Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 488 [The Deepest Stream]

What came into Xia Nan's view was a complete set of half-body protective gear consisting of a close-fitting inner lining and an outer layer of armor.

From Shark Beast, the textured and tough shark skin is completely peeled off and, after special modification and processing, transformed into a tight-fitting outfit with a deep, steel-gray hue reminiscent of the deep sea.

The monster's originally resilient tendons, thanks to the maker's ingenuity, are wrapped in a spiral pattern around the joints of the sharkskin, resembling deep blue lines that add to the lining's durability and flexibility.

The outer armor is pieced together from pale bone plates connected to gray-blue metal. It looks primitive and wild, but it has been carefully designed. Each piece fits the skin and presents a smooth and rounded streamline.
Unlike the single-piece protection of the plate chain composite armor, the chest structure is made of tightly spliced ​​pieces of gray-blue metal interwoven with shark bone plates, which is highly layered and maximizes the defensive performance of these two different materials.

The center of the chest is slightly concave, and the surface is engraved with a dynamic vortex pattern. It is not just decoration. Xia Nan can feel the dense magical particles swirling at the core of the vortex, which is the source of the humid moisture in the air.

Perhaps it was because the shark beast material was plentiful and plentiful, coupled with Xia Nan's ample funds, that allowed the other party to do as they pleased.

This complete set of equipment even comes with two additional shoulder armor plates on the left and right sides. The sharp and fierce side fins of the shark beast are completely preserved, like two inverted scimitars, extending upwards from the sides of the gray-blue steel shoulder armor.

It may not be useful in combat, but it definitely delivers a stunning visual experience.

Meanwhile, Xia Nan's eyes, which seemed to be examining the armor, were also fixed on the equipment attribute panel that appeared in the void.

……

【Original Journey】

Type: Armor (Set)

Rarity: Rare (Blue)
effect:

1.+75% durability;

2. +25% fire resistance;
3. +10% Blunt Damage Resistance;
4. +10% Slash Damage Resistance;
5. +10% piercing damage resistance;
6. +15% movement speed (underwater);

7-20% stamina consumption (underwater);
8. [Marine Life]: The wearer can draw oxygen from seawater, which can prolong the time spent breathing underwater to some extent and slightly reduce the impact of water pressure on the body;
9. [Bloodlust Instinct]: The predatory instincts of the sea make you extremely sensitive to blood. When the wearer is in an underwater environment, their perception of injured enemies is amplified.

Introduction:

This armor set is made from the flesh and blood of the Abyssal Shark and special metals. The skilled blacksmith has combined and maximized the advantages of these two materials, giving it good defensive properties even on land... But you'll be going into the water, won't you?

Remarks:

"I see the fin! It's right there! Swim! Swim faster..."

—Flying Fish Robinson, record holder for swimming across the Silver Strait

……

Have to admit.

Even though Xia Nan participated fully in the early planning process of this equipment, he had a general idea of ​​what the finished product would look like and what special effects it would have.

But when he saw the armor called [Abyss Flow], with its nine attributes on the attribute panel, he couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

"+75% durability" goes without saying; it's practically a must-have attribute for this type of enchanted equipment, reflecting its inherent durability.

It's worth noting that the [Decapitation Sword], which he used as a blank-grade weapon from the moment he arrived in this world until he became a professional, only had a durability attribute of +50%.

The [Emberfall] Straight Sword, forged by the skilled blacksmith Barn, is made primarily of the [Molten Ash Silver Ingot], which may be the only one of its kind in the world, sourced from the Remnant Realm, and supplemented with the expensive material Yangli Iron Plating Powder. Its quality level is between "Rare (Blue)" and "Extraordinary (Purple)," yet its durability bonus is only 100%.

The 75% durability increase from [Abyss Flow] is enough to demonstrate its inherent toughness and defensive attributes.

Then there's its 25% fire resistance.

This is easy to understand, since the armor itself is made primarily of deep-sea sharks, so it's only natural that it has some fire resistance.

Xia Nan thought that after activating [Echoes of Ember] and entering the ember state, his fire resistance would be greatly enhanced. Now, with the fire resistance provided by [Abyss Flow], the two would work together. Combined with his physical attributes, he would probably be immune to ordinary fire burns. He couldn't help but look forward to the scene that could be achieved in the future.

