Chapter 223. A New Source of Strength
The night ended with everyone returning to their respective homes, including Michael, to the Sleepy Peaks Inn. Helen obviously followed.
Appeasing her wasn't easy at all, but fortunately, the Necromancer kept an ace in the hold for this exact moment.
Helen wasn't being absurd. She could see the big picture and how much the Regional Progress would help their continent resist the demon invasion.
But even with all that being said, she would still lose someone she deeply cared about if something went wrong during the Nightmare Dungeon, especially after reading those warnings that the Sanctuary might not be able to protect him.
[So? What's this secret?](Helen)
"Well, after some negotiation of my own. The Sanctuary agreed to open the Paragon Board to me in advance, forgoing the Quest."
[That's... pretty good, actually. Unfortunately, you are at Level 50 and only have 5 Paragon points, right?](Helen)
"4, actually, but the fifth should be here soon. I'm almost at Level 51, after all."
[Share the interface. I want to see!](Helen)
Wiping his non-existent sweat after realizing he had managed to distract the tigress, Michael opened his Paragon Page and shared it.
His experience bar stopped at 1,412,492/1,571,130 once another prompt appeared on his interface, signaling a completed Side Quest.
[ Side Quest complete - A Sliver of Light
Reward 1: 58,520 experience points
Reward 2: 3,060 gold coins
Reward 3: Gem Cache
Reward 4: The Crone's Blessing (Rare Ring). ]
Somewhat relieved that the trio managed to complete the Quest without problems, Michal returned his attention to Helen, who was curiously inspecting his Paragon Page.
Since everything that happened today was too exhausting, the Necromancer was too tired to even be excited. But upon seeing the tigress's curiosity, he smiled and hugged her.
[It's interesting. It's my first time seeing the Paragon Page of a Necromancer.](Helen)
"What about Natalia?"
[*Scoff* It's not polite to invade one's privacy. Especially since it's related to their core strength. Only those who deeply trust themselves can share it like we do.](Helen)
"Tsk! So you took advantage of my naivety to peek at it!?"
Pinching the tigress's bottom until she smacked his hand away, Michael patiently waited for the introduction to begin.
After all, Helen enjoyed being the one to teach him things that were otherwise common sense.
[This is the starting board. Everyone's is the same. There are 58 Nodes in total, meaning that if you want to activate all of them, you need 58 points. You start with what's called 'The Paragon Starting Node,' and from there, you can add points however you want.](Helen)
Checking the board, Michael saw what she was talking about.
The 'nodes' in question were placed in a strange way starting from the first opened point, and the player could take either the left or the right path if they wanted to rush to the top.
Because at the very top was something called 'Board Attachement Gate.'
[You're rushing too much! Let's start with the beginning. First, as you can see, there are three types of Nodes, a Glyph Socket, and the Board Attachment Gate. You can focus on some of the nodes you see and get more information about them.](Helen)
Both amused and wondering how Helen would look in a short skirt, black stockings, and glasses, Michael followed her advice and checked some of the Nodes she mentioned.
They were differentiated by color, so it was easy to figure out what was what.
First, there were the Normal Nodes, which were gray.
[ Normal Node
+5 Intelligence upon activation. ]
After a more thorough inspection, he found Normal Nodes for all attributes, each providing the same number of points.
Also, only three options were available to activate around the Paragon Starting Node, meaning he couldn't cherry-pick what he wanted and instead had to work his way up.
However, since the number of points was finite, he also had to select very carefully what to activate.
Next, the Magic Nodes were blue and provided a more varied number of bonuses.
[ Magic Node
+1.5% Resistance to All Elements. ]
[ Magic Node
+1.5% Resistance to All Elements. ]
[ Magic Node
+2.0% Maximum Life. ]
[ Magic Node
+50 Armor. ]
Some Magic Nodes also provided attributes, but the amount increased from 5 to 7, meaning that if he had to prioritize, he should pick blue over gray.
Unfortunately, of the 58 previously mentioned, only 18 were Magic Nodes, four were Rare, and the rest Normal.
Curious about the Rare Nodes and seeing them shine a golden light, Michael realized that they were following the grading and color of items.
