Chapter 178: Theory

What is resolve to a villain?

What is resolve to a human who knows the future?

What is it to a warrior?

This is what Arnold wants to find out.

He'd looked at his life with disinterest before the transmigration, not caring for the decisions he makes. He was brilliant when it comes to academics, far stronger than even most adults, he has a good family, strong genes, lots of lovers…

Yet there were several things he still lacks.

Will the answer to the aforementioned questions change him forever? Will it make him "complete"?

How will he follow Flora's example of becoming "whole"? Will he also go on some excursion alone and leave behind his responsibilities?

Of course not.

Then what can he do to become "complete" and "perfect"?

Hopefully he'll find the answer soon.

He's not in a hurry. The main story is far from ending.

◇◇

The golden doors opened up with a heavy thud when Sceptim opened them up. Just like the entrance doors, the doors leading to the treasury had exquisite craftsmanship of gold and white ornaments intricately crafted into various patterns. One would assume that very small hands did all those complex patterns but the size of the craftsman's hands doesn't matter if the craftsman is highly skilled.

'I should consider hiring dwarves to renovate my palace.'

While dwarves have a code to never interfere with human conflict, they love to work with humans. Humans make the best alcohol after all. That's about all you can characterize a dwarf with—alcohol and craftsmanship. You'll never meet a dwarf who hates either. Of course some dwarves become soldiers or magicians but they still remember their roots.

Even an inside struggle between different clans of dwarves can be solved with a bottle of mead.

'I've never considered investing into a brewery or wine farms. Maybe that will draw more dwarves over to my side?'

Though a strange to remember, Liam always used to read food item descriptions and their recipes whenever he was waiting for his PvP opponent to respawn or when he's free roaming.

'[Scorching Throat], [Shallow Pit], [Destroyer of Taste Buds]… I think these three will satisfy any dwarf if they get a taste of it.'

"—All the items that you see here have been collected for decades and added to the royal family's vault. Most of the weapons, books, armours and miscellaneous items here are from different worlds. Only the gold is originally from our world."

Arnold knelt and picked up a gold coin from a pile. He looked at it closely.

"Pure gold. It's even heavier than our coin. Why haven't you spent it? I take it you didn't exactly buy all these items?"

"…They would've been frozen over and destroyed just like their home worlds if we left them there."

"Well, that makes sense." Arnold put the coin in his pocket. It's his anyway.

"I highly doubt we can spend this gold in the empire. The hungry revenue service bastards will try and take everything inside this vault if they catch wind of the coins."

"Then it should be smelted and repurposed," Sceptim suggested.

"Doing so is illegal where I come from. But I guess I can pull a few strings. That will have to wait until my city has a stable economy."

While the gold in here can not compare to what he's going to possess in a few years, he won't let free money go to waste.

Arnold decided to change the subject when he noticed something peculiar near him:

"Sceptim, is this a hammer?" he pointed at the strange-looking item that was standing out even in the sea of gold behind it. 

The weapon certainly looked like one at first glance. It had a big square-like base and a long hilt. Yet somehow it didn't resemble a great hammer at all. It has an almost flat pole.

"That's the sword that cannot be pulled out from that magic crystal rock."

"It's a sword?"

He suddenly recalled where he had heard of a "sword" impaling a "magic rock".

Didn't the top guild's Guild Master, Bardolt, use this weapon as his main for a few years while on the top leaderboards?

Storm's Great Demise—what an edgy name, thought Arnold.

Of course, that's not a mockery to its true might. This weapon is no joke. The weapon—while being regarded as a great hammer—was once the sword of a nameless king who didn't want anyone to harness the sword's power to control spirits. There was some speculation that the sword was a star grade artifact but no one has been able to prove it since the sword didn't exist in the main game files. The sword is supposed to be cut from the final product, hence why it doesn't have an item description or official ranking.

All that appeared next to name, item description and rank on the hologram card was: ????

Despite not knowing what the artifsct truly is and where it originates from, Arnold recalled a certain secondary character who should've given this sword to Luke.

The "Spirit King".

This isn't the only unranked or unnamed weapon in the game. The Spirit King in question was supposed to become an ally to the Hero Party, however, his questline was cancelled in the DLC.

The Spirit King is a demigod, a Higher Captain of the Golden Order(the order that the archangels are a part of) and was originally supposed to reward Luke with this sword once Luke and his companions finish his quests. Having him join them is optional and purely your own decision.

Due to the questline being removed from the final product, the Spirit King and all his connections to the main story got wiped out. Only some clues were left behind.

Some speculated that he went to another far off world. They even claim that they saw him in one of the worlds that the main story doesn't show.

"Hmm..." Arnold looked at the hammer. He then had a curious thought.

'Bardolt was the strongest tank in the game. He was a literal fortress. And he used to crush his opponents with this weapon. I don't think it'll be a bad idea to try this out.'

It's a PvP weapon, originally meant for arena battles with other players. It's slow and heavy so it will only hold a player back in regular quests and dungeon raiding.

