In most cases, gear follows a predictable ranking system: common, magical, mystical, majestical, and mythical.
It’s straightforward—each piece of equipment, weapon, or armor fits into one of these categories, giving adventurers a clear sense of their value and strength.
But crystallized hearts? Well, they’re an entirely different.
Crystallized hearts don’t adhere to the usual gear ranking. Instead, they’re classified by their colors, each color representing a level of rarity far more nuanced than a simple ranking system.
At the bottom, you have the blue crystallized hearts—the most basic of their kind. They’re the "common" variant, easily found by adventurers on the lower floors of the dungeon. They’re so frequent that most adventurers stumble across them without much effort. You could compare them to the bronze coin of currency—valuable, but not exactly rare.
Next, you have the purple crystallized hearts. These are a step up, worth ten times more than their blue counterparts. They’re the hearts adventurers start to really seek out, the ones that hold significant value. But they’re not as easy to come by, only dropping on the mid-level floors of the dungeon. Think of them as the silver coins—worth collecting, but still attainable with enough effort.
And then... there’s the red crystallized heart.
This is where things get serious. Red crystallized hearts are the pinnacle, the rarest of them all, found only in the highest floors of the dungeon—floors that only the top experts of adventurers can even hope to reach. To put it in perspective, if the blue hearts are bronze and the purple hearts are silver, the red ones are pure gold. Incredibly rare and incredibly valuable.
The awakened crystallized heart I got from the Overfiend Overlord on the first floor had that distinct goo-like pattern to it, matching the nature of the boss the heart came from. But because it was from a low-level floor, the crystal itself was blue, not red.
So, when the Steelheart elders saw the red crystallized heart I pulled from the pouch with its unique design, their shock made perfect sense. This wasn’t just any red heart—it had a unique design, a dead giveaway that it came from a floor boss. And red awakened hearts, especially from bosses, are exceedingly rare.
You could say at this single item, far surpassed the value of anything they could of offered me inside of their treasury vault.
It’s not every day you get to see something like that. And for them, it was probably the first time they’d ever laid eyes on one. Their reaction? Utter disbelief.
I remember the day I first encountered this Awakened Crystalized Heart, and more importantly, its owner, all too vividly.
With the singular goal of reaching the dungeon's end, I had stashed away every item that dropped, whether it was equipment, rare materials, or crystalized hearts, into the pouch.
I wasn’t looking to change or upgrade anything mid-run. No, my build was already meticulously planned for this final push. I wasn’t about to risk altering the setup that had carried me so far. Everything I didn’t need—like this heart—went straight into the pouch, untouched.
This particular Awakened Crystalized Heart came from the 80th floor, a place known as The Necropolis of Ashen Hollow.
It was unlike any other floor in the dungeon. A vast cemetery with fog-choked mausoleums, crumbling tombstones, and an oppressive silence that gnawed at you. The air itself felt thick with decay, as if the dead resented your presence.
The boss of that floor was The Wraith Knight Gravewarden. A haunting, spectral knight draped in blackened armor that seemed to float, suspended in an invisible void. His hollowed helm, void of a face, emitted a ghostly blue flame.
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He rode a skeletal steed, its hooves silent as it moved, and both horse and rider radiated the same eerie blue flames.
I’ll never forget that fight. The battle was unrelenting. His spectral body defying the weight of his armor. He’d vanish into the fog of the cemetery, only to reappear at an unexpected angle, his blade descending without mercy. But I fought through it, digging deep, and after what felt like hours of grueling combat, I finally struck the killing blow.
When he fell, his body dissolved into the mist, leaving behind his gear and this Awakened Crystalized Heart.
Encased in silver-like armor, it pulsed with an eerie red glow. The edges of the crystal flickered with trapped blue flames, giving it an otherworldly, almost menacing presence. I knew it was powerful, maybe even too powerful. But I didn’t dare use it.
I had come too far to risk everything on a gamble. So, like everything else I had collected, I tucked it away in the pouch, telling myself I’d deal with it once I had reached the end of my expedition.
And now, standing in this room, the Steelheart elders glaring at me, I knew exactly what I held in my hand. And so did they.
They tried to stop me. Desperate and furious, ready to do anything to halt me. But I held all the cards.
The moment was mine, and they knew it. Their mockery had led them here, to this deal, and now they were watching it slip right through their fingers.
So, with a bold, defiant smirk, I threw a giant 'screw you' by using the Awakened Crystalized Heart.
Now that I think about it, this was the first time I’d ever built a character up to this point. Not even my Bloodzerker—my strongest character—had reached this level of sheer potential in his early stages.
Never had I managed to upgrade a character’s skill to the third level at only level 4. And now, not only was I doing that, but my second skill upgrade was coming from the 80th-floor boss itself.
It was insane. It was uncharted territory. I had no idea what was about to happen. But my mind—the gamer in me—knew that this was it.
This was the power play, the move that would take my build from ordinary to something unstoppable.
The elders looked horrified, helpless as the power of the 80th-floor boss began to merge with my skill. Their desperation only made me feel more certain.
It wasn't until i read the description of my new skill that i knew that this gamble... wasn't a gamble at all—it was the best decision I’d ever made.
https://i.imgur.com/TwLg8t6.png [https://i.imgur.com/TwLg8t6.png]
[Summon Slime of Armament - Lv.3]https://i.imgur.com/KmDrbU5.png [https://i.imgur.com/KmDrbU5.png]
[Summon Slime allows the user to conjure small slime creatures. These slimes are sentient and capable of basic actions such as grabbing or carrying small objects inside their gelatin-like bodies. The slimes are not independently aggressive but can be utilized in combat now that they have the ability to consume and wear equipment, utilizing their shapeshifting properties. Up to two main-hand weapons, two off-hand equipment and two helmets can be consumed. Upon consumption, the slime inherits the item's stats and properties, applying them to its own. This grants the slime the ability to use the following forms, all enhanced by the absorbed equipment's.
* Armament of Defense: The slime consumes a helmet, boosting its resistance and damage mitigation by an additional 10%.
* Armament of Offense: The slime uses the consumed weapon's stats, increasing its attack damage in combat by an additional 10%.
* Armament of Utility: The slime consumes an off-hand item, gaining utility effects based on the off-hand's base consumed.
* Unlocked Exclusive Slime Character Sheet
The shapeshifted item combines the stats of up to two consumed weapons, helmets, and off-hands, stacking their effects for enhanced combat potential. The slime can also freely alter the form of the consumed weapon, enabling versatile strategic use. As long as they aren’t fully destroyed, they can continue to regenerate.
[Usage: Primarily used for offense, defense, and utility support in combat, with increased versatility through the absorption of equipment. Significantly boost combat potential by merging with powerful gear.]
[Summoning Mana Cost]: 3 per summon
[Shapeshifting Mana Cost]: 2 per cast
[Armament Absorption Mana Cost]: 5 per cast
*Note: (All slimes summoned can shapeshift to the equipment consumed for a single cost)