Chapter 77: the Enhancement stone

Only two items dropped from the Black Snake Man.

​The first item was an artifact. It was immediately obvious that it was an artifact because, just like the previous one, it had an immediate visual impact. It was glowing in a pristine white color—dazzling, yet not hurting the eyes to look at. This artifact was unlike the others they had seen before, which were typically pendants, cubes, earrings, or necklaces. It was not even a ring, but rather a unique, niche item that looked like an ordinary gem. However, its glowing effect made it unmistakably an artifact.

​Neither Smith nor the others knew what this artifact was at first so Smith inspected it, and the details read:

​Item Name: Stamina Pool

Description: This is a lifebound artifact. Once bound to a player, it directly create a large stamina pool. Where bonded Queens can directly draw from the pool or fill it up.

Effect 2: It can store additional stamina, increase capacity, and boost the stamina recovery speed for all the members.

​After reading the equipment’s details, Smith was pleasantly surprised. This item was practically tailor-made for him. He knew that his girls had a severe stamina issue due to their fighting style. Higher titles granted higher combat power, but that power came at a heavy physical cost—it drained their bodies rapidly. High-level battles didn’t usually last for three days and three nights; in a high-level skill fight, a single careless mistake in a brief window of time was usually fatal.

​Stamina was crucial. In a fight, you couldn’t always guarantee that you were performing at peak condition. If your stamina suddenly ran out in the middle of a battle, it usually meant death. If they had possessed this item during their previous fight against the Black Snake Man and his army, things wouldn’t have turned so dire, and they might have won without paying such a high price or entering a comatose-like state.

​Furthermore, Velvet possessed the Blood Replenishment skill, which will allow her to channel extra stamina into this pool. Although her personal healing factor couldn’t be transferred to the others, this artifact would allow her to regenerate the shared stamina pool at a much faster rate. In essence, all the girls would share the benefits of Velvet’s skill, making it a cheat-like existence for them.

​Earlier, Smith had obtained the Spring of Vitality from a previous dungeon, but that item was limited. At the time, he was interrupted just as he was about to give it to Brenda, who was suffering from a lack of stamina. But he was interrupted by the Elders and his subsequent summoning of the other queens, he felt embarrassed to give such a gift to only one person when all the girls suffered from similar issues. The other girls had felt aggrieved when Brenda overtook them upon his initial return, so gifting it to her in front of them wouldn’t have looked good.

​While Smith was inspecting the artifact with jacob back then, the Velvet and Brenda were inside his spiritual space and could not see what he was looking at. The spiritual space functioned more like a telephone line for communication rather than a shared vision feed. Because the girls were unaware of the artifact existence, Smith remained quiet about it for the moment.

​Originally, Smith had planned to ask Jacob for a contribution loan. However, before coming to the Slaughterhouse, he had already taken out several loans from for some artifacts and various consumables, such as Berserk Pills. The total sum of his debt was already quite large. Although Jacob had mentioned that Smith could ask for more if needed, Smith felt embarrassed to request another five recovery artifacts . Even if Jacob agreed, Smith didn’t want to take advantage of his generosity or appear greedy, so he had kept quiet. Now, this artifact had dropped directly into his hands, instantly solving his immediate predicament.

​Smith passed the artifact to Jacob, who took it and inspected it. The excited expression Jacob previously wore shifted slightly, and he nodded thoughtfully after reading the description.

​In reality, the item was exceptional. Under the terms of his contract as a Grand Elder, Smith had full authority to keep anything he obtained from dungeons without any obligation to share his spoils with the families. His only obligation was that if he found an item he didn’t want, he could offer it to the families in exchange for an agreed-upon amount of contribution points. That was standard procedure for Grand Elders and high-status family members.

​Although Jacob was very tempted when he saw the artifact—after all, who wouldn’t want such an item?—he thought of Smith’s list of queens and recognized that Smith needed it far more. While it didn’t directly boost raw combat power, it granted a tremendous amount of sustainability and tactical flexibility. With just a touch of envy, Jacob handed the artifact back. Smith nodded and placed it safely into his inventory.

​With the first item stored away, all eyes turned to the remaining drop. Satisfied with the artifact, Smith held high hopes for this second item. He picked it up and read its details:

​Item: High-Grade Low-Tier Enhancement Stone

Description: Can perform three low-tier enhancements.

​That was the entirety of the description. The item itself looked like nothing more than a plain black stone etched with faint, flowing runes. Although it looked somewhat mysterious, it lacked any dazzling glow or dramatic visual effects.

​However, beside him, Jacob looked as if he were about to jump out of his skin. The expression on Jacob’s face suggested he wanted to snatch the stone right out of Smith’s hand, though he managed to restrain himself.

​In a tense voice, Jacob asked, "Smith... is that an Enhancement Stone?"

​Smith nodded and replied, "Yes, it is."

​Jacob’s expression faltered slightly as he tried to keep his composure. "And... what grade is it?"

​Noticing Jacob’s weird behavior, Smith gave him a suspicious look and held out the item. "Why don’t you look for yourself? Why are you suddenly acting so weird?"

​Before Smith could fully extend his hand, Jacob snatched the stone like a cat stealing a fish. He greedily scanned the description, and upon reading it, he leaped straight out of his chair and yelled, "Holy shit! It’s a High-Grade Enhancement Stone!"

​Jacob broke into wild laughter, completely throwing his dignified image out the window. "Smith, I swear you must be the son of the Goddess of Luck! How is it that every time you enter a dungeon, you come out with massive surprises? And they’re always incredible items! You must have stepped in dog poop when you were young to be this lucky!"

​Confused by Jacob’s exaggerated reaction, Smith asked, "What does this mean? Why are you so happy?"

​Jacob explained, "You might not realize it, but hunting down a Chosen One usually requires paying a very high price. However, the system is fair. After killing a Chosen One, the guaranteed drops are exceptional. Records show they can drop anywhere from one to five items if you’re extremely lucky. Even though the one you killed only dropped two items, both are immensely useful. The first artifact is a personal game-changer for you, but this item... this was the real prize all along!"

​"Okay, okay," Smith interrupted. "I get it, but can you get straight to the point? What does it actually do?"

​Jacob took a breath and began to explain: "As you know, ’Enhancement’ generally refers to upgrading or promoting something from one stage to another. Even though this stone specifies that it can only perform low-tier enhancements, that carries massive implications. For instance, it can directly bypass a Promotion Trial, allowing someone to upgrade directly from Novice rank to Intermediate rank, or from Intermediate to Expert rank.

​"However, using it for rank upgrades is actually the most wasteful way to use such a precious artifact. The absolute best way to utilize this item is that it can grant an ordinary person the ability to become a player without undergoing the Awakening Trial! Since this is a High-Grade stone, it means it can directly turn three ordinary people into players instantly!"

​Jacob paused, letting the information sink in. Smith immediately grasped the terrifying weight of it. Powerhouses and major factions would go to war over an item like this. While adding three players to a massive faction might not drastically alter its overall power, this item was priceless to high-ranking individuals with children.

​Many powerful figures had children who were either too fearful to undergo the Awakening Trial or were forbidden from participating by protective parents who couldn’t bear the risk of losing them. Because players enjoyed significantly longer lifespans than ordinary humans, an item that guaranteed a safe awakening without risk would drive those powerful figures insane with desire.

​Just as Jacob was celebrating holding a High-Grade Low-Tier Enhancement Stone in his hands, a sudden realization struck him.

​His joyful expression froze instantly, stiffening like a wooden statue as a terrifying truth about their current situation crossed his mind.