Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 249: The Heart of Diamond

Ding!

"Congratulations, player Valkarion has obtained a D-rank Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force (Fragmented)!"

"Congratulations, player Valkarion has obtained the Heart of Diamond!"

Primordial Force (Fragmented) – D-rank Crimson Ultimate Hero:

A fragment of the Primordial Force once belonging to a powerful Crimson Ultimate Hero. Though incomplete, it still holds immense power.

Remaining Energy: 13%.

Usable on Hero Units below A-rank Crimson Ultimate, and Mythic Units up to Tier 14, including standard troops.

Heart of Diamond:

A gem infused with the energy of a Diamond Golem. Contains mysterious and potent effects.

"Would you like to use it now, player Valkarion?"

Ethan paused, falling silent as he mulled it over.

A D-rank Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force...

If I’m right, this probably follows the same tier system as Hero Units—D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS. So this is the lowest tier of Crimson Ultimate Hero energy... and it’s not even whole. Just a fragment.

That means it probably won’t do much for Seraphina, Cicero, or Kyros, right?

Seraphina was a C-rank Crimson Ultimate Hero.

Cicero and Kyros were both B-rank.

So logically, a broken D-rank Primordial Force shouldn’t be of much use to them...

Still, just to be sure, Ethan waved Kyros over.

"Kyros, come here for a sec."

"Yes, Master..."

Kyros stepped forward immediately.

Ethan held up the glowing red fragment in his hand. "Would this help someone at your level?"

Kyros glanced at the Primordial Force, then gave a thoughtful nod.

"Hmm... not really," he said. "For a Crimson Ultimate Hero, this one’s pretty low-grade. And the energy’s way too depleted. If you gave it to me, I wouldn’t see much of a boost. Actually, not just me—any Crimson Ultimate Hero probably wouldn’t benefit much from it. But for them..."

He turned his gaze toward Karnak the Bronze Golem and the others.

"...for their level, this could be a serious upgrade."

Ethan’s eyes lit up. Got it.

This fragment might not do much for top-tier Crimson Ultimate Heroes, but for Legendary-tier heroes—especially orange-ranked ones—it could be a game-changer.

"Auremax, what about you?" Ethan turned to the towering figure nearby. "You think you could use this?"

The item description had already made it clear who could use it, but Ethan couldn’t help hoping.

If Auremax could somehow use this to break through and become a Hero Unit...

That would be insane.

A Crimson Ultimate Hero born from a Mythic Unit? That’d be next-level.

Even Cicero and Kyros—B-rank powerhouses—would have to step aside.

"This thing’s useless to me—the quality’s way too low..."

As expected, Auremax shook his head without hesitation. But then he added, "My Lord, you might want to consider giving this Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force to Orryn, Oakenmaw, or Elyra."

"Oh? Why them?" Ethan’s eyes lit up with interest.

"Orryn and Oakenmaw have already taken the first step toward becoming Hero Units. If you grant them this Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force now, it could really push them over the edge—help them fully ascend into true Hero Units. As for Elyra, she’s a mage-type hero. If she manages to evolve into a Crimson Ultimate Hero, she’ll be an absolute nightmare for our enemies."

That made perfect sense.

Take Infernal Lord Malphas, for example—he was just an A-tier orange Legendary hero, and even then, he was already terrifying and a massive pain to deal with.

Now imagine someone like that, but upgraded to a Crimson Ultimate Hero. Even if they’re only Tier D—the lowest tier in that class—they’d still be a total nightmare for the enemy.

Because once you’re up against someone at that level, regular troops might as well not exist.

At that point, only Tier 13 Legendary Units or Tier 14 Mythic Units could even hope to put up a fight. But the problem is, outside of major faction powers, even the strongest nations don’t have enough Legendary or Mythic Units to just throw them away in battle.

If a war breaks out and Legendary or Mythic Units start dropping like flies, who the hell could afford that?

No one. Absolutely no one.

"In terms of raw intimidation, neither Orryn nor Oakenmaw can match her," Auremax continued.

But then he hesitated, like there was something he wasn’t saying.

"But what?" Ethan asked, frowning slightly.

"Well... the Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force does have a downside," Auremax admitted. "Because it’s not power that originates from the user themselves, once it’s used, it actually becomes harder to grow stronger afterward."

"Unless," he added, "they can fully absorb and integrate the power of the Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force into their own being. Only then will they be free from that limitation."

Actually, in Auremax’s mind, Ethan was the ideal candidate to use the Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force. After all, he knew Ethan already possessed the strength and tier of an orange Legendary Hero. But the moment he remembered the downside of using that power... he immediately scrapped the idea.

Because when he really thought about it—there was just no need.

Come on, who was Ethan? He wasn’t just anyone—he was the Lord of Emerald Castle, the master of Gold Dragon Auremax himself! A mere D-tier Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force—especially one that was incomplete—wasn’t even worthy of being used by someone like him.

"I see..." Ethan didn’t know what Auremax was really thinking, but as soon as he heard the explanation, his brows furrowed slightly.

So this Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force came with a catch—it could actually stunt future growth if not fully absorbed?

In that case, maybe it was better to give it to Elyra instead.

Yeah... Orryn and Oakenmaw were both solid candidates too.

First off, their foundation was strong. As Tier 13 Mythic Ace Units, they were already the closest among his forces to reaching Crimson Ultimate Hero status.

Second, there was trust. They were part of the second wave of Emerald Castle’s founding members—just below Elynn and Seraphina. Ethan’s trust in them was nearly maxed out, second only to the top-tier veterans.

With that in mind, Ethan didn’t waste any more time. He tucked the Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force away for now.

Then he picked up the Heart of Diamond and asked, "What about this one? Auremax, do you know what it does?"

"The Heart of Diamond, from a Diamond Golem Hero," Auremax replied, his gaze steady. "It contains incredibly powerful stellar energy. If you use it, there’s a chance you’ll inherit one or two of that Diamond Golem Hero’s innate skills..."

He looked Ethan straight in the eye. "My Lord, I recommend you use this one yourself. If all goes well, it could take your power to the next level."

"Hoo..." Ethan shivered slightly, sucking in a sharp breath.

His eyes lit up with excitement.

Wait—this Heart of Diamond could grant innate skills?

And innate skills meant... power.

No exaggeration—innate skills were a direct reflection of a hero’s strength. The more you had, and the stronger they were, the higher your Hero Tier would be.

He was already an A-tier orange Legendary Hero. If he gained one or two more innate skills... wouldn’t that push him into S-tier? Maybe even SSS-tier?

His breathing quickened, his face flushed with anticipation.

Without a second thought, Ethan chose to use the Heart of Diamond.

Ding!

"Player Valkarion has used the Heart of Diamond. Initiating innate skill extraction... please wait..." freewebnoveℓ.com

Ding!

"Extraction complete. Congratulations, Player Valkarion! You have acquired the innate skills: Diamond Aegis and Diamond Starcrush Strike!"

"Two?!" Ethan’s eyes widened.

"And this Diamond Starcrush Strike... wait, isn’t that—" His whole body jolted with excitement.

He’d seen the power of Diamond Starcrush Strike with his own eyes—it was absolutely devastating, like the heavens themselves were cracking open.

One punch, and it had nearly obliterated Infernal Lord Malphas!

His luck was insane. He’d actually pulled that skill?!

That meant from now on, he had his own one-hit kill, his own trump card to end a battle in a single blow!

And the fact that he got two innate skills in one go...

That could only mean one thing—his Hero Tier had just taken a serious leap.

Heart pounding, Ethan immediately opened his status panel.

And there it was—new, powerful stats lighting up the screen before his eyes...