We must prepare for when the nightmare come again.
Learning about my new abilities certainly helped on that effort.
And I was not done learning yet.
The Sorcerer Soul greatly improved my magic capacity.
I had casted several Fourth Circle and Fifth Circle spells while testing my skills. But I was still not feeling any pressure on my mana vessel.
My seal's effect also played a significant part in causing this.
But that skill certainly played a major role as well.
It was now much easier for me to process magic formulas in my mind.
Complicated calculations that used to require my full attention could now be done instinctively while half-focused.
Advanced sorcery which required seven to ten steps could now be done in one to three.
My mastery over spell-casting was so great that I found ways to significantly reduce mana-cost for my magic.
I could now cast spells five times the amount I previously could and five times stronger as well.
Sorcerer Soul practically served as the foundation for my other skills.
It boosted the efficiency and effectiveness of my advanced supportive skills like Heaven's Eye, Alchemist Hands, and Divine Touch.
The skill facilitated the use of powerful abilities such as Dominion, Myriad Elemental Arts, Destructive Void Arts, and Ars Magna.
And together with Judgement Rain, I could cast many high-level spells at once.
All my skills resonated with each other and amplified each other's effects.
With them, I had now become five times the mage that I was before the fourth Quintal Trial.
But this was not the extent of my limit.
[Come.]
I chanted.
Right at that moment, a large book with the symbol of feathered wings on its cover manifested before me.
The book hovered in the air, suspended by a peculiar magic.
It was the Book of Malaikat we obtained from the 10th floor's subquest.
After the fourth Quintal Trial, this grimoire was now bonded to me.
I could feel its presence no matter where I was. And I could summon it always.
Quite a strange artifact.
Immensely useful as well.
[Book of Malaikat (S+) is taking effect!]
['Serafina (★★★★)'s intelligence has increased by 50% for a period of time!]
[The effects of Hero 'Serafina (★★★★)'s skills have been enhanced for a period of time!]
[The synergy between Hero 'Serafina (★★★★)'s skills has been enhanced for a period of time!]
The grimoire was able to enhance my stats and skills temporarily.
By temporary, it meant the entire duration while I was using the artifact.
Which meant as long as I wanted to.
Under the effects of both the grimoire and my current skills, I became eight times as strong as my previous self.
But even the grimoire and my skills relied heavily on one new aspect that I awakened at the end of the 20th floor's mission.
[Seal Slot: 1/1]
[1: Wings of Ananta (U, Lv.1)]
[The essence of the Eternal Serpent which hold the power of the universe.]
[Effect: All Stats +25%, Mana Overflow Resistance +50%, Fear Immunity, All attribute defenses +60%,]
[Exclusive Skill 1: Transformation]
[Exclusive Skill 2: Blessing of Malaikat]
[Exclusive Skill 3: Absolute Perpetuity]
A powerful seal granted by the Eternal Serpent itself.
Its effect greatly boosted my stats and provided me with significant protection.
However, the might of my seal lied on the special skills it provided.
My transformation skill allowed me to manifest wings on my back.
From what I observed so far, it worked similarly to Garudas' wings.
I could fly myself with it and I could use it as a shield and weapon.
On the 20th floor, I launched feather darts toward the chimera to keep it in place on the ground.
The feathers were able to penetrate through both of the chimera's magical and physical defense.
Those same defenses were able to withstand a Fifth Circle spell, which spoke a lot about the feathers' might.
I plucked one of the feathers and observed it studiously.
The feather of my seal's wings was not something formed by magic. It was not forged by some worldly material either.
The matter that composed the feather was something ethereal and transcendent.
It was probably why the chimera could not defend itself against the feathers.
They would pair well with my aether magic.
Also when sorcery failed me while facing an enemy, I now had an alternative skill I could turn to.
My seal also provided me with a protection skill.
The Absolute Perpetuity granted me temporary immunity against all sorts of attack.
I had seen it work on the 20th floor when I shielded my comrades while activating the skill.
