Chapter 40 - Reward

As we walked through the hallway, the sound of our footsteps echoed off the cold, stone walls, creating an eerie sense of isolation.

Unlike the bustling corridors of the association's main building, this place was quiet and lonesome, devoid of any signs of life.

We walked for what felt like an eternity, the only sound being the soft creaking of our shoes on the polished floor: Creak-creak.

Finally, we arrived before a single, imposing vault door, its metal surface gleaming in the dim light.

Leon stepped forward, his hand reaching out to touch the door's surface. The door seemed to hum to life, scanning his hand or recording his mana signature.

Yes, mana. Leon was a mage-type system holder, and I knew this from our interactions with him as Jason in the game.

After all he was one of Jason's main supporters in the game.

As the door's mechanism whirred and clicked, the handle spun open with a satisfying clunk.

Leon pulled his hand away, and with a gentle push, the door creaked open, revealing a spacious room beyond.

The room was a treasure trove of equipment and artifacts, with huge shelves lining the walls, stretching all the way to the ceiling.

The shelves were packed with an array of goodies: swords, spears, shields, bows and arrows, armors, martial arts techniques, and even skill books.

Skill books, I remembered, were an alternative method of obtaining skills, one of the three ways to acquire them.

Skills could be granted by the system, obtained through skill books, or bestowed by the gods themselves.

My eyes widened as I took in the sheer scope of the treasures before me.

As I gazed around the room, my eyes widening in awe, I let out a low, drawn-out exclamation: "Whoa."

The sheer scale of the treasures before me was breathtaking, like a fantasy come to life.

I had seen something similar in the game, but seeing it in real life was a completely different experience.

The room seemed to stretch on forever, the shelves towering above me like giants.

And this, I thought, was only one of the branches of the explorer's association. What about the rest?

The thought sent my mind racing with possibilities.

Another thought occurred to me, and I couldn't help but wonder: Did all the nobles have something like this?

And if theirs were as large and magnificent as this, then what about the imperial family's vault? The very thought sent a shiver down my spine.

If a branch of the explorer's association had this much wealth and power at its disposal, then what about the literal rulers of humanity?

The imperial family's vault must be a treasure trove of unimaginable riches and power.

Leon's voice cut through my reverie, breaking me out of my trance-like state.

"I've spoken to the association heads," he said, his voice firm and authoritative. "You're allowed to take one thing." I turned to look at him, my eyes locking onto his.

He raised one finger, his eyes glinting with emphasis: "Just one." He repeated the words, his tone leaving no room for misunderstanding.

"Whether it's a skill, artifact, martial arts technique, even a regular weapon. But you can only take one." He said.

I nodded at Leon's words, my mind already racing with the possibilities as I turned my head towards the shelves.

The artifact and weapon sections beckoned, and I began my search, my eyes scanning the rows of treasures like a hawk searching for prey.

The main difference between artifacts and regular weapons was a crucial one, and I found myself explaining it in my head as I searched.

Crystals, those glittering, crystalline structures, served as the main engine behind artifacts, while they were used to enhance regular weapons.

When you harvested a crystal from a monster's corpse, the monster's skills and abilities remained embedded within the crystal, waiting to be unleashed.

By breaking down the crystal using the regular blacksmithing process, you could forge a regular weapon, one that would be exponentially more powerful than any ordinary blade, depending on the grade of the crystal and the body parts used to craft it.

But to create an artifact, you needed to take it a step further.

As you shaped the artifact, you had to use ancient runes to extract the abilities of the monster from its crystal, and then inscribe those runes onto the artifact itself.

And voilà! You would be able to replicate the monster's abilities, unleashing its fury upon the world: Roar.

However, there was a catch. Artifacts didn't feed off your own individual energy source – mana, aura, MP.

Instead, they required constant refueling, as your energy was only used to stimulate the crystal, activating the artifact's abilities.

It was a subtle but crucial distinction, one that set artifacts apart from regular weapons.

I combed through the shelves, my fingers tracing the intricate patterns and symbols etched into the artifacts on display.

But despite the impressive array, none of them seemed to resonate with me, none of them felt like the one.

It was as if they were all somehow... off, like a discordant note in an otherwise harmonious melody.

As I searched, I noticed that the artifacts on display seemed to be capped at a certain level of power.

There were black grade artifacts, their dark, rough-hewn crystals pulsing with a faint, malevolent energy.

Red grade artifacts, their crystals burning with a fierce, inner fire.

And orange grade artifacts, their crystals shimmering with a warm, golden light.

But that was it.

There were no yellow grade artifacts, no silver grade artifacts, and certainly no white grade artifacts.

I knew that artifacts were graded according to the grade of the crystals used to create and power them.

The grading system was a strict hierarchy, with each grade representing a significant leap in power and rarity.

Black grade artifacts were the weakest, while white grade artifacts were the strongest, the rarest, and the most legendary.

Most nobles, I knew, were lucky to own an orange grade or yellow grade artifact.

Only the ducal and imperial families possessed the truly rare and powerful silver grade artifacts.

The dukes owned only one, while the imperial family boasted an impressive six.

And then, of course, there were the rumors of the imperial family's white grade artifact.

But white grade artifacts were almost mythical, the stuff of legend and fantasy.

After all, only a demigod could wield a white grade artifact without suffering dire consequences.

The game had mentioned only three white grade artifacts, and one of them, the Eclipse Sword, was said to be capable of unleashing unimaginable destruction.

As I remembered that dream, the one where the silver-haired man had wielded the Eclipse Sword, I felt a shiver run down my spine.

The sheer power, the raw energy, it was a truly awe-inspiring sight.

I then moved away from the weapons and artifacts section unable to shake off the feeling of disappointment.

I had been hoping to find something that would truly make a difference, something that would give me an edge in this unforgiving world.

But as I scanned the shelves, I realized that nothing seemed quite right.

I decided to shift my focus to the skill section, my eyes scanning the rows of skill books with renewed interest.

I was determined to find something worthwhile, something that would make a real difference.

As I browsed through the skill books, I came across some intriguing options: Light manipulation, Darkness manipulation, Earth manipulation, and even Metal manipulation.

There were also some Sound manipulation skills, but none of them seemed quite right.

I continued searching, my fingers moving with a life of their own as I scanned the shelves.

And then, suddenly, I stopped. My eyes landed on a skill book with a simple, yet enigmatic name: [Edit].

I felt an inexplicable pull towards this skill, as if every fiber of my being was urging me to take it.

I picked up the skill book, feeling its weight in my hand. I looked around, expecting to see something special, something that would explain why I was so drawn to this skill.

But there was nothing, just an ordinary-looking skill book.

I walked over to Leon, the skill book still clutched in my hand. I showed it to him, and he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"That one?" he asked, his voice tinged with confusion. I nodded, and he sighed.

"Ok. It's your choice anyway. Let's get going," he said, his voice resigned. And with that, we exited the vault, the skill book clutched tightly in my hand.