Things were similar for other items.
Bai Ye's Frosty Condensation Sword had several noticeable nicks on its blade, all caused by chopping. If he continued to use it, the sword might break one day.
Likewise, the Pulse Dual Guns suffered wear and tear on their barrels with every shot. Prolonged use would render them scrap.
However, these issues weren't insurmountable.
The Black Order uniforms could be patched up and worn for another year.
The Frosty Condensation Sword could be repaired by a blacksmith, provided he had matching quality ore.
For the Pulse Dual Guns, one could find replacements for the barrels in the Future Tech zone.
It was just a hassle, though.
Besides the inconvenience, Bai Ye didn't think these items would accompany him forever. As he grew stronger, he would inevitably find better equipment, so he never bothered with such matters.
Jin Sha continued, "Steel Slimes possess the inherent characteristic of slimes, meaning they revert to their original form regardless of changes. They experience no wear and tear. This implies that after consuming items with a Steel Slime, you can use those items permanently, without any worries of them breaking due to wear."
Bai Ye pondered for a moment. "That does sound quite convenient."
He said this while shrugging his shoulders.
It was merely a matter of convenience.
Jin Sha said, "There's something else, though it's just my conjecture."
Bai Ye asked, "Conjecture?"
Jin Sha explained, "The initial quality of a Steel Slime is white. However, the description states that its quality can be improved by consuming items. This means that as it devours more things, its quality will increase. So, when the Steel Slime reaches green, blue, black, red, or even gold quality, could it potentially gain effects? For instance, enhancing the power of the consumed items, or granting them new abilities?"
"That's an interesting conjecture," Bai Ye said, his interest piqued. "And it sounds plausible. Items that can improve quality are rare, and they usually turn out to be good. But there are issues, such as the limit of improvement. If it only upgrades from white to green and stops there, it wouldn't be that meaningful, and the quality increase wouldn't yield significant effects."
Jin Sha replied, "We'll only know if we try."
"Exactly," Bai Ye explained. "However, the reason I'm not too concerned is that this item originates from the Glory Arena. People don't die there, so there are almost no good items. Typically, rewards are proportional to risk. If you don't want to take risks but want good rewards, how is that possible? Unless you spend a vast amount of time in the Glory Arena and exchange your honor points for items. In that case, time itself is a form of investment. But you mentioned you wouldn't be staying there for too long, implying the Steel Slime isn't an item redeemed with points, but rather an arena reward."
Bai Ye spread his hands. What good rewards could come from the arena?
Jin Sha said, "What if this particular match isn't a regular one?"
Bai Ye inquired, "Oh?"
Jin Sha elaborated, "All the competitive events in the Glory Arena can be participated in without restrictions. But this one is different; it requires a ticket to enter. I acquired my first ticket through purchase, and my second took me six days to obtain by completing a hidden quest, even costing me two of my beast companions. Furthermore, there are other stringent participation requirements. It's only open for seven days, and only two days remain. There's also a participant limit; even with a ticket, one person alone cannot enter."
"The difficulty in obtaining a ticket, coupled with time and participant limits, does suggest it might be something valuable," Bai Ye conceded. "What is the event?"
Jin Sha replied, "Football."
"Ah!"
Bai Ye wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. Asking him to play football? That wasn't good.
In his home world, the national team was a football desert. The players' greatest skill wasn't playing the ball, but messing around with it. When their kidneys failed from exhaustion, they'd consume sea cucumbers.
Jin Sha's tone grew a bit anxious. "Bai Ye, I genuinely believe this item is worth acquiring. And after tonight, only two days are left. Opportunity knocks but once. If you don't have any particularly urgent matters, like being within a restricted zone, I think we should really give it a try."
Bai Ye considered it. He did have a hidden quest, but it was a chain quest, and its content involved finding clues, not combat. Mulan needed to write to Chang'an to inquire about the automaton matter, which wouldn't yield an answer anytime soon. So, it wasn't an immediate concern.
Bai Ye looked at the ticket. "Alright, let's give it a go then."
Jin Sha smiled. "You can come over directly using your Glory Arena ticket."
Bai Ye nodded. "Okay!"
Bai Ye picked up the ticket and selected to use it from his inventory.
Soon, a white light enveloped Bai Ye's body. Moments later, he vanished from the tent.
The white light persisted for about half a minute before gradually dissipating, and the surrounding scenery slowly came back into focus.
He was in a vast white hall. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all white, made of a material resembling resin. It possessed both a magical and a futuristic technological style.
"Bai Ye!"
At that moment, Jin Sha's voice called out from behind him.
Bai Ye turned and saw Jin Sha seated on a chair on the side of the hall.
Bai Ye walked over. "Is this the Glory Arena in the Beast Tamer zone?"
"Yes, it's a beast tamer zone filled with digital beast tamers," Jin Sha replied with a smile. "If I didn't want to get the Steel Slime, my current goal would be a beast tamer called WarGreymon."
"WarGreymon?" Bai Ye nodded. "I know that guy. He's pretty strong. A black quality beast tamer with an ultimate evolution form."
Jin Sha asked curiously, "Have you been here before?"
"No!"
Bai Ye mentally added: But I got it from a gashapon machine.
"I've just seen others use it," Bai Ye said. "There's MetalGarurumon and others, right?"
Jin Sha sounded surprised. "That's also hard to get, a black quality with an ultimate form. Someone actually obtained it?"
Bai Ye nodded, recalling his fight with Adam. "He's indeed a troublesome opponent, but you don't need to worry about falling behind."
Jin Sha asked, "Why?"
Bai Ye replied, "I killed him."
Jin Sha: "..."
That was a statement that was truly unrefutable.
"Let's go. We should discuss the main matter first," Jin Sha said, recovering from her speechless state. She then pointed to a counter along the side. "I'll explain the rules of Death Football to you first."
...