"So there's also guidance for Mana Combat Techniques?"
Hearing the choice that Eriedi had offered, Shi Feng found himself hesitating.
He was no stranger to Mana Combat Techniques. They were magic application techniques available only to those who had reached a Tier 3 Class and unlocked the Mana Body — much like Combat Skills, they belonged to the Divine Realm's arsenal of combat arts.
The difference was that Combat Skills were about the physical application of one's body, while Mana Combat Techniques were about the application of mana itself.
Very few people in the Divine Realm could use Mana Combat Techniques, however, because the techniques had been lost to time. Unlike Combat Skills, which at least had some surviving lineages of inheritance, the inheritance of Mana Combat Techniques had been almost entirely severed. Players had to rely on their own comprehension and exploration to uncover them.
Even after ten years of playing the Divine Realm, Shi Feng had never managed to learn a single Mana Combat Technique.
If he hadn't witnessed Eriedi's Three Swords, he would have unhesitatingly chosen the guidance to unlock the Epic Mana Body. In his previous life, he had seen some experts use Mana Combat Techniques, and their power hadn't been all that impressive — they mainly enhanced the usage of magical skills, hardly as helpful in combat as Combat Skills.
But now he could see that wasn't the case at all.
A Tier 3 Class could unleash power at the absolute limit of Tier 4 — who knew how many times more powerful that was compared to a Bronze Rank Combat Skill.
Of course, the Mana Combat Technique Eriedi had used must have been at an extraordinarily high level to achieve that, but at least now he had some idea of how formidable Mana Combat Techniques truly were.
If he could learn Eriedi's Third Sword — Holy Annihilation — he would truly be able to walk sideways through the Divine Realm.
Crossing tiers in battle typically required the aid of Legendary-grade items, and the higher the tier, the more capable one became of fighting above one's station. The gap between Tier 3 and Tier 4 was already enormous, let alone overcoming it entirely.
He had never even heard of such a thing being done before.
On the other hand, unlocking the Mana Body was simply a matter of investing enough time. Even an Epic Mana Body could be unlocked to 100% eventually.
"You have thirty seconds to consider. If you do not make a decision, it will be taken as a forfeiture. This is your only chance, so I hope you think carefully." Eriedi gazed at Shi Feng as she spoke in a measured tone.
As soon as she finished, a system notification chimed in Shi Feng's ears, and a countdown began, ticking away second by second.
Thirty seconds…
Twenty-five seconds…
Twenty seconds…
Each tick hammered at him like the countdown to death.
The opportunity to obtain a Mana Combat Technique would only come once. Moreover, if he mastered it, he could go on to teach others — the benefit to Zero Wing's future would be immense.
But breaking through the 100% shackles of an Epic Mana Body could only be accomplished with Eriedi's guidance. On his own, his chances of breaking past 100% were essentially zero.
"You have ten seconds left to decide." Seeing Shi Feng lost in deep thought, Eriedi spoke up to remind him.
Her reminder didn't pull Shi Feng out of his reverie — if anything, his mind became even more active.
"You have five seconds remaining." Eriedi spoke again. "Make your choice!"
Facing Eriedi's final reminder, Shi Feng snapped back to awareness and drew a deep breath.
"Lady Eriedi, I have decided to choose the guidance for the Mana Body!" Shi Feng said with absolute conviction.
"Are you certain?" Eriedi looked at him and asked once more.