25: Chapter 25: New Discovery in Skill Fusion! Accept the quest while avoiding your enemies!
Lin Feng rushed into the apartment, panting, and slammed the door shut.
He slid down the door panel to the floor, his heart still pounding wildly.
"Safe..."
Lin Feng took a few deep breaths and slowly calmed down.
He glanced out the window; the sky had already darkened.
Streetlights lit up one by one, and soft light streamed into the room through the window.
Lin Feng stood up and walked to the center of the living room.
He threw the four blood-stained Storage Pouches onto the floor and then emptied his own bulging Storage Pouch.
Whoosh—
Various Materials, equipment, and potions piled up into a small mountain.
"The harvest is really good..." Lin Feng shook his head with a bitter smile, "But the trouble is damn much too."
He slumped onto the sofa, his mind replaying events like a movie.
First, being mocked by Wang Hao on Awakening Day, then his shop being sealed, then encountering a mutation in a dungeon, and finally being ambushed by the Blood Wolf Group after coming out...
"How many days has it been since my Awakening?" Lin Feng scratched his head, "Why does it feel like I've experienced a year's worth of bad luck?"
He lay on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.
His shop was sealed, so it definitely wouldn't open again anytime soon.
As for the Blood Wolf Group, Scarface ran away and would surely bring people for revenge.
The low-Rank dungeon area was temporarily off-limits.
"The old man..." Lin Feng thought of the mysterious white-haired elder, "He said he'd take me as a disciple after I entered a Rank 1 Secret Realm, but now I don't even have a safe place to develop."
It's better to rely on oneself than on others.
Lin Feng suddenly sat up, determination flashing in his eyes.
"Yes, being strong yourself is true strength!"
He looked at the pile of Materials on the ground, his eyes lighting up.
With so many Materials on hand, and his mana having increased to 264 points, he could definitely go all out!
"First, set a small goal." Lin Feng counted on his fingers, "First, fuse equipment that adds mana and mental attributes. Second, buy more skill books and fuse all attack, defense, and control skills. Third... try that bold idea."
As soon as he thought of "that idea," Lin Feng became excited.
He walked to the pile of Materials and began to sort them.
Blue Materials: Tough Wood Heart ×1, Natural Essence Liquid ×1, Night Vision Goggles ×1, totem of natures power ×1, Gold and Silver Pupils Amulet ×1, frost crystal ×1, Banshee Long Hair ×5, Frost Staff Shard ×3.
Purple Materials: frost essence ×1 (S-Rank).
There were also miscellaneous pieces of equipment looted from the four members of the Blood Wolf Group, mostly white and green.
"Equipment first!"
Lin Feng rubbed his hands and picked up the Night Vision Goggles and the Gold and Silver Pupils Amulet.
Both were blue quality and related to "eyes" and "vision."
"Fuse!"
[Detected fusible items: Night Vision Goggles (Blue), Gold and Silver Pupils Amulet (Blue)]
[mana consumed: 40 points]
The two pieces of equipment floated into the air and began to deform in a pale golden light.
The lenses of the goggles became transparent, and the gold and silver pupils pattern on the amulet disintegrated into countless light dots, integrating into the lenses.
Ten seconds later, a brand new pair of glasses landed in Lin Feng's hand.
[Obtained: Eye of Insight (Blue)]
[Effect 1: Night Vision +8%]
[Effect 2: Sees through low-level invisibility, illusions]
[Effect 3: When attacking, there is a 15% chance to trigger "Weakness Insight" (ignores 25% of target's defense)]
[Rank Requirement: Rank 7]
[Description: A perfect Fusion of vision-type equipment, allowing you to see the true world]
"Good stuff!" Lin Feng put on the glasses.
The world instantly became much clearer; even the patterns of spiderwebs in the corner of the wall were distinctly visible.
"Continue!"
Lin Feng then picked up the totem of natures power and several frost crystals.
The totem was healing-type, and the frost crystals were ice-attribute Materials.
"Let's try fusing different attributes."
