Chapter 80: Thrilling and Exciting
Su Xiao sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash, which had been upgraded to Immortal Rank with a full initial rating. Su Xiao was not surprised by this, as he had consumed a large amount of resources to upgrade Dragon-Slaying Flash.
Now that Dragon-Slaying Flash had been elevated to Immortal Rank, it was time to begin forging it. The forging process had three aspects: strengthening through Refined Immortal Stones, replacing the gems, and using the [Immortal Soul] on Dragon-Slaying Flash.
First was strengthening the level of Dragon-Slaying Flash. This had the lowest threshold but the highest consumption.
If strengthening to +5 was sufficient, the cost was actually not too high. But if one had dreams of strengthening Dragon-Slaying Flash to +12, that was a bottomless pit.
Next was replacing the gems, swapping the three Holy Spirit Rank gems for Immortal Rank ones. This required not only resources but also a certain amount of luck, so there was no rush for now. The current three Holy Spirit Rank gems were also quite suitable for Dragon-Slaying Flash.
Finally, there was the [Immortal Soul]. This required careful consideration. Only Immortal Rank weapons could be enhanced through the Immortal Soul, thereby strengthening the weapon's "Core Bonus."
Dragon-Slaying Flash had two core bonuses: Demon Blade and Soul Demon Blade. If Demon Blade was strengthened and the execution threshold increased, that would be an incredible achievement. Currently, it could execute enemies with less than 25% health remaining.
Su Xiao felt that raising the execution threshold of Demon Blade was far more difficult than imagined. However, the intensity of the bodily energy absorbed by Soul Demon Blade had a good chance of being improved.
The effect of Soul Demon Blade was somewhat similar to the Azure Steel Shadow ability. Azure Steel Shadow burned the bodily energy within enemies, dealing True Damage to them, while Soul Demon Blade absorbed it to increase the sharpness of Dragon-Slashing Flash.
When the two were combined, the effect in battles against powerful enemies was considerable, indirectly enhancing the lethality of Azure Shadow King.
Compared to fighting against powerful beings in mission worlds, Soul Demon Blade was even more terrifying when facing Contractors.
When encountering a main tank with strong survivability, at most three to four strikes, and the only "skill" that main tank could use was to stare blankly. War cries, tank-type domains—all of them would be completely shut down.
The most frustrating thing was not being unable to defeat an enemy, but having abilities enhanced with a large amount of resources become unusable in battle, and then being cut down.
This situation could be described as dying with resentment, or rather, dying with eyes wide open in disbelief, eyes bulging like light bulbs.
Regarding the use of [Immortal Soul] to enhance Dragon-Slashing Flash, Su Xiao was in no hurry. An Immortal Soul with a rating of 1000 and one with a full rating of 1500 were completely different things.
At the very least, Su Xiao planned to obtain an Immortal Soul with a rating above 1450 to use on Dragon-Slashing Flash. Of course, a full-rating Immortal Soul was the first choice.
He glanced at his current Soul Coins, which totaled 24,550. Carrying such a huge sum, Su Xiao felt more confident about what he planned to do next.
The main source of this fortune was Beini selling the [Proof of Steel Trial] and the [Triumph Medal].
The effect of the [Proof of Steel Trial] was that after using this item, it could permanently remove the 200-point True Attribute barrier, but the gain derived from the 200 True Attributes was reduced by 45%.
This item could only be used for breaking through the 200-point attribute barrier of a single attribute, and the subsequent attribute rewards were greatly reduced. Unless absolutely necessary, Contractors would not easily use this item, as it was said to have other "aftereffects."
The final transaction price for this item was 8,950 Soul Coins. The group that needed it was specific—those with strength didn't need it, and those without strength couldn't afford more Soul Coins.
The [Triumph Medal] had a different effect. It could convert a normal attribute into a True Attribute. It sounded great, but it would cause a significant drop in that attribute, and it only worked on attributes below 200 points. Once any physical attribute exceeded 200 points, this item could no longer be used.
The transaction price for this item was 8,600. Originally, Beini planned to sell it for over 10,000 Soul Coins, but later discovered that those with physical attributes below 200 were all Seventh Rank Contractors. Asking most Seventh Rank Contractors to come up with over 10,000 Soul Coins was no different from killing them.
