Chapter 346 [Purgatory Pulse]

Rockhammer Smithy was open for business as usual.

But when Xia Nan walked into the shop, the person behind the counter was not the burly man named Barn.

Instead, it was a young man with somewhat similar facial features.

Unlike that hulking giant of a man, the youth's features were much softer and his demeanor far quieter.

Though his father's dwarven blood still gave him a considerable frame—standing a full head taller than the 1.9-meter Xia Nan—his maternal lineage left his musculature much leaner and more streamlined.

"Welcome to Rockhammer Smithy!"

"Please, take a look and see if you need anything. If you aren't satisfied with the equipment in the shop, we also offer custom services at absolutely fair prices!"

The young man was incredibly enthusiastic, stepping forward to greet Xia Nan the moment he entered.

Having worked with Barn so many times, Xia Nan had heard him mention his family during idle chats, piecing it together with rumors circulating among the adventurers in the tavern.

He had a rough idea of the blacksmith's family situation.

His wife had passed away early, leaving behind a son who was studying in Nym and only occasionally returned to help mind the shop during the holidays.

Clearly, this young man with features similar to Barn was the rumored heir to the smithy.

Looking the young man over, Xia Nan gave a slight nod. "Hello, is Barn in?"

"I have an equipment order to pick up."

Hearing this, the young man was momentarily stunned.

Soon after, his smile grew even warmer as he hurriedly replied, "He is, he is."

"You must be Mr. Xia Nan, right? I've heard my father mention you for a long time, but I didn't expect today to be our first meeting."

The young man wore a simple brown linen shirt suitable for forging, his arm muscles slightly stretching the sleeves. He introduced himself: "Barn 'Rockhammer' is my father. You can call me Hugh, or Little Hugh."

"My father is in the back room. Please wait a moment, I'll go get him right now."

With that, Little Hugh quickly pushed open the door and entered the smithy's back room. The crisp sound of hammering could faintly be heard from inside.

For some reason, Xia Nan felt that ever since the young man recognized him, his gaze kept lingering on his chainmail, his eyes filled with a mix of strangeness and confusion.

Come to think of it, there was a high probability it had to do with his famously exaggerated armor-breaking rate.

Finding it amusing, he didn't say much and simply stood in front of the counter, casually browsing the goods on the shelves.

He wasn't made to wait even a minute.

A few seconds after Little Hugh entered the back room, the sound of the hammer striking the anvil stopped.

Accompanied by a flurry of hurried footsteps, Barn's familiar figure came into Xia Nan's view.

Having just finished forging, he had been in such a rush that he'd only managed to throw on a small vest, exposing bulging, blood-gorged muscles as massive as a Bugbear's.

Holding a towel, he wiped the sweat from his face as he walked out.

"You're here?"

"How was the quest? Did everything go smoothly?"

His voice a bit muffled, Barn greeted Xia Nan, though his eyes couldn't stop glancing at the chainmail on his chest.

Scratches lingered on the chainmail's surface, but it was nowhere near "damaged," and far from the complete wreckage he had expected.

For a moment, an extremely complicated expression surfaced on the burly dwarf's face.

It was as if someone had fully prepared themselves for a terrible event with a near one-hundred percent probability of happening, even comforting themselves countless times beforehand, insisting that it wasn't their fault but rather a special case outside normal circumstances.

But when they finally discovered that the event hadn't actually occurred, they were hit with an indescribable rush of emotion—a sudden sigh of relief, accompanied by a strange, faint sense of pity.

Noticing his gaze, Xia Nan deliberately reached up and patted his chainmail, causing the metal rings to rattle and clink.

"Encountered a few minor accidents on the road, but overall it was fine. Nothing too dangerous."

"I can tell." Barn nodded and withdrew his gaze from the chainmail, no longer wasting time on pleasantries as he cut straight to the chase.

"The enchanted armor you commissioned last time is finished. Come with me."

The two of them walked into the workshop in the smithy's back room.

The brand-new armor—forged with the Purgatory Bearded Devil Longblade as its core material and supplemented by a large amount of other metals—rested quietly on a display rack.

It presented an overall dull silver-gray, like an ancient hue washed by the passage of time, cold and quiet.

Its structure was similar to Plate-Chain Composite Armor. Rather than being formed in a single piece, it utilized highly defensive metal modules to protect vital areas of the body, while the vast majority of the gaps were filled with densely woven metal chains, combining the defense of plate armor with the flexibility of chainmail.

