Chereads / Lord Of Ashes / Chapter 22 - Valuable Asset

Chapter 22 - Valuable Asset

[Red and Green Pills (Unnamed)]

[Quality: Green]

[Type: Props]

[Origin: Ash World, Raccoon City, Durda Apartment, Room 301, John Young.]

[Effect: Restores 200 health points and slightly increases physical recovery speed.]

[Requirements for Use: None.]

[Score: 25 (Green items are scored between 11 and 30.)]

[Introduction: The red and green pills, crafted by the innovative alchemist John Young, combine red and green herbs sourced from the Umbrella Corporation. Their effects far surpass the benefits of using the herbs individually.]

"It actually worked..." John Young muttered to himself, though he didn't linger on his sense of accomplishment for long. His attention drifted to the word "unnamed" appended to the red and green pills.

"I think the machete I refined earlier also had 'unnamed' in its title. Am I supposed to name everything I create?"

It made sense to name something of his own making, but John was far too indifferent to bother. "Let it stay 'unnamed.' It's not like it changes how the thing works."

Checking his health, John noted, "I'm at 180 health points now, but this pill restores 200 points—overhealing by 20." He felt quite satisfied with its potency. A single dose could take him from near-death to full recovery.

With 11 green herbs and 8 red herbs remaining, John decided to refine more pills. After a brief session, he had six additional red and green pills.

John purposefully left five green herbs and two red herbs untouched. "The Umbrella Corporation produces other colors of herbs as well. I'd like to save some for experimenting with different combinations later." Besides, he doubted he'd encounter enough danger in Raccoon City to require using up all seven pills. Even against something like a Tyrant, seven doses should suffice.

With his stock of pills complete, John turned his attention to the two operational manuals he'd obtained from a police zombie's treasure chest. Last time, he'd used one to learn firearm proficiency. This time, he had different skills in mind.

[Do you wish to use the Raccoon City Police Department's Special Weapon and Tactical Squad Operational Training Safety Operation Manual?]

"Yes." John had already decided on his next choices. From the six listed skills, the last three were irrelevant to him, narrowing his focus to the first three: firearm proficiency, combat mastery, and crisis warning.

[Please choose a specific skill from the "Raccoon City Police Department's Special Weapon and Tactical Squad Operational Training Safety Operation Manual."]

[Option 1: Firearm Proficiency]

[Option 2: Combat Mastery]

[Option 3: Crisis Warning]

[Option 4: Search and Capture]

[Option 5: Interception and Evacuation]

[Option 6: Rapid Warning]

Without hesitation, John selected "Combat Mastery."

[Skill learned: Combat Mastery.]

He quickly followed up by learning "Crisis Warning" as well. With both skills acquired, John examined their effects.

[Combat Mastery LV.1 (Passive): Increases melee attack power by 2.5% and improves overall fighting ability.]

[Crisis Warning LV.1 (Passive): Allows vague detection of threats within a 100-meter radius, including their number and approximate location.]

While Combat Mastery seemed straightforward and useful, John was skeptical about Crisis Warning. "It's like a severely downgraded enemy radar. One hundred meters? I could spot threats just as easily with my own eyes."

Still, he admitted the skill had potential in certain scenarios. "It could be handy for detecting enemies through walls in complex indoor spaces. Outdoors, though? Practically useless."

In addition to skills and soul points, John also acquired several pieces of equipment from the treasure chests. These included two pouches, a belt, and a watch, all looted from police zombies. In contrast, the worker zombie chests contained only soul points, herbs, and talent boosts.

The two pouches were identical to ones he'd obtained earlier, each offering two inventory slots. Combined with his existing inventory space, John now had a total of six slots, each capable of holding one cubic meter of items.

Managing this growing inventory was tedious, however. "I hate having to dig through everything to find what I need," he grumbled.

Next, he examined the belt. While he'd crafted a makeshift belt before, it was of gray quality and inferior to the new one from the treasure chest.

[Raccoon City Police Department Special Weapon Tactical Squad Standard Police Multifunctional Belt]

[Quality: White]

[Type: Equipment]

[Origin: Ash World, Raccoon City, Police Station, Special Weapon and Tactics Team Logistics Storage Room.]

[Durability: 16/16]

[Defense: 12]

[Requirements for Use: None.]

[Score: 7 (White items are scored between 1 and 10.)]

[Set Effect 1: "Violence" – Strength +1, critical hit rate +2.5%.]

[Set Effect 2: "Bloody" (Unlocks with four pieces of the set.)]

[Set Effect 3: "Sin" (Unlocks with six pieces of the set.)]

[Set Effect 4: "Killing" (Unlocks with eight pieces of the set.)]

[Set Effect 5: "Creed" (Unlocks with ten pieces of the set.)]

[Introduction: The Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) of the Raccoon City Police Department, originally named the Special Weapons Attack Team, specializes in advanced tactics and technology for anti-terror and anti-violence operations. The team is proficient in hostage rescue and enemy suppression.]

Without delay, John buckled the belt around his waist. He noticed that the set effect immediately altered his attributes.

"So the set bonus directly boosts stats? Strength and critical hit rate, huh? Does this mean I can now land critical hits in combat?" The implications intrigued him. A belt that not only enhanced his defense but also improved his offensive capabilities was a valuable asset.