Chapter 216: Absorbing the Mysterious Scale, White Dragon Bone Armor [High-Class]
He knew he had underestimated Rune Craft.
Even though Tang Zheng initially had high expectations for the highest-tier runic script, he never expected it to be such a pleasant surprise. The ability to increase the strength of his Body Armament by "devouring" corresponding materials—this growth-type ability was what truly shocked Tang Zheng.
"To think Rune Craft actually possesses such power." Tang Zheng reached out a finger and pressed it against the space between his eyebrows.
In the game YGGDRASIL, Body Armament could also be enhanced by consuming materials, such as Data Crystals. But whether in terms of strength or durability, it was still somewhat inferior compared to equipment of the same level. Even a level 100 Body Armament could not reach the Divine-class level.
But now!
The Body Armament on Tang Zheng could be enhanced just like in the game, yet the method differed from the one in YGGDRASIL.
'Does the ability "Bountiful Blessing" have a limit?' This thought couldn't help but surface in his mind. 'If there's no limit, could I strengthen the Body Armament to the Divine-class level that was impossible to break through in the game, or perhaps an even higher tier?'
There was obviously no way to get an answer at the moment.
He came back to his senses.
Looking at the puddle of the Forest Sage King's flesh on the ground, Tang Zheng's eyelids twitched, and with a wave of his hand, he stored it in his item box.
'I didn't sense the Body Armament's limit just now, so I should be able to continue absorbing.'
As Tang Zheng thought of this, his first thought was of the two powerful corpses stored in his item box.
The ancient Fire Dragon!
The Sun Anglerfish!
If he devoured these two corpses, he wondered to what level the Body Armament could be enhanced.
"The ancient Fire Dragon..." Tang Zheng muttered, then shook his head. "I'll try with the Sun Anglerfish's corpse first."
The ancient Fire Dragon's corpse was precious, after all.
The number of living dragons in the entire otherworld could be counted on one hand. Although there were still several Frost Dragons in the Angelicisia Mountain Range, they were not of the same attribute as Fire Dragons.
Moreover, Tang Zheng currently had no idea how to use the various materials from a dragon, so he was in no hurry to deal with that group of Frost Dragons.
Wait!
Tang Zheng suddenly remembered something. With a thought, a grayish-white, flat, and thin scale, taller than a man, appeared in his hand.
This mysterious, giant scale was the very one he had obtained from deep within a cliff in the Baharuth Empire's border region when acquiring the [Cursed Knight] job.
"Since fur-like substances can be absorbed, then this kind of scale should be absorbable as well." A hint of anticipation showed in Tang Zheng's eyes as he pressed his palm against the scale.
"Bountiful Blessing!"
*Whoosh!*
The point of contact between his palm and the grayish-white scale began to soften, gradually being absorbed into the gray armor.
'The absorption speed is much slower. Is it because the material's level is higher?' Tang Zheng's eyes narrowed as he observed the slow absorption speed of the giant grayish-white scale.
It took nearly five full minutes before the mysterious scale was completely absorbed. Delicate patterns, invisible to the naked eye, appeared on the surface of the gray armor, and its originally somewhat dim color brightened by a shade.
In addition to that,
Tang Zheng also sensed a new ability from the mysterious scale. Without hesitation, he replaced "Jungle Acceleration" with the new skill that had appeared.
...
Skill: Rune · Body Armament
Level: Middle-class (21-30)
Durability: 287
Physical Defense: 140+135 (275)
Magic Defense: 147+70 (217)
Skills:
--Shadow Assault: Blend into a shadow to move rapidly. Can resist movement impairment during this process (5/day).
--Tail Strike
--[Empty]
Effect: Bountiful Blessing
Description: An unexpected product created by enhancing "Degraded Body Armament" with "Rune Technology".
...
'It's reached the level of "Middle-class" equipment.'
The first thing Tang Zheng noticed was the increase in the Body Armament's strength. Then, he looked at the ability contained within the mysterious scale.
'Shadow Assault.'
*Swish!*
Centered on the ground where his feet stood, Tang Zheng's body descended and blended into his shadow, transforming into a mass of shadow that moved rapidly across the ground.
The entire process was silent. If one didn't observe the ground carefully, it would be extremely difficult to notice.
'A very practical move, and it can resist the effects of "Movement Impairment" type skills.'
'I wonder what creature that mysterious scale came from.'
Tang Zheng rose from the shadow again, immensely curious.
This single scale alone provided a higher stat increase than absorbing Forest Sage King Hamsuke.
Tang Zheng could only speculate that the level of the scale's original owner was likely extremely high. It was related to the era of the Thirteen Heroes two hundred years ago, but he had no leads.
Immediately after,
he took out one of the Four Great Treasures of the Lizardmen from his items: the White Dragon Bone Armor. This armor, crafted from the bones of a Frost Dragon, was also something he could absorb.
Due to racial restrictions,
Tang Zheng couldn't use this armor. He had originally intended it as a collector's item, but he never thought it could be used as material for absorption.
"Bountiful Blessing!"
This time, the absorption was actually shorter than when he had devoured the mysterious scale. The seemingly crude White Dragon Bone Armor was likewise absorbed by the gray armor under the influence of this ability.
Gradually,
the color of the gray armor began to shift toward a cold white, and the data updated once more.
...
Skill: Rune · Body Armament
Level: High-class (31-40)
Durability: 287
Physical Defense: 140+259 (399)
Magic Defense: 147+194 (341)
Skills:
--Shadow Assault (5/day)
--Ice Attribute Resistance (20%)
--Curse: Intelligence Conversion
--[Empty]
Effect: Bountiful Blessing
Description: An unexpected product created by enhancing "Degraded Body Armament" with "Rune Technology".
