New equipment drops, crafting set equipment

After using the key to the back hall, the token disappeared, and a Teleportation Array immediately appeared in front of Zhang Mingzhen.

Stepping into the formation, one is met with a dimly lit space.

The monsters and environment in the Front Hall and Middle Hall that we experienced before were not fixed each time, but changed with the scene.

Besides the Golden Barbarian Beast and Holy Tiger Barbarian Beast he had encountered, the Front Hall also contained the Diamond Barbarian Beast and the Swift Barbarian Beast, while the Middle Hall contained the Nightmare Barbarian Beast and the Venom Barbarian Beast.

Although he passed them all smoothly, there were still subtle differences between the different bosses, even at the same level of difficulty.

For example, the Diamond Barbarian Beast has the strongest defense in the Front Hall. If the player's combat power is insufficient, they will often make mistakes due to the long time required to conquer it.

The Swift Barbarian Beasts are known for their speed and are extremely difficult to control, making them vulnerable to critical hits from fragile players.

In this light, the Golden Barbarian Beast he and the Blind Man initially encountered was actually the simplest one.

The "Nightmare" and "Venom" encountered in the Middle Hall, as their names suggest, are respectively a spiritual leader and a master of using deadly poisons.

The former tests the on-the-spot adaptability of physical damage players, while the latter challenges the healing abilities of Priests.

The boss that appeared before him in the back hall—labeled by the system as the "Azure Dragon Barbarian Beast"—clearly possessed Dragon Race bloodline—caused him to be particularly wary.

It was a demon with a dragon's head and a human body, with a huge bluish-gray tail constantly slapping the ground behind it. Its body was covered in scales, and judging from its appearance, it should be a female dragon.

"How dare you disturb the dragon's slumber!"

With a furious roar mixed with Earth's internet slang, the monster slammed its giant tail into the ground and charged forward.

Wow, that's fast!

Zhang Mingzhen didn't have time to think it through. He tried to create some distance, but failed, and had no choice but to confront it head-on at close range.

This boss primarily relies on overwhelming physical strength to attack, and almost never uses magic.

However, the moment the thought arose, the demon suddenly soared into the air and rushed straight towards the dome of the main hall.

This wasn't the first time Zhang Mingzhen had encountered such a situation; it was usually a premonition that the BOSS was about to unleash a deadly attack—should he rush to the Safe Zone in the center of the main hall?

Just as he thought of this, a strong suction force surged from all directions, trying to drag him towards the center of the palace.

Obviously, you should never do what the enemy wants you to do.

He naturally refused to comply, and struggled against the pull, trying his best to move towards the edge of the hall.

Immediately afterwards, the monster swooped down from the sky, slamming its fists heavily onto the ground! The entire slab of stone bricks shattered and scattered everywhere!

Although Zhang Mingzhen was not in the exact center, he was still affected by the Frenzy shockwave emanating from the center, causing his health to plummet to a dangerous level, triggering his talent "Self-Sacrifice".

Although his talent, "Yin Yang Messenger," was sealed by the system for a year, it was temporarily unlocked each time he entered a new scene.

The purpose was clearly to force him to search for clues to resurrection.

The problem is that, although he was invincible for the next three seconds and his attack power was greatly increased, the monster took to the air again and became impossible to reach!

These indoor instances often contain restrictions that prevent players from flying or summoning flying mounts.

Therefore, once a monster takes to the air, it becomes invincible.

He could only watch helplessly as those three precious seconds slipped away.

This was undoubtedly the most frustrating dungeon battle he had ever fought.

The demon soared into the air once more, Wuming suction force surged forth again, determined to pull him toward the center of the palace.

Zhang Mingzhen suspected that the damage suffered in the very center was probably extremely high, and might even be fatal upon contact.

Once sucked in, one might be instantly crushed by the aftershocks of the impact.

Never get close to the center!

As Zhang Mingzhen resisted the pulling force, his body gradually stiffened.

Three seconds later, he could barely cast a healing spell to fully restore his health.

The leader then crashed down from mid-air once more.

That's way too difficult!

Fortunately, he was prepared this time and retreated to the edge of the hall, which greatly reduced the impact, but he still lost more than half of his life.

If even he suffered such damage, the other adventurers would likely find it difficult to withstand it.

There must be some way to deal with this; if they had simply tried to fight it out, the team would have been wiped out long ago.

Before he could continue his attack, the leader took to the air once more!

That monster is so noisy!

When will this endless cycle finally end?

It's so delightful!

Zhang Mingzhen immediately felt enraged and ashamed.

How can you beat the game when the opponent keeps taking off and entering an invincible state in this repetitive cycle?

