Chapter 6: Spending Skill Points
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6: Spending Skill Points
Carlos Lilanka, the capital of the Aodu Empire.
It was the global hub for alchemists to exchange knowledge and ideas.
Here, one could often see alchemy items of all shapes and sizes flying haphazardly through the sky, occasionally blowing a neighboring shop to smithereens by mistake.
When that happened, the responsible alchemist would be arrested and fined by the city guard. Those poor alchemists who couldn't afford the fine were forced into "labor reformation" to pay off their debts.
Thanks to the advancement of alchemy, trade in Carlos Lilanka was exceptionally prosperous. Even the city's Great Canal was so packed with cargo ships that it frequently suffered from waterborne traffic jams.
As the City Lord of Carlos Lilanka and the Royal Chief Alchemist, Roland was currently feeling quite troubled.
He had just performed a casual divination and discovered that the Fate Star of that brat, Edward, was pitch black.
"That boy Edward... how has he met with misfortune again?"
"Didn't he just fall into an insect nest last month? Something happened again today? Can a person really be this unlucky?"
Roland stroked his long beard and sighed.
"Forget it, forget it. The boy has a resilient fate. I'll go look for him when I have a moment."
"A Void Insect Hive has appeared outside the city recently. I need to deal with that post-haste."
With that, Roland turned and left his study.
At that moment, his apprentice, Edward, was walking through the commercial streets of Carlos Lilanka.
"Yo, isn't that Edward? Did your experiment blow up again?"
"No, no! How could my experiments always blow up? Last time was just a fluke."
"Right, if you say so. By the way, Edward, it's my daughter's birthday tonight. Do you want to come over?"
"I'll pass, I'll pass. It wouldn't be right for an outsider like me to intrude on such an occasion."
After declining the offer, Edward hurried away.
Seeing Edward in such a rush, the bakery owner didn't push further.
He simply shouted from a distance, "Then remember to come visit Ellie more often! She's been missing you lately!"
"Will do, will do!"
Once Edward was a good distance away, he let out a slight sigh of relief and stole a glance at the girl beside him.
Xie Bai.
Looking at her, Edward couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of dread.
Today had been unlucky enough already—he'd accidentally blown up a barbarian stronghold during an experiment.
After escaping death, he was saved by her. He thought it was salvation, but it turned out to be another demon's den.
Not only were all his treasures snatched away, but he also had to personally escort her to Carlos Lilanka.
He even had to cook a couple of dishes for her once they reached his residence.
What kind of nightmare was this?!
If he hadn't seen her wipe out an entire squad of barbarian soldiers with a single thought, Edward would have lost it and fought her already.
Forget it, I'd better just pray that Master Roland can save me...
Edward prayed silently.
This girl not only used mysterious, evil magic but also stole his treasures and specifically chose a Robe of Concealment to sneak into the city.
At this point, Edward had no choice but to believe she was an evil cultist of the Chaos Church.
Beside him, the silent Xie Bai was also feeling quite anxious.
The moment she stepped into the city, the System notified her that she was under the Aodu Empire's First Wanted Order.
If not for Edward's Robe of Concealment, Xie Bai would have been discovered and arrested by the city guards long ago.
However, she hadn't expected this brat Edward to bring her to the most prosperous capital of the Aodu Empire.
Wasn't this just asking her to dance right under the enemy's nose?
Under the oversized robe, Xie Bai’s small face couldn't help but look a bit annoyed.
This brat... if I get the chance, I'm definitely going to give him a piece of my mind!
Currently, Xie Bai was wearing the voluminous robe, and aside from Edward, not a single person noticed her presence.
This was thanks to the power of the Robe of Concealment; after all, it was crafted by Edward's master, Roland.
It was originally intended for Edward's protection, but Xie Bai had "borrowed" it.
But then again, the oversized robe made Xie Bai’s already petite frame look even more adorable. Edward found himself feeling a strange, involuntary pang of sympathy.
He forced himself to suppress his stray thoughts.
No, Edward! You are the head apprentice of the great Royal Chief Alchemist! How could you be so easily charmed by a cultist?!
Wake up, Edward! Think of your master, think of Ellie, and think of your grand ambition to become the world's number one alchemist!
You absolutely cannot be bewitched by someone like this!
"Your food is ready."
Edward respectfully served two plates of food to Xie Bai.
