Chapter 267: Shatter
Zhou Ning gathered all the materials together. The haul was so impressive that even he, with all his experience, was shocked. Counting the gains, aside from the damaged materials that made his heart ache, he had obtained a full eight rare materials suitable for crafting extraordinary items. Among them, three were rare components that could enhance spell power, with excellent conductivity, perfect for forging staves and weapons for magic swordsmen. In his previous life, these were rare even in the late stages of the game. Because of their immense utility, top-tier teams scrambled for them, but due to their extremely low yield, they were essentially unobtainable.
In his previous life, one of these had been sold during the third Apocalypse Pro League tournament, purchased by that whale "Sunken Star Beneath the Water" for the shocking price of 70,000 Vecktas. If all three were sold together and donated to the royal family, they would be worth enough to exchange for a lordship in the Kingdom of Bryston.
Aside from those three rare materials, there were four others of slightly lesser value—gems that could be inlaid into equipment, more ornamental than practical.
The last material, however, was even more precious—a small wooden block resembling a cork, named Heartwood. It could be refined into a Dragon Blood Elixir that greatly boosted all attributes. Don't be fooled by its small size—it was enough to refine three bottles.
As for the hammer…
It looked fairly ordinary in design, with a large number of obscure, half-erased characters carved into it. It certainly looked valuable—and indeed, it was.
Shatter
Type: Two-Handed Hammer
Quality: Unknown Relic
Damage: 359–774
Attack Speed: 2.0
Attributes: +55 Strength, +30 Constitution, +35 Agility
Description: This hammer possesses a unique power. The handle shows signs of having been cut short, and the engravings upon it have long since worn away. Archmage Oscard obtained it from an ancient ruin, using it to command the power of lightning, earning the title "Mage of Thunder." He also became the chief blacksmith of Elven King Alfred. The only drawback: wielding it makes one prone to distraction. Oscard thus became the blacksmith with the highest defective rate of his era.
Effect 1: Greatly increases the user's physical strength and action frequency. Attacks have a 20% chance of producing a chain lightning that leaps between enemies.
Effect 2: While equipped, all forging-related life skills are increased by 2 levels, with a 5% chance of mutation in finished products.
Effect 3: ?????
"This hammer is called 'Shatter,' and its previous owner was none other than the master of this tomb, Archmage Oscard," said Molly.
"Shatter?" Zhou Ning nodded, pondering. This was a rare relic that could be used for both forging and combat. It could replace the blacksmith's hammer he normally used. A constant +2 to forging skill levels was simply outrageous. With this weapon, even a rookie blacksmith could immediately start at advanced level. A slightly higher defective rate would be completely acceptable. Judging from the description, it might even benefit engineering.
Relics of this caliber only appeared in top-tier treasure sites like this.
Suppressing his excitement, Zhou Ning tried lifting the hammer—only to find it shockingly heavy. Even with his current 37 Strength, he couldn't pick it up. The trait was reminiscent of Thor's weapon in the Marvel world.
This was ridiculous…
Unwilling to give up, Zhou Ning tried again. Still, no luck. He attempted to store it in his inventory—and this time, it worked. Seeing the hammer's icon inside, he finally let out a long breath.
"Phew, satisfying!"
Indeed, risk and reward came hand in hand. This time, he had truly struck gold. Zhou Ning thought to himself: up to this point, today's harvest had completely exceeded expectations. Beyond the hammer, if he brought those materials to market, people would be fighting tooth and nail to get them. Of course, he had no intention of selling. Combined with the extraordinary material he had acquired from Archibald earlier, this should be enough to commission a personal extraordinary item.
But the instant he put the hammer away, it was as if he had triggered some mechanism. The lights in the tomb suddenly flared to life. A sharp, grating alarm pierced the air, setting his teeth on edge. The three boss-level mithril golems wandering the chamber all turned in unison. Black flames flickered in their eyes as they spat out strange, screeching syllables and thundered toward him.
"Damn, careless!"
Zhou Ning's mind went on high alert. This was very, very bad. As golem-type bosses, mithril golems had far higher health than ordinary monsters of the same level. Mithril was known to block magic, and golems made from it inherited this trait, drastically reducing magic damage. Their defenses were incredibly strong, and they were more than 7 levels above the version cap. He had already struggled against just one. Facing three at once was hopeless.
Even with his Magician Knight Guiltya—a ranged elite unit—there was no chance of winning.
Together, the three mithril golems could easily crush him.
Zhou Ning quickly scanned the terrain. The tomb chamber's ceiling was extremely high, making escape upward impossible. Even the grappling hook from the Phoenix Battle Suit couldn't reach. The area was barren, save for a few scattered ritual jars along the edges and the silver coffin in the center. There was nowhere to hide.
Yet even facing certain death, Zhou Ning remained calm. With a flick of his finger, a coin strung with a bead appeared between his index and middle fingers.
This was a trophy from another world—the Pirates of the Caribbean world. One of the nine pieces of eight, the Siamese coin strung with a Moroccan bead.
This set of tokens from the Pirate Lords carried strange powers, each capable of channeling at least high-tier professional strength. When he first obtained them, the simulator had indicated they could serve as charms in this world. After several days of experimentation, Zhou Ning had mostly worked out how to use a few of them.
Armand, Pirate Lord of the Black Sea, had a pale brandy glass imbued with fire, capable of producing flames.
Barbossa, Pirate Lord of the Caspian, had a wooden eyeball carrying wood's power, letting Zhou Ning summon thorny walls and vines.
Shaval's Queen of Spades card held psychic power, unleashing mental lashes and psychic shocks.
Mistress Ching, Pirate Lord of the Pacific, had a lens with supportive power, able to grant herself random buffs.
…
The Siamese coin in Zhou Ning's hand bore the power of metal. It quickly responded. With a harsh crack, a row of metal bars suddenly rose from the ground.
At the same time, under Zhou Ning's command, Magician Knight Guiltya fearlessly moved to the front, staff raised high. A white orb of light flared and shot toward the nearest mithril golem.
–245!
The three towering shadows slammed into the metal barricade. With a resounding clang, the barrier shattered into pieces. The golems crashed forward, the first impact smashing straight into Magician Knight Guiltya.
As a five-star fusion monster card from Yu-Gi-Oh!, Guiltya's strength was decent. But in such a narrow, enclosed space, facing three bosses over level 60, survival was impossible.