Lynn's mind raced as he recalled some information, he had read on the forum section about the different types of extraordinary items. Evolving items were described as extremely rare, usually created either by sheer luck or the hands of a master artisan.
The Bloody Reaper pistol now clenched in Lynn's hand seemed to fall into this special category. By some twist of fate, it had formed a bond with him and would continue evolving and changing alongside Lynn's own increasing power.
"This is the true advantage of evolving items," Lynn muttered aloud.
With the deep connection now forged between himself and the Bloody Reaper, Lynn possessed an innate understanding of the weapon that surpassed even that of its original creator.
He could sense its extraordinary attributes beginning to awaken, the powers of Bursting and Armor Breaking. These destructive would likely prove invaluable during the trials ahead.
"Good stuff!" Lynn exclaimed, turning the firearm over in his hands. Just holding the weapon filled him with anticipation.
Although Lynn was still a newbie who barely grasped the intricacies of the extraordinary secrets, he possessed enough basic discernment to recognize the tremendous boost to his battle power these new abilities would provide.
Lynn's thoughts turned to the wound on his finger, still oozing blood where he had bitten deeply to anoint the pistol. He wondered if it might need another offering of extraordinary blood to continue evolving.
Somewhat hesitantly, Lynn allowed a few more drops of blood to drip from his finger onto the gun's surface. But unlike before, no reaction occurred this time.
"Maybe blood from other extraordinary creatures is required now," Lynn mused. With a quick application of his class skill [Cell Proliferation], the small wound swiftly closed up and healed as if it had never existed.
Satisfied with his self-treatment, Lynn tightly gripped the gun in his hand.
With a thought, the Bloody Reaper in his hand disappeared. it was not put in his inventory, yet it vanished seamlessly. A moment later, with another thought, it materialized in his other hand.
"Amazing," Lynn muttered. As a soul-bound item, the Bloody Reaper could be stored within Lynn's own body and summoned at will. This would certainly prove useful.
After playing with the weapon a few more times, Lynn didn't dare try its power here. Unleashing the Bloody Reaper would likely cause quite a commotion that would attract unwanted attention.
Pushing aside this idea, Lynn methodically began reviewing the stock of weapons, supplies, and other resources he had acquired thus far. He mentally cataloged everything available to him in preparation for the upcoming dungeon.
First, his gaze passed over the assault rifle and pistol snatched from the guard when he first entered the abandoned district. Next, the ammunition and explosives were obtained from the black-market shops.
There were fragmentation grenades, incendiary grenades, boxes of rifle rounds, and pistol clips. The non-descript cloak and faceless mask used to conceal his identity also joined the stockpile.
In addition, Lynn had the medical backpack and surgical tools scavenged from the hospital dungeon trial. Bandages, anesthetic, scalpels, forceps, suturing kits, and more - all had proven useful before and likely would again in the future.
Lynn's gaze lingered on the two main weapons in his arsenal - the Bloody Reaper and the Zombie Slaying Sword.
He lifted the sword, inspecting the blade closely. "This served me well against the zombies in the hospital," Lynn remarked. "But it has too many limitations to rely on long-term."
The sword was extremely effective specifically against undead creatures like zombies. However, Lynn knew that most future threats would be far more diverse. Against any target besides a zombie, the sword would function as just a normal blade.
"Maybe I should sell it and buy another sword," Lynn muttered aloud, weighing the sword in his hand.
In addition to a new sword, one other thing was needed – a skill that could replenish his spiritual energy reserves and endurance swiftly.
In the past, Lynn relied on the zombie cores to quickly replenish his energy, but they were quickly consumed, and there were no more means to obtain them. The last remaining cores left from the dungeon were used in the last few days, during Lynn's excursions.
Now, he needed to find another way. The prolonged battles and challenges of the dungeons would drain Lynn's stamina and energy. Some technique to rapidly recuperate was essential.
He knew what skill he specifically needed. According to a paid post in the forum section titled "The Most Important General Skills to Learn", there was a general skill called [Meditation] that was a necessary ability.
This skill would grant him a method to rapidly regenerate his spiritual energy and endurance, even during the heat of combat if the skill was high level.
Bringing up his status panel, Lynn checked his current nightmare coin balance. 2,580 nightmare coins were currently available.
Fortunately, he recalled seeing [Meditation] listed for sale at a reasonable price of 480 nightmare coins. After a bit of searching, Lynn located one such listing created by a player named Mountain Seclusion selling [Meditation] for 520 nightmare coins.
Lynn decisively purchased the [Meditation] skill crystal. As soon as the transaction was completed, a notification sounded in his mind when he grabbed the crystal from the inventory.
[Skill Memory Crystal - Meditation]
[Learn this skill?]
Lynn immediately accepted. A warm sensation washed over him as the crystal imparted the knowledge directly into his mind. Information on utilizing [Meditation] flowed seamlessly into his consciousness.
[+1 Intelligence]
Once the integration finished, Lynn was eager to test it out. Sitting down cross-legged, he regulated his breathing and focused his mind, initiating the meditation process.
Immediately, Lynn could perceive the spiritual energy circulating in the outside world, He guided it consciously, pulling the energy along specific pathways to nurture his mind, body, and spirit.
As the meditation continued, Lynn noticed the small amount of spirit energy consumed from using [Cell Proliferation] to heal his injured finger was quickly restored. The subtly invigorating sensation motivated him to maintain the meditation.
After 30 minutes, Lynn finally opened his eyes, feeling fully rejuvenated. His spirit energy and endurance had been completely restored through the meditation.