Chapter 262: Melting Gold Armor Shattering Epic Enhancement

Chapter 262: Chapter 262: Melting Gold Armor Shattering Epic Enhancement

Cassis’s face instantly turned livid. He glared daggers at Grom, who was sprawled on the ground.

’This idiot actually used Alchemy Explosives to change the terrain?’

Cassis roared with fury in his mind.

’The team just found the exact location of the Lord’s room.’

’We were just about to gather and hunt that precious Heroic Spirit Species.’

’Now how much precious time are we going to lose, held up by that Demon Sea outside!’

Cassis wished he could just stomp this Half-Elf’s head to pieces.

But he forced himself to take a few deep breaths. He knew that in the final week of the Summer Crown, he still needed Grom’s Blast Ability.

He could only suppress the anger surging in his chest.

Cassis turned and gave an order to the team members behind him.

"Cyrus, go save this idiot!"

The man who had been standing quietly in the corner, a human wearing a Crimson Priest’s Robe, slowly walked out.

"Yes, boss."

Cyrus replied respectfully, his head slightly bowed.

He walked over to the Half-Elf and knelt. A faint crimson light glowed from his palm.

’Seeing this Blast Master, usually so arrogant and domineering, now sprawled on the ground like a dead dog... it was kind of funny,’ Cyrus thought with a bit of amusement.

...

After Grom’s escape.

In the First Area of the Underground City, the violent aftershocks of the explosion had completely subsided.

In the collapsed area, now a pile of rubble, a section suddenly began to hiss, venting white steam.

A moment later, a large, dust-covered hand shot out from beneath the rubble, violently shoving aside the debris pinning it down.

With a RUMBLE of tumbling stones, a black-haired young man climbed out of the ruins.

Lance’s clothes were in tatters, and he was a wretched sight.

But his right hand was in a death grip around a Heavy Arm Guard.

He stood up, grabbed the tattered Inner Armor he was wearing, and ripped it off. He tossed it carelessly onto a nearby pile of rubble, revealing a lean, well-defined torso.

’Fuck. This Enchanted Equipment I just stole two days ago is already completely busted.’

Lance cursed internally as he looked at the scrap metal on the ground.

The destructive power from the Suicide Bombing of several Level 5 Alchemy Bombs was simply terrifying. Even his Iron Throne Standard Inner Armor, which had physical damage reduction, had been blasted until it lost all its Magic Power.

Luckily, the high-end piece of gear he’d snatched hadn’t been destroyed in the blast.

Lance shook the dust from his hair and slid the Heavy Arm Guard onto his right arm.

With a sharp CLICK from the locking mechanism, the arm guard fit perfectly onto his forearm.

Lance tried infusing it with Ether Energy.

SWISH!

A Chain Blade, gleaming with a cold metallic light, shot out from the front of the arm guard. It writhed in mid-air like a serpent, capable of changing its cutting angle at will through Lance’s Telekinesis.

He checked its stats panel.

The Chain Blade also had a high-frequency vibration function, providing 15% Physical Penetration. A direct hit on flesh would instantly shred an opponent, causing extensive tearing and pulverizing damage.

And there was another Enchanting Ability...

He tried channeling a wisp of Ether Energy into the miniature power valve at the rear of the arm guard.

With a short HISS of compressed air, a jet of high-pressure steam erupted.

This steam vent would give him a significant Power bonus in melee and provide Burst Power for launching the Chain Blade.

But what surprised Lance most weren’t the bonuses from the equipment itself, but its synergistic capabilities.

[Special Synergy Alert: This equipment can be tactically linked with your Ether Energy Trait "Ash Dragon Breath" and your Essence Trait "Melting Gold Armor Shattering."]

[Synergy Effect 1 (Crimson Steam): When you infuse the high-pressure steam valve with "Ash Dragon Breath," the conventional white steam will transmute into "Crimson Steam." In this state, every strike with the Chain Blade will be imbued with greater kinetic energy and inflict severe high-temperature burn damage.]

