Chapter Thirty-Four: Character Markings

【Bloodvine Bracelet】 (Ultimate Form / Quest Item / Growth Capable)
Equipment Type: Accessory
Equipment Special Effect One: HP +500, Sanity +200
Equipment Special Effect Two: Virus Resistance (Powerful Level, maximum immunity against extremely strong infections at powerful level; growth capable)
Equipment Special Effect Three: Fear Resistance (Powerful Level, maximum immunity against powerful level fear effects; growth capable)
Equipment Effect Four: Devour & Growth (Devour "Life Core" to enhance the equipment's effects.)
Equipment Effect Five: Morph & Shield Form (Convert accessory bonuses into double shield value as an arm shield; shield defense equals four times user's own defense; shatters and becomes ineffective for three minutes.)
Equipment Effect Six: Morph & Armor Form (Convert accessory bonuses into double shield value as armor; shield defense equals twice user's own defense; shatters and becomes ineffective for five minutes.)
Requirements: None
Description: Omitted
[Hint: Shield Form and Armor Form cannot coexist. You may cancel the morph effect and use healing items to restore HP, thus compensating for lost shield value.]
[Hint: This item is a quest item. Player possession lasts only for one assessment cycle.]

...

"Player possession lasts only for one assessment cycle. Who can hand me an eraser to wipe out this line..."

The muttered complaints from Cup of Wine Growing Strong drifted to Ember's ears, stirring a similar sadness in his heart. Such a powerful piece of equipment, far surpassing the current player standard, yet only valid until the assessment ended—a tantalizing taste that left anyone wanting more.

But compared to that, Ember's attention was drawn more to the newly revealed Armor Form effect. The moment he received the Bloodvine Bracelet from the Sun High Priest, he couldn't wait to activate Armor Form. The tiny bracelet began to grow wildly, stretching rapidly along his arm, and in just a second or two, it transformed into a rather stylish half-body armor. Light as a feather, it posed no obstacles to movement, and Ember couldn't help but grin widely.

Handsome!

The designer really knew their craft!

Vine plants had somehow been rendered with sharp, angular lines, and the color was dark with a subtle sheen, giving it a steel-like effect. Coupled with a sleek, fashionable design, even Little Bob beside him stared in awe.

Who hasn't dreamed of striding through the city clad in iron armor?

Ember certainly had, and he was thoroughly satisfied, standing tall and proud. Cup of Wine Growing Strong's eyes lit up as well, confirming that clothes do indeed make the man. By comparison, her Bloodvine Ring had less dramatic changes, sticking to its original path—boosting attack power, with new effects focused on offense. It now granted the "Power Attack" effect to arrows, greatly increasing their attack power and allowing them to ignore certain defense levels.

In short, both Ember and Cup of Wine Growing Strong were pleased with their upgrades. The Sun High Priest and the Six-Eyed Prophet, witnessing their transformation, couldn't help but marvel at the unique strengths of each world. They had always focused on exploring the mysteries of flame, the world's origin, while the wasteland world had forged its own brilliant path. Differences aside, the two sages had no wish to compare, only to sigh quietly that it was now too late to unite the best from every realm.

Boom!

Crack...

Another cannon shot rang out, splintering the temple gates with a deafening blast. The Sun High Priest glanced over, eyes as calm as ancient wells, utterly unbothered by the rabble outside. He flicked his long sleeves and made a gesture, immediately summoning two sword-wielding Black Knights.

"I sense the Sun Staircase remains dormant. If the two of us approach, we would awaken it, and cannot personally assist you—quite a shame. Therefore, I entrust these two Black Knights to accompany you on your journey."

With that, the two imposing Black Knights silently positioned themselves behind Ember and Cup of Wine Growing Strong, greatly strengthening their side. Yet this only made Ember more keenly aware that the final bosses—the Gardener Symbiote and Tree Avatar—were formidable beyond measure. Even as they grew stronger, so too did the bosses, making it ever more critical to hurry and advance.

"This winding journey may have led us through many places, but I don't think we've wasted any time—perhaps we've even saved some. Even if we don't gain much of a time advantage, we shouldn't face the worst outcome."

With this estimation, Ember prepared to set out immediately, as the time left for the Six-Eyed Preacher's follower status was about to run out, and he still needed to deal with the backlash from his subordinate. Just then, the Six-Eyed Prophet smiled gently at Ember. "Fearless young man, may I speak with your follower?"

"Go ahead!"

"Hmph! What's left to say? You apostate, abandoning faith, will surely face divine punishment. You sealed me once—can you do it a second time? Prophet, you still have a chance to bask in the Holy Spirit's grace. Do not persist in your delusion. You decided to build the secret passage, why repent at the end? Why destroy the Holy Spirit statue with your own hands?"

