Chapter 76: Glutton and Birth
Rumble, rumble…
In front of a high-speed operating equipment enhancement machine, Su Xiao was waiting for a contractor to finish their enhancement. The derivative world had just ended, and the Equipment Enhancement Hall was operating under overload conditions.
With a crisp crack, the twin-tailed cute girl in front of Su Xiao stumbled back a few steps.
"No way…"
The twin-tailed girl spoke in a trembling voice. A large amount of steam sprayed out from inside the equipment enhancement machine, and a metal tray popped out, covered in large charred fragments. From these fragments, Su Xiao could tell that this was actually a Legendary-grade piece of equipment.
"10% + 60% + 25% equals 95%, right? Hey? Explain to me, damn it, is that 5% an absolute probability?"
The twin-tailed girl kicked the equipment enhancement machine, and the next moment, she received a notification: Attempting to damage Reincarnation Paradise public facilities, deducting 30,000 Paradise Coins.
The situation was already very clear. Next one, please step up, and Su Xiao was that next one.
[Welcome to Equipment Enhancement Machine No. 1073. Holder's Paradise Coins: 874,500.]
Su Xiao drew Dragon-Slaying Flash from its sheath. With his operation, a metal tray popped out from the machine, and he placed Dragon-Slaying Flash on the tray.
[Equipment verification in progress… Verification complete. Dragon-Slaying Flash (Epic) has no enhancement level. To enhance this equipment, each enhancement requires consuming Soul Crystal (Large) x1.]
Upon receiving the notification, Su Xiao was stunned. Enhancing Epic-grade equipment didn't consume Paradise Coins but instead consumed Soul Crystal (Large).
Suddenly, Su Xiao thought back to why the Fifth Rank Adventure Group · Parasol Tree was willing to trade Duke of Annihilation +13 for Soul Crystal (Large). It was because, above Fourth Rank, contractors' consumption of Soul Crystal (Large) would become terrifying.
Improving one's own abilities, enhancing Epic-grade equipment, using high-rank ultimate abilities, etc., all required consuming Soul Crystal (Large). For contractors above Fourth Rank, the consumption of Soul Crystal (Large) increased exponentially.
Su Xiao had been wondering before why, after his Blade Technique ability was raised above Grandmaster Lv.10, his demand for Soul Crystal (Large) wasn't that great. Now it seemed that wasn't the case. Soul Crystal (Large) was still one of the rarest and most expensive materials, because its consumption was too high and its uses too wide.
Currently, Su Xiao had a total of 26 Soul Crystals (Large). Barring any accidents, this should be enough to enhance Dragon-Slaying Flash. After thinking for a moment, Su Xiao decided to first enhance Dragon-Slaying Flash to +10, which would be safer.
Placing 10 Soul Crystals (Large) into the tray, Su Xiao activated the enhancement function, performing ten consecutive enhancements.
The equipment enhancement machine started running, rumbling loudly. Occasionally, electric sparks shot out from the gaps, creating an impressive scene.
After a full twenty minutes, Su Xiao received a series of notifications.
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +1 successful.]
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +2 successful.]
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +3 failed, dropped to +1.]
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +2 successful.]
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +3 successful.]
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +4 failed, dropped to +2.]
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +3 successful.]
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +4 successful.]
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +5 failed, dropped to +3.]
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +4 successful.]
…
Su Xiao's eyelids drooped, and he instinctively wanted to kick the crappy equipment enhancement machine in front of him into pieces. This thing was practically mocking him, with obstacles at every step.
6 Soul Crystals (Large) down the drain. Su Xiao lit a cigarette to calm down and placed another 6 Soul Crystals (Large) into the tray. For the sake of protecting the equipment enhancement machine, he turned off the enhancement notifications.
When the equipment enhancement machine stopped running and the tray popped out, Su Xiao was enveloped in a cloud of steam. He grasped Dragon-Slaying Flash on the tray.
[Dragon-Slaying Flash +10 (Blade Value 0%)]
Origin: Shadow of Law Destruction
Quality: Epic
Category: Longsword
Durability: 170/170 (Increased by 20)
Attack Power: 296~374 (Lower limit increased by 40)
Equipment Requirement: Inheritor of Shadow of Law Destruction
Supreme Blade Effect 1: Sharpness +76
Supreme Blade Effect 2: Bloodthirsty Praise (Passive)
Supreme Blade Effect 3: Demon Blade (Active)
Enhancement Bonus:
+5 Additional Effect: Weapon sharpness permanently increased by 8 points.
+8 Additional Effect: Weapon durability permanently increased by 20 points.
+10 Additional Effect: Weapon attack power lower limit permanently increased by 40 points.
