SSS-Rank Talent: Super Upgrade System-Chapter 92: Ambush The Ambushers!

Later that night, under the eerie glow of the twin moons, they cautiously made their way back towards Yang Lake.

The shore was a scene of utter devastation.

More than a dozen mangled corpses lay scattered amongst the shattered trees and cracked earth.

Their gear, their cards, everything of value had been either destroyed in the initial rampage or had sunk to the bottom of the lake. There was nothing to loot.

But for Daniel, the real treasure remained. He stood before the grim aftermath, a silent reaper in Vanguard fatigues.

He extended his hand, and his SSS-Rank [Soul Assimilation] talent hummed to life, eager for the harvest.

The twin moons of the Taiji Basin cast long, eerie shadows across the devastated shoreline of Yang Lake.

The once furious, boiling water had calmed into a still, dark surface, concealing the massive Abyssal Maw Leviathan deep below.

The air was cool and heavy with the smell of blood, clinging to the broken trees and cracked ground.

Daniel stood in the aftermath, silent and powerful, as the lingering energies of the twelve fallen Awakened, victims of their own greed, slowly drifted toward him.

His Tier 2 [Soul Assimilation] was terrifyingly efficient now.

The newly assimlation radius allowed him to process the entire gruesome scene without taking a single step, the faint motes of light drawn to him as if he were a miniature black hole.

The essences were weak, tainted with the sheer terror of their final moments, but even scraps could be reforged into something greater in the crucible of his SSS-Rank talent.

[Soul Assimilation successful on Fallen Awakened (x12)...]

[Total Attribute Gain: Strength +1.2, Vitality +0.9, Agility +1.5, Spirit +0.6.]

[Multiple F-Grade & E-Grade Skill Fragments and Concepts Acquired and Integrated/Discarded.]

[Assimilation Charges Consumed (23/35 Remaining after Level 7 refill).]

The attribute gains were, as expected, minimal, a drop in the ocean of his already monstrous stats.

He had grown far beyond the point where the dregs of common Awakened could provide significant raw power.

But skills... skills were a different story. As the disparate essences swirled within him, his Nexus Interface chimed twice, signaling a more significant harvest.

The first chime came from a fusion of a C-grade [Strength Enhancement] concept, gleaned from the brutish, helmeted leader of the pursuers, with his own B-Grade [Savage Might].

[Detected compatible skill resonance: Existing B-Grade [Savage Might] and new C-Grade ’Strength Enhancement’ concept.]

[Attempting Skill Fusion...]

[Fusion Successful! Skill Enhanced: [Savage Might] (B-Grade) has been refined to SAVAGE MIGHT+ (B+-Grade)!]

[New Effect: Strength boost increased to 120%, Vitality boost remains at 50%. Duration extended to 1.5 minutes. Minor mental acuity reduction remains.]

"A solid upgrade," Daniel murmured, feeling the foundational power of the skill settle more deeply within him.

A 120% strength boost was a significant increase, turning his already devastating physical attacks into something truly catastrophic.

It was a reliable tool, now made even more potent.

The second chime was more surprising, and far more welcome.

From one of the wiry, stealthier pursuers, the woman with the hooked blade who had been so vocal in her taunts, he had assimilated the core concept of a B-grade [Theft] skill.

It immediately found a kinship with his almost-forgotten D-grade [Emptyhanded] skill, a relic from his earliest days in the Verge.

[Detected compatible skill resonance: Existing D-Grade [Emptyhanded] and new B-Grade ’Theft’ concept.]

[Attempting Skill Fusion...]

[Fusion Successful! New Skill Acquired: ROBBERY (B-Grade)!]

Daniel’s eyes widened, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face. This was the skill he’d been hoping for.

He checked the description with a growing sense of satisfaction.

[Skill: Robbery (B-Grade): Active Skill. Project a tangible, swift tendril of focused intent to forcibly dislodge and retrieve a specified, unsecured, or lightly held non-living item.

Success rate depends on item’s weight, security, and user’s Spirit vs. target’s awareness.

Can be used to disarm opponents or snatch items from belts/pouches with a high degree of success against unaware or weaker targets.]

This was perfect!

It wasn’t just the passive, almost accidental plucking of [Emptyhanded] anymore.

