Chapter 144: Near-Endgame-Tier Scalpel
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 144: Near-Endgame-Tier Scalpel
Level 3 items aside, the Level 4 Scalpel definitely needed some enhancement.
"I'll be using it all the way until I get a Level 5 weapon, so I might as well."
In fact, the Level 4 Special Scalpel was such a near-endgame-tier item that if I posted it on the Zombie Apocalypse Gallery, even the hardcore veterans would scream, "Holy shit."
No one could find a single flaw in its options.
To make things even better, the Bleeding effect attached as an option was an incredibly lethal status effect in PvP.
Honestly, if it just had five stars, it would be a true endgame-tier item worthy of being pinned on the front page of the Zombie Apocalypse Gallery for a week.
An item relegated to "near"-endgame status solely because it was missing a single star.
So, if nothing else, this was definitely worth spending some enchants on.
I devoured my Level 2 items.
They gave slightly better options and lasted longer than Level 1 items, making it feel like a bit of a waste to use them like this. But then again, I rarely needed to run around fully buffed anyway, and I would only farm more items in the future, not less. There was no need to be stingy.
The success rate for Level 2 items seemed similar to that of Level 1 items.
I devoured every single Level 2 item stacked across three or four shelves.
[You are full. Would you like to replace the Item Predation effect?]
After receiving temporary buff effects from devouring about five items, this message popped up.
It seemed like an attempt to prevent me from becoming temporarily overpowered through excessive predation, but I wondered if there was any point to it.
My Cheat Mode is already completely overpowered anyway.
It didn't really matter, so I ignored it.
I kept devouring Level 2 items until I had gathered exactly ten Low-Grade Enchantment Stones.
"Whew."
Even though there was no penalty for failure, I felt strangely nervous.
Why was I getting so worked up over this?
I just had to apply them, and it would be great if they succeeded.
[Low-Grade Enchantment Stone (2★)]
- An enchantment stone extracted from an item of normal quality.
- When applied to an item, there is a 10% chance to enhance it.
- Cannot be used on items of 5★ or higher.
- Success rate is reduced by 50% for items of 4★ or higher.
- 1% chance to generate an additional enchantment slot on items of 3★ or lower.
The enchantment stones obtained by grinding Level 2 items were definitely superior.
Not only was the success rate doubled, but there was also a 1% chance to generate an additional enchantment slot.
That meant a 1% chance to add two options.
Looking at the probabilities alone, there was no reason for me to debate whether to grind Level 2 items for a 10% chance or grind Level 1 items to get more 5% ones.
Well, in the end, I just had to use whatever I had.
But a Low-Grade Enchantment Stone, with its higher success rate and the potential to grant two random options, was bound to be infinitely better than a Lowest-Grade one.
Plus, the efficiency when moving to +2 was much better with a Low-Grade Enchantment Stone.
Since my minimum enhancement requirement right now was a Low-Grade Enchantment Stone, any real comparison would have to be made against the enchantment stones obtained from grinding Level 3 items.
"Hmm."
I hesitated.
Since I was enhancing a "near-endgame" item, wouldn't it be better to devour Level 3 items to grind for Intermediate Enchantment Stones?
Those would surely have a higher success rate than the Low-Grade ones, and they might even grant additional options specifically for Level 4 items.
"No, that's not it."
But to do that, I had to think about Level 5.
Right now, the Scalpel looked better than any weapon in the world. But in a few months, when the time came to obtain Level 5 items, I would deeply regret having devoured my Level 3 items now.
Level 1 and 2 items were easy to come by, but Level 3 items didn't drop nearly as often.
Even if I did devour them, I had to save the enchantment stones.
So, I decided to stick with Level 2.
Besides, even if I enchanted it with Level 2 stones, no one could match my Scalpel in the current meta.
I brought the enchantment stone to the Scalpel.
"Whew. Please, just let one succeed."
If I could just get one more rare option on this, there would be nothing I couldn't do with this Scalpel.
I could still feel the sensation of the Scalpel slicing through Jeon Jae-jung's arm like tofu.
[Enchant Success!]
"Huh?"
The very first enchantment stone I used succeeded.
At this completely unexpected success, I felt a sudden spark.
It was pure instinct.
"Why do I feel like I'm on a roll?"
Nine enchantment stones remained.
Even though the success rate for +2 was a measly 2.5%, I had a strong gut feeling that if I threw them in right now, they would hit.
Checking the options now would break my flow.
I felt like I had seen this kind of gacha superstition somewhere before.
"Screw it!"
I squeezed my eyes shut and spammed the rest of the enchantment stones.
I could faintly see system messages flashing behind my eyelids, but I forced myself to ignore them.
After dumping all nine in.
I slowly, carefully opened my eyes.
I swiped the notification messages away without looking.
