บท 2: Element of Lightning
Even back at home, Mike kept trying out his new talent.
He still wasn't sure if he really snagged an SSS-grade talent; it was all one big question mark.
Being someone who experienced transmigration, nothing seemed too outlandish anymore. After all, transmigration itself was pretty out there.
The clock struck 11:59:59.
Then, 12:00!
A glow burst from the mark on Mike's arm, and in the next moment, a mysterious force swept him into the Tower of Truth!
Mike's consciousness landed in a stark white space without a moment to spare.
"First time entering the Tower of Truth detected, please create your ID."
"Thor"
Mike didn't hesitate, throwing out the ID he had prepped—Thor.
Before entering the Tower, you could check if the ID was available to avoid duplicates.
Surprisingly, the name Thor was up for grabs; maybe the last Thor had kicked the bucket.
"ID creation successful..."
"Please select a Class within the Tower of Truth."
The main combat Classes included: Warrior, Mage, Thief, Sorcerer, Archer, Mechanic, Knight, Priest, and more.
Support or lifestyle Classes weren't on Mike's radar.
Back before he crossed over, Mike's favorite class in games was always Mage.
Now in the Tower of Truth, he didn't hesitate to pick the class he knew best: "Mage!"
"Checking attributes..."
"Synchronizing..."
A pale blue translucent panel floated up before Mike, displaying some basic info.
Mike read through it carefully:
ID: Thor
Talent: Eye of Truth (SSS-grade)
Level: 1
Class: Apprentice Mage
HP: 180/180
MP: 190/190
Strength: 9 (affects physical damage)
Intelligence: 9 (affects mana limit and magical damage)
Spirit: 8 (affects magical defense and mana recovery speed)
Agility: 7 (affects movement speed and dodge rate)
Constitution: 8 (affects health limit and health recovery speed)
Luck: 10
Equipment: None
Skills: None
Could it really be an SSS-grade talent?!
When Mike's eyes landed on the Luck stat, a small note popped up:
[Lucky dude, you've triggered the newbie instance's hidden level].
Mike perked up.
A whopping 10 points in Luck? A hidden level?
Mike had scoured loads of info on the Tower of Truth but had never heard of a hidden level!
This little note was the [Eye of Truth] doing its thing.
He tucked away the attribute panel, where the Tower of Truth's basic five attributes were listed: [Strength, Intelligence, Spirit, Constitution, Agility].
Typically, initial attributes range from 1 to 10.
Mike's starting stats were pretty solid.
As for [Luck], as a special attribute, Mike had never heard of anyone starting with 10 points in Luck!
Usually, most folks hover between 0 and 1.
But the hidden level...
Right now, Mike was all about that SSS-grade talent and the hidden level!
"Tower of Truth newbie gift pack has been issued!"
"Open the newbie gift pack?"
"Yes!"
A blinding light flashed, and three glowing orbs appeared before Mike, with a prompt sounding in his ears again.
"Please choose one reward from the three as your newbie reward."
According to the guides Mike had checked out, the newbie gift pack rewards generally fall into four categories:
Gold, equipment, skill books, special items!
The least useful? Gold!
Because right after you snag the newbie gift pack, you're thrown into the newbie instance.
And there, gold is useless.
If you get some handy equipment, your rating in the newbie instance could skyrocket, and the rewards you earn would be way more substantial!
As for skill books, their value depends on the effects of the skills.
Very few snag special items, so there's not much info online about them.
"The guide says the newbie gift pack is all about luck, no rhyme or reason to it."
Mike recalled the strategies he'd read and couldn't help but chuckle.
For nearly three centuries, countless folks have studied the Tower of Truth, compiling, decrypting, and summarizing info, only for it to be useless now.
In Mike's view, there were no secrets among the three orbs!
Others might leave it to luck, but Mike could rely on the [Eye of Truth] to see everything clearly!
Mike's gaze swept from left to right.
On the far left, a staff lay quietly, surrounded by crackling lightning.
Equipment: Grip of Thunder (Lv.1)
Grade: A
Attributes: Intelligence+5
Lightning Arrow (Lv1): Deals (50+1*Intelligence) Lightning damage, 100% chance to slow, 33% chance to paralyze.
Perk: [Thunderstrike] Attacks or spells have a 5% chance to paralyze
(Hidden Perk: [Destiny] Advance after casting 100 Lightning spells)
An A-grade staff!
Mike's eyebrows twitched; he was tempted.
This piece of equipment was perfect for Mike right now!
The grade of the equipment, like talent, goes from SSS at the highest down.
An A-grade staff with dual perks and the potential to advance is worth over a million bucks on the market!
And that's if you can even find one for sale!
"Hold up, stay cool!"
Mike didn't rush his choice.
The [Grip of Thunder] was indeed powerful, but Mike figured he'd check out the other two rewards before deciding.
The middle orb was a small mountain of shiny gold coins.
"5000 gold coins!"
Seeing this amount made Mike's eyebrows jump again.
Tower of Truth currency is exchangeable with real money.
1 gold coin equals $1000!
5000 gold coins, that's $5 million!
On the trading market, 5000 gold coins could even snag an A+ grade piece of high-end equipment!
"Is this what having Luck 10 feels like?"
Mike hadn't expected each option in the newbie gift pack to be better than the last.
Of course, between 5000 gold coins and the [Grip of Thunder], Mike leaned towards the latter, aiming to arm himself as much as possible!
It hurt a bit to pass up the cash, but logic told Mike that money had no use in the newbie instance!
If he could score an A or higher in the newbie instance, the rewards would far exceed the value of 5000 gold coins!
Shifting his gaze from the glittering pile of coins, Mike looked at the last orb.
"What's this?!"
Mike gasped, rubbing his eyes in disbelief:
"Special Item: [Element of Lightning]
Effect: Upon use, gain +100% Lightning Affinity, +100% mana regeneration speed, and randomly learn three Lightning skills."
Without any hesitation, Mike pointed directly at the last orb.
"Newbie gift pack reward obtained: [Element of Lightning]!"
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