"But even though it's a ninety-point total on the surface," my Charm attribute value is actually equivalent to just going from forty-one points up from a base equipment state to sixty-one points after counting the equipment bonuses. So, in reality, it's not too impressive—it's still fourteen points short of reaching the tier limit of seventy-five points."

Unfortunately, because sub-attributes don't receive tier promotion rewards, even if Zhang Yanhang were to raise his Charm attribute to seventy-five points, it wouldn't be of much use. All right, it would be useful in that it would free him from his reliance on equipment, although he felt there was really no need to break free from that reliance.

After confirming that his Charm attribute had indeed increased by twenty points, Zhang Yanhang checked his Soul points balance. After all, he had just cleared an eighty-square-kilometer area and should have harvested quite a few Soul points by now.

[Soul points: 3613854 (+1344320)]

"It wasn't in vain that I toiled to clear that eighty-square-kilometer area. Just from killing, that area has already provided me with 1,344,320 Soul points, raising my Soul point balance from 2,269,534 to 3,613,854."

"I didn't expect to gather the three million Soul points needed to upgrade a skill so quickly, but I still don't know if I'll be able to gather a second set of three million after I open the treasure boxes later, allowing me to level up two Original LV.MAXes at once."

If he could gather two sets of three million Soul points, Zhang Yanhang wouldn't have to be conflicted about whether to upgrade Three-Headed Six-Armed or Indestructible Golden Body first; he could upgrade both at the same time.

After a quick look at his Soul point earnings, Zhang Yanhang emptied and counted all the Drop treasure boxes from his Waist Bag: a total of four hundred forty-three. Naturally, the largest portion was from the Crimson Iron Destruction Ants, of which they had contributed a total of four hundred thirty-seven Drop treasure boxes.

The remaining six Drop treasure boxes were all from the recently slain Crimson Iron Flame Ants.

"In the eighty-square-kilometer area I cleared, I killed a total of about eight thousand large Crimson Iron Ants. Out of these, aside from roughly a hundred Crimson Iron Flame Ants, the rest were all Crimson Iron Destruction Ants. From this treasure box drop rate, it should indeed be about nineteen to one."

Zhang Yanhang had been somewhat uncertain before, but now with over eight thousand more samples, bringing the total count to over ten thousand, he felt pretty confident that the drop rate calculation was accurate.

"Now that the count is done, let's just open the treasure boxes next," Zhang Yanhang said as he picked up a Purple Quality Drop treasure box dropped by a Crimson Iron Flame Ant.

[Would you like to open 'Drop Treasure Box (Crimson Iron Flame Ant)'?]

"Yes, open it." As for this Drop treasure box, Zhang Yanhang still wanted to open equipment that could enhance his hunting efficiency.

[Please select the specific content of 'Drop Treasure Box (Crimson Iron Flame Ant)']

[Item One: ?]

[Item Two: ?]

[Item Three: ?]

[Item Four: ?]

[Item Five: ?]

"Right, the introduction to the previous Crimson Iron Prince Ant Hormone was missing a piece of the story. I wonder if it's possible to see it on the equipment from the Crimson Iron Flame Ants this time."

Zhang Yanhang thought there was a good chance, and moreover, if it wasn't visible on the Crimson Iron Flame Ant side, given the continuity of the subsequent equipment stories, he was afraid he'd never see the missing part of the story again.

As for the equipment, although Zhang Yanhang currently had enough efficiency for hunting, he still wanted to acquire new equipment that could increase his hunting efficiency. After all, if anything went wrong, there was still the possibility his efficiency wouldn't be adequate.

"Speaking of which, after opening the treasure boxes this time, I should be able to acquire my first SSS-rank Talent, right?" Zhang Yanhang cared a great deal about this.

[Item One]

[Option One: Crimson Marrow Bloodthorn Greatsword, Purple Quality, Weapon]

[Option Two: 800 Soul points]

[Option Three: 1600 Soul points]

"Is the first option Soul points again? Because the value of Soul points after a kill is the same, the value of Soul points from the Crimson Iron Flame Ants and the Crimson Iron Destruction Ants treasure boxes turns out to be the same too—1600 Soul points per option, which adds up to 4800 Soul points for the three options."

Since the value of the Soul points was the same, Zhang Yanhang was more interested in Option One's Crimson Marrow Bloodthorn Greatsword than in the Soul point options.

