Chapter 49 of 100

Chapter 49: Upgrade (Part 2)

15 min read3,691 words

"Firestorm."

As a large amount of chaotic elements gathered, a deep red energy sphere appeared in my palm. After a few seconds, when the energy was almost saturated, I gently pushed the energy sphere forward. Instantly, a flame about one meter high and two meters wide rose from the ground, then split into several wavy streams, spreading rapidly like snakes. In just over a second, it reached the maximum attack range—about 10 meters—and then disappeared.

"Yes!"

I clenched my fist and shouted excitedly. I think almost everyone has once yearned for the strange, magical, dazzling, and powerful spells of a mage. With a light wave of the staff, in the midst of laughter and conversation, or in a group attack, or by eliminating enemies from a distance, the feeling of controlling everything is so wonderful.

As a穿越者 (穿越者 means "time traveler" or "穿越者" in this context, but it's better to use "穿越者" to maintain the original flavor), brainwashed by countless fantasy and magic novels, I have always been deeply attracted to powerful and flashy magic. However, for self-preservation, I had to choose to learn other skills first. Now that I have learned Firestorm, I have finally fulfilled my dream.

Choosing to learn Firestorm instead of Summon Ravens was also out of some consideration. The main reason is that I was afraid Summon Ravens would be too flashy. As everyone knows, Fallen Ones have very sensitive vision and hearing. It's easy to imagine how noticeable a few ravens flying high in the sky would be. If they happen to caw a few times from a distance, I can't be sure if the monsters far away would be "summoned" over. Without enough strength, it's better to be low-key...

I believe the greatest use of Summon Ravens is not in attack but in distracting and drawing the enemy's attention. On the other hand, Firestorm is extremely useful for both killing enemies and breaking through enemy encirclements. Its spreading speed is even faster than I imagined. Without preparation, I believe it would be impossible to dodge unless you have the agility of an Assassin. So, at this stage, I think Firestorm is more suitable for me.

However, Firestorm is not without its drawbacks. On the contrary, its drawbacks are significant and even fatal. The biggest drawback is that it cannot be used after transforming. If I want to use it, I must first cancel the transformation. This makes me very frustrated because, when surrounded by enemies, I have to consider whether I can withstand the enemy's attacks during the time it takes to cancel the transformation and cast Firestorm.

I tried transforming into a werewolf and then using Firestorm, but the result was disappointingly normal. It was as if the elements were isolated, and no matter how focused I was, I couldn't gather the chaotic energy.

According to Akara, the main reason werewolves cannot cast elemental magic after transformation is that their body structure changes, weakening their connection to the elements. However, outstanding Druids can overcome this by forcibly sensing the elements with their transformed bodies and casting spells. This is a remarkable skill that requires long-term practice and insight.

In fact, in Diablo, there is also the concept of proficiency. Proficiency is not like the skill levels in games, where reaching a certain level increases your skill. It is an intangible attribute that is very important for every class.

For example, the Firestorm I have learned now takes about three seconds to cast. With long-term practice and sufficient proficiency, I could potentially reach the point of instant casting, with a shorter cooldown time, faster spreading speed, and a wider attack range. In the end, when you can fully grasp the principles of this magic and wield it like an extension of your arm, its power will greatly increase. You might even be able to create even more powerful magic based on it.

This is especially important for transformation magic. Although transformation magic has no cooldown time, its duration is not long. With the Bug Amulet, I can only maintain the werewolf transformation for 220 seconds. Although I can immediately recast the transformation after it ends, the time it takes to transform is the biggest vulnerability for Druids. The higher the proficiency, the shorter the transformation time, and the smaller the vulnerability, making it safer for Druids.

After learning Firestorm, I couldn't wait to test its power. Of course, I wasn't foolish enough to think I could charge into a camp of hundreds of Fallen Ones with just this.

After wandering around the wasteland for a while, I soon found a Fallen Ones camp with about two squads, totaling 17 Fallen Ones and 2 Fallen Mages.

Perfect, just right for testing.

I ordered the Venom Flower Vines to charge at the two Fallen Mages while I prepared Firestorm and slowly approached the Fallen Ones camp.

"Chirp, kill a chirp..."

One of the Fallen Ones, who was facing me, immediately noticed my presence and shouted loudly, raising his short sword in a threatening manner.

To be honest, sometimes the pronunciation of the Fallen Ones sounds a bit like a certain island country's language...

The 17 Fallen Ones immediately charged at me. Interestingly, they were not standing in a scattered formation, so they formed a crooked "人" (ren) shape, all within the range of Firestorm.

When the first Fallen One was less than a meter away from me, and his raised short sword was about to fall, I finally released the Firestorm I had been preparing.

A flame suddenly erupted from the ground, engulfing the first Fallen One before he could even scream. The flame then split into several streams and spread along the densest path of the Fallen Ones.

In just over a second, 17 Fallen Ones, except for a few who were standing between the streams and narrowly escaped, were all incinerated, leaving no trace. If it weren't for the few gold coins and two red potions lying on the scorched ground, I wouldn't have believed what I saw. I checked my mana, and it only cost 6 points.

Damn, if I had known that an 8th-level Firestorm was so powerful and had such low consumption, I should have learned it first. Sigh, in that case, I might have already reached level 6 or 7.

It's no use regretting now. It's not too late. Although my miscalculation cost me the opportunity to level up quickly, every action has its pros and cons. If I had learned Firestorm first, I might have become overconfident and relied too much on its high damage, neglecting the training of my werewolf form. In the later stages, when the enemies become stronger and elemental magic becomes less effective, I would be in trouble.

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