[You’ve succeeded in upgrading Gravestone Greatsword to +9.]
“Broken, did you just go from +6 to +9 with three consecutive successes?” Elincia asked in amazement. “This is the first time I’ve seen something like this happen.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Just how high is your Luck stat?”
“Not that high,” he replied simply.
With the greatsword now at +9, Broken only needed three more successful upgrades to reach +12, ensuring he could wield it comfortably. However, beyond +9, different upgrade stones were required-Blessed Stones, which he had also prepared.
“I’m going to continue,” he said determinedly.
“Blessed Stones are insanely expensive, and most people are too afraid to use them for upgrades,” Elincia remarked. “But from this point on, the boost to the stats becomes way more substantial.”
“How many times have you done something similar, Elincia?” he asked.
“Trust me, you’re not ready to hear my answer,” she said with a giggle.
Broken proceeded with the next upgrades.
Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. He failed four times just trying to upgrade to +10.
A sharp headache set in from the sheer frustration and the significant loss of resources with each attempt. He looked up at Elincia, who nodded and smiled reassuringly.
“I’m sure you can do it even better,” she encouraged.
Taking a deep breath, Broken steeled himself for another attempt.
Success. Failure. Success. Failure. Failure. Success. Success. +11.
Broken held his breath, feeling his heart race with the tension of the upgrading process. Even though he wasn’t pushing for +15 or +18 yet, the amount of resources he had burned through was staggering.
He checked his Weight Capacity one more time.
[Weight: 7,037/7,056]
At +11, he had reached the threshold to avoid movement speed penalties. But +11 still wasn’t truly safe. He needed to push for +12 before he could start eyeing the higher tiers.
He paused, weighing his options. At +11, he could handle the greatsword just fine, but the desire to push further tugged at him, relentless.
Elincia studied him. “What’s on your mind?”
Broken shook his head, the decision already forming. He was going to take the risk.
[You’ve succeeded in upgrading Gravestone Greatsword to +12.]
He let out a deep breath, relief flooding through him. The satisfaction was overwhelming— greater even than when he’d scored a Legendary-grade item. The odds had been abysmal, but he had beaten them.
“Congratulations, Broken,” Elincia said warmly, and Ivana grinned widely at him.
“Thanks.”
“I think you saved almost 30% of the resources that a normal person would have used,” Elincia remarked.
“Really?”
“Yes, I believe so. Some people never manage to reach +12.”
[Name: Broken]
[Level: 126]
[Class: Unique – Super Novice | Unique – Royal Blacksmith | Unique – Rift Digger]
[Health: 12,435 | Mana: 5,132]
[Strength: 1,184 | Agility: 324 | Intelligence: 349 | Constitution: 258 | Stamina: 522]
[Charisma: 100 | Luck: 35 | Dexterity: 50 | Survival: 30 | Perception: 20]
[Available Stat Points: 0]
[Weight: 7,037/7,104]
Broken checked his overall stats again, and now his Strength stat had soared far above the others, reaching a staggering 1184 points! Meanwhile, his Constitution lagged significantly behind. However, at least he could be confident that he wouldn’t have to worry about Weight Capacity issues anytime soon. The greatsword would likely be the heaviest item he’d use for the foreseeable future. This meant he could now focus on boosting the other attributes.
He then reviewed the full description of the Gravestone Greatsword. The details were extensive and impressive.
He shared the information with Elincia and Ivana.
“Take a look at this,” he said.
[+12 Gravestone Greatsword]
[Grade: Unique]
[Attack Power: 1,781-2,063
Strength +260]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Weight: 3,430]
[The Gravestone Greatsword is a massive, stone behemoth with an extra-long blade covered in glowing runes. It’s got a rugged edge and a crossguard that looks like tangled roots. The leather-wrapped hilt is easy to grip, and the whole sword has a spooky, magical aura that screams, “I’m here to crush and dazzle!”]
[Skills:]
[Elemental Rune Cataclysm: Releases the power of up to 12 runes in a massive elemental explosion.
Each activated rune deals 500% base physical damage as elemental damage to all nearby enemies.
Elemental Overload: If 4 or more runes of the same element are activated, deals an additional 500% elemental damage over time.
Mana Cost: 350
Cooldown: 60 seconds.
Rune Charging: Runes are collected when the greatsword blocks attacks with certain
threshold damage.
Rune Reset: All runes are reset after use.]
[Sacrificial Edge:
Sacrifices 5% of the greatsword’s durability to increase the next attack’s damage by 1000%. However, the durability cannot drop below 20%. The greatsword’s durability will last longer
once it’s below 20%.
Mana Cost: 580
Cooldown: 45 seconds.]
[Durability Drainer: When the greatsword directly clashes with an opponent’s weapon (e.g., during blocks or parries), it reduces the opponent’s weapon durability and simultaneously, the greatsword absorbs a percentage of the durability drained, restoring its own durability.]
[User Restriction: Level 200 and higher.
900 Strength.
Advanced Greatsword Expertise.]
The greatsword certainly boasted impressive Attack Power, especially after Broken upgraded it to +12. Additionally, the weapon came with three skills, each with descriptions and mechanics that seemed a bit more complex than those he was accustomed to.
“What do you think, Elincia?” he asked.
“Yes,” Elincia replied with a nod. “I don’t think it’s too complicated compared to Mage spells. I’m confident we can test each skill thoroughly with Ivana’s and my help.”
Broken nodded slowly, considering her words.
The first skill was Elemental Rune Cataclysm. The core of this skill involved gathering elemental runes by blocking or parrying specific skills or attacks that dealt a certain amount of damage. The skill could be activated, releasing all the elemental runes into the surrounding area with significant damage, corresponding to the elemental energy gathered. Broken said, contemplating the skill’s potential. “The skill can be used anytime, but for optimal damage, it requires all 12 elemental runes to be fully charged.”
Elincia nodded, pondering the strategy. “That makes sense. So, you need to focus on gathering the maximum runes before using the skill to unleash its full power.”
She elaborated further, “If you receive the same elemental rune four times, you’ll get a bonus
to elemental damage. So, the more similar elemental damage your enemies provide, the greater the reversed damage you’ll unleash.”
Before diving into combat to test the first skill, they decided to read through the second skill: frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Sacrificial Edge.
This skill simply used 5% of the greatsword’s durability to deal 10 times the damage on the next attack! Given Broken’s immense Strength stat, the potential damage was staggering. Especially if this skill was combined with an attack skill. Wasn’t this incredibly overpowered? “This skill is terrifying, Broken,” Elincia said. “It’s like you’re amplifying your attack skill by ten times when you cast the skill using this greatsword.” Broken nodded. “Yes, I can combine the first skill and the second skill together.”
“The damage would be absolutely insane!” Elincia exclaimed. “I bet Maylock would curse loudly if he knew about this skill,” she added, giggling. “Although, keep in mind you’ll be losing durability on the greatsword, which means you’ll need expensive maintenance to keep
using this skill.”
Broken smiled, understanding the trade-off. But that concern could be mitigated by the third skill: Durability Drainer. This skill was lethal because it could absorb the durability from an opponent’s weapon when performing a block or parry.
Considering the greatsword was well-suited for blocking, this made it a weapon that could sustain itself by draining durability from enemies’ weapons.
“I think people will think twice about facing you once they know you have a skill like this on
your greatsword,” Elincia commented.
“Come, I need help to test the skill,” Broken then said.