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As Ervas went to sleep earlier, Veronica kept celebrating with the rest of the tribe while assessing her own things. ??
She had been accumulating a lot of scales, bones, and horns from monsters above Rank 5, which she knew could bring her some substantial upgrade to her equipment, with these minotaur bones and horns, she hoped that she could get a nice upgrade into her 'Armory' Skill and perhaps even level it up for a new slot, she was planning on adding something like an axe or a long sword, or even daggers.
A pile of various materials, the bones, and scales of Rank 5 Crystal Lizards, extremely rare monsters of the dungeon that they had previously explored, which were made out of a crystal-like material harder than most jewels, the scales of various species of Rank 5 Lizard variants, alongside those of Ogres, the exoskeletons that Jason brought from his own dungeon exploration as well as many others.
"Oh, you're gonna eat all that?" asked Anna at Veronica's side.
"Oh, no, Anna. Veronica asked for these so she can well… upgrade her own body in a way?" said Jason while trying to look for a word fitting whatever Veronica does.
"It's named absorption healing, it is a skill that most of the monsters in the dungeon where I was born had… though I have 'developed' it different… it is hard to understand, even I, the wielder of the power cannot find much reason behind it other than the particular ability to live armors," said Veronica.
"Veronica always talks as if she wasn't a Living Armor!" said Amelia between giggles.
"Well, in a way I was not one before… ah, anyway, time to upgrade 'myself'" said Veronica, raising her arms and using 'Absorption Healing' in the pile of materials.
An ethereal dark light covered all the materials as they were completely engulfed by it and then flew towards her body.
Veronica this time, however, decided to upgrade her two armors, shield, and javelin spreading all materials evenly.
[The materials [Crystal Lizard Scales], [Minotaur Charcoal Dark Horns], [Blazing Red Lizard Scales], [Giant Minotaur Magic Stone], [Blazing Red Lizard Magic Stone] and the [Grand Scarlet Spider Queen's Dusk Living Armor] equipment have been synthesized into the [Dark Crystal Scarlet Demon Minotaur Empress Living Armor] armor!]
[The materials [Crystal Lizard Bones], [Minotaur Sturdy Bones], [Icy Blue Lizard Scales], [Small Icy Blue Lizard Magic Stone], [Ogre's Sturdy Bones] and the [Silver Metallic Slime Soldier Exoskeleton Living Armor] equipment have been synthesized into the [Ice Crystal Silver Mercury Empress Living Armor] armor!]
[The materials [Crystal Lizard Great Horns], [Giant Green Lizard Scales], [Giant Green Lizard Bones], [Giant Green Lizard Mana Core] and the [Medium-Sized Flexible Iron-Silver Snake Exoskeleton Shield] equipment have been synthesized into the [Great Crystallized Green Scales Manageable Shield] shield!]
[The materials [Crystal Lizard Sharp Fangs], [Minotaur Giant Teeth], [Blazing Red Lizard Fiery Fangs], [Icy Blue Lizard Freezing Fangs] and the [Golden Magical Ruby Long Spear] weapon have been synthesized into the [Magical Crystalline Blazing Ice Fanged Long Spear] weapon!]
[You gained +100 Defense +80 Resistance, +50 Mana, and +40 Magic]
"It even came with a bit of an upgrade on stats?"
[The Levels of the [Absorption Healing (Mineral, Materials, Armor); Level 4], [Armory; Level 3], and [Legion; Level 1] Skills have increased!]
"And three skills leveled up, it seems that it was worth to save those materials," thought Veronica, glancing at her new change in appearance, the armor she was currently wearing became a tad bit more robust, with a larger chest plate, as if her breasts had somehow increased in size despite not having a physical body…
Her colors had mostly remained, but on her shoulders and helmet she had now horns and spikes made of dark crystals and her claws could also extend like dark crystal nails. Her second armor, which was silver-colored gained bright blue colors and ice themed-decorations, with azure crystals at her back and shoulders, it was thinner than her first armor.
Her shield evolved from 'Medium-sized' to 'Great', and it showed it into its large size, resembling a beautifully crafted shield made out of metallic green scales that could also mold itself to change its shape.
And lastly, her spear became brilliant, covered in red and blue jewels, each time she unleashed an attack, it would release a small blaze or a cold breeze.
"All done! I do not think I will find good materials to absorb any time soon, so it will be a while since then… hm? What weapon should I add to my Armory now…?" wondered Veronica.
The weapons on Veronica's army had greater power than those crafted with her armor's materials and also seemed to be able to be replicated to an extent, as she was able to throw javelins indefinitely, but wasn't capable of duplicating her shield. The shields crafted with her armor were often used by others, but those were not as strong as her main shield and could actually break apart by a strong technique, such as Anna's Level 5 Axe Technique.
Her javelins, after she gifted them would also seem to weaken, and even if she made them into cursed weapons, they would have to raise from Rank 1.
Cursed Weapons were haunted weapons by dead spirits that Veronica could insert in equipment using 'Soul Binding', every time these happened, the Cursed Weapon would start at level 1 and Rank 1, but could strengthen itself through leveling, gaining skills and other things, most of the population in the tribe wore and wielded cursed equipment of at least Rank 2, and some that were independent enough were even considered as tribe members by now.
"You gifted me such a good prosthetic leg… how about you take this one for you, Veronica?" asked Anna as she borrowed a weapon from her workshop, it was her old axe that shattered when she fought against the Minotaur since an axe crafted by using Veronica's armor and then turned into a cursed weapon was better, she didn't choose to repair it, and it remained dusty inside a leather bag.
However, this shattered axe still held a strong emotional connection with Anna, that she gifted it to Veronica was surprising for Ismene and other squirrel-kin women present.
"This… but isn't it…?"
"I heard from Jason that you can even recreate shattered weapons with your Armory Skill, so you could give it a shot…?" said Anna.
"That's… thanks for the gift, Anna," said Veronica with a bright smile, shining even in her phantasmal, semi-transparent pale white skin.
"W-Well, I am glad you like it… but you should first absorb it and then see if it's good after that…" said Anna.
"Alright~"
Veronica grabbed the blade of the silver axe and its shattered blade and pieces and then used Absorption Healing on them. A dark shadow then 'devoured' the pieces and made them into Slot 5 of her Armory.
Ding!
[The [Anna's Strengthened Silver Axe] weapon has been integrated into Slot 5 of 'Armory'!]
"Oh? The axe has your weapon…?" said Veronica, summoning the axe and then throwing some swings with it.
"I wish I had something to upgrade it, but for now it is enough," said Veronica with a smile.
"I-It has my name…?!" said Anna, surprised that Veronica would now have equipment of her name for all eternity inside her system status…
The night was beautiful tonight and the party spent a few hours stargazing before going to sleep, Goliath decided to keep hunting monsters around the tribe with other more nocturnal monsters, while Veronica decided to 'sleep', which was a very deep meditation state.
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