"Now that's a more than welcome surprise." Looking through his notification screen once more, Valyr let out a chuckle after seeing that the Gates of Awakening had increased his hidden stats yet again.
Though he would have understood if the Gates of Awakening decided to skip over such a reward due to how he had already obtained something of greater value, there was still a small part inside the young man that wanted to get it.
After all, he was pretty close to unlocking the skill that came along with having a high enough Might.
And all he needed to reach was 25 points in that stat.
Fortunately, the Gates of Awakening did not skimp out on their reward, allowing his Might stat to hit the exact number necessary to unlock [True Rage].
At the same time, his Vigor, Mana Purity, and Tranquility had also gone past 20 points, stopping just two points above Might.
"Now I see why those who have a high Tranquility stat all seem to enter a higher state of clarity." Reading through his notifications related to the stat, a faint smile appeared on the young man's face.
"Who knew reaching 25 points in Tranquility would actually allow one to attain [Zen]?"
As these words left his mouth, the young man recalled how he had come across the ethereal state of mind whilst he was viewing Sven's memory regarding blacksmithing.
Then, he was eventually plunged into that same state whilst he was in a forging duel against Arcaelus, allowing him to smoothly and successfully upgrade his arquebus to the next rarity.
Remembering that his mental state had ascended twice during that fight, Valyr wondered whether reaching 25 points in Tranquility would push someone instantly to [Zen]. After all, before [Zen], there was [Greater Flow].
In the end, he decided to push those thoughts aside, only to bring up the descriptions of both newly obtained skills before him not long after.
Ding!
[True Rage] (Lv. MAX)
Rarity: Rare
Emotion could be considered a limiter to one's abilities, with one's mood affecting how one would perform in their day to day tasks.
In combat, the emotion that is usually associated with greater power is anger, considering how it allows one to showcase their strength to their utmost limits. Some have even created skills revolving around it for that very purpose, heightening one's prowess in battle.
However, these skills all come with a caveat, which is that one would sacrifice their mental clarity for power.
But if one were to tap into the power anger holds while still maintaining great mental clarity, one would undoubtedly stand above the rest, utilizing the power of emotions to the fullest while still having a rational mind.
Though there have been few who were successful in achieving such a feat, forging their own unique paths with it, mainly only those who have untapped a greater part of their latent potential have the ability to make it a reality.
To tap into the power of true, unbridled rage.
This skill allows the user to increase their STR, AGI, and DEX stat by 10%, as well as their Attack and Defense stat by 10% for 5 minutes. Once the duration is over, the user shall feel exhausted for 1 minute.
Cost: 5,000 MP
Cooldown: 15 minutes
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"Pretty much what I expected to see from the skill," Valyr said as he nodded in satisfaction.
Compared to something like [Descent of the True Wyvern], [True Rage] did not really increase his stats by that much.
However, it more than made up for it through its minuscule downsides, as well as its low cost and cooldown.
But of course, with how there was potential for Valyr's Might to grow even further later down the line, there was no doubt that there would eventually come a day where [True Rage] would stand on the same level as [Descent of the TrueWyvern].
And perhaps, a higher level of strength would be seen if he were to use both of them at once.
"Let's take a look at what changes the upgrade to [Zen] brought." Already coming up with ways where he could utilize [True Rage] in combat, the young man soon shifted his attention towards the other screen, raising his eyebrows in curiosity as he read through it.
[Zen: First Lotus Step]
Rarity: Epic+
The state of concentration can be achieved through many forms, with most of them beyond the user's control.
Most states in those forms are undoubtedly potent, but are a far cry from the true state of concentration attained if one were to activate it at will.
Once one does that, they would have undoubtedly achieved the level of Zen, a level of mental clarity that would allow one to achieve even feats considered to be nigh impossible.
Having immersed one's self in the state of Zen for a long time, the doors to the higher realms of mental clarity have finally opened.
Though you may have only taken the first step in what could be considered a long endeavor, this first step already puts you leagues ahead even among those who have achieved the state of Zen.
By taking this first step, you have partly returned your mind to its original state, unshackling it from one of the many realms of suffering the mind experiences.
More realms of suffering exist for you to unshackle, but they shall appear before you in due time.
While in the state of Zen: First Lotus Step, the effectiveness of one's stats increases by 35%, allowing feats normally impossible for the user to become more than possible.
While in the state of Zen: First Lotus Step, the user's mental state is fully focused towards the task at hand, even borrowing the power of nature to make sure that the task would be completed with nonpareil quality and unreal efficiency.
This state can be toggled on and off at will.
"Hmm." Slightly frowning as he tried to understand the skill's esoteric description, Valyr eventually nodded after feeling like he had gotten a rough understanding of the difference between the current skill and its old version.
"I'll have to test it out sometime later to really ascertain its effects," said the young man to himself as he closed both screens.
"But for now…"
"Let's move onto the remaining rewards."