Despite this, Bardolt used it for everything during his mid level cap grinding. He only started using other weapons when he reached level 70. As a result this weapon was sold on the Star Shop.

Due to its spirit magic capabilities being locked, the item sold for 60% less than its actual worth.

While Arnold doesn't have the same class as Bardolt did during those days, perhaps he can fight with a strength build at least?

The final piece that's missing is proper armour. 

Regarding the sword, these kinds of weapons, like the Spirit King himself, was cut from the game. The history of the High Elves, their ties to spirit magic and why there are so few of them left was also removed.

The developers merely said that the content was "too much to add to an already big game that has worlds that you can fully explore, with most of them inhabited and tied to the storylines".

As such, spirit monarchs and spirit magic in general became a mere fantasy in the game.

It's unknown why the weapon can't be pulled out from the magic stone. The cut content might be able to explain this.

"Huuup!" Arnold lifted the great hammer(Spirit Sword). He almost fell over. Sceptim grabbed the hilt with one hand while Arnold was struggling just to hold it up with two.

"Don't overexert yourself while in recovery." Sceptim said worriedly.

'How did this bastard recover faster than I did?'

The only indication that Sceptim was recently in a fight was his busted up armour.

Arnold opened his magic bag.

"I'll just use it when I'm fully recovered."

The hammer went in with no resistance.

"This reminds me, I've seen you use quite a few weapons in our fight against Kalda. Why do you need that many weapons?"

"Well, it's a complicated matter."

"Please do tell."

"I'm looking for a pure martial arts book which is located on a shadow world somewhere between the 90th to 100th worlds. In the meantime I'm looking for weapons to help me survive the journey there. Fighting with just my soul weapon isn't a bright idea."

The saying that says soul weapons are indestructible is a myth.

Of course, to regular enemies and other weapons, a soul weapon might seem invincible. However, pit it against another soul weapon or a Semi-Star grade artifact – or even a Star grade item – then it'll break just like any other weapon.

They are very durable and are extremely powerful weapons that can end fights in mere minutes if used correctly. But long drawn out combat against powerful opponents, with Star grade artifacts in the mix, will lead to some cracks or even breakage.

"True," replied Sceptim, "Soul weapons aren't nigh invincible. Even they have their weaknesses. The process to restore one is very tedious and difficult. Not to say extremely dangerous for a warrior in the midst of battle. But there's a workaround to that."

"I've already tried all methods to make my aura sword more durable. What else is there to do?"

"I'm certain the method I have in mind will work. However, it requires you to understand your power on a different level compared to just seeing it as a form of combat."

"Alright then what is it?"

"I cannot simply tell you the method. You must learn it yourself. I possess a certain martial book that can help you reach a different equilibrium. I assume you know what that word means in this context? Of course you do, you're a martial artist like me, after all. It pertains knowledge about the true essence of aura any other energies. Of course, the book doesn't spoon-feed you all the time. You should learn some things on your own. That's how you'll learn."

"Where is the book?"

"In my magic bag. I carry it everywhere I go. The other copy is inside my room."

"Have you used it before, like learned stuff from it to help you in combat?"

"Yes and yes. That's where I learned my [Sunshine Cross] skill from. Ki and Aura differ only in nature but not uses. I can use Ki blasts same as you can use aura blasts, I can use Ki to strengthen my body same as you can. Likewise, I can learn aura skills and strengthen them with Ki instead. Though this doesn't apply to martial skills."

Arnold's water dragon skill is a skill from his weapon art(Flow of the Tide)—better known as a martial skill. He couldn't imagine a Ki user managing to learn that. Sceptim is right about the blasts and non-martial skills though.

"You learned an S rank skill out of some book? With no skill evolution?"

It's impossible to learn a skill that's above B rank(developers chose this rank for some reason). Skills go through different evolutions.

For example, Arnold's [Speed of Sound] was originally adapted from his [Dash] skill. It isn't rare for skills to level up in a non-linear order. Arnold doesn't have the A, B, and C rank of the original Dash skill. However, his case is different since he had to train vigorously.  

How was Sceptim able to learn an S rank skill straight of a book?

Sceptim smiled, "Unbelievable, right? Well, the lessons inside are as complex as they come. It's meant for martial masters, not normal knights and warriors. However, it's not like regular warriors can't learn the skills and lessons if they're talented and dedicated enough."

He then continued, "You may have the copy on my person. I found a lot of them on the 50th world. I must implore you to not share it with outsiders. Not even for profit. Knowledge from the martial gods are hard to come by and dangerous in the hands of the wrong people. Whoever the Sky God was, he must've been liked by a lot of different gods for his worlds to contain this much valuable knowledge. Not to mention the artifacts."

'The book sounds interesting.'

Arnold still has a lot more to learn about the path of a warrior. Before trying to learn pure martial arts, he'll first need to learn how to make his mind and body become one by breaking the "severance".

Understanding his aura comes first, though.

"Before I hand the book over to you, do you have a basic understanding of what aura really is and what it does?"

