Talent Awakening: I, the Weakest Awakened, Start with Dragonfire Spell

[Ding! Congratulations awakened Howard, synthesis successful, you've obtained the SS-level skill book - Roar of the Fire God or the SS-level skill book - Ten Thousand Dragon Skill!]

As the clear bell tone resounded, two distinct scenes suddenly emerged in Howard's mind.

In a serene world, flames abruptly coalesced into a human silhouette. 

With a ferocious open mouth, in a mere instant, the skies cracked and the earth shattered as flames roared from the depths, sweeping across the entire horizon!

These blazing flames raged for a full 60 seconds. 

Fire soared skywards, seemingly capable of incinerating everything in its path.

In the other vision, nine fire dragons danced gracefully in the air, continuously breathing out flames.

It was evident that there were two evolutionary paths for the Dragonfire spell: one for sustained magic damage, and the other to increase the number of fire dragons.

After a moment's hesitation, Howard chose the first path. 

Although the fire dragons were powerful, they had their limitations. 

In tight spaces, they would be unable to fully manifest their might. 

Moreover, these dragons couldn't protect themselves. 

Howard had a clear vision of the Roar of the Fire God skill turning the surroundings into a sea of flames. 

Anyone daring to approach would undoubtedly meet their demise.

Even with his Fire Resistance Ring ability, Howard wouldn't abandon a skill that could offer him protection.

Having made his decision, the attributes of the Roar of the Fire God skill manifested on a panel before Howard.

[Roar of the Fire God (SS-level active skill)] 

[Level: 1] 

[Effect: Harness the power of fire elements to conjure the phantom of the Fire God. The moment the phantom appears, all hostile targets within a 100-yard radius will be set aflame (suffering a 20% reduction in defense and taking 1000 points of damage every second for 30 seconds). After a 3-second charge, the Fire God phantom will unleash a deafening roar, causing the ground to rupture and seas of fire to erupt, inflicting 500% of the caster's magic attack power in fire damage on all hostile targets within 100 yards. For the subsequent 60 seconds, these targets will receive an additional 50% of the caster's magic attack power in damage each second, which stacks with the burning damage. ]

[Cooldown: 300 minutes]

[Mana Cost: 5000 MP]

[Proficiency: 0/100]

The horrifying attributes immediately took Howard's breath away. 

Even as another SS-level skill, Roar of the Fire God's damage was shockingly higher than that of Wrath of the Earth! 

However, Wrath of the Earth had a continuous five-second control effect, indicating a different skill category. 

While Wrath of the Earth is a control skill, Roar of the Fire God is damage-focused. 

As for the Icy Touch of the Winter Goddess? 

It's a mechanism skill, instantly executing the target once the skill's conditions are met.

"Winter Goddess, the Earth, Fire God... I wonder what surprises Electro skill has in store for me?"

Murmuring to himself, Howard tossed the Thunderous Spell into the Synthesis Interface.

The lowest tier Thunderous Spell was an F-level skill book. 

With 65 of them, it could conveniently be upgraded to S-level.

Clear notification chimes resounded next to Howard's ear.

[Ding! Congratulations, awakened Howard. Synthesis successful. You've obtained an E-level skill book — Thunder Strike!]

[Ding! ...]

[...]

[Ding! Congratulations, awakened Howard. Synthesis successful. You've obtained an S-level skill book — Mighty Thunder!]

A vision abruptly materialized in Howard's mind. 

At that moment, Howard seemed to transform into a personification of thunder. 

Not only was he enveloped by electric arcs, granting immunity to physical damage and reducing incoming magic damage, but each of his attacks also unleashed a bolt of lightning, damaging nearby foes!

[Mighty Thunder (S-level active skill)] 

[Level: 1 ]

[Effect: Conjure swirling thunder around oneself, granting immunity to physical damage and reducing incoming magic damage by 20%. Every attack will trigger a bolt of lightning, inflicting 170% of the caster's magic attack power in damage to nearby targets. This skill lasts for 30 seconds. If a target is slain, the skill's duration increases by 2 seconds, with no upper limit. ]

[Cooldown: 300 minutes ]

[Mana Cost: 1000 MP upon activation; 200 MP per second thereafter. ]

[Proficiency: 0/100]

"No upper limit?"

"So as long as I can slay my targets, this skill could potentially last forever?"

"Immunity to physical damage, reduced magic damage, plus added duration for each kill — this is absolutely a divine skill!"

Howard's lips curled into a grin. 

Though he no longer had the Dragonfire spell to continuously clear lesser foes, he now possessed the Mighty Thunder skill with its potential for extended duration. 

This was undoubtedly a jackpot!