Of course, it wasn't that Zhang Yanhang particularly wanted the greatsword. With its Purple Quality being too low, it was utterly useless to him. He just wanted to look at the Attributes List of the Crimson Marrow Bloodthorn Greatsword to see if the introduction contained the previously missing story.

Regrettably, after carefully reading the Attributes List of the Crimson Marrow Bloodthorn Greatsword, Zhang Yanhang didn't find any related content, so he quickly moved on to the next item.

[Item Two]

[Option One: Mystic Steed Power, C-level, Talent]

[Option Two: Large Crimson Iron Ant (Destruction Ant), C-level, Talent]

[Option Three: Large Crimson Iron Ant (Flame Ant), C-level, Talent]

"As expected, the racial Talent of the Crimson Iron Flame Ant is also C-level..." Zhang Yanhang remembered that the first time he encountered a B-level Talent was when he had slain the Third Tier Two-star Lord Monster, the Demonized Four-eyed Wild Boar Queen Peppa Pig. Thus, logically, only creatures of Third Tier Two-star and above could have a B-level Talent.

"B-level Talent... I wonder when I will be able to acquire an initial Talent that is B-level..."

Although Zhang Yanhang had only just acquired a C-level Initial Talent, he couldn't help but yearn for a B-level Initial Talent. After all, each raise in Talent Level would reduce the upgrade requirements by threefold.

"But acquiring even a C-level Initial Talent is so difficult; obtaining a B-level Initial Talent must be even more challenging."

For an area where even the weakest monsters are Third Tier Two-star, Zhang Yanhang supposed he probably couldn't handle them within his Third Tier status. After all, the Lord Monsters could turn out to be Fifth Tier Monsters.

So, he felt that within his Third Tier, he could at most only obtain C-level Initial Talents, and for something like a B-level Initial Talent, he would likely need to wait until he was promoted to the Fourth Tier before possibly acquiring it.

Of course, he didn't rule out the possibility that his strength would advance rapidly within the Third Tier, so much so that he had the power of a Fifth Tier and then went to clear a Fifth Tier Area. However, the probability of that happening was indeed quite low.

[Item Three]

[Option One: 160 Soul Points]

[Option Two: Refined Crimson Marrow (500 grams), Dark Purple Quality, Material]

[Option Three: 1600 Soul Points]

"Because the Crimson Iron Flame Ants are responsible for 'producing' Refined Crimson Marrow, so they actually dropped Dark Purple Quality Refined Crimson Marrow? But I have to say, isn't this too little?"

Although 500 grams might seem like a lot, due to the density, there really isn't much of a pound of Refined Crimson Marrow; after all, 500 grams of ordinary Crimson Iron is only about the size of a ping pong ball.

And this denser Refined Crimson Marrow, Zhang Yanhang estimated, was probably about the same size as one of his fingers, indeed pitifully small. It definitely wouldn't be enough for forging weapons, since a piece of Crimson Iron the size of a finger unless directly made into a blade, would indeed be very difficult to craft into a weapon.

Of course, because his next stage, that is, the Second Tier Stage, was aimed at going to the mines of the Central Region to collect Refined Crimson Marrow, he definitely wouldn't choose this Refined Crimson Marrow now. Although it was Dark Purple Quality and could be taken out of the Ashen World, he still felt that the 1600 Soul Points were more appealing.

"Although the mines in the Second Tier Stage plan really have a lot of Refined Crimson Marrow, before fusion, it's really hard to determine whether I can gather three pieces of Golden Quality materials for the upgrade of the Four Great Emptiness Purifying World Fist."

Zhang Yanhang remembered that last time he used most of the Refined Crimson Iron from the small Crimson Iron Ant Nest Dalagu to complete the upgrade, and at the time, he was only trying to gather two pieces of Dark Purple Quality materials. This time, however, he needed three or even four pieces of Golden Quality materials, so it was really worth worrying about.

Of course, considering that the number of Crimson Iron Ants in the large Crimson Iron Ant Nest Tarano was far greater than in the small Crimson Iron Ant Nest Dalagu, there was indeed still hope to complete the upgrade of the Four Great Emptiness Purifying World Fist. Otherwise, he wouldn't have set that place as a sole Second Tier Stage cleaning plan.

[Item Four]

[Option One: Crimson Iron Hook Claw, Blue quality, Weapon]

[Option Two: Crimson Marrow Iron Claw, Purple Quality, Weapon]

[Option Three: Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw, Dark Purple Quality, Equipment]

"This is the fourth item slot, and finally, they've dropped equipment, but Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw? It doesn't sound like it would increase hunting efficiency, and it also strangely feels like a weapon.

