Zhang Yanhang scrolled through the data list from top to bottom, and then he noticed Alchemy at the very bottom, "Alchemy, huh? How the heck do you use this thing?"
Since Zhang Yanhang wasn't in a hurry, he decided to experiment a bit with the specific effects of Alchemy.
As for the experimental subject, Zhang Yanhang picked up the saber that had broken into two pieces. As he activated Alchemy, two energy-based Alchemy Arrays slowly appeared on his palms, and the two pieces of the blade melted into a pool of liquid metal, just like flowing water.
First, Zhang Yanhang imagined a specific shape in his mind and then began using the Alchemy Arrays to slowly stretch and thin the pool of liquid metal, eventually shaping it into a sharp chopper.
"Am I this skilled? Why am I so proficient? Could it be that once you learn a Skill, it comes with built-in proficiency?" Zhang Yanhang felt as though he had triggered muscle memory, instinctively controlling and using Alchemy.
After the chopper was forged, Zhang Yanhang immediately checked its attribute list, curious about the level of his first creation.
[Chopper (unnamed)]
[Quality: White]
[Type: Weapon]
[Origin: Ashen World, Raccoon City, Dulda Apartment, Room 301, Zhang Yanhang.]
[Durability: 18/18]
[Attack Power: 5]
[Usage requirements: None.]
[Score: 4 (White items are scored from 1 to 10.)]
[Introduction: Originally the weapon of a Big Saber Goblin, it broke into two pieces and was picked up by the novice Alchemist Zhang Yanhang to practice on. As expected, he only managed to forge a piece of junk.]
"emmm... It's not the introduction's fault, I also think this is junk, just 5 Attack Power? With my 180 Life Value, doesn't that mean if it can penetrate defenses, I would need to be cut by this chopper 36 times to die? But considering my defensive power, with this chopper, I probably wouldn't have any issues even after a hundred cuts."
Zhang Yanhang thought his calculation method might be flawed, but he was sure the logic was sound.
"Speaking of which, 5 Attack Power, it can't really be that it won't penetrate defenses, right?" Zhang Yanhang picked up the chopper and gently scratched it on his finger, but as expected, no reaction.
Zhang Yanhang gradually increased the force until he applied about as much as it would take to easily slice through frozen pork. Suddenly a faint earthy yellow glow shone on his finger. On top of that faint earthy yellow glow, Zhang Yanhang then applied enough force to directly chop off a Goblin's neck, but still, there was no reaction, not even a white mark on his finger.
"Damn, so it really can't even penetrate defenses? What kind of trashy knife is this? Can this even be called a weapon? I feel like even the kitchen knife I picked up earlier is sharper than this thing."
Whether he should be happy or disappointed about the fact that the chopper he forged was completely unable to harm him, Zhang Yanhang wasn't sure. He was happy because the defensive power he had gained from the Earth Spirit Fruit seemed unexpectedly high, as not even the knife could cut through it; but he was disappointed because the damn chopper he had crafted was just too trashy.
Zhang Yanhang felt that the Big Saber Goblin definitely bore the primary responsibility for the weapon crafting failure. If it hadn't used such trash material for its weapon, causing it to break in two, then why would Zhang Yanhang have even thought to experiment with it?
Feeling genuinely heartbroken over wasting his first attempt on such trash, Zhang Yanhang was truly pained.
"Since this chopper is not even as sharp as a kitchen knife, maybe I can try to fuse it with a kitchen knife to see if I can improve the Attack Power..." After all, it was his first time, and even though it was exceedingly trashy, Zhang Yanhang was still determined to make it better—it was a complicated emotion.
Zhang Yanhang pulled all eight kitchen knives out of the knife rack and piled them with the broken chopper. As the Alchemy Array activated, the kitchen knives and chopper began to fuse, slowly forming a new chopper that seemed much heavier.
[Chopper (Unnamed) +1]
[Quality: White]
[Type: Weapon]
[Origin: Ashen World, Raccoon City, Dulda Apartment, Room 301, Zhang Yanhang.]
[Durability: 24/24]
[Attack Power: 8 (+3)]
[Usage Requirements: None.]
[Score: 6 (White items are scored from 1 to 10.)]
[Description: Originally the weapon of a Big Saber Goblin, it broke in two and was used by the novice Alchemist Zhang Yanhang as practice. As expected, only trash was produced. Not willing to give up, the novice Alchemist Zhang Yanhang tried to remake it, but even after the reforge, it remained trash.]
"This description is really harsh, ow! Can't it be a bit more newbie-friendly? Why mention 'trash' twice in one sentence? Even though I also know it's still trash. A score of six, how should I put it—barely meets the passable line for White Quality. Previously, it was a completely substandard product, but now, it's slightly better."
After the fusion with eight kitchen knives, the chopper's Attack Power improved by three points, Durability by six points, and Score by two. Indeed, it was a certain level of progress.
However, if he used the same calculation as before, even with the ability to penetrate defenses, Zhang Yanhang would still need to chop twenty-three times with this chopper to kill himself. As a result, he felt that producing trash as a newbie Alchemist was unavoidable—of course, mainly because the materials were trash.
If Zhang Yanhang had been given better materials, then even if he couldn't produce a Green Quality weapon, at least making a White Quality weapon with a full Score wouldn't be a problem. After all, White Quality is already the lowest level of weapon Quality since Grey Quality items can only be classified as junk.
Talking about the material issue reminded Zhang Yanhang of something: the pile of trash he had previously rummaged from the Goblin Merchant's backpack. In the past, these things really seemed like trash to him, but now that he had learned Alchemy, he realized they were all Alchemy Materials. He speculated that the Goblin Merchant got them through certain channels from the Shaman Goblin "Maka Bagga."
"I wonder if I can find some Alchemy Materials in here that could be used to enhance the chopper..."
Zhang Yanhang sifted through the pile meticulously and found that all the Alchemy Materials were for creating Alchemy Potions and Alchemy Tools. The problem was that he didn't have the corresponding recipes or blueprints, so, theoretically, this pile of Alchemy Materials was once again a pile of useless trash for him.