SWNOVELXO Chapter 31: Chapter 31 - GOAT!
Sam was stunned. The reward exceeded all his expectations, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to steady himself. "Fuuu..." The exhale helped to calm the storm of excitement swirling inside him.
"Alright," he murmured, "let's start with the title."
[Greatest of All Time]: You Have Earned the Top Rank Historical Record of the Tutorial Stage 1 - Increases all stats by 25%.
A solid addition to his arsenal. Sam nodded to himself, satisfied. It wasn't groundbreaking, but every boost mattered, especially when it came to enhancing his Grandmist. Over the past few weeks, he had become increasingly reliant on Grandmist for everything—from his offensive abilities to his very survival.
Since his body had undergone its transformation and he had gained the Grandmist Dimension, Sam discovered that he no longer needed to eat conventional food. While eating still provided some benefits, it was no longer necessary for sustaining himself. This change had initially made him feel almost invincible.
His body didn't bleed anymore, and most physical attacks bounced harmlessly off him. But over time, Sam had begun to notice a critical weakness—his vulnerability to energy-based or magical attacks. Unlike physical blows, these types of damage still affected him significantly. Worse, recovering from them required him to spend his Grandmist, a resource he couldn't afford to waste frivolously.
This realization tempered his earlier confidence. "Looks like I'm not as untouchable as I thought," he muttered to himself, his expression growing more serious.
While the new title wasn't a game-changer, the additional stats would certainly help. If nothing else, it would make him more efficient in battles where his weaknesses could be exploited.
Sam flexed his fingers, feeling the steady hum of Grandmist coursing through his veins. "Guess it's time to figure out how to patch that gap," he thought, already strategizing his next steps.
Sam pondered his next move carefully. With his newfound realization of his vulnerability to energy and magic-based attacks, he needed a solution. Something to make his abilities more sustainable in prolonged battles.
That's when he got the reward. The system had granted him a [Legendary Skill Choice Card], and he felt a surge of hope.
"This has to be it," he thought, gripping the card tightly. After a moment of deliberation, he activated it.
The golden card in his hand began to glow, transforming into radiant light that flowed into his chest.
Ding!
[Legendary Skill List Available]
Sam's mind was flooded with information as a near-endless list of skills appeared before him. He instinctively activated The Heavenly Eye to process what he was seeing.
"A billion options?" Sam was stunned by the sheer magnitude of possibilities. He had no idea there were so many legendary skills.
"This is going to take forever," he muttered. Resolving to streamline the process, he focused his Heavenly Eye to filter out the offensive skills. As much as he loved the idea of adding another attack to his arsenal, his Atomic Fissure and Proton Sphere skills were already enough destruction for now.
With the offensive options removed, the remaining categories were narrowed to Defensive, Energy, Efficiency, Mobility, and Supportive/Utility Skills. Even then, the list was still overwhelming, with Eight hundred million options left.
"This is better than billions, but it's still too much," Sam mused.
He refined the list further, using Heavenly Eye to prioritize the most powerful skills with upgrade potential. The process reduced the options to a manageable few thousand.
For the next thirty minutes, Sam meticulously reviewed the descriptions of each skill. His heart ached with indecision as he realized the incredible potential of each one.
One skill could create an earth wall stretching over 30 kilometers, perfect for massive-scale defense. Another offered teleportation abilities, a game-changer for mobility. Then there was the most tantalizing of all—a time rewind skill that Sam suspected was similar to what the fairy had used to decapitate and restore a man on the first day of the trial.
"I want them all," he thought, torn by the choice.
But practicality won out. Sam knew what he needed most right now: a way to ensure his Grandmist reserves would never run dry. With that thought in mind, he made his decision and selected the skill.
Ding!
The choice was made, and Sam waited with bated breath to see the result.
[Congratulations! You have earned a new skill: Ethereal Reservoir
[Ethereal Reservoir
Sam had high hopes for the skill Ethereal Reservoir, but he couldn't predict exactly how it would interact with his unique energy core. Ever since his transformation, his body had become one with the Grandmist Dimension, a fusion of existence and power unlike anything he'd ever encountered.
He didn't waste time pondering. With focused intent, he moved the Grandmist energy within him to activate the skill.
As soon as the skill engaged, a tremor rippled through his Grandmist Dimension, and an Ethereal Core began to form at its center. For a moment, it pulsed brilliantly, radiating with the potential to store immense energy.
But then something unexpected happened. The skill began to dissolve, not transforming into something new like Inventory, but instead being devoured by the Grandmist Dimension itself. Its essence and properties were absorbed, strengthening the dimension in ways Sam couldn't yet comprehend.
Ding!
[Grandmist Dimension
Ding!
