CHAPTER 248: SKILL OVERCHARGE

Gabriel stepped out of the Kelsa truck, the portal’s humming light reflecting off his face. The air around the area was charged with faint mana currents that made the hair on Logan’s arms stand upright.

"See that gate?" Gabriel said, nodding toward the large blue vortex swirling in the center of the plaza. "That’s one of the public dungeons. They call it Monkey Paradise."

Logan blinked, surprised by the name. "Monkey... Paradise? That doesn’t sound too dangerous—in fact, it’s kind of cute."

Gabriel’s lips twitched slightly. Of course, the monsters were weak, but that was only because of his strength. For normal adventurers and players, they could still be a real struggle.

"Don’t let the name fool you," he warned. "Inside, the monsters are vicious. Red-furred Monkeys — they attack in groups, throw rocks, and some even use low-grade fire magic. But the dungeon itself isn’t restricted. Anyone can enter as long as they pay the entrance fee."

Logan looked at the long line of players and adventurers ahead of them. "Public dungeon, huh? How does it work?"

Gabriel adjusted his mask and walked toward the portal guards.

Logan quickly followed behind. "So... we’re here to test the gun?" he asked.

Gabriel gave a short nod. He needed to know its true power against living monsters, not just cold steel.

At the gate, a guard in heavy bronze armor stepped forward and extended his palm, gesturing for them to halt.

"Entry fee — 100 Valerian Dollars per head. You know the rules."

Gabriel silently transferred the fee using his ID card — the same one Damian had given him. The guard checked the transaction, gave a small nod, and recited the rules.

"Good. No killing the dungeon boss. If you break that rule, you’ll be blacklisted from every public dungeon and fined heavily."

He stepped past without replying. He was already used to these rules and formalities. Logan followed nervously.

The moment they crossed the shimmering barrier, it felt as if they had stepped into another world.

A warm wind hit their faces, carrying the smell of wet leaves and ripe bananas. Giant trees rose in every direction, their branches heavy with vines and nests. Red monkeys chattered from above, leaping between branches with alarming agility.

The jungle atmosphere was alive—distant howls, rustling leaves, and occasional roars made it clear this was no ordinary forest.

Not far away, a few groups of players were already engaged in battle. Adventurers shouted commands as swords and spells flashed. Red monkeys screeched, throwing fireballs and rocks in retaliation. The place was total chaos.

"Should we join them?" Logan asked.

"No," came the curt reply. "We’re going deeper. The outer mobs are too weak."

They moved quietly past the groups, ignoring the curious looks they received. A few players recognized Logan from the forums; he had trended a lot, and pictures of him had been uploaded as well. But they couldn’t identify Gabriel — his threat level had been deactivated, after all.

The deeper they went, the thicker the air became. Red vines hung like curtains, and fireflies flickered faintly through the dim light. Occasionally, a fireball streaked down from the canopy — the monkeys’ form of greeting.

One such fireball came their way. Logan flinched, but Gabriel raised the newly built turret gun and aimed.

Click.

The barrel spun up with a soft whirring sound. Then—

RATATATAT!

A stream of flaming bullets tore through the air, ripping through the canopy. A shrill scream followed as a burning Red-Furred Monkey plummeted from the trees, crashing into the ground.

Gabriel inspected the weapon calmly. "The charge output is stable. But it’s still too weak..."

He lifted the weapon again, this time channeling more than the required mana into the handle. His eyes glowed faintly as blue energy spiraled down the barrel. The next shot exploded outward—a blazing orb that struck another monkey mid-leap. The entire treetop ignited instantly.

BOOOOM!

Flames spread rapidly, and when the fire finally died down, all that was left was ash and a monster core. Gabriel waved his hand, storing the cores in his inventory.

Logan was speechless. The flame now was several times stronger and far more intense! He had helped create this gun and knew that something like this shouldn’t even be possible!

"Did you just enhance it?" he asked, still in shock.

"Apparently." Gabriel nodded calmly. "Most people don’t know this, but overcharging a skill with excess mana can make it more powerful. Of course, you have to be careful, or it’ll explode in your face. Since the Hellfire Turret requires mana to activate as well, overcharging it with extra mana increases its output."

This was the first time Logan had heard of such a thing. Skills usually had a fixed mana cost—a set number most players and even adventurers stuck to religiously. To them, the required amount was law—the limit.

They never thought about going beyond.

Why risk it? If the system said a skill cost 30 MP, that’s exactly what they used—no more, no less. Most were too afraid of backlash or mana instability. Others simply never considered that the system’s numbers were a guideline, not a cage.

But Gabriel wasn’t most people.

He understood that mana wasn’t just a currency—it was energy, willpower given form. A tool that could be stretched, shaped, or amplified depending on one’s control and understanding. If a weapon or spell required 50 mana points, pushing an extra 30 or 40 wasn’t always a waste.

Of course, as mentioned before, one would really need to have perfect mana control to do this.

Gabriel had mastered it thanks to someone whose mana control even surpassed his own.

He casually handed the gun to Logan, who attempted the same thing. But due to his poor mana control and limited reserves, it made little difference.

Afterward, Gabriel continued hunting while Logan collected the remaining monster cores—they could be used later for crafting equipment.

Some time later, he lowered the gun and looked around at the smoldering trees. "That’s enough for testing."

He turned toward Logan. "I need you to create more of these."