Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 345 [Pulse of Purgatory]

The "Rock Hammer" blacksmith shop remains open for business as usual.

But when Xia Nan entered the shop, the person standing behind the counter was not the burly man named "Barn".

Instead, it was a young man with a somewhat similar appearance.

Unlike the burly man, the young man's features were softer, and his temperament was much quieter.

Although still possessing a rather tall stature due to his father's "dwarf" bloodline, towering a head above Xia Nan, who is nearly 1.9 meters tall, his muscles are much thinner and more streamlined due to the inheritance of his maternal bloodline.

Welcome to Rockhammer Blacksmith Shop!

"Please take a look and see what you need. If you're not satisfied with the equipment in the store, we can also provide customization services at absolutely fair prices!"

The young people were very enthusiastic, and Xia Nan greeted them as soon as he entered the shop.

Having collaborated with Barn so many times, I'd heard him mention it in casual conversations, plus some rumors circulating among adventurers in the tavern.

Xia Nan had a general idea of ​​the other party's family situation.

His wife passed away early, leaving behind a son who is studying in Newme and only comes back occasionally during holidays to help out at the shop.

Clearly, the young man in front of them, whose features resembled Barn's, must be the blacksmith shop heir they were talking about.

His gaze swept over the other person, and Xia Nan nodded slightly before speaking:

"Hello, is Barn in the shop?"

"There is an equipment order that needs to be delivered."

Upon hearing this, the young man was taken aback.

Immediately, his smile widened, and he quickly replied:
"Yes, yes."

"You must be Mr. Xia Nan, right? I've heard your name from my father for a long time, but I never expected to meet you for the first time today."

The young man, dressed in a simple brown linen outfit suitable for forging, the muscles in his arms slightly straining the sleeves, introduced himself:
“‘Rockhammer’ Barn is my father. You can call me ‘Hugh’ or ‘Little Hugh’.”

"My father is in the inner room. Please wait a moment while I go and call him."

As he spoke, Xiao Xiu quickly pushed open the door and walked into the inner room of the blacksmith's shop. The crisp sound of forging could be faintly heard coming from inside.

For some reason, Xia Nan always felt that after the other person recognized him, their gaze would linger on the chainmail he was wearing, with a strange and questioning look in their eyes.

It's highly likely that this is related to his ridiculously high rate of armor breakage.

Finding it amusing, I didn't say much, just stood in front of the counter casually looking at the goods on the shelves on both sides.

He wasn't made to wait even a minute longer.

The sound of the forging hammer striking the anvil stopped a few seconds after Xiao Xiu stepped into the inner room.

With a series of hurried footsteps, Barn's familiar figure came into Xia Nan's view.

Having just finished forging, he was in such a rush that he only had time to put on a small vest, revealing his bulging, bloodshot muscles, which resembled those of a bear goblin.

Holding a towel in his hand, he walked out of the house wiping the sweat from his face.

"coming?"

"How's the mission going? Is it progressing smoothly?"

With a somewhat muffled voice, Barn greeted Xia Nan, but his eyes couldn't help but dart towards the chainmail on Xia Nan's chest.

You can see residual scratches on the surface of the chainmail, but it's not "damaged" at all, and it's far from being scrapped as you might imagine.

For a moment, an extremely complex expression appeared on the face of the dwarf.

It's like you've mentally prepared yourself for something terrible that has an almost 100% chance of happening, and you've even comforted yourself many times beforehand, suggesting that this isn't something you caused, but just a special event outside of the usual circumstances.

But when it turns out that the event didn't actually happen, there's a strange and indescribable feeling of relief mixed with a sense of regret.

Noticing the other person's gaze, Xia Nan deliberately reached out and patted the chainmail on his body, the metal rings rattling and making noise.

"We encountered some minor accidents on the way, but overall it was okay and there wasn't much danger."

“I can tell.” Barn nodded, turning his gaze away from the chainmail and getting straight to the point without wasting time on pleasantries.

"The enchanted armor you requested last time has been forged. Come with me."

The two arrived at the workshop located in the back room of the blacksmith's shop.

A brand-new suit of armor, made primarily of the Hellfire Demon Blade and supplemented with a large amount of other metals, rests quietly on the display shelf.

