S-rank Artifact

Garron walked into a smaller door within the room.

Art assumed it must be where he kept his most valuable items, as strong waves of mana surged out the moment the door opened—only to weaken once Garron stepped inside. Some kind of safety mechanism, most likely.

Garron returned about a minute later, a box in hand.

Art's gaze locked onto it.

This time, the box was pitch black. Strangely, he couldn’t sense anything from it—but he waited patiently.

Garron placed it on a smaller table near the edge of the room.

"Here. Open it."

This was his first high-end project since the death of Rena, the former Third Sword.

During its creation, he’d realized just how rusty he’d become over the five years without practice.

He’d needed to pause at a crucial point in the crafting process and hone his skills on lesser works before returning to the mask. The knowledge he’d begun to grasp from the book Art had given him made a noticeable difference.