hotmtlnovel Chapter 560 The Underestimated Soul Devourer Sphere! Its Heaven-Defying Effects!
Chapter 560 The Underestimated Soul Devourer Sphere! Its Heaven-Defying Effects!
Sterl's mysterious cheat was, without question, the most extraordinary power he had ever encountered. It was the foundation of his meteoric rise, his ultimate trump card, and the reason he had gone from nothing to standing tall in this world. It was also the very tool that allowed him to now face and defeat gods with ease.
Without his cheat, Sterl would have been nothing more than an insignificant D-class talent holder back at Earth's base. A lowly ant who would never have stepped outside its walls, a disposable existence teetering on the edge of death. He might never have reached even second-class, and perhaps, by now, he would already have perished in some forgotten corner. Rayna and Linna, his closest companions, would likely have been reduced to mere playthings for stronger beings.
Yet, as much as Sterl relied on the cheat and as indispensable as it had become, his curiosity about its origins only deepened. He wanted desperately to know where this mysterious ability had come from and uncover its true nature.
Sometimes, his imagination ran wild with speculation. He wondered if this evolutionary ability might be part of some grand scheme by a powerful entity, a carefully placed chess piece in a cosmic game, or perhaps even an experiment orchestrated by a higher-dimensional civilization. He had even entertained the possibility that it was all a dream—an endless hallucination created by his dying mind as he lay curled up in some desolate corner, on the verge of death.
But these thoughts were nothing more than meaningless fantasies.
Now, observing the Soul Devourer Sphere, whose effects bore an almost uncanny resemblance to his cheat, his thoughts began to churn once more.
After a moment of contemplation, Sterl shook his head slightly.
"I'm probably overthinking it," he muttered.
Soul power, after all, was simply the distilled essence of a living soul, extracted and refined by the Soul Devourer Sphere into pure energy. Souls were a profound and mysterious force, one even gods struggled to fully comprehend.
At its core, soul power was a high-grade energy source. Its elevated nature allowed it to produce a variety of beneficial effects, such as enhancing the soul, stamina, vitality, and more. In many ways, it functioned like a special form of experience.
Experience could increase levels, but soul power could not. Instead, it worked to enhance other physical capabilities, or to unlock and develop latent potential within the body.
No matter how extraordinary it seemed, soul power was ultimately just another form of energy—one that required careful management and consumption to unlock its effects.
In contrast, Sterl's cheat was entirely different. It operated like a predetermined program, a system independent of energy or resources, enabling evolution without any apparent cost. This distinction made his cheat something far beyond the reach of even treasures like the Soul Devourer Sphere.
But ultimately, soul power is still a form of energy—one that requires exchange and consumption to exert its effects.
His cheat, however, is entirely different! From the very beginning, the cheat has operated like a fixed program, refreshing once a day and offering a single opportunity to evolve almost anything—objects, abilities, or talents.
The most critical distinction is that the cheat's evolution incurs no cost whatsoever, regardless of how powerful the item or ability it evolves. Even at Sterl's current level, he cannot comprehend the intricacies of how it works. Yet, to this day, he has never sensed any form of depletion or expense.
Otherwise, how could it have supported Sterl—back when he was an ordinary mortal—in upgrading a completely mundane D-class talent to the SSS-class physical talent, Divine Descent? That would defy every principle of energy conservation!
By contrast, the Soul Devourer Sphere and soul power come with stringent limitations and prerequisites. Not only do they require significant energy to achieve enhancements, but they also inflict severe backlash. Still, this balance aligns with what one would expect from a priceless treasure: you only gain as much as you are willing to sacrifice.
...
Almost every second, a different alert sound would echo, and Sterl himself could feel his body surging upward like an inflated balloon at an incredible pace—so rapid that it was startlingly apparent, even in his ascend to godhood state.
He had never imagined that soul power could enhance his physical stats with such an extraordinary effect. This enhancement was based on boosting his core four-dimensional attributes. In essence, the effect of increasing one point in any attribute was amplified by 10%. This meant that the power displayed by his 10 points in strength was equivalent to someone else's 11 points!
In a certain sense, it didn't change the numerical value of his four-dimensional attributes, but it truly and profoundly elevated the quality of his stats and overall capabilities.
What's more, this enhancement carried a potential far beyond the direct increase of attributes. The implications were on a completely different scale of existence!
Sterl couldn't help but imagine—if he could raise the fundamental effect multiplier to a hundred times its original value, wouldn't that make him a terrifyingly powerful template of ultimate might? Every point of strength output would be equivalent to a hundred times that of ordinary beings. Each point of constitution would provide life force greater than that of a world boss!
Of course, this was nothing more than a flight of fancy for now. As for the upper limit of soul power's potential enhancements, he still had no idea where it could ultimately lead.
Six thousand points of soul power was an astronomical figure—so vast that even for deities, it was considered immense. However, under the immense capacity of Sterl's soul to withstand such power, this massive amount of soul energy was pouring into his body at an astonishing speed. The rate of absorption was so rapid that nearly a hundred points of soul power disappeared every second. In just about a minute, the entire six thousand points had been completely absorbed by Sterl.
As he felt the now-empty Soul Devourer Sphere, Sterl took a deep breath, his face radiating a mixture of exhilaration and delight.
"Incredible!" The effects of the Soul Devourer Sphere were even stronger than he had anticipated, to the point where he found himself completely addicted to the experience!
He moved his newly revitalized body slightly, and the sensations confirmed his transformation. He could distinctly feel the surging vitality and boundless energy coursing through him. If his life force were to be visualized as a health bar, it would undoubtedly surpass most bosses by a ridiculous margin.
At the same time, an overwhelming strength emanated from every part of his being, down to his very bones. His entire body felt as though it had been completely reborn.
In just one minute, under the nourishment of six thousand points of soul power, his energy and vitality had both increased by approximately threefold! Additionally, the base effects of his four-dimensional attributes had risen by nearly 50%!
This effectively meant that the benefits he gained from his four-dimensional attributes had increased by half. But that wasn't all—the enhanced attribute effects also amplified the power of every piece of equipment he was wearing. The synergy between his body and gear was now significantly more potent!
As he stood there, he realized that his overall combat power had nearly doubled compared to what it had been before the enhancement. Even though these changes were improvements to his base form, the strength boost extended into his ascend to godhood state, creating massive leaps in all areas of his power.
"As expected of the mightiest Soul Treasure from the Kingdom of Orichalcum—something once wielded by a great and revered deity. This is no ordinary artifact!"
He couldn't help but admit that he had vastly underestimated the power of this treasure before.
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