Chapter 602 - Confused Heart (X) (1/2)

In the end, Rhode had decided to temporarily put the two cards aside and he wouldn’t use them unless the situation was extremely dire and critical. Got to say, he struggled a lot while making this decision. On one hand, the [Prison of Mad Love] was too outstanding and there were a few times when he convinced himself to not give up on such a great summoning card due to maintaining his reputation. I’m a player, so I must consider things from a player’s point of view. But, on the other hand, I’m a human, after all. And as a human, is it a good idea to give up on my self-esteem in such a degrading manner?

Rhode had even suspected if Celestina was just seeking revenge and throwing him into the pit.

But Rhode didn’t grumble too much. After all, what was done couldn’t be undone, and he quickly arranged his frame of mind to get prepared for what was coming next. After accomplishing the Frozen Lake mission, Rhode input all the 6 Skill Points that he had gained into his newly created swordsmanship, Fantasy Daybreak. And now, he had decided to input all the 5 Skill Points that he received from accomplishing the mission and leveling up into his Talent Tree. After returning from Soraka Mountain, there weren’t too many adjustments made to his Talent Tree and it was mainly because it had provided sufficient support to him and it didn’t require drastic improvements. On the other hand, it was also because this was the first time that Rhode had met with the fusing of the three Talent Trees. He had to figure them out clearly before making reckless decisions.

There should have been a total of 11 Talents on the fourth layer of the three Talent Trees. However, there were only 5 Talents available after the Talent Trees had fused. There was a mission reward which Rhode could activate a Talent without inputting 1 Skill Point while the other Talents would require his 5 Skill Points. Moreover, there was also another Talent strengthening reward waiting for him.

This time, Rhode didn’t hesitate for too long. After experiencing so many battles, he had confirmed his battle style and the build for his Talent. With the additional Skill Points and the various summoning cards, he didn’t need to waste Skill Points on Active Skills which required consumption of spiritual energy. Instead, he could focus more on Talents which didn’t require too much consumption of spiritual energy and could enhance himself simultaneously.

In the end, Rhode chose [Throne Territory] and [Silver War Flag].

The [Throne Territory] was an AOE Passive Skill. When its effect was triggered, Rhode’s abilities would be enhanced by one-tenth of all his summoned spirits’ offense and defense values. In other words, it could be considered an evolved version of the [Pursuit] skill. However, unlike the [Pursuit] skill, the [Throne Territory] could only stack the values, but it couldn’t magnify the summoned spirits’ special effects. Therefore, if Rhode wished to summon the Spirit Bird and soar into the air, it would only be effective if he chose the [Pursuit] skill instead.

It was hard to come by that the [Silver War Flag] wasn’t targeted on the summoned spirits. Instead, its buff halo targeted all the creatures within its certain range. Not only could it buff the defense of all the creatures around the user, but it could also automatically cast a protective barrier of the Spiritual Attribute. This would be a useful technique in large-scale battles.

Rhode gave the Talent Attribute Enhancement Point from the mission reward to [Taboo Halo]. In the battle with the Angel in Soraka Mountain, Rhode had witnessed the benefits of [Taboo Halo] on Celia and Celestina. In the range of the halo, both of them broke through their limits and entered the Legendary Stage even though their true strength was sealed. And now, after strengthening the effects of [Taboo Halo], not only could Celia and Celestina enter the Legendary Stage, but they could also reach the level of the Legendary Stage.

Normal summoned spirits wouldn’t be able to reach this standard because it would be so overpowering that the balance would be broken. In fact, Rhode had to thank his lucky stars if the other summoned spirits even reached the Master Stage within the effects of the [Taboo Halo]. Only the blessed [Holy Sword Card Deck] that exceeded basic attributes could reach such an extent.

Rhode was a little hesitant at this thought. Once he had collected all the ten Holy Swords, perhaps he wouldn’t need to rely on Canary and Mini Bubble Gum anymore. As long as he cast [Taboo Halo] and transformed the ten Holy Swords into human forms, it would be equivalent to a 10-men party.

But the amount of spiritual energy required to maintain the human forms of the Holy Sword Card Deck would be a big problem.

“All settled.”

Rhode closed his eyes and stood up to stretch his arms. It was already evening. He gazed out of the window and there was nothing apart from the faint radiance emanated from the moonlight plant. The little mermaid was quietly curled up in her water ball and sleeping soundly. Judging from her blissful smile and the continuous string of bubbles escaping her tiny mouth, she must be having a sweet dream.

Knock knock knock.

Someone knocked on his door.

“Come in.”

Rhode twitched his brows and the door gradually opened.

“Lize?”

Rhode was slightly surprised by her visit. He thought it would be Anne; he never expected it to be Lize who should be lying and resting on her bed.

“Is anything the matter? Where’s Anne?”

“Anne… is still sleeping.”

Lize closed the room door and answered while lowering her head. Both of them stood quietly and the air in the room seemingly stopped flowing. After a few moments, Lize bit her lips and lifted her head determinedly.

“Today… It’s all my fault. Sorry, Mr. Rhode. If I didn’t act on my own accord, you and Anne wouldn’t face such an accident… I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have done it…”

“You really shouldn’t have done it. You should know it too, Lize. The consequences are serious for disobeying my orders.”

Rhode said without moving an inch as he stood by the window. A reddish blush smeared across her face and she bit her lips, looking at the man before her with complicated emotions. Although Lize had been resting on the bed after returning to the inn, she wasn’t able to fall asleep properly. Everything that had happened in the mental world including the fuzzy, perplexed phantoms, and the dreamland kept spinning in her head. The agony, wrath, sweetness, and sorrows lingered in her heart.

Besides… it’s about time that I make the move now.

“I know that, Mr. Rhode.”

Lize lifted her head and gazed at Rhode with her clear, round eyes.

“I know I must be punished, so… I’m here to accept my punishment.”

“Oh?”

The corner of Rhode’s mouth twitched. He approached the young lady while looking at her fair, delicate face.