Or rather, the first two items, Crimson Iron Hook Claw and Crimson Marrow Iron Claw, are both weapons, but then this Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw turns out to be equipment, which is really absurd.

Moreover, not only am I wearing the Four Great Emptiness Purifying World Fist, but I'm also equipped with a Barbaric Stone Bandage, can I really equip such hand equipment?"

Zhang Yanhang felt that it might be a tight fit, but whether he could equip it or not, he would still need to look at the Attribute list to know, so he immediately opened up the Attribute list for the Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw.

Of course, even if it turned out to be unequippable, Zhang Yanhang had a backup solution in mind. After all, it was Dark Purple Quality Equipment, and he was certainly not going to give up on it directly.

If everything went as expected, he would use Alchemy to transform the Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw in the same way as he had transformed the Crimson Iron Teeth previously. By doing so, he should definitely be able to equip it successfully. The only problem was that he didn't yet have a clear idea of how to transform it; that would require a closer look at the item before he could figure out a solution.

[Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw]

[Quality: Dark Purple]

[Type: Equipment]

[Origin: Ashen World, Crimson Iron Ore Vein, the Great Crimson Iron Ant Nest Talano, Nameless Blacksmith.]

[Durability: 55/55]

[Defensive Power: 40]

[Additional Attributes: Critical Strike Damage +25%.]

[Usage Requirements: Agility 35 points.]

[Score: 190 (Dark Purple Items Score from 151 to 260.）]

[Introduction: After retreating into the mountains to refine his skills for a while, the Nameless Blacksmith gradually started to feel a bit bored. His routine - gathering materials in the morning, crafting items in the afternoon, and reflecting on his experiences at night - was indeed fulfilling, and his blacksmithing skills improved quickly, but it was undeniably boring.

Furthermore, the Nameless Blacksmith felt it was a waste to just let all the various equipment and weapons he forged pile up and turn into scrap metal. He thought he needed a proper positive feedback mechanism to alleviate his boredom. He couldn't help but miss the days when he used to torment his clients, watching them happily use their various pieces of Crimson Iron Equipment.

After some more time passed, the Nameless Blacksmith, whose crafting abilities had improved once again, couldn't stand the lonely mountain life any longer. He figured he might have some fun by creating a labyrinth, and if he placed his crafted equipment inside, it would surely attract adventurers soon enough.

Moreover, the Nameless Blacksmith didn't think he necessarily had to offer the best Crimson Iron Equipment as rewards. He could use the place as a disposal site for substandard and waste products, conveniently having adventurers clear away his trash for free. The thought of adventurers fighting to the death in the maze over meager rewards brought him genuine pleasure.

"Although he has secluded himself in the mountains, the Nameless Blacksmith's true nature is unchanging," Zhang Yanhang thought. "He always loved watching heroes lick Crimson Iron balls and even crafted Crimson Iron Teeth for Lords. Now he has created a large-scale maze to ensnare adventurers, truly maintaining his nefarious ways..."

With that missing piece of backstory filled in, Zhang Yanhang felt even more strongly that the Nameless Blacksmith was evolving towards chaotic evil. He had originally thought the Nameless Blacksmith had a critical, life-or-death reason for creating a labyrinth, but it turns out it was just a whim to combat boredom and entertain himself.

"But I suppose it's precisely because of the Nameless Blacksmith's personality that he was able to connect with the Witch Demon Mage. Otherwise, any normal person would have likely been killed outright upon encountering such a purely evil Undead Creature from the Evil Camp."

Although the introduction didn't say so, Zhang Yanhang guessed that the Nameless Blacksmith's motive wasn't just about getting adventurers to help him recycle trash. He probably also wanted them to test the merits of various weapons and pieces of equipment. The equipment he had just obtained from the treasure box was likely the best batch tested by a large number of adventurers.

Moreover, speaking of the Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw and the Crimson Marrow Ghost Face, Zhang Yanhang felt they had to be related to the Nameless Blacksmith's encounter with an Undead Creature like the Witch Demon Mage. After all, there was nothing ghost-related about the Large Crimson Iron Ants and the Crimson Iron Flame Ants.

From this perspective, he believed the Witch Demon Mage would surely be an important character in future storylines, but it remained to be seen if it would turn into another pitiable character like the part-time Druid Alchemist from before.

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