Chapter 295: Strengthening! Summon! New Operator!
The recorded rewards were quite generous, but considering the difficulty of the main quest "Doomsday Crisis," these substantial rewards were completely justifiable.
The only regrettable thing for Bai Yan was that he had to resurrect the members of Babel Tower, which would require a lot of Source Energy Points.
After careful consideration, Bai Yan also pondered the decision of temporarily not resurrecting a few individuals, but ultimately decided to revive all the members of Babel Tower.
The reason was simple, they were not just his pawns.
In this way, resurrecting six Core Operators cost a total of over 4,000 Source Energy Points from Babel Tower, with the resurrection of the Scarlet Moon accounting for nearly half of the points.
After all, she was a powerful force of Potential Apocalypse level, exerting the greatest effort on a daily basis, so once she died, the cost of resurrection would also be the highest.
Bai Yan said a little annoyed, "Why is it so expensive? We have to find a way to 'milk her dry' in the future and squeeze out all the Source Energy Points consumed for resurrection..."
The remaining Source Energy Points were just under 2,000, which was enough for a ten-summon.
But Bai Yan was very clear that the most important thing he obtained in this reward was not Source Energy Points.
Rather, it was the abundance of Awakening Soul, the Spirit of Revelation, and the rewards from three gold achievements!
Firstly, there were thirty Awakening Soul.
Currently, the Core Operators of Babel Tower were at least at the level of Potential Crown, and they no longer needed Awakening Soul... Their effects seemed to have diminished.
However, if Bai Yan summoned a new Core Operator, he would be able to instantly elevate their strength to the level of Potential Crown without any additional accumulation.
Just thinking about it felt quite satisfying.
In addition to the thirty Awakening Soul, another important reward was a whopping ten Spirit of Revelation!
It was known that each Spirit of Revelation could increase the "Revelation Points" by ten percent. Bai Yan glanced at it and knew that he could raise either Mu Ling or Maryse to "Potential Apocalypse" with just one.
The question was, who should be strengthened first?
The answer was self-evident.
If they could truly reach the "Apocalypse," also known as the "late stage," then the strength of the "Nightsaber" would far surpass that of the "Psychic Dancer."
Bai Yan continuously used nine Spirit of Revelation, directly raising Mu Ling's Revelation Points from a mere three percent to an astonishing ninety-two percent.
In other words, Potential Apocalypse.
How many powerhouses at "the Apocalypse" level are there in this world?
The Air Alliance, the Kingdom of Dark Light, and the Night Union, Crown is already a significant force in each country.
In reality, there are very few individuals in each country who can reach the level of "Apocalypse," only a single-digit number, so to speak, to be exact.
Adding to this, Mu Ling possesses a considerably powerful higher-level power, the "Deep Blue World."
In other words, after reaching the stage of Potential Apocalypse, even without the assistance of any Tactical Card or Relic, Mu Ling's basic strength has undoubtedly reached a top-level.
Taking everything into account, her strength is absolutely terrifying. As long as she doesn't encounter those world-renowned top-tier experts, she can basically walk sideways in Noah.
the Scarlet Moon is not much weaker than Mu Ling. The strength of the two is on par with each other.
As for Bai Yan himself... he doesn't know how strong he is currently, but he knows it's really difficult for him to die.
"Unfortunately, reaching Apocalypse is really difficult. Not only do you need to increase the degree of Revelation, but you also need to collect all the 'skins' of a character."
"In my impression, Mu Ling, who has the most 'possibilities,' has a total of nine 'skins,' while the Scarlet Moon, who has the least 'possibilities,' has three full 'skins.'"
This is problematic.
Bai Yan feels that it's very likely the stronger his power becomes in the later stages, the more "Revelations" or "possibilities" he needs to accommodate.
"At least, the possibility of the Scarlet Moon breaking through to Apocalypse in the near future still exists. She already has Water World, and as long as she draws a permanent Fairy Tale Demon King and a 'Crimson Tyrant,' she can evolve into Apocalypse."
By this stage today, the enigmatic Babel Tower has undoubtedly grown into a formidable force that cannot be ignored.
In the various countries of the Noah world, they attach great importance to everything exhibited by this mysterious organization of salvation.
