Athena in Tower Defense Game! [LitRPG]

Chapter 99: Breakthrough!

【 Congratulations! You have defeated the opponent. Attribute points can now exceed the limit! 】

The system notification echoed in her ears, but Athena's blood continued to flow, and soon she felt everything go black as she lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, she was back in her room. Reaching out, she no longer felt warm blood but the soft fabric of her sofa. The warmth of the fire slowly revived her, the sensation of blood loss lingering vividly.

During her battle with Alfred, she had completely forgotten it was just a simulated scenario. Her only thought was survival. Despite her efforts, the outcome had been mutual destruction. Fortunately, it was merely a simulation; otherwise, she would have died on that cold city wall regardless of victory.

Her mission had been a success. Though slightly different from her expectations, the result was positive. She had saved hundreds of silver coins, allowing her to purchase more supplies.

【 Please ensure you are within a safe range! 】
【 Barrier breakthrough will commence in three minutes! 】
【 The pod has been delivered to your mailbox. Please place it securely! 】

Urgent, blood-red notifications flashed repeatedly. Frowning, Athena opened the system panel and saw the pod mentioned in the email. It resembled a futuristic gaming pod, sleek and silver, exuding a sense of power. Placing it on the carpet, the glass cover automatically opened, inviting her inside.

【 Please enter the pod! 】

Athena took a deep breath. Everything she had done led to this moment. Without hesitation, she climbed in and lay down. The glass cover slowly closed. The interior was lined with soft leather, providing a sense of comfort and tranquility.

The pod was spacious, easily accommodating her, and could even fit two people. She then felt a viscous liquid rising from the bottom, gradually submerging her hands, then her body, until her entire face was underwater.

Despite being submerged, she could breathe easily, feeling as if she were floating among clouds. Just as she was drifting, numerous tubes with needles emerged, snakelike in their agility, inserting themselves into various parts of her body. They began to pump an unknown fluid into her veins.

Suddenly, Athena felt a violent sense of suffocation. Her eyes snapped open, mouth agape, and she tried to push away, only to be restrained by the tubes. This transformation was more thorough and painful than any previous remolding of her flesh and bones.

The clear viscous liquid gradually turned blood-red. She could see nothing but crimson. Pain radiated from every part of her body, her pulse racing beyond normal limits.

"Thump, thump, thump!" Her heart pounded more urgently, blood surging as if it would explode the next moment.

At a certain moment, her heart suddenly stopped, then resumed its normal rhythm. The pain in Athena's body gradually receded, ebbing away like a tide.

The glass cover of the pod opened, and Athena sat up abruptly, pressing her hands against the walls of the pod. She clutched her chest, gasping for breath. Glancing down, she saw that she was completely dry, with no traces of blood. The mysterious liquid and tubes inside the pod had vanished.

Paopao and the others, who had been standing by, watched her curiously. Athena looked around, noting that everything seemed unchanged, though she felt different. Once she stepped out of the pod, it was automatically retrieved by the system.

【 Barrier breakthrough complete! 】

【 Congratulations to player Big Dream for becoming the first player in this region to break through the barrier. Reputation increased by 100 points! 】

【 Announce to the entire region? Yes/No 】

"No"

Athena assessed her body, feeling no significant changes. She lightly tapped her toes on the ground and effortlessly leaped to the other side of the room without making a sound. Unlike previous power-ups, this time her increased strength felt natural and seamlessly integrated.

She opened her system panel and saw that the plus signs had reappeared next to her attributes, indicating she could upgrade them again. Her accumulated potential had resulted in a higher attribute point increase than before.

Simultaneously, her Hunter title, crucial in regional battles, had turned permanently gray from overuse. Reflecting on the numerous giant bees and monsters she had slain, she noticed the system hadn't awarded her any experience points. She allocated her remaining experience points evenly across her attributes.

Name: Athena
Experience: 50
Title: Proactive Warrior
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Strength: 6 (↑)
Speed: (↑)
Agility: (↑)
Mental Power: (↑)

Skills:

Enhance lv6 (↑1): Adds strength to weapons, causing an extra 10 points of damage per attribute point. Low chance to inflict severe injury, very low chance to trigger an instant kill.
Hunter lv6 (↑1): Enhances leg power, increasing burst speed by 20%. Cooldown: 10 hours per use.
Flexible lv5: Greatly increases body flexibility, allowing for complex maneuvers and minor facial bone adjustments.
Calm Mind lv5: Quickly calms the user at any time, resisting mental debuffs during combat, and increasing efficiency by 15% out of combat. Cooldown: 24 hours, Duration: 2 hours.
War Queen (Non-upgradable): When the number of teammates exceeds 3, they receive a 10% boost in mental power and a courage buff. When commanding over 500 soldiers, they become 50% resistant to mental attacks, gain a courage buff, and +1 to strength.

As expected, familiar pain returned, but Athena was much more composed this time. She leaned back on the sofa, realizing that training her mental power through fireball exercises had led to the fastest growth in this attribute.

She tested her previously uncoordinated limbs, finding that the more control she had over her body, the less time she needed to adapt to the new power. In less than a minute, she had fully adjusted and integrated the new strength.

The three little creatures huddled around her, bored. She glanced at her backpack, filled with arrows and remaining silver coins, realizing she was wealthy once again.