| “ | Follow your heart. Good and evil are just a momentary choice.[1] | ” |
Bio[]
Mysterious and dangerous, he is accompanied by a fierce-looking black qilin, and even when smiling, he gives off a vibe like he wouldn't touch you with a million-foot pole. He only does what he wants and can be somewhat mercurial.
From traveling the world, his breadth of knowledge is extensive. He knows a certain amount of truth about the world, but is unable to do anything about it, and he's tainted with the indifference of one that looks down from a great height. Ever the loner, he decided to give things one last try and returned to the land of his birth, the Light Kingdom, to establish Ghost Valley Academy and take up teaching whichever students fate brought his way.
Food Introduction[]
Jinjunmei tea belongs to a branch of the lapsang variety of black tea, a product of the Wuyi Mountains in China. This type of tea is famous and valuable due to its combining traditional handicraft with innovative techniques. It is a new variety of black tea, its entire production is carried out by hand, making it extremely labor-intensive. Jinjunmei tea has a ruddy brown appearance and is slender and tightly-packed. It has a glowing, golden pekoe; and the brewed tea has a similar golden hue and a sweet, refreshing taste.
Other Info[]
How to Acquire[]
Associated Events
- Flowers Abound
- Watching Day and Night
- Golden Sketch
- Ink Plum Guide
- Drums & Pipes
- Pictures in Snow
- Forest Chirping
- Radiant Spring Advent
- Food Soul Star Plan IX
- Forgetful White Crane
- Snow Flurry
- Spring Abounds
Initial Stats[]
 Soul Power
|
3090 |
|---|---|
 Attack
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31 |
 Defense
|
57 |
 HP
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1497 |
 Crit Rate
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914 |
 Crit Dmg
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1075 |
 Atk Spd
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817 |
Skills[]
| Inky Wind | Basic Skill | |
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Jinjunmei Tea waves a hand and wields his ink, entwining it around the enemy, dealing 100% (180%) ATK as damage plus 217 (2821) extra damage to the nearest enemy, and raising all allies’ attack speed by 30% (46%), lasting 4 seconds. | |
| Splashed Landscape | Energy Skill | |
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Jinjunmei Tea raises both hands, and his qilin charges up and darts toward the enemy, dealing 40% (80%) ATK as damage plus 227 (2951) extra damage to all enemies, while also boosting skill damage by 20% and reducing damage received by 20% for all allies, lasting 4 seconds. | |
| Super Splashed Landscape | Link Skill | |
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Jinjunmei Tea raises both hands, and his qilin charges up and darts toward the enemy, dealing 60% (100%) ATK as damage plus 276 (3588) extra damage to all enemies, while also boosting skill damage by 20% and reducing damage received by 25% for all allies, lasting 4 seconds. | 
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blue = lvl 1
red = max lvlVoice Lines[]
| JP | CN | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract | Hi there, Attendant! It sure makes me happy to see you. I can tell we're going to get along great.[2] | ||
| Log In | If you're not going to come, then I'll go find you.[3] | ||
| Ice Arena | There's no reason for coming here. It's just a good place to kick back, that's all. Heh... Don't overthink it. A lot of things aren't as complicated as you think. | ||
| Skills | That cool look on your face is making me a little mad.[4] | ||
| Ascend | Now... even if you regret it, it's too late... | ||
| Fatigue | If you can't bear to part, then you might as well stick by me.[5] | ||
| Recovering | It's barely been a few hours and you miss me already? | ||
| Team Formation | Just chalk it all up to me acting on my own behalf. That's the way it's always been, right? | ||
| Knockout | I know it looks severe, but really it's no problem. | ||
| Notice | It's finished. Will you feed me?[6] | ||
| Idle 1 | People can't help becoming arrogant, because they think there's nothing they don't know and nothing they don't have. | ||
| Idle 2 | It seems to have started a long time ago. Whenever I see those portraits, my mood turns crummy. | ||
| Idle 3 | Every now and then, I think I'll draw a little something to keep Attendant company. | ||
| Interaction 1 | Are you saying... you don't think our meeting was destined by fate?[7] | ||
| Interaction 2 | You can hate me, but don't cry. That'll make me feel bad. | ||
| Interaction 3 | Whatever you want, I can give... | ||
| Pledge | I used to think living like this was okay, but then I'd think about how I won't die so easily and that I have no intention of spending these long years being so bored... However, since you said what you said to me, from this day on, I'll live for you. Is that good? | ||
| Intimacy 1 | Don't let anyone else see you looking so foolish. | ||
| Intimacy 2 | Do you know... that feeling you get when you see something cute and you just want to make it cry? | ||
| Intimacy 3 | Here, come a little closer to me. Close your eyes... Heh-heh, what were you hoping for? Are you mad? ...Sorry, I tricked you. Please, don't hate me. | ||
| Victory | See, isn't this fun? | ||
| Defeat | Why are you crying again? You have too many tears...[8] | ||
| Feeding | Heh-heh... Come on, try me. What thank-you gift do you want in return?[9] | ||
Skins
| Crimson New Year | |||||||
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| Spring Cloud Meeting | |||||||
Notes
- ↑ CN Version: Thoughts change with the heart. The difference between good and evil is just a fleeting choice.
