The same applies to other things.
Bai Ye's Frost Condensing Sword had several obvious small nicks on its blade, all caused by hacking. If he continued to use it, the Frost Condensing Sword might break one day.
The Pulse Dual Guns also experienced wear and tear on their barrels with each shot, becoming scrap metal after prolonged use.
However, such issues were not irremediable.
For the Black Order uniform, it could be patched up and used for another year.
The Frost Condensing Sword could be repaired by a blacksmith, provided, of course, that ore of matching quality was available.
For the Pulse Dual Guns, replacements for the barrels could be found in the Future Technology zone.
Of course, it was a hassle.
Beyond the hassle, Bai Ye never felt these items would accompany him forever. As he grew stronger, he would inevitably find better things, so he had never paid much attention to these matters.
Jin Sha continued, "Steel Slime possesses the characteristics of a slime, meaning no matter what form it takes, it will revert to its original state, experiencing no wear and tear. This implies that after consuming other items with the Steel Slime, you can use those items permanently without any worry of them breaking due to wear."
Bai Ye considered this and said, "That is rather convenient."
As Bai Ye spoke, he shrugged his shoulders.
It was merely a matter of convenience.
Jin Sha said, "There's one more thing, though it's just my speculation."
Bai Ye asked, "Speculation?"
Jin Sha elaborated, "The initial quality of the Steel Slime is White. However, the description states that its quality can be improved by consuming items. This means that as it consumes more things, its quality will rise. So, when the Steel Slime reaches Green, Blue, Black, Red, and Gold quality, might it develop additional effects? Perhaps enhancing the power of the consumed items, or bestowing new abilities upon them?"
"That speculation is quite interesting," Bai Ye said, his interest piqued. "And quite plausible. Items that can improve quality are rare, and such things usually turn out to be quite valuable. However, there are some issues, such as the upper limit of improvement. If the improvement stops at White quality turning into Green, then it loses much of its significance, and the quality increase wouldn't yield overly beneficial effects."
Jin Sha replied, "We'll only know by trying."
"Precisely," Bai Ye explained. "But the reason I'm not particularly concerned is that this item originates from the Glory Arena. No one dies there, so there are rarely any truly valuable items. Typically, rewards are commensurate with risks. If you don't want to take risks but desire good rewards, how is that possible? Unless you spend a significant amount of time in the Glory Arena and exchange it for Glory Points. In that case, time becomes a form of investment. However, you mentioned you wouldn't be staying there for too long, implying the Steel Slime isn't an item redeemable with points but rather a competitive reward."
Bai Ye spread his hands. What good could possibly come from competitive rewards?
Jin Sha asked, "What if this particular competition isn't a regular one?"
Bai Ye inquired, "Oh?"
Jin Sha explained, "All competitive events within the Glory Arena have no entry restrictions. But this one is different; it requires a ticket to enter. I acquired my first ticket through purchase, and the second one took me six days to obtain by completing a hidden quest, even losing two of my beasts in the process. There are also other stringent participation requirements. It's only open for seven days, with just two days remaining. Furthermore, there's a participant limit; even with a ticket, one person cannot enter alone."
"The difficulty in acquiring a ticket, the time limit, and the participant cap... it's true that we can't rule out the possibility of it being something valuable," Bai Ye mused. "What kind of event is it?"
Jin Sha stated, "Football."
"Ah!"
Bai Ye wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow. Inviting him to play football, was that appropriate?
In his home country, football was a barren land. The greatest skill of their footballers wasn't playing the game, but rather indulging in other pursuits, and when their kidneys failed, they would consume sea cucumbers.
Jin Sha's voice carried a hint of urgency. "Bai Ye, I genuinely believe this item is worth obtaining. Moreover, after tonight, only two days remain. This is a fleeting opportunity. If you don't have anything particularly urgent to attend to, say, within the forbidden zone, I think we should really give it a try."
Bai Ye considered it. Although he had a hidden quest, it was a chain quest, and its content involved finding clues rather than combat. Mu Lan needed to write to Chang'an to inquire about the matter of automatons, and that wouldn't yield an answer anytime soon. Therefore, there was no immediate rush.
Bai Ye looked at the ticket and said, "Alright, let's have some fun then."
Jin Sha smiled and said, "If you use the Glory Arena ticket, you can come over directly."
Bai Ye nodded and replied, "Okay!"
Bai Ye picked up the ticket and selected to use it from his inventory.
Soon, a white light enveloped Bai Ye's body, and after a moment, he vanished from within the tent.
The white light persisted for about half a minute before gradually dissipating, and the surroundings gradually became clear again.
It was a vast white hall. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all white, made of a material resembling resin, blending a magical style with a touch of futuristic technology.
"Bai Ye!"
At this moment, Jin Sha's voice rang out from behind Bai Ye.
Bai Ye turned around and saw Jin Sha sitting on a chair on the side of the hall.
Bai Ye walked over and asked, "Is this the Glory Arena in the Beast Taming zone?"
"Yes, it's a beast taming zone filled with digital beasts," Jin Sha replied with a smile. "If I weren't aiming for the Steel Slime, my current target would be a beast named WarGreymon."
"WarGreymon?" Bai Ye nodded. "I know that guy. He's quite strong. A Black quality beast, with an ultimate form it can evolve into."
Jin Sha asked curiously, "Have you been here before?"
"No!"
Bai Ye mentally added, *But I've obtained it from a gacha machine.*
"I've seen someone use it," Bai Ye replied. "And MetalGarurumon, something like that?"
Jin Sha exclaimed in surprise, "That's also hard to get, a Black quality beast with an ultimate form. Someone actually managed to obtain it?"
Bai Ye nodded, recalling his battle with Adam. "He was indeed a formidable opponent. However, you don't need to worry about falling behind."
Jin Sha asked, "Why?"
Bai Ye stated, "I killed him."
Jin Sha: "..."
There was truly no way to refute that statement.
"Let's go, we have important matters to discuss first," Jin Sha said, recovering from her momentary speechlessness. She pointed to a counter along the side. "I'll explain the rules of Death Football to you first."
...