...
The full-body armor was elevated from Middle-class equipment to High-class in one go.
Not only that, but Tang Zheng also replaced the original skills. The "Tail Strike" ability was useless to him, so he replaced it entirely with the abilities from the White Dragon Bone Armor.
As for the "Curse: Intelligence Conversion" skill, it was, of course, an ability that strengthened defense by lowering one's intelligence.
For Tang Zheng, who possessed curse resistance, this skill was of little use.
'The stats provided by the equipment are now higher than my own base stats, and another empty skill slot has appeared. Does it gain a skill slot every time the equipment level increases?'
At this moment, Tang Zheng truly began to understand the feeling of wearing high-grade equipment. With the defensive power of this current suit of armor, he was confident he could defeat a version of himself not using the Body Armament.
The next moment, Tang Zheng's figure flashed and entered the depths of the lava zone.
The magma sea churned.
The fifty-meter-long corpse of the Sun Anglerfish appeared in the magma, its massive body immediately displacing the surrounding magma.
*BOOM!*
On the surface of the calm magma sea, several towering waves of magma surged. The scorching heat distorted the air, forming a crimson heat that baked everything in all directions.
"Bountiful Blessing!"
Tang Zheng stood atop the corpse of the Sun Anglerfish, letting the clothing inside his full-body armor be ignited by the high temperature. He pressed both hands on the hard, fiery-red scales below him and let out a low shout.
The four runic characters on his full-body armor simultaneously emitted an iridescent glow.
An invisible energy surged.
The red scales all over the Sun Anglerfish's body began to vibrate and transform into a red, fluid substance, which flowed into the full-body armor.
Perhaps it was because the Sun Anglerfish's body was too enormous, or perhaps its level was high enough!
This stream of red fluid instantly enveloped Tang Zheng's entire body, forming a blood-red, half-man-tall cocoon.
Centered on the point where Tang Zheng's hands made contact, the hard, crimson scales on the Sun Anglerfish's outer body began to gradually disappear, blending into the full-body armor.
However!
The process didn't last long—not even half a minute.
The transformation of the crimson scales on the Sun Anglerfish's body came to a halt, and the blood cocoon enveloping Tang Zheng dissipated into red steam.
*Sssss— Sssss—*
Tang Zheng stood up, stepping on the corpse of the Sun Anglerfish, his entire body shrouded in blood-red steam and air distorted by the intense heat.
'The absorption process stopped so quickly? Did it reach the limit?'
A mumbling voice sounded.
As the steam gradually dispersed, a red figure appeared on the scene.
The color of the armor on Tang Zheng had changed drastically. The original grayish-white armor had turned crimson, and its surface was now covered in dense, scale-like patterns.
Crimson armor!
Fiery-red patterns!
It made the current Tang Zheng exude a mysterious and oppressive aura.
"It's completely changed its appearance." Tang Zheng raised his arm, looking at the intimidating crimson armor covering his body.
He had noticed before, when absorbing the mysterious scale and the White Dragon Bone Armor, that the color of the full-body armor would be influenced by the absorbed materials.
It was just that the colors of the previous materials were mainly gray and white, similar to the full-body armor's own color, so the changes weren't obvious. But now, after absorbing a portion of the Sun Anglerfish's materials, the armor's entire color had completely transformed to crimson.
Surprise was one thing.
Compared to the change in the armor's color, Tang Zheng was more concerned with the change in its stats!
...
Skill: Rune · Body Armament
Level: High-class (31-40)
Durability: 287
Physical Defense: 140+259 (399)
Magic Defense: 147+252 (399)
Skills:
--Shadow Assault (5/day)
--Ice Attribute Resistance (20%)
--Blazing Sound Wave: Centered on the user, releases an area-of-effect attack combining "Flame + Sound Wave" with a range of 100 meters (5/day).
--[Empty]
Effect: Bountiful Blessing
Description: An unexpected product created by enhancing "Degraded Body Armament" with "Rune Technology".
...
'The Physical Defense didn't increase at all, while the Magic Defense shot up to 399 points, the same as the Physical Defense.'
'This looks like a case of the stats reaching their limit, and the High-class item level didn't break through either.'
Tang Zheng lowered his head, looking at the Sun Anglerfish beneath his feet. In a large area around him, the thick, crimson scales had already vanished.
But compared to its enormous fifty-meter body, the absorbed area wasn't very large.
'I thought I could keep enhancing it indefinitely, but it seems there are restrictions.'
'After the High-class item level, the next is Top-class, which corresponds to the 41-50 level range.'
Tang Zheng pondered briefly, guessing that the inability to enhance it further was most likely related to his own level.
The upper limit of the Body Armament and the user's own level cap were already closely related to begin with.
'If that's the case, then this runic ability, "Bountiful Blessing," might not be as easily replicated as I imagined.'
A sharp glint flashed in Tang Zheng's eyes.
If the power limit of iron armor was level ten, then even if the "Bountiful Blessing" ability were to be inscribed onto it, the highest level the iron armor could be enhanced to would still be ten. It would be impossible to break through. This is a limitation of the material itself, just like the situation Tang Zheng was currently facing.
Thinking of this,
Tang Zheng felt an inexplicable sense of relief. It was simply that this growth-type ability, "Bountiful Blessing," was too powerful.
This had led Tang Zheng's first thought, upon witnessing this ability, to be "silencing any witnesses"!
If such a technology were to be leaked, the mere thought was headache-inducing. It would be one thing if it fell into the hands of the otherworld's natives, but if it fell into the hands of the Bone King, that would just be increasing the enemy's combat power.
This was a possibility that had to be considered.
But now, he no longer needed to worry.
(end of chapter)