4: Chapter 4 Skill Fusion, this talent is insane!

Lin Feng laid out the six skill books on the table, admiring them like works of art.

Light Bullet Technique, Illumination Spell, Fireball Technique, Searing Hand, Elemental Perception, Mana Control.

He rubbed his hands together and first picked up the two cheapest ones—Illumination Spell and Fireball Technique.

"Light and fire... let's give it a try."

Locking his thoughts, he activated his Talent!

[Fusible items detected: Skill Book: Illumination Spell (White), Skill Book: Fireball Technique (White)]

[Skill Fusion, consumption significantly increased]

[Minimum consumption: 10 Mana (Basic Fusion)]

[Maximum consumption: 50 Mana (Deep Optimization)]

Lin Feng's lip twitched.

"Starts at 10 points? I only have 100 Mana in total!"

This meant he could only perform the minimum consumption Fusion for now.

And it would drain him in one go.

"Whatever, let's try it first."

Select 10 Mana!

Buzz—

Both skill books lit up simultaneously.

The white pages flipped on their own without wind, and countless tiny runes drifted out from the spines.

The runes of the Illumination Spell were a gentle milky white, while those of the Fireball Technique were a searing orange-red.

The two types of runes intertwined, collided, and fused in the air...

Several times during the process, it almost collapsed, the light flickering violently.

Lin Feng was so nervous his palms were sweating.

Ten seconds later.

The light faded.

A brand new skill book landed on the table.

The cover had turned dark gold, with firelight and light patterns alternating along the edges.

[Item Obtained: Skill Book: Blasting Light Flame Technique]

[Quality: Grade E (Blue Superior)]

[Effect: Fires a mixed light-fire energy ball that explodes upon hitting a target, dealing Spirit × 5 mixed attribute damage (Light + Fire), with an explosion radius of 3 meters. Consumes 30 Mana.]

[Learning Requirement: None (Fused skills ignore affinity restrictions)]

[Description: A perfect Fusion of Illumination Spell and Fireball Technique, resulting in an unexpected qualitative change.]

Lin Feng grabbed the skill book.

His hands were shaking.

"Spirit × 5 damage..." He calculated quickly. "My Spirit is 10 points now, so that's 50 points of magic attack!"

A normal Fireball Technique is Spirit × 3, which is 30 damage.

This is nearly double the increase!

"And an explosion radius of 3 meters, plus mixed attribute damage!"

The most terrifying thing is—"ignores affinity restrictions"!

This meant that even if he had a pure light-attribute Physique, he could still perfectly cast this primarily fire-based skill!

"Awesome... so freaking awesome!"

Lin Feng paced around the room twice in excitement.

He couldn't wait to open the skill book.

The pages turned into streaming light and surged into his brow.

[Skill Learned: Blasting Light Flame Technique (Blue)]

An icon of intertwined fire and light appeared in his skill bar.

After a while, once his Mana had recovered a bit, Lin Feng concentrated his mind and attempted to cast the Spell.

A golden-red light lit up in his palm, quickly condensing into a fist-sized energy ball.

Light and fire intertwined inside, extremely unstable.

Lin Feng had only intended to check the skill's effect, but the reaction was too intense...!

The energy fluctuations were so strong the table began to shake.

"It's this powerful?!" Lin Feng was startled himself.

Moreover, he felt that the casting speed of this skill was much faster than what was described in the book!

"Is it because the addition of light elements improved the energy conduction efficiency?"

Lin Feng was incredibly excited.

But he soon calmed down.

His Mana was empty again.

"I need to recover... wait, why don't I go out and actually test it?"

He looked out the window.

It was still early.

...

Half an hour later, Lin Feng arrived at the "Federation Training Plaza."

This was a public training area established by the authorities, featuring various shooting ranges, simulated combat rooms, and attribute testers.

Of course, there was a fee.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

The receptionist was a girl in her early twenties, wearing a uniform and light makeup.

She glanced at Lin Feng's attire—ordinary sportswear, carrying a Training Longsword.

Standard rookie gear.

A trace of imperceptible contempt flashed in her eyes.

"I'd like to rent an Elementary magic range," Lin Feng said.

"The Elementary range is 20 points per hour." The girl lazily pulled up a light screen. "However, I suggest you go to the free area to practice basic casting first; it's more suitable for rookies."

The implication: Don't waste your money.

Lin Feng frowned. "I'll just rent the Elementary range."

The girl curled her lip. "Fine. Deposit is 50, and you'll pay the market price for any damaged equipment."

She handed over a key card. "Area C, Number 7."

Lin Feng took the card and was about to leave.

The girl added, "By the way, there's surveillance in the range. Dangerous attempts beyond your capabilities are prohibited. Last week, a rookie tried to force an Advanced skill and ended up blowing himself up."

As she said this, her eyes were fixed on Lin Feng; her meaning was clear.

