"If you want to obtain higher quality materials, the best channel should probably still be to find a new area in this Crimson Iron Ore Vein. For instance, continue to dig downward where the density and quality are higher, but aside from that, you could also try digging upwards or in other directions – there might be other veins nearby…"

This vast underground environment, Zhang Yanhang believed, definitely contained more than just Crimson Iron Ore Veins. There might be other natural veins of even higher quality, but that would be a matter to resolve after clearing out the large Crimson Iron Ant Nest Talano or perhaps during his next visit to the Crimson Iron Ore Vein, so it was not immediately relevant to him.

[Item Three]

[Option One: Large Crimson Iron Ant (Hell Ant), B-level, Talent]

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

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

"The Racial Talent quality of the Crimson Iron Hell Ant is actually B-level?"

If Zhang Yanhang remembered correctly, this should be the second time he had encountered a B-level Talent; the last time was when he killed the Third Tier two-star Lord Monster, Demon Pig Peppa, and B-level was the highest quality he had seen to date.

"Both the Lord Monster, Third Tier two-star Demon Pig Peppa, and the Third Tier two-star ordinary monster, Crimson Iron Hell Ant, dropped B-level Racial Talents. It seems that to obtain B-level Talents, one must at least kill monsters of the Third Tier two-star level.

The weakest monsters must be at the Third Tier two-star level, and I feel that within the Third Tier, it's quite tough to encounter such a level. Most likely, I'll have to wait until I've been promoted to the Fourth Tier before I can get them. After all, if the weakest monsters are at the Third Tier two-star, the Lord Monsters are likely to be Fifth Tier Monsters, even Peak Fifth Tier Monsters."

Considering Demon Pig Peppa, Zhang Yanhang thought that even if some Lord Monsters didn't reach the Four Stars of the Fifth Tier, they might be able to enhance their strength to Peak Fifth Tier using transformation or augmentation skills. He could only say that kind of monster was indeed a bit out of his league now that he had just been promoted to the Third Tier.

[Item Four]

[Option One: 600 Soul Points]

[Option Two: 3000 Soul Points]

[Option Three: 6000 Soul Points]

"I originally thought that the fourth option might finally be new equipment, but unexpectedly it's another option related to Soul Points. One option from the drop treasure box of the Crimson Iron Hell Ant is worth six thousand Soul Points, and there are three Soul Points options in each drop treasure box, adding up to eighteen thousand Soul Points…

Finally, we've reached the point where one treasure box can earn five figures worth of Soul Points. Previously, it was just close to ten thousand, but now even rounded up it's almost twice ten thousand."

Zhang Yanhang remembered that this time he had obtained a total of eighty-seven Dark Purple Quality Treasure Chests from the Crimson Iron Hell Ants. All added up, the total Soul Points he earned could be close to one hundred and sixty thousand.

"In the past, one hundred and sixty thousand would have required me to plow the Demonized Swamp back and forth numerous times, but now, I can get it just by carelessly opening a few drop treasure boxes from the Crimson Iron Hell Ants."

Each time he reached this point, Zhang Yanhang would marvel at the huge gap between ranks, but it was indeed only such a huge disparity that could make rank a standard. If there was no change before and after promotion, then there would be no need for promotion.

[Item Five]

[Option One: Crimson Iron Ghost Finger, Purple Quality, Weapon]

[Option Two: Crimson Marrow Ghost Finger, Dark Purple Quality, Weapon]

[Option Three: Crimson Marrow Hell Finger, Quality Light Gold, Equipment]

"Crimson Marrow Hell Finger? How come another hand equipment pops out? I really have enough hand equipment already; can't it be something else…"

Zhang Yanhang mainly worried that he wouldn't be able to use the Crimson Marrow Hell Finger because he had already equipped the Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw on his fingers. There was indeed a very high chance that he wouldn't be able to use the Crimson Marrow Hell Finger.

Because the Critical Strike Damage provided by the Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw was very useful to him. If there was a conflict between the Crimson Marrow Hell Finger and the Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw, then he might discard the Crimson Marrow Hell Finger unless the Additional Attributes on the Crimson Marrow Hell Finger were more useful to him than those on the Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw.

Of course, by discarding here, he meant not equipping the Crimson Marrow Hell Finger on his fingers at all. He would likely look for a way to transform the Crimson Marrow Hell Finger into other equipment.