[Detected fusible items: totem of natures power (Blue), frost crystal ×5]
[mana consumed: 50 points]
Green light and ice-blue light intertwined.
The natural runes on the totem began to change, incorporating the power of frost.
It eventually transformed into an ice-blue short staff, with aEmerald green gemstone (emerald green gem) inlaid in the staff head.
[Obtained: Frost Healing Staff (Blue)]
[Effect 1: Spirit +2]
[Effect 2: Healing-type Spell effect +3%]
[Effect 3: When casting healing Spells, there is a chance to apply "Frost Armor" (absorbs 30 points of damage)]
[Rank Requirement: Rank 8]
[Description: The combination of natural healing and frost protection]
Lin Feng nodded in satisfaction.
Although this staff didn't increase Spell attack, it enhanced healing capabilities and could also provide armor to teammates.
"Keep it for later use."
Next was the main event—fusing those white and green equipment pieces to create armor that adds mental attributes.
Lin Feng spread out all the equipment dropped by the four Blood Wolf Group members.
[Worn Cloth Armor (White) ×3]
[Inferior Robe (Green) ×2]
[Agile Leather Boots (Green) ×1]
[Strength Bracers (White) ×2]
"Cloth armor and robes should yield mental-boosting equipment."
Lin Feng placed the three Worn Cloth Armors and two Inferior Robes together.
The five pieces of equipment floated simultaneously.
[Detected fusible items: Cloth Armor ×3, Robe ×2]
[mana consumed: 30 points]
Amidst flashing light, the five pieces of equipment melted into five glowing liquids, intertwining and reorganizing in the air.
Finally, they transformed into a deep blue robe with silver runes flowing on its surface.
[Obtained: Scholar's Robe (Blue)]
[Defense: 25]
[Effect 1: Spirit +25]
[Effect 2: mana Cap +20]
[Effect 3: Spell Casting Speed +1%]
[Rank Requirement: Rank 6]
[Description: A light and practical robe suitable for magic-type professions]
"It's done!" Lin Feng happily put it on.
His mental attribute increased by another 25 points, reaching 289!
His mana cap became 284!
"Boots and bracers can't be wasted either."
Agile Leather Boots and Strength Bracers were clearly not suitable for a mage.
But Lin Feng had a plan.
He took out the remaining cat demon claw Materials and added a few frost crystals.
"Transform!"
[Detected fusible items: Agile Leather Boots (Green), Strength Bracers (White), cat demon claws ×3, frost crystal ×3]
[mana consumed: 45 points]
This Fusion process was more complex.
The leather boots turned ice-blue, covered with a layer of fine scale patterns.
The bracers integrated into the boots' design, becoming decorations on the boot shafts.
[Obtained: Ice Trail Boots (Blue)]
[Defense: 18]
[Effect 1: Agility +15]
[Effect 2: Movement Speed +2%]
[Effect 3: Movement on ice and snow terrain is unaffected]
[Effect 4: Leaves frost footprints when walking, lasting 3 seconds]
[Rank Requirement: Rank 7]
[Description: Light and elegant boots that allow you to walk on special terrain as if on flat ground]
"Although it doesn't add spirit, it's a Divine Artifact for escaping!" Lin Feng was very satisfied.
Being able to run if you can't win is very important.
Putting on the full set of new equipment, Lin Feng opened his attribute panel.
[Name: Lin Feng]
[Rank: 8 (320/80000)]
[Strength: 34]
[Physique: 34 (HP 34, Defense 35)]
[Spirit: 289 (Spell Attack 1445, mana 289)]
[Agility: 34]
[Intelligence: 34]
[Talent: F-Rank Fusion]
[Skills: Light Bullet Technique (lv1), Blasting Light Flame Technique (lv1), Light Flame Slash (lv1), Holy Healing Ring (lv1)]
[Equipment: Eye of Insight (Blue), Scholar's Robe (Blue), Ice Trail Boots (Blue), Gold and Silver Pupils Ring (Purple), Frost Heart Bracelet (Purple), tree demon scepter (Blue)]
"Spell Attack 1445..." Lin Feng swallowed.
