When it came to upgrades, the Basic Shield Component was simply not viable due to its absurd memory requirements. It started out quite simple, but upgrading it required the addition of supporting components. Without those, it would only hold Dante back. Secondly, it consumed a tremendous amount of energy to materialize. So, as much as he wanted to use it, he had no choice but to pass.
The second component in line was the Weapon Infuser.
There were several types of infusers such as Electric Infuse, Wind Infuse, Breaker Infuser, etc. Among them, Wind Infuse and Breaker Infuse were the recommended options. Wind Infuser was viable because wind was the easiest and most versatile element to control. As for the Breaker Infuser, it simply enhanced destructive force—it required precise control.
Out of curiosity, Dante continued to examine other types of infusers. For example, the Electro Infuser looked powerful, but it required an Affinity Talent for Lightning, something Dante did not possess. Without lightning affinity, he could still use it, but the effectiveness would be low and the growth potential limited.
By 'limited growth potential', it meant that the Electro Infuser could only be used up to a certain power threshold. Going beyond that limit would cause harm to the user first.
The same logic applied to the Fire Infuser.
After a few days, Dante completed the Breaker Infuser Component. Now he could channel Essentium into his weapon and focus destructive power onto a single point to create explosive attacks. Dante couldn't help but wonder, ''If that golem from before had taken one of my explosive strikes, what would've happened?''
As for where these components came from—they were preloaded into that mysterious laptop. Though calling it a 'laptop' felt odd, so from now on Dante decided to call it the Spell Box. A perfect tool for connecting to the Spellnet.
Common knowledge is that a component model wasn't something you'd get for free like weeds growing by the roadside—it had to be purchased. For example, the Breaker Infuser component would cost around fifty to seventy Arcane Dollars. Dante currently possessed 44 Essentium Crystals, each worth about nine to eleven Arcane Dollars. Buying only a cheap component would burn through nearly a tenth of his entire net worth. So he felt grateful that the Spell Box had been left to him by someone called the Mental Weaver.
"Done. Breaker Infuser. Now I'm invincible," Dante joked to himself, knowing full well he was nowhere near that level yet.
The next component he wanted to install was the Eye of Divergence. Dante feared that in the future, he'd face opponents who were incredibly fast and powerful—like Kaela, the girl who had once bested him during practice. He wanted a skill that could help him keep up with such speed. The Eye of Divergence enhanced the ability to anticipate an opponent's movements by analyzing their attack patterns visually. When combined with the Mindstep component, Dante would no longer be overwhelmed by such foes.
Before, someone like Kaela was simply too fast. Mindstep alone couldn't keep up with her movements, allowing her to effortlessly break through his guard and defeat him.
Now, with the help of the Eye of Divergence, he could see more clearly, aim more precisely, and react faster. However, the component required an extra 1 GB of memory for visual processing. Dante's current capacity was 2.1 GB. If he dedicated the entire week to expanding his foundation, he might just reach the requirement.
With faith in his heart, Dante began his grinding process—chewing through gear bars daily, expanding his foundation bit by bit.
Eventually, thanks to his own efforts, Dante successfully installed the Eye of Divergence.
While completing it, Dante easily defeated his next opponents and passed the qualifying round with a perfect score of 10/10. Because of his top-tier performance, he was matched against another contestant with a similar score. Apparently, there were eleven participants with perfect scores, and he was one of them.
This time, his opponent was a student who used the wind element. Dante knew he had to take things seriously the moment he learned that. The opponent wielded the wind element with exceptional mastery and had effortlessly crushed his previous matchups. Unfortunately, that was all the information Dante could obtain, as matches from the group stage were not recorded. If he could've analyzed the attack patterns and studied how to counter them, his chances of winning would've been much higher. But no matter—he still believed he could do it.
Matches from this round onward would be observed by an audience, with competitors taking turns on the stage.
This time, the matches were time-limited. Unlike before, points were now awarded based on successful hits to ensure that all matches could finish in time for the next ones. This change was made because there would now be spectators.
Dante stepped onto the stage. On the opposite end, his opponent also walked forward—he was taller than Dante by about a head, around 1.8 meters. Once the bell rang, Dante didn't rush forward. Instead, he stood still in a defensive stance to observe the opponent's first move.
The other guy charged straight at him, drawing his sword and slashing down toward Dante. Dante dodged the attack with only a few millimeters to spare, thanks to his predictive ability, and countered with a strike from his staff. The opponent was caught off guard—he had expected his sword to hit.
Taking a direct hit from Dante's strike, the opponent quickly retreated. Dante didn't pursue. He knew this opponent wasn't too dangerous and wanted to learn more from him.
The opponent gave Dante a nod, seemingly thanking him for holding back. Then he activated his module—a swirl of wind wrapped around his sword as he lunged toward Dante. At first, Dante was puzzled, but he wasn't about to let his guard down.
The wind user then thrust his sword forward.
Dante knew exactly where the attack was headed. He timed it perfectly, dodging to the side just as it was released. A sharp sound of wind sliced through the air, followed by the impact of something crashing into the concrete wall behind him. Dante, even while dodging, stole a glance at the aftermath.
''Hmm, decent power. If that had hit, I probably would've been slammed into the wall.''
Dante turned back to face his opponent, then dashed forward. He would force his opponent to reveal all of his cards—so he could learn from them.
Dante easily recorded all of his opponent's attack patterns and defeated him, continuing his winning streak.
But in the next round, he would be facing Kaela Brann again. She had never once acknowledged him—not from the beginning, not even after defeating him in the training room. It was as if he were just some insignificant weed on the side of the road in her eyes.
That's why he was determined to go all out and make her recognize him.