Infinite Potential System

"So, what do you plan to do next?" Yuhe asked while storing the three now-filled Domain orbs, "Considering you wanted my help, I assume you're planning to continue ascending the Quake Dungeon?"

"Yeah." William nodded.

She paused for a moment, then took in a deep breath to say, "As much as I promised to help you, there's something I need to tell you first."

William looked over, "What is it?"

"My Innate Talent has two effects, you see. The first one you've already seen: I can create devices that store Spells for the future, But the second effect is cruder, and the main reason why I haven't participated so far. The longer it has been since I casted a Spell, the stronger the effects are of the first Spell I cast."

William was stunned. Her Innate Talent had this many features? And to think that it was a trait that could be inherited among her Family. No wonder the Slightwing Family was at the peak of the region; who could beat that?

"So, what? You've just been withholding your Magic for a long time, waiting for the perfect moment? How long have you been doing this? Months? Years? No… that can't be the case because I know you've used Magic a couple times while in school. You did it during the entrance exam, right?"
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William hadn't paid much attention to Yuhe's battles back then, but he was confident that the girl wouldn't hold back during an important exam.

"There's a limit," she replied. "Once I haven't cast Magic for 24 hours, the bonuses peak and can't go any higher. Once I cast a Spell at its maximum strength, though, the rest of my Spells are only half as strong for the next five minutes."

William nodded, "So you're a glass cannon, got it."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. It just means you have a lot of power for only a single attack."

"That's pretty much what I said."

Yeah, but I explained it faster. Damn she's wordy… William sighed inwardly.

He nodded once more, "That's not an issue. You can work with us against the stronger single-target enemies and Bosses. There's hardly a reason to save up your Magic, right?"

"Hmm… you know I need sufficient Mana for my orbs... but I suppose you'll do for the time being, right?" Yuhe gave William a piercing glare, as if challenging him to refuse. "I will assist during the important conflicts, as long as you supply Mana. You wouldn't renege on our agreement… right?"

"Right." William felt that saying no at this point meant all chances of gaining Yuhe's favor would be thrown out the window.

Yuhe nodded with a satisfied smile, "Good. When we get back to the group, I'll act like nothing happened. No matter how powerful you are, my Family cannot hear about me associating with Commoners."

-You've gained a follower: Yuhe

"Works for me." William gave a thumbs up before creating his own portal back to the Tenth Floor, where his other classmates were still resting. Yuhe followed behind a few seconds later but no one questioned their long absence, and even if they did neither Will nor Yuhe planned to elaborate.

Despite having spent a majority of his Mana Reserve, William still had more available Mana than almost the entire group combined. That being said, there was no reason for him to take additional time for himself.

Allowing the Mana Regeneration Talent to operate, William simply kept part of his attention on the group while Cultivating. He used the Agemo Primordial Compression Technique at twenty-five percent effectiveness, which was just enough to avoid drawing too much attention.

His Cultivation session lasted four hours and only earned him an hour's worth of progress, but William was satisfied with the outcome. Cultivation wasn't his main goal right now, it was Mana Circuits and climbing the Quake Dungeon, so any progress was a boon.

William's mental clock struck midnight at the same moment that the group stepped off, headed towards the Eleventh Floor. This was the first time in the last ten years that a group of first-year students had come so far, so many of the nearby second and third-years were caught off guard.

Some even attempted to provoke the group into battle, but William was able to control the situation without any serious problems. If he wasn't enough, the presence of the Slightwing Family's descendent was enough to deter any harassment.

Over the course of the next few hours, William's group climbed Quake Dungeon like a rocket, and William's Quake Dungeon Gem earnings skyrocketed. Quake Slimes on Floor 11 dropped 2 Quake Dungeon Gems each, allowing even the larger group to make a massive profit. Additionally, the Quake Slimes were easier for the students to kill, leaving Yuhe to do nothing like before.

The other students didn't bother complaining this time, though, since Yuhe also didn't request a share of the loot. They could happily slay Quake Slimes, using the low-stakes period to hone and perfect some of their lesser-used Spells.

William also hardly needed to do anything on this floor, allowing him to hold onto the Mana Gathering Staff and passively recover Mana while the others did the heavy lifting. He simply strolled along behind, firing weak Spells from time to time that obliterated the most threatening Quake Slimes.

They spent an entire day clearing the Eleventh Floor, which became William's second time doing so. While traveling behind his classmates, he finally had time to count the loot in his Space Ring, including the Solar Nectar. He stored all the Nectar in 100ml glass vials, then counted everything out along with the Quake Dungeon Gems.

The final result was a whopping 1330 vials of Solar Nectar and 7170 Quake Dungeon Gems, which could all be exchanged for a total of 2066 Spirit Jades, plus some change.

Knowing that Solar Nectar would be available in large quantities via Sunny Pebblets and the respawning Sun Stone Golem Boss, William decided that he'd try to sell as much of it as possible when they next left the Dungeon. If it was needed for some sort of recipe later, William knew where to get more.

During the sparse rest periods, William had no need to continue sorting through his Space Rings. Yuhe also didn't ask him to refill any of her orbs for the time being, so he could focus on other things.

William alternated between Cultivating, giving tips to his classmates, and trying to recruit the other students that passed by into their group. The last task found little success in the short-term, but William still managed to recruit three more followers by the time they reached the stairwell to the Twelfth Floor.

With the second-year students in his group and adding on Yuhe, William now had a total of 15 followers. He needed to lead a group of 35 more before the Noble Prowess Talent could be upgraded, which was still a considerable distance away.

He wasn't sure if he'd be able to gather fifty students to become his followers before the Quake Dungeon was conquered, but the time limit was almost an entire year, so he'd have a chance to compete in the Cultivator's Competition and much more before he failed the Quest.

There were bound to be more opportunities elsewhere.