Chapter 17: Harvest and Advancement

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Carrying a heavy load, Lin Bo struggled mightily to bring his haul back to the lighthouse.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he looked at the chaotic mess of debris scattered about. Even the sloppiest person wouldn’t be able to help but frown at such disorder.

The usable space inside the lighthouse was still far too cramped. Lin Bo had considered building a small shed in the yard before the lighthouse or even digging out a basement beneath it to set up a mechanical workshop.

But now was too early to think about these far-off plans; clearing out the clutter was an urgent matter.

At this moment, he needed the help of enthusiastic netizens.

[Lighthouse Guest]: Open a trade channel.

[Garbage Picker]: Got it, brother~

Lin Bo gathered the mechanical scraps he had brought back, then tossed them one by one into the sea-blue vortex of the trade portal.

On the other side, [Garbage Picker] checked and stored the items, chatting with Lin Bo as he did so: “I saw you team up with others in the channel for the Hell difficulty run. Looks like you handled it well.”

[Lighthouse Guest]: The teammates I found were very reliable.

[Garbage Picker Makes Me Happy]: Wait a second, that Mark VII attacker you defeated, right? The wound matches your style.

[Lighthouse Guest]: I want to ask you to fix it. I’ll pay you.

[Garbage Picker Makes Me Happy]: It’s no trouble at all. But if you’re not in a rush, I think it’s better to handle this task yourself. You’re starting to learn mechanical manufacturing anyway. Just reading books can kill your interest. It’s much more fun to practice while you learn.

[Lighthouse Guest]: I’ve only been learning for a day. Isn’t that too advanced? Besides, I don’t even have tools on hand.

From the sea-blue vortex dropped a bright orange, brand-new rectangular toolbox, about the size of a common suitcase.

To Lin Bo’s surprise, this seemingly ordinary item was actually an authenticated universal tool.

[Universal Toolbox (White)]

Type: Arcane Science Product

Weight: 20.5 kg

Effect: When opened, the tools you need and already contained within are guaranteed to appear at the top layer.

Description: Hammers, chisels, electric drills, wrenches, wire saws, spray guns, welding torches... everything you need is here. Though simple, these tools are sufficient for daily repairs and basic manufacturing. Moreover, the large capacity doesn’t require strenuous digging to reach the bottom.

Mom will never worry about me losing my screwdriver again. — Maker’s note

[Lighthouse Guest]: Nice! How much?

[Garbage Picker Makes Me Happy]: With our relationship, you’re still talking money? I’ve got plenty of these. I’ll give you one.

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[Lighthouse Guest]: Family, forever grateful.

Lin Bo didn’t rush to retrieve the Sword Guard’s remains, since he had to continue running maps soon. So he left them in the netizen’s care under the pretense of storage.

With the scrap cleared away from his feet, he finally had time to sort through his loot.

Perhaps it was because it was his first time clearing Hell difficulty, Lin Bo’s luck exploded this round, yielding three pieces of equipment and a knowledge fragment.

Gray equipment was guaranteed, a mechanic’s sweat-absorbing vest, with effects like others in the series.

It was simply a white cotton tank top, plain to the point of being rustic. The coat and shoes were designed with sharp lines and looked good, but the inner layer ignored aesthetics completely. Did people think it was fine to let themselves go as long as no one could see? Lin Bo really didn’t know how to judge these folks.

The white equipment was a Guard’s chest armor, which could seamlessly connect with the arm guards. The overall appearance was still relatively lightweight. The fin-like plates on the abdomen gave a somewhat muscular look and provided decent protection for the torso.

Its effect was a slight boost to torso stability. Wearing it, Lin Bo indeed felt a sense of support, as if he had grown a crab shell.

Moreover, the arm guards and chest armor seemed to have a synergy effect. When combined, he felt his hand stability noticeably improved.

This could be considered a set bonus.

The blue equipment—leg burst exoskeleton—was a pleasant surprise. Lin Bo finally obtained his first piece of fine-grade gear, no longer stuck with inferior gray or common white-tier items.

Leg Burst Exoskeleton

Type: Engineering Product

Weight: 7.2 kg

Effect: Grants universal skill [Charge Lv1] and active skill [Passionate Kick].

Description: Early leg blueprint from the bionic mechanical guardian Mark VII design draft, modified by a bored mechanic into a wearable exoskeleton leg armor for humans, intended solely for utterly dominating colleagues on the soccer field.

Referee, this guy’s cheating! Why no penalty? Screw you, biased whistle! — Comment from a victim on the field

The exoskeleton’s design resembled the overall style of the Sword Guard but lacked a reverse joint structure.

It had a built-in battery that needed regular charging, which was troublesome since it was an engineering product, not a magical item. Players from native worlds without electric technology would find it unfriendly.

The two skills the equipment granted were: the universal skill “Charge,” which at Lv1 means full sprint with a knockback effect on objects in the path based on size and weight, but leaves the user briefly weakened afterward; and the equipment’s own skill “Passionate Kick,” which overloads the exoskeleton motors to deliver a powerful strike with a knockback effect, followed by a cooldown period.

Lin Bo was quite satisfied with this gear. After all, he was learning mecha combat techniques, which differ from traditional fighting styles that emphasize keeping one’s feet on the ground. In aerial combat scenarios, kicks are broadly applicable.

Earlier in the dungeon, the kicks he landed on the Sword Guard had his legs aching badly. He expected bruises by morning. With this exoskeleton equipped, he could kick with more confidence.

The greatest loot from the dungeon was undoubtedly the knowledge fragment “Secrets of the Mechanic,” a version-limited item. Knowledge fragments were always red-legendary quality.

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Taking it from his backpack, he examined the fragment: a notebook with a silver metal cover, cold to the touch, locked by an indestructible small lock that prevented the pages from opening.

Secrets of the Mechanic (Red)

Type: Knowledge Fragment

Effect: Consuming this item can break through level caps on certain skills. When training mechanical-related skills, base proficiency permanently increases by +1. This effect cannot be gained repeatedly but can stack with other similar fragments.

Description: Study the fragment to unlock the hidden secrets within. Each study session requires a tribute of 1000 Disaster Coins.

Gears turn, metal sings, bells toll, the world is overturned. — Foreword

Although all red items, knowledge fragments vary in value. Those that break through high-level skill limits are naturally more expensive. Fragments for rare skills carry premiums in trades. Scarce fragments are, of course, very valuable.

“Secrets of the Mechanic” comes from a beginner dungeon, placing it in the low-price tier. Lin Bo did not plan to sell it; he knew he would need it someday. If he finds duplicates in future runs, he might consider exchanging them.

For clearing Hell difficulty the first time, the network also awarded an achievement title.

Players have unlimited title slots, meaning they can wear as many titles as they like, but must choose wisely because each title’s effects vary and can include drawbacks.

“Hazardous Appliance Cleanup (Dim)”

Effect: Slightly reduces malfunction probability when manufacturing intelligent mechanical products; increases probability of being targeted by hostile intelligent machinery.

Description: You helped some ancient mechanical scholars clear out bionic guards in an abandoned factory. Thank you for cleaning up the mess in the shadows.

Lin Bo clicked his tongue; this title was somewhat superfluous.

Having beaten Hell difficulty before suffering level penalties, his Disaster Coins and experience gains were maxed out.

His total Disaster Coins had risen to a gratifying 196.

Moreover, his True Name Mage class experience bar had enough to level up.

Class: True Name Mage Lv2 (2075/1350)

[Level-up requirements met]

“Level up.”