Bai Chen sifted through the ornaments and jewels laid out before him, eyes gleaming faintly in the forge's light.
The variety was staggering.
From just two contributors alone, he'd received twenty-three different kinds of enhancement jewels.
"Hmm? This one's... an Attack Jewel?"
At the bottom of the chest, he fished out two massive crimson gems.
A quick inspection confirmed it — Attack Jewel [2].
Attack Jewels came in ranks: Attack [1] and Attack [2].
Normally, an Attack [1] required a single slot.
But an Attack [2] demanded four full sockets to channel its power.
The concept of "slots" wasn't as simple as just carving a hole in armor and cramming gems into it.
Each piece of equipment had its own material limits.
Even if you wanted to jam every jewel you owned into a single weapon, you couldn't.
If the armor's structure could only handle one jewel's worth of energy, adding a second could nullify both — or even cause interference.
That's why blacksmiths were invaluable — they studied monster materials intimately, discerning the upper thresholds of each, and carved out just the right number of slots.
A Jewel didn't simply add power; it guided it — channeling the energy within the gemstone to fuse with the weapon or armor's aura.
Remove the gear, or let it break, and the enhancement vanished.
Armor, too, possessed innate characteristics, so the most effective use of jewels came from synergy — matching gem to armor's natural affinity.
Think of it this way: a full armor set is like a living creature, and a jewel is a potent stimulant shot directly into its bloodstream.
Pick the right combination, and the creature's power could skyrocket.
In his past life's game, there had even been something called Talismans — similar to jewels, granting unique abilities to hunters.
But since arriving in the New World, Bai Chen hadn't seen or even heard of a single one.
After sorting everything neatly, he wrapped the jewels and sent the bundle straight to the workshop for the Master Smith.
The moment Tinker laid eyes on them, she lit up like a gambler spotting gold.
Jewels determined not only gear ranking but also its full potential — she could hardly contain her excitement.
Leaving her to her craft, Bai Chen returned home and organized the materials that Rob and Raymond had gifted him — mostly low-grade stuff.
The best among them were from Anjanath and Rathian.
After cataloging everything, he flipped open his hunter's logbook — the one where he'd written his early goals.
"This trip... all objectives completed.
Lillie's gift's ready, Tinker and my skills both improved, and my new partners are strong. Skill proficiency's through the roof."
He exhaled in satisfaction.
Perfect.
The master-level skills he once dreamed of now numbered three.
And, more importantly, he had learned both Battle Qi Manifestation and Limit Qi Mode.
Though he hadn't mastered Battle Qi Hardening yet, he could already feel the threshold.
A bit more practice, and it would be his.
He tidied up the house, then headed straight for the training arena.
By nightfall, the clangs of steel and the pulse of surging Qi echoed through the grounds.
The next morning, Bai Chen and Tinkatuff set off together for Ancient Village.
He hadn't told the Commander about the wyverians yet — because he knew what would happen.
If he did, the Commander would immediately order him to act as liaison between humans and Wyverians.
That would mean endless shuttling between the Outpost and the Village, and zero rest.
"I'll tell him next trip," he decided.
By noon, they reached the Village.
Zinogre and Basarios, having worked overnight, were asleep nearby.
When Yoomlana heard Bai Chen had returned, she summoned him immediately — and presented him with a hefty reward for the last few days of tasks:
Two golden monster eggs, a pile of rare ores, and bundles of rare flora.
All useful, in their own ways.
The golden eggs could go straight toward paying off his debt to Lusamine.
The ores — perfect for feeding Basarios or forging new equipment.
The plants... not so much. Mostly potion ingredients, not stat boosters.
After a moment of thought, Bai Chen pulled a single jewel from his pack.
"Elder Yoomlana, do you have anything like this here?"
Yoomlana took the Attack Jewel [2], turning it over curiously.
"Does Elder Bai Chen value these stones greatly?"
"Very much so. Far more than gold."
Her eyes lit up — finally, she knew what kind of reward could truly please him.
She turned to her attendant.
"Bring out the chest of sealed jewels."
"...A chest?"
Bai Chen blinked, waiting.
Moments later, a Wyverian maiden approached, struggling to carry a large wooden chest. When it opened, the light caught on dozens upon dozens of dull-glowing stones.
At a glance — at least fifty sealed jewels.
Each one wasn't cut like a gem but raw, fused with its stone matrix, sleeping. They would need Wyverian alchemy to awaken.
