Boons

Chapter 9: Boons

"Fine! I want that little crystal! Shiny!" Eleonora answered incorrectly to Noah's question, and he was sure she did it on purpose.

He did not fall for her trick and walked over to the dropped items. In these trials, anything could drop loot, which was one of the main reasons people got stronger here.

While Eleonora reluctantly left Noah's embrace and picked up the crystal she wanted, Noah scooped up a small black box.

It looked like a fancy box for precious accessories, and Noah would not be surprised if it held something valuable.

[You have found a random equipment chest]

This was clear enough.

As he thumbed it open, a bright light forced Noah to squeeze his eyes shut.

The wooden feeling of the box vanished, replaced by a silky sensation in his hand.

Noah opened his eyes and saw dark robes, seemingly woven from the fabric of darkness, light and smooth to the touch.

[Tenebris Spiders' Robes: This item was created by three Tenebris Spiders, born from the darkness of a treacherous abyss. They trapped a legendary adventurer in their webs, cocooning him and his clothes for a slow death. The silk of the Tenebris Spiders took the shape of the legendary adventurer's robes and evolved into a high-quality item, which was lost in the universe and sent to this trial for the one who can awaken its powers.]

[Tenebris Spiders' Robes have been branded to your bloodline and soul. You can summon them at any time, and they will repair themselves within your soul.]

Noah muttered, "Wow."

Meanwhile, Eleonora snatched more shiny items off the ground.

She held two more diamond-shaped crystals, whose purpose was known only to her.

Beaming, she turned around, then dropped everything on the ground. "Mother Of All Knowledge!"

Seeing Noah in his new robes, which fit him perfectly, Eleonora buckled her legs, rubbed her thighs, and clutched her chest, breathing erratically while her ears and tails moved on their own.

Nobody had ever told her that seeing her beloved in tailored clothes could be this exciting.

"Noooooaaaaaaahhhhhh!" Eleonora moaned as she ran into his arms, ignoring the items she dropped.

She usually took time to explain everything, yet she sprinted straight to him, showing how her love outweighed everything she cared about.

"Yeah, they look good on me. You told me with actions, not words, and I won't question you this time," Noah said, smiling awkwardly and patting his fox witch, whose face was in his chest.

"These robes seem more like an ability than an item. I'll show you later what they do," Noah added with a smile.

Unlike Eleonora, he preferred to show rather than tell.

Eleonora, acting on instinct, just whimpered like a good girl in response.

After a few minutes that would have startled any bystander who heard them, the fox witch regained her composure and skipped back to the items she dropped.

She picked up a red, diamond-shaped crystal and held it up between her thumb and finger so Noah could see it.

"This will awaken a single innate ability inside you," Eleonora explained before handing it to Noah.

He examined it closely. "I see. Should I use it now?"

"Yes," Eleonora nodded.

Noah activated the crystal through the trial's system, and it shattered into particles that entered his pores, prickling him like countless tiny needles.

[You have awakened a new innate ability]

[Nocturne: Call forth the hunter of the Night, Nocturne, to assist you in battles. Nocturne has three forms: Fangs, Tongue, Venom. As a sole Night Elf, and due to your link with the All Knowing Witch, you have gained innate knowledge of the Night Elves' Night War Battle Style.]

A surge of knowledge flooded Noah's mind.

He dropped to one knee, holding his head as techniques, forms, and moves sprang up in his thoughts.

He gritted his teeth and did his best to accept this gift.

It seemed his bond with Eleonora was far more valuable than he realized.

She had not expected Noah to gain such power, so she hovered over him, worried, asking if he felt fine.

"Yeah... I got stronger... a lot stronger... thanks to you, too," Noah said, explaining what just happened. "Our link gave me the knowledge to wield my new ability. It's like I glimpsed into the Universe Library."

"To think such a thing is possible! This is wonderful!" Eleonora said as she happily clenched her fists and looked adorable.

She was not jealous that Noah had tapped into something she had spent years obtaining.

She was thrilled to help him grow stronger, and that feeling made her care for him even more.

"This is an amazing discovery that I must note and study later!" Eleonora said, making a mental note.

Then she opened her palm to reveal two more crystals, one silver and one blue.

"Silver is tied to a passive ability. Blue is more magical, tied to magic skills. These are foreign abilities, unrelated to our bloodlines and styles. It's risky to use them without knowing what's inside," Eleonora explained, then beamed. "But I know everything about them! We don't need them."

Her enthusiasm faded with that last sentence.

Noah chuckled and nodded, taking in the knowledge of these crystals.

The blue one had water-based powers, which he did not need.

"I can synthesize them outside this trial," Eleonora added.

They decided to store the unused crystals and not waste time.

The couple moved through the hedge gates and went deeper into the thorny garden.

Eleonora said their destination was the mansion on the horizon and that most trial teams would fight there for a safe zone.

"Those who lag behind... will fall to this environment," Eleonora said, glancing over her shoulder at the small garden where Noah fought the ghouls.

The hedges behind them grew taller, filling the garden and destroying everything inside. The gate was gone, and the thorns would keep moving, consuming anyone left behind.

A cold breeze brushed past Noah and Eleonora.

Noah realized that ghouls and other creatures were not their only enemies.

Everything here was an enemy.

By the end of their road, Noah would face a choice.