The overall color is a dull silver-gray, like an ancient color after the passage of time, cold and calm.

The structure is similar to plate and chainmail, but it is not a one-piece molded piece. Instead, it consists of metal modules with strong defensive capabilities that protect the key parts of the body. Most of the blank areas in the middle are filled with finely woven metal chains, combining the defensiveness of plate armor with the flexibility of chainmail.

The heart of the entire armor is naturally the slightly curved metal plate located in the very center of the chest, forged from the infernal steel melted down from the Demon Blade.

The surface is smooth, and under the light, you can see the blurry figures of two people in front of the door; if you look closely, you can see the faint dark red vein-like patterns on the metal surface, the color of which is similar to solidified lava.

This is a characteristic of equipment forged from Hellfire metal.

If you get closer, you can smell a very faint odor in the air, like a mixture of sulfur and cold iron.

In addition, the armor features smooth, dark steel on the shoulders and sides, lined with multiple layers of tanned, supple leather, which greatly enhances the armor's defense against various physical damages. At the same time, its relatively flexible structure allows the wearer to perform a variety of high-difficulty maneuvers in combat.

Xia Nan stepped forward, gently stroking the surface of the nail guard with her fingertips, feeling the subtle bumps and ripples transmitted through her fingertips.

Stare intently, concentrate.

The next second, a semi-transparent attribute panel appeared before my eyes.

……

【Purgatory Pulse】

Type: Armor

Grade: Excellent (Green)
effect:

1.+30% durability;

2. +50% fire resistance;
3. When the wearer takes fire damage in battle, it will slightly restore their health.

Introduction:

The armor, forged from a special metal from purgatory, emits a sulfurous odor and offers good resistance to fire damage.

Remarks:

"The truly excellent armor is not made of holy bronze from Paradise Mountain or molten iron from Purgatory, but whether it can get you home alive and drink that cup of wine."

—Iron Dome Watcher, Hundred-Battle Warrior, Kel'Thuzad
……

While seemingly examining the armor in front of him, Xia Nan's gaze carefully swept over its attribute panel.

I wasn't disappointed. The forging cost of 500 gold, combined with the material of Infernal Steel, already indicated its upper limit.

Like the [Bone-Binding Iron Legs] it was currently wearing, "excellent" quality green gear was the limit it could achieve.

Barn may have extensive forging experience and excellent skills.

But as a blacksmith, his job is not to use ordinary materials to make equipment of far higher quality than expected, but to make the most of the available materials under limited conditions and make the most suitable equipment for the wearer.

To create blue or purple equipment by using materials of limited quality across several levels.

Even master craftsmen need to bring their skills to the extreme while hoping for a bit of luck that is hard to come by.

Xia Nan was very satisfied with exchanging 500 gold for this piece of green armor.

A 30% durability bonus represents the armor's excellent defensive capabilities.

It's important to know that even the original decapitation sword, before it was reforged, only had a durability bonus of 50% after more than a year and so many battles.

Currently, this armor, which boasts decent defensive capabilities, will obviously not be as easily destroyed in battle as the previous armor pieces, which were replaced more frequently than maintenance products.

They should be able to hold out for a while longer... right?

It cost a full 500 gold to acquire it, and it came from the Rockhammer Blacksmith Shop. Xia Nan firmly believed in the principle of "you get what you pay for."

On the other hand, compared to its defensive capabilities, the armor's most outstanding feature is its 50% fire resistance.

After all, coming from the extremely harsh environment of hell, even the lowest-ranking little devils possess immunity to most fire damage in this world.

It's not surprising that equipment forged primarily from Hellfire Steel sourced from the same location would have decent fire resistance stats.

Xia Nan even thought that when he activated the second stage of [Echoes of Ember], he would also receive a significant increase in fire resistance from sources other than divine power.

It's unclear whether these two factors can be combined.

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

As for the last special effect on the equipment attribute panel... it's better than nothing.

Like the [Bone-Binding Iron Legs] skill's probabilistic deterrent effect on beasts, it's basically useless.

He couldn't possibly throw a fireball at himself after the battle started to trigger the slow stamina regeneration effect of his armor, could he...?

Judging from the word "weak" specifically marked on the panel, the health restored might not even be as much as the original damage from the fire burn.