With these attributes, he should be able to instantly kill ordinary monsters below Rank 1, right?
"But I have too few skills."
Lin Feng decided to go to the market first thing tomorrow morning, sell the unused equipment, and then buy a large number of skill books.
He glanced at the time; it was nine in the evening.
"Sleep first, there's more to do tomorrow."
...
The next morning at seven, Lin Feng woke up on time.
He changed into a casual outfit and packed the equipment he wanted to sell into a large backpack.
After some thought, he put on a mask and a hat—the Blood Wolf Group might still be looking for him, so it was better to keep a low profile.
At exactly eight o'clock, Lin Feng arrived at the market's stall area.
He found an inconspicuous corner, spread out a cloth, and displayed the equipment one by one.
Three blue pieces of equipment, eight green pieces of equipment, and several Advanced potions.
The prices were set slightly lower than the market price, following a low-profit, high-volume strategy.
As soon as he set up, people gathered around.
"Boss, how much for this blue leather armor?" a young warrior squatted down and asked.
"160, attributes are 10% higher than similar items on the market," Lin Feng pointed to the tag.
The warrior looked closely and paid cheerfully: "I'll take it!"
[Human points +160]
A good start.
Over the next two hours, Lin Feng's stall saw a continuous flow of people.
The blue equipment quickly sold out, and most of the green equipment was also sold.
By half past ten, only two green weapons remained in his backpack.
Lin Feng checked his account balance: +3820 points.
He packed up his stall and headed straight for the skill book store.
This time, his goal was clear—stock up!
"Boss, five each of white and green skill books: attack, defense, control, and support types!"
The bookstore owner, a bald uncle, looked up and pushed up his reading glasses: "Young man, buying so many?"
"Yes, for research," Lin Feng said vaguely.
The uncle didn't ask further and turned to move a large stack of books from the shelves.
Fireball Technique, Ice Cone Technique, Earth Wall Technique, Healing Spell, Gale Step, Thorny Entanglement, Illumination Spell...
Twenty skill books piled up on the counter like a small mountain.
"White ones are 200 to 4000 each, green ones are 5000 to 8000 each," the uncle tapped his calculator, "Total... 114,000 points."
Lin Feng's eyelid twitched.
So expensive.
But he gritted his teeth and paid.
[Human points -11400]
[Current Balance: 12412]
Holding twenty skill books, Lin Feng quickly left the bookstore.
He didn't go straight home but circled a few streets, making sure no one was following him, before returning to his apartment.
Closing the door, Lin Feng eagerly spread out the skill books.
"Time to start the Fusion experiment!"
He first picked up two of the same type.
[Skill Book: Fireball Technique (White)] + [Skill Book: Ice Cone Technique (White)]
"Fuse!"
[Detected fusible items: Skill Book ×2]
[mana consumed: 20 points]
The two books transformed into red and blue streams of light, intertwining in the air to form a single book.
[Obtained: Skill Book: Ice-Fire Missile (Green)]
[Effect: Launches a missile containing both ice and fire attributes, dealing Spirit ×4 mixed damage, with a chance to apply "Burning" or "Freezing" effects]
[Learning Requirement: Fire Element/Ice Element Affinity 3% or higher]
"It worked!" Lin Feng's eyes lit up.
But he didn't learn this book; he put it aside.
Next were defensive types.
[Skill Book: Earth Wall Technique (Green)] + [Skill Book: Holy Light Shield (Green)]
Fuse!
[mana consumed: 30 points]
[Obtained: Skill Book: Holy Light Bulwark (Blue)]
[Effect: Summons a bulwark composed of Holy Light and earth elements, which can absorb Spirit ×15 damage and has extra resistance against dark-type enemies]
Control types.
[Skill Book: Thorny Entanglement (Green)] + [Skill Book: Ring of Frost (White)]
Fuse!
[Obtained: Skill Book: Ice Thorn Cage (Blue)]
[Effect: Generates a cage of ice thorns under the target's feet, restricting movement and dealing continuous damage]
The more Lin Feng fused, the more excited he became.
