This system had clearly exceeded his expectations. In fact, Lein hadn't been confident he would succeed on his first attempt.
"Am I really this lucky?" he muttered softly, his eyes returning to the status screen.
He read through each option carefully, his voice trembling slightly with undisguised enthusiasm.
"Increasing duplication quantity tenfold... Hmm, intriguing." He tried to imagine the implications.
However, another thought crossed his mind. He vividly remembered a previous experience with an item called the Blessing Potion, which had usage limits.
Despite granting him an additional 100 attributes, the potion could only be used five times per individual.
"There's no guarantee I can keep using this ability indefinitely," he said, exhaling deeply.
Lein paused for a moment. He stared at the screen, but his thoughts wandered far beyond the numbers displayed. "Furthermore," he continued, "the direction of this talent's development might hinge on the upgrade path I choose now."
His gaze hardened, full of calculation. If he chose to increase duplication quantity, the options for enhancing quality or reducing cooldown might no longer be available in the future.
Silence enveloped the empty void, broken only by the soft sound of Lein's breathing. He tried to envision scenarios where he would urgently need a massive number of items in a short time.
"Duplicating 10,000 items is already incredible," he murmured, this time with a confident tone.
He imagined the God Promotion Elixir he possessed, an extraordinary item that allowed someone to ascend to the Emperor Level with a single dose. If he fully utilized this ability, humanity could develop at a pace rivaling the strongest races in the universe.
"In a single day, I can create 400,000 God Promotion Elixirs," he calculated carefully. "With the current population of 1.3 billion, it would only take me five days to make enough elixirs for all of humanity."
However, his calculations also showed that increasing the duplication quantity further was not urgent. At his current pace, he was already capable of achieving his goals within a reasonable timeframe.
Lein smiled faintly, a smile that reflected his confidence. "For now, duplicating 10,000 items is enough," he said before locking in his choice.
Next, his gaze shifted to the cooldown reduction option. He pondered the immediate effects of this ability: the shorter the interval between uses of the duplication talent, the more frequently he could utilize it. The consequences were clear—the number of duplicated items would increase significantly.
However, Lein realized something. "This effect essentially serves the same purpose as increasing the duplication quantity," he muttered softly, his voice echoing in the silent space.
Both options, though through different means, offered the same end result: stacks of items in a shorter time frame. He crossed his arms over his chest, contemplating scenarios where a shorter cooldown would be genuinely useful.
A memory of his battle against Mharzan in the elemental formation trial realm came to mind. At that time, he had only a brief window to act but couldn't duplicate more than one item before his opponent caught on to his trick.
Lein sighed deeply, recalling how he had missed a golden opportunity to turn the tide. "If only I could have duplicated two items simultaneously back then…" he murmured, his voice tinged with regret.
Yet, he quickly shook his head, as if dispelling the thought. "No," he said firmly. "Cooldown isn't a priority right now." With a resolute decision, he turned his attention to the quality enhancement option.
Lein carefully read the third option: a 10% chance to enhance item quality. He scoffed lightly. "10% might seem significant, but it's not as high as it looks," he remarked, his voice laced with skepticism. To him, the figure felt more like a trap than a genuine opportunity.
He tried to visualize how this effect would work. "Will all 10,000 items have their quality enhanced simultaneously?" he wondered, tapping his chin with his fingertip.
"Or just one item?" The system provided no detailed explanation, leaving Lein with numerous unanswered questions.
Nevertheless, despite his doubts, this choice still intrigued him. Images of high-quality elixirs and weapons with enhanced abilities began to fill his mind. Even with a small chance, he knew that quality often mattered more than quantity in critical situations.
With growing determination, he spoke to himself, "Despite the risks, quality enhancement is more valuable than the other two options."
[Congratulations, the talent (Infinity Duplicate - SSS - Version 2) has been successfully upgraded to Version 3]
"Version 3," Lein said enthusiastically. He then immediately opened his talent panel.
(Infinity Duplicate - Version 3)
- Duplicate 1 item into 10,000
- 10% chance to enhance item quality
- Cooldown: 30 minutes
Lein carefully studied each line of information. A wide smile slowly spread across his face. "So, both abilities are active simultaneously," he said in a satisfied tone, as though confirming a fact few people would understand. "This… is incredible."
However, he didn't let his excitement get the better of him. "Calm down, Lein," he reminded himself with a wise tone. "This is only the first step. There are still thousands of crystals stored in my inventory. There's so much more potential to unlock."
Slowly, he pulled out a new crystal from his spatial ring. The gentle light of the crystal reflected in his eyes, giving an impression of mystery and hope. His hand moved carefully, gripping the item as he directed his thoughts to confirm the next enhancement attempt.
But before pressing the confirmation, his gaze fell on the description displayed on the screen. Lein squinted, reading the text carefully. A new thought crossed his mind, sparking even deeper curiosity.
A rare item that grants the opportunity to acquire or enhance talents. If the user already has a talent, the existing talent will be upgraded.
- Success rate: 22.5%.
"What? It dropped to 22.5%," Lein said, puzzled.
"What's going on? Why did the success rate decrease by 10%?" Lein kept questioning, confused. There had been no prior explanation that the success rate would drop.