Chapter 7: Defense Enhancement Derived from Multiple "Basic Passives"
After leaving the Skill Upgrade Hall, Su Xiao headed straight for the Attribute Enhancement Hall.
The Attribute Enhancement Hall was located in the central area of Reincarnation Paradise. It was a massive building that looked like a giant black cube from the outside. The surface of the building was covered with complex patterns, and as contractors walked in and out, the patterns flickered with a faint blue light.
Pushing open the metal door, a spacious hall came into view. The hall was divided into dozens of areas, each with an Attribute Enhancement Pod. These pods were semi-enclosed, with transparent energy barriers forming the walls, allowing outsiders to see the situation inside.
Su Xiao found an empty pod and walked in. After closing the energy barrier, he sat in the center of the pod. A mechanical voice sounded:
"Welcome, contractor. Please select the attribute you wish to enhance."
A virtual screen appeared in front of him, listing his current attributes:
Strength: 85
Agility: 82
Endurance: 78
Intelligence: 60
Perception: 75
Charm: 5
Su Xiao glanced at the Charm attribute and ignored it. He had long since given up on that attribute. After all, as a hunter, Charm was almost useless to him.
"I want to enhance Endurance and Agility," Su Xiao said.
"Please allocate the attribute points. You currently have 8 True Attribute Points available."
Su Xiao thought for a moment. His current combat style relied heavily on agility and endurance. Agility determined attack speed and movement speed, while endurance determined survivability. In the upcoming battles, he needed to ensure he could withstand damage while maintaining high-speed combat.
"Allocate 5 points to Endurance and 3 points to Agility."
"Allocation confirmed. Enhancement will begin."
As the mechanical voice fell, a warm current surged from the Attribute Enhancement Pod, flowing through Su Xiao's entire body. This feeling was very comfortable, like soaking in a hot spring, but it only lasted for a few seconds.
"Enhancement complete. Current attributes: Endurance 83, Agility 85."
Su Xiao stood up and clenched his fist, feeling the surge of power within his body. The increase in Endurance made his body tougher, while the boost in Agility made his movements lighter.
He left the Attribute Enhancement Hall and headed toward the Equipment Enhancement Hall.
The Equipment Enhancement Hall was not far away, located on the other side of the central area. Compared to the Skill Upgrade Hall and Attribute Enhancement Hall, this place was much livelier. Many contractors gathered here, either queuing up to enhance their equipment or discussing the success rates of enhancements.
Su Xiao walked into the hall and looked around. He saw a familiar figure—Bubu Wang.
Bubu Wang was standing in front of an enhancement machine, staring intently at the screen. Beside him stood a contractor wearing a mask, who seemed to be his companion.
"Boss, you're here too?" Bubu Wang noticed Su Xiao and greeted him.
"Mm, I came to enhance some equipment." Su Xiao walked over and glanced at the enhancement machine. "What are you enhancing?"
"Just a random piece of equipment, trying my luck." Bubu Wang shrugged. "But the success rate is really low. I've already failed three times."
"Enhancing equipment depends on luck. If you're not confident, it's better to use protection charms," Su Xiao reminded.
"I know, but protection charms are too expensive. I can't afford them." Bubu Wang sighed. "Forget it, I'll just take a gamble."
Su Xiao didn't say much more. He found an empty enhancement machine and took out the equipment he wanted to enhance.
The first piece was the Black King Bracer. This was a piece of Overlord equipment he had obtained earlier, with excellent defensive capabilities. If he could enhance it further, his survivability would greatly increase.
He placed the Black King Bracer into the enhancement slot, and the screen displayed the enhancement options:
"Equipment: Black King Bracer (Overlord Grade)
Current Enhancement Level: +0
Enhancement Cost: 500 Paradise Coins
Success Rate: 90%"
Su Xiao didn't hesitate and directly chose to enhance. A golden light flashed, and the enhancement succeeded.
"Enhancement successful. Black King Bracer +1. Defense increased by 5%."
Su Xiao continued to enhance. The second time, the success rate dropped to 80%, but it still succeeded. The third time, the success rate was 70%, and it succeeded again. The fourth time, the success rate was 60%, and it succeeded once more. The fifth time, the success rate was 50%, and this time, it finally failed.
A burst of red light flashed, and the Black King Bracer's enhancement level dropped back to +4.
"Tsk, failed." Su Xiao wasn't too disappointed. He had expected this. Enhancing equipment to +5 was already quite difficult.
He took out the Black King Bracer and prepared to continue enhancing, but at that moment, a voice came from beside him:
"Brother, do you need a protection charm? I have some here, cheap."
Su Xiao turned his head and saw a contractor with a sly face smiling at him. This person was wearing a green robe, with a few bottles of potion hanging from his waist, looking like an alchemist.
"No need." Su Xiao refused. He didn't trust this kind of street vendor.