- ↑ CN Contract: Nice to meet you Master Attendant. Seeing you makes one feels happy, and I hope that we can get along well.
- ↑ CN Log In: Since you didn't came, I went to look for you instead.
- ↑ CN Skills: Your calm expression triggers me.
- ↑ CN Fatigue: You don't look willing enough to leave. In that case, how about you stay and accompany me?
- ↑ CN Notice: Food is done. Feed me, alright?
- ↑ CN Interaction 1: Don't you feel that... our encounter is ordained by fate?
- ↑ CN Defeat: Why are you crying? Too much tears in your eyes?
- ↑ CN Feeding: Hehe... Why don't you tell me what gifts you would like in return?
| Food Souls | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Main[]
Sprites[]
Sprite Animations[]
Normal[]
Crimson New Year[]
Other[]
Backgrounds[]
Illustrations[]
I. Withering
In a black dream, I saw that drop of blood again. That drop of blood rolling slowly down Attendant's already icy cheek.
I held out my hands and caught it in my palms. Then I buried my face in them. —I awoke from a dream.
The continuation of corporeal form is no standard by which to judge whether or not an individual exists. Precisely because I know well this principle, when I am plunged countless times into the crack between death and rebirth and can only eke out an existence in fantasies built from memories, I have also hoped that my consciousness would fade entirely. At least then I would not be trapped in this immortal body's... resentment.
And yet, that hope always falls flat. To this day, I still live on.
All that effort I've put forth to avoid the rut of disaster always comes to naught. The variables I've introduced are unable to prevent this world from reaching its end. But as time has passed, I am indeed not as I once was.
Even though every reincarnation takes with it a portion of memory, I still haven't forgotten the first time I saw my dead Attendant's face. The feeling of dread and self-reproach in my heart was once the driving force for me to defy the tide of history. Today, I can watch indifferently as Attendant dies before me again and again.
His smile? I can't recall. His name? Long forgotten. His faith? Not at all important.
As it turns out, the thing slowly being ground into nothingness in the endless cycle of reincarnation is not only this world, but my own self. So, how much meaning has persisted till now?
"Such a pity. All that care and effort for nothing... Didn't I tell you to give up long ago?" The question seems to come from a place deep in my soul. I bend a finger and flick off a bit of tea twig on my knee. The black qilin lazing by my side is drawn by this motion, and for a moment I forget the question that was just tossed out.
This beast composed from evil thoughts is a little "surprise" given to me by chaos and the most beguiling of creatures. The outward form of the black qilin started at my first reincarnation as an evil so pale as to be transparent, but now it has congealed into a solid body powerful and hard to restrain... and it is his existence that makes me so keenly aware of the failure by my own hand in every cycle of reincarnation.
"I'm really dragging, *cough*... I say, Jinjunmei Tea, it's high time you let me eat that little Attendant kid, eh?" The black qilin clutched the blackened tea twig as he smugly asked again.
"...To struggle would be in vain. Another one or two times, and you'll be able to control my body entirely." "That's what you were going to say, isn't it?"