If the [Triumph Medal] could be listed on the auction platform, its price would be higher. The Apocalypse Paradise side had many wealthy miners, but unfortunately, permission-type items could not be listed on the auction platform. They either had to be used personally or sold to Contractors on one's own side.
Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Beini couldn't use this item. With Su Xiao's four-attribute development method, each time they underwent potential activation, there was a certain probability of awakening a True Attribute. This was the power of the contract.
For example, Bubu Wang had quietly acquired three True Attributes: Agility, Stamina, and Charm. All were True Attributes, but even so, it couldn't save Bubu Wang's combat effectiveness.
In fact, Bubu Wang was not weak. The main reason was that the enemies Su Xiao encountered were too strong. In ordinary battles, Banishment could easily resolve things without Su Xiao lifting a finger.
When facing powerful enemies, Bubu Wang should not rush forward. Some of the strong enemies Su Xiao dealt with could severely injure Amu in a short time. Bubu Wang charging in would be like feeding the enemy—no, feeding the dog head.
But in battle, Bubu Wang was an indispensable member. Both the aura and detection were very important. The former enhanced Su Xiao's combat power, and the latter ensured that hidden enemies wouldn't reap the benefits.
Su Xiao walked out of his Exclusive Room. Seeing this, Bubu Wang immediately followed. It had just been out for a stroll and didn't know what to do.
After leaving his Exclusive Room, Su Xiao headed straight for the Equipment Enhancement Hall.
As soon as he entered the Equipment Enhancement Hall, Su Xiao saw a group of people gathered around an equipment enhancement machine.
Puff!
Steam burst forth, and a brilliant golden stream of light erupted from the equipment enhancement machine.
"It succeeded!!"
A somewhat familiar shout came. Hearing this shout, Su Xiao paused.
"Don't crowd around me. If you keep staring, I'll kill you all."
A figure in a black-red Gothic dress walked out from the crowd. It was Gulu. This was no coincidence. One of Gulu's greatest hobbies was enhancing equipment levels. As long as she had a sufficiently powerful weapon, she could instantly kill many strong enemies.
"Oh, Bai Ye, you're here to forge equipment too?"
Gulu tossed a dagger in her hand. This dagger was called "Kill Assassin," a weapon from the Night Walker set.
Gulu had enhanced this Holy Spirit Rank weapon to +15, the maximum level. If she enhanced it again, the weapon would definitely shatter, as it could no longer withstand it.
"I accidentally enhanced it to the limit. Such a boring experience."
When Gulu said this, her mood was complicated. Only she knew how powerful a weapon she needed to continuously break through her own limits. She originally planned to be more arrogant, but her right calf was faintly aching.
"When luck comes, there's no stopping it. See you later, unlucky one who fails even at +1."
"..."
Su Xiao narrowed his eyes. Gulu tossed the long dagger in her hand and walked out of the Equipment Enhancement Hall with a cheerful expression.
Su Xiao speculated that she would soon be promoted to Eighth Rank. A Holy Spirit Rank weapon enhanced to its limit could bring high returns even to an ordinary Contractor, let alone Gulu, who fought as if it were her daily routine.
Arriving at a corner of the Enhancement Hall, Su Xiao stopped in front of a stall. On it were items related to equipment enhancement.
The stall owner was shrouded in white mist, as the items he sold were of astonishing value.
Su Xiao currently had 11 Refined Immortal Stones. His goal this time was to strengthen Dragon-Slashing Flash to +8. The number of Immortal Stones required for each enhancement depended on the level: +1 consumed one Immortal Stone, +2 consumed two, and so on.
Strengthening to +8 required a total of 36 Immortal Stones, so he was 25 short. The current price of Immortal Stones was 617 Soul Coins each. After paying 15,425 Soul Coins, Su Xiao obtained 25 Refined Immortal Stones.
"Not buying more? The price of Immortal Stones is pretty good lately. A while ago, it was still 650 Soul Coins each."
The stall owner, shrouded in white mist, spoke.
"This is enough."
"That sounds familiar. Anyway, good luck to you."
The white mist stall owner chuckled and placed another dozen or so Refined Immortal Stones on the stall. Based on his experience, a big spender had arrived.
Su Xiao took the newly acquired Immortal Stones and stopped in front of an equipment enhancement machine. He placed one hand on the sensing device.
