Half a minute later, the residual sparks of electricity in this part of the forest finally vanished.
After healing Xiaoye, Su Chen didn’t immediately go to the Bear Cave to investigate. The most important thing right now was to collect the Rune Essences dropped by the thunder bear.
Upon sensing movement from bear cubs inside the cave, the two Netherworld War Dog doppelgangers that Xiaoye had split off had already rushed inside.
As far as Su Chen knew, the people at the entire campsite had killed a total of three giant bears.
As representatives of the highest combat power they had discovered so far, each one was extraordinarily significant.
He himself had personally blasted a Fire Bear to death on the bridge. The other two had died one after another in the camp’s river channel, killed by a carefully prepared gas canister explosion trap.
And the fall of each giant bear was a magnificent gift.
Because of this, it had even caused a very unpleasant dispute with Feng Zhiyuan and his group.
"This is a huge haul!"
For Su Chen, who was all alone at this moment, a heartfelt smile couldn’t help but appear on his handsome face.
The bear’s carcass yielded two Thunder Element Runes, one Fire Element Essence, one Gold Element Essence, and one portion of Spiritual Dust Sand.
’I can get Flame Burst Lv5!’
A wave of excitement surged through Su Chen’s heart, his emotions fluctuating wildly. But soon, his usual calm personality took over, and his gaze grew tranquil. He couldn’t afford to get carried away at such a critical moment.
In this perilous environment, any carelessness could lead to his untimely demise.
He renewed a layer of Wind Gauze Protection on himself, and Xiaoye also grew more vigilant.
After taking these prudent precautions, Su Chen scanned his surroundings. Only then did he feel at ease enough to step forward and collect the Rune Essences.
VMM!
The Fire Element Essence was immediately absorbed by a devouring vortex that appeared in his palm. Then, the portion of Spiritual Dust Sand, glittering like starlight, followed suit.
Soon.
He opened his hiking pack and, one by one, absorbed the two portions of Spiritual Dust Sand he had been storing in a bottle.
In an instant.
The Flame Burst Rune deep within his Sea of Consciousness suddenly trembled. It released a surging luster, blazing as intensely as the sun and completely overpowering the glow of his other Runes.
His entire Sea of Consciousness churned like boiling water, thrown into turmoil for a good while.
It wasn’t just his consciousness.
The air around Su Chen suddenly heated up. Nearby blades of grass curled slightly, giving off wisps of steam.
VMM!!
As this strange phenomenon unfolded, the structure of the Flame Burst Rune continuously extended and reorganized. Even its core began to emanate increasingly intricate patterns, faintly hinting at the concept of annihilation.
A little over ten seconds later, the new Rune finished forming.
[Flame Burst] Lv4 → Lv5 upgrade successful!
Enhanced Traits: Damage Amplification, Blast Radius, Casting Efficiency, Fission
New Trait: Soul Burning
(Soul Burning: When Flame Burst deals damage, it inflicts a spiritual burning effect on the target, continuously incinerating their Rune Energy and, to a certain extent, interrupting their casting state.)
[Flame Burst] (Lv5): Can grant all of the Spellcaster’s attacks 250% bonus flame bombardment damage and cause area-of-effect splash, Fission, and Soul Burning effects.
Upgrade Requirements: Flame Burst Rune 0/16, Spiritual Dust Sand 0/5, Spirit Marrow Crystal 0/1
Mastered Runes: Water Mirror Refraction Lv3, Flame Burst Lv5, Jingzhe Lv3, Shadow Leap Lv3, Shadow Summoning Lv4
"Another new trait."
Judging from the Soul Burning trait alone, it was the same type of Spirit Damage effect as Soul-Splitting Claw.
However, it also had two major additions: it continuously burned a certain percentage of the target’s Mana Value, and during this process, it constantly created interference, making it difficult for them to cast spells.
You could say that after being hit by Flame Burst, even if one wasn’t severely wounded right away, they would still be in excruciating pain.
If they couldn’t dispel the spiritual burning pain, they could only sit back and wait for death.
"Not bad."
Su Chen was very satisfied. Besides the new trait, the effects of the other, older traits had also been enhanced.
The most significant change was the flame bombardment damage bonus jumping from 180% to 250%. This was a huge leap; previous upgrades hadn’t had such a large jump.
With the enhanced Fission effect, he could more easily shatter an enemy’s flesh and blood, and even disintegrate various kinds of elemental shields.
In fact.
His previous Enchanted Throwing hadn’t been able to completely shatter the thunder bear’s lightning shield in one go.
That barrier, constructed from high-density lightning, was tougher than expected.
But just cracking a large corner on its left side was enough. The power of Flame Burst that pierced through accurately penetrated the wound on the thunder bear’s neck. Accompanied by the high-frequency vibrations of the Fission trait, it spread wildly along the torn flesh.
It had wiped out the last of its life force in one fell swoop.
It was worth mentioning that the effects of Runes varied from person to person.
To break it down, not considering bonuses from equipment or Potions, the differences simply came down to personal understanding, skill, and physical constitution.
The understanding aspect could be compensated for through knowledge sharing.
In terms of skill, the emergence of archery techniques and Flying Knife throwing had really allowed Damage Attachment Stream Runes to shine. By extension, slingshot pebbles, spear throwing, slings, and even firearm bullets could all be included.
And those who lacked such skills, and even demonic beasts, were clearly at a disadvantage with Damage Attachment Stream Runes due to their short-range, close-quarters combat style.
As for physical constitution...
Without a doubt, demonic beasts had a huge advantage in terms of their physical bodies, so lethal Runes in their hands often produced more explosive effects.
And as Su Chen’s Strength Attribute continued to increase, his Flame Burst Rune, which scaled with attack bonuses, would also improve step by step. This would further widen the gap between him and others.
’Even if someone else manages to get Flame Burst to Lv5 in the future, I’ll still have an advantage at the same level, thanks to my edge in skill and Power.’ Su Chen thought, but he quickly realized there was an exception.

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