As Ember finished speaking, the Six-Eyed Preacher burst out angrily, but the Prophet was unfazed, responding with a soft laugh. "When you have the courage to remove your mask, you'll understand why I broke away from the Six-Eyed Church. It's true—I cannot seal you a second time, but that's no longer necessary. Together we will witness the great flame blazing in the new world, and for the Sun's eldest daughter’s rebirth, you will offer the soul's fire that should have been spent."

[Hint: You have ended your follower relationship with "Six-Eyed Preacher." "Black Knight" becomes your new follower, lasting until the end of the assessment.]
[Hint: Special event "Apostate" has ended. Based on your choices, you have earned the "Rare" character marker "Apostate."]
[Hint: Six-Eyed Prophet's favor towards you has increased to "Friendly"!]
...

Marker Name: Apostate (Rare / Growth Capable)
Effect: When maliciously altering organizational relationships, reduces favor loss with former organizations and individuals.
Description: A taste, not a commitment. It’s never too late to turn back.
[Hint: After the beta ends, character markers will remain.]
[Hint: Character markers and their growth events only appear in difficulties of Hard or above.]
...

"Hmm..."

Ember rubbed his chin, his expression complicated. He didn't see himself as the type to casually betray organizations, but regardless, it was an unexpected gain—who knows, it might come in handy someday.

More importantly, Ember now paid attention to the arrival of the third Black Knight. Though he had lost a powerful subordinate, he gained an equally strong bodyguard.

...

Name: [Black Knight] (Weakened / Timed Buff / Follower)
HP: 500/500 (Weakened)
Attack Level: Powerful (85 / Weakened)
Defense Level: Powerful (50 / Weakened)
Attack Speed: Extremely Fast (Weakened)
Alert Range: Extremely Far (Weakened)
Skills: Sword Mastery (Weakened), Baptism by Fire (Weakened), Overdraw: Enhanced Rapid Thrust (Weakened), Overdraw: Enhanced Sword Strike (Weakened)
Description: As the Sun Empire's elite, Black Knights possess unmatched combat abilities. They follow the Sun's guidance, fighting through the night to defend the empire’s lands from evil. Despite this Black Knight’s vastly diminished power, he still has formidable combat instincts, and as your follower, will strive to protect your life.

...

Compared to the flashy skills of the Six-Eyed Preacher, the Black Knight's abilities were simple and straightforward—a passive that boosts base damage, a status effect that increases combat power, and two skills with the overdraw tag. They didn't look impressive, but Ember calculated that the Preacher wouldn't survive past the second strike in his hands. The base damage was simply too high, and skill bonuses even higher—Ember almost lost track of the numbers.

This only further proved that the Gardener Symbiote and Tree Avatar still possessed terrifying instant kill abilities.

While the thrill of walking the razor's edge, always on the verge of sudden death, was exhilarating, Ember suddenly hoped the next instance would be easier. So far, he hadn't seen just how "normal" the normal difficulty was, or how easy the easy mode could be...

With new reinforcements, the two players’ confidence in achieving a perfect rating soared. Yet a problem arose—what to do about Thorn?

Thorn's usefulness was exhausted. While there might still be side quests to uncover from her, Ember had no time to waste on such matters.

Should he take drastic measures?

Sensing the ill intent in Ember's gaze, Thorn immediately steadied her wavering resolve and declared, "Don't kill me! I still have value. I know Tree Avatar's weakness. If you guarantee my survival, I can help you deal with Tree Avatar!"

"Oh?" Ember raised an eyebrow. "But I can't trust you."

"I have no way out. Before leaving, Tree assigned me as battlefield commander, but I've been missing so long that he'll surely suspect me. With the Giant Tree Research Institute's investigative capabilities, if I'm marked as a suspect, no matter how well I hide, they'll uncover my true identity!"

Thorn was clearly anxious—her voluptuous figure all the more striking. "I can temporarily transfer my ability crystal to Little Bob. He's a fire-type thaumaturge. If he wears my Thorn Crown, he'll gain fire abilities akin to a reality warper, which naturally counter Tree Avatar and Gardener Symbiote."

"Interesting, but I still can't trust you. Tree's not just your superior—you’re also a Chaos Apostle. If you turn on us mid-battle, I'd be asking for trouble."

Seeing Thorn on the verge of collapse, Ember stuck to his principle of not giving up until he saw results. Driven to desperation, the Chaos Apostle finally handed over her treasured trump card to Ember: "This is a special toxin crafted by the Chaos Lighthouse based on Tree Avatar's traits. As long as you inflict a wound, it will destabilize the avatar from within."

Cornered, Thorn’s cold face finally showed a plea: "No matter the outcome, I truly can't remain in the Giant Tree Research Institute. If you destroy Tree Avatar, you'll actually help me escape their pursuit, because the avatar doesn't share memories with the main body."

[Hint: You have triggered the character marker "Apostate" growth event—"Apostate 2.0."]