Chapter 304. Tempering
[Let's see... that's eight Legendary and some Rare items. It comes up to 19 Iron Chunks, 8 Rawhides, 14 Veiled Crystals, 5 Baleful Fragments, 2 Abstruse Sigils, and 3 Coiling Wards. Any complaints?](Zivek)
"None. Thank you."
[Good. Now, for your items... hmm... It would be around 5,000 to repair and maintain the damage on them. You can leave them here for today and come get them in the morning.](Zivek)
Michael happily paid the money and unequipped all his items to hand them over to the blacksmith.
Then, while Zivek was inspecting the items he had left behind, the trio quickly ran to Kratia and asked for her help adding an extra socket to his new Chest Armor.
With Kratia's help, the Chipped Ruby was removed from his currently equipped Chest Armor - which Michael was planning to salvage, therefore didn't leave it for repairs to Zivek - and had the woman give him 10 Ruby Fragments in exchange for it.
Next followed the bloodletting.
Since the rings were brand new and didn't require any repairs, Michael took them with him to Kratia, who quickly pointed out that one of them - the Unyielding Commander's Band, to be precise - could also be equipped with a socket since it didn't have one.
Gritting his teeth, the Necromancer handed over the two items and the only Scattered Prism in his possession, paid 75,000 gold coins for a second one, and then waited for the extra cost to be announced.
[It's 82,946 gold coins for the Chest Armor and 66,787 for the ring. What about the gems? Do you have them ready?](Kratia)
Seeing the fox-like grin on her face, Michael's eyebrows twitched, but he quickly admitted he didn't.
[Let's see. Level 55, huh? You lack five levels to be able to use Flawless Gems, so you can only settle for normal ones. What sort of gems do you want?](Kratia)
[A Diamond for the ring and two Rubies for the Chest Armor.](Helen)
Seeing Helen answer before he could, Michael shrugged, paid the quoted price, and patiently waited fifteen minutes for the new sockets to be added and the gems to be slotted.
[ Diamond
Gem
------------
*Weapon: +15.0% Ultimate Damage
*Armor: +6.0% Barrier Generation
*Jewelry: 4.0% Resistance to All Elements. ]
[ Ruby
Gem
------------
*Weapon: +24.0% Overpower Damage
*Armor: +4.0% Maximum Life
*Jewelry: 21.0% Fire Resistance. ]
With the three new gems, Michael would receive a 4.0% Resistance to All Elements and +8.0% Maximum Life.
Of course, that's after he paid 30,000 gold coins, 200 Ruby Fragments, and 100 Diamond Fragments extra since he lacked the gems.
In the end, he gave in to Kratia's nagging and paid another 10,000 gold coins and 100 Diamond Fragments to replace the Chipped Diamond on his Blood-Soaked Ring with a proper Diamond, adding another 2.0% Resistance to All Elements to his 'collection.'
He did gain another 10 Diamond Fragments after 'recycling' the lesser version, but he still left the shop 264,733 lighter.
"Why do I feel cheated every time I leave Kratia's shop?"
[*Chuckle* It's not just you.](Helen)
[You two...](Mina)
Returning to Zivek and handing over the two rings and the Chest Armor freshly improved, Michael patiently waited for the verdict.
[Both rings, the Chest Armor, the boots, the sickle, and the Focus item. All six can be tempered. You two girls haven't done any tempering yet, either, have you?](Zivek)
Seeing Mina and Helena shake their heads, the blacksmith nodded, after which he patiently started explaining.
[Without exaggerating, I've seen some high-level Wanderers return these past days and confirm their damage had increased five to six times at the bare minimum. Some went past fifteen, but all of them had gotten incredibly lucky with the recent loot. So, my suggestion for all three of you is to farm as many Tempering Manuals as humanly possible before you come back to me. While I can help improve your current items, you will find better ones soon. Also, your current Tempering recipes saved should be of Rare-level at best. And trust me, there is a significant divide between that and Legendary.](Zivek)
With the two women nodding like chickens pecking at grain, the blacksmith turned to Michael and asked him if he wanted to continue with the Tempering.
Ultimately, the Necromancer had no choice but to do so.
"For some specific reasons, I cannot improve the quality of my items for a period of time. On top of that, I'll probably get thrown again into some dangerous situations before long. While it might be wasteful, it's better to be prepared since it might as well save my life. As for materials, I can always buy them even if they are expensive or grind them by Dungeon diving."