The soul of the entire armor, naturally, was the slightly curved metal chest plate resting dead center, forged from the Purgatory Steel melted down from the Barbed Devil Longblade.

Its surface was perfectly smooth, reflecting blurred silhouettes of the two men by the door under the light. If one looked closely, faint dark-red, vein-like patterns could be seen on the metal, their color resembling solidified magma.

This was the hallmark of equipment forged from Purgatory metals.

Stepping a bit closer, one could even catch an extremely faint scent in the air, like a mixture of sulfur and cold iron.

Aside from that, the shoulders, sides of the waist, and other areas were distributed with smooth lines of dark refined steel, padded underneath by multiple layers of tanned, supple leather. This vastly enhanced the armor's defensive capabilities against various physical damages, while its relatively flexible structure ensured the wearer could still pull off highly difficult maneuvers in combat.

Xia Nan stepped forward, his fingertips gently caressing the armor's surface, feeling the subtle unevenness and ripples against the pads of his fingers.

His eyes focused as he concentrated his attention.

The next second, the translucent Attribute Panel materialized before his eyes.

[Purgatory Pulse]

Category: Armor Grade: Fine (Green)

Effects:

1. +30% Durability;

2. +50% Fire Resistance;

3. When taking fire damage in combat, slightly restores the wearer's stamina.

Description:

An armor forged from a special metal originating in Purgatory. While emitting the scent of sulfur, it boasts decent resistance against fire damage.

Note:

"A truly excellent piece of armor doesn't depend on whether it's forged from the holy copper of Mount Celestia or the molten iron of Purgatory, but on whether it lets you make it home alive to drink that glass of ale."

—Iron Dome Watcher, Hundred-Battle Veteran Kel'su. While he seemingly examined the armor in front of him, Xia Nan was actually carefully scanning its Attribute Panel.

He didn't feel disappointed.

The 500-gold forging fee, along with the Purgatory Steel materials, had already dictated its upper limit.

Just like the [Bone-Bound Iron Greaves] he currently wore, the "Fine" quality green grade was the absolute maximum it could achieve.

Barn might have rich forging experience and outstanding craftsmanship.

But as a blacksmith, his primary job wasn't to use ordinary materials to create equipment far beyond expected quality, but to push the available materials to their absolute limits under given constraints, crafting the most suitable gear for the wearer.

To use materials of limited quality to cross several tiers and forge blue or purple gear, even grandmaster-level artisans would need to push their skills to the absolute peak while praying for that elusive, serendipitous stroke of luck.

Trading 500 gold for this green armor already left Xia Nan incredibly satisfied.

The 30% durability bonus represented the armor's inherently outstanding defensive capabilities.

One had to know that even the Decapitating Longsword before its reforging, which had survived so many battles over the course of more than a year, only had a durability bonus of 50% itself.

Right now, this armor with decent defensive properties clearly wouldn't be like his previous pieces of gear—which had been replaced faster than consumables—and wouldn't be easily scrapped in battle again.

It should be able to hold out a little longer—right?

He had, after all, spent a full 500 gold to acquire it from Rockhammer Smithy. Xia Nan still firmly believed in the principle of "you get what you pay for."

On the other hand, compared to its defensive capabilities, the armor's 50% fire resistance was even more outstanding.

Since it hailed from the exceedingly harsh environment of Hell, even the lowest-tier imps possessed immunity to the vast majority of fire damage in this world.

It wasn't surprising that equipment forged with Purgatory Steel from that very same place as its primary material would come with some excellent fire resistance attributes.

Xia Nan even considered that when he activated Stage 2 of [Ember Echoes], he would also gain a massive boost in fire resistance from a non-divine source.

He wondered if the two could stack.

Otherwise, to some extent, he might truly be able to achieve a temporary effect similar to "fire immunity."

As for the final special effect attached to the equipment's Attribute Panel—he could only say it was better than nothing.

Much like the [Bone-Bound Iron Greaves] and its probability-based deterrence effect on beasts, it was basically useless.

It wasn't as if he could intentionally throw a fireball at himself after a battle started just to trigger the armor's slow stamina regeneration effect—

Given that the panel specifically highlighted the word "slightly," the stamina restored might not even offset the damage taken from the fire's burn.

Perhaps this special ability for slight stamina recovery could only shine under certain specific conditions.

Pondering this, Xia Nan reached out with both hands and took [Purgatory Pulse] off the equipment display rack.

