Reincarnated Avatar; I got 2 SSS-Rank Unique Skills
Chapter 118: Skill points spree [2]

Chapter 118: Skill points spree [2]

Noah didn’t jump on another skill quest immediately.

This was because after the clash against the ancient Siren and all the XP that he got from it, he finally leveled up to level 40.

His teammates were not quite at his level yet when it came to leveling speed, but they were also mostly at level 38, Caleb already at level 39.

So instead of facing another skill quest immediately, Noah instead took his friends dungeoning where they would get more XP to raise their levels as fast as possible, the hardest dungeons with the most XP-giving monsters.

For the next few days, they ground non-stop for XP and when Noah was already level 41, the last of them, Genevieve finally hit level 40.

And still, Noah didn’t jump to the next skill quest yet.

He decided to level up Aetherforge again first.

And so, he took on the next level up test for the SSS-ranked weapon even as Aria and Caleb also took the level up tests for the Blades of Aamon and Hell’s Key.

Personally, for Noah, this time’s iteration of the level up test was far easier than the first one and he soon understood why after getting to its end.

The reason why the level up test was easier was because this time, Aetherforge didn’t unlock a new weapon form for him, only raising the level cap of the SSS-Ranked weapon to level 40 and improving the weapon’s lethality.

When Aria and Caleb were also done with their level up tests, together, they took on the next team quest among the skill point quests that Noah found.

They took on the Chaos Gambit quest.

[Team Quest: The Chaos Gambit]

[Quest Rank: S]

[Recommended Players: 5+]

[Objective: Survive the Gambit of Chaos, disrupt the Mad Jester’s game, and break his control over the realm.]

[Failure Condition: The team loses all its Gambit Tokens or falls to the Jester’s tricks. Welcome to the twisted invitation.]

Crack!

The world shattered around them.

One moment, Noah and his team were standing on solid ground.

The next, reality itself fractured into shifting puzzle pieces, swirling together in a vortex of colors, laughter, and madness.

A grand theater stage formed beneath their feet, lit by floating chandeliers dripping with liquid moonlight.

A single voice echoed from the darkness above.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome... to the CHAOS GAMBIT!"

A figure descended from the shadows, spinning midair like a marionette with invisible strings. He landed in a low bow, arms outstretched.

[WARNING!]

[You have encountered the Mad Jester of Pandemonium!]

He was tall and gaunt, clad in a harlequin’s outfit that shifted colors unpredictably; red, then gold, then pure static.

His mask was split down the middle, half a grin, half a frown, his exposed mouth stretched into an exaggerated smile.

In his gloved hand, a deck of gleaming obsidian cards shuffled themselves with an eerie hum.

"Now, now! You’ve accepted my little game, which means you know the rules... or do you?" He cackled. "No matter! The rules don’t matter! Until they do! Let’s BEGIN!"

With a snap of his fingers, the air rippled like glass and suddenly, five floating Gambit Tokens appeared before the team.

Each one was a glowing, spinning coin imprinted with an arcane sigil.

Genevieve narrowed her eyes. "I assume losing these is bad".

The Jester clapped gleefully. "Ohhh, terribly bad! You see, dear players, these tokens are your lives. Lose them all, and your souls... are mine".

Noah grinned. "Then we just have to win".

The Jester’s eyes twinkled. "Such confidence! I love it. Let’s begin the first round, shall we?"

With a flourish, he flicked a card into the air. It flashed with crimson light.

"Round one! The Fool’s Labyrinth!"

The stage collapsed beneath them.

The team fell... and fell... and landed in a shifting, surreal maze, its corridors twisting in impossible directions.

The walls were checkered, alternating between solid stone and transparent voids that showed glimpses of other possible versions of the maze.

The objective? Escape before time runs out.

The catch? The maze itself lies.

Every path looked different to each person. What was an exit to one was a dead end to another. Shadows whispered false directions, the walls shifted when no one was looking, and the Jester’s mocking laughter echoed throughout the halls.

Noah’s eyes flickered. The quest itself was not exactly how his investigations told him, but with the information he had, he instantly developed a counter-strategy.

He instructed everyone to close their eyes for five seconds at a time, relying on their other senses to move. This disrupted the maze’s illusions by not allowing the brain to process false pathways.

Caleb used spatial markers; small, enchanted objects that resisted illusion to keep track of the true paths.

Genevieve’s divine magic pulsed in waves, dispelling weaker enchantments.

Aria brute-forced through walls that turned out to be phantoms, revealing hidden paths.

As for Benjamin? He literally just ran in a straight line screaming. "I don’t believe in you, maze!" And it actually worked.

The moment they reached the true exit, the world flipped upside down and they were back on the Jester’s stage.

The Jester pouted. "You’re no fun. But fine! Let’s make it harder".

He flicked another card, it burned with violet flames, and then...

"Round Two!" He yelled with a grin. "The Gambler’s Dilemma!"

Five thrones rose from the stage, each one an obsidian seat carved with mocking grins and wide, hollow eyes.

In front of each throne, a deck of cards appeared, swirling with arcane energy.

The Jester twirled in delight. "A simple game! Sit down, draw a card, and accept the consequences. Or... refuse to draw and sacrifice a Gambit Token. Decisions, decisions!" He laughed.

The team glanced at each other. This was a test of risk and reward.

If they played, they could win powerful buffs. And if they lost..., well, the Jester didn’t put death on the table.

But he didn’t have to.

Noah sat first. He flipped his card.

[Ace of Blades]

>All attacks gain a 20% chance to ignore armor for the next round<

He smirked. "Not bad".

Aria went next.

[Queen of Shadows]

>Your own teammates will briefly perceive you as an enemy".

"...What?" Aria looked at the others. "Is that even possible?"

Genevieve hesitated. "Does this perhaps work like a Paladin Tank’s taunt skill?"

The effect activated immediately and for the next thirty seconds, like Genevieve guessed, Aria was surrounded by a Paladin’s provoke skill aura; every Avatar instinctively saw her as a hostile entity.

She had to dodge their attacks while cursing Noah’s name.

Benjamin flipped his card.

[Jester’s Favor]

>You are completely immune to the next round’s challenge<

Benjamin stood up, stretched, and laughed. "Ha! Finally, a game that recognizes my brilliance".

Genevieve hesitated, then flipped hers.

[The Inverted Healer]

>For the next round, your healing will harm, and your damage will heal<

Genevieve blinked. "That’s... extremely bad".

Caleb narrowed his eyes. He was the last one left. He took a deep breath and flipped his card.

[The Gambler’s Wild]

>Choose one player to reroll their card effect<

Without hesitation, he pointed at Genevieve.

"Boo!" The Jester pouted. "You’re no fun". But the effect triggered.

Genevieve’s card flickered and changed.

[...]

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