Perhaps this special ability to recover a small amount of physical strength can only be utilized under certain specific conditions.

With a thought in mind, Xia Nan reached out and took the [Purgatory Pulse] down from the equipment display shelf.

It was very light, slightly heavier than the chainmail I had worn before, but far lighter than the plate chainmail armor I had worn before.

Similarly, the armor underwent detailed discussions and tests during forging. It was made with reference to a large amount of Xia Nan's body data and was highly customized. While leaving a certain margin, every detail perfectly fits his body.

Wearing it, even with the change in weight, it was far more comfortable and form-fitting than any armor he had ever worn before.

Raising his arms and turning his waist were effortless, perfectly suited to his fighting style that emphasized explosive power and mobility.

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

It's not the temperature in the physical sense, but the unique heat of the steel from the purgatory, a heat on a spiritual level that comes from purgatory.

Of course, this warmth does not affect the wearer's physical or mental state; it is merely a manifestation of the nature of the infernal steel.

This gave Xia Nan a slight sense of relief.

Otherwise, in this sweltering summer, if the armor on his body also had a heat-generating effect... he didn't dare to imagine how terrible the wearing experience would be.

After a thorough inspection to confirm there were no quality or design issues, Xia Nan readily but reluctantly handed the crystal card she had just received from Ms. Edwina to Barn, then added her own savings to settle the debt for the equipment.

This caused his bank savings to shrink dramatically in an instant, after he had only recently become wealthy.

He'll only be able to recover some of his losses once the association transfers the rewards from his missions.

In contrast, Barn didn't think much about the 500 gold income.

This straightforward, burly dwarf, who aspired to become a master blacksmith, simply looked at the black-haired youth before him with an even more satisfied expression than Xia Nan.

from head to foot.

The necklace, 【Tears of Spring Breath】, was modified from the original earrings with the help of the other party. Both parties were deeply involved in the forging process of the 【Emberfall】 straight sword, and can be said to have witnessed its gradual formation. The wooden sword 【Green Pine】 also had its scabbard crafted by Barn. 【Dark Scale Guardian】 and its predecessor's temporary "Serpent Scale Arm Shield" were all made by the dwarves themselves. Not to mention 【Purgatory Pulse】 and 【Binding Iron Legs】.

Over the course of more than a year, Barn watched Xia Nan grow from a naive and inexperienced novice adventurer into the fully armed and seasoned professional he is today.

Having worked in the industry for many years, he knew very well how quickly this stern-faced, black-haired young man was upgrading his equipment.

For an average person just starting out, let alone having a full set of enchanted equipment like him.

In less than two years, being able to collect a brand new set of standard equipment from the Rockhammer shop is already considered to be very efficient in making money and very economical.

He knows what this means.

The continent of Aifara has never lacked people of extraordinary talent.

Which of those great figures active in myths and epics didn't display their dazzling brilliance the moment they embarked on this path?

If the young man named Xia Nan continues to grow at this pace, perhaps one day his name will be known to every professional on the continent, just as "Gray Sword" is known in River Valley Town.

And he himself, "The Rockhammer" Barn, as the original witness to this great epic, may also occupy a small, inconspicuous section in that magnificent epic destined to be sung by the world.

Thoughts gradually diverged.

It wasn't until the young man in front of him was about to take his leave that the dwarf-like giant finally realized what was happening.

He called out to Xia Nan, his gaze falling on the metal chainmail the other was carrying:
"This chainmail is in pretty good condition. Do you need me to help you recycle it? Hmm... I'll give you a 30% discount, so you can save some money."

Only after the other party mentioned this did Xia Nan remember this matter.

After a moment's thought, he decisively handed the chainmail to the other party.

“I’m going on a long trip soon, and it would be too heavy to carry this chainmail with me as a spare, but it would be a waste to leave it in the hotel.”

"Take it back, you set the price."

"A long journey?" Upon hearing Xia Nan's words, Barn's expression faltered. "How far?"

"It might be several months before I come back."

Several months...

As he pondered the other person's choice of words, Barn's gaze involuntarily fell once again on the other person, on the brand-new armor that had only recently been forged.

I blurted out subconsciously:

"How do you plan to make the next piece of armor? Should we add some Yangli iron plating powder?"

"what?"

(End of this chapter)