Gusion wondered how she could tell he didn't need the scroll, and was curious. "You're a mage-type explorer, right? What do you want with a specialization scroll?"
"It's useful," Black Lily replied shortly, then tilted her head. "Add me as a friend?"
Gusion didn't refuse. Such a straightforward buyer was rare, and he didn't care if she was creepy.
After adding her, Black Lily turned and left. Other explorers avoided her as she passed, seemingly wary of her.
Having sold all his items, Gusion felt great. Sitting on a fortune of 150,000 Endcoins, he planned to check out the equipment enhancement hall.
Since killing Muzan Kibutsuji, his Mazuko's growth rate had reached 100% again—it had now evolved into a legendary main weapon.
[Mazuko]
Origin: Bleach
Rarity: Legendary
Main Weapon: Sword
Durability: 200/200
Sharpness: 45 (+13)
Toughness: 44 (+13)
Requirement: Pioneer 008 only
Details: A Zanpakuto forged with Pioneer 008's soul, automatically bound. Cannot be sold or traded. Only usable by the owner.
Weapon Skill 1 (Passive): Soul Nourishment
Kills made with Mazuko absorb some soul energy, raising its growth. The user can also feed it their own soul for rapid growth (Warning: extremely dangerous).
Current Growth: 11.91%
Weapon Skill 2 (Active): Shikai
Activating Shikai drains Soul Source, revealing Mazuko's true form. While active, all combat stats +4, nerve reflexes greatly increased, sharpness and toughness +5.
Shikai Passive: Demonic Corrosion
Damaging enemies inflicts Corrosion, reducing their natural recovery by 70% and dealing 30% of that attack's max damage per second as damage over 10 seconds. Stacks on same wound.
Shikai Passive: Demonic Sip
Damaging enemies absorbs 10% of the damage as Soul Source, refilling the user. Excess Soul Source dissipates if the user is full.
Score: 400+
Evaluation: In your heart, a demon god is imprisoned.
[]
After evolving to legendary, Mazuko had a huge leap in power. Sharpness and toughness aside, every skill had been greatly enhanced. It even gained a new passive—Demonic Sip. Gusion thought this was overpowered: not only could he restore his own resource, but draining an opponent's mana could cripple skill-dependent foes after a few hits.
He suspected the skill might gain even more effects as Mazuko grew.
But even now, it was broken—draining an enemy's Soul Source could even make non-skill types faint if emptied.
Excited, Gusion went to the enhancement hall. Even at the door, many explorers were coming out wailing and despondent.
There were wooden signs posted outside, too, with all sorts of warnings. The most eye-catching were the three phrases posted like couplets on the doors, evoking a strange awe:
[Enhancement Ruins Three Generations]
[Exploding Gear Destroys Your Life]
[Don't Enter If You're Unlucky]
Seeing that last line, Gusion smiled, popped the Lucky Fruit into his mouth—sweet and fragrant—then strolled inside, all while hearing the angry shouts of failed explorers.
The enhancement hall and the free attribute point area were both special zones—not tiered, so explorers from all ranks could be seen here.
Finding a quiet area, Gusion took out Mazuko and the Lucky Forge Stone, placing them into a bronze cauldron-like enhancement machine.
[Mazuko Enhancement Level: 0, Success Rate: 100%, Cost: 1000 Endcoins. Proceed?]
Gusion hit yes without hesitation. Enhancing always cost coins, with costs rising by level and item quality.
He enhanced Mazuko up to +5 in one go before the prompt changed:
[Mazuko Enhancement Level: +5, Success Rate: 100%, Cost: 2000 Endcoins. Proceed?]
With the Lucky Forge Stone as backup, Gusion didn't worry and kept going.
Normally, failure would drop the enhancement level by one; at +8 or above, failure could destroy the gear. That's when the stone's durability is used. Gusion planned to check the odds before gambling further.
[Success! Mazuko is now +8. Further enhancement success rate: 19.1%, cost: 3000 End Coins. Proceed?]
Seeing the low odds, Gusion didn't risk it—even with the Lucky Forge Stone's safety net, if it broke he couldn't resell it.
The stone was best used for enhancing multiple legendary items to +8 and stopping there. Gusion didn't get why Snow Wind would sell it, since her team could use it more.
But actually, few low-tier explorers enhanced gear—because they changed equipment every world or two. The cost wasn't worth it.
High-grade gear enhancement was pricey—Gusion had just burned 11,000 End Coins to get Mazuko to +8. Without the stone, it could've cost even more.
Most explorers thought enhancements below +5 weren't worth it, so only long-term gear was enhanced.
That was Gusion's logic too. Only Mazuko—a growing weapon—was worth it, as enhancements carried over after upgrades.
Once done, Gusion checked Mazuko's new attributes.
Besides +8 to sharpness and toughness, it gained a new enhancement trait:
[Enhancement +8 Trait: Bully]
Effect: When the Pioneer attacks enemies whose Life Source is below 30% of max, 50% of damage is converted to true damage.
Just seeing this, Gusion understood why so many explorers risked it in the enhancement hall.
At +8, gear underwent a qualitative leap. Traits were random but always powerful.
Having finished, Gusion's wallet shrank to 140,000, but he was still rich among Tier 2 explorers.
Now, low-end wares in the market no longer interested him—he wanted custom gear.
He headed straight for the lower level commercial street, soon finding a quiet shop.
The school-uniformed girl was napping at the counter, hair half covering her face, drooling with a goofy smile.
"Wake up, you've got a customer!" Gusion said, exasperated. No wonder she had so few customers.
Last time, she'd been actively recruiting. Now she seemed to have given up.
"Eh? Where's my bed?" she blurted, startled awake.
Gusion waved a hand in front of her face. "It's me. Remember?"
Once she woke up, her face turned red. She hurriedly wiped her drool and tidied up. "Oh, it's you. Buying a bed?"
"Let's talk business first. I might buy a bed, we'll see," Gusion replied. He'd already realized her beds were excellent for long-term missions.
The girl's eyes lit up, and she pulled Gusion inside. "Honored customer, right this way!"
Gusion ignored her antics and scanned the goods. "You still have the same stuff as before?"
Her smile froze—since his last visit, she hadn't made a single sale. High-tier explorers had their own suppliers or backers, and wouldn't visit a small shop like hers.
Shop location was determined by one's Supporter imprint. Only high-level Supporters could rent prime spots.
That's why her shop, barely open for two months, was struggling. Most explorers didn't even buy furniture.
After Gusion, she'd drawn in two more customers, but they left after seeing it was all furniture.
"Been waiting for you to spend! Made a fortune this mission, didn't you?" she changed the subject, scanning him with bright, mischievous eyes—her instincts told her Gusion was now loaded!
"Got some spare change. How much for a custom legendary item?" Gusion replied, browsing the legendary gear on her shelves. All excellent, but none suited his needs.
"Legendary?" The girl beamed. "You really struck it rich! Legendary crafting's not hard for me, but as usual, you've gotta buy a bed before I'll take your order."