SSS Ranked Awakening: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 329: Taming Mythical Armor

Right after savoring his victory and newfound power, Leon suddenly remembered something important—the hundreds of luminescent whitish mana cores he had collected when traveling to the middle domain from the Forbidden Mist.

He was very close to level 20 now, sitting at level 19. Crossing level 20 would mean entering the next cultivation rank—the Master’s rank—so he might as well try absorbing them since he was so tantalizingly close to that threshold.

With just a thought, he took all the cores out of his inventory. They materialized in the air around him, floating like ghostly orbs—a little over one hundred in total.

Their size was much, much smaller compared to the Coreborn monster’s massive core. Each one was roughly the size of a baseball, glowing with that characteristic pale luminescence he remembered from the mist creatures.

WHUMMM!

He started the absorption process at once, targeting ten cores simultaneously to speed up the process. The energy flowed into him rapidly, and within seconds, all ten had been completely drained and crumbled to dust.

However, after the absorption was complete—which took mere seconds—Leon paused and assessed himself.

There was not much difference. Almost imperceptible, really. The energy gain felt like a drop in an ocean compared to what Morpheus’s core had provided.

He understood immediately, his enhanced intelligence making the calculation trivial.

The energy requirement for his next level must have increased dramatically after crossing into the Journeyman rank. These cores, which might have been valuable to him weeks ago, were now practically worthless for his personal advancement.

Without much thought, he stored them all back inside his inventory with a mental command.

He knew that for normal cultivators who didn’t have the same affinity as the core’s source monster, the absorption process was incredibly inefficient—more than ninety percent of the energy went to waste during conversion.

But he didn’t care about that inefficiency.

He remembered she was just one level away from Journeyman rank—still at level 10, on the cusp of level 11. If she could absorb these cores, even with the massive energy waste, she might be able to level up at least once or twice. That would push her into the Journeyman rank alongside him.

The thought made him smile slightly. Helping Seraphine grow stronger felt almost as satisfying as his own advancement.

But now there was something else demanding his attention—something he’d been both eager and nervous to examine.

He vividly remembered what had happened to Morpheus when the monster had merely touched the outer casing of the armor. Those golden-crimson flames had consumed its hand in seconds, forcing it to sever its own limb to survive.

With just a thought from his mind, he commanded his inventory to release the mythical armor.

WHUMMM! SHIMMER!

The crystalline case materialized before him, floating at chest height. The crystalsteel casing caught the ambient light of the dimension, refracting it in dazzling patterns. Inside, the Dragonblood Vanguard Armor gleamed with that magnificent crimson and gold coloring.

Leon couldn’t help but think about how absurdly expensive this thing had been.

That massive expenditure meant he no longer had anywhere near the amount needed to buy the Cradle Seed of Elements he’d been hoping to purchase eventually—a divine item that could increase his elemental rank over time.

Leon went on full alert immediately. He activated all his enhancements—Mana Body Enhancement, Raijin’s Descent, Frostmail Guard. His defensive abilities layered over each other, and he prepared to teleport away and heal himself at any moment if something went wrong.

The image of those flames consuming obsidian flesh was burned into his memory.

His regeneration capabilities, combined with his life element mastery, gave him confidence that even severe burns could be recovered from.

Slowly, deliberately, Leon moved his hand forward toward the crystalline enclosure. His fingers extended, trembling slightly with tension, expecting the violent, fiery attack that had destroyed the monster’s limb.

His fingertips made contact with the glass surface.

TOUCH...

Nothing happened.

No flames. No burning. No pain.

The only thing he noticed was that the strange enclosure was slightly warm to the touch—pleasantly so, like sun-warmed stone.

Relief and confusion warred in his mind. Why had the armor’s defenses activated so violently against Morpheus but not against him?

Then suddenly, he heard a voice.

It came directly into his mind—not through his ears, but transmitted telepathically with perfect clarity. The voice was deep and crisp, ancient beyond measure, oozing authority and pride with every syllable.

Not only that, but Leon felt an unexpected quality to the voice. He could listen to this voice for hours without fatigue. It was really soothing, almost hypnotic in its resonance, like the rumbling of distant thunder mixed with the warmth of a protective guardian.

"Oh! Weak but interesting."

The voice paused, seeming to examine him with invisible senses.

"You will do. You are more than worthy, Young Primordial."

Another pause, this one carrying weight and significance.

"Break the flimsy glass, and this great one’s wisdom and power will be yours to command."

Leon absorbed everything the voice had said, his enhanced mind processing the implications rapidly.

He also knew how to communicate directly into someone’s mind—he had learned the technique by copying it from the Frost Kirin during their confrontation. He could respond the same way.

Focusing his thoughts, Leon projected his question telepathically.

However, no answer came.

Only silence greeted his inquiry, heavy and absolute.

He tried asking again, rephrasing his questions.

Still nothing. Just that same impenetrable silence.

For a couple of minutes, Leon continued attempting to communicate, asking variations of the same questions from different angles. But the result was always identical—no response whatsoever.

But one thing was abundantly obvious from what the voice had said, and Leon felt quite proud about it.

That much he understood clearly, the intent transmitted along with the words themselves.

Just the thought of how much stronger he would become after obtaining this armor made his pulse quicken. The defensive capabilities alone would be incredible, but that set bonus—temporary dragon wings for flight—that opened up entirely new tactical possibilities.

Leon unsheathed his trusted epic-ranked sword with a smooth motion. The blade sang as it left the scabbard—

SHING!

—but there was something different this time.

The sword was buzzing in his hands, vibrating with excitement. It had been so long since the epic-ranked weapon had reminded him of its presence, its consciousness stirring from dormancy.

The blade appeared eager to cut through the weird glass, keeping its Master away from the new mythical armor, as if it understood instinctively that this would elevate both of them.

Leon decided to put everything into this attack. He couldn’t wait to get his majestic mythical armor, and there was practical urgency as well—only half a minute remained before the temporary rank increase from his Elemental Surge skill would expire.

All his Auras wrapped around the sword in that familiar chaotic spiral—Space, Lightning, Ice, and Wind combining into a devastating cocktail of destruction. The blade became almost too bright to look at directly, energy crackling and hissing along its length.

CRACKLE! WHOOOOSH! HUMMM!

His King’s Touch skill activated at full force, amplifying the strike’s power to its absolute maximum potential—level one hundred refinement, making his sword technique transcendent.

He deliberately chose not to use Frost Fang this time. That technique was designed for soul attacks, and he absolutely didn’t want to accidentally hurt the armor’s consciousness. The last thing he needed was to damage his new equipment before even wearing it.

Just raw destructive power. Nothing that could harm a soul or consciousness.

Leon raised his sword high above his head, every muscle in his enhanced body coiling like springs. His mystical eyes locked onto the crystalline enclosure with perfect focus. Light crackled faintly along his fingertips, tracing frost patterns up his arm.

And then he struck with full power, unleashing his Skybreaker Draw technique with every ounce of strength he possessed.

The air bent inward, crackling as his blade carved through space itself—then, with a thunderclap of intent, he swung.

SLASH!

The blade descended—