He fused ten skill books in one go, obtaining five green and three blue new skill books.
His mana consumption was nearly 200 points, but he had a cap of 2890 points, so he could easily handle it.
"Next... let's try that idea."
Lin Feng took a deep breath and picked up two skill books that had already been fused.
[Ice-Fire Missile (Green)] and [Light Flame Slash (Blue)].
One was an unlearned skill book, and the other was a skill he had already learned.
"What if I use my Talent to 'fuse' an already learned skill into a new skill book...?"
Lin Feng held the book in one hand and pressed his other hand against his chest.
He mobilized the light element within his body, resonating with the skill book in his hand.
"Talent, activate!"
Buzz—
This feeling was completely different this time!
No light, no energy fluctuations.
But Lin Feng could clearly feel that his skill memory, energy circulation routes, and release techniques for "Light Flame Slash" were being extracted by some power!
At the same time, the "Ice-Fire Missile" skill book in his hand began to heat up.
The text and patterns on the pages were changing!
[Detected special Fusion: Skill Memory + Skill Book]
[mana consumed: 50 points]
[Fusion Success Rate: 65%]
"Only 65%?" Lin Feng gritted his teeth, "I'll risk it!"
He increased his mana output.
60 points... 700 points...
Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Just as he was about to give up, there was a "boom" in his mind.
The Fusion was complete!
The skill book in his hand had completely changed its appearance.
The cover had transformed into a complex pattern of intertwined gold, red, and blue.
[Obtained: Skill Book: Tri-Color Destruction Missile (Blue)]
[Effect: Condenses light, fire, and ice triple elements to launch a destructive energy missile, dealing Spirit ×8 mixed damage, and 10% chance to apply "Burning," "Freezing," and "Radiance" triple effects]
[Learning Requirement: Light/Fire/Ice Element Affinity must all be 4% or higher]
[Description: Forbidden Fusion, prelude to destruction]
"Spirit ×8 damage?!" Lin Feng's hands were trembling.
His current Spirit was 289 points, so the base damage would be 2312 points!
Coupled with the Glory Corona bonus, the actual damage could exceed 250!
And 10% chance to apply triple effects!
"This hypothesis... is really feasible!" Lin Feng was so excited he almost jumped up.
But soon, he calmed down.
"While skill Fusion release is powerful, the consumption must also be terrifying."
"Moreover, the learning requirements are too strict; light, fire, and ice affinities all need to be 4% or higher..."
Lin Feng looked at his attributes.
His Glorious Corona Physique gave him a natural light element affinity of over 9%.
Fire and ice...
He closed his eyes and perceived through his Eye of the Elements.
The fire and ice elements in the air were still friendly to him, but his affinity was probably only around 3%.
"Can't learn it." Lin Feng shook his head regretfully.
But he wasn't disheartened.
"Once I find a way to increase elemental affinity, or fuse equipment that lowers learning requirements, this skill will be a great weapon!"
Lin Feng carefully put away the "Tri-Color Destruction Missile."
Just then, his phone suddenly rang.
It was a reminder text message from the Explorer Association.
[Dear Explorer Lin Feng, your 15-day new recruit mission deadline has 2 days remaining. Please accept and complete your first mission in time, otherwise your Explorer qualification will be frozen.]
Lin Feng looked at the text message, his expression solemn.
"Right, I almost forgot about this."
Becoming an Explorer wasn't just about making money.
It was also about... finding the truth behind his parents' disappearance.
He absolutely had to go to that Rank 5 dungeon that had not yet been cleared.
Therefore, his Explorer qualification absolutely could not be lost!
"The Blood Wolf Group must be watching me in the dungeon area." Lin Feng stroked his chin in thought, "If I go directly to take regular missions, I'll most likely be ambushed."
He opened the Explorer Association's official website and logged into his account.
The mission list refreshed.
Most were regular monster-hunting, gathering, and escort missions.
Lin Feng flipped through the pages, getting a general idea. He felt that none of these were suitable for him! He decided to go to the Explorer Association hall tomorrow to check it out!