This was an active, targeted, and forceful retrieval.

He could literally snatch a weapon from an enemy’s hand mid-swing or a healing potion from their belt before they could drink it.

The tactical possibilities were endless and deliciously devious.

The wind shrieked faintly as he clenched his fist, imagining the possibilities.

The ground seemed to tremble slightly with his own contained excitement.

"Find anything useful, Vance?" Ayra called from a safe distance, where she and Lia were keeping watch near the treeline.

She was trying to sound casual, but her voice was laced with a wary curiosity, having seen the faint lights converge on him.

"Just tidying up," Daniel replied smoothly, deactivating his talent. The last motes of light faded into his form.

"It seems our pursuers won’t be bothering anyone else."

He turned his gaze back to the calm, dark waters of Yang Lake.

His [Aura Sense+] could feel the colossal presence of the Abyssal Maw Leviathan resting deep beneath the surface, a sleeping god of destruction.

The thought of the treasures it must be guarding, the sheer power of its own S-grade essence, was a tantalizing prospect.

"Later," he promised himself. "When I’m stronger, and when I have a better plan than just ’ringing the dinner bell’."

With their immediate pursuers dealt with, and the area secured, the trio’s primary objective returned to the forefront: finding the exit to complete the Phase Three trial.

They had more than enough Yin Cards from their earlier encounters, and now a handful of Yang Cards from the initial ambush that led to this chase.

They were set.

Using Daniel’s updated map, they navigated the fiery forests and rocky plains of the Yang region with newfound confidence.

It took them another day of careful travel, bypassing several territorial beasts and another small, but much more cautious, group of Awakened, before they found it.

Halfway up the central mountain of the S-shaped range, nestled in a sheltered valley where the energies of Yin and Yang seemed to merge in a swirling, beautiful twilight, was a massive, unactivated teleportation array.

It was a huge, circular platform of smooth, grey stone, at least fifty meters in diameter, etched with complex runes that pulsed with a faint, dormant light.

This was the exit.

"Well, that was... surprisingly easy to find," Ayra commented, poking one of the runes with the tip of her great-axe.

"Boom!"

The rune flared with a soft light at the contact but did nothing else. "I was expecting more giant apes or maybe a dragon with a riddle."

"The real challenge was surviving long enough to get here," Lia said softly, her gaze sweeping over the valley. "Many didn’t."

Daniel nodded. "We have enough cards to pass. We could activate the array now and be done with Phase Three."

He paused, looking at his teammates.

The air was calm, the location defensible. An opportunity.

"Or... we could use this opportunity. We have time, we have a surplus of cards, and we’re in a relatively secure location. This is the perfect chance to undergo our Class Transitions."

Ayra’s eyes lit up. "Now you’re talking!

I’ve been itching to see what kind of advanced skull-cracker my Berserker talent can evolve into! More power? Yes, please!"

Lia also looked intrigued. "A Class Transition here would give us a significant advantage heading into the next phase of the assessment, and whatever lies beyond. It’s a wise course of action."

"My thoughts exactly," Daniel said. He then looked towards the dark pass leading back into the Yin region.

"And after that... Ayra, how do you feel about a little hunting trip?

The survivors of that group that chased us are probably still hiding out there somewhere, thinking they’re safe. I feel like they owe us a few more Yang Cards."

Ayra’s grin was terrifying. "Ambush the ambushers? Oh, Vance, sometimes you have the most wonderfully violent ideas."

The plan was set. They would rest, use their hard-won cards to achieve their Class Transitions, and then, with their newfound powers, they would go on a little "shopping trip" to balance out their card collection and ensure they had enough for the best possible class options.

Just as they were settling down to rest, a safe distance from the dormant array, Daniel’s [Aura Sense+] tingled again.

It wasn’t the chaotic, greedy signature of the thugs from before, nor the primal energy of a beast.

This was a single signature, moving with incredible stealth, far more refined than any of the pursuers.

It was approaching their position from the direction of the teleportation array, as if it had been waiting there all along.

"Hold on," Daniel whispered, his body instantly tensing, his hand drifting to the hilt of his Blade of the Night.

"We’re not alone. And this one... this one is different. This one is a professional."