thefictionvixens Page 209
Page 209
Its relatives, its friends, Fiona, Kara, its still-sleeping mother, Quetamiz; its blood relatives, the dragon-blooded kobolds and earth goblins who regard it as their sole leader; and even its future offspring... all these beings closely connected to the kingdom and the heavens will become its absolute enemies.
It will be rejected and hunted down by the entire world. The gods, even the supreme deities, may consider "eliminating" it as part of maintaining world stability.
The price was too high.
More importantly, the outcome of this path is fraught with uncertainty. The instructions clearly state that the path of evolution holds endless possibilities, but it is not an easy choice. Conscious and targeted intervention may not necessarily lead to the desired result. Deterioration, or regression, is also part of evolution.
Choosing this path is like a high-stakes gamble, with its very existence as the stake. Win, and you may transcend everything; lose, and you may face utter ruin, even regressing into a mindless insect.
This chaotic path, fraught with unknowns and risks, runs counter to Tielong's philosophical concept of order.
Two paths, two drastically different futures, are clearly laid out before it.
Is it to choose to reach the pinnacle within the established rules and become the embodiment of order? Or is it to choose to break free from all rules and embrace the possibilities of chaos and the unknown?
Ka-Saloz's consciousness slowly retreated, scrutinizing the two giant trees. Just then, it noticed a crucial detail: these two talent trees, representing ultimate advancement, were currently in a semi-transparent, illusory state.
It tried to extend its consciousness over there, but received a clear prompt.
[Prerequisite talents are not fully unlocked, preventing advancement to higher-tier professions.]
It immediately turned its gaze back to the massive talent tree at the bottom, which had been integrated into one by the primordial power. It saw that, whether it was the branches of divinely endowed professions or branches such as the Skin-Carving Dragon and the Elemental Master, there were still a large number of dark, unlit nodes.
It understood. Now, it didn't need to make a choice at all.
These two paths to the end are currently only "revealed," not "activated." The prerequisite for activating them is to completely illuminate the entire base talent tree to which they currently reside. It is still a considerable distance away from the moment when a choice must be made.
This discovery was a huge relief. The pressure of making a choice that would drive any being mad instantly vanished.
Its thinking thus expands.
“Interesting…” It looked at the uniform talent tree at the bottom, “'Divine Gift' and 'Skin Carving,' 'Divine Power' and 'Elements,' representing external and internal, borrowed and self-generated power, are fundamentally different directions. But the Primal Power can integrate them into the same basic layer, and even requires me to master them all in order to unlock the higher-level talents…”
A bold idea sprouted in its mind.
"Since seemingly opposing foundations can be unified, then... in the distant future, as my primordial power continues to grow, is it possible that the [Dragon of Godhood] representing 'order' and the [Dragon of Destined Metamorphosis] representing 'chaos'—these two completely conflicting paths—can also be integrated into a unified organism of opposites?"
What kind of being would it be? Both a righteous god within the system and an untamed god outside of it? Both the creator of the rules and the transcendent of them?
No wonder Bahamut… that thought was too crazy, too far-fetched. Casalos quickly banished it from its mind. These weren't things it needed to consider right now; it could only look, fantasize, and indulge in a little fantasy.
4
The two newly added high-ranking talent trees are just the most noticeable changes to the system; many more subtle adjustments are hidden within the existing talent trees. Besides the changes to connecting nodes and branching paths, one such change is the large number of nodes in the basic talent tree that have become grayed out and remain unlit. Casalos's consciousness withdrew from its distant contemplation of the two ultimate paths and refocused on the present. The future is indeed grand, but the path to it must be walked step by step.
In the original basic talent tree system, besides the advanced classes exclusive to dragons, there are also nodes such as feats and skills to facilitate a smooth transition. Casalos invested most of the gold he obtained in the Aiur raid into unlocking these nodes. The existence of these feats and skills makes his growth curve smoother and allows him to better adapt to the surge in power after each trial, avoiding the risk of uncontrolled power.
However, besides these, Casalos's original progression system actually included additional, non-dragon-exclusive class systems. These classes are now fully integrated into the basic talent tree, becoming branching limbs. This has directly resulted in a large area of Casalos's already nearly maxed-out basic talent tree being unused.
It sank its consciousness into one of its already quite lush branches. Abstract information flowed in, and its will transformed it into familiar textual descriptions.
