NOVEL NEXT Chapter 318: New equipment
The lid of the chest sprang open as soon as it touched the ground.
The chest was enormous, packed with all sorts of things. However, Caleb's gaze was instantly drawn to a coat woven from Zhisse's silk.
He immediately grabbed the coat and put it on. It was a long overcoat, covering his entire body.
Although the fabric felt thin and light, almost as if he was wearing nothing at all, the moment he put it on, a deep warmth spread through him.
It was so warm that Caleb felt as if he were strolling through spring rather than trapped in this icy wasteland.
Inside the chest, there were also gloves, boots, and a few weapons.
And these weapons weren't just for him, but for the Skeletons under his command as well.
BAM!
Suddenly, another chest appeared, crashing down and sending snow flying everywhere.
Caleb looked inside and was startled to see a collection of strange weapons.
He instantly knew who these weapons were meant for, and a wide, satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Hahahaha… With these, I'll definitely be able to hold out in this battle."
But the chest didn't only contain weapons; there was also a small box.
Caleb frowned, sensing something odd.
He picked up the small box, opened it, and found a small stone inside.
Caleb took out the stone, examining it with a puzzled look.
"Is this an energy crystal?" he muttered. "No… I've never seen any energy crystal as strange as this one."
Suddenly, Caleb sensed a small space within the stone—a storage space packed with supplies.
There was even food, water, and a few low-rank energy crystals inside.
"This…" Caleb took a deep breath, his body trembling a little, his face filled with disbelief.
He tried again, and sure enough, he could clearly sense a space within the stone.
It wasn't large, only about five by five by five, but that was more than enough for him to store plenty of things.
"Oy! What's going on?" Austin asked in confusion, seeing the look on Caleb's face.
Caleb didn't say a word. He glanced back in the box, saw another identical stone, and instantly understood who it was meant for.
He tossed the stone to Austin and said, "See for yourself."
Austin caught it, and his expression immediately mirrored Caleb's.
"Damn! Is this… the legendary storage space?"
"That's right," Caleb replied with a laugh as Austin shouted excitedly.
"The space inside is actually five by five by five, and it's completely filled with essential supplies. Hahahaha..." Caleb burst out laughing, unable to hide his exhilaration.
Austin joined in, laughing as well. "Hahahaha... Damn it! This is amazing. Our master really is a god. Hahahaha..."
Caleb grinned and said, "I've only ever seen high-ranking lords with the privilege to use these kinds of spatial stones. I never thought a day would come when I'd have one myself."
"Yeah," Austin nodded. "My father has one too, but it's only two by two by two meters. Even so, the value of that stone is enormous—up to ten thousand rank B energy crystals."
"But this one is five by five by five meters. Damn, its value must be at least ten times higher than my father's stone."
"Huh!" Caleb snorted disdainfully. "Even if you had ten times that number of energy crystals, you might not be able to buy a spatial stone like this."
"Spatial stones have immense strategic military value. Just a few can completely change the outcome of a battle."
"That's why they're banned from trade and considered priceless."
Austin nodded. "Ah! And yet our master gave each of us one, both with five by five by five meters of space. Damn! If I were a woman, I would've jumped into his bed long ago."
Caleb shook his head, laughing, then said, "Alright, enough talking. With this equipment, I think... we can hold our ground against those rank D lords out there."
He waved a hand, calling a Skeleton to his side.
Caleb took out armor, a shield, and a sword for that Skeleton.
Suddenly, as he held the equipment, a strange look appeared on his face.
"Is something wrong?" Austin frowned.
Caleb nodded. "I have a feeling there's something odd about these items."
"Odd?" Austin asked, puzzled.
"Yeah," Caleb continued, "but I can't quite put my finger on what it is."
"Don't worry," Austin laughed. "This is gear sent by the Master for us. There's no way it could be dangerous."
Caleb nodded, then began equipping the Skeleton.
Although this Skeleton was already at rank C+, its intelligence was still very basic—it hadn't developed much at all.
All it knew was how to fight.
That's why, when it came to equipping them, it always required someone to assist.
After Caleb finished outfitting the Skeleton in front of him, he was startled to see a white light suddenly envelop the creature.
GRAO!!!
The Skeleton suddenly let out a roar, the twin flames in its eye sockets blazing fiercely.
A burst of pressure exploded around its body, creating a wild gust of wind swirling outward.
Caleb drew a deep breath, hardly able to believe what he was seeing.
"I only put equipment on it, so how… how did it suddenly get so much stronger?" Austin asked in confusion.
Caleb frowned, staring at the Skeleton, then spoke: "Could it be… resonance gear?"
"Resonance?" Austin echoed, still puzzled.
"Yes," Caleb explained. "I've heard high-ranking lords mention that ordinary soldiers only receive the most basic gear when summoned. But if you manage to find a set of equipment that has resonance with that particular type of soldier, it can double their power."
"Maybe… all of this gear is the resonance type."
Austin sucked in a sharp breath, a chill running through him.
He knew how strong these Skeletons already were. If their power truly doubled, then… they might become even more terrifying than the heroes possessed by those other rank D lords.
Caleb continued, "Even though the level of resonance isn't at its peak, just this much is already enough to make these Skeletons nearly invincible—capable of holding back even rank C heroes."
Right then, Caleb was filled with confidence as he watched the Skeleton in front of him radiate power.
He started equipping twenty more Skeletons.
That's right—throughout all the battles, he hadn't lost a single Skeleton.
After all, these Skeletons were all rank C+; fighting against rank D soldiers was no different from artillery fighting archers.
The gap in power was simply staggering.
After he finished equipping all twenty Skeletons, he noticed some armor pieces that looked like they were made from beast hide in the chest.
Next to them were two strange weapons.
One was a gigantic axe, probably weighing close to 200 kilograms.
The other item was a scepter, looking as if it had been crafted from the bones of some monster, topped with the skull of a mountain goat.
In the hollow eye sockets of that skull were two energy crystals, radiating a gloomy light that sent a chill down Caleb's spine.
"This is…" Caleb suddenly recalled something, immediately saying, "Austin, get in touch with Urlgan and Urlgug."
Austin nodded and quickly left. As Caleb gazed at those pieces of equipment, only one possibility came to mind.
A completely one-sided massacre.
…
"So this is the Herb Forest? It looks more like a wasteland." Aldric stood on the cracked earth, glancing around.
He was dressed in athletic gear made from some special material, inscribed with glowing, shifting magical runes.
On his back, a sword and a spear were crossed in an X.
His arms and legs were wrapped in magically enchanted fabric.
It could be said that, right now, Aldric was fully and comprehensively equipped.
Sniff! Sniff!
Aldric wrinkled his nose as if smelling something, then frowned and said, "This smell… it's awful. Like the stench of countless dead creatures."
"It's coming from… that fissure over there."