Divine Glitch: I Regressed With Endgame Knowledge-Chapter 43: Hard Choice

As Ryan handed over the Blood Blossom to the Paladin trainer, a string of system notifications echoed crisply in his ears

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[Talent Function Unlocked!]

[You have gained the Protection Talent!]

[You have gained 1 Talent Point!]

[Health increased by 10%! Damage Reduction increased by 10%! New Skill Unlocked: Avenger’s Shield!]

—

A small smile crept across Ryan’s face. He opened his talent panel with satisfaction, his eyes drinking in the sight of the three available talent trees—Protection, Holy, and Retribution—laid out before him like a feast.

Most players, upon unlocking their talent function, were limited to the tree tied to their chosen specialization. But Ryan had an edge. Thanks to the two Auxiliary Talent Points in his possession, he could view and invest in all three trees at once—something incredibly rare at this early stage.

He scanned the layout. With the level cap currently set at 40, talents were divided into six tiers. To progress deeper, players had to invest five points into the preceding tier. No shortcuts. No tricks. Just investment.

In the first tier of the Protection tree, two talents caught his eye: Deflection and Radiance.

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Deflection: Increases your Parry chance by 1% per point (0/5).

Radiance: Increases the effectiveness of healing received by 1% per point (0/5).

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He didn’t hesitate.

"Deflection," he muttered to himself, allocating the single Protection point. Healing boosts were nice in theory, but a passive, always-on increase to parry? That was reliable.

Now came the hard part—deciding how to use the Auxiliary Talent Points.

Ryan’s gaze shifted toward the Holy and Retribution trees. He remembered the forum discussions, theorycrafting posts, and whispered guild conversations from his previous life. He’d never managed to get Auxiliary Points back then, but he’d paid close attention to those who had.

In the Holy tree, two talents stood out:

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Focused Mind: Grants a 14% chance per point to avoid spell interruption (0/5).

Divine Intellect: Increases your total Intellect by 2% per point (0/5).

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And in Retribution:

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Divine Strength: Increases your Strength by 2% per point (0/5).

Efficient Consumption: Reduces the mana cost of instant cast spells by 2% per point (0/5).

—

Ryan leaned back slightly, arms crossed.

Focused Mind would be a game-changer in clutch moments. As a tank who occasionally had to self-heal in the middle of a fight, being able to cast uninterrupted could make or break an encounter. Radiant Light, his go-to heal, often got interrupted at the worst times.

Divine Intellect was appealing too. More mana meant more flexibility, longer uptime, and fewer trips to drink or retreat.

Then again, Divine Strength directly boosted his Parry and Block chances—core stats for a Protection Paladin. Not flashy, but fundamental.

And Efficient Consumption? Almost tempting. Most of his toolkit consisted of instant cast abilities. Cutting down mana costs across the board would stack up fast in long fights.

He frowned. All of them were good—too good.

"I hate this part," Ryan muttered, dragging his fingers through his hair.

Minutes passed as he weighed each option, picturing future scenarios, possible builds, and remembered frustrations from his past life.

Finally, he made his choice.

With a quiet click, he invested one Auxiliary Point into Divine Strength.

"There," he exhaled, "that’s the one that’ll actually keep me alive."

It wasn’t flashy. It didn’t promise big mana pools or elegant spellcasting. But it was solid—measurable, constant, dependable. And right now, that was exactly what he needed.

Just as Ryan finished spending his second talent point, a sharp system chime rang in his ears, snapping him to attention.

[Your talent is full. Please invest in other talents.]

"Talent full?" he muttered, blinking in surprise.

His eyes darted back to the Retribution talent he’d just selected: Divine Strength 5/5.

Five out of five?

His jaw slackened. He glanced down at his remaining Auxiliary Talent Points. A bold 1 sat beneath the counter—he still had one point left.

One point had fully activated an entire 5-point talent.

The realization hit him like a hammer. This can’t be right...

Was it a system bug? A hidden mechanic? A benefit of being the first to unlock Auxiliary Talents?

Either way, the numbers didn’t lie. He had maxed out Divine Strength with just a single point.

His heart pounded as he shifted his gaze to the second tier of the Retribution talent tree—now available thanks to the completed first tier.

Three new talents appeared:

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Edict: Increases the critical strike chance of Fist of Light and Radiant Light by 3% per point (0/5).

Righteous Pursuit: Increases movement and mount speed by 7% per point (0/2).

Improved Judgment: Reduces the cooldown of Judgment by 1 second per point (0/3).

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Ryan’s mind raced.

Edict would significantly boost aggro generation when using Fist of Light to pull enemies and improve the healing output of Radiant Light. Given that Radiant Light only restored about 60% of his full health, the extra crit could turn near-death moments into clutch saves.

Improved Judgment was more straightforward—shorter cooldowns meant more frequent Judgment casts, and more casts meant tighter threat control in group fights.

Then there was Righteous Pursuit. A speed boost didn’t sound as directly useful, but 15% increased movement speed could make a major difference in open-world PvP or contested zones. The ability to chase—or escape—could be game-changing in future wars.

Ryan stared at the talents, the weight of his choice pressing on him. Damage, healing, control... or mobility?

He exhaled through his nose, eyes sharpening.

"Long-term survival beats temporary threat."

With a tap, he invested his final Auxiliary Talent Point into Righteous Pursuit.

The talent lit up instantly—2/2—fully maxed. His movement and mount speed had just jumped by 15%.

There it was again. Just like before, a single Auxiliary Talent Point had fully activated the entire talent. Unlike the Protection tree, where he had to follow traditional tier rules and invest one point at a time, Auxiliary Talents bypassed all that.

Two points had given him the equivalent of seven—five in Divine Strength, two in Righteous Pursuit.

It was a massive advantage, even if the Retribution bonuses weren’t tailor-made for a tank. The versatility and value were undeniable.

And he wasn’t done yet.

From his inventory, he pulled out a shimmering tome—the Book of Light. This rare item wasn’t just decorative. It had the power to deepen a selected talent, unlocking powerful secondary effects.

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Book of Light: Enhances your talents, making them even stronger.

—

A knowing smile tugged at the corners of Ryan’s lips.

He tapped on Deflection, the foundational Protection talent he had invested in earlier. The book disappeared in a soft glow, absorbed into the tree.

A new icon flickered to life, directly branching off from Deflection.

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Enhanced Deflection: Each time you parry an enemy attack, you gain 10% physical damage reduction for 5 seconds (0/2).

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Ryan’s breath caught.

This wasn’t just an upgrade. This was the kind of talent that shifted the entire feel of a class—every successful parry now came with a surge of damage resistance.

But it wouldn’t activate until he had fully maxed out Deflection. That meant four more Protection points before he could unlock this gem.

Still, the path was clear.

He closed the panel, hands tightening into fists, not from tension—but from resolve.

Everything was starting to fall into place. The early edge he now held wasn’t just about numbers. It was about potential—layers of it—waiting to be unlocked.

And Ryan intended to unlock them all.

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