[Synergy Effect 2 (Chainsaw Molten Armor): By leveraging the Chain Blade’s extremely fast, high-frequency rotation, contact between the blade’s edge and an enemy’s armor/carapace will trigger the permanent melting effect of "Melting Gold Armor Shattering" (trigger condition changes from a single strike to a continuous, high-frequency check).]

This piece of equipment also shored up his combat weaknesses.

His current combat style was overly reliant on close-quarters brawling or long spear thrusts, leaving him with few options to control mid-range engagements against agile, mobile enemies.

With this seven-meter-long Mind Chain Blade, it was like having a third hand that wasn’t restricted by the physical movements of his body.

The most terrifying part was the "Chainsaw Molten Armor" synergy effect.

Before, his Molten Armor Trait only activated on a solid hit from his fist or spear tip, meaning its trigger rate was completely dependent on his attack speed.

But now, with the high-frequency vibrating Chain Blade, he just needed to wrap the chain around an enemy’s weapon or armor to completely melt through the defenses of a similar-level opponent in seconds!

This was how Melting Gold Armor Shattering was *meant* to be used!

Plus, with the Instantaneous Burst Power from the steam valve, his close-combat capabilities were also enhanced.

Lance made the Chain Blade dance through a few beautiful flourishes in the air, listening to the piercing sonic booms. Satisfied, he retracted the blade back into the arm guard.

Once the excitement subsided, Lance looked down at the ruins and started to consider his next move.

This encounter had shown him the vast chasm between himself and a Level 5 Elite Adventurer.

The damage ceiling from the Compressed Explosion techniques his opponent had used was just too high.

Before the detonation, he had wanted to activate his "Overstepping Gods" ability and land a devastating blow.

But his opponent’s tactics were executed with unexpected decisiveness. The bombs sealed off every angle, leaving him no opportunity to close in for a fight.

The instant he was met with the flash of the explosion, he had already started to dive into a nearby crevice.

But no matter how fast he reacted, he was still killed instantly by the shockwave.

At that moment, even the life-saving effect of his Combat Continuation skill didn’t trigger, as his body was almost completely obliterated by the intense heat.

As for why he hadn’t used "Overstepping Gods" to avoid the fatal blow...

The reason was actually quite simple.

He had already sustained severe internal injuries and broken bones in the melee just before.

Since he was going to die one way or another, he’d steeled himself, given up resisting, and let the explosion kill him. That way, he could use his resurrection to get a full health reset.

However, it was this death that led Lance to a pleasant surprise.

Having crossed the threshold into the Professional Level, he keenly sensed that his Ouroboros Ring Talent had undergone a subtle change.

This time, his death hadn’t resulted in an instantaneous revival like before.

He discovered he’d gained the ability to choose when he resurrected.

The moment he’d been blown to smithereens, he had tried to control the power that was reforming his body.

He discovered he could force a delay in his resurrection for up to half an hour.

And during this miraculous delay, his consciousness hadn’t faded to black.

He felt as if he were in a strange limbo between life and death, observing his own corpse and the surroundings from a completely detached, god-like perspective.

’This is the ultimate sneaky bastard skill!’

’If I run into an enemy who completely overpowers me in the future, I can use this to feign death and escape.’

’As long as they confirm I’m a corpse and leave, I can find a safe moment within the next half hour to reform my body and get the hell out of there.’

Lance stretched his body, listening to the CRACKLE and POP of his bones, and made a silent vow.

’Next time we meet, I will absolutely not let that damned Half-Elf leave alive.’

’They probably think I was blown to bits. And since he was so badly injured, he probably won’t dare wander around for a while.’

’Next time we meet, I’ll wipe out their whole nest.’

’Not just Grom. I’ll use the Summer Crown as an opportunity to clean out all the scumbags in the entire Crimson Bell of Death.’