[ Rare Node - Prime
* +10% Damage
* +4% Maximum Life
Bonus: Another +10% Damage if the requirements are met.
Requirement: 392/160 Willpower. ]
[ Rare Node - Resilience
* +3% Resistance to All Elements
* +4% Maximum Life
Bonus: Another +3% Resistance to All Elements if the requirements are met.
Requirement: 348/170 Dexterity. ]
[ Rare Node - Preservation
* +100 Armor
* +10 Intelligence
Bonus: Another +100 Armor if the requirements are met.
Requirement: 348/170 Dexterity. ]
[ Rare Node - Knowledge
* +10% Damage
* +10 Intelligence
Bonus: Another +10% Damage if the requirements are met.
Requirement: 392/170 Willpower. ]
The Necromancer stared dumbly at the Rare Nodes, shocked at the incredible increase they would provide.
It was no wonder that Helen and the other girls said that a Level 49 and a Level 50 Wanderer are two different beings altogether.
"That requirement for the Rare Nodes..."
[Mhm. As you've seen, the first number represents your attributes, while the others are the requirements. So you've met the minimum for all four of them.](Helen)
"..."
Looking at the Prime and Knowledge Rare Nodes, Michael was stumped for words. If he successfully activated both, he would gain an instant 40% increase in total damage output.
It was insane! Not to mention the other gains made by reaching those two points!
[Don't get too excited. The best things are yet to come. The red one in the middle is the Socket Glyph. Besides Legendary Nodes, the Glyphs are the most important because of a very simple reason: they can level up. Look at the bottom of the page, and you'll see some examples.](Helen)
Curious, Michael inspected some of the Glyphs at the bottom of the page and raised an eyebrow. They were divided into Rare and Magic Glyphs, each with its own advantages.
[ Magic Glyph - Advantage (Level 1)
Radius Size: 2 points across (Next increase at Level 4)
Bonus: For each 5 Willpower purchased within range, you gain +1.1% increased damage to Crowd Controlled targets. ]
[ Magic Glyph - Reanimator (Level 1)
Radius Size: 2 points across (Next increase at Level 4)
Bonus: For each 5 Intelligence purchased within range, you gain +0.5% increased Minion damage. ]
[ Magic Glyph - Wisdom (Level 1)
Radius Size: 2 points across (Next increase at Level 4)
Bonus: For each 5 Intelligence purchased within range, you gain +0.5% increased damage. ]
Among the 30 Glyphs, 8 were Magic, and 22 were Rare.
After scanning through the Magic ones that were available directly to use, Michael became a bit disappointed upon seeing that the Rare ones were temporarily locked.
Especially after seeing what they had to offer.
[ Rare Glyph - Darkness (Level 0)
Radius Size: 3 points across (Next increase at Level 15)
Bonus: For every 5 Intelligence purchased within range, you deal +1.3% increased Shadow damage.
Additional Bonus (if requirements are met):
*When you or your Minions deal Shadow damage to an enemy, that enemy deals 2% reduced damage, up to 10%, for 5 seconds.
Requirements (purchased in radius range): 0/40 Intelligence. ]
And it wasn't just this one. Every Rare Glyph provided outstanding attributes by itself.
Imagining the possibilities after combining the Rare Nodes with the Rare Glyphs, Michael couldn't help but sigh.
"It's no wonder you said Wanderers become truly powerful only after opening their Paragon Page. This is a bit ridiculous... But why are the Magic Glyphs available, while the Rare ones are locked?"
[Simple. The Magic ones can be used directly if you reach the empty socket. The Rare ones drop from killed monsters in Tier 3 Nightmare Difficulty or by grinding Nightmare Dungeons. Honestly, having access to them without reaching World Tier 3 Difficulty first is a bit odd since you might not be able to get decent Glyphs.](Helen)
"Well... I shouldn't have access to Nightmare Dungeons, to begin with, but the Sanctuary doesn't seem to want to play by the rules. Still... this is a good opportunity for me."
