Floating Island - Triple S Talent

"Mother, Nima will be fine. You don't need to worry too much," said the young man, trying to reassure his mother. However, the worry on the middle-aged woman's face hadn't completely disappeared.

"Yes, Son, I know. But she has never gone through something like this before," she replied softly, though the unease in her tone was still evident.

The young man clenched his fists, guilt weighing heavily on his mind. "This is all my fault. If only I had gone with her when she went exploring, this wouldn't have happened."

He paused for a moment, recalling when Nima had asked him to come along, but he had declined because of an important task from his team. Upon hearing the news that his sister had an accident, he abandoned the mission without a second thought and rushed to the hospital.

"It's not your fault."

A deep and calm voice suddenly came from behind the door. They both turned simultaneously, and a man in pristine white attire entered the room. On his chest gleamed a platinum badge, a symbol of honor and strength.

The man stepped closer to the bed, his sharp yet caring eyes examining Nima's condition. His face was kind, but a strong aura of leadership surrounded him.

"You?" Nima's mother and brother said almost in unison. They looked surprised but quickly exchanged glances, confirming they hadn't mistaken the man's identity.

Their gazes fell on the badge on his chest, and it took only a moment to connect the dots. There was no doubt—the man standing before them was Captain Haze, a legendary figure revered throughout the nation.

"Captain Haze," the young man said, his voice filled with excitement, respect clearly visible on his face.

Haze, the man in white with the shining platinum badge on his chest, stood beside the hospital bed. His attentive gaze swept over Nima, the young woman lying weakly on the bed.

His eyes scanned her from head to toe as if ensuring no injuries or symptoms were overlooked. His breathing was steady, but his movements showed a profound sense of caution. After finishing his examination, he turned to face the three anxious family members across the bed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"You don't need to worry," Haze said in a calm yet confident tone. "She will be fine."

As he spoke, Haze followed up with surprising information. "Her treatment will be fully covered by the alliance. Additionally, your family will receive compensation."

The room fell silent for a moment. Nima's brother, his brow furrowed in confusion, finally spoke, "Is that true, Captain? How is something like this even possible?" As far as he knew, the alliance never provided such compensation, even in cases of accidents. Usually, personal risks were borne individually.

Haze, still with his neutral expression, replied, "I don't know the exact details either. But this is a direct order from above. I'm simply carrying out what's been instructed."

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The family fell silent again, this time in relief. A small smile began to form on Nima's mother's face, while her brother looked as though he wanted to ensure this wasn't a dream. However, what they didn't know was that behind all of this was Lein, who had given direct orders to the alliance to ensure Nima's safety and provide appropriate compensation to her family.

***

The Tree of Life Source – Inside the Tree Trunk

Amid the profound silence, Lein stood in a room filled with glowing panels. The panels radiated a calming energy, but beneath Lein's sharp gaze, frustration simmered. Before him, an orb floating in the air shone with varying intensities.

"What is this?! A hundred nature crystals?!" Lein shouted inwardly, resisting the urge to smash the panel in front of him.

Moments earlier, Lein had just upgraded the branch orb on the Guardian panel. The process had been smooth up to level nine, with each upgrade requiring a number of nature crystals corresponding to the level being reached. Two crystals for level two, three for level three, and so on. But everything changed when Lein attempted to elevate the orb to level ten.

The number displayed on the screen made his eyes widen. "A hundred nature crystals?" he muttered this time in a more controlled voice, though the anger was still evident in the furrow of his brow.

Lein stared at the panel again. His mind raced for a solution. On one hand, he knew that this upgrade would significantly impact defense and resource management. However, the enormous consumption made him hesitate. Nature crystals were not easy to obtain, even with his unique talents.

[Resource Trunk]

-Level: 10

-Production Rate: 20k/hour

-Monster Level Cap: 30

-Chest Cap: Gold Chest

-Monster Race Cap: Low-tier races

*Note: The next upgrade requires 100 nature crystals and unlocks new features.

Lein stared at the panel with a face full of frustration. "Damn it, what kind of cursed system is this?" he muttered irritably. His remaining nature crystals were down to just 29—a number far from sufficient. Earlier, he had 78 crystals, but 55 were consumed to upgrade the Resource Branch Orb to level 10. The rest, 4 crystals, were used to upgrade 4 other branch orbs to level 2.

He took a deep breath and crossed his arms. Lein's gaze shifted toward a pile of glimmering nature crystals in the distance. There were over 10,000 crystals, but they felt utterly useless.

"I have more than 10,000 crystals here," he said bitterly, "but I can't upgrade this orb without them being absorbed by the Guardian Panel."

His mind raced. For the first time, Lein felt that the talent he had always relied on was not very effective against this resource tree system.

Hmmm

Lein paused for a moment. An idea slowly began to take shape in his mind. He raised a finger in the air, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Hmmm..." he muttered as he turned toward a pentagonal pillar in the center of the room—the Guardian Panel.

He stood before the pillar, examining its details. The soft glow of the orb at the top of the pillar reflected his face. Without hesitation, Lein activated the duplication talent panel he possessed.

A notification appeared.

[You are about to duplicate the Guardian Panel 10k times. Are you sure? Yes/No.]

Without hesitation, he selected "Yes."

Out of nowhere, pentagonal panels began appearing in the air. In an instant, the tree trunk floor was filled with sturdy pentagonal pillars, each topped with a transparent floating orb.

Several orbs began to shine brightly. The light pulsed like a heartbeat, spreading slowly to every corner of the room. Lein watched the phenomenon with glowing eyes.

"Amazing... This can actually happen?" he whispered to himself.

He observed further. The nature crystals near the panels began to glow as if connected to the nearest panels. The absorption process of the nature crystals was proceeding at an incredible speed, leaving Lein in awe.