12-Month Interest-Free (SS level): Every arrow or bullet you fire into the target's body restores 10% of their health. There is no cap on the healing amount, but the target must repay the same amount of health within the next 12 hours. After 12 hours, for every five-minute delay, the repayment amount increases by 50%. Each time you empower an arrow or bullet, it costs 50 mana points, takes 1 second to cast, and has no cooldown.
The beauty of this skill lies in the fact that the "loan" is issued by Rita, but the repayment falls on the target...
Moreover, this skill can be prepared in advance. Rita spent several sleepless nights empowering 2,000 arrows with this ability. When these healing arrows are shot into a target, they instantly turn into healing light and disappear inside the target's body.
So, even if all other healing skills are on cooldown, as long as there are arrows in her quiver, no player on the field will die. What's even more terrifying is that they've become so accustomed to not dodging Maple Burn's arrows.
Rita unilaterally declared that the true treasure of High Tower was undoubtedly Maple Syrup.
In the year Ruincore 7201, Maple Cang was assassinated by an alliance of foreign races and traitorous owlbears within the ranks of the Afternoon Tea. At the time of the attack, there was also a high-ranking owlbear leader present. Maple Burn was there, but more than half of the owlbears on site had been saved by that high-ranking leader. Compared to Maple Cang, they had much more respect for that leader.
Together, they forced Maple Burn to abandon Maple Cang and resurrect the high-ranking owlbear leader.
The 12-year-old owlbear was surrounded. They counted Maple Cang's contributions, and everything pointed to the fact that saving Feng Heng (the high-ranking leader) was far more valuable than saving Maple Cang. Feng Heng was the only SS-ranked being in Afternoon Tea aside from Maple Syrup.
This was a battlefield, not a limited participant dungeon, and there were at least 3,000 elite owlbears present, all with levels 2-3 higher than Rita's.
Rita didn't argue. She stayed by Maple Cang's body, which had been kicked to a corner, using the perfect terrain to defend for 7 minutes with her rudimentary Cheers and the combat skills she had learned from Maple Syrup, Maple Mu, and Maple Cang over the years. She kept up the fight and survived long enough until Maple Mu arrived.
By the time Rita fell, her wings were nearly hacked in half.
She longed for her One-Person Party... If only she could steal attribute points, these rookies wouldn't be so arrogant...
All her healing skills had already been used up. She took out a healing arrow, stabbed herself, replenished her health, and continued guarding Maple Cang's body while firing arrows to heal Maple Mu.
Maple Mu slaughtered at least half of the owlbears present, and used Cheers to smash Feng Heng's body to pieces. The remaining owlbears fled the scene and exited Afternoon Tea as they ran.
After what seemed like an eternity, Maple Mu, covered in blood, came over. Under her protection, Rita finally used I Say Cotton Candy Has Not Expired Until It's Expired on Maple Cang. Five minutes later, Maple Cang opened her eyes.
She looked at Rita, whose wings were now nearly half gone, and a flicker of wild joy flashed in her eyes. After a long pause, she smiled with reddened eyes and said, "Looks like I'm late again."
Three days later, Maple Syrup returned from the world battlefield and issued a pursuit order for over a thousand fleeing owlbears. She brought their heads back to Afternoon Tea. Maple Syrup had managed to upgrade her Butter Beer skill to SSS level.
It was time for her to trim the branches.
She held the healed Maple Cang and Rita in her arms and asked them which skills they wanted to turn into Upgradeable skills.
Maple Mu: "Speak properly!"
Rita leaned into Maple Syrup's embrace and loudly said, "All of them!"
Maple Cang also chimed in: "All of them!"
Maple Mu sighed and shook her head.
Maple Syrup smiled and hugged Maple Cang and Rita. She then took out nine maple leaves and handed them to her three daughters. "Each of you can use three of these. Choose wisely. All skills can be upgraded, except for Divine Gift."
Rita took three of the leaves, each containing a skill.
Upgrade Cup: This item can turn a specific skill into Upgradeable status. As you continue to use and understand it, the skill will break its limits. After using it, the skill's current level will drop by one.
This item couldn't be taken out of High Tower, and Rita immediately used one of the leaves on her Who Will Cut the Moonlight skill.
She still had two more leaves to think about how to use.
What she had gained from this exchange was not just the three Upgrade Cups.
In the year Ruincore 7203, on "Maple Burn's" birthday, Maple Syrup, Maple Mu, and Maple Cang gifted Rita an SS-level escape skill as her 14th birthday present.
Dandelion Blow (SS level): Instantly transform into a million dandelions. Wherever the wind blows, the path beneath your feet forms. The wind cannot be stopped, and neither can you. This skill has no mana cost, but the dandelions will take damage, which will be reflected back onto you. Cooldown time: 30 minutes.
This is an advanced version of Mist Reach, which not only allows you to escape but can also be used defensively when needed.
Rita immediately used her second Upgrade Cup on this skill.
However, Rita also died that year, on the day after her 14th birthday.
That day, she woke up, went out to pick fruits, and was planning to make some dried plums. Not long ago, Maple Cang had given her a recipe for dried plums, and eating them could prevent her from being interrupted by time stop skills.
But as she flew out of the wooden house, she saw Maple Cake, whose expression was eerily calm. She had been waiting for this day for a long, long time.
This was Rita's second death since entering the tower...
At that moment, Rita could have escaped in countless ways, even using her newly obtained Dandelion Blow to survive.
But sadly... it was the year Ruincore 7203, the exact year Maple Burn was destined to die according to history. The time seemed to line up perfectly with the time when Maple Burn had died in the past.
No matter whether Rita wanted to or not, Maple Burn had to leave. Moreover, Maple Cake was clearly prepared for this.
Rita only had time to use her last Upgrade Cup on the S-level skill Silent Hill, and before she knew it, her health was drained by Maple Cake.
As she fell, she saw the sad, desperate, and numb eyes of Maple Mu. She also saw Maple Cang, whose eyes held pain, but beneath that pain, there was a trace of anticipation and joy.