Gem Slot Effects: 6~8
Spirit Cat, Soul Severing Shadow Stone · Incomplete x2, Mad Knight, Elegy, Blood Hunter.
Rating: 660 points (Increased by 10)
Description: Loss, meeting, fighting together, rebirth, growth, legend, awakening.
Price: Untradeable.
…
The enhancement result far exceeded Su Xiao's expectations. Unlike previous enhancements, the bonuses gained from using Soul Crystal (Large) were permanent improvements. This made him wonder: if enhancement failed and the level reset to zero, could he infinitely strengthen Dragon-Slaying Flash?
After inquiring, Su Xiao learned that this was impossible. The permanent enhancement bonus only occurred once. Even if Dragon-Slaying Flash's enhancement failed and the level reset, re-enhancing it would not trigger a second improvement.
Of course, there were exceptions. If Dragon-Slaying Flash's grade increased, the previous enhancement record would be cleared.
Just as Su Xiao was exploring the new enhancement mechanism, Bubu Wang suddenly sent a message, and it was urgent. Amu was in trouble, and the situation was very strange. He asked Su Xiao to return to the Exclusive Room as soon as possible.
Upon receiving this message, Su Xiao immediately headed back to the Exclusive Room. Clearly, Amu had eaten something problematic in the Crow World earlier.
In less than ten minutes, Su Xiao pushed open the door to the Exclusive Room. Seeing the scene before him, his expression twitched.
At this point, the Exclusive Room was completely empty. The only things still intact were Bubu Wang, Beini, and the small Black Maple Tree that Bubu Wang was protecting behind him. One cat and one dog were huddled in a corner, trembling. Seeing Su Xiao return, Bubu Wang quickly shook his head, indicating that this time, the demolition wasn't his doing.
Crunch, crunch, crunch…
A crisp chewing sound came from nearby. Su Xiao saw Amu hugging his Frost Warhammer and gnawing on it. At this point, the Frost Warhammer had been reduced to just over half of its hammerhead.
"Amu?"
Su Xiao tentatively called out to Amu. Amu looked up at Su Xiao, then immediately shuddered, like a schoolboy who had done something wrong, and moved toward the corner. Clearly, Amu hadn't lost consciousness; on the contrary, he was very alert.
This glutton had been sleeping since returning and had just woken up, claiming to be hungry and weak all over. Bubu Wang helped him go out to buy dinner. But who would have thought that even after spending all the pocket money of Bubu Wang and Beini, Amu still wasn't full. Instead, his eyes turned red with hunger, and he started gnawing on the furniture. After finishing the furniture, he began gnawing on his own weapon. It was unclear how he managed to chew through the warhammer forged by Lide.
Crunch, crunch…
Amu took two big bites and shattered the remaining hammerhead, chewing it with great relish.
"Amu, do you want to eat this?"
Amu looked at Su Xiao, his eyes starting to turn red again, and he even swallowed. Now Su Xiao could confirm that Amu was having a serious problem.
"Bubu, how much Paradise Coins worth of food did Amu eat?"
"Woof."
Bubu meant 97,800 Paradise Coins, nearly 100,000 Paradise Coins worth of food, measured in tons. Clearly, Amu's hunger wasn't due to a lack of nutrients but a lack of something else.
Su Xiao checked Amu's status. There were no major abnormalities, but in Amu's status, there was a string of prompts: 'Ice Energy Deficiency.'
"Ice energy…"
Su Xiao glanced at the weapon fragments beneath Amu. The answer was obvious. Amu was lacking ice energy. Regardless of what Amu needed the ice energy for, if this abnormal state wasn't resolved, Amu might even dig out his own Ice Array Diagram and eat it.
"Bubu, Beini, go to the Trade Market and buy ice-type potions, items, and equipment."
Su Xiao transferred the remaining 874,500 Paradise Coins to Bubu and Beini, 400,000 each. He slowly walked toward Amu. When the distance closed to two meters…
Bang, bang, boom!
After three exchanges, Amu was pinned to the ground by Su Xiao, who sat cross-legged on Amu's back.
"Moo!"
Amu, with bloodshot eyes, roared. Su Xiao looked down at him.
"Amu."
Su Xiao's voice wasn't loud, but Amu shuddered, recalling the painful experiences of previous treatments.
Su Xiao placed his hand on Amu's back, closed his eyes, and sensed the changes in the core array diagram inside Amu's body.
"Bubu, don't just stand there. Hurry up. This might be a good thing. Amu seems… not to be a simple Alchemical Creature anymore."
When Su Xiao said this, even he felt surprised, because Amu's core array diagram was gradually dissolving and merging with Amu's body.