Lin Feng smiled.

"Thanks for the reminder."

He turned and walked toward Area C.

From behind him came the girl's grumbling, "What a poser, hasn't even replaced his Training Longsword, what kind of good skills could he possibly have..."

...

Area C, Range 7.

A ten-by-ten meter room with a row of energy-absorbing targets on the opposite wall.

Lin Feng stood in the casting zone.

He took a deep breath.

He raised his hand, his thoughts condensing.

A golden-red light emerged in his palm and quickly took shape—

Faster than when he was at home!

Perhaps because the elements here were more active?

"Blasting Light Flame Technique!"

The energy ball shot out.

Its flight path trailed a dual-colored wake of light and fire.

Boom!!!

A direct hit on the bullseye.

The energy target vibrated violently, and a string of numbers popped up on the display:

[Damage: 52 (Mixed Light and Fire)]

[Rating: Grade E (Blue) Skill Standard Damage]

[Note: Significant attribute counter effect (+5% damage against Dark/Undead types)]

"52 points!" Lin Feng's eyes lit up.

A bit higher than the expected 50 points.

Could it be the bonus to the light attribute from the Glorious Corona Physique?

He raised his hand again.

Continuous firing this time!

Second shot, third shot...

His Mana quickly bottomed out.

But the training results were gratifying:

The average damage stabilized between 51 and 53.

The casting time was shortened from the initial 1.5 seconds to 1.2 seconds.

"Again!"

Lin Feng sat down to wait for his Mana to recover.

Once it was full, he continued practicing.

One hour later.

[Blasting Light Flame Technique Proficiency: Beginner → Proficient]

[Casting time shortened to 1.0 second]

[Mana consumption reduced to 28 points]

Lin Feng stopped, satisfied.

As he walked out of the range, he happened to pass by the free training area.

It was crowded with newly awakened rookies, all practicing basic Spells like Light Bullet Technique and Water Arrow Technique.

Their power was pathetic, and their accuracy was poor.

"Watch my Fireball Technique!"

A young boy's face turned red as he struggled to conjure a fist-sized fireball.

It wobbled through the air and hit the target.

[Damage: 11]

[Rating: Grade F (White) Skill Low Damage]

The boy looked dejected.

Lin Feng shook his head and walked toward the reception desk.

The girl was binge-watching a show and didn't even look up. "Time's up? Give me the card."

Lin Feng handed over the key card.

The girl performed an operation on the light screen. "One hour is 20, I'll refund 30 of your deposit. Remember for next time, rookies shouldn't aim too high..."

She stopped mid-sentence.

Her eyes were glued to the training records on the screen.

[Area C, Range 7 Usage Record]

[User: Lin Feng (Temporary ID)]

[Trained Skill: Explosion Technique (Blue Superior)]

[Average Damage: 52]

[Maximum Damage: 55]

[Skill Proficiency: Proficient]

[Overall Evaluation: Excellent (Has reached the standard of a Professional Mage)]

The girl's mouth slowly drifted open.

She looked up at Lin Feng.

Then back down at the screen.

Then up again.

"This... you were the one training?" Her voice trembled slightly.

"Who else?" Lin Feng raised an eyebrow.

"But... but you just awakened..." the girl stuttered. "And the Explosion Technique is a Blue skill; the learning requirement is Fire affinity 75 or higher..."

Lin Feng smiled. "Who says Fire affinity is mandatory?"

He held out his hand. "My points, please settle them."

"Oh! Right away!"

The girl's attitude did a complete 180-degree turn.

She operated quickly, not only refunding the deposit but also taking the initiative to say, "Um... we have a membership discount, top up 500 and get 500 free, would you like to..."

"No thanks." Lin Feng waved his hand.

He turned and left.

As he walked out the door, he could still hear the girl calling from behind, "Take care, sir! Please come again!"

Lin Feng curled his lip.

"Snob."

But he wasn't in the mood to care about that right now.

...

Back at the apartment, Lin Feng began to plan.

"Blasting Light Flame Technique is strong, but the consumption is high. At 28 Mana per cast, I can only fire three shots with my 100 Mana."

"I need to learn some low-consumption skills."

He opened the remaining skill books.

First, learn Elemental Perception and Mana Control.

The two passive skill books turned into streaming light.

[Skill Learned: Elemental Perception (Green)]

[Effect: light element affinity +5%, perception range +1 meter]

[Skill Learned: Mana Control (Green)]

[Effect: All Spell Mana consumption -5%]

Instantly, Lin Feng felt the world was different.

The specks of light floating in the air were now clearer and more active.

He could even "see" faint water element fluctuations in the next room—maybe the neighbor was drinking water?

"This perception... awesome."

Looking at the consumption of Blasting Light Flame Technique again: it dropped from 28 points to 26.6 (rounded to 27 points).

I can fire half a shot more.