Their shapes were rough, sometimes asymmetrical.
Master Smiths often polished them carefully, making them compatible without diminishing power.
Bai Chen whistled low.
"You even practice alchemy?"
Yoomlana smiled faintly.
"We are wyverian, after all. But our use of them is limited. These have been stored as treasures for years.
Please, Elder Bai Chen — take them."
He hadn't expected her to be so generous.
In his past life's game, sealed jewels like these had been rare loot.
Now he was getting a chestful handed to him.
He bowed slightly.
"In that case, could you help appraise them?"
"Of course."
Yoomlana summoned the clan's alchemy masters.
Half a day later, every jewel had been identified — dozens of skill types: attack, defense, resistance, evasion.
Bai Chen nodded in quiet satisfaction.
"With this, early-stage jewel shortages won't be a problem anymore."
He handed all of them to the Tinkatuff
While she busied herself forging, Bai Chen went off to grind more tasks with Nergigante.
Four days passed.
Three hours left until teleportation.
Inside his room, Bai Chen stood before a mirror as Tinker helped him strap on a new armor set.
[Name]: Seadrake Set
[Rarity]: ★5
[Attributes]:
Lightning Defense + 40 Defense + 200
[Slots]: Attack [1] × 4, Lightning Res [1] × 2
[Weight]: 201 kg
[Skills]:
Attack Boost — Both arms and legs socketed with attack jewels, power × 1.2.
Lightning Enhance — Fully awakens the Seadrake's latent energy. When using lightning weapons, +50 Lightning Attack.
[Evaluation]: Epic-grade craftsmanship.The armor's mineral potential fully awakened. Originally Rarity 4, upgraded to 5 through master-level skill and divine flame tempering.
Bai Chen turned in front of the mirror.
The azure armor gleamed under the light, streaked with luminous thunder-spines.
"Looks a bit like a Power Ranger outfit... but not bad."
He stretched, and the armor flexed smoothly with him — perfectly fitted.
Then—
"Yama!!"
Tinker shouted, holding up three large weapon boxes with sparkling eyes.
This was the main event: three freshly forged great katanas.
The First Sword — Basarios Greatblade
Forged from Rock Wyvern and Anjanath materials.
[Name]: Basarios blade
[Rarity]: ★5
[Element]: Fire + 120
[Slot]: Flame Jewel [2]
[Weight]: 421 kg
[Evaluation]: Epic Grade.Tempered by Anjanath's fire soul. Enhanced with Flame Jewel, boosting Fire Attack greatly. Grants Rage Flame — for 3 minutes, Power × 1.2 and +30 Fire Attack.
The weapon looked like a massive slab of polished magma.
Heavy, fierce — closer to a greatsword than a katana.
"Perfect," Bai Chen said, testing a swing. "The weight's just right."
⚔ The Second Sword — Hidden Pair blade
Crafted from Nargacuga and Rathian materials.
[Name]: Hidden Pair blade
[Rarity]: ★5
[Attributes]: Poison + 120, Curse + 30
[Slot]: Poison Jewel [2]
[Weight]: 111 kg
[Evaluation]: Epic Grade.Poison power amplified far beyond the average grade. A master's secret work — the blade's structure reveals itself only through Qi.
A blade that grew clearer with focus — stylish, mysterious, deadly.
Lightweight and elegant, but Bai Chen still preferred the weight of the Basarios Blade.
He carefully set it aside and reached for the final box.
The Third Sword — Zinogre Blade
Crafted from Zinogre materials — and even Zinogre had protested losing them.
The case was insulated. The moment it opened, electric arcs burst into the air with a crackling hiss.
[Name]: Zinogre blade
[Rarity]: ★5
[Element]: Lightning + 170
[Slot]: Thunder Jewel [2]
[Weight]: 145 kg
[Evaluation]: Epic Grade. Forged from Zinogre and Sea Wyvern materials, tempered with Arcanine's fire soul. Awakened its latent element, granted the ability [Intimidation].
When the box opened, blue lightning rippled through the air.
"Damn... that's beautiful."
A streak of blue lightning ran down its length — raw, alive.
The downside: without a perfect fire soul, its full potential wasn't drawn out yet.
The upside: Zinogre hadn't reached his final form. Once he did, his enhanced materials could push this weapon into High Rank or even Master Tier.
Bai Chen strapped all three swords across his back and looked at the clock.
"Teleportation time's almost up. Let's go."
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