After all, the Dragonfire spell hadn't vanished but had evolved into a more potent skill!

At this point, Howard had the Mighty Thunder skill for dealing with minor foes. 

When confronting a BOSS or facing a crisis, he had three SS-level skills and the Fire Resistance Ring skill for protection — he was virtually invincible.

"I'll be teaming up with the students tomorrow. I should learn a few basic skills to blend in and not reveal my true power."

With that thought, Howard utilized all the remaining books he had after the previous mergers.

[Ding! Congratulations, awakened Howard. You've successfully learned the F-level skill Gravity Spell!]

[Ding! Congratulations, awakened Howard. You've successfully learned the F-level skill Fireball!]

[Ding! Congratulations, awakened Howard. You've successfully learned the F-level skill Frost Arrow Spell!]

Although these foundational skills weren't impressive, they were more than adequate against the monsters in the Silent Forest.

Howard nodded in satisfaction and began merging equipment. 

He had 107 Cotton Belts and 83 Cotton Leg Guards, all of which could be merged to Epic tier.

As the crisp notifications kept ringing, anticipation grew in Howard's heart.

[Ding! Congratulations, awakened Howard. Synthesis successful. You've obtained the Epic equipment — Minstrel's Belt!]

[Ding! Congratulations, awakened Howard. Synthesis successful. You've obtained the Epic equipment — Minstrel's Leggings!]

"Hmm? Both named Minstrel? Could it be a Set?"

Howard's eyes gleamed at the thought. 

A Set, as the name suggests, is equipment that, when combined, offers special effects!

Immediately, Howard inspected the attributes of the two pieces.

[Minstrel's Belt]

[Level: 10]

[Grade: Epic]

[Equipment Attributes Bonus:]

[Spirit +280]

[MP +1000]

[Stamina +90]

[Defense +100]

[When outside city areas, there's a 3% chance that using a skill will bestow a random beneficial BUFF upon the wearer.]

[Set Effect: Currently can activate a two-piece set bonus with Minstrel's Leggings. ]

[Cannot activate the Set effect with Prayer of Bard (due to different grades). ]

[To activate a three-piece set bonus, please upgrade both Minstrel's Leggings and Minstrel's Belt.]

[Two-Piece Set Bonus: When in a party, choose a target to bless or pray for, granting them a 7% increase in all attributes. As long as the target remains within 50 yards of you, this effect persists.]

"A 7% increase in all attributes; this effect is pretty good."

"It seems this Set is designed for a support role."

"When I have more money in the future, I'll need to buy higher-grade equipment to merge. Even if it's upgraded to a Supreme Artifact, it might not suit me."

Howard's brow furrowed slightly, but he wasn't disappointed. 

After all, it was the most basic iron equipment, so it not being a perfect fit for him was expected.

Being a magus, what Howard truly desired was equipment that enhanced his offensive capabilities. 

As for the Mana Drainer, he'd been using this weapon solely for its ability to replenish his MP. 

Once he no longer has a shortage of MP, it would be time to replace it.

[Minstrel's Leggings]

[Level: 10]

[Grade: Epic]

[Equipment Attributes Bonus:]

[Spirit +270]

[MP +1200]

[Defense +95]

[Agility +70]

[Skill: Wanderer's Homesickness (When moving towards a city, the player's movement speed is increased by 100%).]

Even if the unique effects of these two pieces of equipment weren't particularly useful to Howard, their fundamental attributes were impressively high. 

Gleefully, Howard slipped into the new gear, and instantly, his attributes surged exponentially.

With Howard's current stats, even using the most basic skills would likely produce effects far surpassing those of other students. 

He reckoned that tomorrow's leveling-up journey would undoubtedly be an intriguing one. 

How would they react upon discovering that the one they deemed a waste for having only an F-level talent awakening was, in fact, stronger than they were?

The night passed quietly, and Howard enjoyed a restful sleep. 

Yet, in the city of Adia, chaos reigned.

When Rick Suleiman received the information Howard mailed to him, his fury was uncontrollable. 

A burst of sword energy ravaged his surroundings, reducing his office to ruins and eliciting gasps of shock from many.

Upon learning of Abby's exceptional performance given her S-level talent awakening, Glyn's mentor immediately decided to spare no expense to recruit her to their academy, even personally leading a delegation to Soulspark Academy for enrollment.

And when Caitlin handed over the potion to the Church, three high-ranking red-robed archbishops were alarmed. 

They discreetly took Caitlin away, teleporting her to the distant headquarters of the Church...

However, Howard remained oblivious to all these events. 

Waking up bright and early, he got ready and headed to the agreed-upon location, looking forward to the uncharted journey ahead!