【Class: Mage (Level 11/20)】
[Description: Through diligent study of arcane magic and profound insight into the workings of the magic network, you have entered the ranks of exemplary spellcasters. As an Aetherian, you are born with spellcasting abilities, and the mage class will greatly enhance and refine this talent, making it a powerful force you can rely on.]
[Resources required for the next level: 850000 Gold Coins]
The other branch is slender and dormant, its entire body dark gray, representing the assassin training methods it obtained from Zorlong Charson.
【Class: Assassin (Level 0/10)】
[Description: You have acquired a complete knowledge of combat techniques in the shadows, including stealth, reconnaissance, and precision strikes. However, you have yet to put this knowledge into practice. Activating the starting node will officially unlock the advancement of this class.]
[Resources required for the starting node: 10000 gold coins]
Casalos was not surprised by either outcome. The mage profession was the result of its persistent self-study, while the assassin training it had never begun. These humanoid professions were merely supplements to its power system.
What truly matters are the structures intimately connected to its dragon essence. Under the integration of primordial power, a new talent tree, situated between the basic and higher levels, has taken shape. Rooted in the chaotic soil of the [Gift of the Primordial Dragons], it connects with the three basic talent trees: [Bloodscale Frenzy] representing flesh and blood, [Elemental Master] representing elements, and [Skin-Carved Dragon] representing the soul, forming a bridge that thoroughly connects the three aspects of its inner power.
This is the modified and improved version of the [Zes Monk] advancement.
The node at the top of its canopy had already been lit up, radiating a dazzling light; that was its most crucial core power: [Pseudo-Laplace's Demon]. It was this fruit that allowed its thinking ability to transcend the realm of mortals, granting it immense computational power that was almost able to foresee the future.
However, even this crucial advancement is now merely a stepping stone to higher levels. Casalos's gaze returned to the main trunk of the talent tree.
Unlike most non-human species, dragons' high damage (HD) is not fixed due to the limitations of their species. True dragons' HD increases with age, which is one of the most significant characteristics distinguishing them from other species in Faerûn. Even kobolds, the lowest-ranking monsters with the weakest dragon bloodline, experience a slow increase in HD with age. Unfortunately, kobolds are too fragile and rarely survive beyond old age. This is the fundamental reason why dragons' social status and weight are strictly divided into twelve age groups.
As a dragon ages, its power can increase without limit until it dies—whether killed by external forces or naturally reaching old age and reaching the other side of life.
But aging is not the true end for dragons. Besides the "immortality" that conforms to the rules of the celestial realm—such as transforming into a creature of the underworld or the heavens, transforming into a dragon lich, ascending to godhood, and other ways that can freeze the age of a dragon—dragons have a unique and more mysterious way to avoid aging: becoming an "advanced dragon."
"Advanced Dragon" isn't an advanced class for dragons, but rather a designation reserved for dragons that, through some unknown means, have broken the natural lifespan limit of the twelfth-year "Ancient Dragon," transcending their twilight years and becoming even more ancient and powerful beings. This path is unknown. Even with Casalos's godlike perspective, he only knows that one or two such ancient monsters exist on the continent of Faerûn.
Its greatest fortune was that, whether catalyzed by primal forces or through persistent training and experimentation, it had inexplicably broken through the upper limit of its age-related potential. Perhaps, it had already unknowingly embarked on the path to becoming an "advanced dragon."
In the past, this kind of HD growth could not be directly achieved by relying on resources obtained from the Dragon's Treasury to light up talent tree nodes. It was more like a passive growth based on real-world behavior.
However, now, HD's growth has been explicitly incorporated into the basic talent tree, becoming a key node on its thick trunk from which major branches branch out.
Casalos focused his consciousness on the huge node that represented his current age.
[True Dragon HD Growth (Adolescence)]
[Prerequisite: All main talent nodes under this node must be activated.]
[Description: Your life essence has undergone another leap, officially entering adolescence. Your physical body, strength, and magical abilities will experience comprehensive and significant growth. This is the third period of rapid growth in your life, and the final preparatory stage towards adulthood.]
[Resources required to activate: 1000000 Gold Coins, 10 Crystals]
Casalos's thoughts paused for a moment.
The prerequisites aren't a single, specific condition, but rather all the lower-level nodes on the main talent tree under each HD advancement node. This means that all feats, skills, and even the starting branches of the mage and assassin classes along the main path from the fledgling stage to adolescence must be unlocked before HD growth in adolescence can begin. This is a systematic and unavoidable massive undertaking.
