Chapter 603 [Abyssal Current - Crimson Thorn] and [Tidebreaker Anchor Greaves]

"Splash..."

The waves crashed softly, and seagulls cried as they circled the azure sky.

Warm, gentle morning light filtered through the sheer curtains fluttering in the sea breeze, falling lazily upon a soft, comfortable silk-velvet quilt.

As if feeling the sunlight from outside the window, the slightly messy lump of quilt on the mattress wriggled for a moment before being thrown aside without the slightest hesitation.

Waking from his sleep, Xia Nan sat up. He didn't open his eyes, merely feeling the warmth of the sunlight and the slight dampness of the sea breeze on his skin as if deep in meditation.

His powerful physique and six-dimensional attributes, which far exceeded those of ordinary people, made his sleep ridiculously efficient.

After dinner yesterday, he had trained late into the night. Upon returning to the tavern, he ordered a small cream of mushroom soup combo. He enjoyed the food while sitting in the tavern hall, casually gathering the latest intelligence from other adventurers. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that he took a hot shower and fell into a deep sleep. Waking up now, his total sleep time barely added up to four hours.

If this were his past life, his body would have been in a prolonged state of sub-health from toiling under the stars and moon. Fueled by the stress of work, four hours of sleep would mean he could force himself out of bed with an alarm, but his mental state would have been terrible.

Even if he forcibly relied on caffeine to stay awake, it would just be like a whip striking a beast of burden, forcing him into work at the cost of overdrawing his body.

Things were completely different now.

With a physique stronger than any human in his past life, a mere four hours of highly efficient sleep was enough to restore his body to peak condition.

He fell asleep in the early hours and woke up in the morning.

He didn't even need anyone to wake him. His regular and powerful biological clock naturally roused him from his slumber, fully recharged.

Stretching his body, Xia Nan let out a long yawn.

Following a habit developed in his past life, he downed a glass of water he had prepared by the bedside before going to sleep yesterday.

Only then did he get out of bed.

He stepped barefoot onto the soft carpet covering the floor of his room.

He was in no rush to get dressed.

Instead, he walked straight over to the floor-length mirror on the side of the tavern room.

With a sense of immense accomplishment, he took his time happily admiring his perfect physique in the mirror, taking in the golden proportions and the smooth, defined lines of his muscles.

He remembered that when he first transmigrated, although he was around 1.8 meters tall, his build could almost be described as emaciated. Now, after nearly two years, he had gone from being a bottom-tier ordinary adventurer to a veteran Class Holder on the verge of taking a secondary class.

The change in his strength went without saying. His height had also grown to just over 1.9 meters, and his physique had become increasingly robust through day after day of grueling training. There was no hint of bulkiness; he was well-proportioned and sleek.

With every contraction and expansion of the muscle fibers beneath his skin, he could feel the explosive power contained within.

Restricted by his busy work schedule in his past life, Xia Nan had never developed a regular fitness habit and didn't know the terminology, making it difficult to put the current state of his body into words.

But even as a complete layman, gazing at this practically perfect physical form in the mirror, he could clearly sense the aesthetic beauty derived from raw power.

He didn't hide his fondness for his own body, standing before the mirror and admiring it for several minutes before turning and walking over to the nearby coat rack. The most eye-catching item was naturally the armor set displayed right at the front, brimming with aesthetic design.

Blood and steel had been perfectly fused together.

Originating from the [Bloodstone Heavy Anchor], the bone-chilling cold unique to Tundra Coldsteel had been completely integrated into the metal under the countless years of crushing pressure in the divine kingdom's deep sea, turning into its frigid, dark silver base color. When light hit it, the metal surface refracted a faint, blood-like scarlet.

Right in the center of the chest, using the swim bladder of the Bloodskin Shark Beast as an energy source, a dark, spiral-shaped crystalline pattern was engraved into it. It would only bloom with its deadly, blood-like luster during combat.

Over the chest, shoulders, and vital joints, the tough, dark silver and crimson-tinged metal fit Xia Nan's body perfectly. The contours were smooth and elegant, possessing the streamlined curves unique to marine animals.

And between the metal plates, that brownish-red hue resembling coagulated blood was the inner lining of the armor.

Stitched together from the skin of a Shark Beast, the surface was covered in highly textured micro-granules. When stroked from a specific angle, it felt as smooth as silk, but a slight shift in direction revealed a strong resistance.

