!
[Gates of Enlightenment' Trial (1)] (Linked Quest) (Time-limited Quest)
Difficulty: C
The Gates of Enlightenment is considered to be a paradise for many, allowing those that have entered its gates to improve greatly on their abilities within a small amount of time. Though it is unknown as to why such a place exists in an inheritance, the gains one would obtain from such a place could be carried outside, allowing one to stand head and shoulders above others without fear.
Of course, one must prove one's capability to enter the gates in the first place.
Quest Objectives:
> Obtain Key Fragments to the Gates of Enlightenment (1/5)
Quest Rewards:
> Primary eligibility to the Gates of Enlightenment
> Access to Gates of Enlightenment' Trial (2)
Quest Penalties:
> None
[Note: This quest can only be obtained and completed within the Four Pillars' Inheritance. Leaving the inheritance is considered as forfeiting the quest.]
"So, what I'm holding right now is a Key Fragment." Looking at the shard he had yanked out of the aberration with a calm expression, Valyr faintly nodded in understanding as he tried to connect his actions so far to the quest he had just received. "Though I'm not sure whether my assumptions are correct or not, killing enough aberrations yields a Key Fragment at some point."
"I should tell this to the others." Opening up the party chat, Valyr went ahead and messaged the others regarding the discovery he had made. While doing so, he went ahead and used [Greater Analysis] on the fragment, only to find out that there was more to it than it initially seemed.