The following items 3, 4, and 5 are even easier to understand: "blunt blow," "slash," and "pierce." In short, they almost directly increase Xia Nan's physical defense by 10%.

This greatly increased his margin for error when facing strong enemies in battle.

In contrast, if he had worn the [Abyss] armor instead of the plate and chain composite armor he had temporarily bought from the general store during his previous battle with that deformed shark beast, he might have been able to withstand a heavy punch from the opponent with the armor's defensive capabilities, further weakening the enemy. This would have increased his chances of winning when he activated [Echoes of Ember].

The final 6, 7, 8, and 9 special effects, to some extent, almost completely compensate for Xia Nan's current shortcomings during his adventures in the Southern Islands.

Initially, having just arrived at Sucker Bay, he was not skilled in underwater warfare and lacked experience, so he always avoided falling into the water and tried to keep the enemy on the shore as much as possible. Even shooting arrows with a crossbow on the deck, he was unwilling to jump into the sea.

Later, as the marine environment was gradually developed by [Fang Hunt], he tried walking on the water and releasing combat techniques underwater to achieve the effect of simulating space. He was very successful and was able to overcome his resistance to underwater combat.

Even so, he only dared to fight his enemies in shallow waters where he could see the seabed.

The experience of fighting in the water made Xia Nan increasingly aware of his shortcomings.

On one hand, there's endurance. The viscous seawater around his body, moving at high speed, caused his stamina to be consumed much faster than on land. Even with a decent 8 points in constitution, it wasn't enough. After driving [Fang Hunt] back and forth in the water a dozen times, he could clearly feel the soreness and fatigue in his muscles all over his body.

On the other hand, and also the key factor limiting his ability to fight in the water for extended periods, is oxygen.

Xia Nan is a pure-blooded, legitimate human. At most, he has better physical fitness, but he doesn't have gills on either side of his neck, so he can't breathe underwater like a sea elf hybrid or a fish-man.

Many times, even when he still had plenty of energy, he had to temporarily abandon the enemy who was right in front of him due to oxygen limitations, and use [Fang Hunt] to rush to the surface of the water like a dolphin to breathe.

Right now, the bonuses to "movement speed," "stamina consumption," and "underwater breathing" provided by [Abyss Flow] in the underwater environment perfectly make up for the shortcomings he urgently needed to improve during his adventures in the Southern Islands.

While he hasn't fully adapted, he no longer feels as awkward as before and can face enemies whose main battlefield is the ocean with greater ease.

As for the final [Bloodlust Instinct], just like a shark can smell the faint scent of blood in seawater, Xia Nan, whose perception attribute is already outstanding, will be able to detect the movements of wounded enemies underwater while wearing this equipment, much like having a three-dimensional radar activated, relying solely on his perception attribute. In total, there are nine special effects.

Xia Nan even felt that it wouldn't be a problem to regard the quality level of [Abyss Flow] as purple (rare).

But after carefully scanning the attribute panel, Xia Nan realized why this set of equipment, despite having such excellent attributes, still failed to reach a higher grade.

【Abyss】 is not simply a single piece of equipment, but rather a set consisting of two blue-quality pieces of equipment: an inner lining and an outer armor.

It must be admitted that this will affect the wearer's combat power ceiling to some extent.

If the wearer already owns another enchanted piece of armor with a lining, they must choose between the two pieces of armor—forcibly layering them will severely affect the wearer's mobility and may even have negative effects.

Of course, this can be disregarded for Xia Nan, whose armor breakage rate is so high that he wears almost one set of equipment after another and has no other enchanted armor.

What truly limits the grade of the [Abyss] item is its stringent requirements for the surrounding environment.

It is almost entirely designed for underwater combat. Nearly half of its nine special effects can only be activated in water. On land, it would probably just be considered an ordinary green item with excellent defensive capabilities.

But... it's still a rare quality equipment, Xia Nan thought that no matter how aggressive he was in battle, it shouldn't break too quickly.