Gold coins are secondary; the main thing is crystals. These only drop from bosses. And in the Eldar dungeon, due to the presence of the Seraph, Casaroz's progress will inevitably stop at defeating the first boss in each trial. [The remaining text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the previous sentences.]
In other words, during the three-month cooldown period in the real world, it can only reliably acquire one crystal.
And this is merely the growth stage of the adolescence. Its gaze extends upwards along the main trunk, through youth, adulthood, old age... all the way to the twelve age stages of the Ancient Dragon, like twelve insurmountable mountains, standing across the trunk of the Talent Tree. The resources required for each stage increase exponentially.
Even more critically, its independent [Gift of the Primal Dragons] talent tree relies almost entirely on crystals as the resource for activating its nodes. The higher up the tree, the more expensive the powerful talent nodes become, and the number of crystals required to upgrade each node to a higher level increases exponentially. Its current rate of crystal acquisition is completely insufficient to cover its costs.
Now, on the main trunk of the basic talent tree, another advanced talent for HD, which also consumes crystals, has been added as a key node that must be unlocked...
Casalos didn't need complicated calculations; with just a simple estimate, it easily arrived at a conclusion that chilled even dragons: if it relied solely on the loot from the El dungeon, the time it would need to unlock the entire basic talent tree and reach the gates of those two high-tier talent trees would far exceed its natural lifespan as an iron dragon!
This system contains a fundamental logical contradiction. As its cheat code, the Dragon's Treasury could not possibly have designed a growth path that is theoretically impossible.
The only explanation is that its understanding of the system is still stuck in the old version.
After trading with Bahamut, the system message reads, "The gates of the Dragon's Treasury have opened even more doors for you..." This message likely refers to more than just changes in the talent tree.
To find out what changes have occurred in the trial instance, we'll need to have a good talk with Archbishop Artanis, who is determined to save El.
The two newly added high-ranking talent trees are just the most noticeable changes to the system; many more subtle adjustments are hidden within the existing talent trees. Besides the changes to connecting nodes and branching paths, one such change is the large number of nodes in the basic talent tree that have become grayed out and remain unlit. Casalos's consciousness withdrew from its distant contemplation of the two ultimate paths and refocused on the present. The future is indeed grand, but the path to it must be walked step by step.
In the original basic talent tree system, besides the advanced classes exclusive to dragons, there are also nodes such as feats and skills to facilitate a smooth transition. Casalos invested most of the gold he obtained in the Aiur raid into unlocking these nodes. The existence of these feats and skills makes his growth curve smoother and allows him to better adapt to the surge in power after each trial, avoiding the risk of uncontrolled power.
However, besides these, Casalos's original progression system actually included additional, non-dragon-exclusive class systems. These classes are now fully integrated into the basic talent tree, becoming branching limbs. This has directly resulted in a large area of Casalos's already nearly maxed-out basic talent tree being unused.
It sank its consciousness into one of its already quite lush branches. Abstract information flowed in, and its will transformed it into familiar textual descriptions.
【Class: Mage (Level 11/20)】
[Description: Through diligent study of arcane magic and profound insight into the workings of the magic network, you have entered the ranks of exemplary spellcasters. As an Aetherian, you are born with spellcasting abilities, and the mage class will greatly enhance and refine this talent, making it a powerful force you can rely on.]
[Resources required for the next level: 850000 Gold Coins]
The other branch is slender and dormant, its entire body dark gray, representing the assassin training methods it obtained from Zorlong Charson.
【Class: Assassin (Level 0/10)】
[Description: You have acquired a complete knowledge of combat techniques in the shadows, including stealth, reconnaissance, and precision strikes. However, you have yet to put this knowledge into practice. Activating the starting node will officially unlock the advancement of this class.]
[Resources required for the starting node: 10000 gold coins]
Casalos was not surprised by either outcome. The mage profession was the result of its persistent self-study, while the assassin training it had never begun. These humanoid professions were merely supplements to its power system.
What truly matters are the structures intimately connected to its dragon essence. Under the integration of primordial power, a new talent tree, situated between the basic and higher levels, has taken shape. Rooted in the chaotic soil of the [Gift of the Primordial Dragons], it connects with the three basic talent trees: [Bloodscale Frenzy] representing flesh and blood, [Elemental Master] representing elements, and [Skin-Carved Dragon] representing the soul, forming a bridge that thoroughly connects the three aspects of its inner power.
