Chapter 100: Equipment Upgrade
Chapter 100: Equipment Upgrade
Usually, Lin Sai would have loved the sight of snow. He cherished the changing weather, watching as snowflakes gently fell from the sky, painting the world in white and bringing a sense of tranquility to his heart.
But today, Lin Sai's smile was absent. This snow had come too early.
The Hidden Frontier was a place of distinct seasons and well-ordered cycles. In the three years Lin Sai had lived here, this pattern had been crystal clear.
Yet, it was only late autumn now, and true winter was still about ten days away. This year, winter had arrived exceptionally early.
If Lin Sai hadn't experienced what he had, he might have dismissed this snow as a mere oddity, a temporary aberration in the seasons. But now...
"The Black Mountain World's influence on the Hidden Frontier is deepening," Lin Sai muttered under his breath.
This snow was a sign that the threat from the Black Mountain World was intensifying. It wasn't just Lin Sai who could see this; the other Awakened in town would surely draw the same conclusion.
"Things are getting worse and worse," he sighed, shaking his head. Lowering his gaze, he noticed the pile of minerals in front of him.
His determination returned. No matter what changes came, he was committed to enhancing his abilities. It was the foundation of his ability to cope with whatever came his way.
Reminded by the heavy snowfall, Lin Sai decided against waiting to return home to experiment. He set up his forge right there in the mine pit and began smelting the minerals he had collected that day.
Using Essence, he synthesized and smelted the minerals. Within minutes, iron ingots with a metallic sheen began to pile up before him.
Alongside them were six pieces of magnetite and three titanium blocks.
First, he needed to craft a metalworking workbench.
Lin Sai took several iron ingots and combined them to create an anvil.
On this new crafting tool, he began inserting metals and other materials, experimenting with new recipes.
【1 Long Dagger + 1 Iron Ore + 1 Frost Badger Tooth = Frost Fang Dagger】
【10 Arrows + 1 Iron Ore = Armor-Piercing Arrows】
【1 Frost Badger Claw + 1 Frost Badger Tooth + 4 Iron Ores + 4 Logs = Frost Badger Fang Mace】
【2 Rhinoceros Horns + 1 Iron Ore + 1 Oak Bow = Iron Horn Great Bow】
After organizing his creations, Lin Sai realized he had crafted four new items.
The Armor-Piercing Arrows were the simplest transformation. After being strengthened on the anvil, these arrowheads became sharper and harder, resembling cones. This increased their damage and gave them formidable armor-piercing capabilities.
The other three pieces of equipment had more distinct attributes:
【Weapon: Frost Fang Dagger】
【A long dagger emitting a chilling aura. Its exceptional quality and sharp blade inflict frostbite damage on enemies.】
【Chefs specializing in fresh, frozen foods would find this dagger invaluable. Selling to them could significantly increase its worth.】
【Weapon: Frost Badger Fang Mace】
【A heavy and fearsome mace that inflicts frostbite damage on enemies. However, its extreme weight requires superhuman strength to wield.】
【Moderately priced, but finding a buyer may be challenging.】
【Weapon: Iron Horn Great Bow】
【An extremely heavy bow that reduces the user's shooting speed but significantly increases arrow speed and penetration. Arrows fired from this bow can consume Essence and inflict corrosion.】
【Crafted from various materials, this heavy bow commands a high price.】
"These attributes seem pretty impressive," Lin Sai thought as he familiarized himself with his upgraded equipment.
He nocked an Armor-Piercing Arrow onto the Iron Horn Great Bow and aimed at a birch tree twenty meters away. Infusing the arrow with Essence, he released the shot.
Crack!
A cold light flashed, followed by an odd sound in the forest. It resembled the twang of a bowstring, but also the sound of cotton being torn.
As Lin Sai approached the tree, the scene before him explained everything.
The iron horn great bow fired a penetrating arrow, which was also coated with a layer of decay, and upon contact with the birch tree, it immediately took effect.
At this moment, the arrow pierced deep into the tree trunk.
The surrounding tree tissue was corroded into wood shavings, hence the strange sound earlier.
Lin Sai reached out and grasped the arrow's tail, shaking it as he pulled it out.
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
The wood shavings carried by the arrow slid down the bark, revealing a small oval hole.
The bark was thoroughly pierced, and the heartwood was penetrated by several centimeters.
The condition of this birch tree fully demonstrated the power of this arrow.
Lin Sai retrieved the arrow with satisfaction, and now he was curious about one thing.
If a regular penetrating arrow could have such an effect, then what kind of exaggerated damage could he inflict if he switched to a frostbite stibnite arrow?
"Tsk, tsk—"
Lin Sai shook his head slightly, returning to the forge and anvil with a sigh.
The required equipment was crafted, and next, as a modern person, Lin Sai would definitely try out his other ideas.
He first crafted an iron pipe in the synthesis list.
Then he placed it on the crafting table.
[1 Iron Pipe + 1 Flintlock Mechanism + 1 Flint + 1 Log = Flintlock Gun]
"Hmm..."
Lin Sai pouted, the other three materials were manageable, as he already had them.
But the flintlock mechanism was truly impossible.
Lin Sai carefully studied the synthesis list, but in the end, he couldn't find the crafting recipe for the flintlock mechanism.
To obtain a firearm, he would likely have to seek help from a blacksmith or craftsman to create a flintlock mechanism.
However, it was precisely because of Lin Sai's idea that a corresponding task appeared in his task bar.
[First Gunshot]
[Collect materials and use firearms to defeat enemies.]
[Task Reward: Unlock FPS Module, Attribute/Skill Experience Points.]
"..."
The appearance of the task explained everything.
Lin Sai shrugged, putting the iron pipe back into his bag.
It seemed that after returning to town, in addition to continuing his current work, he would also have to trouble Joel.
The iron ore experiments were basically completed.
Only two items remained: the magnetite and titanium block.
Lin Sai checked them one by one; the magnetite was currently useful for synthesizing a compass.
But the titanium block was different.
[1 Titanium Block + 1 Aluminum Ingot + 1 Magnetite + 1 Molybdenum Ore + 1 Meteorite = Titanium Alloy]
[1 Titanium Block + 2 Iron Ingots = 20 Titanium Iron Powder]
[Titanium Alloy] Lin Sai didn't need to think about this.
He currently had 3 titanium blocks, so he first synthesized a pile of titanium iron powder and continued to check the crafting recipes.
[1 Iron Ingot + 1 Titanium Iron Powder = Steel Ingot]
Steel Ingot!
Lin Sai wasted no time and immediately crafted a steel ingot.
The next second, a gleaming steel ingot was in Lin Sai's hand, but its function was different from that of iron ingots, which could enhance equipment.
The steel ingot could only be used as a base material to create other equipment.
Lin Sai gave it a simple try.
"..."
"Weapons crafted purely from steel ingots are not as effective as those infused with monster materials. Let's keep these steel ingots for now."
"Right, Joel might also need them. I can bring some back for him."
After synthesizing a pile of steel ingots, Lin Sai didn't intend to focus solely on himself.
The frontier town was already scarce in resources due to its isolation from the outside world, let alone high-quality steel ingots.
After returning to town, he would give them to Joel.
In the hands of a professional craftsman, they might find even more use.
Lin Sai's gaze wandered across the open-pit mine, feeling that his already packed schedule had just gained another task.
"I'll have to find time to go mining too."
With this thought, Lin Sai packed up his things, preparing to return to town.
But just as he was about to gather all his harvest for the day.
He noticed on his map that several red dots had appeared from the distant north and were approaching the mine!
(End of Chapter)
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