novelAlta Chapter 117 : Chapter 117
Chapter 117 : Chapter 117
Chapter 117 : Revolver
"Haa... Haa..."
Sal gasped for breath, grimacing as he held onto the table.
His whole body felt like it was fading away regardless of his will, and the sensation was downright terrifying.
Above all, he wanted to avoid collapsing on the floor and making Upgrade and Chatfield worry about his health.
He also didn't want the reputation of recklessly pushing himself to stick.
Sal gritted his teeth and forcibly connected his Essence to the Cores.
He hoped doing so would aid his recovery, but the pain didn't subside at all.
After a few moments of panting heavily, he shifted his posture to prevent falling forward and slowly lowered himself to sit.
Holding out on his knees for a moment, he eventually let go of the table and sat back, leaning backward to compose himself.
Looking up at the ceiling, he retraced what had just happened, step by step.
After a few minutes, his breathing regained its calm, and the darkness that had been encroaching just moments ago receded.
Sal gripped the edge of the table, slowly stood up, and let out a sigh of relief.
Then, his gaze landed on the monocle.
'Was this possibly masking my fatigue?'
Or perhaps it was because of that moment when Essence was rapidly drained from his body while combining the revolver and the Tracker.
Sal closed his eyes and focused on his internal Core.
He hoped there might be some clue within.
After focusing quietly for a moment, Sal could see his Essence threads sitting in their places.
They were all harmoniously connected to each Gate.
This only confused Sal further.
Opening his eyes, Sal concluded that this time he was simply exhausted.
It wasn't an issue related to Essence, but merely a need for rest.
He tried hard not to look at the revolver and Tracker.
If he checked them now, his Appraisal would activate, and he would surely end up using the Tracker on that box of materials right away.
Sal noticed an empty space on the sofa next to Upgrade where he could rest his head.
It wouldn't be comfortable, but it was enough for what he needed right now.
As he headed for the sofa, he finally felt just how sluggish his movements had become.
'Can't I make a device that restores fatigue or accelerates recovery?'
He wondered what ability would be needed to implement such a thing, and what materials would be used.
However, the moment he leaned his body onto the sofa, all those thoughts vanished without a trace, and he fell into a deep sleep.
When Sal woke up, he intuitively sensed something was wrong.
He had definitely fallen asleep sitting up, but upon waking, he found his body lying on its side.
There was a slight pressure on his chest, and something pillow-like was supporting his neck.
Moving his arm a little, it was clear he was even covered with a blanket.
Opening his eyes, Sal never expected to face Upgrade right in front of him.
Her hand was on his chest, and his head was resting on her thigh.
At that moment, Sal jolted awake in shock, but Upgrade simply smiled and removed her hand from his chest.
"Good morning. What are you so surprised about? You were resting quite comfortably until a few minutes ago."
Upgrade spoke in a teasing tone, making a deliberately exaggerated frown before patting his chest as if to reassure him.
"Just think about how surprised I was to see you curled up right next to me."
Unable to hide his face, which had turned red from embarrassment, Sal bolted upright.
He mumbled an apology in his confusion, but she brought her face close again, smiling as she asked.
"Sorry, what did you say?"
Sal threw off the blanket and stood up.
Ignoring Upgrade's laughter, he looked at the table with groggy eyes.
The visor and revolver had been moved from where he had left them; Chatfield had probably moved them.
If Chatfield had also seen him sleeping using Upgrade as a pillow, the embarrassment would have been doubled, so it was a relief he wasn't there.
Upgrade yawned, stretched her arms high above her head, and stood up.
"Did you sleep well? You seemed to be having quite a bad nightmare at the end."
This time, her tone wasn't teasing at all.
Sal shook his head.
Even if he had a nightmare, it was rare for him to remember it.
He almost never had vivid dreams like other people described.
Upgrade frowned and walked around to the other side of the table, facing Sal.
She raised an eyebrow and pointed towards the sofa.
"You were thrashing around a bit, so I was going to wake you up. That's how you ended up leaning on me. Once you calmed down, you looked peaceful. So I just let you sleep."
Upgrade paused as if deep in thought for a moment, then met Sal's gaze again and smiled.
"If there's something weighing on your mind, tell me. I don't want you to burn out easily. So Sal, if I can help keep you from breaking down, tell me anytime."
Sal glanced at the sofa and returned her smile.
"Don't worry. If something difficult comes up, you're one of the first people I'd talk to, Professor. But I don't know what that was just now either, so I won't dwell on it unnecessarily."
Sal shifted his gaze back to the table.
His smile had unknowingly spread into a bright grin.
"Besides, there's something much more interesting right now. Did you check it?"
Upgrade shook her head, propped her elbows on the table, and leaned forward to examine the revolver closely.
"I didn't get a chance to see it myself, but it's really amazing. Have you already appraised it? or did you wait until we woke up? The Captain should be back soon. He stepped out for a meeting. The Hunter Network isn't an organization we can keep waiting."
Before starting the Appraisal, Sal told Upgrade about the sensation of extreme exhaustion he had experienced earlier.
He was curious if she might have any insights.
He recounted everything without omitting a detail.
When he finished the story, he was actually relieved to see Upgrade looking somewhat puzzled.
It meant he hadn't made some obvious mistake, at least.
