52. Equipment Upgrade

Page (1/3)

Li Nuo had a mild case of decision-making difficulty, nothing serious. Yet, faced with only six special upgrade materials called "Radiant Wedge Stones," he found himself in a constant state of indecision—especially after acquiring the "Cairo Puzzle," which unlocked the ability to use a forge during quests. This only intensified his internal struggle.

Looking on the bright side, if he could craft a proper silver sword in the Witcher scenario, that would be far more reliable than a folding stool or an iron rod. Unfortunately, he came to terms with the fact that since he was a character in a comedic game, he shouldn’t bother trying to look cool wielding a serious weapon.

After some thought, Li Nuo decided to upgrade his favorite folding stool.

He placed the stool on the forge, its surface bearing worn marks, and the system prompt appeared: [Do you wish to consume 300 gold coins and 1 Radiant Wedge Stone to upgrade this bound item?]

Together with Cha Bai, they had twelve Radiant Wedge Stones. The first upgrade for a single piece of equipment consumed two stones, the second used four, and so on, with a maximum upgrade level of four.

Beyond that, other materials would be required for further upgrades, though Li Nuo didn’t yet know what those were—likely obtainable in scenarios beyond level 25.

For now, he only needed to consider upgrades below the fourth level.

“Yes.”

Li Nuo heard the sound of coins being deducted, and the stool’s surface shimmered with a glow.

“Is the little chef about to serve the dish?”

Once the light faded, the stool looked the same as before…

[Folding Stool +1]

[Quality: Fine]

[Attribute: Explosive]

[Effect: 6% chance to deal minor explosive damage to the target; the explosion does not affect the bound user]

[Description: The premier among the seven great weapons. Readily available—every household has one. Sitting on it hides a deadly secret beneath your seat. When masters duel, the greatest taboo is revealing one’s killing intent. Drawing out a folding stool startles the enemy, but by the time it comes down, victory is already yours.]

Weapon upgrades typically do not change the name; instead, the +1 denotes the enhanced version.

This is not due to laziness in the design but rather for simplicity and clarity.

It should be emphasized that though there are no numerical attack values to indicate weapon strength, each upgrade significantly increases weapon power.

For instance, Li Nuo’s upgraded folding stool shattered a stone with only four strikes, whereas it took seven before the upgrade.

In short, equipment does not have numerical calculations; players must experiment to gauge damage and strength, adding complexity to item selection but also fostering a deeper bond between player and gear.

Li Nuo placed the stool under his seat and sat down. Notably, the stool now popped up a taller wooden backrest.

He then looked at Cha Bai and asked, “What do you want to upgrade?”

“I…” Cha Bai opened her inventory and examined her items, then said, “Since my Strength and Reflex have decreased, my feel for cold weapons is off. I’m torn between the shawl and the kitchen knife.”

She closed the panel and added, “Better to prioritize you. Your physical condition is poor; your armor must be upgraded.”

Page (2/3)

Li Nuo now possessed quite a few pieces of armor, including the bulletproof vest obtained from the resistance faction (which had been counted among the rewards for completing previous quests). Still, he believed that “attributes” were what he needed most.

Among the equipment with attributes, “Kenny’s Orange Jacket” and “Emil’s Mask” were options.

Li Nuo immediately ruled out “Kenny’s Orange Jacket.” Knowing its origin would surely cause unease—simply put, it likely had a hidden trait called “Become the Target of Victimization” that had yet to trigger.

He placed “Emil’s Mask” on the forge. After consuming materials and gold, a brand-new mask, almost unchanged, lay quietly before him.

[Emil’s Mask +1]

[Quality: Fine]

[Equip Requirement: Insight 15]

[Effect 1: Can inspect an individual enemy’s abilities; if the target is too high-level, only three ability values are visible. Usable twelve times per scenario.]

[Effect 2: Increases head defense; can withstand a single ordinary 9mm bullet impact (though this doesn’t guarantee you won’t be concussed).]