"Don't be in a hurry to refuse. My protection charms are genuine, all bought from the Honor Shop. If you don't believe me, you can check them." The contractor took out a protection charm and handed it to Su Xiao.
Su Xiao took it and examined it. It was indeed a genuine protection charm, but the price was a bit high—800 Paradise Coins each. The market price was only 600 Paradise Coins.
"Too expensive." Su Xiao returned the protection charm.
"Hey, business is all about negotiation. How about 700? That's the lowest I can go." The contractor said with a smile.
"600." Su Xiao stated a price.
"Brother, that's too low. I have to make a living too. How about 650?" The contractor pretended to be troubled.
"600, take it or leave it." Su Xiao's tone was firm.
"Alright, alright, I'll sell it to you at a loss." The contractor sighed, took out three protection charms, and handed them to Su Xiao. "Three protection charms, 1800 Paradise Coins."
Su Xiao paid the Paradise Coins and took the protection charms. With these, he could safely enhance the Black King Bracer to +5.
He placed the Black King Bracer back into the enhancement slot, used a protection charm, and chose to enhance. This time, golden light flashed, and it succeeded.
"Enhancement successful. Black King Bracer +5. Defense increased by 25%. Additional effect unlocked: Damage Reduction +10%."
Su Xiao was quite satisfied. The +5 Black King Bracer had significantly improved defense, and the additional damage reduction effect was very practical.
He continued to enhance the next piece of equipment—the Dragon-Slaying Flash. This was his main weapon and needed to be enhanced to increase attack power.
The enhancement process for the Dragon-Slaying Flash went relatively smoothly. After using two protection charms, he successfully enhanced it to +5.
"Enhancement successful. Dragon-Slaying Flash +5. Attack increased by 25%. Additional effect unlocked: Armor Penetration +15%."
Su Xiao put away the equipment and prepared to leave the Equipment Enhancement Hall. At that moment, he suddenly sensed a gaze. He turned his head and saw a woman in a black robe staring at him from a distance.
The woman had long black hair and a delicate face, but her eyes carried a hint of coldness. When she noticed Su Xiao looking at her, she immediately turned and left.
Su Xiao frowned. He felt that this woman was somewhat familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before. But he couldn't remember for a moment.
"Forget it, it's not important." Su Xiao shook his head and walked out of the Equipment Enhancement Hall.
After leaving the Equipment Enhancement Hall, Su Xiao headed toward the Trade Market. He planned to buy some potions and consumables to prepare for the next mission.
The Trade Market was located in the eastern area of Reincarnation Paradise. It was a huge square filled with stalls. Contractors set up their own stalls here, selling various items.
Su Xiao walked through the market, occasionally stopping to look at some items. He bought some Recovery Potions and Alchemy Bombs, spending a total of over 2,000 Paradise Coins.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly saw a familiar figure—Kaisa.
Kaisa was sitting in front of a stall, holding a book and reading. When he saw Su Xiao, he immediately put down the book and greeted him with a smile:
"Boss, long time no see. How have you been lately?"
"Not bad." Su Xiao walked over and glanced at the items on the stall. "What are you selling?"
"Just some small things, nothing valuable." Kaisa shrugged. "By the way, boss, have you heard? There's a new mission in the Void recently, said to be very dangerous, but the rewards are generous."
"What mission?" Su Xiao asked with interest.
"It's said to be a mission to explore a newly discovered Primordial World. That world is very dangerous, with many powerful creatures inside, but there are also many treasures." Kaisa lowered his voice. "I heard that several top contractors have already signed up. If you're interested, boss, you can go check it out."
"Mm, I'll consider it." Su Xiao nodded. He was indeed somewhat interested in this mission. After all, Primordial Worlds usually contained rich resources, which were very helpful for improving strength.
After chatting with Kaisa for a while, Su Xiao left the Trade Market and returned to his Exclusive Room.
In the Exclusive Room, Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to organize his recent gains.
He had now mastered several Basic Passives, including "Endurance Enhancement," "Agility Enhancement," "Perception Enhancement," and "Soul Strength Enhancement." These passives had improved his overall attributes, especially Endurance and Agility, which had seen significant increases.
In addition, he had also learned a new skill—"Blade Path: Azure Demon." This was a powerful attack skill that could unleash a massive blade of light, dealing high damage to enemies.
"With my current strength, I should be able to handle most eighth-rank missions." Su Xiao opened his eyes, a hint of confidence flashing in them.
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the starry sky of Reincarnation Paradise. In the distance, a huge tree stood tall, its branches stretching across the sky—that was the Void Tree.
"The next mission... I wonder what it will be." Su Xiao murmured to himself.
At that moment, a notification sound came from his communicator. He took it out and saw a message:
"Dear contractor, you have a new mission. Please go to the mission hall to receive it."
Su Xiao put away the communicator, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Finally, something interesting is coming."