[Grandmist +100]
Sam blinked, confused. "It's not over?" he muttered.
He realized that while the skill had disappeared from his list, its effects were far from gone. The Grandmist Dimension began to reshape itself. A second layer—a shadowy, overlapping dimension—started to form alongside the primary dimension. It mirrored the original but was distinct, tethered to the primary like a reflection.
Then it hit him. Half of his Grandmist surged out, draining his reserves at an alarming rate to fuel the creation of the new reservoir. The sudden loss of energy left him reeling, and he collapsed onto the nearest surface, exhaustion washing over him.
Lying on the pillow, Sam steadied his breathing and used The Heavenly Eye to observe the changes within him. The discovery left him speechless.
His Grandmist Dimension could now create up to 10 overlapping reservoirs, each acting as a separate storage space for energy. But there were limitations.
Energy Creation Cost: Every new reservoir required half of his current primary Grandmist to form So he can't create it at all once or create it in the middle of battle.
Singular Usage: He could only draw energy from one reservoir at a time; their energies couldn't be combined simultaneously.
Reservoir Durability: If a reservoir was completely drained, it would collapse, and he'd need to recreate it from scratch.
Sam smirked despite his exhaustion. "This… this is more than I could've hoped for," he murmured.
Though it would require careful management, the potential of having ten independent reservoirs of Grandmist was staggering. This wasn't just a skill; it was a monumental step in his evolution.
Then, a flash of realization hit Sam, and he murmured, "Is this it... a multiverse?" He suddenly understood that he might have created something far beyond his expectations. But he stopped himself, remembering that he was only Tier 1. If he were Tier 9, then things like a multiverse might be possible. After all, only Divine rank and above could create real worlds, as far as his knowledge of the Universal Will went.
then he take out another golden color card and use it.
[1 Legendary Equipment Choice Card]
Ding!
[Legendary Equipment List Available]
This time, the choices weren't just billions—they were trillions. Sam sighed deeply, the overwhelming number of options making him question whether the system secretly enjoyed tormenting him.
"Alright, let's do this," he muttered, rolling his shoulders before diving in.
First, he started with the basics. Weapons? Out. Sam grinned to himself. His fists and explosions had become his signature. Why would he trade that for a blade or a spear? The sheer joy of watching monsters get obliterated in an earth-shattering blast was something no weapon could replicate.
Next, he filtered out shields. "What's the point?" he thought. These days, he didn't need one. If anything got close, his explosive skills were more than enough to keep the monsters at bay.
That left armor, clothing, accessories, and other wearable items. He applied the top-quality filter, narrowing the list down to Millions. Still too many.
"Okay, think. What do I really need?" he asked himself.
The answer came quickly: defense against magic and energy-based attacks. With that in mind, he refined the options further, cutting down the list to hundreds of thousands.
He gritted his teeth. "This is ridiculous. Why so many choices?"
Finally, he added one last filter: self-recovery or indestructibility. After all, every time he fought, his clothes ended up in tatters, barely surviving the aftermath of his explosions. This brought the options down to just over a hundred.
"Now we're talking," Sam said with a smirk, scrolling through the final items.
But as he scanned their properties, he noticed something interesting: all the remaining items were practically identical in function. Each one provided exceptional durability, regeneration, and protection against magical and energy-based attacks.
"That's it?" he thought, surprised. The choice now wasn't about practicality. It was about style.
His eyes locked onto a grey-silver robe. Its shimmering fabric seemed almost alive, radiating a subtle glow that reminded him of his Grandmist Dimension. It was sleek, elegant, and matched his current aesthetic perfectly.
"This is it," he said, smiling.
It wasn't the properties that sold him—those were all the same. No, it was the way the robe looked. The grey-silver sheen mirrored his love for his explosive style. It felt like a natural extension of himself, the perfect complement to the raw power he wielded.
Without hesitation, Sam selected it.
Ding!
[Silverflare Mantle]
[Rarity]: Legendary
[Durability]: [100/100]
[Description]: A robe crafted from an otherworldly fabric infused with celestial energy, its grey-silver sheen shimmers with a faint, fiery glow. The mantle is attuned to its wearer's energy, adapting to their power and amplifying their presence.
[Equipment Skill]:
Self-Regenerating: Repairs itself automatically when damaged, restoring its pristine state within moments.
Adaptive Defense: Creates a protective barrier that reduces the impact of magical and energy-based attacks by 50%.
Energy Resonance: Absorbs a portion of residual energy from explosions and powerful attacks, subtly replenishing the wearer's reserves over time.
Sam really felt great about the rewards today. He was done with everything for now. Tomorrow, he had plans with the system storage and many things to do. Sam closed his eyes; this was the first day since the tutorial began that he fully slept.