Standing before the rack, looking at the armor, a satisfied expression appeared on Xia Nan's face.

He focused his gaze and concentrated slightly, and a translucent Attribute Panel floated into his field of vision.

[Abyssal Current - Crimson Thorn]

Type: Armor (Set)

Grade: Rare (Blue)

Effects:

1. +125% Durability;

2. +30% Fire Resistance;

3. +15% Physical Damage Resistance;

4. Wearer gains advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks when interacting with sharks or fishman creatures;

5. [Boiling Blood Pulse]:

During combat, a portion of the effective damage taken by the wearer will be converted into blood energy in the armor's vortex core;

When stored energy reaches 75% or above, energy can be consumed to release one [Boiling Blood Pulse], dealing explosive physical impact and blood corrosion damage to creatures within ten feet;

6. [Blood Banquet]:

During combat, blood from enemies will continuously provide the wearer with a defense bonus (up to a maximum of "Greater Toughness").

Description:

A sturdy armor crafted from powerful monster materials and rare metal. Years of immersion in the oceans of the divine kingdom of the [Great Shark] Sekolah grant the wearer an extremely strong intimidation effect against this deity's followers.

Note:

"Bite them, use the blood of your enemies as fuel."

— Lion Yin, Berserk Beast, Survivor of the Flesh Forge Campaign

Clearly, Xia Nan had won the bet.

More than half a month ago, the half-elf artisan Celianne had warned him that because the Bloodskin Shark Beast's weapon, the [Bloodstone Heavy Anchor], had stayed in the divine kingdom of the sahuagin's main god for so long, using it as a primary forging material might cause unknown changes to the resulting equipment—changes that could be either good or bad.

Thanks to the existence of his Golden Finger, the Attribute Panel, he figured that even if negative effects appeared, he would be able to see them clearly and wouldn't be kept in the dark. At the time, Xia Nan hadn't hesitated much, decisively proceeding with the custom order.

And just yesterday, after rounds of meticulous crafting procedures, he had breathed a sigh of relief when he finally saw this outstanding piece of equipment on the counter of the half-elf's tailor shop.

The information on the Attribute Panel told him with absolute clarity that the coldsteel tainted by the aura of a deity hadn't caused any negative effects to the finished product. Instead, it had added a targeted intimidation effect affix.

It was just a pity that he was about to leave the Southern Archipelagos, which meant the frequency of encountering shark-like and fishman monsters would plummet. Otherwise, this effect would undoubtedly play a massive role in combat.

From the inner lining to the outer plating, Xia Nan stood in front of the mirror and meticulously put the armor set on.

After multiple rounds of testing and fitting, everything was exactly right—the weight, how closely it hugged his body, and even the thickened inner lining at several joints connecting to the outer armor.

Wearing such a set, Xia Nan felt no discomfort whatsoever. Instead, the double layer of defense over his skin filled him with a strong sense of security.

Compared to Barn of Rockhammer in Rivervale Town, Celianne, the sea elf hybrid artisan at Pearl Spun Yarn, had his own area of expertise in equipment crafting. It was hard to say who was better.

However, their styles were completely different.

The former, perhaps because his shop was located in a major adventuring town right next to a monster gathering ground, prioritized practicality. His equipment put simplicity and efficiency above all else.

The latter, aiming to serve high-level Class Holders and city nobles, paid far more attention to the wearer's personal experience when crafting gear.

Measuring his physical dimensions was just the baseline. The half-elf's perfectionist personality meant he had debated with Xia Nan for several rounds over the thickness of the shoulder armor, down to a difference of less than a few millimeters.

Even before the main body of the armor was completed, he had discussed the armor's shape, color, and appearance with Xia Nan in detail. For the most basic outer armor color alone, he provided a full five options for Xia Nan to choose from.

Going through this entire process might have been exceptionally tedious, requiring multiple trips between the tavern and the tailor shop every day to hash out details. On the other hand, it guaranteed that the final product completely met Xia Nan's requirements and aesthetics, both in practical effects and visual design.

He couldn't be more satisfied.

One thing worth noting was this.

Earlier, Celianne had casually asked Xia Nan if he planned to stay in the Southern Archipelagos for a long time.

After receiving a negative answer, the results were clear to see.

The two effects on the [Abyssal Current] armor originally suited for underwater combat had both been completely scrapped.

In their place were two other special effects with a much broader range of application, far better suited to Xia Nan's combat style.