[Note: Data display for special characters differs from normal targets.]

[Description: Ideal for wearing in a psychiatric hospital.]

This was exactly what Li Nuo wanted.

Enemy stat inspection doubled from six to twelve uses, and head protection was enhanced—more than sufficient.

As for Cha Bai, without hesitation, she used six Radiant Wedge Stones to upgrade her “Black Goggles” twice.

[Black Goggles +2]

[Quality: Fine]

[Equip Requirement: Insight 10; mechanical eye of the YoRHa android unit]

[Effect 1: Displays target’s HUD]

[Effect 2: Others assume you are blind and lower their guard]

[Effect 3: Increases forehead defense and Constitution +2]

[Description: So you’re the only one with a health bar, huh?]

“Damn forehead defense...” Li Nuo stared at the humorous third effect on her panel, wondering if the system had also classified Cha Bai as a comedic game character like himself.

Now, the two had four Radiant Wedge Stones left, kept in reserve for use at the right moment during the scenario.

They entered the basement, and following the instructions mentioned in the manual, wrote Marge’s code on the wall.

After about ten seconds, a line of blood-red text appeared on the wall: [The other party has agreed.]

Immediately, the wall slid open on both sides, revealing a waiting train.

They boarded the train, and before disembarking, Li Nuo took off his mask and pressed it onto Cha Bai’s face, advising, “I’m afraid he might be hoarding feces blocks in his space.”

Page (3/3)

Contrary to Li Nuo’s expectations, Marge’s space was filled with trees, lush and green.

A space’s appearance reflected the player’s true psychology and personality.

“So you’re interested in minotaurs?” Li Nuo asked, gazing at the leafy trees.

Marge emerged from the room. This guy wasted no time with small talk and went straight to the point: “Honestly, I’m only mildly interested in female sorceresses—I’m more fascinated by female night demons.”

“Who asked you that?”

“Back to your original question,” Marge said. “I’m into mature women.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Hmph, you don’t get it. There was no path in the world at first; only after walking it many times did it become a path. And a path is always safer and more comfortable than a wild, grassy trail.”

“I don’t understand a word,” Cha Bai said, looking at Li Nuo.

“Ah, Miss 2B, let me translate for you.”

“Seriously, let’s get down to business,” Li Nuo interrupted Marge. “I strongly suspect the Witcher scenario will be open-world, so we need to be prepared…”

Before he could finish, Marge snapped his fingers and beckoned them to the tombstone. He opened the shop interface.

While searching for something, Marge explained: “Players above level 15 can use the shop. Prices inside are pretty outrageous, so its real function is to give players feedback on the value of weapons, equipment, or items.”

Each page showed thirty items, each with only a name, type, and price. Clicking on an item revealed detailed information.

Each time the shop was opened, the item arrangement shuffled—quite annoying.

Naturally, they couldn’t examine every single item, only the ones that caught their interest; the rest were skimmed through, with some pages skipped in just ten seconds.

Finally, the screen settled on a transparent glass bottle filled with green liquid, labeled [Herbal Decoction].

Marge said: “Most equipment we see now can be obtained before level 25. The [Herbal Decoction] is priced at the highest tier—500,000 gold coins.”

“Besides female night demons, you’re also interested in decoctions?” Li Nuo asked.

“To become a witcher, you have to take [Herbal Decoction]. Although drinking it is like swallowing poison, how else will we know? Besides, as we experienced in the last scenario, who knows if something like a [Saiyan Decoction] might appear. I feel the Witcher scenario has endless possibilities. The level of exploration will surpass all we’ve done before,” Marge said, pulling two bags of white powder from his backpack and handing them to Li Nuo and Cha Bai.

[Bone Marrow Ash]

[Use: Skill upgrade special material]

“I have no skills, but for the team, I’m willing to give these to you two,” Marge sneered. “Provided that you two take on the Witcher scenario.”

Page (3/3)