Alright, Broken had made up his mind-he would use the Monster Soul Stone to test the Soul Engrave skill. After all, neither Polly nor Gaia had any interest in the insect-based Monster Soul Stone, and even if he sold it, he knew the value would be high. But, he hadn’t fully tapped into his current wealth yet, so why not take the chance? This was as good a time as any to experiment and see what Soul Engrave could really do.
The real question was: What item should he engrave the Monster Soul Stone into?
The Sun Beetle had both earth and fire-based skills-some revolved around heat and fire attacks, while others tapped into sand manipulation. Broken’s affinity with the earth element made him lean towards earth-based synergy, but he also had an option for fire when using the Mask of Scorched Fury from Infernak. That was why, using the helmet for the engraving didn’t feel right.
His mind kept returning to the Invincible Paragon set, specifically one of its armor pieces, excluding the helmet. He was drawn to the idea of enhancing one of these powerful pieces with the Sun Beetle’s abilities. It seemed like a natural fit, especially given his connection to the earth element.
He wasn’t ready to risk this on a Unique-grade item just yet, so that left two options, the gloves or shoes.
Both pieces could benefit from an elemental boost, and either could be a key piece in the future of his build. The shoes, with their connection to mobility, seemed like they could pair well with something like the Burrow Strike or sand-related abilities.
What would it be?
Ultimately, this would be his first experience with the Soul Engrave skill, so the stakes were high. But there was no turning back now.
Taking a deep breath, Broken pulled out the Invincible Paragon Shoes and the Sun Beetle Monster Soul Stone. With steady hands, he prepared for the experiment, knowing the result could either be a huge breakthrough or a costly mistake. Either way, he was about to find out. [Using Blacksmith’s Soul Engrave on Invincible Paragon Shoes]
[Sun Beetle Lv. 205 Monster Soul Stone will be consumed for this process]
[Do you wish to proceed?]
Broken nodded immediately, and the process began. The energy from the Monster Soul Stone slowly flowed out and was absorbed into the shoes, until the stone in his hand completely vanished.
[Integrating the monster soul, the elements from both objects, and compatible skills.]
[Congratulations, you have successfully upgraded Invincible Paragon Shoes to Invincible Paragon Shoes – Sun Beetle Lv. 205 (Growth Type)]
[The stats have been upgraded.]
[New skill unlocked: Sandstorm Cloak (Active Skill)]
[+9 Invincible Paragon Shoes – Sun Beetle Lv. 205 (Growth Type)]
[Grade: Epic]
[Movement Speed +177
Defense +295
Constitution +118]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Weight: 235]
[Skills:]
[Dash: Boosts your movement speed by 150% for 2 seconds.
Cooldown: 10 seconds.]
[You can’t be slowed down by any debuffs.]
[Sandstorm Cloak: Creates a swirling vortex of sand around the user, reducing visibility and making it harder for enemies to hit. Increases Evasion by 30% for 15 seconds.
Mana Cost: 450
Cooldown: 40 seconds
Duration: 15 seconds]
[User Restriction: Level 200 or higher.]
Woah…
Broken grinned with excitement at the result. It was more than he had expected. The shoes had transformed into a Growth Type item, successfully engraving the Sun Beetle’s soul into them. They now had an added 100 Constitution, boosted thanks to the item being at +9. While the two original skills remained, the new skill Sandstorm Cloak was now part of the package. Without hesitation, he equipped the shoes and tested them out. The skill cost 450 Mana, and while the effect wasn’t game-changing, it was still valuable. Sandstorm Cloak increased Evasion, which didn’t fully sync with his heavy armor build-since he didn’t rely on Agility or Evasion-but it had its perks.
[Sandstorm Cloak (Active Skill)]
Once he cast Sandstorm Cloak, thin swirls of sand emerged from beneath his feet, quickly enveloping him and spreading outward. While he could still see his surroundings clearly, he wasn’t sure how his enemies would perceive him. The swirling sand was definitely visible, and it seemed like this skill might be even more effective in a desert environment, like the one the Sun Beetle came from.
The swirling vortex of sand reduced visibility around him, making it harder for enemies to see and target him. This could prove useful in large battles, where chaos reigned, and the confusion created by the sandstorm might just give him the edge he needed.
Still, the fact that the shoes had become a growth-type item meant they would maintain their durability, level up, and potentially evolve in grade over time. All in all, this was a solid outcome-not bad at all.
Well, two weeks had finally passed, and the progress on the egg had been quite satisfying-it was now at 63%. If he kept up the same routine and avoided any disruptions, the egg should hatch before they returned from Hell to Yunatea.
During this hatching process, the embryo had started to accept Mana refills from Mana Potions, a promising sign that it was developing and preparing for its eventual hatching. As a result, the progress had begun to accelerate.
However, it had become clear that this wasn’t an easy task. Broken had to make peace with the fact that he was spending a lot of time holed up in the cave, time that felt like it was being wasted. But with more than half of the process behind him, he just needed to hold on a few
more days!
Broken had just summoned another one of Gaia’s Nature Beasts-a Vine Serpent. It was a long, slithering creature covered in lush green vines and flowers, its scales blending into the earth with a mix of green and brown, giving it perfect camouflage in natural settings.
He had been summoning different beasts repeatedly, trying to better understand what each one could do. This time, he sent the serpent slithering into the cave for no particular reason other than his tendency to mess around with his summons occasionally.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the tunnel, steadily growing louder. From the familiar click of heels, Broken knew it was Marlene. A moment later, the red-haired girl emerged, her expression as cold and indifferent as always.
She approached silently, standing near Broken as her eyes locked onto the egg resting in the center of the room. She had seen the egg before-Broken had shown it to her during an earlier visit but he had been careful not to reveal too much about it. She knew it was a demon egg, but the finer details remained a mystery to her, and he had kept it that way deliberately. “Another week has passed. When are you scheduled to continue the raid boss hunting?” Broken asked, breaking the silence first.
“Something unexpected came up. We need to postpone it,” Marlene replied flatly.
“I see,” Broken nodded.
She glanced at the egg. “So, how’s the progress?”
“63%. What do you think?”
Marlene considered for a moment. “I think at this stage, you could try taking the egg out of
the cave, maybe even to the city. You could continue the progress in your inn room.”
Broken felt a sudden surge of excitement at her suggestion-a chance to escape the monotony that had consumed him over the past two weeks.
He quickly stood up. “You’re serious?”
“You can try it,” she said calmly. “But if it doesn’t work, you may need to wait until the
progress advances further.”
Without a second thought, Broken reached for the egg and stored it in his Inventory, eager to
act on her advice.