[Welcome to Equipment Enhancement Machine No. 336.]
With Su Xiao's operation, a puff of steam sprayed from the machine, and a tray popped out. He placed Dragon-Slashing Flash on it, and the tray retracted.
[Equipment verification in progress...]
[Verification complete. Dragon-Slashing Flash (Immortal Rank). Strengthening this weapon requires payment of Refined Immortal Stones.]
[Note: The enhancement cost for Immortal Rank weapons differs from other equipment. 98.534% of Immortal Rank armor, accessories, etc., are enhanced by paying Soul Coins, while Immortal Rank weapons require 'Refined Immortal Stones' for enhancement.]
Su Xiao gained new insight into enhancing Immortal Rank equipment. His previous understanding had been somewhat mistaken.
The reality was that enhancing Immortal Rank weapons had the highest cost, requiring only Refined Immortal Stones. Other equipment was much better, as it could be enhanced by paying Soul Coins.
He had previously wondered why the price of Immortal Stones was so stable. If enhancing all Immortal Rank equipment required Immortal Stones, the price would at least double or triple, as the output would be far below the demand. Since only weapons required them, the demand wasn't too exaggerated.
[Hunter must place Refined Immortal Stones to proceed with this enhancement.]
After the prompt appeared, a slot appeared on the right side of the front of the equipment enhancement machine, just enough to embed one Immortal Stone.
Su Xiao pressed a Refined Immortal Stone into the slot and started the equipment enhancement machine.
[Enhancement begins. Please wait for three minutes.]
Rumble...
The equipment enhancement machine started running. The Immortal Stone embedded on the right front side lit up, making the machine's presence even more impressive, with faint crackling sounds of electric arcs.
Time felt long during the wait. Just as five minutes passed, the Immortal Stone embedded in the machine turned into powder and drifted into the air, its energy depleted.
[Dragon-Slashing Flash +1 enhancement successful. Continue enhancement? Yes/No.]
With a click, another slot appeared on the right side of the front of the equipment enhancement machine. The two slots were arranged vertically. Enhancing to +2 required two Refined Immortal Stones.
Of course, he would continue. Su Xiao took out two Immortal Stones. This time, he didn't need to embed them; the two slots absorbed the Immortal Stones. He only needed to start the equipment enhancement machine.
Rumble...
The equipment enhancement machine started running again. Su Xiao slowly exhaled. The process of enhancing equipment was truly thrilling. He didn't care about failing between +1 and +5. But if he failed while trying to reach +8 and it dropped back to +0, that would be too exciting.
As Su Xiao was thinking, a puff of steam sprayed from the equipment enhancement machine.
[Dragon-Slashing Flash +2 enhancement successful. Continue enhancement? Yes/No.]
Su Xiao felt his luck had turned. Not only had he obtained an Immortal Rank item from a Holy Spirit Chest earlier, but he also hadn't encountered the bizarre "enhancement +1 failure event."
An hour later, Su Xiao lit a cigarette and slowly exhaled smoke. At this moment, eight slots had appeared on the equipment enhancement machine in front of him, indicating that Dragon-Slashing Flash had successfully been enhanced to +7 and was about to attempt +8.
He had 8 Refined Immortal Stones left. The enhancement process Su Xiao had just experienced was like a dream start. From +1 to +7, it was a continuous streak of successes, and now he was about to attempt +8.
If this succeeded, everything would be fine. If it failed, Dragon-Slashing Flash's enhancement level would reset to zero, and the Immortal Stones worth 22,212 Soul Coins would be wasted.
Su Xiao started the equipment enhancement machine. If this failed, he would not consider upgrading Dragon-Slashing Flash for the next few world progressions. It was worth noting that a badge he had obtained at a low level was now extremely useful.
[Honor Badge]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise
Category: Special Equipment
Equipment Effect: Increases equipment enhancement success rate by 5%.
...
A 5% success rate might seem low, but it was actually very useful. For this attempt at +8, Su Xiao was quite confident.
After a moment, the equipment enhancement machine stopped running, and a large amount of steam sprayed from its lower edge, almost enveloping Su Xiao and Bubu Wang.
[Dragon-Slashing Flash +8 enhancement successful. Continue enhancement? Yes/No.]