Chapter 46: The Potential of the Staff

The first two blueprints, [Attack Arrow Tower] and [Thorny Wall], could both enhance the defense of the sanctuary. Especially the arrow tower, being an active attack device, would attack any intruders that came within range of the sanctuary.

Of course, just these two blueprints alone weren't enough to make Irving feel as if he had hit the jackpot.

[Mind Alarm Device]

This was the real highlight! The second round of cataclysm would simulate the environmental changes of the Dark Dominator devouring Bluestar. Besides the threat of extreme cold weather, there would be endless darkness... In a pitch-black environment where one couldn't see their hand in front of their face, there was a constant risk of being ambushed by alien beasts, leading to many deaths.

However, this device could monitor the approach and activities of nearby alien beasts in real time. It was almost too good to be true... but Irving understood that activating this device wasn't as simple as it seemed.

There was a note in the blueprint information: Low-level alien beast heart energy would be unable to detect the activities of high-level alien beasts! This meant that not all alien beast actions could be monitored. The primary requirement was to obtain a high-level alien beast heart.

As long as the special energy contained in the alien beasts near the sanctuary did not exceed the energy value of the alien beast heart within the [Mind Alarm Device], their actions could be monitored in real time.

"This is somewhat like a radar..." Irving mused.

Although he had brought in the spotlight, it was only for illumination. Clearly, this [Mind Alarm Device] would be much more useful.

After putting away the blueprints, Irving's gaze fell on the eight [Obsidian] pieces. For a necromancer, the stronger the mental power, the more alien beasts he could control. He once again took out the [Damaged Staff].

Since the last upgrade, the system interface information had changed from [Severely Damaged Staff] to [Damaged Staff]. But he knew that these were not the staff's true name!

From the outside, the staff had often been mistaken for a fire stick. However, Irving had never heard of any equipment that came with attack skills and affinity... Perhaps this is where its true power lies.

"Could it be that this staff is alive?" Irving speculated. He could clearly feel a faint energy from the staff continuously spreading throughout his body. Although he couldn't yet determine where exactly this faint energy was amplifying, the warm feeling it gave was comforting.

[Do you want to consume: Obsidian*8 to upgrade?]

The system prompt sounded.

"Yes." Irving said, his eyes fixed on the [Damaged Staff] in his hand. During the last upgrade, not only was his mental power greatly increased, but [Fireball] also advanced to the mid-tier level, and he acquired the skill [Gravity Mire].

"I wonder what surprises this upgrade will bring..."

The eight pieces of obsidian floated up and then turned into a stream of light that merged into the staff. A dazzling light flashed, making it hard to keep his eyes open.

[Upgrade Successful!]

[Item Information: Unknown Staff]

[Description: Specific information is unclear... However, the staff seems to contain some powerful special elemental energy, which can only be awakened through further upgrades.]

[Staff Affinity Increasing, Affinity: 35 points]

[Attached Skill 1: Mid-Level - Fireball (Increased attack range, enhanced burn damage)]

[Attached Skill 2: Mid-Level - Gravity Quagmire (Applies a gravity spell within a certain range, increasing gravity to three times normal, slowing the speed of beasts or players within the casting area...)]

Originally filled with high expectations, Irving's face showed a wry smile upon seeing the information.

He had hoped to activate a new skill, but the result was merely an upgrade of the [Gravity Quagmire] to mid-level. However, as his affinity with the staff increased, the energy continuously emanating from the staff became noticeably stronger.

"What is this..." Irving's expression slightly froze when he looked at the staff in his hand again. The staff, which initially resembled a simple fire stick, had its dark, shell-like surface gradually peeling away, revealing a golden interior that seemed to be engraved with rune-like symbols.

Although the dark shell of the staff hadn't completely shed yet, obscuring its true appearance, Irving felt an indescribable power emanating from the engraved symbols.

[Next Upgrade Requires: Black Obsidian *32...]

After checking the required amount of black obsidian for the next upgrade in the system interface, Irving put the staff away.

Even though he didn't gain any particularly powerful skills this time, his mental strength had significantly improved. Irving could sense that with his current mental strength, without Vicky's assistance, he could control at least forty low-level beasts like the pigmen.

"It's a pity that the pigmen's strength is still far from enough to drive those turbine generators..." Irving glanced into the distance and shook his head.

At this moment, Vicky returned with Sophia, the two having just taken a walk around the shelter's vicinity.

"How did you get those things in here?" Sophia asked. She wasn't astonished by the modified turbine generators themselves, but rather by their presence in this place.

"That's something you don't need to know." Irving replied.

"Irving, should we reinforce our sanctuary further?" Vicky continued, "No one knows what kind of alien beasts will appear in the second cataclysm. Many players on the forum are selling materials. At least we should reinforce the walls..."

Irving's sanctuary wasn't large, just a stone house of over a hundred square meters, surrounded by wooden fences. A passageway was left in the middle of the fence, seemingly the only way into the sanctuary but actually set with a [Swamp Trap].

During the first cataclysm, the combination of the [Swamp Trap] and a blazing fire had caused all the alien beasts in the beast tide to perish there.

Sophia had no idea about these things. She looked at the crude stone shelter with even more astonishment on her cold face. However, this astonishment was completely different from the shock she felt when she saw the turbine generators. She looked at Irving and asked, "Just this little stone house? How did you survive the first wave of the cataclysm?

Were you just lucky and didn't encounter many alien beasts?"

In her eyes, the crude stone shelter in front of her probably couldn't withstand the first wave of a beast tide attack. If they survived the first wave by luck, such luck would not continue to bless the same person repeatedly.

Sophia felt a mix of emotions. From the moment she entered and became a subordinate player, she formed a bond with Irving's sanctuary. In other words, if this stone house were to be destroyed, she would also suffer serious repercussions.

"Who said we didn't encounter many alien beasts?" Vicky said indignantly. "At that time, we even faced a [Calamity-Class] alien beast, the Stone Giant, right, Irving?" She glanced at Irving, but he didn't respond. Irving was well aware that he had encountered many exotic beasts at the time, but those beasts were nothing to him. In fact, he had encountered even more exotic beasts before.

"[Calamity-Class]?" Sophia had never heard of this term. She looked at Vicky with a complicated expression, thinking this woman made it up to defend Irving.

"There are only nineteen hours left until the second wave of the cataclysm." Sophia said with a furrowed brow. "This place can't even compare to the sanctuary built by my family's guild, whether in terms of size or sturdiness... I really don't know what we'll do when the catastrophe strikes tomorrow."

She couldn't help but sigh. Even though she had just seen the turbine generators, spotlights, and heaters, without a sturdy shelter, they couldn't withstand the alien beasts' attacks.

"A sturdy shelter?" Irving shook his head with a smile. "Even if the shelter is built like a fortress, it will eventually be breached. The best way is to ensure the alien beasts never get close to the shelter in the first place!"

Upgrading the sanctuary requires a large amount of materials and a significant amount of time. However, time is running out for Irving and his group. The exotic beasts from the second wave of the catastrophe will undoubtedly be far stronger than those from the previous wave, and they remain unknown entities. Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

In Irving's view, a sturdy shelter was important, but if that was all they had, they would just be sitting ducks waiting to be beaten.

That didn't fit his philosophy at all. He has always adhered to his own beliefs, which are different from those of others. He understood that if things continued this way, failure was inevitable. Failure was simply not an option for Irving. He didn't want to just scrape by; he wanted to live with dignity and honor.

He had had enough of barely surviving in the apocalypse in his past life. In this life, he would not sit and wait for death.