I didn't want to spoil the surprise by reading the log.
Checking the item's options directly would tell me exactly how many times it had succeeded.
Worst-case scenario, it was +1. Best-case, +2.
Wait, was that right? Since I succeeded on +1 in a single try, I was already in the green, but somehow, if it stopped there, it would feel like a loss.
"Now then..."
Just as I was about to check the item, the warehouse door swung open.
"Oppa? What are you doing? Come eat."
"Oh? Perfect timing. Come here for a second."
"Yes?"
I called out to Kim Ji-hee, who had come to find me.
A much more dramatic way to reveal the results had just presented itself.
"Here. Take a look at this."
"What is it?"
"It's my weapon. Read the item options out loud for me."
I handed the Scalpel to Kim Ji-hee.
Kim Ji-hee took it without much thought and read the item information.
"Wow. It's Level 4? This is amazing."
"..."
"Heh? What's with these options?"
"Hey, don't just read it to yourself. Read it so I can hear."
"Ah!"
Realizing what I wanted, Kim Ji-hee began reading aloud from the top.
"The item name is 'Hospital Director's Scalpel of Life,' Level 4."
Nothing new there.
"Huh? But what's this next to it? Plus three? Is this why you were acting all weird by yourself, Oppa?"
"What? Three?"
"Yeah. It says +3?"
I smirked.
"Not bad."
"Pardon?"
Kim Ji-hee was definitely quick-witted.
The moment she realized what I was doing, she immediately started teasing me.
I had almost fallen for it and snatched the Scalpel back in a panic.
I held out my hand, pretending to be unfazed.
"Let me see."
Of course, while a part of me thought it was impossible, I also wondered if Kim Ji-hee would actually play such a prank on me.
It wouldn't be out of character, but she had never played a joke like this before.
With a fluttering heart, I took the Scalpel back.
[Hospital Director's Scalpel of Life (4★)][+3]
- Sharpness (5★)
- Lightness (5★)
- Durability (5★) (5,000 / 5,000)
- Damage to humans and zombies +6
- 40% chance to inflict Bleeding (4★) on wounds inflicted by the Scalpel. (Bleeding cannot be stopped by Healing Modes of 3★ or lower for 600 seconds)
- 50% chance to inflict Poisoning (4★) on targets in a Bleeding state. (Poisoning cannot be cured by Healing Modes of 3★ or lower for 600 seconds)
- Reduces the Agility stat of Bleeding enemies by ★.
- Increases the item's basic effect level by ★.
"FUCK!!! SEX!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I understood.
Looking at this single item, I understood completely.
Why people played RPGs, why they crawled into a zombie apocalypse only to install deeper item farming mods, why they desperately tried to enhance their gear, and why they couldn't rest until they lowered the difficulty.
For other RPGs, it made sense.
That was just the nature of those games.
But I had found it hard to understand why anyone would want to enjoy content from an entirely different genre in a zombie apocalypse.
"But this is it."
Of course, the basic farming loop was great too.
Finding nothing in a collapsed building only to pull a great item at the very end flooded my brain with dopamine.
But enhancing the options on that item created an even deeper attachment to it.
"Wow... this is just fucking OP."
Normally, getting cut by the Scalpel had a 40% chance to cause Bleeding. This Bleeding alone was lethal because the victim couldn't stop the blood flow. But now, with the enchantment options adding secondary complications on top of the Bleeding, getting grazed by this Scalpel was basically a death sentence.
Poisoning, stat reduction...
And the +3 effect, rather than adding a new enchantment option, upgraded the basic options—boosting Sharpness, Lightness, and Durability to Level 5.
Even the damage dealt had increased by +1.
"At this point, it's basically a Level 5 item."
A dance of pure joy came naturally to me.
"Lulu~"
"..."
Even with Kim Ji-hee watching, I couldn't contain my excitement.
"How does a 5%, 2.5%, and 1.25% chance all succeed?! This is insane!"
"..."
After being thoroughly intoxicated by a level of dopamine far higher than the mere joy of farming a good item, I slowly returned to reality.
"Whew. Well?"
"Congratulations, Oppa! You got so lucky! The options are insane! Can I try using it once?"
"Pass. Let's go eat."
As expected, Kim Ji-hee knows exactly how to stroke my ego.
I slung an arm around Kim Ji-hee's shoulder as we walked out of the warehouse.
"But Oppa, is that better than a gun?"
Kim Ji-hee asked on the way.
"Well, if it were a Level 4 +3 enhanced gun, the gun might be better."
It was hard to compare. It was the difference between a melee weapon and a ranged weapon.
One thing was for sure: my hands were itching to test it out.
After finishing my meal, while I was having a cup of coffee, a purchase notification for the Level 3 Membership + Residency package came through the Online Store.
"It's here!!"
I dashed out immediately.