Upgrade looked at the revolver, then shifted her gaze back to the visor.
"Ah! I get it now."
She tilted her head slightly and pointed at the visor.
"You added a Synergy attribute at the end and activated it, right?"
Upgrade looked at Sal as if waiting for an answer, and Sal nodded.
"Synergy is only established between equal ranks. If one is Rare rank and the other is Uncommon, they can't synergize with each other. It's not that it failed completely, but it seems your ability detected that problem and corrected it on its own."
Upgrade tapped the visor meaningfully and smiled.
"That's no longer an Uncommon rank item. In my opinion, it was forcibly upgraded to match the ranks of the two pieces of equipment. Seeing that your internal Core was fine, you probably acted as a conduit transferring Essence between the Core and the visor. In other words, you became the medium for the Essence. And thanks to the monocle helping you find calmness, you didn't even notice the process happening to yourself."
Upgrade slid the visor across the table toward Sal.
Sal stared at the visor in disbelief.
He hadn't properly examined it since crafting the revolver.
Now that he was alert, he immediately noticed it had visibly changed.
There was only one way to confirm.
Sal smiled and activated his ability.
"Let's see if that's really true."
Name: Scarlet Moon Visor [Set 1/2]
Origin: Crafted
Age: New
Rank: Rare (Low)
Specs: Visor 2.5", 4" | Earpiece 4", 3.5"
Materials: Condensed Moonsilver | Scarlet Screen | Refined Mythos Crafter Essence
Attributes: [Unsealed] [5/16 Unlocked
-Analysis: Can interpret visual data and information.
-Insight: Wearer can analyze patterns and predict outcomes.
-Reasoning: Wearer can process real-time information quickly.
-Lock: Must track targets captured in the field of view.
-Synergy: Abilities are shared between set items.
Abilities: Analysis | Insight | Reasoning | Lock | Synergy | [Sealed]...
Power Source: External Essence [Scarlet Moon Revolver]
Evolution: Yes - 3%
Quality: Perfect
Condition: 100%
Value: Estimated $85,000.00 - $105,000.00
Staring at the results, Sal finally realized just how overwhelming the power of this set would become in the future.
When he glanced at Upgrade with his jaw dropped, she was watching him with eyes full of anticipation.
Sal looked into the monocle and was speechless for a while.
"This monocle is Low Unique rank but has four abilities unlocked. On the other hand, this visor is a grade lower at the lowest Rare rank, yet it has five abilities open."
Sal's mind reeled with shock.
He took a step back from the table and looked at Upgrade in disbelief.
"The uniform you made for me is Epic rank but has four abilities. This is two ranks below that, but it has the same four. The Siphon Blade that Blink from the Reavers Guild uses also has four abilities and is the same rank as this... How is this possible?"
Upgrade clapped her hands excitedly and walked around the table to stand beside Sal.
Upgrade picked up the visor and turned it over in her hands.
"I told you yesterday! It seems to absorb new abilities every time the rank goes up. If that number 16 is correct, it means it could eventually go up to Mythos rank. Or if my calculations are wrong, it could be Legendary rank. Either way, it's a ridiculous achievement! Are the abilities usable?"
Since Upgrade kept rolling the visor in her hands, Sal had to focus even harder to read the information.
"Analysis ability. The reason the visor was made, and the ability we knew of. Besides that, Insight, Lock, Reasoning... two of these are also in the monocle. That Lock attribute is probably the same one I put in the sniper rifle, but it looks much more powerful. I'll have to verify it, but it seems enhanced."
Upgrade beamed.
"And the last one is Synergy, right? It binds your revolver and visor together. Alright, enough stalling! Time to appraise the gun. I'm so curious right now!"
She put the visor down on the table and waited for Sal with eyes full of expectation.
Curiosity piqued, Sal nodded readily.
He picked up the revolver and was overwhelmed once again by its appearance.
A crimson line followed the sight along the top of the barrel, clearly the influence of the Scarlet Screen connecting the Moonsilver.
The firearm shone with a glistening silver light as it caught the light, and the mist effect seen previously seemed trapped beneath the surface.
As he began the Appraisal, Sal hoped this gun would be as impressive as the visor.
And that expectation became reality without fail.
Name: Scarlet Moon Revolver [Set 2/2]
Origin: Crafted
Age: New
Rank: Rare (Low)
Specs: Barrel Length: 6 inches | Overall Length: 11.5 inches | Height: 5.5 inches | Weight: 2.1 lbs
Materials: Condensed Moonsilver | Scarlet Screen | Refined Mythos Crafter Essence | Hellfire Titanium
Attributes: [Sealed] [5/16 Unlocked]
-Link: Connects the gun to the target upon firing, draining the target's Essence with each shot.
-Exploit: Synergized equipment benefits from the drained Essence.
-Burst: Utilizes stored Essence to greatly enhance the power of the shot.
-Reaction: Essence-based bullet effects are enhanced.
-Synergy: Abilities are shared between set items.
Abilities: Link | Exploit | Burst | Reaction | Synergy | [Sealed]...
Power Source: External Essence
Evolution: Yes - 3%
Quality: Perfect
Condition: 100%
Value: Estimated $120,000.00 - $165,000.00
When Sal read out all the results, a look of disappointment flashed across Upgrade's face.