Furthermore, they spare no effort in wanting to uncover the truth about the "Savior."
"Hmm, there's still one the Spirit of Revelation left. Even if I give it to Maryse, it won't elevate her to the middle level of Crown. Let's keep it for now."
Bai Yan pondered before selecting Entertainment Cards and Mystical Powers. He first took a look at the special items he had acquired.
In his impression, in the first playthrough, a special item would be given after each Doomsday Crisis.
This time is no exception, there is no change in the special items in the second playthrough.
"Savior's Mysterious Ring."
This is a special item exclusive to the Savior, and others cannot use it.
Its external appearance is very unique, it is a transparent ring, and only when Bai Yan holds it in his hand can he clearly feel its presence.
It's invisible to the naked eye, indeed very mysterious.
Bai Yan smiled and gently touched the transparent mysterious ring, feeling the strange patterns on it, which were very complex.
This ring contains an extremely unique power.
Firstly, it allows Bai Yan to instantly appear beside Core and Non-core Operators, without needing to go through the doors of "the Heart of Babel Tower" to reach the location of Core Operators.
Secondly, by consuming a certain amount of Source Energy Points, Bai Yan can use the "Savior's Mysterious Ring" to directly transport anyone or anything into the interior of Babel Tower.
There is no longer a need to use the doors of "the Heart of Babel Tower".
Lastly, it possesses an immensely powerful ability that "the Heart of Babel Tower" absolutely does not have.
Bai Yan can use the "Savior's Mysterious Ring" to directly increase the proficiency levels of Core Operators by consuming a sufficient amount of Source Energy Points.
Yes, this is a very important ability.
Many extraordinary abilities evolve once their proficiency reaches one hundred percent.
However, it is extremely difficult to master an ability from scratch, even for most of the core members of Babel Tower who are prodigies. It still takes time.
But now, with the pace of the world's destruction getting closer and closer, there is simply no time.
And the "Savior's Mysterious Ring" gives Bai Yan the special ability to directly enhance the "skills" of Core Operators.
Bai Yan pondered for a moment, wondering whose abilities to enhance.
“Hmm, indeed, in terms of sheer power, what I need the most right now is Maryse's abilities... in order to increase the number of non-core operators."
He contemplated his future plans, realizing that relying solely on the existing members of Babel Tower was far from enough.
However, strong individuals from all around the world would be unable to contribute during the Doomsday Crisis due to the interference of the Outer God.
The best solution is to make them Non-core Operators as much as possible.
In doing so, there would be opportunities for intervention, and they would also be a significant aid to Babel Tower in normal times.
“Gathering talented individuals and forming a more powerful organization... in short, that is what Babel Tower needs to do outside of the game now."
Bai Yan opened the character card of "Psychic Dancer" in the list and looked at it.
She had numerous skills, and the basic ones like Mind Reading and Mind Control were already maxed out and evolved, so there was no need to consider them.
He saw that the current proficiency level for the next skill, "Memory Reading," was sixty-one percent.
As for Longevity Command II, Sacred Rune - Athena, Mind Transmission, Memory Alteration, and Common Sense Substitution, their current proficiency levels were eighty-eight percent, seventy-nine percent, thirty-five percent, seventy-one percent, and twelve percent, respectively.
Only Mind's Piercing Scream had a proficiency level of five percent, in the single digits.
Meanwhile, Deep Red - Divine Punishment had reached a proficiency level of ninety-seven percent, nearing one hundred percent.
Although Maryse occasionally slacked off and couldn't compare to the diligence of Mu Ling, she had indeed undertaken a lot of self-training during this period.
However, Bai Yan was still dissatisfied.
"You should call out more often, even if it's for no reason. The proficiency level of Mind's Piercing Scream is so low..."
Bai Yan muttered to himself, lost in thought.
I wonder if I should max out the proficiency of those abilities.
For abilities like Mind's Piercing Scream with low proficiency, maxing it out would consume a lot of Source Energy Points, and the subsequent evolved abilities won't be that remarkable, so it doesn't seem worth it.
Therefore, Bai Yan ultimately chose to max out the proficiency of "Memory Modification" and "Common Sense Substitution," as well as "Sacred Rune - Athena" and "Deep Red - Divine Punishment."
