SSS Ranked Awakening: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 436: First Floor of Ascension Tower—5
Previously on SSS Ranked Awakening: All My Skills Are at Level 100...
Leon stood poised for the fourth trial, his body still humming with residual power. He hadn't even deactivated his Mana Body Enhancement, as maintaining it barely taxed him given his swift recovery rate.
'Let's see what comes next,' he mused.
FLASH! MATERIALIZE!
A colossal, imposing figure materialized before him in the arena's center.
It was an orc, a truly massive specimen standing at least three meters tall, clad in resplendent silver armor that accentuated its powerful physique. A gargantuan war hammer rested casually upon its broad shoulders.
However, unlike the goblins encountered previously, this creature hovered effortlessly several meters above the ground, gazing down upon Leon with an air of unmistakable superiority.
Its eyes blazed with lethal intent.
ROAR!
The orc unleashed a thunderous war cry that vibrated through the very atmosphere.
Leon had already scanned its information the moment it appeared:
[Trial Orc - Sage Rank]
'Sage Rank. So the difficulty is scaling into the next cultivation tier entirely,' he thought.
Yet, Leon immediately recognized it wasn't a standard baseline Sage rank combatant. There existed considerable disparities within the Sage rank cultivation stages—early, mid, late, and peak phases each represented significant power gaps.
Through his combat instincts and heightened perception, Leon could discern its power level hovering around the mid-period Sage rank by Pyrrhan standards, a level he'd become acquainted with through Ira and Archon Vyrra's people.
Nevertheless, having not personally encountered human race Sage rank cultivators in the outside world yet, he surmised this orc likely represented the peak power for typical human Sages, considering racial differences.
'Humans are generally weaker physically than other races at the same rank,' he acknowledged.
Leon could sense and evaluate power through his instincts, but it was more accurate to credit one of his numerous mastered skills: Mana Sight.
This ability enabled him to perceive mana flow patterns within entities and gauge mana density with remarkable precision.
He possessed a substantial repertoire of skills honed through intense training that he hadn't extensively deployed in actual combat scenarios. Typically, he relied on formidable techniques or higher-tier skills to conclude battles swiftly and effectively.
'But Mana Sight is one I've started using quite often recently. It's invaluable for assessment,' he confirmed to himself.
He had resolved to begin integrating a broader spectrum of his diverse skill arsenal into his combat methodology. Most of these skills had achieved proficiency levels around 90 or higher, nearing maximum mastery, thanks to his exceptionally rigorous training regimen.
'They're ready to be used properly. Time to test them in real combat,' he decided.
This orc was still outmatched, no different in that regard. However, Leon did perceive that the disparity in strength between the previous third-layer trial and this fourth layer was not as overwhelmingly drastic as before.
'Maybe around seven to eight times stronger. Not the hundred-fold overkill jump like earlier layers,' he calculated.
But then—
SURGE!
The hovering orc unleashed its own Transcendent Rank Mana Body Enhancement, a surge that Leon felt instantly through his augmented senses.
The pressure somewhat equalized.
'Ah. So now I've lost the natural suppression advantage my enhancement provided,' he realized.
According to cultivation rank standards, this was no longer a superficial challenge. These higher-level trials were genuinely escalating in difficulty and danger.
The colossal war hammer wielded by the giant orc began to crackle intensely with brilliant blue lightning, clearly emitting a Level 3 Thunder Aura that sparked and leaped across its surface.
'Level 3 aura. Legitimate master-level technique,' Leon observed.
Yet, Leon's expression remained entirely composed. It was indeed impressive—even he had to concede the skill involved in wielding such weapon mastery combined with Sage rank cultivation.
But that was the extent of it. Mere acknowledgment.
'Still not a threat,' he concluded.
Leon's gaze fixed upon the ferocious orc suspended above him, killing intent radiating from its eyes.
Then, his figure vanished entirely from its original location.
VANISH!
Where he had stood moments before, only a swirling spatial distortion remained, distorting the air like intense heat waves.
His form arrived directly behind the orc with almost instantaneous speed.
The creature reacted swiftly—its combat instincts were sharp, honed by whatever trial programming had created it.
But it proved entirely incapable of countering Leon's attack.
Leon was simply far too fast. The synergy of his Primordial Might passive ability—which rendered his physical prowess outrageously superior to others of the same rank—coupled with his active Mana Body Enhancement created a velocity that blurred the lines between movement and teleportation.
His blade, adorned with a distinct black sheen, sliced cleanly through the orc's thick neck as if cutting through soft butter.
It was Spatial Aura combined with Spatial Slash—one of the most lethal cutting techniques conceivable.
SLICE! The orc's head was severed from its body before it could even register the attack. However, the teleportation Leon employed was not his standard spatial one, mastered and controlled through his Rank 7 Space Element. Instead, he had utilized Void Step—one of the multitude of skills in his vast repertoire, now boasting Level 94 proficiency.