Next, learn Light Bullet Technique.

A White skill book; learning it was effortless.

[Skill Learned: Light Bullet Technique (White)]

[Effect: Deals Spirit × 2 light attribute damage, consumes 10 Mana (9 points after Mana Control)]

"9 points consumption for 20 damage, not a bad cost-performance ratio."

Lin Feng thought for a moment and took out Searing Hand.

But he didn't learn it this time.

"Searing Hand is a melee buff skill... I'm taking the mage path, so I don't need it for now."

"Better to keep it for Fusion later."

Now he had four skills in his skill bar: Blasting Light Flame Technique (Blue), Light Bullet Technique (White), Elemental Perception (Green Passive), and Mana Control (Green Passive).

He had his means of attack.

But what about defense?

"I can't just rely on DPS when entering a Dungeon; I need some survivability."

Lin Feng opened an online shopping platform and searched for "defensive items."

A whole bunch popped up.

[energy shield generator (Single-use)]

[Quality: White Common]

[Effect: Generates a shield upon activation, absorbing 10 points of damage, lasting 10 minutes.]

[Price: 80 points]

[Healing Spray (Small)]

[Quality: White Common]

[Effect: Spray on wounds to accelerate healing, restores 30 Health.]

[Price: 30 points]

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow.

"They're all consumables..."

He scrolled down and finally saw something interesting.

[Damaged Magic Leather Armor]

[Quality: White Common]

[Defense: 3 (Damaged at the chest, actual defense is 1)]

[Price: 20 points]

[Old Leather Bracers (Pair)]

[Quality: White Common]

[Effect: None (Decorative)]

[Price: 5 points]

"That's it!"

Lin Feng placed the order.

Two damaged leather armors, three pairs of old bracers, two single-use shield generators, and three bottles of Healing Spray.

Total cost: 20×2 + 5×3 + 80×2 + 30×3 = 305 points.

A few hours later, the delivery drone arrived.

Lin Feng laid everything out on the table.

"Fuse the leather armor first."

Fusing the two damaged leather armors consumed 8 Mana.

[Item Obtained: Reinforced Leather Armor]

[Quality: Grade E (Blue Superior)]

[Defense: 10]

[Effect: When taking physical attacks, there is a 15% chance to mitigate 10 points of damage.]

[Description: The Rebirth of two pieces of junk.]

"Blue quality! Defense 10, much higher than being unarmored!"

Lin Feng put on the leather armor.

The defense on his attribute panel changed from 10 to 20 (10 points from Physique + 10 points from Leather Armor).

"Next, the bracers."

Fusing the three pairs of old bracers together consumed 12 Mana.

This Fusion took longer.

After the light dissipated, a pair of dark brown leather bracers appeared on the table, with fine magical patterns on the surface.

[Item Obtained: Agility Bracers]

[Quality: Grade E (Blue Superior)]

[Effect: Agility +2, hand movement flexibility increased by 10%]

[Description: The counterattack of three pairs of decorations.]

"Agility +2!" Lin Feng put on the bracers.

His Agility attribute changed from 10 to 12.

He tried waving his hands quickly and indeed felt more flexible.

"Still have the shield generators and Healing Sprays..."

Lin Feng thought about it and decided not to fuse them.

For these consumables, it would be a loss if the Fusion failed.

He'd keep them for his own use.

Finally, he looked at that Training Longsword.

"The weapon needs an upgrade too."

But he had finished fusing all the White gear he bought from the store.

"Before going to the Dungeon tomorrow, I'll hit the market to stock up."

Lin Feng organized all his things:

—Reinforced Leather Armor (Blue)

—Agility Bracers (Blue)

—Training Longsword (White, pending upgrade)

—Blasting Light Flame Technique (Blue Skill)

—Light Bullet Technique (White Skill)

—Two energy shield generators

—Three bottles of Healing Spray

—Remaining seventy-five thousand plus points

"That's about it."

He checked the time.

Nine o'clock in the evening.

"Get some sleep and head out first thing tomorrow morning."

Lin Feng lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

The figures of his parents surfaced in his mind.

"Dad, Mom, I'm going into a Dungeon."

"Following in your footsteps..."

The youth closed his eyes.

Outside the window, moonlight filtered through the glass, plating him in a layer of silver-white.

The Glorious Corona Physique automatically absorbed the light elements from the moonlight.

...

In the alley across the street.

The Skinny Tall Guy and the fat guy crouched in the shadows.

"That kid bought a whole bunch of junk and went back."

"Brother Hao said it himself, he gets annoyed just looking at this kid."

"How about we keep watching... and when he enters the Dungeon, we'll prepare a little 'surprise' for him? Make Brother Hao happy!?"

The two looked at each other and smiled sinisterly. They knew that clinging to a powerhouse like Wang Hao right now would allow them to skip over ten years of struggle...!