In his impression, the new abilities that could be obtained after the evolution of the first three would have a relatively high cost-effectiveness ratio.
And "Deep Red - Divine Punishment" belongs to the power of the Outer Gods, so it definitely has great potential.
Moreover, Maryse from the future has even demonstrated even more powerful usage of it.
Bai Yan was deeply impressed, as Maryse from the future could completely use "Deep Red - Divine Punishment" to accelerate herself without causing any harm to her body.
She used this incredibly powerful force to almost instantly kill the strong "Evolver" at the Apocalypse level.
“Get stronger.” He murmured habitually as if talking to himself.
All four abilities were raised to 100% proficiency thanks to Bai Yan's "Savior's Mysterious Ring," and the number of points consumed by each ability varied, totaling over five hundred Source Energy Points.
Now, behind all four abilities, the symbol of "evolving" has appeared.
"Sigh, it seems I don't have enough to spend after all."
With the remaining Source Energy Points, there's nothing I can do except for a ten consecutive draw.
Of course, before the draw, Bai Yan still had one thing to do.
And that is to make a personal choice.
This time, the options for personal choice were an Entertainment Card and a Mystical Power.
Mumbling to himself, he still wasn't satisfied. "If only I could choose a Core Operator. I'd bring that witch over and make her sing 'Conquer.'"
Firstly, he made his personal choice for the Entertainment Card.
Bai Yan knew that there weren't many choices on the Entertainment Card, and among them, the strongest Entertainment Card was undoubtedly "Final Submersion."
However, he couldn't choose the Entertainment Card that would lead to the annihilation of the Core Operator's soul.
So Bai Yan's options became narrower.
Bai Yan contemplated for a moment and felt that he should choose between "Dawn's Awakening" and "Endless Treasures" for the Entertainment Card.
"Endless Treasures" as the highest-level instance still posed considerable difficulty, and it was simply impossible for anyone below multiple strong individuals at the Apocalypse level to pass.
Bai Yan decided not to aim too high and ultimately chose "Entertainment Card·Dawn's Awakening."
"Dawn's Awakening" is an Entertainment Card that corresponds to "Final Submersion."
After use, the current Core Operator will gain the protection of a benevolent god, acquiring much greater power than before, which will last for a long time... but it also comes at a great cost.
After one month, the user of "Dawn's Awakening" will die. However, unlike the soul-destroying "Final Submersion," this death can be resurrected.
It roughly means "the hero sacrifices themselves and returns to life at dawn."
"It means consuming a small amount of Source Energy Points to exchange for a powerful BUFF for a Core Operator for a period of time."
After Bai Yan chose "Dawn's Awakening," he did not use it temporarily.
Next, he started to personally select Mystical Power.
This is actually the most crucial part!
The list of Mystical Power unfolded before Bai Yan's eyes, with hundreds and thousands of options, making it almost overwhelming for him.
But he could take his time to look through them or quickly gather information by activating the power of "Connection."
What is the strongest Mystical Power?
Undoubtedly, it is the power belonging to the Outer Gods!
There are a total of twenty-seven Outer Gods, each possessing more than one power.
After Bai Yan finished reading through the entire list of Mystical Power, he found that all the powers of the twenty-six Outer Gods were listed, except for the power of "Termination."
Soon, Bai Yan selected three top options, the strongest Mystical Power.
All three top options came from the powers of "Origin" and "Master of Ceremony" in the Outer Gods.
"Origin," "Master of Ceremony," and "Termination."
Bai Yan was already aware that these three unknown Outer Gods did not correspond to time and were evidently very special within the Outer Gods.
Since the power of "Termination" was not on the list, he could only choose between "Origin" and "Master of Ceremony."
The first power he wanted to choose came from "Origin."
"Creation."
Just one simple word, yet it contain immense power. The user can create physical objects by expending mental energy, almost anything, including living beings.
With enough strength, theoretically, one could become the creator of the world through this power.
Very powerful, very wonderful!
The second power comes from the "Master of Ceremony."
"Sacrifice."
With this power, one can embrace the things offered as sacrifices, obtaining everything the believers wish to offer.
It is not just limited to material sacrifices, but even memories, emotions, and souls can be gathered.
