Chapter 93: Upgrade

The name and emblem of the Abyss Squad were like injecting a soul and a sense of direction into this lonely boat that had only just set sail.

But Aiden knew better than anyone that in this perilous apocalypse, names and beliefs meant nothing without absolute strength to support them.

They had just experienced a tremendous leap in power, but when it came to equipment, there was still a glaring weakness.

Aside from his own Devouring Soul Blade and Silas’s rare tower shield, most of Luna and Silas’s gear remained at uncommon or even common quality. Their current equipment was severely limiting the potential they could unleash.

It was time to use the resources at hand to arm his right-hand men to the teeth.

Inside the semi-underground parking lot that served as their temporary base, Aiden unfolded the Alderton’s Alchemy Workbench (Portable)].

The set of epic-quality tools shimmered with a restrained brilliance beneath the dim lights of the parking lot.

Spread across the workbench was the notebook known as Alderton’s Alchemy Mysteries.

Aiden’s mental power swept across its pages, absorbing the profound knowledge contained within its Chapters on equipment enchanting, material processing, energy conduction, and rune construction.

His gaze eventually settled on Luna.

As the team’s most fragile yet indispensable support core, her survivability and sustainability were crucial. If Luna fell, the team’s ability to recover during prolonged battles would be drastically reduced.

"Luna, your class relies heavily on mental power and mana," Aiden said. "I need to craft a set of cloth armor for you that focuses on Intelligence and mana regeneration."

Luna nodded obediently, her eyes filled with trust and anticipation.

Aiden immediately began selecting suitable materials.

From the laboratory’s inherited resources and their previous stockpiles, he gathered [Mageweave Cloth], [Elemental Dust], [Moonlight Moss (Refined)], and several [Arcane Crystal Shards] containing pure arcane energy.

He started with the upper-body robe.

Using [Mageweave Cloth] as the foundation, Aiden mixed a special mana-conductive ink with [Elemental Dust] before carefully drawing a miniature magic circle across the workbench.

Every stroke had to be precise. One mistake could disrupt the entire energy circuit.

The completed formation would enhance the cloth’s affinity with mana while allowing energy to gather more efficiently around its wearer.

Next, he extracted the essence from Moonlight Moss and evenly infused it into the fabric.

A faint silver-blue glow slowly spread across the Mageweave Cloth, imbuing it with a subtle regenerative property.

Finally, Aiden ground a small portion of an Arcane Crystal Shard into fine powder and carefully embedded it into the chest area, using it as the core energy source for the magic circle.

The entire process demanded extraordinary concentration and exquisite control over energy flow.

Aiden remained completely focused.

His fingers were as steady as stone, and the tools in his hands seemed almost alive as they moved according to his will, guiding the perfect fusion of materials.

Time passed.

Several hours later, a robe emitting a soft blue aura rested quietly on the workbench.

Mysterious silver patterns shimmered faintly across its surface, resembling moonlight reflected upon a calm lake.

[Moonlight Meditation Robe (Upper Body)]

[Quality: Rare]

[Equipment Requirements: Level 8, Spirit 15]

[Attributes: Spell Power +8, Intelligence +3, Mana Regeneration +2/sec]

[Special Effect: Moonlight Nourishment - In moonlight environments, including data moonlight, mana regeneration speed is increased by an additional 100%.]

Aiden did not stop there. He continued crafting the lower-body skirt armor, gloves, and boots.

He maintained the same design philosophy throughout the set, prioritizing Intelligence and mana regeneration while incorporating additional mobility.

For the boots, he added a faint Lightness effect, increasing Luna’s movement speed and making it easier for her to keep up with the team while dodging attacks.

After several more hours of work, the complete four-piece cloth armor set was finally placed before Luna.

The little girl’s face was filled with disbelief.

She carefully put on the Moonlight Meditation Set.

The soft blue light immediately enveloped her body, while the elegant silver patterns shimmered faintly across the fabric.

The moment Luna finished equipping the set, her expression changed.

Her mental power felt fuller than ever before.

Her thoughts became noticeably clearer, and the flow of mana through her body became astonishingly smooth.

Even the rate at which her mana recovered had increased dramatically.

"Sir Aiden..." Luna gently stroked the silky, cool fabric of the robe. Her voice trembled slightly. "This... this is too precious."

She could clearly feel just how enormous the improvement this equipment provided was.

Aiden simply smiled.

"It is the safeguard of the ’Abyss.’ You deserve to have it."

His gaze then shifted toward Silas, who had been waiting impatiently nearby.

