Chapter 4. Upgrading Skills! Fraar, The Thornstride.

Chapter 4. Upgrading Skills! Fraar, The Thornstride. Days were calm for Liu Shu. Her every day consisted of leisurely looking at her surroundings while growing fruits and sometimes using her other skill called <Enchanted Growth>. Still, Enchanted Growth was a skill that consumed too much energy, so after she used it the first day and got dizzy after just a few seconds of using it, she never used it again. The consumption of the E+ ranked skill was still too much for a level one being, even if this being was a World Tree. While her days passed, a system hint would arrive from time to time, clarifying a few doubts our little Liu Shu might had. For example, she learned that the power level difference was increasingly vaster as levels increased. Another example was that skills grew in rank whenever they reached level five and capped in proficiency. For example, <Charm of the Seedling> was level four not long ago, but earlier that day, the skill had grown to Rank F- Level Five with 498/500 proficiency. While looking at that number, Liu Shi was expectant of seeing it grow to another level. Our little tree saw a beetle with a beautiful yellow shell flying and landing on one of her branches with a <Delicious Berry>, and the notification was triggered. [<Charm of the Seedling> has attracted a [Level 3 Earth Beetle]. Proficiency increased by 3. (501/500)] [<Charm of the Seedling> has reached the maximum level. Spend 15 Experience to increase its tier.] When Liu Shu heard the second message, her mind was filled with surprise. 'I need to spend experience?' [System Hint: When a skill reaches level 5, it can evolve and increase in Tier. The level will be reset to one, but the effects will go under a qualitative change. Experience needed depends on the tier of the skill. Difficulty in gaining proficiency for the skill will increase.] Liu Shu took her time reading the message and understanding it. After one hour, she finally understood everything. Thoughtful, her branches swayed as. 'Should I do it?' Her focus changed to the accumulated experience. [Accumulated Experience: 91] During the last few days, a few minor bugs tried to eat her berries before they were mature, so she swatted them with her branches, giving her about two experience points per kill. Then, Liu Shu's eyes went to her level. [Level 1 (0/150)] Our little tree's mind slowly moved. 'Should I save for the level-up?' If she had brows, they would be scrunched to the point of touching. This was the second most arduous decision of her life! For those curious, the most difficult was when she chose not to level up in the past to keep her title. An outstanding achievement for our little tree! As she thought about what to do, the Sun in the sky was about to hide on the horizon. She was a tree, after all, so she took her time. Finally, after much consideration, she chose to use the experience to tier up the talent. Her reasoning was nothing but thinking that since she liked being surrounded by other beings, she might as well upgrade the thing that allowed her to meet all the little animals flocking around her. Our Liu Shu had nothing but time on her hands, so she wasn't hasty to level up. With that decided, after she gave the daily energy to the flowers growing <Delicious Berries> on her branches, she looked at the little friends that played around her and used the experience. [15 Experience Points consumed. <Charm of the seedling> has gone from F- rank to F rank.] <Charm of the seedling (F Rank Level 1 [0/200])>: Attracts small animals and insects to the area, fostering a harmonious ecosystem. There is a very small chance of attracting a friendly, bigger animal or insect that will help protect you. Creatures below the F Rank will be affected with much ease. Range 20 meters. When the skill improved, a gentle ripple of energy spread from Liu Shu to about 20 meters around her. The plants, animals, and insects in the surroundings stopped for a second and looked at the two-meter-tall tree, their eyes, even when they didn't have intelligence, gaining a gleam of gentleness. However, while friendly creatures were attracted, the tree's aura also drew other types of creatures. A few moments before upgrading the talent, a quadrupedal green beast with a tree-bark-like skin, about one and a half meters long, was leisurely walking in the forest. Because it was getting late, the beast was returning to his dwellings. This beast was a [Level 7 Thornstride]. This kind of creature fed on plants, small animals, and trees. It was a predator that evolved from plants, with an appearance similar to a lizard, with a muscular body and sharp claws that it used to slice trees and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth to pierce into the bark and feed on it. In a World where creatures that evolved from plant life appeared, predators specialized in eating trees were not uncommon. As it walked, the Thornstride suddenly felt a fluctuation to its right. The pupils of the creature shrunk as the scent tempted its