During his long internal struggle, he had unknowingly walked back to his residence and even whipped up two dishes for her.
Whatever, it's just a temporary measure. I'll lay low for now and wait until I find my master. Then I'll be saved.
After some thought, the "head apprentice of the great Royal Chief Alchemist" decided to swallow his pride for the time being.
Unaware of Edward's psychological drama, Xie Bai looked at the stir-fry, which smelled and looked delicious, and praised him.
"Wow, you actually know how to cook? I thought you just lived on dry bread."
Edward scoffed at this.
"What of it? Carlos Lilanka is the global center for alchemists; it's incredibly cosmopolitan."
"As the head apprentice of the great Royal Chief Alchemist, what's so strange about knowing a few foreign skills?"
As soon as he said it, Edward immediately cursed himself in his mind.
No, Edward! Why did you let that slip? What if you provoke that witch? Dammit, Edward, your habit of showing off is going to be the death of you!
But wait... how did she know I spend all my time at the bakery? Is she really that powerful? To know even such trivial things?
Before Edward could finish his train of thought, Xie Bai wolfed down the two plates of food at lightning speed.
Her speed was so incredible that one couldn't help but wonder if she was the incarnation of Gluttony.
"I'm done. I'm heading out of the city for a bit. Have dinner ready tonight—make enough for about five people. I'll be staying at your place for the next few days."
With that, Xie Bai left the table and walked out the door.
This sudden turn of events left Edward dazed.
"Am I... safe for now?"
Realizing he had some free time, the first thing Edward thought of was finding his master, Roland.
As long as he found Roland before Xie Bai returned, he would be safe!
With that thought, Edward waited exactly fifteen minutes before sprinting toward the Astrology Tower to find his master.
*
The Void Insect Hive.
This was a location Xie Bai had discovered on her way in.
Based on her knowledge of novels, insect hives usually contained countless members of the Insect Race.
This was perfect for her to level up and would also allow her Gluttony's Blessing to farm some attribute points.
Previously, the effect of Gluttony's Blessing had been too low; the attributes she farmed weren't even enough to fill the gaps between her teeth.
Now, facing such a massive number of insects, it was bound to show its true power!
Before she started grinding, Xie Bai decided to use the attribute points she had accumulated.
A total of 1,840 attribute points—it would be a waste not to use them.
Since her Strength and Intelligence had received massive boosts from the Funeral Rites, Xie Bai focused her points on Constitution and Agility.
"840 points into Constitution, and the rest goes all-in on Agility!"
After dumping the points and factoring in the stray attributes she'd farmed from the barbarians, Xie Bai’s Constitution reached 851.
This caused her HP to break through to 85,100.
However, considering the ten-fold damage she took, this amount of health might still be insufficient.
Meanwhile, Xie Bai’s Agility reached 1,033.
This value was already terrifying.
Xie Bai did a quick test; at full sprint, she could reach speeds of over 500 meters per second—significantly faster than the speed of sound.
Over short distances, she could even achieve an effect similar to teleportation.
Beyond that, the high Agility improved her reaction speed and physical flexibility.
Xie Bai estimated that she could now easily perform the legendary feat of catching bullets with her bare hands. She could likely perform maneuvers a hundred times more difficult than that.
After upgrading her attributes, Xie Bai turned her attention to her three new skills.
She still had 1,010 skill points unused, which were perfect for leveling up her Reaper skills.
After a few attempts, she discovered that upgrading a Reaper skill cost ten times the current skill level in points.
Level 1 to Level 2 cost 10 points; Level 2 to Level 3 cost 20 points.
Other skills might not follow this exact ratio, but Xie Bai surmised that regardless of the skill, the upgrade cost would be proportional to the skill level.
Prioritizing survival, Xie Bai decided to dump her points into the Spirit Form skill first.
Ultimately, she spent 780 skill points to raise Spirit Form to Level 13, at which point it showed as "Max Level."
Then, she used the remaining skill points to raise Echo to Level 7.
She was left with 20 skill points.
What about Soul Capture?
Sorry, but with Envy's Blessing ignoring all damage reduction, Xie Bai really didn't care about that bit of true damage.
For Xie Bai, whether it was physical or magical damage, it was all the same. The enemy would take the full brunt of it regardless.
Finally, Xie Bai reopened her skill menu to admire her newly upgraded abilities.