Shelter for All: People catch ghosts and gain entries in the end times - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Sub-Stat, Experience Repair

[Scarlet Spirit Orb]

[Note: This item is a special drop and will not be affected by the Blessing of the World effect.]

[Effect: Placing this orb will attract attacks from undead creatures. It also seems to be related to some ancient races.]

[Warning: Do not eat this orb. Anyone who eats it has an 80% chance of falling into a state of madness.]

[Description: It is said that before the Apocalypse, the name Scarlet was the ruler of this land and the mortal enemy of the undead race.]

Holding the red orb, about the size of half a fist, Su Mu felt a strange urge. He had an almost irresistible desire to swallow it whole. However, considering its size and the risk of madness, he clenched his jaw and resisted the temptation.

Better to hide it in the system pack. Out of sight, out of mind.

“But it’s surprising that this is a special item, unaffected by the World Blessing,” he muttered, frowning slightly.

Resolutely, Su Mu placed the orb in his system backpack to avoid any further temptation to swallow it. Through the [Scarlet Spirit Orb], Su Mu gleaned some historical insights: in the Corrupted Wasteland, there was once a civilization—or perhaps a powerful being—called Scarlet.

Scarlet had opposed the apocalypse or the undead, marking them as mortal enemies. The behavior of the Scarlet Wild Boars outside the Energy Stone Mine entrance confirmed this—they instinctively attacked Skeleton Dogs rather than him.

But judging by the state of this world, the Scarlet faction must have lost.

“Attracting attacks from undead creatures isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Su Mu said aloud.

“The Anti-Evil Crossbow is most effective against undead creatures.”

The Scarlet Spirit Orb was indeed strange, but it could prove useful.

When I want to farm monsters, I can simply place the orb on the ground to attract undead creatures faster. However, he noted that the nearby undead creatures were mostly Skeleton Dogs, which were no longer a challenge for him.

After securing the [Scarlet Spirit Orb], Su Mu immediately descended to the second level of the energy stone mine. With twenty-seven minutes of the World Blessing effect remaining, he needed to make the most of his time. His goal was clear: to scour the second level for every energy stone it held.

Upon entering the second level, Su Mu’s eyes widened. Energy stones glittered everywhere, far surpassing the amount on the first level. However, something else caught his attention—a faint gray glow emanating from a treasure chest at the deepest part of the mine.

Let’s open the treasure chest first. Perfect opportunity to test the effect of the Scarlet Boar Blood.

After a brief moment of thought, he decided to prioritize the chest. Mining all the energy stones could take longer than the remaining duration of the World Blessing. Opening the chest first would ensure he reaped its rewards.

He approached the gray treasure chest and opened it.

[Energy Stone Pickaxe] x2

[Level: 1]

[Quality: Common]

[Sub-attributes: Not Refreshed]

[Effect: Increases the speed of energy stone mining, with a 0.1% chance of doubling the energy stones mined.]

[Description: An old pickaxe prepared by ancient miners who prayed for luck to fill their pockets with energy stones every day.]

Su Mu’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. Perfect—this solves my immediate problem. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to extract all the energy stones in time.

“Refreshing the sub-attributes on one pickaxe should be enough. Any more would be a waste,” he reasoned.

Without hesitation, Su Mu poured some Scarlet Boar Blood into a bowl and drank it. The pungent aroma was strong, but to his surprise, it tasted better than expected.

Immediately, he felt a wave of clarity in his mind and activated the sub-attribute refresh function on one of the pickaxes. White light flashed twice, followed by a yellow glow.

Not bad. The Scarlet Boar Blood seems to have some effect.

He analyzed the results, focusing on the silver-level sub-attributes first.

[Sub-attribute: Experience Repair]

[Quality: Silver]

[Effect: After killing monsters, the dropped experience points can be used to automatically repair the damaged pickaxe to keep it in optimal working condition.]

Su Mu nodded thoughtfully. The pickaxe could not only be used for mining but also for smashing enemies, which could easily cause damage. With the Experience Repair sub-attribute, the pickaxe would always remain in perfect condition.

However, he wasn’t sure this was the best choice. He moved to the next silver sub-attribute.

[Sub-attribute: Shatter]

[Quality: Silver]

[Effect: The hit mountains and walls will shatter faster, and when attacking enemies, it will also add an additional armor-piercing effect.]

The effect was good, but Su Mu needed the pickaxe to mine energy stones. If he used this sub-attribute, he might end up smashing the energy stones instead of mining them properly.