Past Life Returner

Chapter 244

It wasn’t just the Shield Squad.

[The System has been modified.]

[Deleted list: Class system, certain stats box, certain skill box, certain trait box]

[Addition list: Level system, proficiency, item level, skill class, etc…]

All the units in the area canceled their previous plans and gathered at their headquarters, the home of the Shield Squad. When Joo-Hyuk manipulated his Sixth Sense in full detail, he noticed that his skill window had replaced the status window.

[* The power of your latent skill is marked as ‘skill class.’]

[* Your proficiency develops whenever you successfully use your skills. The proficiency of those skills can span from LV.1 to LV.7.]

From what Joo-Hyuk had figured out so far, the potential was different for each skill. The skills he had received from the bronze and platinum boxes were definitely different even though both had been classed at F(0), and the difference became clearer when they were upgraded. However, confusion was prevented by specifying the potential of skills with ‘skill class’ in the modified system.

[Guardian Warrior's Shout (Skill)

Skill Class: C

Effect: Causes physical damage to monsters that are close by, and focuses the attention of the affected monsters upon the user. Increases attack power of party members and combatants.

Proficiency: LV.1 (0.0%) - Physical Damage: 120

Weapon Attack Power: Increased by 1%

Cooldown time: 5 minutes]

It is now very detailed and intuitive. It should have been like this from the start…

Hwaaak!

Energy stretched out from the seat where Joo-Hyuk was sitting. He had tested the skill, but his proficiency hadn’t budged from 0.0%.

I guess the proficiency will improve when I use it on monsters. Anyway, it’s good. I can upgrade my skills without wasting a box. What about traits?

[* The power of your latent trait is marked as ‘trait class.’]

[* Your proficiency develops based on which trait you activate. The proficiency of those traits can span from LV.1 to LV.7.]

[Shield (Trait)

Trait Class: E

Effect: Increases the effect of all protective items as soon as you join the battle.

Proficiency: LV.1 (0.0%) - Item Effect

Increase: 3%

Cooldown time: 1 day]

The System had also changed its way of dealing with items. It didn’t lump them together by class, but instead, it also implemented levels on them. Joo-Hyuk turned his attention to this.

[* Item levels exist from 1 to 560.]

[* Items exceeding level 560 can be obtained from a challenger box (item) with a very rare probability.]

[* The effect of the item has been specified, and it will be reflected in the status window when you equip it.]

He put one main shield and one ancillary shield side by side next to each other to compare them. Then he rested his chin in one hand as if he was appreciating art pieces and watched as the item windows popped in front of him.

[Founder's Shield (Item)

Item Class: C

Item Level: 271

Effect: Health +2, Defensive Skill Cooldown Time -10%

Physical Defense: 4000 / 4000

Magic Defense: 1020 / 1020]

[Shield Lost by the Captain (Item)

Item Class: C

Item Level: 241

Effect: Health +5

Physical Defense: 4200 / 4200]

Originally, both were considered C-class items, so Joo-Hyuk thought their potential was the same. However, to his astonishment, the new item windows began to display specific values about the effects of the items. His subordinates around him were also exchanging new information about their items. As they compared their items, the sound of their conversation became louder and louder.

At that time, one guy made eye contact with Joo-Hyuk and approached him. He was the one who had been running the unit with Joo-Hyuk. In fact, Joo-Hyuk always got the first person award for the quests, but this guy always received the second person reward.

The guy said, “Besides the notations, other things have changed as well.”

“I checked too. We can upgrade skills and traits without wasting a box now… Ah, I should call it ‘proficiency’ from now on. Anyway, yes.”

The guy continued, “It’s talking about the level-up system.”

Joo-Hyuk nodded. “The competition will get fiercer. Start preparing for the war.”

They needed to adapt and understand the System before other groups did.

“Yes, sir!”

Joo-Hyuk checked his status window again.

[* Levels range from 1 to 560, and a section is formed per 80 levels.]

[* Level section

Challenger: LV.481 to LV.560

Master: LV.401 to LV.480

Diamond: LV.321 to LV.400

Platinum: LV.241 to LV.320

Gold: LV.161 to LV.240

Silver: LV.81 to LV.160

Bronze: LV.1 to LV.80 ]

[* The amount of required experience significantly increases for each level section.]

[* There is a limit to the number of stats you can distribute points to for each level section.]

[* The number of points placed in attack power increases as the level section increases.]

[Name: Kang Joo-Hyuk

Level: 246 (Platinum)

Health: 334 (+13), Strength: 311 (+2), Agility: 300, Sense: 300

XP: 10320 / 10804

Attack Power: 144

Physical Defense: 15020 / 15020

Magic Defense: 5000 / 5000

Trait(2), Skill(3), Insignia(8), Item(8) ]

***

The world howled, and the earth became turned inside out due to constant cracks damaging it.

“Aaaaaaah!”

Right after I overpowered the Baclan King, I was thrown into the Stage of Advent with the notification message telling me that the challenger and hidden quests had been completed.

