As the day drew to a close and the sky darkened, Broken returned to his study. After a long day of travel and talking to so many people, he felt the urge to do something to shake off the
monotony.
But what exactly?
He craved a real battle, something intense and thrilling, perhaps with his identity as Void Reaper? Damn, he thought, a grin spreading across his face. Am I starting to enjoy fighting more and more? Was he turning into a battle maniac?
Somehow, Broken found himself craving a fight, but not against monsters. He started to think that taking down those who talked too much, who posed a real challenge, was more satisfying than slaying mindless creatures.
Has Hell gotten into my head? he wondered.
It seemed like his time there had started to mess with his thoughts, making the idea of confronting other players or those who deserved it-far more appealing than simply hunting monsters.
His mind wandered to the unfinished tasks he had since his time in Hell. Two items still needed to be explored-both trophies from killing the demon lizard father. One was a pair of Gloves from the Infernak armor set, and the other was a Legendary-grade Greatsword.
He retrieved the two items from his inventory, placing the gloves on the table and gripping the Legendary-grade Greatsword in his hands. The sword was almost as tall as he was-much larger than it had seemed when wielded by the demon lizard. Of course, that was due to the lizard’s imposing stature, towering over most beings.
The demon had boasted endlessly about this greatsword, calling it a treasured heirloom passed down through generations. Unfortunately for him, his pride had been his downfall, and the sword now belonged to Broken.
As for the gloves, he sighed, knowing they were part of the Infernak armor set, which he had yet to complete. He still needed the pants and shoes to finish the set. Maybe one day, he thought, I’ll return to Hell and hunt down Infernak again.
But then it hit him-Marlene. She had mentioned plans to return to Hell and hunt Infernak once more. Could there be a chance she might come across the missing armor pieces? Perhaps he could strike a trade with her if she managed to obtain what he needed.
Wait, Broken paused. But would I really want to buy them? He figured the price would be steep, especially if the items were Legendary-grade. Then again, if they lower grades, maybe the cost wouldn’t be too outrageous.
Nodding to himself, he decided he’d ask Marlene about it later. Is she still at the hotel? He’d make a point to call her once he logged out of the game.
For now, though, it was time to see the status of the gloves. Let’s take a look, he thought, turning his attention to the gloves with a sense of anticipation.
But before anything else, he felt the room was a bit too quiet. “Polly, Pawpaw, Blaze-come out. Just make sure not to cause any chaos, okay?”
Polly immediately appeared on the table, glancing around just as Pawpaw materialized nearby, yawning lazily. Polly quickly leaped off the table and ran to the far side of the room. In the center stood Blaze, a skeletal horse with parts of its body on fire.
“Woah… burning horse!” Pawpaw said with wide eyes. “But yikes, it’s a rotting, burning horse. I don’t like it!”
Broken tapped Pawpaw’s head gently with his finger. “Didn’t you already eat plenty on the way here, Pawpaw?”
“I think so, but those monsters were low-level. My stomach hurts,” Pawpaw grumbled, then let out a burp, which caused three monster cores to fall from his mouth onto the table.
Broken frowned. “No monster soul stones?”
“Pawpaw ate them, Master,” Polly said. “I told him he should watch his diet, but he eats whatever he wants.”
“Blech… soul stones taste bad. Next time, I’ll just spit them out.”
“Don’t spit them out-let Polly have them instead, okay?” Broken said, making his point clear.
Pawpaw leaped off the table and darted after Polly. “Polly, come here! I want to eat you.” “No, Pawpaw, don’t! I promised to be a good big sister, remember?” Polly pleaded, dodging away.
“You’re not my big sister, you’re my food. Rawr!” Pawpaw chased her around the room, knocking into furniture, toppling a bookshelf, and creating a general mess.
Broken sighed. Well, at least Yara will have something to do. She’ll probably enjoy cleaning up after these little troublemakers, he thought, shaking his head at the chaos.
Turning his attention to Blaze, Broken called out, “Blaze, come here. Take these monster cores. They’re from Yunatea-probably your first time encountering something like this, right?”
Blaze let out a deep, eerie neigh, his skeletal body moving slowly as he approached.
“And don’t touch any documents,” Broken warned, tossing the monster cores into the air. Blaze caught them effortlessly with his skeletal jaws, crunching down with a strange, hollow sound.
And now, let’s see the details of these gloves!
[Emberclaw Gauntlets]
[Grade: Unique]
[Strength +50
Agility +50
Attack Speed +100]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Weight: 457]
[Forged from blackened metal with molten cracks running across its surface, the Emberclaw Gauntlets emit a fiery glow that pulses with each movement. These gauntlets grant the wearer swift, burning strikes and the power to weaken enemies with each hit, turning every battle into an inferno of destruction.]
[Skills:]
[Inferno Clash: When you block or parry a melee attack, you have a 20% chance to increase your attack speed by 2% for 5 seconds. This effect can stack up to 3 times.]
[Blazing Grasp
Effect: Attacks have a 10% chance to ignite the target, dealing 30% of your fire elemental
magic damage over 4 seconds.
Cooldown: 5 seconds (per target)]
[Infernal Touch
Effect: Reduces fire resistance of enemies you hit by 5%, stacking up to 2 times.]
[User Restriction: Hellfire Reaper]
Broken analyzed the gloves carefully and nodded in satisfaction after reading the details.
Not bad, really good! he thought.
All three of the skills were passive, meaning he wouldn’t need to worry about casting them- they would activate automatically.
The skills themselves were quite straightforward:
The first skill, Inferno Clash, triggered every time he clashed in melee combat, whether doing parry or block, increasing his attack speed. These gloves were clearly built for melee fighters. The second skill applied a burn effect, dealing 30% fire elemental magic damage to enemies. Another magic-based attack.
I really need to focus more on Intelligence. Or should I balance all three stats-Strength, Agility, and
Intelligence?
The third skill, Infernal Touch, reduced the enemy’s resistance to fire damage. Another passive ability, making these gloves even more deadly in combat.
These are perfect, Broken thought, feeling eager to test them in a real fight.
He equipped the gloves on, and his hands were wrapped in a dark, obsidian black material, with cracks glowing like molten magma running through them.
After that, Broken grabbed the greatsword he had leaned against the table, but he froze when
he saw the chaos in the corner of the room. Pawpaw had knocked over the bookshelf, and the kitten was now pinned beneath it.
Broken frowned briefly, but Pawpaw effortlessly phased through the bookshelf, emerging from the shadows and shaking his head in mild irritation.
“Polly, Pawpaw, Blaze,” he called out, “how about you head outside to the forest and hunt whatever you find there? Just make sure you’re covered, and return when I call, okay?” “Food? Yeah. Let’s go, Polly, horse…” Pawpaw eagerly jumped onto Blaze’s head, with Polly following and settling on Blaze’s back.
Broken walked to the large window behind his desk and opened it wide, letting the cool
breeze sweep into the room. Blaze gave a soft, low neigh, and with careful grace, leaped out of the window. Despite the height, Blaze skillfully landed on a lower terrace, several times, before bounding down to the ground with ease.
Broken had already tested that he could summon Pawpaw from afar, and he could even see through the kitten’s eyes and hear what Pawpaw heard. So, he wasn’t too worried about letting them roam outside. Or should I be worried? he wondered briefly.
Do I need to ask Ivana to babysit them? He chuckled at the thought, knowing how chaotic
Pawpaw and Polly could be. But for now, he trusted they would be fine.
With the room finally quiet, Broken shifted his focus back to the Legendary Greatsword resting
against the table.
Now, let’s see what this thing is really made of.
[Abyssbreaker]
[Grade: Legendary]