Chapter 132: Assimilation

Out of the players' sight, Li Ren sat on Mao Mao’s back, toying with the "Wish of the Holy Light" he had obtained from the Paladin Commander.

Reflecting on the operation, the harvest could be considered quite substantial. The equipment dropped by the players slaughtered by the vampire legion alone represented a considerable gain, not to mention the Paladins from Watcher City summoned later due to the actions of Zolon and his companions. These were entities with the strength of bosses. By working together—Li Ren, Lania, and the vampire legion—they had managed to summon a blood pool and fight these Paladins to the death, leaving none behind. The massive surge in experience and the top-tier loot dropped were a true windfall.

And that was not even counting the golden chalice Li Ren was currently studying.

Wish of the Holy Light!
Equipment Tier: Red
Equip Effect: All attributes increased by 30%. All skills carry a Holy attribute. Damage dealt increased by 80%, and healing effectiveness increased by 100%.
Equip Passive: Holy Spirit Aura.
Holy Spirit Aura: All friendly units within 50 meters of the wearer have their damage dealt and healing received increased by 50%. It exerts a powerful suppression effect on dark creatures.
The Holy Power never dissipates.
(Fusion Available)

Looking at this, his second Red-tier item, Li Ren felt a sense of wonder. In the normal progression of the game, obtaining such an item would require waiting for a monster siege event, attacking Watcher City, and luring out the Paladins from the sanctuary to kill them. Yet here it was in his hands, all those Paladins having been turned into experience points for him and Mao Mao. He really owed a debt to Zolon’s subordinates—that foolish fellow who had been lucky enough to obtain the Paladin class change opportunity.

Looking at the powerful bonus attributes, if he were to equip this, it would be equivalent to gaining another "Judgment of Fire." The sheer damage-boosting potential was simply game-breaking.

Moreover, the fact that it came with an aura was rare. Items that could buff an entire team were undoubtedly top-tier; buffing a hundred people was a completely different matter from buffing just one. And the stats of this Holy Spirit Aura were monstrous. A 50% damage boost! Any friendly forces within 50 meters of the wearer would essentially be transformed into killing machines.

However, seeing the line about the powerful suppression effect on dark creatures, Li Ren felt a wave of irritation. A perfectly good piece of equipment ruined by this one clause. As their master, he was a dark creature through and through; could he really have any non-dark subordinates? If he wore this during a monster siege, it wouldn't even require player intervention. Wherever he went, everything within 50 meters would become a graveyard for dark creatures. His own minions would be the ones facing disaster.

Shaking his head to cast aside the impractical thought of wearing it himself, Li Ren focused his attention on the words "Fusion Available."

"Fusion? This thing can actually be fused?" Li Ren muttered to himself. To fuse something of this caliber, the other item would certainly need to be of a high tier. So far, only two Red items had appeared, the other being the "Heart of the Voodoo Lord" already bound to him, which was incredibly useful. But even without thinking too hard, he knew those two couldn't be combined. One was the pinnacle of holiness, while the other belonged to a powerful Voodoo Lord of darkness. If he fused them, who knew what might happen? Besides, the Heart of the Voodoo Lord was currently too vital to him, providing terrifying recovery and survivability. If he accidentally fused them and turned it into junk, it would be a tragedy.

For a moment, he couldn't find a suitable candidate for fusion.

Though the process of his thoughts seemed slow, it happened in an instant. When Li Ren regained his focus, he noticed a change in the Wish of the Holy Light. The once solid golden chalice now appeared somewhat ethereal, its surface rippling like water. Under his gaze, the item began to melt, its dense holy energy liquefying into a golden fluid.

Li Ren stared at the liquid in shock. "You have to be kidding me! I didn't mean to trigger anything; I just thought about it, and it started changing?" He felt helpless. Watching an item with stats rivaling the Judgment of Fire slip away like this was a bitter experience.

"But what am I supposed to fuse it with?" As he pondered this, another unexpected event interrupted him, leaving him stunned.

The golden liquid in his hands had begun to seep into his own body. As it penetrated, his white, jade-like bone hands started to stain a brilliant gold. From the moment the color appeared, the remaining liquid seemed to have found a home, surging madly into his bones. A faint, searing sensation accompanied it, and in a blink, the liquid vanished into his hands. The speed was so fast he didn't even have a chance to shake it off.

Looking at his now golden palms, Li Ren didn't know whether to laugh or cry. What was this? Fusing with himself? A skeleton and a holy relic? Truly interesting!