Chapter 538: A Mine Worth Fighting For
"Damn."
Marcus stared at the Soft Moon Stone in his hand, his thoughts spinning. What the hell was hidden on Crescent Island that could produce something this valuable?
He knew exactly what the Soft Moon Stone could do.
According to the official game information, players needed Advanced Forging to add gem or material sockets to weapons and armor. Even then, the success rate was only 30 percent. Failure meant the equipment was destroyed permanently, and players were limited to creating just two sockets each month. Even Grandmaster Forging only raised the success rate to 50 percent and increased the monthly limit to five sockets.
But the Soft Moon Stone completely ignored those restrictions.
With it, he could start socketing equipment with only Intermediate Forging. There was no monthly limit, no cap on the number of sockets, and because the stone was naturally soft and flexible, it temporarily softened the equipment during the process, making socketing significantly easier. Even if the attempt failed, there was a chance the Soft Moon Stone itself would simply become damaged or shatter instead of the equipment being destroyed.
Marcus let out a slow breath before a grin spread across his face.
"This is a gold mine."
No, it was even better than that.
His Forging skill had already reached Intermediate, meaning he could start using these stones immediately. Reaching Advanced Forging normally took an enormous amount of time and effort. With the Soft Moon Stone, he was practically skipping an entire stage of progression.
According to the item’s description, Crescent Island wasn’t just home to a few scattered pieces either. It actually contained Soft Moon Stone mines.
That meant one thing.
He needed to find those mines as quickly as possible, raise his Mining skill to Advanced, and harvest every piece he could get his hands on.
A mischievous smile slowly crept across his face.
If he moved fast enough, he could secure the mines before any other players ever discovered Crescent Island. Once that happened, he could completely dominate the Soft Moon Stone market.
Now that was a business opportunity worth fighting for.
Setting that thought aside, Marcus reached for the next item dropped by the Blue-Eyed Sea Lion King.
It was a shimmering blue pearl that glowed with a mysterious light.
—
Blue-Eyed Pearl: Gemstone. A unique blue pearl produced by the Blue-Eyed Sea Lion King. Its true purpose remains unknown, though rumors claim collectors are willing to pay enormous sums to acquire one.
—
Marcus blinked.
"That’s... all?"
He turned the pearl over between his fingers.
It was perfectly round and crystal clear, with a rich sapphire glow that seemed to shine from deep within. Even without any special effects, it looked like an expensive piece of jewelry.
Amber leaned in, her eyes sparkling.
"It’s beautiful. Could you turn it into a necklace or something?"
"Probably." Marcus nodded. "I’d need a crafting skill for accessories first. Once we get back to Dragon’s Peak Citadel, I’ll see if I can find the right skill book."
Even so, he doubted the pearl was merely decorative.
Harvesting it had been just as difficult as obtaining the Soft Moon Stone. On top of that, the Blue-Eyed Sea Lion King had been nearly twenty levels above him. The game’s loot system rewarded players for defeating enemies far above their own level, especially Golden-tier bosses, dramatically increasing the odds of obtaining exceptionally rare items.
With his already absurd Luck stat stacked on top of that bonus, there was no way this pearl was ordinary.
Marcus continued sorting through the remaining loot. As expected, the haul was incredible: two Mythic Artifacts.
—
Sea Lion Cloak: Black-tier Mythic Artifact. Effects unknown. Cannot be equipped yet.
Sea Lion Bow: Black-tier Mythic Artifact. Effects unknown. Cannot be equipped yet.
—
Marcus couldn’t help smiling.
This was exactly why taking down enemies far above his level was worth the risk.
Had he been Level 60 or higher when fighting the Sea Lion King, getting even a single Mythic Artifact would have been considered incredibly lucky. Instead, he had walked away with two.
Definitely worth nearly getting himself killed.
Beyond the Mythic Artifacts, there were three Golden items: the Sea Lion Greatsword, the Sea Lion Sword, and the Sea Lion Mask.
The five Sea Lion Guards he had defeated earlier had already dropped most of the Sea Lion Set. The King had supplied the missing weapons, along with the final two pieces, the cloak and the mask.
He had unintentionally completed the entire equipment set.
The mask, in particular, caught his attention. Unlike the other pieces, it appeared to be a particularly rare drop.
He took it out.
The mask resembled the fierce face of a roaring sea lion, giving off an intimidating presence even before its stats were revealed.
Marcus immediately used Identification.
—
Sea Lion Mask: Golden Equipment.
Requirement: Level 60. Strength 200.
Crafted from the bones, hide, and core essence of a Blue-Eyed Sea Lion. An exceptionally rare piece of equipment.
Stats: Defense +300. HP Regeneration +100. MP Regeneration +100.
Effects: Water Resistance +30 percent. Basic attacks deal an additional 200 Water damage. Reduces movement and combat penalties while underwater. Grants a 10 percent chance to activate Lion’s Roar, reducing nearby enemies’ attributes by 10 percent.
—
It was excellent Golden-tier equipment.
Just not by Marcus’s standards anymore.
Compared to his Mythic Artifacts, or especially the Fluffy Rabbit Mask with its ridiculously overpowered Run for Your Life ability, the Sea Lion Mask couldn’t really compete. That single skill was so absurd that it outperformed abilities found on some Divine-tier equipment.
Still, the complete Sea Lion Set was far too valuable to waste.
Marcus immediately thought of Chloe and Willow.
Either one of them would benefit enormously from wearing it, and the completed set would make them considerably stronger.
The rest of the loot was fairly ordinary by comparison.
A handful of miscellaneous materials, several Blue-grade equipment pieces, six Dreamland Gems, and two Blessing Gems.
Marcus was just about to close the loot window when something tucked away at the very bottom caught his attention.
A brilliant blue crystal. He picked it up.
—
Sea Lion Blue Crystal: Gemstone. A crystal formed within the Blue-Eyed Sea Lion King’s body, containing concentrated Water elemental energy. Can be used as a forging material or socketed into equipment to enhance its attributes.
—
Marcus laughed quietly. Just a moment ago, he’d been thinking he lacked any worthwhile socketing materials, then the game practically handed him one.
A gemstone that had come from a Level 70 Golden-tier boss was never going to be ordinary. It might not possess the reality-defying power of a Divine item, but there was no doubt it would provide a substantial boost once embedded into a weapon or piece of armor.
"Damn."
Marcus’s grin widened as he looked between the crystal and the Soft Moon Stone in his other hand.
’Perfect timing.’
It looked like the game was practically inviting him to test out his new socketing ability.