[Very well. Let's get started then.](Zivek)
Thinking of how he should continue the Main Quest the following week based on the messages Taissa brought from Lorath, the Necromancer didn't want to be caught off guard.
Adding his inevitable Second Class Awakening and the reskill, he should improve as much as possible before throwing himself into harm's way.
[First, let's take care of the Chest Armor. Double sockets, 600 Item Power, it's pretty much the highest quality you can find at your current level. Based on the mechanics of Tempering, you can select two categories for the recipes you can use: Defensive or Utility. Here is a list of what you have learned so far.](Zivek)
With Zivek's prompt, the trio approached the Chest Armor placed on the anvil, and a small interface popped up.
It showed the item at the top and six categories of recipes below. Four were grayed out, while the two mentioned by Zivek were available to choose between.
Michael only had a handful of recipes learned so far, so both categories looked sparse.
The Defensive one offered Profane Cage, Natural Resistance, Worldly Endurance, and Blood Endurance. The first two were Magic-grade, while the remaining two were Rare.
The Utility one offered Thorn Army, Worldy Fortune, Natural Schemes, and Profane Innovation. All four were Magic-grade.
"What do you think?"
[Well... the Utility ones seem pretty useless.](Helen)
[Hmm... The Thorn Army offers increased Thorns, the Worldly Fortune increases your Lucky Hit Chance, Natural Schemes adds Barrier Generation, Thorns, or increases Crowd Control Duration, and Profane Innovation increases the size of your skills. Except for the last one, most are useless to you indeed.](Mina)
"Agreed. What about the Defensive ones?"
Checking through the details, the trio kept offering their input while Zivek remained quiet and brought out a pipe to smoke.
It was obvious this was going to take a while.
They first removed the Natural Resistance and Blood Endurance. The first increased a random elemental resistance, while the latter increased some specs of blood skills the Necromancer might possess.
Unfortunately, the only good one was for Blood Mist, and it only increased its duration by a small percentage or likewise decreased its cooldown by a similar amount.
"So it's between Profane Cage and Worldy Endurance?"
[ Worldly Endurance
Tempering Recipe: Rare
Category: Defensive
-------------
* +[174 - 249] Maximum Life
* +[8.0 - 12.5]% Total Armor
* +[4.0 - 6.0]% Dodge Chance ]
[ Profane Cage
Tempering Recipe: Magic
Category: Defensive
-------------
* +[1] to Crippling Darkness
* +[21.0 - 30.0]% Blight Slow Potency
* +[28.5 - 37.5]% Corpse Tendrils Duration ]
The decision was quickly reached through unanimous votes, and Wordly Fortune was selected.
After paying 5 Rawhides and 2 Veiled Crystals, Michael prayed for some good luck, hoping to roll the Total Armor Affix.
The interface glowed strangely, and the Chest Armor moved from the top of the page to its middle while the materials 'sacrificed' by the Necromancer slowly melted and melded into the item.
The successful Tempering was announced almost immediately after through a system notification message on the interface.
[ Tempering Complete!
An Affix has been added:
* +8.5% Total Armor - [8.0 - 12.5]% ]
The happiness of the successful roll was quickly drowned by the low-ball percentage he got, but Michael knew better than to be greedy.
Opening the interface of the upgraded item, everyone quickly noticed a new Affix marked with an anvil added to its description.
[ Exceptional Armor of the Deflecting Barrier ( Requires Level 55 )
Legendary Chest Armor
600 Item Power
-----------------
1,050 Armor (+103 when compared to the currently equipped item)
* +50 Intelligence
* +89 Maximum Life
* +660 Armor
^ +8.5% Total Armor
Legendary Aspect: While you have a Barrier active, there is a 6% chance to ignore incoming direct damage from Distant enemies.
+4.0% Maximum Life (Ruby slotted)
+4.0% Maximum Life (Ruby slotted) ]
Checking the details of his currently equipped one again, Michael grinned and swapped the two.
[ Juggernaut's Archon Armor
Legendary Chest Armor
541 Item Power
-----------------
947 Armor
* +12.0% Ultimate Skill Damage
* +9.0% Shadow Damage
* +21 Willpower
*19.5% Shadow Resistance
Legendary Aspect: You gain 780 Armor, but your Evade has a 100% increased Cooldown.
+2.5% Maximum Life (Chipped Ruby slotted) ]
There was no need to compare when the difference was clear to be seen.