At the same time, due to the change in metal and the use of special materials from the Bloodskin Shark Beast—a higher-tier existence than a standard Shark Beast—the repaired and improved armor saw a solid boost to durability, fire resistance, and physical resistance. Overall, the [Abyssal Current - Crimson Thorn] armor's quality grade on the Attribute Panel was still Rare (Blue).

But it was definitely among the absolute best of blue-tier gear.

It was likely only a hair away from Unique (Purple); just one more special effect would have been enough to cross the threshold between quality grades.

He stood in place and bounced on his toes, feeling the distinct texture of the metal armor over the tight inner lining.

Xia Nan turned around, his gaze falling to the bottom of the rack.

There, leaning diagonally against the wall and overlapping each other, were two dark silver iron plates. Their surfaces were slightly curved, and they possessed the same texture as the outer armor he was wearing. The styling was somewhat different from the upper body piece, but since they were also forged from the metal of the [Bloodstone Heavy Anchor], their colors were almost identical, making them look like an extension of the armor set.

The greaves were designed in a three-tiered overlapping shape that gradually narrowed from top to bottom. The edge of each layer curled up slightly, resembling silver-white fish scales made of metal.

At the same time, this layered design granted the greaves considerable flexibility. Whether he was bending his knees to gather power or kicking out explosively, there wouldn't be the slightest obstruction. Instead, they assisted his bones and muscles in transferring power upward from his legs.

The blacksmith introduced by Orisi, the young official from the Governor's Mansion, was equally reliable.

Taking just over half a month, the newly forged leg armor meant to replace the ruined [Bone-Bound Iron Greaves] was also complete.

In fact, because the process was relatively simple and the craftsman wasn't a perfectionist like Celianne, Xia Nan had received the finished product a few days earlier than the armor.

[Tidebreaker Anchor Greaves]

Type: Leg Armor

Grade: Fine (Green)

Effects:

1. +50% Durability;

2. When the wearer's movement speed exceeds 20 meters per second, stamina consumption is reduced by 25%;

3. After a preparatory action, the wearer's next shin kick attack gains a damage bonus (influenced by the Strength attribute).

Description:

When you focus on this equipment's stamina-reducing effect, perhaps... taking these two metal plates off your legs would consume even less stamina.

Note:

"This is a whip kick... 'Smack'!

"This is a sweep... 'Swish'!

"This is a shin kick... 'Boom'!

"Got it?"

— Grimm, King of Sweeps (Self-Proclaimed), Top Eight of the 57th Blue Steel City Close Combat Tournament

Stripping away the rather abstract description and notes on the Attribute Panel, the stats of these greaves were actually pretty good.

Like the [Bone-Bound Iron Greaves], they were green gear, but their durability was twenty percent higher, making them significantly sturdier.

There were the two original effects of "gaining a balance bonus when about to fall" and "having a chance to inflict a stunned state on hostile beasts with a Challenge Rating no higher than 1."

A year ago, they would have been considered extremely useful.

But as Xia Nan's strength gradually grew, monsters with a Challenge Rating 1 or lower essentially posed no threat to him, no matter their numbers. As for the other effect, the [Tidal Stabilization] Feat now served as a superior replacement.

This had reduced the [Bone-Bound Iron Greaves] to little more than completely blank equipment.

The current [Tidebreaker Anchor Greaves] were different.

While providing substantial leg defense, the effect requiring a certain speed to reduce stamina consumption was practically tailor-made for Xia Nan. After all, the bulk of his stamina drain in combat came from the high-frequency use of [Fang Hunt].

The requirement of twenty meters per second was easily met. It also meant that as long as Xia Nan wore these greaves, his stamina consumption when using [Fang Hunt] would only be three-quarters of what it used to be.

It was a massive upgrade to his combat endurance.

Only the final shin kick enhancement was a bit useless, but there was no telling when he might need it in the future.

After all, not too long ago, he had found himself in the dire straits of losing both his main weapons and having to fight bare-handed.

Having an extra avenue of attack in extreme situations was always a good thing.

He tightly strapped the metal greaves to his lower legs, letting the curved iron plates perfectly match his shins.

Xia Nan put on the rest of his gear and took a few casual steps around the room, getting somewhat used to the weight on his body.

Then, he picked up the light luggage already prepared by the door, turned, pushed open the door, and headed downstairs toward the tavern hall.

The equipment he had commissioned was finished, and he had no reason to stay any longer.

Today was the day Xia Nan left Barracuda Bay.