It was very light, just slightly heavier than the chainmail he previously wore, but nowhere near the weight of the Plate-Chain Composite Armors he had worn before.

Having gone through detailed discussions and testing during the forging process, the armor was built referencing a massive amount of Xia Nan's physical data. It was highly customized, perfectly contouring to every detail of his body while still leaving a certain margin of give.

When he put it on, despite the slight change in weight, it was far more comfortable and form-fitting than any piece of armor he had ever worn.

Raising his arms and twisting his waist felt completely unhindered, perfectly accommodating his combat style that focused on explosive power and mobility.

At the same time, when Xia Nan strapped the armor on, he felt an indescribable warmth.

It wasn't temperature in a physical sense, but rather a spiritual heat originating from Purgatory, unique to Purgatory Steel.

Of course, this warmth didn't affect the wearer's physical or mental state; it was merely a manifestation of the Purgatory Steel's properties.

This allowed Xia Nan to breathe a small sigh of relief.

Otherwise, in this hot summer weather, if his armor came with a heating effect—he dreaded to think how awful wearing it would be.

After a detailed inspection to confirm there were no issues with quality or design, Xia Nan decisively yet agonizingly handed the Crystal Card he'd just received from Lady Edwina over to Barn, adding some of his own savings to settle the outstanding balance for the gear.

This caused his bank savings, having only recently grown flush, to instantly shrink by a massive chunk once again.

He would have to wait until the Association transferred the rewards for his last few quests to somewhat recover his losses.

In contrast, Barn didn't have much of a reaction to earning this 500 gold.

This straightforward, burly dwarf whose goal was to become a forging grandmaster merely looked at the black-haired young man in front of him with a gaze even more satisfied than Xia Nan's.

From head to toe.

The [Tears of Spring Breath] necklace had been modified from its original earring form with his help; they had both been deeply involved in the forging process of the [Ember Fall] straight sword, and he had practically watched it take shape with his own eyes; Barn had also helped craft the scabbard for the [Azure Pine] wooden sword; the [Darkscale Coiled Guard], along with its predecessor, the temporary [Snake-Scale Arm Shield], had been crafted by the dwarf's own hands, not to mention [Purgatory Pulse] and the [Bone-Bound Iron Greaves].

Over this past year and more, Barn had practically watched Xia Nan grow from a green, inexperienced rookie adventurer into the fully armed, veteran Class Holder standing before him.

Having worked in the industry for years, he clearly knew just how rapidly this stern-faced, black-haired youth upgraded his gear.

If it were an ordinary person who had just entered the trade, forget about being covered head-to-toe in enchanted gear like him.

To be able to scrape together a full set of brand-new standard equipment from Rockhammer shop in less than two years would already be considered highly efficient at making money, not to mention extremely frugal.

He knew exactly what this meant.

The Aifala Continent had never lacked brilliant, peerless talents.

Of those great figures active in myths and epics, which of them hadn't displayed their dazzling radiance the moment they first set foot on this path?

If the young man named Xia Nan standing before him continued to grow at this pace, perhaps one day, his moniker would be known by every Class Holder on the continent, just as the name "Greysword" was spread throughout Rivervale Town.

And he himself, Barn "Rockhammer," as the earliest witness to this great epic, might also occupy a small, inconspicuous chapter in that magnificent tale destined to be sung by the world.

His thoughts gradually drifted.

It wasn't until the young man in front of him prepared to take his leave that the burly dwarf finally snapped back to reality.

Calling out to stop Xia Nan, he looked at the metal chainmail in the young man's hand and asked, "This chainmail is still in pretty good condition. Do you want me to buy it back from you? Hmm—I can give you a seventy percent rate. It'll save you some money."

At his reminder, Xia Nan finally remembered the matter.

After a moment's thought, he decisively handed the chainmail over.

"I happen to be going on a long trip soon. Bringing this chainmail along as a spare would be a bit too heavy, but leaving it at the inn feels like a waste," Xia Nan said. "Buy it back. You can just set the price."

"A long trip?" Hearing Xia Nan say this, Barn was momentarily stunned. "How far?"

"I might not be back for a few months."

A few months—

Pondering the young man's choice of words, Barn's gaze couldn't help but fall once again on Xia Nan's body, landing on the brand-new armor that had only just been finished.

He subconsciously asked, "How do you plan on making your next piece of armor? Do you want to add some Solar Flame Iron Plating Powder?"

"Huh?"