Oriana turned to the crowd, her voice firm. “You should appreciate this man. He’s done a great deal for our city-you should be grateful, not throwing accusations at him like this.”
“But the shop owner claims he looted his store during the monster attack,” some persisted.
“Then, did he act recklessly?” Oriana challenged. “He’s right here. Do you really think he’d stand by quietly while you insult him, especially knowing his strength?”
The crowd started to waver, murmuring among themselves as they began to disperse. “Let’s just go…”
The shop owner, left standing, bowed to Broken, his expression contrite. “I’m sorry, Mr. Broken, for accusing you. My grief got the best of me, and I wasn’t thinking straight.”
Broken reached into his Inventory, took out some coins, and handed them over. “This is for the Blessed Stones, and for the rest, I’ll take as many Enchanting Stones as you have.”
With shaking hands, the shop owner accepted the coins. “Of course, Mr. Broken. Please, come inside the shop.”
Broken shifted his gaze to Oriana, studying her briefly.
“Well, I know I arrived at just the right time,” she said with a small laugh. “Who knows what might’ve happened if they’d kept coming at you like that, huh?”
Oriana tried to keep her composure, though her face softened just a bit.
But Broken only frowned, looking puzzled. “Who are you?”
“What?!” Oriana’s eyes widened as she clenched her fists. “You don’t know who I am?! How can you not know me?!”
“Yeah, sorry I don’t know everyone in Deadbay City. Are you someone important?”
Her face flushed with frustration, but she quickly forced herself to regain her composure. “Ahem… forgive me for not introducing myself properly.” She cleared her throat, steadying herself. “I am Lady Oriana, daughter of the Viscount of Deadbay City. I hold considerable influence here, and I’m certain that if we build a good relationship, you would gain a lot from
She stopped short, realizing Broken had already vanished into the shop before she even finished her sentence. Oriana clenched her fists, feeling her irritation rise at his complete disregard.
“Damn it!” she muttered, frustration evident on her face. This man had the nerve to ignore her like that. “I’ll make sure he understands how valuable I can be as an ally! Yes, I have to earn his favor, build a connection with someone as important and influential as him.”
Oriana marched into the shop, and the shopkeeper immediately hurried over to her. “Good day, Lady Oriana! Is there anything I can assist you with?”
“No,” she waved her hand. “Shoo, shoo, get away from me,” she said, brushing him aside before making her way over to Broken, who was intently focused on upgrading his armor. “Whoa… that armor is incredible! Where did you get it?” she asked. “I’m sure it must have cost a fortune-no wonder you can handle those monsters so easily.”
But her irritation only grew as Broken continued to ignore her.
“Upgrading armor can be tough,” she tried again. “But I believe in you! Most people give up when they hit obstacles, but I know you won’t.”
By the time Broken had successfully upgraded both his Invincible Paragon Armor and his Woodland Ranger set to +9, he finally turned-only to look right past Oriana and address the shopkeeper. “Give me all the Blessed Stones you have.”
The shopkeeper’s eyebrows shot up. “Sir, are you sure you want to buy all of my Blessed Stone stock?”
“Yes. How many do you have?”
“Uh… roughly 1,000 Low-Quality, 600 Medium-Quality, and 400 High-Quality Blessed Stones, sir.”
Oriana’s eyes lit up as she thought, ‘This is my chance!’ Surely, he wouldn’t have the money for all of that.
She cleared her throat and spoke loudly, “I am Lady Oriana, daughter of Viscount Sean. If you need assistance, 2,000 Blessed Stones is no trouble. I’ll-”
But suddenly, she stopped short as Broken poured a small fortune of gold coins onto the counter.
“Forty-five gold coins, right? Here. Give me the Blessed Stones,” he said, his tone
nonchalant.
Oriana stood frozen, her confidence shattered as she stared at the mound of coins. “Eh?!”
Broken didn’t attempt to push all his armor to +18, knowing it would demand an exhausting amount of resources and time. His goal was more realistic: enchanting his Invincible Paragon set to +15 across all five pieces.
“A sensible target,” he murmured to himself.
He then started upgrading, focusing on each piece one at a time. Slowly but surely, each reached +14. Satisfied, he smiled, noting that he still had enough Blessed Stones left for another round, giving him a confident edge to attempt his final upgrades.
“I bet if I had more High-Quality Blessed Stones, the results could’ve been even better,” he remarked thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, Oriana had been observing from the sidelines, her astonishment growing with each successful upgrade.
“Damn!” she muttered under her breath. “How is he doing this so effortlessly? Is there some secret technique he’s using? Can armor upgrades really be this easy?”
[+15 Invincible Paragon Gloves]
[Grade: Epic]
[Strength +72
Attack Speed +101
Defense +290]
[+15 Invincible Paragon Helmet]
[Grade: Epic]
[Health +725
Mana +1160]
[+15 Invincible Paragon Armor (Chest)]
[Grade: Unique]
[Health +5800
Defense +870
Stamina +72]
[+15 Invincible Paragon Armor (Pants)]
[Grade: Unique]
[Health +6525
Defense +580
Stamina +290]
[+15 Invincible Paragon Shoes – Sun Beetle Lv. 205 (Growth Type)]
[Grade: Epic]
[Movement Speed +217
Defense +362
Constitution +145]
Broken smiled as he admired his Invincible Paragon set, now fully upgraded to +15. The satisfaction was real, and he briefly considered taking his Woodland Ranger set to +15 as well, though his stash of Blessed Stones was nearly depleted. The sheer amount of resources he’d burned through made him wonder just how much gold he’d spent in such a short time. “Yes!” he murmured, eyeing the five pieces of armor before him, each one glowing with a thin, golden-yellow aura. He began to equip each piece, feeling a swell of pride as he adjusted to the powerful weight of his upgraded gear.
“Let’s take a look at my stats with this set equipped,” he whispered to himself.