[Strength: 120 > 140 (+115)]

[Agility: 195 > 255 (+40)]

[Spirit: 139 > 209(+40)]

[Combat Power: 619 > 769 (+265)]

"That’s just insane," Faust muttered in disbelief.

His Agility and Spirit had cleared 200 but no new skill. Faust didn’t mind much, he still had loads of rewards left.

He was also almost at level 7, but he doubted going out and hunting a bunch of slimes would be worth another +10 to combat power. He would just get it in the next wave anyway.

There was a chance he ended this event as a level 9. The growth was insane, considering how much the exp requirements were spiking.

But it was well deserved. He dragged three thousand people out of hiding to participate in the event, created a winning strategy for them to use against the waves, and probably killed the most monsters by far.

He was getting his hard earned rewards. And so would the other players because of him.

"I might give all my extra equipment to Amelia to fuse and strengthen for me. But I’ll have to make sure she doesn’t cheat me somehow..."

He could place an order with one of the recruitment offices, but he might just bite the bullet and do it himself.

As for the Sterling Rapier, it was not his style at all. Even back on earth, he never liked fencing much. But he doubted anyone got a Silver-Tier weapon as a reward.

Goddamn. At this rate will the Treasure Chests as the end of the Event be worth anything?

The only Treasure Chest he had ever opened was Bronze grade, and it couldn’t even compare to the rewards he got between waves.

"Participating in this event is far more important than even going out to hunt early in the game."

The first 24 hours of the game was just to get them ready, but anyone that missed this event would forever be left behind by their peers.

"Insane. I’ll have to watch out for events from now on. I’m participating no matter what or where."

He decided to go out later and try to find a proper trade for his Rapier. For now he pulled out the new skill book.

[You have learned the skill, "Flowing Viper Lv1".]

[Flowing Viper Lv1 (Silver): After fifteen continuous strikes, you can strike an enemy at a distance using this skill. Requirement: Level 5, 100 Strength, 50 Spirit. Cooldown: 15 seconds]

Nice, a mid-range skill. Using this in tandem with Rage Strike was the best move. He could deal devastating damage to an unprepared enemy at a distance.

I’ll have to practice a little.

Next he touched the two skill books from the Shadow of the Mind Hidden quest with a grin. He poured his mana into it.

[You have learned the skill, "Shadow of the Mind Lv1".]

[You have learned the skill, "Shadow Step Lv1".]

He picked up the Repulsion Shroud and put it back in his Spatial Bag with a sigh. Not enough Constitution yet.

But soon. Once equipped he would have over one thousand combat power. He was already much stronger than he was when he arrived in this game in such a short time.

If Faust faced himself twenty hours ago, the poor fool wouldn’t even see what killed him.

The Stamina or Mana Potions he left for later, so all that remained were his 12 skills stones and enhancement stones.

[Congratulations! You have upgraded "Bolster Lv1" to "Bolster Lv2".]

[Bolster Lv1 (Silver): Increase your defenses by 50% for five seconds. Increase your defenses by 100% for two seconds. Requirements: Level 5, 150 Constitution. Cooldown: 10 seconds]

[Congratulations! You have upgraded "Focus Lv2" to "Focus Lv3".]

[Focus Lv1 (Iron): Resist external distractions of any source for five seconds. Increase Spellcasting speed for two seconds. Cooldown: 5 seconds]

He would have liked to upgrade Shadow Step and Observe, but he didn’t have enough skill stones and he had no idea where he would get more. Nobody would save more than one and they would be saving for a specific skill.

Besides, no one was dumb enough to give out a Skill stone.

Faust sighed. "I’ll just wait I guess." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

In the meantime...

[Congratulations! Your Equipment "Midnight Fur Hat" has been enhanced succefully..]

[Midnight Fur Hat +3 (Iron): Improves stealth, +25 Agility, +25 Strength.]

His other stuff didn’t seem worth the Enhancement stones—some of them cost 10 Enhancement stones to upgrade!

So he would be saving them for now.

He got up and used two skills at once.

Focus!

His mind sharpened and he gleaned a deeper understanding of everything around him. He could better discern the sounds he was hearing, separate them into individuals and guess their distance.

And he could tell the position of every shadow in the room from memory.

Shadow Step!

He sunk into his own shadow and reappeared in the alleyway, where he met Amelia and Ranna. The transition was instant, all he saw was a brief flash of black and a brush of coldness.

In his focused state he noticed the mana expenditure and how the skill activated, gaining a good unstandering of how to use the skill in battle. Its cost was high, but its effect was instant.

Next,

Shadow of the Mind!

Mana rushed into his mind and became mercurial like shadows, covering his mind, but also creating a shadow that resembled it.

He didn’t have mind spells but he guessed that anyone that tried to strike his mind would only end up striking the shadow. It was also a high cost spell that required finesse. With his last two seconds of Focus, he worked on shrouding every corner of his mind.

When Focus ended, he groaned slightly. The skill had its effects on the brain too.

"This will be good for the infiltration of the gate."

The Golems and his skills were ready, so Faust was free for the next three hours. He would meet with Diego just before the battle to see if he needed anything, but Faust doubted it. They had all the tools to create an effective strategy.

After that, he wanted to find Amelia again and test the waters on if she would fuse his extra equipment while he fought in the wave.

I’m sure she has another crafting skill, since the system will see her strengths. Maybe she can make me a new naginata or a war axe with all the goblin weapons.