Died for a Million Times: I can Copy Infinite SSS Talents!-Chapter 62 --Win the Bet, No Penalty for Losing

After thoroughly reading the description of the Astral Tide talent, Link’s lips twitched ever so slightly—his expression betraying the deep astonishment in his heart.

No wonder this was a talent born from the most unique subspecies of the moonfolk—

the Starshatter Wasp.

Whether in terms of its form or its two accompanying abilities, the talent’s design was undoubtedly... strange.

Take the first ability, Touch of Annihilation, for instance. At first glance, the description seemed complex and even a little abstract. But if one broke it down carefully, its true effect could actually be summarized in a single sentence:

As a peak Tier-1 Esper, Link could now take three full-force strikes from a peak Tier-4 Esper—head-on!

Not only that, but the immense energy contained within those attacks would be broken down and absorbed, directly converted into his own Power Values.

To negate powerful enemy attacks while also benefiting from them?

Now that’s what you call killing two birds with one stone.

Link couldn’t help but entertain the idea—Would he even need to worry about improving his Power Values anymore?

If he ever felt his stats falling behind, he could just go provoke a few Esper three tiers above him, let them hit him three times with everything they had, and then walk away with a massive boost in Power Values. Not a bad deal.

Of course, this was more fantasy than strategy. True power wasn’t just about numbers. Power Values were important, but they only represented one facet of an Esper’s strength. Combat experience, adaptability, and tactical thinking mattered just as much.

If everything were really decided by Power Values alone, then why would the moonfolk and the humans even bother waging war? Just tally up the total Power Values of each side and declare the higher number the victor. No need for strategy. No need for bloodshed.

Shaking off those idle thoughts, Link turned his focus to the talent’s second accompanying ability—Call of the Stars.

The description was deceptively simple—just one sentence—but its implications were far from basic.

In fact, its functionality bore a striking resemblance to the Devour talent he had previously acquired. But the two had very different ceilings.

Call of the Stars explicitly stated that any time the user ingested a substance with beneficial effects, their energy conversion efficiency would increase by 100%—no conditions attached.

Which meant, theoretically, that even the energy absorbed by Touch of Annihilation could be amplified by Call of the Stars.

After all, the enhancement of Power Values counted as a form of beneficial effect.

And the power of Call of the Stars didn’t stop there.

Nowhere in its description did it clarify whether the 100% energy efficiency boost was calculated additively or multiplicatively. That meant its effect was treated independently—outside of other enhancement effects.

To illustrate, suppose Link could normally eat one meal and consume one psionic potion per day.

When using Devour, the quantity of food and potions he could ingest would be multiplied by ten—allowing him ten meals and ten potions daily.

Then, add Call of the Stars into the mix. Every single enhancement he received would be independently doubled. So each application of energy conversion would be multiplied again, like this:

1 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 512 times.

In essence, with both Devour and Call of the Stars active, Link could theoretically consume 512 meals and 512 psionic potions in a single day.

Even a whale would struggle with that kind of intake.

And that was just one day.

Such a staggering intake of enhancements also meant a terrifying rate of energy conversion. No exaggeration—with Call of the Stars alone, Link’s Power Values could skyrocket at a rate that bordered on the absurd.

As long as he had enough food and potion reserves, he was confident that by the time he left the Eagle Hatchling Camp, he could elevate his Power Values all the way to peak Tier-3.

And considering he was currently still only at peak Tier-1, that would be a meteoric rise.

To put it in perspective, the fastest advancement in recorded human history—from peak Tier-1 to peak Tier-2—had taken nearly three years.

Link could pull it off in three months.

Now that’s the power of a talent born from the most mysterious race among the moonfolk.

An SSS-rank talent whose effects could stun even the most hardened veterans.

After taking a moment to compose himself, Link resumed his journey.

But unlike earlier battles—where he accepted whatever talents came his way—he was now much more selective.

He began targeting specific talents that could synergize with his existing abilities. Only those that could be fused were chosen.

He’d fight solo for a bit, then call in Ryze when things got dicey. Back and forth, they pushed their way deeper into the Starshatter Mountains.

Finally, they reached the very heart of the mountain range.

At the base of a deep chasm that cut through the entire mountain, Link laid eyes on a hulking, bloated creature—its shape distinct from the typical Starshatter Wasps.

It was gargantuan—easily the size of a small hill.

Link didn’t hesitate. He immediately asked Lib, the Book of Wisdom, to analyze the creature before him.

In the next moment, an avalanche of information flooded his vision.

[Race: Starshatter Wasp Queen]

[Status: Incubating Offspring]

[Power Values: 7336 (Early-Tier T7 Esper)]

[Talent: Stellar Resonance (SSS Rank)]

[Racial Trait: A rare subspecies native to the Starshatter Mountains...]

[Weakness: Remove the stinger...]

But then something else caught his eye.

[Race: Starshatter Wasp King]

[Status: Near Birth]

[Vitality: 2048 (Early-Tier T2 Esper)]

[Talent: Under Analysis]

[Racial Trait: A rare subspecies native to the Starshatter Mountains...]

[Weakness: Remove the stinger...]

"A Starshatter Wasp King?!"

Link was stunned. He hadn’t expected this.

He recalled something one of his old mentors once told him:

Any Starshatter Wasp King born through the talent Stellar Resonance would be guaranteed to possess a top-tier SSS-rank talent upon birth.

And now, Lib—the Book of Wisdom that cataloged nearly all known information in existence—offered an even more shocking revelation:

If the Starshatter Wasp King absorbed enough stellar power from its mother during gestation, there was a small chance its innate talent could transcend SSS-rank and evolve into UR-rank.

The odds were incredibly low.

Minuscule, even.

But not zero.

And a UR-rank talent... was the stuff of legend.

Even among the vast moonfolk population, the probability of a UR-rank individual being born was less than one in ten billion.

As for the humans?

They were lucky to see one such Esper emerge in a decade—right at the brink of extinction.

That was how rare—how precious—UR-rank talents were.

And now, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity stood right before Link’s eyes.

If he won this gamble, the reward would be unimaginable.

And if he lost? There’d be no punishment.

A risk-free wager with infinite upside?

Only a fool would walk away from that.