Chapter Eighty-Four: Lava Armor

Heart of Lava!

Fang Tang gazed at the blueprint, his eyes lighting up. This was a material blueprint, the same type as the Heart of Extreme Frost. Fang Tang vaguely recalled that the core used in Xie Ling’s level six armor was a material akin to the Heart of Extreme Frost.

The armor’s attributes would be determined by the nature of its core material. The reason Fang Tang hadn’t asked Xie Ling to craft him a set of level six armor before was simply because he possessed only one Heart of Extreme Frost, whose attributes conflicted with his Frost Gun. Therefore, he hadn’t had Xie Ling make it.

But now, with the Heart of Lava, the situation was different—he could own a set of armor imbued with lava properties.

The effect would be explosive!

He made a swift decision, immediately took out his phone, and found Xie Ling.

“What materials do you need for armor? Please help me craft a set.”

Xie Ling replied, “Give me a moment, I’ll calculate it!”

“Elemental armor requires: Iron Ingots ×2000, Copper Ingots ×1600, Silver Ingots ×1500, Elemental Core ×1, Lightning Stone ×2, Gale Stone ×2, Fire Spirit Stone ×2.”

Seeing the lengthy list, Fang Tang took a deep breath.

Sixteen elemental stones—truly, luck favored him. Ordinarily, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to gather them all.

But then, Fang Tang was now a man of means.

He sent the crafted Heart of Lava and all the required materials to Xie Ling, adding a note of thanks, then happily set off for the next underground chamber.

This was level six technology—how could he not be excited?

Cavern 157.

After slaying the Fallen One here and thoroughly scavenging the cavern, Fang Tang received a message from Xie Ling, along with a transaction link.

“It’s ready, big shot! Take a look.”

“Thank you!”

Fang Tang eagerly clicked the transaction link, and a piece of chest armor fell to the ground.

The chestplate was a mix of red and black, with a flame pattern at the center—precisely the emblem of the Heart of Lava.

He slipped the chestplate on and gently tapped the flame pattern; the armor emitted a series of crisp clicks.

Metallic liquid spread over his limbs, soft metal sheathing his hands and feet.

His head was exposed, and two orange-red reverse blades extended from his arms. The metallic spine along his back was encased in metal, leaving only four clawed appendages protruding.

Fang Tang carefully felt the lava armor’s capabilities—it boosted his speed, power, strength, and defense in all four aspects.

Not only that, the armor was equipped with an automatic defense system.

Its reaction speed nearly matched that of a seventh-tier Evolver, and even the twisted rules would not hinder its performance.

Yet, these features alone were not enough to illustrate the true might of level six armor. The armor connected directly to Fang Tang’s neural pathways, providing him with sharper, clearer combat instincts.

“What a marvel!”

Fang Tang’s eyes shone as he caressed the armor, reluctant to let go. With this equipment, his power could leap from D- straight to B-, crossing two major thresholds.

To think, Liu Yiran’s estimated rank was only B+.

“From today on, am I finally a true powerhouse?”

Fang Tang stroked his chin, testing the reverse blades on his arms.

They were sharp enough, and even carried a burning property—he could throw them like darts, turning them into molten projectiles that incinerated an enemy’s organs. The Fallen One on the ground was reduced to ashes in moments.

All in all, this was like a cow riding a rocket—utterly unstoppable!

“Facing a fifth-tier Fallen One below, I should be able to crush them.”

Humming a little tune, Fang Tang made his way toward Cavern 158.

There, a fifth-tier Fallen One awaited—the perfect opportunity for a field test.

Pushing through the black mist, he found a corpulent giant rat sprawled on the ground, resting.

Fang Tang’s arrival startled the rat.

Its ears twitched, and it opened its eyes to spot Fang Tang.

In an instant, its beady eyes turned red.

The rat’s short forelimbs flickered rapidly, and with a powerful leap from its thick hind legs, it lunged at Fang Tang.

It was extremely fast, thanks to its rare mutation: Bloodthirsty Hunt, which granted it a speed boost.

If it had encountered an ordinary person, it could have killed them easily, even without using its rare mutation.

Unfortunately, it had met Fang Tang instead.

The two orange-red reverse blades flashed like lightning. In a blink, they were at the rat’s side, and the instant they touched its skin, the blades melted through the smooth hide and pierced effortlessly into the creature’s body.

A sharp squeal erupted.

The rat froze, its bloodthirsty gaze replaced by terror, then agony.

It collapsed, limbs twitching, black smoke pouring from its mouth and nose. In a short while, it lay completely still.

“Tsk, total annihilation.”

Fang Tang clicked his tongue, shaking his head in admiration.

Of course, this rat lacked any defensive abilities; if it had some, the reverse blades wouldn’t have pierced so easily.

Despite their strength, the reverse blades still failed against an opponent with defensive powers.

Not to mention mutation abilities—Sequence 102: Elemental Immunity, for example, would render the blades useless.

Nevertheless, with his eyes’ power to predict enemy abilities, Fang Tang could always devise a countermeasure.

He pocketed the floating elemental stone and continued his exploration.

There were still twenty-two chances left—he had to make good use of them.

Once they were spent, he could finally rest.

Thinking this, Fang Tang slipped through the black mist of Cavern 159.

This chamber was unusually safe—no danger, no twisted rules. Only a golden chest sat quietly at the center.

After looting it, he focused on the wall.

"Other people work 9-to-9, but my job is 0-to-7, laboring around the clock for you. As the boss, can’t you give your child a little benefit? I don’t ask for much—a cow will do. The kid wants milk to drink, otherwise, there’s no motivation."

"What…?"

Fang Tang’s mouth twitched. He took a deep breath, looking helpless.

"Can’t you be serious? If you run into a Crabbeast, we’ll both be done for."

"Alas, poor eyes, endlessly squeezed by a heartless capitalist with no rest at all. By the way, on the left—there’s a golden chest."

Rubbing his temples, Fang Tang hefted his pickaxe and headed to Cavern 160.

He had barely passed through the black mist when he found himself face-to-face with something.

He nearly came nose-to-nose with it, recoiling in alarm and instantly activating his Shadowstep, appearing in the far corner of the cavern in the blink of an eye.

Once at a safe distance, Fang Tang got a good look at what he’d encountered.

It was a female Fallen One with a swollen belly.

"Don’t worry, don’t worry, your eyes would never deceive you. This Fallen One is an intelligent type, just like a slime—harmless.

"This Fallen One was once a housewife, deeply in love with her husband, living a harmonious, happy life. Through their shared efforts, she became pregnant, but fate was unkind… the child died young.

"The housewife was devastated, her mind shattered. She wandered in a daze, longing to be pregnant again.

"When the twisted rules descended, her wish came true. Her belly did swell, but she also became a Fallen One. Yet after so long, the child has never been born.

"Fourth-tier Fallen One, rare mutations: Guardian, Tenacity."

"You finally came to see me. Look—our baby is so big now, about to be born. The doctor said it’s a chubby, healthy boy."

The Fallen One gently caressed her belly, her expression full of kindness, and spoke to Fang Tang, "Darling, what do you think we should name our child?"