Michael lost 21 Willpower in attributes but gained a whooping 50 for Intelligence, further increasing his skill damage.
Not only that, but his Armor also experienced a tremendous boost, reaching 5,888, while one of the Affixes increased his Maximum Life by 89 points, and after swapping the Chipped Ruby and adding another socket to the item, his Maximum Life Points grew by another 5.5%.
[Looks like you're happy, but I don't have all day. Which item do you want to go with next?](Zivek)
"Ugh... sorry. Let's go with the Unyielding Commander's Band since I just added another socket to it."
[Okay.](Zivek)
Watching the ring replace the Chest Armor on the anvil, Michael grinned widely, looking like a child overseeing his presents on Christmas Eve.
The categories available for the ring were Offensive and Resource. Mina and Helen instantly rejected all four Resource recipes since they provided either Essence or Cooldown Reductions, prompting them to focus on the Offensive list, which had six recipes to offer.
[Natural Finesse, Profane Finesse, Bone Finesse, Blood Finesse, Shadow Finesse, and Summoning Finesse. They all focus on increasing the damage for the type of skill indicated by their names.](Mina)
"Mhm. We can ignore the Bone Finesse, Blood Finesse, and Profane Finesse for now. That still leaves us with three choices."
[Hmm... remove Natural Finesse since it's only Magic-grade, and the percentages it offers are smaller in comparison with the others.](Helen)
"Agreed. Also... *Sigh* As much as I'd want my minions to become stronger, for now, it's better to avoid using this recipe. I might use it after my Class Awakening, though."
[ Summoning Finesse
Tempering Recipe: Rare
Category: Offensive
-------------
* +[31.5 - 45.0]% Summoning Magic
* +[57.0 - 75.0]% Skeletal Damage
* +[72.5 - 95.0]% Golem Damage]
Even the highest 75% to Skeletal Damage would barely increase Michael's overall damage by a couple of thousand points since the minions were very weak.
Therefore, even if the recipe was only Magic-grade, the Necromancer decided on Shadow Finesse.
[ Shadow Finesse
Tempering Recipe: Magic
Category: Offensive
-------------
* +[41.5 - 55.0]% Shadow Damage over Time
* +[26.0 - 35.0]% Darkness Damage
* +[62.5 - 85.0]% Desecrated Ground Damage
* +[57.0 - 75.0]% Corpse Explosion Damage ]
Except for the third Affix, any of the other three would result in an absolute win.
The decision garnered the approval of the two ladies, prompting a nod from Zivek, who charged another 5 Iron Chunks and 2 Veiled Crystals.
After the 'animation' played out, the system message appeared, prompting strange looks from everyone.
Both the girls and Zivek were looking at him with pity in their eyes.
[ Tempering Complete!
An Affix has been added:
* +57.0% Corpse Explosion Damage - [57.0 - 75.0]% ]
Taking a deep breath after rolling the lowest possible percentage, the Necromancer pretended not to be bothered as he inspected the newly improved ring.
[ Unyielding Commander's Band
Legendary Ring
588 Item Power
-----------------
* +5.0% Resistance to All Elements
* +5.0% Cold Resistance
------------------
* +50 Intelligence
* +6.0% Attack Speed
* +97 Maximum Life
^ +57% Corpse Explosion Damage
Legendary Aspect: While Army of the Dead is active, your minions gain 84% increased damage and take 90% reduced damage. (Necromancer Only)
+4.0% Resistance to All Elements (Diamond slotted) ]
It was good!
No matter what, improvement with few resources invested was terrific!
Especially since his Corpse Explosion dealt only around 2,000 damage in total before he started upgrading it.
If he could gain a 10x overall improvement... Hehe! Leaving aside Bosses, even the Butcher would have to cry if they met again.
Receiving Zivek's glare to hurry up, Michael pointed to the boots next.
Unfortunately, they only had one category to choose from: the Utility section.
It was quickly decided to use the Profane Innovation recipe since it was the best among the available ones.
[ Profane Innovation
Tempering Recipe: Magic
Category: Utility-------------
* +[13.0 - 17.5]% Corpse Explosion Size
* +[26.0 - 35.0]% Corpse Tendrils Size
* +[26.5 - 40.0]% Iron Maiden Size
* +[26.5 - 40.0]% Decrepify Size
* +[28.5 - 37.5]% Curse Duration ]
"Great! As long as it's not the third one, any other Affix is good!"