The black qilin let out a few grunts of displeasure at having the words taken from his mouth.
"At this step of withering where we are, the most important thing is patience and observation." I cracked a smile as I brought up this completely unrelated topic. "One can never accomplish anything great if one is too anxious."
"I don't care about what's withered or not! The sooner you give up struggling, the sooner I can get to the important business of slaughtering!"
Paying no mind to the black qilin and his increasingly raving tone, I turned to the table full of withered tea twigs and swept them into a cup, debating internally about when to move on to the next step of the tea-making process.
Apparently, it was time to set the stage.
II. Bruising
I dropped the bamboo-weaved tea basket in front of the black qilin. He just gave it a perfunctory sniff, too lazy to even stretch out his neck.
"It's just tea. Why not just buy some at a shop? Why go through all this rigamarole?" "You wouldn't understand. How could tea made by someone else compare to stuff that you handmake yourself?"
I gently played with the blackened tea twigs in the basket and casually added: "And at the bruising step, a tea like jinjunmei needs the careful attention, like a person studying a game of go. When shaking up the leaves, the force, the angle, the frequency... even the season it's done in, they all affect the aroma and flavor of the finished product." "So, every stone we place on the go board—every move—becomes an anchor point that ultimately defines 'Jinjunmei'."
The black qilin swished his tail in annoyance and replied coolly: "Enough yapping. I just want to devour more evil and more humans."
Hearing him reveal his desires so nakedly, the expression on my face must have changed a bit. The black qilin looked at me with surprise, then emitted a guarded rumbling from his throat, like a cat.
"Driven by such base desires as you are, no wonder you're such a dummy." I spewed out this cold remark with a smirk. "—If I just wiped you out sooner, then I guess I wouldn't have to hear such worrying stupidity, right?"
"You still haven't given up on that idea? Don't forget, I'm your shadow." "...And since your own death leads to another round of reincarnation, it will only make me stronger." The black qilin gave a grunt, but he still remained on his guard.
"When your strength fades to the point that you can no longer restrain me, you will become my little puppet and help me conduct my slaughter—Hahahaha! I always get a kick out of thinking about how miserable and helpless you'll look then!"
I shook my head, seizing upon a fleeting idea amidst the black qilin's maniacal laughter. ...Perhaps, this is the only solution.
"I'm afraid your laughable delusions will never take root." The former me was excessively reliant on the black qilin's strength, trying to alter the progress of the world through slaughter. But now, undisputable facts have told me — slaughter is no salvation. In fact, you only slaughter yourself.
"Don't forget, this isn't your first attempt at restraining me." "I'm not like you. I don't have a physical body." The black qilin sneered this warning. But he didn't realize that in his words was precisely where my hope lay.
"Which means... that the person I need to restrain — is me." I replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "...This way, since you're a parasite in my body, you'll have nowhere to run."
I tied a red string capable of imprisoning my power around my hands and feet, guaranteeing that even if I lost reason and fell completely under the control of the black qilin, I would be unable to harm anyone. This was my last resort.
"What foolishness is this?! You'll only weaken your own power this way!" The black qilin hopped up and down anxiously, but he was unable to change my decision. "Didn't you want to change the world?! If you lose your power, you'll be able to do nothing! Unleash me!"
"Altering reality through brute force alone is a bit limited, isn't it?" I waved the red string in my hands and flashed a menacing smile as the black qilin watched with fear. "I've decided... to shake up the leaves my own way this time."
III. Fermenting
After not long, I set out from the Light Kingdom to go visit far-off Gloriville and Nevras. In some distant memory, I once fought alongside companions in foreign lands. ...Apparently, those special experiences weren't entirely useless.
Thanks to these memories, the great continent of Tierra was strewn with the marks I'd made. Golden-haired bards with their sonorous voices and dark-haired maidens plucking lyres spread my miraculous prophecy to the four corners. People caught the legends I left behind with their ears, but only a small few actually saw me with their eyes.
When my journey needed a destination, I suddenly thought of the very first place where I was summoned. Waiting for the sunset where it all began seemed like a decent choice.