"I previously got the Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw, Crimson Marrow Ghost Mask, and the Option Two here, the Crimson Marrow Ghost Finger, from the treasure box; it seems to be a series of items from their names. And Option Three's Crimson Marrow Hell Finger should be an upgraded version of this Crimson Marrow Ghost Finger…

But why has this Crimson Marrow Ghost Finger inexplicably become a weapon?"

If it were equipment, then Zhang Yanhang could maybe pick one to collect, but for weapons, forget it; they were not much use to him.

"Let's first see the Attribute list of the Crimson Marrow Hell Finger, that's what's most important." Zhang Yanhang said as he opened the Attribute list of the Crimson Marrow Hell Finger to check.

[Crimson Marrow Hell Finger]

[Quality: Light Golden]

[Type: Equipment]

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

[Durability: 61/61]

[Defensive Power: 43]

[Additional Attributes: Armor Penetration Effect +4%.]

[Usage Requirements: Agility 45 points.]

[Score: 310 (Light Golden Quality Items are scored from 261 to 350.)]

[Introduction: Perhaps due to the extraordinary effects of special hormones, even the residual hormones separated possess certain cosmetic benefits. The labyrinth of the Nameless Blacksmith became widely known among female groups for its reputation, and on this day, the labyrinth welcomed a special guest—the Princess of the Kingdom, Cecilia Josephine.

Out of a somewhat inexplicable wicked sense of humor, the Nameless Blacksmith manipulated the labyrinth's mechanisms to intentionally separate Princess Cecilia from her guards and lured her step by step onto the correct path, which led to the teleportation trap. Without surprise, Cecilia, like other female adventurers, 'accidentally' triggered the teleportation trap and was sent beside the Crimson Iron Queen Ant.

Originally, this was just an everyday entertaining and relaxing pastime, but when the Nameless Blacksmith had a Witch Demon Mage cast a brainwashing spell, he saw the fainted Cecilia on the ground and a bold idea emerged. Why not take this opportunity... to infiltrate the upper echelons of the kingdom and assume a new identity to once again enjoy the glory and wealth of the world?

The Nameless Blacksmith shared this daring idea with the Witch Demon Mage, who then altered Cecilia's memories.

She fabricated a story in Cecilia's mind where she was separated from her guards in the labyrinth, but luckily encountered the Nameless Blacksmith who protected her all along the way, avoided the traps, successfully navigated the labyrinth, and received the ultimate reward—a heritage from an Ancient Dwarf Elder that taught the Nameless Blacksmith exquisite forging skills and the technique of "Secret Dwarf Medicine (Hormone Gel)".

After Cecilia awoke, the Nameless Blacksmith immediately offered her the "Secret Dwarf Medicine" and left the labyrinth with her, while the labyrinth promptly collapsed (destroyed by the Witch Demon Mage) following the disappearance of the 'inheritance.' Perhaps the Witch Demon Mage's brainwashing technique was too masterful, which resulted in Cecilia not noticing anything odd, allowing the Nameless Blacksmith to successfully blend into the upper echelons of the kingdom due to his protective actions and offering of the medicine.

The Nameless Blacksmith was glad he did not have to rely on the backup plan that involved stumbling upon a strange trap in the labyrinth that would cause both individuals to lose their minds and drive their primal instincts to mate. After all, although that plan had a high success rate and promised greater rewards as a Husband, the downside was that it would reduce his freedom, unlike his current unmonitored liberty.]

"This Nameless Blacksmith really plays by his own rules, actually managing to infiltrate the kingdom's upper class by brainwashing the princess and gaining higher status and power than before.

And his heart is truly ruthless, blowing up the entire labyrinth behind him to increase the credibility of gaining the 'inheritance.'"

Although the introduction didn't mention it, Zhang Yanhang gauged that the princess's guards must all be buried in the labyrinth by now, leaving only the Nameless Blacksmith, Makarov, and Princess Cecilia on the return journey. This was the perfect opportunity for them to further deepen their interactions and develop a closer relationship.

"Besides, to some extent, the memories that the Nameless Blacksmith wove are a mix of truth and lies. He was indeed protecting the princess all the way, controlling the labyrinth mechanisms toward the true path and helping her avoid the teleportation traps. Finally, he personally offered the 'Secret Dwarf Medicine' to the princess. These partially true memories are indeed hard to spot, for they contain very little dissonance."