And each successful sacrifice will make the owner of the "Sacrifice" power even stronger.
The third power also comes from "Origin."
"Infinity."
It is also an incredibly powerful force, as having it grants infinite mental power.
From then on, this extraordinary individual will no longer have the concept of "excessive consumption." At the same time, they will also be forever immune to negative mental states, always remaining clear-minded.
All three Mystical Powers are extremely strong, even stronger than the remarkable achievements of the "Deep Blue World."
But unfortunately, the unfortunate part is that he can only choose one.
After pondering for a while, Bai Yan still chose...
"Infinity."
The reason is simple; he really lacks "manas."
Infinite mana and immunity to negative mental states, it's truly a cost-effective choice.
As for "Creation" and "Sacrifice," although they are flashy and powerful abilities, they can even make an ordinary person become the protagonist in any novel.
However, for the current Bai Yan, "Infinite" is still more useful.
This is only natural.
The question is, who should "Infinite" be given to?
Several potential candidates came to Bai Yan's mind, such as Maryse and Alan, who depletes energy easily.
However, after careful consideration, he realized that giving "Infinite" to them might not be the best choice.
Ultimately, Bai Yan decided to bestow "Infinite" upon the Scarlet Moon.
Because an important aspect mentioned in the power description is the ability to stay clear-minded...thus, the Scarlet Moon can freely drink blood and unleash her full power from now on.
No need to worry about turning into a rampaging beast, or even distinguishing between friend and foe.
Although, Bai Yan actually finds her quite adorable when she turns into a "beast".
Now is still the time when the early-game war god can shine, so it is reasonable to further enhance the exceptional Scarlet Moon.
"And from now on, during the time I borrow the power of the Scarlet Moon, I can maintain an infinite amount of mental power...thus, I will be able to peek into the game 'Babel Tower' using the 'Real Digital World'."
Bai Yan squinted his eyes, feeling a surge of excitement in his heart.
Last time, when he peeked into the game "Babel Tower" using the "Real Digital World," Bai Yan lost consciousness within a few seconds due to the depletion of his mental power.
But with an infinite mana pool!
The situation would be completely different!
"Lastly, it's time to summon."
This time, the pool to draw from is... Fate.
Bai Yan is once again going to draw from the pool of Fate, but his mood is no longer as excited as before, instead it's rather calm.
Ten consecutive summons, begin.
First summon!
"Operator Fragment - Innocent Singer x1"
Second summon!
"Operator Fragment - White Night Devil x1"
Third summon!
"Operator Fragment - Gray Child x1"
Fourth summon!
"Entertainment Card - Final Submersion x1!"
Fifth summon!
"Mystical Power Fragment - Reality Manipulation x1"
Sixth summon!
"Relic Fragment - Aegis Shield x1"
Seventh summon!
"Mystical Power Fragment - Absolute Stillness x1"
Eighth summon!
"Relic Fragment - Blink Blade x1"
Ninth summon!
"Mystical Power Fragment - Reality Manipulation x1"
Tenth summon!
"Tactical Card - Meteorite from Heaven x1!"
Bai Yan was stunned.
"What, what is happening? How is this possible? There was no such thing in the first playthrough."
The number of Core Operators in the pool has increased!
White Night Devil and Gray Child were not present in the pool during the first playthrough or the recent one!
It took him a while to accept the situation.
During the first playthrough, this situation had never been encountered, and it didn't happen at the beginning of the second playthrough either... Could it be because of surviving the First Doomsday Crisis?
As the second Doomsday Crisis approached, Bai Yan glanced at the newly appeared countdown in the top right corner.
There were still eighty-eight days left.
With this in mind, Bai Yan's curiosity and anticipation grew.
He pondered for a moment and decided to refine the "Tactical Card · Meteorite from Heaven" and "Entertainment Card · Final Submersion," leaving the rest of the cards unchanged.
Because the other eight draws were useful, or rather, quite good things.
Fortunately, both of Bai Yan's refined draws were successful!
First refined draw.
“Mystical Power·Blazing Sun×1!”
In his impression, this belonged to the powerful force of the Outer God, "Primordial Fire."
As for the result of the second refined draw, after Bai Yan finished reading, a smile appeared on his lips.
“Core Operator · Sword of Demons×1!”
