Chapter 365: Zodiacs ( Part 3 )

Kai checked his current Status as he pondered which zodiac he should choose.

[ Name: Kai ]

[ Title: Veteran of Humanity, Trailblazer, Stronghold Defender, Guardian, Strongest One ]

[ Guild: Codebreakers ]

[ Level: 40 ]

[ Health: 3,500 / 3,500 ]

[ Spirit: 650 / 650 ]

[ Physique Rating: B ]

[ Talent: Infinite Gift Pack (SSS) ]

[ Active Skills: Fast Appraisal Lv7, Spirit Dominion [F] Lv7, Titan Step [F] Lv7, High Jump Lv1, Spirit Lance Lv1, Shadow Dash Lv1, Neural Acceleration [F] Lv7 ]

[ Passive Skills: Bio-Adaptive Constitution Lv9, Great Protection [F] Lv7, Slayer’s Flow [F] Lv7, Solid Balance Lv1, Blood Regeneration Lv1, Enhanced Physique Lv1, Fast Spirit Recovery Lv7 ]

[ Skill Points: 0 ]

[ Reputation Points: 40 ]

[ Inventory Slots: 9 ]

Kai briefly looked through his updated status before his attention returned to the skills he had acquired in Perfect World.

During his time in the virtual world, he had completed several quests that rewarded him with new Gene Skills and Skill Points. The most notable was Neural Acceleration, which he had created through Skill Fusion by combining Mental Acceleration and Neural Enhancement. The two abilities had similar effects, but their combination produced a much stronger skill that temporarily accelerated his neural processing speed, allowing him to react and think faster during combat.

He had also obtained Spirit Lance and Shadow Dash after completing several combat and exploration quests. Although none of them were particularly powerful on their own, they greatly expanded the options available to him in battle.

The additional Skill Points he had earned from completing those quests had also allowed him to strengthen several of his Gene Skills. By the time he finished the requirements for his breakthrough, he had managed to bring five of his Gene Skills to Level 7 and create another fused ability.

Kai couldn’t help but smile.

His current skill set was already considerably more complete than before.

However, that only made his decision more difficult.

He looked back at the twelve Zodiac Traits displayed before him.

With his current abilities, almost every one of them could be useful.

The question was no longer whether a Zodiac Trait was strong.

It was which one could bring out the greatest potential of the skills he already possessed.

***

Kai first considered Virgo’s Precision Trait.

A guaranteed critical hit on the first strike of an offensive Active Gene Skill was extremely tempting.

With his current skills, he could make excellent use of it, especially when combined with Shadow Dash or Neural Acceleration. If he could close the distance before his opponent reacted, his first Gene Skill Attack, Spirit Lance, could potentially deal devastating damage.

However, Kai eventually shook his head.

"Only the first strike..."

It was powerful, but it was limited to the opening attack of a battle. Once that attack was used, the trait would no longer provide any additional benefit until the next considered battle.

His gaze then moved to Leo’s Radiance Trait.

Thirty percent additional damage on his first offensive skill was already impressive, but the brief silence effect made it even more valuable. Being able to prevent an enemy from using their Survivor Skills at the beginning of a battle could give him an enormous advantage.

Kai considered it for a while before slowly narrowing his eyes.

"Very powerful, but it’s not really the best against A.I. Soldiers..."

Though he acknowledged that there were also many human enemies, he must also acknowledge that the main enemy of this apocalypse was the machine civilization.

However, there was still something he didn’t particularly like about it.

Like Virgo, Leo’s greatest advantage was concentrated into a single opening attack. If his first attack failed to end the battle or create a decisive advantage, much of the trait’s value would disappear.

Finally, Kai’s attention returned to Aries.

Reverb was much simpler.

It didn’t strengthen only his first attack, nor did it depend on a specific type of enemy.

It simply gave him another use of an Active Gene Skill without requiring additional Spirit Points, and as far as he remembered, even the cooldown was ignored.

Of course, there would be more details about the Zodiac Trait once he selected but for now, he felt that it could be the best option for him...

Neural Acceleration could improve his reaction speed and decision-making...

Shadow Dash could help him reposition quickly, while Titan Step gave him another powerful movement-based option. Spirit Lance might also become one of his go-to Gene Skills because of this...

Most importantly, Reverb would continue to be useful even after the opening exchange.

"If I can use it properly, I won’t just get one extra attack."

Kai smiled.

"I’ll get another opportunity to use whichever skill I need at that moment."

That was what finally convinced him.

Kai looked at the three traits one last time...

"Chamber... What do you think is the best for me? I think Aries is the best..."

Just like that, he consulted this A.I. Assistant and explained his options...

Soon, Chamber also gave its conclusion...

[ Based on your current abilities, Aries has the highest compatibility with your combat style. ]

"Why?"

[ Your current skill set contains multiple offensive Active Gene Skills, including fused Gene Skills with significantly higher combat potential. Reverb allows you to immediately repeat one of these abilities without waiting for its normal cooldown, which greatly increases your burst damage. ]

"Fine... We made the same choice, so I’ll choose Aries."

The moment he spoke, the system immediately responded.

[ Zodiac Trait Selection confirmed. ]

[ Selected Zodiac: Aries ]

[ Aries Trait: Reverb ]

[ Trait Type: Active Gene Skill Enhancement ]

[ Effect: Active Gene Skills can be repeated once within 3 seconds after activation without consuming additional Spirit or triggering their normal cooldown. ]

[ Drawback: After an Active Gene Skill is repeated through Reverb, that skill enters a cooldown period twice as long as its normal cooldown. This increased cooldown applies only to the immediate cooldown following the repeated activation. Subsequent activations return to the skill’s normal cooldown. ]

[ Zodiac Trait successfully integrated. ]

’So that’s the drawback, huh... It’s still acceptable.’

Kai then suddenly felt a strange sensation spreading through his body.

It wasn’t painful.

Instead, it felt as though something had connected itself to his Gene Skills, creating a new layer of compatibility between them and his body.

Then several more notifications appeared.

[ Gene structure adaptation detected. ]

[ Aries Trait has successfully synchronized with the Survivor’s Gene System. ]

[ Active Gene Skill compatibility increased. ]

[ Reverb Trait has been permanently bound to the Survivor. ]

[ Warning: Zodiac Trait cannot be changed through ordinary means. ]

Kai stared at the notifications for several seconds before slowly clenching his fist.

He had finally chosen his path.

’I hope I made the right choice...’

Kai thought to himself as he decided to go outside to test his new Trait.