But when I arrived at a certain little seaside town in the Light Kingdom, I heard a strange tale from the locals.
— In Ghost Valley near the town hid a little monster that enjoyed frightening humans. Excitement in the face of the unknown spurred me on into Ghost Valley, and I succeeded in capturing the "little monster" the townspeople spoke of.
"Who... who are you two!? How dare you trespass on my turf!" "Your turf? Excellent. Now it belongs to me." "Y-you thief—!!"
It was clearly just a scared little girl who, all by her lonesome self, tried to stand in our way. It was as if she was trying to protect a treasure that she had long guarded over, trying to stop us from exploring further.
I stared at this little girl by the name of Jellyfish Salad, holding out a hand to reign in the black qilin who was drooling with desire. "Leave her. It'll be more fun."
The presence of Jellyfish Salad brightened my mood a bit. She was the only surprise in all these countless reincarnations, a fragment of a Food Soul summoned forth by the mountain-river array. In this birthplace of miracles, perhaps there were countless possibilities extending outward that ultimately led to a qualitative change.
And so, I stayed on in Ghost Valley, opening up an academy while I was at it so that I could have something to while away the time with as I waited for the end.
Soon, someone learned spread my name around, and students started trickling in, until they were practically beating down the door to the academy. And just like that, I had the most famous academy in the Light Kingdom.
The once peaceful Ghost Valley became lively, much to the delight of Jellyfish Salad, who feared being alone. Once, she was lying on my knees, and after taking a curious glance at my face, she suddenly started to laugh.
"You know, you may look all tough and scary, but you're actually one of the rare good ones!" "People are complicated. Don't form conclusions too early." "Hmph. Don't underestimate me! I'm telling you, I know a good person when I see one — aack!!"
I lightly tapped her on the forehead. I couldn't help think of how cute her chubby little face was when she got mad. I knew I'd made the right choice in not letting the black qilin eat her back then.
While taking a rest after classes one afternoon, the black qilin was grumbling in my ear as usual: "...Hmph. All this stuff you're doing is totally meaningless." "The natural inferiority of humans is the inevitable source of the world's demise. Even if you confine their behaviors with morals and etiquette, it's just a wasted effort that won't change the outcome."
His words were not without logic, but... ...would the future really unfold in the preordained direction?
"Putting all the sin onto humans is a little biased, no? After all, Falling and sin aren't limited to just one species." "However, if I keep up that attitude, then after not long, the world will be doomed anyway. Isn't that what you mean?"
"A waste of time! Oh, you—"
I took a sip of tea.
"Oh, of course... merely letting the leaves ferment isn't enough to get the aroma." "...Don't change the subject!"
I blew away the steam swirling around the lid of the teacup, shutting down the black qilin and his unrequited desires with my nonchalant demeanor. "...So then, what else is it missing?"
IV. Twisting
It's funny to say, but sometimes, no matter how much you sacrifice, it impossible to get back something lost. Some other times, just a minor adjustment is all that's needed to make a breakthrough.
It is ignorance that leads to fear, and understanding that removes stigma. After everyone finally got on board with my decision, Ghost Valley Academy became a rare place where Food Souls and humans could live in equality.
"Jellyfish Salad, you rascal! Don't run!!" "If you've got what it takes, then catch me and make me!!"
Sounds of boisterous laughter wafted into the room, along with the clomping of feet. Black qilin lazily lifted an eyelid and muttered a complaint:
"So noisy. I should've eaten her from the start." "But you know, birds of a feather really do flock together... Who else but a weirdo like yourself could assemble such a menagerie of misfits?"
I laughed without responding, but I also cast a threatening look at the kids cavorting outside. Jellyfish Salad instantly got my message and stopped her mischief-making, then made a face at me as she scampered into the courtyard next door. In the distance, another happy laugh wafted in the air.
"...What a trouble-maker! If this was the past, would anyone dare turn a deaf ear to your words like that?" The black qilin seized the opportunity to grumble. "These past few years may not have been full of the hell-raising of previous incarnations... but at least then we had lots of exciting adventures. And now? All you do all day is drink tea, drink tea, drink tea..." "And even if those students spread your fame, what of it? The state of the world today is completely the same as before."
