Chapter 218: One-thirds of the Real Rhode

"... Rhode, are you okay...?"

Looking at the tightly closed door, Christie asked with a worried expression. She worriedly looked at the cold food that seemed to be untouched.

"I am also a little bit worried..."

Lize walked forward and took the food. At the same time, she felt uneasy. Ever since Rhode came back, he had locked himself up in the room and refused to meet anyone. He said that he had found some inspiration from the previous battles and needed to meditate, so he hoped that he would not be disturbed by anyone. That was why he ordered the mercenaries to rest for a few days. He also assigned Marlene to bring the magical forging table back to the stronghold. Rhode locked himself up in the study room for the entire day. No matter how many times Christie called him, he did not answer. He didn't even eat; no one knew what he was actually doing inside.

"Is it really okay, Marlene?"

"I think it is okay, you don't have to worry."

Compared to Christie and Lize, Marlene was clearly a lot calmer.

"If you suddenly think of an idea, you will rush to figure it out. I think Mr. Rhode is feeling like this right now. I have also experienced the same thing. At first, I was unable to comprehend the magic principles no matter how much I tried, but suddenly I came up with an idea. At that time, I immediately put down everything in my hands to start think and rearrange the information in my mind. When I finally understood the magic principles, it was already the morning of the third day. It was only then did I realized that I had not eaten for two whole days. I hadn't even move from my desk. However, it was still worth the effort."

"Oh my, you did not even move from your desk for two days? Anne definitely cannot withstand that." Hearing Marlene's words, Anne gasped in surprise. She was restlessly swaying on the chair back and forth while talking to Marlene.

"I want leader to play around with Anne though..."

"Stop being spoiled; don't forget—we have a very important mission. It's almost the Midsummer Festival, so we must continue getting stronger. If you have time to play around, isn't that time better spent practicing?"

"Anne just wants to rest a little..."

Feeling Marlene's glare, Anne's lips twitched and she complained. Marlene helplessly shook her head, unable to handle Anne anymore. Soon, Marlene decided to forget about this matter and walked towars Christie. She squatted down and gently said.

"Christie, I can guarantee that nothing will happen to Rhode. You must take care of your health. If you got sick, then he would definitely be very sad. You don't want him to be sad, right?"

Christie quickly shook her head. Seeing this, Marlene smiled and softly rustled her hair.

"Then go to rest now. It is already late. I will call you if something happens."

"... Okay... then... Goodnight, big sisters..." Hearing Marlene's words, Christie nodded and bowed to the three of them. After that, she went back to her own room.

"Sigh..." Lize was finally felt relieved. "Such a good girl."

"That's right." Marlene nodded, but she no longer said anything else. Although she looked calm, there was a trace of concern in the way she looked at Rhode's bedroom door because even she did not know what Rhode was actually doing.

"Sigh..."

At this moment, inside the dark room, Rhode took a deep breath. The black stone in his hands had already turned into dust and was scattered around the floor. The faint white light around his body gradually disappeared. He opened his eyes, trying to look at the numbers before him. He nodded.

Although Rhode had made a mental preparation, the effect of the Heart of Spirit still made him surprised. He had gotten was nearly hundreds of thousands of EXP points. If everything went smoothly, he could be sure that he would immediately reach Level 23! From Level 18 to Level 23, he would be able to level up 5 times straight. It was definitely something that he did not expect.

However, he actually did it.

This time his luck was quite good.

[Received 10 skill points]

[Advanced level detected, available for enhancing. Please select]

Enhance...

Looking at the system prompt, Rhode frowned. He stood up and withdrew his sword. The red sword was currently floating in the air, shining brightly before turning back again to normal after a few seconds.

His speed would be very fast enough if he enhanced his swordsmanship...

Thinking until here, Rhode clenched his teeth and looked at his attributes. However, beside the familiar (??) nothing could be seen. It seemed that he would not be able to see his attributes before he figured out his mixed blood.

Even so, let's just try it!

Rhode looked at the system prompt and quickly issued an order.

Select advanced enhancement.

[Please select...]

"Attributes." Rhode closed his eyes and answered.

[Please select the attribute that you wish to enhance...]

This was his last opportunity, if his guess was right, then he would be able to succeed.

"Agility."

After Rhode said it, he felt as if he could not breathe. He kept looking at the system prompt before him. If his guess was right, then there was hope!

[... Agility enhancement completed... Checking...]

[System checking... Attribute has reached the specified requirements. Swordsmanship unlocked: Dark Dance]

Success!

Looking at the system prompt before him, Rhode clenched his fist with excitement. Dark Dance was a legendary swordsmanship skill that had been passed down for thousands of years. It was also the swordsmanship that Rhode frequently used in the game. Although he could also use Moon Shadow and Starfall, there was still some difference between them. As a Spirit Swordsman, Rhode had always focused on speed. A melee swordsmanship skill like Starfall was not something he would usually use. If not because he did not have enough attributes and was unable to unlock Dark Dance, then he would have tried to long ago. Although the Spirit Swordsman was also a Swordsman, it was totally different from a knight in shining armor. Spirit Swordsmans were an all-in-one job. Before starting melee attacks, they needed to ensure that the attack would not affect their summoned magic. As for defense, Rhode did not have to worry about it. If he combined himself with the Centaur Knight or the Nether Tentacle, he would get as much protection as he needed, so he did not really need to add another defensive equipment. Such equipment would only be a burden for a Spirit Swordsman.

Now, Rhode was betting with his EXP points. His initial AGI shouldn't be too low, so every 3 levels he unlocked after Level 20 should give him two points to his AGI attribute value, which was why he was able to unlock Dark Dance's AGI requirements. It seemed that he had won his bet.

[Used 1 skill point. "Dark Dance Swordsmanship" unlocked, Rank E. Special skill: Dead Soul Blade]

[Used 3 skill points to level up the Dark Dance Swordsmanship 4/4, Rank D. Special skill: Storm Slaughter]

[Used 5 skill points to level up the Dark Dance Swordsmanship 5/5, Rank C. Special skill: Thousands Shadow (Passive Skill)]

Seeing this system prompt, Rhode immediately felt a chill in his spine. The dark power was flowing through his body. Soon, the information regarding those three special skills appeared on his mind.

[The blade of the dead will quietly seize the life of those who are weak.]

[The darkness will turn into storms and engulf everything that stands in the way.]

[Everything is illusory; you are not where you are.]

Very good.

Looking at those familiar skills, Rhode nodded in satisfaction. He rubbed his hands and couldn't wait to test his current strength. Dark Dance Swordsmanship had always been one of the best skills he used to maintain his fame. With this swordsmanship, he would finally be able to regain 1⁄3 of his real power and become invincible once again.

Although it still was not perfect, this was only the beginning, right?

He restrained himself from getting too excited. He took a deep breath and calmly looked at the front. The system prompt was still there. It was going to show the last information, which was also the most important step.

[Level upgrade completed. Advanced Spirit Swordsman...]

Followed by this system prompt, the summoning circle on Rhode's hand shone. It emitted a bright light and spread around his body. On the ground, a huge summoning circle appeared, shiny rapidly. It seemed to represent the Ten Strongest Spirit Deck and soon, numerous cards flew out from it. They circled and floating around Rhode, emitting colorful lights while quietly waiting to be summoned by him. This was the last step, and also the most important step for Rhode.

Soon, another system prompt appeared.

[Reward Available - Core Card]

[Please select the designated Core Card]

Looking at the system prompt, Rhode hesitated for a moment, but eventually reached out for the bright red card in front of him.