Vol. 3: Chapter 75
The sight of the level 60 shield left Gilded Hand speechless.
[Dragonscale Bulwark (Ascendant)](Level 60)
Physical Defense: 55,000
Magical Defense: 35,000
Constitution: +2520
Strength: +1520
[Dragonscale Ward]: Share this shield's stats with up to 10 allies. Lasts 20 seconds. 2-minute cooldown.
He was particularly stunned by the Dragonscale Ward ability. From what he knew, the main tanks of the top guilds had maybe ten thousand defense, tops. This one shield provided five times that, plus a constitution bonus equivalent to 50,000 health. Whoever could equip this would instantly become the most OP tank in the game.
Gilded Hand might have a one-track mind, but he wasn't stupid. Looking at the shield, and remembering that Kael had just returned from Thaloria, he instantly put the pieces together.
"You got your hands on top-tier Opals in Thaloria, didn't you?"
Kael saw no reason to hide it and showed him the three gems.
Gilded Hand murmured to himself, "Two that reduce the level requirement by nine, one by eight… a total of twenty-six levels…" He suddenly looked up at Kael, his eyes wide. "That means a level 34 player can equip this!"
Kael nodded. "Assuming you can put at least three sockets in it."
Gilded Hand’s hands trembled slightly as he picked up the Dragonscale Bulwark again. After a moment, he shook his head.
"I can't. The system is giving me a 90% chance for two sockets, 30% for three, and a 0.01% chance for four." He explained the danger. "The risk is too high. If I fail, the item can never be socketed again."
Finally, he sighed and handed the shield back to Kael. "Even with my Grandmaster skill, the item level is just too high. I can't guarantee three sockets. I have to turn down this commission."
Kael just smiled and didn't take the shield back. Instead, he dropped a single, shimmering shard onto the anvil.
Gilded Hand froze. For a moment, he’d forgotten just who he was dealing with. This wasn't just the server's number one player; he was the true owner of Tydrisa's Quarry.
The gem Kael produced was a Eclipsite Shard. Eclipsites were a strange anomaly in Godpath—the only gem where the chipped fragments were more valuable than the whole. Their sole purpose was to increase the success rate of crafting operations like enchanting and socketing.
While a whole Eclipsite was less valuable than most stat or utility gems, its shards were worth several times more than any other. In the Mythrosia Empire's current market, a single Eclipsite Shard was worth about $9,000. It wasn't something casual players could afford to use.
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Normally, adding three to five shards was enough to push success rates past 95%. But for a level 60 Ascendant shield, that would be a drop in the ocean.
Kael, the magnate mine owner, was direct. With a soft clatter, he produced a bag and poured out 200 Eclipsite Shards for Gilded Hand. "Check the odds again."
Gilded Hand stared, then gathered up the shards. A moment later, his gloomy expression brightened. "90% for three sockets. It's doable."
Kael shook his head, dissatisfied. 90% was too risky. He poured out another 200 shards.
"95%," Gilded Hand reported.
Kael produced another 200.
"99%."
Another 200.
"99.9%."
Still not convinced, Kael took out a final bag of 200, bringing the total to a thousand shards.
"99.99%."
Kael finally nodded. If it failed at 99.99%, then it would just mean the shield and Hazel were never meant to be.
Gilded Hand hefted his Meteor Hammer and began to work. The rhythmic clang of metal on metal filled the small forge. The process was tedious, and Kael had no interest in watching a half-naked man sweat over an anvil. He sat to the side, browsing the game forums. He scrolled through dozens of posts but found nothing of interest.
Ding.
A clear, crisp chime echoed in the room. Kael knew it was done.
Gilded Hand held the Dragonscale Bulwark, turning it over and over. His face was a mixture of joy and a hint of regret. He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Kael.
"Mission accomplished. Three sockets, as requested. A shame the fourth one failed."
Kael nodded. Three sockets was enough. A fourth would have just been a bonus. The shield was already practically invincible; one more gem wouldn't make a world-changing difference.
Kael took out the three Opals he had prepared and slotted them in.
System: You have socketed the [Dragonscale Bulwark] with an Opal. Its level requirement has been reduced by 9.
System: You have socketed the [Dragonscale Bulwark] with an Opal. Its level requirement has been reduced by 9.
System: You have socketed the [Dragonscale Bulwark] with an Opal. Its level requirement has been reduced by 8.
[Dragonscale Bulwark (Ascendant)] (Level 60)
Physical Defense: 55,000
Magical Defense: 35,000
Constitution: +2520
Strength: +1520
[Dragonscale Ward]: Share this shield's stats with up to 10 allies. Lasts 20 seconds. 2-minute cooldown.
Sockets: 3/3
Gem Effect: Level Requirement -26.
Done. Kael put the finished shield away, satisfied.
"How much do I owe you?" Kael asked Gilded Hand.
Gilded Hand opened his mouth, wanting to ask Kael to join his guild again, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
"One million dollars," he said instead. He'd just spent a hundred million on shards from Elon to power-level his socketing skill. With Kael as his first post-training client, he needed to recoup some of his losses.
Kael didn't haggle, simply transferring the money.
After leaving Gilded Hand, Kael returned to the center of Starlight Town. With more and more players hitting level 30, people from other main cities were flocking to the town.
The teleport nexus was more congested than ever, and travel times had slowed, but no one was complaining. Players were methodically completing the essence quests. Isolde had used her top-level authority to boost the quest rewards by 50%. Veteran players knew this was a temporary measure and were actively encouraging others to pitch in. Someone had even posted a guide on the forums detailing which mobs had the best essence drop rates and quality, helping everyone to be more efficient.
In Starlight Town’s main conference room, Hazel was caressing her new shield as if it were a priceless treasure, a look of pure bliss on her face.
Kael, meanwhile, was laying out the next phase of their plan to Lila, Orion, Rena, and the others: a permanent solution to the teleport nexus's energy problem. Everyone was on board.
That is, until Kael told them what boss they would have to face.
A collective gasp filled the room.
"A Plague-Heart Rat?! Are you sure it's Mythic-rank?!"