The crucial thing about the ability was how long it could last each time.
When I tried it in training for the first time, I could only make the skill last for exactly one second. And I could no longer cast it again for the rest of the day.
That duration and limitation would drastically restrict the skill's usage in battle.
But I found a way to prolong the skill's duration.
['Serafina (★★★★)'s exclusive skill Blessing of Malaikat is activated!]
['Serafina (★★★★)'s physical state has been fully restored!]
['Serafina (★★★★)'s stats have been increased by 150% for a period of time!]
The Blessing of Malaikat temporarily enhanced my stats tremendously.
It was this skill that made all my feats on the 20th floor possible.
Under the skill's effect, I became at least fifteen to twenty times stronger than my previous self. Around twice to three times stronger than my current awakened and evolved self.
I could also become even stronger if I pushed myself further.
The Blessing of Malaikat gave me access to this infinite pool of power that I could draw from.
It was a transcendental energy which synergized with all my skills.
Under the Blessing of Malaikat, my wings became stronger and the effect of the feathers I used as projectiles was greatly enhanced.
The duration of the Absolute Perpetuity could also be extended by drawing power from the blessing.
There were many Seventh Circle spells and beyond within the Book of Malaikat which required the energy that the blessing provided.
It was truly an all-purpose energy.
The Blessing of Malaikat was basically an additional power source I could endlessly extract from.
But, of course, there was a huge drawback from this insanely useful skill.
Ordinary beings such as myself could not handle all the power the blessing provided.
It was impossible for me to take in all the energy even if I wanted to.
My body would eventually break down and shut off after taking in so much power.
That was what happened to me on the 20th floor.
I absorbed too much power from my blessing that I burned myself out in the process.
For that reason, I had to learn how much power I could receive from the blessing before I would reach my limit.
We were lucky that I passed out when the mission was over in the fourth Quintal Trial.
But what if eliminating the chimera was not the ultimate goal on the 20th floor?
My comrades would have to finish the rest of the mission by themselves while I was unconscious and useless like a corpse.
That must not happen in our future climb.
Doubtless, there would be dangerous situations in the middle of the mission where I had to use the blessing. Either eliminating powerful enemies, removing huge obstacles, or other emergencies.
But I needed to retain my consciousness and remained combat ready every time I finished using the blessing.
So I used my time experimenting with this special skill of mine.
The experiment took way longer than I expected.
For the first attempt, I tried to draw just a quarter of the amount of energy that I drew during the fourth Quintal Trial.
I passed out for three days after doing that.
Jonah checked on me when I missed dinner and brought me to my room to rest.
Once I woke up, I told him what I was trying to do and made him understand that I had to continue experimenting.
Jonah was not fond of the idea of me passing out frequently.
But he understood it had to be done.
On the second attempt, I reduced the power significantly and passed out for one day and a half.
I reduced it again and passed out for twenty hours on the third attempt.
Twelve hours on the fourth.
Eight hours on the fifth.
Six hours on the sixth.
Three hours on the seventh.
An hour and a half on the eighth.
Half an hour on the ninth.
Ten minutes on the tenth.
Four minutes on the eleventh.
Two minutes on the twelfth.
A minute on the thirteenth.
Half a minute on the fourteenth.
Blanking out for a good ten seconds on the fifteenth. Found myself on the floor when I came to.
Strong dizziness after using the skill on the sixteenth attempt. Collapsed on the floor but retained consciousness throughout the symptom.
Slight dizziness after the seventeenth attempt. Remained on my feet.
Minor headache after the eighteenth attempt. Consciousness, vision, and posture stable.
Exhaustion on the nineteenth attempt.
Slight exhaustion on the twentieth attempt.
Symptom free on the twenty-first attempt.
Slight exhaustion on the twenty-second attempt.
Symptom free on the twenty-third attempt.
Symptom free on the twenty-fourth attempt.
I finally discovered and confirmed my limit after experimenting on the blessing twenty-five times.