Chapter 539: The First Socket
"Alright. Let’s do this."
Marcus opened his inventory and took out the Mist-Tear Spear of Purity, one of his Mythic weapons.
He still had no idea how common Soft Moon Stone actually was. Even if Crescent Island contained mines, judging from the stone’s incredible effects, it certainly wasn’t something he could afford to waste. Every piece would be valuable.
The same went for the Sea Lion Blue Crystal. It had come from a Level 70 Golden-tier boss, making it far too precious to carelessly socket into an ordinary weapon.
At the same time, he wasn’t reckless enough to experiment on the Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Hoe or the Twin-Winged Ice Owl Bow. Those were among his most valuable weapons, and even with the Soft Moon Stone reducing the risk, this was still his very first attempt at socketing.
The Mist-Tear Spear was the perfect middle ground. Better yet, both the spear and the Sea Lion Blue Crystal were Water-aligned, so there was a good chance their attributes would complement each other.
Marcus activated his Forging skill. Holding the Soft Moon Stone against the spear’s dark shaft, he issued the command.
A gentle silver glow immediately spread across the weapon, soft as moonlight filtering through thin clouds. The light lingered for a few seconds before quietly fading away.
Ding!
[Congratulations, player Stonehaven. You have successfully used Soft Moon Stone to create a socket in the Mist-Tear Spear of Purity. Forging proficiency increased.]
Marcus couldn’t help smiling.
"Nice."
The process had felt surprisingly smooth. If that was any indication, the success rate granted by the Soft Moon Stone was probably much higher than normal socketing.
He inspected the spear.
Near the center of the mist-covered shaft was a perfectly crafted socket, so cleanly formed that it looked as though it had always been part of the weapon.
Without wasting another second, Marcus retrieved the Sea Lion Blue Crystal.
Raising his small forging hammer, he carefully positioned the crystal over the socket before striking it down.
Ding!
The crisp metallic chime echoed through the air. The crystal slid flawlessly into place.
A brilliant blue glow rippled through the spear as streams of Water energy spread from the crystal, flowing naturally into every inch of the weapon. The mist surrounding the spear gradually absorbed the blue light until the two energies became completely intertwined.
A moment later, the system notification appeared.
Ding!
[Congratulations, player Stonehaven. You have successfully socketed the Sea Lion Blue Crystal into the Mist-Tear Spear of Purity. Forging proficiency increased.]
’Success.’
Marcus gave the spear another careful look.
The dark shaft now held a frost-blue crystal embedded perfectly into its center. The gem sat completely flush with the weapon’s surface, as though it had been forged into the spear from the very beginning. Aside from that, the only visible difference was a faint blue radiance weaving through the spear’s ever-present mist.
Amber stepped closer, unable to hide her curiosity.
"So? How much stronger did it get?"
Marcus smiled and shared the weapon’s updated attributes with everyone.
"Not bad at all."
The Sea Lion Blue Crystal had increased the spear’s damage by an additional 500 Water damage with every attack. It also granted 20% Water Resistance and boosted Fire Resistance by an impressive 30%.
On top of that, every strike now had a 20% chance of inflicting Freezing, slowing enemies after a successful hit.
But the biggest surprise wasn’t the stat boosts. The socketed crystal had granted the weapon an entirely new passive skill.
—
Sea Lion’s Roar: Passive Skill. Attacks have a 30% chance to unleash a powerful roar, reducing the Attack and Defense of nearby enemies by 10%.
—
Marcus nodded with satisfaction.
The bonuses were excellent, easily comparable to those provided by the Golden-tier Sea Lion Mask they had just obtained. That alone proved the Sea Lion Blue Crystal was an exceptionally high-quality gemstone.
Of course, results like this weren’t determined by the gem alone.
According to the official game guides, matching the elemental affinity of a weapon and gemstone significantly increased the quality of the final enhancement. The game’s Five Elements system rewarded proper combinations. Fire paired well with Fire, Water with Water, Wood with Wood, and so on. Compatible elements produced much stronger effects than mismatched ones.
For equipment with multiple sockets, things became even more complicated. The order and position of each gemstone could influence the final attributes, meaning socketing wasn’t simply about collecting rare gems. It required planning and careful combinations to get the best results.
Marcus quietly filed that information away. There would be plenty of opportunities to experiment later. For now, one thing was absolutely certain, soft Moon Stone was absurdly powerful.
He opened his Forging skill panel and checked his proficiency.
Just creating one socket and embedding a single gemstone had increased his Forging proficiency by 2%.
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
Under normal circumstances, earning that much proficiency would require crafting around fifty Level 50 Blue-grade pieces of equipment.
"If I can gather enough Soft Moon Stone..." he thought, unable to suppress another grin, "...I could probably push Forging to Advanced in just a few days."
His excitement lingered as the group finally arrived at the entrance to the Sea Lion’s Tomb. A swirling blue portal rotated silently before them, its surface rippling like calm water.
Marcus put away his newly enhanced spear and studied the entrance more carefully.
At first glance, the portal itself seemed unremarkable. What caught his attention instead was the weathered stone tablet standing beside it.
Two ancient words had been carved into its surface, their edges worn smooth by countless years.
Crescent Island.
According to Silas the Wanderer’s journal, the tablet was more than ten thousand years old and bore the island’s original name. The massive inscription reading Sea Lion’s Tomb above the portal hadn’t existed back then. It had been carved roughly two thousand years later by the naval captain who buried his fallen comrades on the island.
Silas himself had reached this very place.
Unfortunately, without the proper key, he had been unable to pass through the portal. Left with no other choice, he eventually abandoned the expedition, leaving the island’s deepest secrets undiscovered.
Marcus reached into his inventory and removed the blue key he had obtained from A Rich Man’s Wish treasure map. The key was engraved with the same three ancient words.
Sea Lion’s Tomb.
Apparently, that long-dead captain had found a way to bypass the portal’s restrictions and had forged this key specifically for that purpose.
Marcus looked from the key in his hand to the swirling blue gateway before him.
A faint sense of unease settled over him.
Aside from the rough directions left behind in Silas’s journal and the mysterious key he now possessed, he knew almost nothing about what lay beyond the portal. Whether it was the true Crescent Island or the Sea Lion’s Tomb, everything waiting inside remained a complete mystery.
Marcus tightened his grip on the key and exhaled slowly.
"Here goes nothing."