This is the modified and improved version of the [Zes Monk] advancement.
The node at the top of its canopy had already been lit up, radiating a dazzling light; that was its most crucial core power: [Pseudo-Laplace's Demon]. It was this fruit that allowed its thinking ability to transcend the realm of mortals, granting it immense computational power that was almost able to foresee the future.
However, even this crucial advancement is now merely a stepping stone to higher levels. Casalos's gaze returned to the main trunk of the talent tree.
Unlike most non-human species, dragons' high damage (HD) is not fixed due to the limitations of their species. True dragons' HD increases with age, which is one of the most significant characteristics distinguishing them from other species in Faerûn. Even kobolds, the lowest-ranking monsters with the weakest dragon bloodline, experience a slow increase in HD with age. Unfortunately, kobolds are too fragile and rarely survive beyond old age. This is the fundamental reason why dragons' social status and weight are strictly divided into twelve age groups.
As a dragon ages, its power can increase without limit until it dies—whether killed by external forces or naturally reaching old age and reaching the other side of life.
But aging is not the true end for dragons. Besides the "immortality" that conforms to the rules of the celestial realm—such as transforming into a creature of the underworld or the heavens, transforming into a dragon lich, ascending to godhood, and other ways that can freeze the age of a dragon—dragons have a unique and more mysterious way to avoid aging: becoming an "advanced dragon."
"Advanced Dragon" isn't an advanced class for dragons, but rather a designation reserved for dragons that, through some unknown means, have broken the natural lifespan limit of the twelfth-year "Ancient Dragon," transcending their twilight years and becoming even more ancient and powerful beings. This path is unknown. Even with Casalos's godlike perspective, he only knows that one or two such ancient monsters exist on the continent of Faerûn.
Its greatest fortune was that, whether catalyzed by primal forces or through persistent training and experimentation, it had inexplicably broken through the upper limit of its age-related potential. Perhaps, it had already unknowingly embarked on the path to becoming an "advanced dragon."
In the past, this kind of HD growth could not be directly achieved by relying on resources obtained from the Dragon's Treasury to light up talent tree nodes. It was more like a passive growth based on real-world behavior.
However, now, HD's growth has been explicitly incorporated into the basic talent tree, becoming a key node on its thick trunk from which major branches branch out.
Casalos focused his consciousness on the huge node that represented his current age.
[True Dragon HD Growth (Adolescence)]
[Prerequisite: All main talent nodes under this node must be activated.]
[Description: Your life essence has undergone another leap, officially entering adolescence. Your physical body, strength, and magical abilities will experience comprehensive and significant growth. This is the third period of rapid growth in your life, and the final preparatory stage towards adulthood.]
[Resources required to activate: 1000000 Gold Coins, 10 Crystals]
Casalos's thoughts paused for a moment.
The prerequisites aren't a single, specific condition, but rather all the lower-level nodes on the main talent tree under each HD advancement node. This means that all feats, skills, and even the starting branches of the mage and assassin classes along the main path from the fledgling stage to adolescence must be unlocked before HD growth in adolescence can begin. This is a systematic and unavoidable massive undertaking.
Gold coins are secondary; the main thing is crystals. These only drop from bosses. And in the Eldar dungeon, due to the presence of the Seraph, Casaroz's progress will inevitably stop at defeating the first boss in each trial.
In other words, during the three-month cooldown period in the real world, it can only reliably acquire one crystal.
And this is merely the growth stage of the adolescence. Its gaze extends upwards along the main trunk, through youth, adulthood, old age... all the way to the twelve age stages of the Ancient Dragon, like twelve insurmountable mountains, standing across the trunk of the Talent Tree. The resources required for each stage increase exponentially.
Even more critically, its independent [Gift of the Primal Dragons] talent tree relies almost entirely on crystals as the resource for activating its nodes. The higher up the tree, the more expensive the powerful talent nodes become, and the number of crystals required to upgrade each node to a higher level increases exponentially. Its current rate of crystal acquisition is completely insufficient to cover its costs.
Now, on the main trunk of the basic talent tree, another advanced talent for HD, which also consumes crystals, has been added as a key node that must be unlocked...