[Name: Na Seon-Hu

Level: 482 (Challenger) *Round Two*

Health: 781 (+100) (+81), Strength: 790 (+100) (+90), Agility: 760 (+100) (+50), Sense: 740 (+100) (+40)

XP: 3906240 / 4233790

Attack Power: 30218

Physical Defense: 0 / 88500

Magic Defense: 0 / 90400

Trait(10), Skill(10), Insignia(0), Item(10) ]

[Devi’s Sword (Skill)

Skill Class: S

Effect: Sends out a powerful energy. Can be converted into Shiva’s Sword, Igni’s Sword, Kali’s Sword, Varuna’s Sword, and Indra’s Sword.

Proficiency: LV.7 - Physical Damage: 10000, Magic Damage: 2000

Cooldown time: 1 minute]

[Ra’s Sun Sword (Item)

Item Class: S

Item Level: 580

Effect: Strength +50. Resistance Power increases by 20%. Can be converted into Ra’s Sun Cape.

Attack Power: 1530

Physical Defense: 0 / 15000

Magic Defense: 0 / 15000]

The joy of finally knocking down the Baclan King didn’t last long. There were all kinds of windows stacked in front of me in a dizzying manner, and all I could see were blue windows and incomprehensible letters as they overlapped. I exited out the windows as I was lying on the ground. Only by eventually closing out of all of them could I finally see the sky. A single window was left open, which was the one I wanted to confirm.

[The Birth of Doom Man(1) (Linked Quest)

Doom Kaos’ ability is omnipotent, and you can follow the same path. If you fulfill Doom Kaos’ expectations and if he recognizes your value, you can be equal to the beings that Doom Kaos have trained. You will be able to be reborn as an entity that dominates an entire dimension.

Mission: Reach LV.561.

Reward: Linked Quest, the Birth of Doom Man(2) ]

[The Birth of Doom Man(1): Reach LV.561

482 / 561]

There was a reason why the difficulty of the challenger quest was extreme compared to the part of the System that I wanted to correct. It was because such a quest was hidden. Or Doom Kaos could have intervened.

The Birth of Doom Man? Ha!

They were trying to recruit me as the Eighth Demon King.

[* Would you like to cancel the quest by using your Accomplishment Points?]

[Required Accomplishment Points: 10000]

That was ridiculous. The System with good faith was clearly more stupid than Doom Kaos because they had reset my accomplishment points at the start of the second round. The points I earned for destroying the spire rooms in Act One, Stage Two and capturing the Baclan King weren’t enough. Even if I had such a ridiculous number of points, I wouldn’t have canceled this quest immediately as I wanted to leave all possibilities open.

If me becoming the Eighth Demon King could stop the invasion of the Seven Demon Kings, I would have willingly done so. However, I didn’t know how far the linked quests would continue, and I couldn’t guarantee if the final destination of the quest was the destruction of mankind or the end of this battle. Anyway, my goal was reaching SS-class… wait, no… level 561 even if this quest hadn’t popped up. Since I didn’t have enough accomplishment points to cancel it, thinking about it was such a waste of energy.

The disgusting messages on the window quickly made my joy from destroying Baclan King vaporize. I could finally afford to look around. There was Seong-Il, but I couldn’t find Woo Yeon-Hee.

- Woo Yeon-Hee.

I tried telepathically sending a message to her, but there was no response. We had exchanged returning stones earlier. Even if Yeon-Hee had gone back to her main stage, she could have come to my area by using my returning stone. However, I couldn’t see or feel her anywhere.

[Kciphos’ Ice Halidom (Item)

The strong power of the Kciphos Corps is concentrated in the item.

Item Class: S

Item Level: 570

Effect: You can set the return save point.

Return Area: Ice Castle (Kciphos)

Cooldown Time: 7 days]

This was Yeon-Hee’s returning stone, and she hadn’t set the return area to her stage yet. She had once mentioned she couldn’t change it as she had entered the Baclan’s mainland all of a sudden. I didn’t mind then because she could join me with my returning stone.

But why is she not coming over? Did something happen when she went back to her stage? Otherwise, it can’t be this quiet.

I was bewildered and uncomfortable with the circumstances, so I laid back waiting for Yeon-Hee to come. Silence filled the area since Seong-Il was also feeling absentminded. I sent all my items back to my inventory, then exhaled deeply.

Whoooooooo-

Anyway, I could finally rest now. I closed my eyes after taking a deep breath.

[The Man Who Overcomes Adversity has been deactivated.]

We came back alive after spending nearly half a year in the Baclan’s mainland and losing two of my team members.

hedgethehog's Thoughts

Editor's note: Challenger = S, Master = A, Diamond = B, Platinum = C, Gold = D, Silver = E, Bronze = F.

The author doesn't give a stat chart, but based on what Seon said to the Spirit in Ch 233, here's what it should be:

Stats:

0-100 = F (Bronze)

101-200 = E (Silver)

201-300 = D (Gold)

301-400 = C (Platinum)

401-500 = B (Diamond)

501-600 = A (Master)

601-700 = S (Challenger)

We don't know what the old SS-Class will get named into yet.