[What?](Helen)
"Think about it. If I can't promote to Nightmare World Tier without first finishing the Main Quest chain, then I won't have access to higher-rarity items or Rare Glyphs until much later on. But now, the Sanctuary gave me the option to at least gain one Rare Glyph by test-running its first Nightmare Dungeon after it was relocated to the Burning Hells. I might become the only Wanderer still in the Veteran World Tier with Rare Glyphs in his Paragon Board."
Speechless at his optimism, Helen reminded him of how difficult Nightmare Dungeons are even for a seasoned party that cleared the same Dungeon over and over again for years.
Even a single mistake might spell doom for them. And he would face all of that alone, in a different realm.
As for the demons playing by the rules and letting him have fun while massacring their kind... there was no way that would happen.
Needing to find another distraction for the tigress, Michael began calculating the new number of Paragon points they would have access to, thanks to the Regional Progress.
Ultimately, they realized that a total of 225 Paragon points could be earned and allocated: 1 point from reaching Level 50, an extra 200 Paragon points total for leveling up to 100, 20 Paragon points through Renown from each region in Sanctuary, and 4 Paragon points from Altars of Lilith which apparently also grated some.
[I'll need to consider a reskill in this case... Oh, right! There's one more thing left on the page that you haven't checked yet.](Helen)
"Hmm? What?"
[The Board Attachment Gate. Take a look.](Helen)
Curious, Michael inspected the top of the Paragon Board, where he saw the small gate icon.
[ Board Attachment Gate
+5 Strength
+5 Intelligence
+5 Willpower
+5 Dexterity ]
It was a bit underwhelming, but there were still many attributes to exchange for a single Paragon point.
"What happens after you unlock the gate?"
[As the name implies, you can attach another Paragon Board to the current one, and you can continue investing points into the new one. Also, only after unlocking your next board can you access Legendary Nodes. Keep in mind, there's usually one Legendary Node per board, meaning that you must carefully select which board you want to add.](Helen)
"So I can at least select what I want?"
[Yes. But you won't be able to fully see it until you activate the Board Attachment Gate.](Helen)
The conversation continued until late into the night, with the couple speculating what his Legendary Nodes might offer after seeing what Helen's did.
It could only be said that it was akin to having an extra item, even if you didn't have item slots for it. It was that ridiculous!
Even Rare Nodes couldn't compare.
There was also the synergy, as well as counting the points needed to pick the best route that would make the most out of the 'Tutorial' Board Michael had opened.
Seeing the tigress finally falling asleep, the Necromancer gently caressed her face.
It would be a lie to say that he wasn't afraid of what might happen after traveling to literal Hell, but it wasn't as if he had the option to decline.
So, while drifting to sleep, he squeezed his brain dry, trying to find ideas that might increase his survival odds.
As a result, he woke up tired the next day.
Seeing the groggy Michael, the sisters were all unusually quiet. Except Evelyn and Neyrell, who returned late last night and haven't heard what happened.
[We brought Mochrann to the first site we found, and it sunk its roots into the magic pool, drinking it dry! It was amazing!](Evelyn)
[Mhm. Using the ritual transcribed by Yuein on that scroll, the Woodwraith was able to drain three different sites affected by the wild magic. Unfortunately, we still underestimated how dangerous this thing was...](Neyrelle)
"What happened? Were you or Gonk injured?"
[We were fine. We only had to deal with some infected wildlife charging at Mochrann as it emptied the last magic pool. However, the wild magic was too strong for the familiar, and they ended up petrified.](Neyrelle)
Seeing Evelnyn's tears threatening to burst, Michael realized that Shoh'ba should've used the familiar as a sacrifice to end a much worse threat.
Apparently, after telling her of the outcome, the old woman was already aware of it. She confirmed that the Quest was complete so they would get their rewards, after which she chased them away with the excuse that she needed to rest and think.
Comforting the two girls, Michael told them that their Questing adventures would be put on hold for a while but that they could continue investigating Scosglen until he returned, provided they didn't do anything stupid or dangerous.
Then, upon his return, they could continue exploring.
Half an hour later, he kissed Helen and teleported to Under The Fat Goose Inn. He had a long ride ahead, and his newly rested mount could enjoy the trek.