MM - Chapter 252 - UPGRADES

Among the Phoenix loot, only a handful were Chaotic Gold, and every other piece was Marvelous Gold. Considering how much better chaotic was than marvelous, he was happy to have even one, let alone seven.

Damn, they were loaded. Amazing what peak masters can achieve with the might of a superguild and generations of martial expertise behind them. They came into ZL without a shred of future knowledge and accomplished so much in just a few weeks.

Growing deadly serious, Raine further separated out the heavy plate equipment as that weight class tended to have the attributes he favored. He started with the best, because why not? Those bastards had come to steal from him; losing their most precious gear was the price of arrogance, a price he would gladly exact no matter how many times they returned.

[Cuirass of the Void Sovereign (Plate - Chest): (Chaotic Gold - LVL 40) (Health +432) (Defense +98) (Resistance +62) (Demonic Power +245) (Potency +132) (Finesse +108) (Physique +138) (Durability 199/350) (Void Resistance +15) (Innate Passive - Abyss Empowerment: In shadowed areas, ambient void energies are channeled through the body to restore Discipline. Restores Discipline equivalent to 15% Physique every 10 seconds)]

Briefly scanning the attributes of his previous chest piece brought a burst of near-hysterical laughter.

[Dark Plate of The Infernal Haskaahl (Plate - Chest): (Marvelous Gold - LVL 25) (Health +300) (Defense +60) (Demonic Power +55) (PTC +50) (PHY +50) (Durability 250/250) (Flame Resistance -15) (Innate Passive - Extreme Immolation: The fierce blaze permeating this chest plate inflicts agony equivalent to 20% Demonic Power to all those nearby)]

Wow, Whatever raids or quests they were clearing couldn’t have been easy. 

To a standard tank, the increased Discipline recovery alone would have made it a godly item. With his horn supplying near infinite Discipline, Raine wasn’t overly thrilled about the passive, since having it meant the attributes were lower than they could be. Still, in situations where drawing on the horn was a bad idea, or his inventory was sealed, the passive would be a lifesaver.

Additionally, losing access to Extreme Immolation wasn’t as detrimental as it might first seem. While the passive skill had been pivotal in the last battle, it was only overpowered against enemies weaker than himself. To the higher-level beasts he was gearing up to fight, a few hundred points of damage would barely be a tickle.

The next piece was also a significant upgrade.

[Talons of the Glacial Tyrant (Leather - Hand): (Chaotic Gold - LVL 40) (Attack Power +315) (Defense +45) (Discipline +220) (Critical Rate +2%) (Attack Speed +0.5) (Potency +135) (Finesse +110) (Acuity +110) (Durability 212/350) (Innate Passive - Subzero Culmination: Your strikes with short weapons deal stacking frost damage equivalent to 15% Attack Power. Each stack lasts 5 seconds and refreshes existing stacks)]

Raine’s previous gloves were also leather, and from the raid. However, the difference in attributes between Marvelous Gold and Chaotic Gold made the talons so much better that all he could do was shake his head. Hopefully, Subzero Culmination was as good as it sounded. It all depended on the maximum stacks it could apply, and how often the cursed ring decided to give him the minimal array of short weapons he owned.

[Amulet of the Eternal Veil (Accessory - Necklace): (Chaotic Gold - LVL 40) (Resistance +296) (Elemental Power +915) (Connection +356) (Durability 177/250) (Innate Skill - Veil Shift: Reveal the ethereal realm for 10 seconds while aligning Elemental Skills to the ethereal. Further boosts the potency of Elemental Skills by 25% during Veil Shift (Cooldown: 30 minutes) (Cost: 200 Elemental Power)]

Until this moment, no necklace he’d found was worthy of replacing the Locket of Rendition. With his belt from the Primal Realm giving access to short-range teleportation, the upgrade was an obvious choice. The amulet’s Resistance was insane for its level, instantly pushing the stat higher than his total Defense. Having means of fighting back against the rare ethereal beast was also a relief. Raine tucked the locket into his inventory. He would keep it around for practicing against raid bosses.

[Legguards of the Shadow Devourer (Leather - Legs): (Chaotic Gold - LVL 40) (Attack Power +290) (Defense +88) (Resistance +68) (Potency +130) (Finesse +112) (Acuity +135) (Durability 298/300) (Innate Passive - Devouring Strikes: Your melee attacks against targets afflicted by your debuffs siphon Demonic and Elemental Power equivalent to 10% Attack Power)]

Only down two durability? They must have just found this.

