[Name: Alexander]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 10 (EXP: 38%)]
[Strength: 11 → 68]
[Agility: 11 → 46]
[Defense: 11 → 125]
[Intelligence: 12 → 25]
[HP: 1750/1750]
[MP: 14 → 25] [Talent: Basic Attribute Enhancement, Basic Attribute Absorption, Armament Absorption]
[Basic Attribute Enhancement (F): 10 freely distributable attribute points]
[Basic Attribute Absorption (E): 0.01% chance to gain 1 random base attribute point upon killing a target (does not trigger if the target is 10 levels below your own)]
[Armament Absorption (D): Weapons can absorb other equipment to evolve. Evolution success rate: 3%. If successful, weapon attributes increase; if failed, weapon quality downgrades. Upon evolution, there is a 0.1% chance to inherit the absorbed weapon's skill.]
[Current Talent Level: D (EXP: 0%)]
[Unallocated Attribute Points: 0]
Hidden Attributes:
[Luck: 10 (Maxed)]
[Charm: 0]
[Perception: 0]
[Inventory: 475/1000]
[Wallet: 15900 Gold Coins]
Alexander stared at the new talent on his panel, reading the description of Armament Absorption over and over.
Was this a "go big or go home" kind of talent?
There was no doubt that Armament Absorption had immense potential, but its D-level rank meant the success rate was painfully low. Even with his maxed-out Luck, the success rate was only 13%.
Take his Rusty Iron Sword as an example. If the evolution failed, its E-grade quality would drop to F-grade. And if it failed again? Would the weapon shatter completely?
Determined to test it out, Alexander laid out all the equipment in his bag on the ground, carefully considering his options.
He picked up the Earth Hammer dropped by the Rock Golem.
"This is a high-quality item. It should help with the success rate, right?"
With that thought, Alexander mentally activated the absorption process. The Rusty Iron Sword in his hand began to glow with a faint green light, enveloping the Earth Hammer.
The hammer dissolved in his hands, breaking down into blue stardust that floated toward the sword, merging with it.
Flash—
A bright light flared, and a system notification echoed in Alexander's mind.
[The Rusty Iron Sword has absorbed a higher-quality weapon. Growth value increased, and evolution probability boosted.]
[Rusty Iron Sword Growth Value: 0% → 100%!]
[Congratulations! Weapon evolution successful!]
[Your weapon has inherited the skill from the Earth Hammer.]
As the light faded, Alexander looked down at his sword. The rust was gone, replaced by a smooth, gleaming blade.
Excited, Alexander quickly opened the weapon's panel.
[Weapon: Sharp Iron Sword (Bound)]
[Quality: D-grade]
[Level: 21]
[Attack: 8-12]
[Skill A: Bleed (1% chance to inflict Bleed on hit, dealing 5 HP damage per second for 5 seconds. Can stack up to 3 times. Critical hits guarantee Bleed effect.)]
[Skill B: +6% Critical Hit Chance]
[Growth Value: 0%]
Alexander stared at the Growth Value stat, a bit confused.
But he didn't stop there. He decided to feed the sword another piece of equipment.
This time, there was no dazzling light—just a faint blue glow as the item disappeared.
The sword's stats changed slightly.
[Growth Value: 0% → 1%]
"Huh?"
An E-grade item only increased the growth value by 1%?
Without hesitation, Alexander fed the sword all the remaining equipment in his inventory.
It took him three full minutes to absorb all 84 pieces of gear.
The Sharp Iron Sword's growth value increased from 1% → 85%.
He was still 15 pieces of E-grade equipment short.
"Does reaching 100% mean I can attempt another evolution?" Alexander wondered. He figured that the number of items required for future evolutions would only increase, meaning he'd need even more gear.
Standing up, Alexander looked out over the plains and muttered, "I've cleared out most of the beasts here, and I'm much stronger now. I should head to a more dangerous area to increase my efficiency."
Alexander had previously purchased a guide, so he had a clear understanding of the monster distribution and level ranges in the game.
The area he was currently in, the Howling Plains, was meant for beginners, with monsters ranging from level 10 to 30.
Beyond the plains lay the Crimson Flame Desert, where monsters ranged from level 30 to 60.
He wondered if higher-level monsters would give him more experience...
With that thought in mind, Alexander made a quick trip back to the main city to clear out his inventory.
This time, without any equipment to sell, he listed the materials he had gathered. However, there wasn't much demand for them, so he didn't bother waiting around. He knew that once the items sold, the gold would be deposited into his auction house account, and he could collect it later.
He also visited the merchants to stock up on Return Scrolls and Teleportation Scrolls.
The Teleportation Scrolls would allow him to return to the wilderness directly from the city, saving him a lot of travel time.
Fortunately, these items were cheap—only one gold coin each—so Alexander didn't hesitate to use them liberally.
Since he was already close to the Crimson Flame Desert, it only took him five minutes to reach the area after using a Teleportation Scroll.
The further he ventured, the fewer plants there were. By the time he felt the scorching heat of the desert, he knew he had arrived.
The Crimson Flame Desert stretched out before him, an endless sea of sand dunes. At first glance, it seemed desolate and safe.
But Alexander knew better. The real danger lay beneath the surface.
Sure enough, after only a few steps, the ground beneath him shifted, and a massive claw shot out, aiming for his leg.
Alexander quickly jumped back, but the soft sand made it difficult to gain traction. He barely managed to avoid the attack.
In the next moment, more claws emerged from the sand, followed by the hulking bodies of the creatures they belonged to.
Alexander's expression darkened.
These were Bloodthirsty Sand Crabs, a level 45 group monster.
[Bloodthirsty Sand Crab (Normal)]
[Level: 45]
[Attack: 34-51]
[Defense: 97]
[Speed: 11]
[HP: 800/800]
[Skill: Bloodthirsty Claw—Attacks reduce HP by 15 and weaken the target, decreasing their attack power by 20% and movement speed by 10% for 5 seconds.]
The Bloodthirsty Sand Crabs didn't have particularly high individual attack power, but their real danger lay in their numbers. They typically appeared in groups of 30 to 40.
That was a terrifying number.
Despite being classified as Normal monsters, they were often more difficult to deal with than Elite monsters.
However...
Alexander glanced around and noticed something odd.
There were only about ten crabs.
"Only ten? I can handle that!"
With a confident grin, Alexander charged forward, brandishing his Sharp Iron Sword.
Thrust, slash, stab, and cleave...
Although the sword's base attack was only 8-12, Alexander's significantly boosted stats made each strike deal much more damage.
And thanks to the sword's Bleed skill, every few hits triggered the effect, causing red [-5] numbers to float above the crabs as they bled out.
In just three minutes, Alexander had wiped out the entire group.
He was surprised to find that he was becoming more and more comfortable using the sword. It felt like an extension of his arm, and his movements were fluid and precise.