The third time, the traction force appeared first, and then the leader crashed to the ground.

Unlike other attacks, this one not only caused massive damage but also inflicted paralysis!

His entire body was instantly paralyzed, and the duration of the state was thirty seconds!

Such prolonged control cannot be endured; one must use Super Armor skill to break free first.

After two attempts to take to the air, he risked being sucked into the central area and was instantly knocked to his death, which triggered the "Heart of Undeath" effect.

It seems we absolutely must not get caught up in the center.

After numerous trials and errors, he finally discovered the strategy.

You must leap up the instant the leader lands to ensure you completely avoid damage before you can stop its repetitive ascent.

In this way, the leader will assume that the player is capable of dodging its attacks and will not repeat this pattern.

This was originally a mechanism that put players to the brink of life and death, thus eliminating the weak.

However, they were unable to completely defeat Zhang Mingzhen on the ground because the opponent was too good at healing.

This caused the leader to repeatedly return to the sky, even gradually increasing the power of the earth-shaking attacks in an attempt to kill the opponent.

If he hadn't finally figured out the trick to passing the level, he almost thought the battle would be stuck in a loophole forever.

The system finally displayed a notification: "Congratulations to the player for clearing the 'Back Hall of the Barbarian God Hall', you have obtained 15 Glory Gems and 1 Radiance Belt."

A server-wide announcement appeared simultaneously. "Congratulations to player 'Chongxing' for achieving the first breakthrough in the 'Back Hall of the Barbarian God Hall', gaining 10,000 Achievement Points."

Suddenly, the world channel was filled with praise.

"Congratulations, great one! You've once again single-handedly conquered the rear hall. It's truly enviable!"

"The top players on the leaderboard are leveling up very quickly lately. It shouldn't be long before they're able to challenge the Barbarian God Hall alongside the pros."

"Damn it, that Cheater is showing off again."

For every person who praises it, there's someone who criticizes it.

This is a law.

As long as you are human, no matter how amazing you are, you will have flaws and be criticized.

Because everyone makes mistakes, and when someone makes a mistake, someone will criticize them.

"Exactly, just a selfish and foolish idiot. He doesn't care about the big picture at all, only thinking about his own leveling up and not caring about the lives of others."

"Hmph, he's just a miniature Zhu Yuanzhang. Before becoming emperor, he pretended to be concerned for the country and its people, but once he became emperor, all his measures were for his own family's benefit."

"Alright, stop being so sour."

"Based on experience, it would be quite an achievement for us to even get through the Front Hall; the back hall will definitely be much more difficult—even the great masters took two weeks to succeed."

"Hmph, even the Cheater are failing."

"Just wait."

Those who don't consider the needs of the people will eventually perish.

Zhang Mingzhen naturally ignored those negative comments. He certainly wouldn't say that the delay was actually due to his inability to obtain the key.

It's not that the boss is that difficult to defeat.

However, at this moment, he secretly hoped that other players could reach level 90 as soon as possible and march into the Barbarian God Hall together.

The reason is that he knows these key tokens are non-binding items that can be traded after they drop.

The drop rate for tokens in the Middle Hall might be quite high, and he could obtain them almost every time, but tokens in the rear hall were extremely rare.

If more people conquer the Middle Hall, the chances of obtaining the rear hall token will increase significantly.

At that time, he will only need to trade tokens with those people.

He didn't have high hopes for his luck in getting the tokens—he didn't know when he would be able to collect the complete set.

Thinking about the sets, the Moonshadow Hat dropped from the Middle Hall this time, while the Platinum Grade Radiance Belt that the Back Hall just gave out is of the "Radiant" level.

That's not bad.

"Moonshadow Hat (Platinum): Constitution +1500, Agility +800, Physical Defense +3000, Magic Defense +3000."

"Ingenuity: When attacked, there is a certain chance to dodge damage."

"Fortune: Chance to become immune to control effects when under control; cooldown: 60 seconds."

Equipment Requirements: All classes, level 90

"Radiance Belt (Radiant): Constitution +3000, Spirit +1000, Physical Defense +3500, Magic Defense +3500"

"Critical Damage Reduction II: Reduces critical damage taken by 20%."

"Fortune II: Increased chance of immunity to control effects when under control; 30-second cooldown."

Equipment Requirements: Mage, Priest, or Heavenly Strategist, Level 92.

Collecting five, eight, or twelve pieces of the Radiant series equipment will activate the corresponding set effect; these effects cannot be stacked.

Besides the Moonshadow Set, it seems there's also Radiance Set.

He happens to have two equipment slots, and the set bonuses on both should be able to be activated.