"You make a good point, but still, I want to give it a try, and that's that." "Bringing all these folks with their different temperaments and mixing them all together just might... make for an interesting situation."
Who knows? Maybe the seeds I've sown have already awoken some special being in some corner of the world. The unfolding of the unknown... what an interesting experience.
"If this keeps up, perhaps someday I'll be able to kill you off myself." When I was done teasing, I steeped another pot of tea. The black qilin watched me bring the tea up to my lips, so angry that all he could do was glare.
"You don't even remember the moment way back when that caused my birth. You really want to undo a tie that binds when you don't understand how the knot was made?" "Is that so... Well, the fact that you'd even warn me of such a thing just goes to show how much more peaceful you've become. Are you still that same evil being of the past renowned for his cunning? I shot the black qilin a glance, and sure enough, a look of regret came over his face. His fur, which lately had grown more glossy, also laid flat.
"I knew it. There are some things that don't need to be understood or gotten to the bottom of." "One just needs to do as one wants, and the answer will present itself."
I ignored the black qilin now stewing in silence by my side and lowered my head to take a whiff of my tea. "...One doesn't get a cup of tea this good every day. Now is the time to savor its flavor."
V. Jinjunmei Tea
Ghost Valley Academy is a peculiar place. It has a fairly untrustworthy principal and a ragtag group of talented and rowdy students.
The ability to assemble such a number of prodigies is thanks to Jinjunmei Tea's reputation abroad, but even more so to his laziness.
Because of laziness, he never tried to think of a name. He just added the word academy to the place it was in. Because of laziness, he only accepted students that had passed elementary school exams, in this way avoiding the trouble of teaching students from scratch. It is also because of laziness that he took the fairly crude approach of using blue, green, and purple clothes to divide students by current ability and level. No matter how long someone had been at the school, as long as they passed the exam to advance, they got to "change clothes" and study more arcane subjects.
"...I'm so bored. When will I ever see a light at the end of the tunnel?" The black qilin stood at the gate of the academy. He quietly posed as one of the gate statues for a moment, then suddenly changed to his original form, scaring a bunch of new students. Then he returned to Jinjunmei Tea to gripe.
"Really? You seemed to be having quite a bit of fun just now, as far as I could see." Jinjunmei Tea finished grading a paper, then put his pen down and leaned languidly back in his chair.
"Oooh! Th-that was because..." The black qilin stuttered a few times. When Jinjunmei Tea saw that the creature truly was nonplussed, he let out a chuckle and casually changed the subject, partly to let his old companion save some face. "First, let me tell you two pieces of good news."
He didn't even pretend to wait for a response. "First: you remember before when you complained that I'd forgotten that knot that gave birth to you, right?" "Hm? I did say that. What are you..." "...I remembered. The reason that you were born."
Jinjunmei Tea's eyes closed slightly, and he sunk deeper into the soft cushion as his body went limp, falling into a nightmare with no sign of an end.
He stood on a scarlet red battlefield, standing beside countless humans and Food Souls who were forced to separate after only just meeting. As he started to panic, a pair of slender hands suddenly pushed him away forcefully. He only managed to catch a glimpse of a woman's face. Her brow was furrowed. It was such a sorrowful face.
He remembered this face, and naturally he understood who this face represented—Yu Qilin Tea, the current Master of Elusia. At the end of every reincarnation, it ends with Yu Qilin Tea pushing him into Endless Chaos. For Food Souls, being sent back to Chaos is akin to dying.
Jinjunmei Tea guessed that it was precisely this incident that allowed him to unconsciously give birth to this evil animus. And perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, because his possession of this portion of elemental power protected him as he transcended the bonds of reincarnation.
It was truly... an experience that he didn't know what to make of. As Jinjunmei Tea thought this, he couldn't help but find it a bit ridiculous. And he really did let out a laugh, although not hard enough to show in his eyes.
"That is the first piece of good news. As for the second..." "A thousand years ago, the Divine Green Dragon suppressed the Evil Tiger Serpent under a demon-binding field using one of his Retro Scales. Just now I received news that the demon-binding field has been broken."
