noveltune Chapter 83, Hidden Class 2
Chapter 83, Hidden Class 2
The twinkling starlight outlined a slender human figure, the light gradually receding until it finally revealed the silhouette of a woman.
She wore a long dress that seemed to be woven from the deep night sky, with sparkling points of light on the hem like real stars.
Her skin was so white it was almost transparent, with a faint moonlight glow. Her long hair flowed like a silver waterfall, moving without wind, and there seemed to be tiny nebulae rising and falling among her hair.
Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, yet it possessed an inhuman, celestial tranquility and remoteness. Her eyes seemed to reflect the cycle of birth and death of the entire universe, full of wisdom, yet also imbued with endless vicissitudes and weariness.
This is clearly not a physical entity, but rather a wisp of remaining thought or energy image.
The woman's ethereal gaze fell upon Lin Tian, a gaze that seemed to pierce through tens of thousands of years, carrying a hint of scrutiny and curiosity, ultimately transforming into a faint, almost nonexistent sense of relief.
A clear, calm voice, seemingly resonating deep within Lin Tian's soul, slowly rose, carrying an ancient rhythm:
"Countless stars have been born and perished... It has been a very, very long time since any new soul has been able to elicit a response from the stars and come to this 'Starry Sky Altar'."
"Young seeker, I am Astraea, the last Star Mystic... or rather, the lingering echo she left behind at the altar, awaiting her successor."
Astraea's phantom gazed silently at Lin Tian, her eyes, which contained the essence of the starry sea, seemed to see through the very nature of his soul.
The ethereal voice echoed once more above the starry altar:
"Young seeker, the path of the stars is not merely about drawing upon its power. You must understand its solitude, its eternity, its destruction and rebirth. Tell me, why do you seek this power?"
After a moment's thought, Lin Tian said frankly, "To become stronger, to control my own destiny, and to protect what I want to protect."
"A very direct answer, without any pretense. There is already a source of power within you that transcends common sense (referring to the power of domination), which even makes this lingering echo of mine tremble. It is truly wondrous that the power of the stars is willing to merge with it."
"I sense traces of 'Star Resonance' within you, and... its rank is extremely high, even surpassing my understanding back then. This is your destiny, and also your foundation. Very good, it will allow you to embark on this path more quickly."
"Then, the final test has arrived. The transfer of knowledge is not the end; the mastery of power is the key. Defeat my phantom to prove that you possess the practical combat ability to inherit this stellar legacy."
"I will suppress my power to the same level as yours, retaining only the skills and experience of the Starry Sky Secret Technique. This is fair, and it is also a true test for you."
She slightly raised her hand, starlight swirling around her. "Young seeker, Lin Tian, are you ready?"
Lin Tian took a deep breath, feeling the immense stellar energy on the altar, and his fighting spirit surged.
He nodded heavily, his gaze fixed on the exquisite phantom of the stars.
"We can start anytime!"
Astraea's phantom said no more; she gracefully raised her slender hand and waved it gently.
Instantly, even more concentrated star power gathered on the altar, rapidly condensing and shaping around her, eventually transforming into a humanoid figure almost identical to her original phantom, but with a slightly more solid form and its aura precisely controlled at level 15.
"This is my star mirror image, containing the knowledge and combat skills of my equal level."
Astraea's illusory form gracefully retreated, clearing the battlefield; her voice remained calm and undisturbed.
"Challenge her and remain undefeated for 10 minutes, and the challenge will be considered a success. If you fail, you will lose this opportunity to change jobs and be sent out of the Starry Sky Altar."
"The challenge begins!!!"
The moment he finished speaking, Lin Tian didn't hesitate and immediately cast a defensive spell on himself!
"Magic Shield!"
Om-!
A solid, azure shield instantly rose from his body, enveloping him entirely.
With Lin Tian's current mana value of 54490, a 20% consumption would amount to 10898 points.
Combined with the S-rank effect of [Magic Shield]—shield absorption = mana cost + (Intelligence × 6 + Spirit × 6), plus the 100% skill effect boost from the [Dominator] class.
The shield's toughness reached an astonishing value: 158416!
Nearly 160,000 shield points!
In addition, with the 50% final damage reduction provided by the SS-level passive skill "Starry Resonance" "Starry Protection", Lin Tian's survivability has reached an extremely terrifying level, enough to deal with any unexpected situation.
The moment the shield was fully activated, Lin Tian launched a probing attack, immediately unleashing an S-rank skill!
"Arcane Missile!"
Arcane energy rapidly gathered at the tip of his staff, instantly condensing into a fist-sized, purplish-blue missile made entirely of destructive energy. It tore through the air and shot straight toward the star mirror with a piercing whistling sound!
However, the reaction speed of the star reflection was faster than imagined.
Just before the arcane missile was about to hit, she made a mysterious step, and starlight flickered around her—
[Star Leap]!
Her figure seemed to transform into a flowing starlight, gliding several meters to the side in an almost instantaneous, graceful manner.
The arcane missile grazed the edge of her starlight-studded skirt before disappearing into the boundless dark void.
"High-speed displacement skill..." Lin Tian's eyes narrowed, and he made a judgment in an instant.
The moment the mirror image finished its displacement and solidified its form, it launched a counterattack!
She gracefully raised her hand and gently pointed in the direction Lin Tian was.
—[Astral Rays]!
A condensed, blazing white beam of light, radiating the pure aura of star destruction, burst forth from his fingertips, seemingly traversing the distance of space, and instantly and accurately struck the magical shield surrounding Lin Tian!
-3491!
The shield value fluctuated slightly, flashed with light, and easily withstood the attack.
For Lin Tian, who has nearly 160,000 shield points, this damage was like a drizzle.
"The damage isn't outrageous, but the casting speed and accuracy are extremely high, with almost no hand movement." Lin Tian's thoughts raced, but his hands didn't stop, continuing to apply pressure and restrict the opponent's flexible movement space.
"Fire Rain!"
He waved his staff, demarcating a large area centered on the mirror image.
In an instant, the starry sky in that area seemed to be torn apart, and scorching, violent fire rain fell from the sky. The raging flames covered an area of fifty meters in radius, completely sealing off a large part of the mirrored moving space.
As expected, the mirror image used [Star Leap] again, its figure turning into a streak of light, narrowly escaping the maximum damage range of the Fire Rain spell, and appearing dozens of meters away.