The prerequisite is that the talent is not sealed.

Wait a minute—he suddenly realized that the system said that to activate the highest set bonus, twelve pieces of equipment from the same series were required.

Each player has a total of twelve equipment slots: main weapon, secondary weapon, boots, leggings, belt, top, helmet, necklace, two rings, and two earrings.

He already has four pieces of customizable equipment that can be upgraded, which takes up an equipment slot.

In this way, no single set can achieve the complete effect of twelve pieces.

How should I choose?

Should we abandon the growth-oriented equipment, or forgo the top-tier 12-piece set bonus?

This is truly a difficult choice.

At this moment, he recalled what he had witnessed in a secret research institute: two different Warcraft were fused into one, and by sacrificing one of them, its talents were forcibly transferred to the other, thus allowing both to retain their skills.

So, can this method be applied to weaponry and equipment?

I wonder if any players have explored this area in depth.

Although it's still too early to collect all twelve pieces of equipment, it's never a bad thing to plan ahead.

He immediately contacted the Legion Guild, the Starlight Merchant Guild, and the Blacksmiths' Association, which specializes in equipment development, hoping to obtain some clues from them.

The Legion Guild immediately replied: Currently, they are only focused on skill fusion between Warcraft and have not yet ventured into the equipment field.

The Starlight Merchant Guild stated that it has sent inquiries to various guilds, seeking players with expertise in this area, but has not yet received a response.

However, the Blacksmiths' Association quickly gave Zhang Mingzhen a satisfactory answer—this unofficial organization, which he had not originally placed much hope in, provided crucial assistance at this moment.

"We started researching this issue a long time ago!"

"I assure you, no organization on the entire server possesses a deeper understanding of the secrets of forging than we do!"

"In the field of weaponry and armor, we have always been at the forefront!"

"Don't blindly believe in so-called remedies or official prescriptions. Those who know, know. The birthplace of human science has never been these places, but rather universities and private enterprises."

"They are constrained by rigid systems, slow incentive mechanisms, and a constant pressure from the big picture, so their research progress often simply replicates that of the leaders, with very little originality."

A player nicknamed "Big Hammer," who called himself the "Honorary President" of the Blacksmiths' Association, patted his chest and made a promise to him, claiming that he could definitely answer the questions in his heart.

However, the other party had one request: they wanted Zhang Mingzhen to personally go to the United Association's gathering place, because they needed to demonstrate the process and result of the equipment and set fusion in front of the owner's eyes.

These informal groups, formed spontaneously by players, naturally do not have guild territories recognized by the system.

The so-called "residence" was nothing more than a residence they purchased in a major city, used as a place for members to communicate and gather on weekdays.

The Blacksmiths' Association was established in Fragrant Cloud City —a location also chosen as a base by the Alchemists' Association.

The two organizations frequently exchanged information, and their adjacent locations facilitated communication.

Fragrant Cloud City has always appreciated the innovative inventions of its players, and the entire city is permeated with a strong atmosphere of research and innovation.

"That Legend figure... would he really come to a place like ours? We're just a small group..." A blacksmith could hardly believe his ears when he heard that the great master "Chongxing" was coming.

Everyone knows the other is Cheater, but that's precisely why they inspire even more awe.

Everyone wants to have an unfair advantage, but others have managed to do what they couldn't.

"What do you mean by clique!"

"Where are we small? We follow the elite route! Every single one of those who can join the United Association is a master forging expert with unique skills. We value quality!"

Big Hammer was displeased when someone mentioned that he belonged to a "small group".

His own guild might be insignificant, but the Blacksmiths' Association was quite prestigious in the industry.

Although most players prefer standard equipment dropped in dungeons or obtained in the wild, they look down on the "works" they craft themselves.

However, in certain enhancement areas, only blacksmiths can guarantee a stable success rate and optimal results—such as socketing gems into equipment, enhancing and upgrading equipment, and performing regular maintenance.

Yes, even system-generated equipment will gradually wear down as players die, and must be repaired regularly by professional blacksmiths.

This is one of the ways that blacksmiths make a living.

Meanwhile, the equipment they craft using spiritual plants and special in-game materials can occasionally produce unexpected effects.

Many players who cannot afford high-level standard equipment for the time being will also order transitional equipment from them to support them until the equipment upgrade stage.

Most importantly, this group of high-level blacksmiths often gather together to study the modification and innovation of dungeon equipment.

Through the combined efforts of everyone involved, some breakthroughs were indeed achieved.

For example, the "equipment fusion" problem that Chongxing had previously inquired about is a key topic they have been focusing on recently!