This Divine Green Dragon was an old friend of Yu Qilin Tea.
"...I have a plan to investigate the truth about this woman." "If she really is like what I remember, then she's a cold-blooded beast..." "Well then, kill her."
As a murderous aura spread through the room, that sorrow-laden face suddenly appeared in Jinjunmei Tea's mind. Could someone capable of making such a face really become the source of his enmity?
...Everything is yet to be known.
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| Togi Node I - HP | |
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Upon being attacked, there is a 10% chance of making yourself invincible for 2s (15s, 14s, 13s, 12s, 11s, 10s, 9s, 7s, 6s, 5s) CD) |
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Upon being attacked, there is a 10% chance of restoring (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) pts of Energy to all allies (1s CD) |
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Upon being attacked, there is a 10% chance of lowering attack speed (7%, 9.2%, 11.7%, 14.2%, 16.9%, 19.8%, 23.4%, 27.8%, 33.2%, 40%) for all enemies, lasting 3s (5s CD) |
| Togi Node II - Atk Spd | |
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After casting a skill, boosts ATK for all allies (5.2%, 6.9%, 8.8%, 10.6%, 12.6%, 14.8%, 17.5%, 20.9%, 24.9%, 30%), lasting 6s (10s CD) |
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After casting a skill, lowers ATK for all enemies (7%, 9.2%, 11.7%, 14.2%, 16.9%, 19.8%, 23.4%, 27.8%, 33.2%, 40%), lasting 6s (10s CD) |
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After casting a skill, lowers dmg received by self (7%, 9.2%, 11.7%, 14.2%, 16.9%, 19.8%, 23.4%, 27.8%, 33.2%, 40%), lasting 6s (10s CD) |
| Togi Node III - Crit Rate | |
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When own HP is below 50% and you take dmg, you recover (3.5%, 4.6%, 5.8%, 7.1%, 8.4%, 9.9%, 11.7%, 13.9%, 16.6%, 20%) of missing HP (10s, 10s, 9s, 9s, 8s, 8s, 7s, 7s, 6s, 5s) CD) |
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When own HP is below 50% and you take dmg, you make all allies invincible for 2s and boost their attack speed (10%, 13%, 17%, 21%, 25%, 29%, 35%, 41%, 49%, 60%) for 5s (10s CD) |
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When own HP is below 50% and you take dmg, you make all allies recover (3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 16, 20) pts of Energy per sec, lasting 4s (10s CD) |
| Togi Node IV - Defense | |
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When you take basic attack damage, you deal (8%, 11%, 14%, 17%, 21%, 24%, 29%, 34%, 41%, 50%) ATK as dmg to the source of the attack, with a 10% chance of reducing the enemy's Energy by (5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 20, 24, 30) pts. (3s CD for chance effect) |
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When you take basic attack dmg, you deal (8%, 11%, 14%, 17%, 21%, 24%, 29%, 34%, 41%, 50%) ATK as dmg to the source of the dmg, with a 10% chance of lowering the enemy's ATK (8%, 11%, 14%, 17%, 21%, 24%, 29%, 34%, 41%, 50%) for 3s. (3s CD for chance effect) |
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When you take basic attack damage, you deal (8%, 11%, 14%, 17%, 21%, 24%, 29%, 34%, 41%, 50%) ATK as dmg to the source of the attack, with a 10% chance of recovering (5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 20, 24, 30) pts of Energy for self. (3s CD for chance effect) |
| Togi Node V - HP | |
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In battle, all allies are immune to stuns. All ally basic atks have a 50% chance to dispel buffs from one random enemy, plus deal (17%, 23%, 29%, 35%, 42%, 49%, 58%, 69%, 83%, 100%) ATK as skill dmg to the highest-ATK enemy |
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In battle, all allies are immune to stuns. All ally basic skills will dispel buffs from two random enemies, plus deal (17%, 23%, 29%, 35%, 42%, 49%, 58%, 69%, 83%, 100%) ATK as skill dmg to the highest-ATK enemy |
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In battle, all allies are immune to stuns. All ally basic skills will dispel buffs from two random enemies, plus restore (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 15) pts of Energy to a random ally. |