Now that Zhang Yan is reflecting on it, when he first encountered the Nameless Blacksmith in an item introduction, he could never have imagined him making it this far. It just goes to show that having a valuable skill is truly important.

"However, although I can understand the introduction, what exactly is this Armor Penetration Effect? And it's only added 4%? Despite being Light Golden Quality, the bonus is so low; is this Armor Penetration Effect really that powerful?"

Zhang Yanhang examined the introduction to the Armor Penetration Effect and found that it didn't seem to increase Armor Penetration Damage, nor did it increase the probability of Armor Penetration, and it was not even about adding a fixed amount of Armor Penetration Damage. Instead, it directly increased the Armor Penetration Rate.

That is to say, with this 4% Armor Penetration Effect, no matter who he attacked, he could convert 4% of his attack into an Armor Penetration Attack that ignored Physical Defense and struck the enemy.

"It sounds somewhat useful, but with just a mere 4%, it's a bit mediocre. Fortunately, since this is a piece of hand Equipment, I should be able to wear four pieces at the same time, which together would make 16% Armor Penetration Effect—that's quite decent," he pondered.

Of course, the purpose of this Armor Penetration Effect wasn't really to be used against the ordinary monsters Zhang Yanhang usually encountered; after all, whether those monsters had defense or not, they all fell to his punch.

Therefore, Zhang Yanhang believed the Armor Penetration Attack would be most useful against powerful monsters, especially those with exceptionally strong defensive power, playing a role in breaching their defenses. Even if his own attacks were insufficient, the Armor Penetration Attack ignoring Physical Defense could provide stable output.

In other words, this Armor Penetration Effect was actually more suitable for Agility Type Awakeners who relied on whittling down the enemy with sustained minor injuries. This inclination could be seen from the usage requirement being Agility attribute. So, for someone like him, who was more of a close-combat brute, although it could be used, it wasn't too important. Therefore, compared to this, he still found the Critical Strike Damage Bonus of the Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw to be more useful.

"But whether it will actually conflict with the Crimson Marrow Ghost Claw, I won't know until I try it…"

Still, Zhang Yanhang hoped there would be no conflict. After all, if there really was a conflict, it would be quite troublesome to modify, even though he was not short on time. Nevertheless, he still adhered to the principle that it's better to have less trouble than more.

"So, I choose '6000 Soul points,' '6000 Soul points,' 'Mystic Steed Power,' '6000 Soul points,' and 'Crimson Marrow Hell Finger.'

After checking all the five Item slots, Zhang Yanhang made his decisions quickly. Time Pause disappeared instantly, but he immediately picked up another Drop treasure box and triggered Time Pause again.

...

October 30, Friday, five days after the Double Ninth Festival, is still the first day of Zhang Yanhang's entry into the Ashen World, 12:22 AM, Ashen World, Crimson Iron Ore Vein, large Crimson Iron Ant Nest Talano, Central Region, Evaluation Settlement Treasure Box.

After one hour and twenty-six minutes, Zhang Yanhang finally finished opening more than one thousand seven hundred Drop treasure boxes, during which he had to interrupt the Open treasure box process to make the decision to continue slaying monsters within the large Crimson Iron Ant Nest Talano owing to the imminent closure of the Transmission Channel leading to the Main World from the small Crimson Iron Ant Nest Dalagu.

But fortunately, since it was all during Time Pause, it wasn't a waste of time.

"My previous estimate was quite accurate; it indeed took nearly an hour and a half to finish opening all the Drop treasure boxes. I remember it took an hour and forty minutes to complete the Third Stage clearing plan and to clear the latter half of the 300 square kilometers of the Central Region. And now, opening treasure boxes takes an hour and a half, which is only about fifteen minutes faster than slaying monsters.

And although I'm about fifteen minutes ahead for now, the fusion of Equipment is estimated to take another hour or two…"

Regarding this, Zhang Yanhang could only say that when he reached the Fourth Tier, he must find a way to solve the problem of treasure box opening being so slow; otherwise, as things progressed, there might arise a strange situation like 'three minutes to kill monsters, one hour to open boxes.'

Okay, maybe that degree is still a bit far-fetched, but it would be easy for the ratio between killing monsters and opening treasure boxes to reach one to two. Under normal circumstances, it should at least be reversed to two to one, or even if one wants to be healthier, the ratio should be raised to at least four to one or even eight to one.

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