stomach. As a level 7 being, it was like a tiny overlord in the nearby zone. Its strength as a predator was higher than most creatures in a small range. Its body shifted directions, and it began walking toward where the tempting aura originated from. Meanwhile, Liu Shu, whose roots were already spread in an area of 15 meters, saw the beast approaching from the foliage. When Liu Shu saw the beast, she focused on it to see its stats. It was something she did often after her encounter with the beaver. Name: Fraar. Titles: <Tribe Heir>: He is the son of the Thornstride Tribe Chief and was personally appointed to be the successor. After the user reaches level 10, this title will be replaced by <Tribe Chieftain>. <Tree Devour>: Gained after eating 100 trees of level 3 and above. Damage against Tree beings increased by 5%. Race: Barkskin Thornstride. Alll latest novels at novelhall.com Energy Method: --- Level: 7 [254/1470] Aether Mana Shards: 150/150 Phoer Body Shards: 725/ 725 Anima Energy Shards: 231/231 Attributes: Aether (2), Physique (9), Anima (3), Willpower (7), Destiny (7) Affinity Percentage: Aether Resonance (7), Physique Refinement (15), Anima Affinity (10) Resistance Percentage: Aether Resistance (4), Physique Resistance (8), Spiritual Resistance (5), Mental Resistance (7) Talents: Then, Fraar's mouth was forcefully closed as a powerful strike hit his head several times per second. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! [-41] [-41] [-41] [-41] [-41] [-41] Hit after hit landed on him, and although they were weaker than previously, the number of attacks was incomparable. Fraar's legs bent, unable to bear the strength of the attacks, and his body was struck constantly against the ground. After three seconds, Fraar felt the attacks stop, his vitality nothing but a sliver away from death. This time, completely scared, he tried to stand up and leave. However, the branches of the World Tree began moving again. Those who offended a World Tree would not be left alive by it. <Willow Strike Barrage!> The long branches began moving again, delivering another rain of attacks, each strike creating a loud bang. Since most of them fell on his head, Fraar couldn't even roar in pain; after being repeatedly hit, his skull shattered, and his consciousness finally disappeared. The body of the beast looked swollen and mangled, with the skin split in several places as if someone had dug into him. [Congratulations on defeating <Bark Thornstride Level 7>. You've gained 19 Experience Points.] When that message entered Liu Shi's mind, her branches stopped the assault, returning to their gentle swaying. Right after, when Liu Shi returned to her natural state of mind, the world began spinning around her. Her mind felt light and fuzzy as her <World Tree Eye> couldn't even properly give her a look at the outcome. 'Oh! Wow~! The world is spinning~!' Curious, she looked at her Aether Mana and exclaimed. 'Wow, I have so little left!' Aether Mana: 11/113 Our poor Liu Shu had Aether Mana deficiency. Previously, Liu Shi had been feeding her berries with her Aether Mana. So, after using <Willow Strike> five times and <Willow Strike Barrage> twice, her Aether Mana almost reached zero, making her feel lightheaded. But other than that, Liu Shu managed to regain her investment in the skill after killing Fraar. Spending 15 experience and gaining 19 later, she netted a total of 4 experience points! *** Name: Tianlian Liu Shu Titles: <Awakened>: A title that's gained when a tree gains sapience and evolves, gaining human-like intelligence. <World Tree>: A tree that can grow to be an overlord, admired by many, hated by some. Hidden titles: [9] Race: World Tree. Energy Method: Basic World Energy Gathering (Gathers experience points*Level per day.) Level: 1 [0/150] Aether Mana Shards: 11/113 (+4.07/Hour) Phoer Body Shards: 110/176 (+6.34/Hour) Anima Energy Shards: 91/120 (+4,32/Hour) Attributes: Aether (7+2), Physique (9+4), Anima (8+2), Willpower (10), Destiny (100) Affinity Percentage: Aether Resonance (25), Physique Refinement (35), Anima Affinity (20) Resistance Percentage: Aether Resistance (23), Physique Resistance (29), Spiritual Resistance (24), Mental Resistance (26) Talents: <Enchanted Growth (E+ Rank level 1 [2/18000])> <Nature's Gift (F- Rank level 2 [140/200])> <Willow Strike (F- Rank level 3 [0/300])>: <Willow Strike Barrage (F Rank level 1 [20/200])>: The World Tree uses all her branches to strike at her enemy. She can use Aether Mana to trigger this skill, allowing her to attack for three seconds uninterrupted. Range 3 meters. Passive Skills: <World Tree Heart (A Rank Level 1 [0/589900])> <World Tree Eye (C Rank level 1 [221/144000])> <World Tree Wisdom (SSS Rank Level Max.)> <Charm of the Seedling (F Rank Level 1 [7/200])>: Attracts small animals and insects to the area, fostering a harmonious ecosystem. There is a very small chance of attracting a friendly, bigger animal or insect that will help protect you. Creatures below the F Rank will be affected with much ease. Range 20 meters. Accumulated Experience: 94