The thought only furthered Raine’s bubbling amusement.

Again, a passive that’s not quite perfect. Though, more ways to recover DP and EP could get me out of a nasty bout of depletion sickness. I have plenty of debuffs, so the passive will almost always be active. Maybe I should get another copy of Blast. Would pair well with the amulet and the leg-guards… No, screwing with my build for a couple pieces of gear is ridiculous.

Hmm. My class quest will give 2nd-tier class choices based on which skills I use the most, not just how well I perform. Weaving in a few Blasts and heals is bound to result in some insane variations of an upgraded Armsman. Or I go pure melee and try not to use anything but my current class skills. Never easy, the choices are.

As with the unending questions about where to take his build, the following equipment upgrades weren’t so simple to choose from.

[Grand Sentinel’s Helm (Plate - Head): (Marvelous Gold - LVL 40) (Health +527) (Defense +52) (Resistance +36) (Discipline +199) (Potency +58) (Acuity +62) (Physique +62) (Durability 190/220)]

[Bulwark Visor (Plate - Head): (Marvelous Gold - LVL 40) (Attack Power +205) (Defense +76) (Potency +83) (Acuity +45) (Physique +51) (Durability 105/200)]

After swapping out the two pieces a few times, Raine settled on the Grand Sentinel’s Helm. Acuity was still a struggling attribute, and the extra health more than made up for the slightly lower Defense. Also, Physique was the attribute that gave his build the most bonuses; every point mattered.

He set the bulwark aside for Rhino, Fizgore, Varak, or Kevinsbakon. Watching them fight over it would be fun.

[Cloak of the Starlit General (Cloth - Cape): (Marvelous Gold - LVL 40) (Health +238) (Defense +98) (Celestial Power +320) (Physique +88) (Connection +115) (Durability 126/200)]

[Mantle of the Forbidden Arcanum (Cloth - Cape): (Marvelous Gold - LVL 40) (Resistance +67) (Elemental Power +201) (Connection +92) (Durability 177/200) (Flame Resistance +12) (Frost Resistance +12) (Conductivity Resistance +12) (Innate Passive - Forsaken Resonance: Amplifies spell echoes, increasing Elemental Potency by 18% when chaining skills. Triggers a resonance backlash dealing 8% Elemental Power as damage after 3 consecutive casts within 2 seconds)]

Forsaken Resonance held no appeal to Raine since he lacked the skills to chain cast. One cape specialized in Celestial Power, the other Elemental. Obviously, he would get more use out of the boosts to his healing skills.

[Studs of the Starbound Seer (Accessory - Earrings): (Marvelous Gold - LVL 40) (Resistance +111) (Celestial Power +395) (Connection +144) (Durability 121/150) (Innate Passive - Starsight: Grants fleeting visions of enemy weaknesses, increasing critical hit chance by 10% at night when the stars are visible)]

[Hoops of the Stormcaller (Accessory - Earrings): (Marvelous Gold - LVL 40) (Resistance +143) (Elemental Power +433) (Connection +162) (Durability 109/150)]

Raine didn’t care about Starsight, as the restrictions meant it would almost never be applied, and aiming for obvious weak spots resulted in a boosted critical chance anyway. Again, he chose Celestial Power and clipped the studs into his ears. The next upgrade was a welcome replacement for the shield he’d sold at the Romaxilian's auction.

[Shell of the Tempestwarden (Shield): (Marvelous Gold - LVL 40) (Health +266) (Defense +76) (Potency +82) (Physique +78) (Durability 87/200) (Innate Passive - Tempest Mirror: Reflects 15% of the wielder's Defense as elemental damage at assailant. Increased efficacy during thunderstorms)]

[Cleaver of Lingering Souls (2H Axe): (Marvelous Gold - LVL 40) (Attack Power +258) (Potency +99) (Physique +76) (Durability 174/200) (Innate Skill - Soul Harvest: Upon slaying an enemy, harvest their lingering essence. Essence can be consumed at any time to restore Health equal to 20% Attack Power. Overuse risks soul backlash (Charges 0/3)]

Having a two-handed axe again was enough to make his fingers itch. The potential damage over his current hatchet was significant. Besides, it wasn’t like the cursed Ring of Nine Arms would let him wield a shield in combination with the hatchet. Better yet, while swapping through weapons to find the right one, he could use the stored essence to mitigate some of the ring’s curse.

