Shane had never seen anyone wearing a Python Set, so he certainly felt excited after seeing his loot. Furthermore, the one that he had gotten was actually a Mutated Version!
In short, Shane could consider this set as a limited edition if this was all a game.
He felt really excited to check their status, and if they were good, he planned to upgrade them to Tier 5.
However, he didn't have the time for that, as the rest of the squad members immediately surrounded him.
They were all curious about what he had done just now!
"Sir Shane, I didn't know you were that strong…"
"Is that Sword a Master Grade? No, perhaps an Epic Grade?"
"Did you upgrade it to get that Fire Skill? Or is that your Talent? Was it similar to Vice Commander Mio's Fire Imbuing Talent?"
"Hey, I don't think he knows Lord Kang Zhan's right hand."
Shane replied to all of them, sharing that his Light Flameblade was something he commissioned to a blacksmith. It wasn't something that could be dropped by Zombies or Treasure Chests like what they initially surmised.
As for the Vice Commander, it was his first time hearing about it so he asked them about this person.
"Vice Commander Mio has a special talent… She can imbue any item in her hands with Fire Element. It doesn't matter if it is a firearm, a sword, or even just a normal rock…"
"She had left the shelter to conduct a trade to another Neutral Shelter. She'd probably be back in a few days."
Shane nodded after hearing this since he had also heard from Kang Zhen about this trade from other Neutral Shelters. He just didn't expect that he had actually sent one of his close aides on the mission.
"Her talent is definitely amazing… However, I'm just utilizing the skill of my weapon instead of using my own skill or talent." Shane replied.
After a brief conversation, Shane finally fully integrated himself into the three squads, and even Swain could only acknowledge Shane's power, which was already beyond him.
With the Silver Treasure Chest secured by Iseult, Shane and the squads continued on their way.
Their spirit was certainly high after seeing how strong Shane was… They were confident that they would be able to clear this Zombie Den as long as they did not get careless.
The cave system was certainly huge, but for some reason, they were able to navigate the place easily.
Well, it turns out that Iseult's Talent was called Pathfinder. To be exact, she had a Master-grade Pathfinder Talent… After all, the other Pathfinders within the Shelter were only Uncommon or Rare at most in terms of their grade.
As they ventured deeper, they entered another cavern, this one larger and felt more dangerous than the previous one.
In the center of the cavern stood a large Stoneskin Zombie; around him were about 20 other normal Stoneskin Zombies.
"Be careful, this one must be a Stoneskin Leader Zombie…" Maurice warned as he started wearing his metal gauntlets. It seemed that these gauntlets had very limited Durability, so he didn't dare to use it early on.
This time, however, he knew that he had to use it against the Stoneskin Leader Zombie.
The leader's eyes glowed as they entered its territory, and its rocky hide looked even tougher than those of its minions.
They were guarding a Bronze Treasure Chest, and this must be Shane's reward for joining this mission. Because of that, Shane wanted to get involved more in the battle.
Swain, Maurice, and Iseult quickly assessed the situation. "We'll handle the minions," Swain said, his voice steady. "Shane, can you take down the leader?"
This question surprised the others as they didn't expect Swain to actually make such a condition himself.
Shane nodded as he felt natural that this person would use this tactic.
"Leave it to me," he replied.
He knew that taking out the leader would be crucial to minimizing casualties and ensuring their success, so he didn't really mind it.
As the squads engaged the Stoneskin Zombies, Shane activated his Concealment Ring once more. His presence faded into the shadows, and he moved silently through the chaos of battle.
The sounds of hammers and bats striking stone filled the cavern, but Shane remained focused on his target.
The one he suspected as the Stoneskin Leader Zombie stood near the Bronze Treasure chest and was seemingly waiting for his minions to die before making a move.
As Shane crept closer, his Legendary Light Flameblade was also being held tightly.
When he was within striking distance, Shane took a deep breath and activated the Inferno Burst once more, spending another 200 Spirit Points!
Once again, the blade erupted in flames and struck the unaware Stoneskin Leader Zombie! With a quick and powerful strike, Shane drove the blade into the head!
The Inferno Burst crushed the Zombie's head! With such a powerful strike, almost half of the Zombie's body had turned into a molten rock!
Obviously, the Stoneskin Leader Zombie's defense wasn't as great as the Rock Python Zombie's!
[ You have eliminated a Stoneskin Leader Zombie. ]
'I didn't get a first kill reward this time, huh…' Shane mused as he saw the reward. Nonetheless, with this Zombie killed, he planned to loot it with Lootkeeper's Timepiece and get 5 times more of his loot.
However, the leader's minions, sensing their leader's death, turned their attention towards him, who was the culprit.
Shane found this interesting as it seemed that these Zombies had a strange connection with the Leader Zombie where as soon as it was killed, every one in its command would be informed.
Nonetheless, before they could do anything to him, the squads took this opportunity as they counter-attacked and prevented the lesser zombies from reaching him.
As the last of the Stoneskin Zombies were dispatched, the cavern grew quiet once more.
Shane also received his Bronze Treasure Chest and was delighted with everything he obtained from it.
[ You have discovered a Bronze Treasure Chest. ]
[ You have earned 5 Experience Points. ]
[ You have earned 5 Reputation Points. ]
[ You have received Skill Fusion Talisman x7 ]
[ You have received Power Core x5 ]