Chapter 486 – The Capital of Punk

Although the conditions for advancing to Legendary were harsh to the point of madness, and methods to increase the success rate were as difficult as scaling the heavens, upon careful reflection… Punk found himself rather fortunate.

Firstly, for Punk who possessed all the knowledge of a Grand Arcanist, perfecting an improved spell was merely a matter of time. Especially since he already had a direction and concrete plan for modifying an ancient spell, coupled with the inspiration gained from Ovakain’s demonstrated spell improvements, Punk was fully confident he could complete a spell enhancement within five hundred years.

Thus, the requirement of “spell improvement” to boost advancement success was as good as fulfilled!

As for the law of energy for early perception…

Punk couldn’t help but marvel at his extraordinary luck, while also feeling genuinely grateful for his insatiable curiosity—the Eerie Eyeball obtained from the Harpy Tribe could perfectly assist him in resolving this issue. Most crucially, Anya and Mijia Ka had nearly flawlessly eliminated the hidden dangers within the Eerie Eyeball for Punk. Now he could safely and boldly sense the law power within it, gaining a ten percent increase in success rate!

The third requirement—”assistance from a Legendary expert to consolidate the soul”—was more troublesome. Such matters clearly couldn’t be resolved solely through a Grand Arcanist’s experience! However…

Standing beneath the bright magical light sphere in his laboratory, Punk carefully touched the Haitzita Magic Box in his hand, then contentedly sensed the magical fluctuations emanating from the Crimson Gem Necklace around his neck.

The “Legendary Spell—Haitzita’s Soul Nurturing Wave” solidified on the Haitzita Magic Box was an undeniable Morningstar Tier Legendary Spell. Meanwhile, the soul-stabilizing function inherent in the Legendary materials used to craft the Crimson Gem Necklace was equally formidable. If these two soul-enhancing Legendary Spells worked simultaneously… at the very least, Punk believed they could barely substitute for a Legendary expert’s direct intervention. Perhaps the effect wouldn’t match that of a true Legendary Mage’s assistance, but if even Ovakain’s severe soul injuries could be healed… surely the combined effects of these two spells wouldn’t fall too far short!

With these two precious Legendary magical items, Punk confidently addressed the third method of increasing his success rate. Combined with his naturally terrifying willpower—which even God-Throne existences would struggle to match—Punk’s current success rate for advancing to Legendary reached as high as forty percent.

Forty percent! This was already an impressively proud figure. Most Master-Level experts not only lacked access to such auxiliary means for Legendary advancement—their available knowledge likely couldn’t even inform them that such methods existed in the world. Who could know how many peak Level 19 warriors charged toward the gates of Legendary like moths to flames, completely empty-handed and unaware? And who could guess how few fortunate individuals across the vast Multiverse might obtain these rare, almost unattainable aids?Times have changed! This is no longer the era when the Netheril mage civilization rampaged across the multiverse!

Legendary Experts cautiously conceal themselves before the power of the River of Fate. Even the most talented Master-Level experts can no longer exchange mere battle merits and labor for precious legendary-tier resources. Most experts’ advancements are pure gambles with their lives, betting on that one-in-a-hundred-million success probability without any auxiliary means.

Not to mention that many more lack even the courage to gamble—only Master-Level experts who haven’t entered the “aging state” qualify to attempt the breakthrough to Legendary. But even after entering the “aging” state, a Master-Level expert can still live for seven to eight hundred years. However, choosing to advance to Legendary… one failure means instant death.

Under such circumstances, aside from madmen like Sorsend who refuse to accept their limits, many experts without ambition—such as Kirk Weilen and Ben Lajie—choose to abandon the “unrealistic” dream of “advancing to Legendary.” Old men like Kirk Weilen even develop absurd, decadent ideas like pursuing a “peaceful and serene old age”…

Punk was very fortunate. He too possessed a fervent ambition, dreaming of soaring freely through the endless void. Remaining at the Master-Level was absolutely unacceptable to him!

In terms of resources, after a series of fortunate adventures, Punk had obtained auxiliary means for advancement with a success rate as high as forty percent!

But…

Punk remained unsatisfied!

Forty percent! That meant the possibility of failure reached sixty percent—this probability was still too low. The chance of failure terrifyingly overshadowed that of success. This likelihood hadn’t even reached halfway! One must remember this was a gamble with life; no one gets a second chance at advancement. One failure means immediate demise!

Now, the possibility of falling actually reached such heights… How could someone as cautious as Punk ever feel at ease?

“Sigh! Must I really wait until I’m five thousand three hundred years old to gamble with my life? A forty percent chance… even reaching seventy percent would be better!”

Gently tugging the brim of his hood, Punk let the shadows further cover his entire face.

With his eyes closed, he felt no joy over the resources he had obtained, for these meager gains were far from satisfying Punk.

When Grand Arcanist Vedrasha advanced to Legendary, lacking the “insanely terrifying willpower” bonus, his success rate was around seventy-five percent. Punk believed he should at least reach Vedrasha’s level, but…

“What a pity. Vedrasha could even take out loans to exchange with the Netheril Archwizard Council for ‘Legendary Advancement Auxiliary Potions,’ but the Thought of Truth I belong to offers no such benefits! ‘Legendary Advancement Auxiliary Potions’—those precious magic potions that can boost legendary advancement success rates by a full fifty percent in one go…”Recalling the formulas of several common “Legendary Rank Advancement Assistance Potions” from Vedrasha’s memories, a rare bitter smile tugged at the corners of Punk’s lips. Standing in the center of the chilly laboratory, he murmured to himself with an uncharacteristic sigh of resignation:

“Strictly speaking, most Legendary Rank Advancement Assistance Potions qualify as Master-Level magical items. If a Master-Level mage is sufficiently proficient in Alchemy Magic, it’s still possible to brew them successfully… But with the means available to a Master-Level Caster… obtaining those Legendary-tier materials in this day and age is practically a pipe dream! Indeed, one must learn contentment… Should I be grateful for having achieved a forty percent success rate?”

Rubbing his temples with pale fingers, the displeased Punk ultimately decided to set this matter aside for now.

Legendary-tier materials couldn’t be acquired through mere effort and laughable schemes. Rather than dwelling on unrealistic possibilities, it was far more practical to focus on completing the long-awaited spell modifications.

Come to think of it… With his half-Ancient Elf heritage, Punk still had a very, very long lifespan ahead. Even if some goals seemed distant and unattainable, he still had opportunities to await more fortuitous encounters. This alone made him far superior to those Master-Level “elders” who idly awaited death!

(End of Chapter)