Since he has already obtained the spatial storage item [White Pot], once he leaves the Southern Islands and finds more suitable armor, he can keep [Abyss Flow] in the pocket watch space as a backup armor and also as a secret weapon when he needs to go underwater.

Of course, that's something he'll need to consider later.

At least for now, in the context of Sucker Bay and the entire Southern Islands, the attribute bonuses of [Abyss Flow] make it comparable to ordinary rare-quality equipment.

Upon arriving at the tailor shop's dressing room, Xia Nan took off his shirt and put on the full set of [Yuanliu] equipment.

Looking at his tall figure reflected in the full-length mirror in the cubicle, a slight smile crept onto his lips.

This presentation is... wow...

It's not that Xia Nan is narcissistic, well, maybe a little bit.

But the main reason is that the effect of wearing the [Yuanliu] outfit is just too good!
In the early stages of production, Seliane meticulously and completely measured Xia Nan's physical data. His somewhat obsessive-compulsive perfectionist personality may have made him seem overly slow and even sluggish when making equipment, but the finished product was incomparably perfect.

The steel-gray sharkskin lining is like the professional clothing worn by athletes in my past life. It fits snugly but is not tight, as if a thin film is pasted on the skin, without any sense of burden.

At the same time, it also allowed Xia Nan's almost perfect, smooth body lines, honed through countless training sessions, to be fully displayed, with the explosive muscle contours clearly visible beneath the inner lining.

The outer armor and inner lining are from the same source, with a unified style and matching each other. The streamlined appearance, made of layers of blue-gray metal and white bone, is much larger in both coverage area and weight than the previous plate chain composite armor. However, due to the weight ratio flexibly adjusted according to Xia Nan's body characteristics during the design, it gives people a light feeling when wearing it.

Besides, it's unclear whether Seliane noticed Xia Nan's equipment specifically, or if it was just a coincidence.

The [Abyss Flow] outer armor, made of fish bones and special metals, surprisingly matched Xia Nan's [Bone-Binding Iron Greaves] leg armor quite well from the outside.

It's like a complete set of equipment from top to bottom.

"Perfect!"

Xia Nan couldn't be more satisfied with this first piece of blue-quality armor he had obtained since his transmigration.

Needless to say, its attributes are excellent, and even its appearance matches my aesthetic sense, being understated and reserved yet not at all cheap.

Wearing this outfit will not draw too much attention, nor will it make people look down on you.

Even an ordinary person who knows nothing about supernatural powers would instinctively think, "This is an elite adventurer," upon seeing this equipment.

Even a slightly knowledgeable professional adventurer could sense the value of his armor.

"How's it going? Are you satisfied?"

Seeing Xia Nan emerge from the dressing room wearing armor, Seliane asked with a confident tone that sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Very good." Xia Nan didn't hold back his praise.

The meticulously crafted equipment is appreciated by buyers, and even legendary blacksmiths who have enjoyed praise throughout their lives will never tire of it.

He had made the most of the materials Xia Nan had given him, and even the design was meticulously crafted to match her aesthetic preferences.

Hearing Xia Nan's response, the half-elf's smile deepened, and even the fleshy gills on both sides of his neck twitched slightly.

“Oh, right.” He stretched out his long, slender finger and pointed to the swirling pattern in the center of Xia Nan’s armor. “I’ve embedded the shark’s swim bladder inside, as the core connecting the outer armor and the inner lining.”

"I'm just mentioning it briefly so you know where it is."

"Don't worry too much about it in normal combat. After all, that piece of metal is the thickest and hardest part of the entire armor. If even the swim bladder inside can be destroyed, then there's really no need to consider anything else."

Upon hearing this, Xia Nan reached out and touched the swirling pattern on the surface of the chest armor, feeling the cool touch on his fingertips, and nodded slightly to indicate that he understood.

His eyes flickered, as if he were thinking of the armor pieces that had been destroyed over the past two years.

Suddenly noticing the gaze directed at him, he looked up and saw the tailor shop owner, a half-elf named Seliane, standing behind the counter, looking at him with a strange expression.

"Ahem." Seeing that Xia Nan hadn't noticed his meaning, Seliane coughed twice deliberately before opening his mouth again.

"Look... the final payment for this piece of equipment..."

(End of this chapter)