Chapter 257

That inexplicable reservoir holding her Carnal Energy had surged a staggering amount—and that was despite how she had burned through [Empowers] without hesitation. The chieftain’s shard of Greed had granted even more of that precious resource than she had expected.

“It’s a lot?” Jordan guessed by the expression on her face.

“Uh, yeah,” Natalie said. “Twice as much as the raid leader, if not more.”

“Not surprising. The Raid Leader was strong, but we could handle him. That chieftain was ... something else.”

“Had two levels on you,” Natalie grunted. “And one on me. Would’ve been tough even without Greed. So yeah.”

Which had been why she’d taken that risky gambit of hers, she didn’t repeat aloud.

“What’cha gonna use it on?” Jordan asked. “[Juggernaut]?”

Even as they spoke, another of Liz’s heals washed through her—the weakest yet. They were hitting the point of heavily diminishing returns, where the effects were muted by at least a factor of ten, leaving them limp and ineffective. She’d be walking home sore, that was certain.

“That’s the no-brainer,” Natalie agreed. “It’s a passive, and a strong one that’s always in use. Woulda done it last time, but we’d figured [Empower] would go further.”

And that had been the right choice, with [Empower] the star of that climactic fight. [Smite] might have been the flashy finishing move, but its power had come from [Empower], and so had [Hunker Down]’s, which had created the opening for [Smite] in the first place.

[Juggernaut]: Progression advanced from 2 to 3.

[Juggernaut] - PASSIVE. PROGRESSION 3. Class-bearer receives {2.0x}bonus to furor, applied after all other bonuses.

Strength suffused her as the skill progressed to its third stage. Previously, it had been a one-point-six multiplier. Going up to two times meant a twenty-five percent permanent, ongoing increase to her strength—and all other physical aspects associated with the Furor stat.

Despite the aches across her body and feeling generally worn down, Natalie’s lips turned up in excitement. Not a bad upgrade at all.

She relayed the information to her team. Sofia was shaking her head by the time she’d finished. “You were already starting to crush everyone in our class,” she said. “And now you’ll be coming back another level up, and with a twenty-five percent boost on top of that? You’ll demolish them.”

“Looking forward to testing it out,” Natalie agreed with a grin.

“How much did that use?” Jordan asked. “What’s left?”

“Carnal Energy? Not much. A third, ish?” She rubbed her chin. “I think I’ll go for [Bigger is Better] next. And if I have enough left over, [Smite].”

“Going for personal upgrades this time around?” Jordan asked.

There was the alternative option of taking [Stylish] up a tier, which might be the better team play since it would affect all of them—including herself. But Natalie grimaced. “I didn’t like being so useless against that thing,” she said. “I get that I won’t always be stronger than anything we go up against, especially bosses, but they shouldn’t be able to catch my hammer and rip it out of my hands.” The experience had unsettled her more than she would admit.

“They’re your points,” Jordan said. “And I don’t think there are any bad choices. None of us will be upset with our tank turning into even more of a battering ram.”

Natalie couldn’t help but glance around to see if anyone disagreed, but she received shrugs and nods. [Stylish] would be her next target, but honestly, she did want to use her points selfishly this time around.

[Bigger Is Better]: Progression advanced from 2 to 3.

[Bigger Is Better] - PASSIVE. PROGRESSION 3. Oversized weapons receive {significant}bonuses to offensive power and are {greatly}easier to maneuver.

As the upgrade went through, Liz’s next heal suffused her.