Compared to Luna, Silas’s equipment requirements were much more straightforward.

Ultimate defense..Reliable aggro control. And enough offensive utility to compensate for his weaknesses.

"Silas, your shield is sufficient for now," Aiden said. "I need to craft you a set of heavy armor that will allow you to stand even firmer and attract more firepower."

He paused before continuing. "I’ll also make you an off-hand weapon to compensate for your short-range weakness. It will be used primarily for pulling mobs and stabilizing aggro."

Silas’s eyes immediately widened like copper bells. He nodded repeatedly. "Good! Good! Good! Sir Aiden, you have the final say!"

Crafting equipment for Silas required considerably sturdier materials.

Aiden took out the stockpiled [Star-pattern Steel Ingots], the [Heavy Leg Armor] he had disassembled for materials, a [Colossus Core Fragment] containing Earth Element energy, and several pieces of [Black Iron Ore] to further increase the armor’s toughness and weight.

The heavy armor was considerably more difficult and labor-intensive to construct.

Aiden activated the workbench’s micro-furnace.

Flames immediately surged within the chamber as the [Star-pattern Steel Ingots] and [Black Iron Ore] began to melt.

Once the materials had been refined into a dense alloy, Aiden relied on both physical strength and mental guidance to shape the molten metal into the rough forms of the chest armor, shoulder guards, and leg armor.

Once the basic structure was complete, he began engraving runes across the armor’s inner layer.

Each rune was designed to reinforce the armor’s structural stability and disperse the impact of incoming attacks.

He then carefully divided and polished the [Colossus Core Fragment] before embedding its pieces into key nodes throughout the chest and shoulder armor.

The moment the final fragment was installed, a faint earthy-yellow glow spread through the armor.

The Earth Element energy rapidly integrated into the armor’s internal circuits, granting it greater resistance while forming the foundation of a powerful [Taunt] energy field.

Finally, Aiden turned his attention to the off-hand weapon.

Using the remaining scraps of metal and a captured crossbow with a precisely engineered structure, he modified the weapon so it could be mounted behind Silas’s left-arm tower shield and operated with a single hand.

The crossbow bolts were temporarily condensed from pure Earth Element energy.

Their range was limited, and their direct damage was mediocre.

However, each bolt carried a powerful energy fluctuation and produced considerable noise when fired.

For attracting enemies and forcing their attention onto Silas, it was more than sufficient.

When Silas finally equipped the completed [Immovable Mountain Heavy Armor], the transformation was immediately apparent.

The armor possessed a dull metallic luster and looked as heavy as a mountain itself. Earthy-yellow crystals were embedded within its joints, faintly glowing beneath the metal.

Behind his tower shield rested the [Taunt Arm Crossbow], its surface flickering with Earth Element energy.

Silas’s entire aura had changed.

He no longer looked like a warrior merely carrying a large shield.

He looked like an insurmountable steel fortress.

[Immovable Mountain Heavy Armor (Set)]

Quality: Rare

Equipment Requirements: Level 10, Strength 20, Constitution 18

Attributes: Physical Defense +45, Magic Resistance +15, Constitution +4, Strength +2

Set Special Effect: Immovable - Standing still for more than 3 seconds grants a temporary shield equivalent to 5% of maximum HP, lasting until movement.

[Taunt Arm Crossbow (Off-hand)]

[Quality: Rare]

[Equipment Requirements: Strength 15]

[Attributes: Physical Attack 5-10]

[Special Effect: Forced Taunt - Fires an energy crossbow bolt, dealing minor damage to the target hit and applying a "Forced Attack" effect for 3 seconds. Cooldown: 20 seconds.]

"Haha! Good! Excellent!" Silas moved his body, testing the weight and flexibility of the armor.

A powerful sense of security surged through him.

The sheer defensive power of the equipment made his blood boil with excitement.

"With this gear, even if two more Rock Colossi came at me, I could still hold them off!"

Aiden looked at his two completely renewed teammates.

A sense of accomplishment quietly filled his heart.

Luna was surrounded by a gentle blue radiance, resembling an elf beneath the moon. Her Intelligence, mana regeneration, and overall sustainability had risen dramatically.

Silas, meanwhile, stood clad in heavy armor like a steel fortress. His defensive capabilities and ability to control enemy aggro had reached an entirely different level.

The entire Abyss Squad had undergone a visible transformation.

And all of it was thanks to the painstaking crafting efforts of their Lord of the Abyss.

Their strength had not merely increased. They had crossed an entirely new threshold. It was truly an upgrade from muskets to cannons.