There were still multiple pieces of excellent equipment, three of which were Chaotic Gold. Unfortunately, two of them were rings that didn’t come anywhere near matching the Heart of Plutus. They would be perfect for Mel and Celeste once he powerleveled them a little more.

While shaking out his limbs in the confines of the skydrifter, Raine browsed his updated status.

NAME: Alaric

CLASS: Armsman

PROFESSION: Adept Engineer

PROFICIENCY: 46/150

TITLE: Spearhead of Orthrus / Sky Catcher / One Man Army / Big Game Executioner

ASPECT: Greater Aspect of the Werewolf

LEVEL: 41

SUPERIORITY: 1.5M / 225M

ATTUNEMENT: 34,632%

GENERAL SKILL POINTS: 3

HEALTH POINTS: 4,534 (10,669 > 11,374)

ATTACK POWER: 644 (1,504 > 2,569)

DEFENSE: 453 (1,345 > 1,511)

RESISTANCE: 518 (759 > 2,229)

CRITICAL RATE: 50.47% (52.9% > 56.35%)

ELEMENTAL POWER: 690 (1,012 > 3,123)

CELESTIAL POWER: 690 (1,012 > 2,923)

DEMONIC POWER: 690 (1,387 > 2,453)

DISCIPLINE: 798 (2,104 > 2,763)

ATTACK SPEED: 3.63 (4.40 > 4.9)

MOVE SPEED: 38.53 (87.57 > 101.6)

Almost a 60% increase in Attack-Power, Resistance, and Celestial Power tripled. Wow. I was already hitting way above my level. Now… I wonder if I can take them on at this level. Wouldn’t that be a fucking sight. If I can pull it off, all those stuffy nobles are going to shit themselves.

Raine’s eyes quickly devoured the last of the changes before he could grow too excited.

POTENCY: 321 (819 > 1,054)

FINESSE: 317 (758 > 997)

ACUITY: 330 (612 > 825)

PHYSIQUE: 453 (903 > 945)

CONNECTION: 345 (506 > 1,104)

It was too late. The massive increases to his attributes had turned his giddyness into full-body shivers. The feeling of untapped power was luxurious, and for the first time since returning to the past, downright overwhelming. No matter how much he wiggled and laughed, the straps of his drifter refused to give him the needed leeway to properly grasp his newfound strength and speed.

Today is a really, really good day.

Raine wasn’t quite done benefiting from the Phoenix Elites. He withdrew a small, leather-bound tome from his inventory, eagerly flipping to the most recently revealed passage.

[Tome of seventy-seven praises to Bhima: (Marvelous Gold) Once per day a new passage detailing the ultimate wisdom of Bhima shall be revealed. Upon reading each new passage Potency increases by 1 (All accumulated bonuses are lost upon death) (Bonuses become permanent after 77 days and 77 passages) (This item will always drop upon death) (1 use per account)]

“This third lecture on the mind will cover the first steps we all must take to control our lives: learning to control our opinions. All facets of life are filtered by opinions. Everything you see is not as it truly is, for the filter of your thoughts has corrupted the truth, twisting the world into a flimsy veneer of itself for your eyes only. Opinions govern our thoughts, actions, desires, tastes, and most vitally, our every reaction. 

As an example, I once knew a man who swore that farts were superior in aromatic quality to flowers. He was unflappable in the face of flatulence, no matter the severity. It was this seemingly ludicrous opinion that set him free, for one self-forged opinion led to another, until he was no longer an automaton mired in ambiguity as life passed by. He gained control by choosing his path.

It is perhaps the most saddening truth of humanity that we adopt the opinions of others without ever stopping to think and form our own. The longer these false convictions persist, whether from parents, peers, or teachers, the more entrenched they become. Unless guided by inner will, we are naught but a puppet dancing to the strings of another puppet; asleep when we should be vibrant, a slave to nothing but our own cognitive indolence. 

So sharpen your opinions as you would your most trusted blade! Cut away the corruption strangling your every thought and reaction. Wield your own opinions judiciously, and soon, you will be carving a clean and straight path to Genesis—toward a most suitable belief, and a future shaped by no hands but your own.”

Potency: +1