"Aura has three functions from what my master taught me," Arnold held up one finger, "First is conjuration. This entails aura blasts which are used as long-range attacks. It's also possible to create barriers to shield against physical attacks."

"Oh? What about defending against magic then?"  

"A manifested barrier of aura can't stop spells from attacking its user. Both mana and aura are internal energy: one can't repel the other. It's like pouring a glass of water into a bowl of more water."

This is why it's best to avoid magic spells instead of brute forcing your way through spells. That's what armour is for. Aura isn't meant to guard against other internal energies. Physical objects, however, can't pass through it. This is due to the density of physical objects when compared to mana or aura.

A blade coated in Ki or Aura is another story, though.

Aura, unlike mana, can defend against physical objects. Mana is less dense in comparison. It's heavier than oxygen but lighter than vapour. Like vapour or fog, mana can't stop physical attacks on its own, which is what barriers are for.

Unlike mana also, raw aura can be solidified by a hundred times to conjure a barrier. This can stop physical objects.

"Impressive. You know all this from memory?"

"That old man made me recite aura theory every time I made a mistake."

Arnold wasn't perfect. He also made mistakes when he trained with Sebastian.

"He sounds like a wonderful master, Lord Arnold," Sceptim chuckled, "Where were we? Ah yes, what about the second and third use of aura?" 

"One of its most well-known uses: physical enhancement. It condenses into the muscles of its user to make them stronger and faster."

"Very good. Here's a question for you: who would be stronger in a brawl if two warriors equal in level—one with your type of aura and the other the red variant—were to go full power?"

"Physical power alone?"

"Yes."

"The blue aura user."

"Precisely. Though red aura is much heavier and richer in energy than its blue counterpart, it does not motivate its user's meridians to grow by much in the long run. It's like balancing a fist-sized rock on a thin sheet of paper. Eventually the paper will break. Meaning their growth will stop. As for blue aura users, imagine them like pebbles on the same kind of paper as the red aura. You can stack the pebbles far longer before the paper tears apart. Their meridians and core grow far larger, leading to a bigger aura pool."

In short, more energy means a stronger warrior.

"An aura blast from a blue aura user is also much stronger than a red aura user. Of course, it depends on how much both use for their aura blast. If the blue aura user uses the same amount then they'll lose against the red aura user."

Stella could definitely beat Arnold if she learns to balance her physical strength and aura, to maintain a constant flow of energy. Of course, like Sceptim said, it also depends on how much aura both warriors use. Arnold having too much pride and being the stronger warrior wouldn't fight Stella unless at full power.

He was almost level 60, he couldn't foresee a level 15-20 hot-headed amateur catching up to him. From what he knows, she's not hunted a single monsters in the last few years. Killing monsters are a Transcendent's main source of levelling up.  

He was kind of curious how her training was going.

"Let me hear the third then."   

"The third use is powering martial arts and body techniques. Without aura, martial arts and body techniques can't be utilized in combat." Arnold scratched his head, "That's about all I know right now."

He was a sorcerer in the game so he couldn't pick Liam's memories to help him gain a deeper understanding of what he learned in the past.

'I hate myself for not listening to Roderick in class.'

Then again, Roderick never put "aura theory" in any of his tests so Arnold didn't learn it at all. There was no need to since it wouldn't let him pass. Maybe Roderick didn't delve as deep as the book that Sceptim mentioned.

Also, all the martial arts he learned didn't require him to understanding anything besides those three uses of aura.

"Having a rough idea is enough, I suppose. Anyhow, this book will teach Lord Arnold everything you need to know about aura control and the true essence of aura theory."

Sceptim tossed the book over to Arnold.

Arnold caught it.

'Hm, it looks like an ordinary book.'

Normally this would be the moment where one's system would make a message appear explaining what book he's holding. Of course, being an NPC doesn't give him that privilege.

Screw the system and its limited features.

"Don't attempt any of the techniques or skills inside of the book in this state. Rest up for a few days before you begin."

"Yeah… I'll do that," he put the book away, "There's something I'd like to know."

"Yes?"

"Do you know why Kalda's power couldn't absorb my Sword Intent?"

"I apologize. I do not have the answer to that question."

'Figures. I can't expect to meet an aether master out of nowhere .'

Those were some of the rarest individuals in the entire game. They rarely even showed up in the endgame during the war.

"Though, if I were to take a guess…" Arnold's ears perked up at this, "It could be that Kalda's soul power is using a different form of that power you used to kill her."

"A different form of aether…?"

"From what I know, aether—along with its weaker forms—can grant its user all sorts of powers. The speculations from various scholars and old masters say that it's because aether could be all forms of energy in one."

"….."

That's the craziest theory about aether he's ever heard.

Hold on. Maybe it's not that ridiculous?  

"Everyone has aether in their bodies—even if only some can use it. You can either use it or you cannot. Its weaker forms are much easier to master. Aether could be the reason why all forms of raw energy exist as a whole."

Mana, aura, Ki, miasma, divine power, demon energy… the list goes on.

Imagine if Aether is the combination of all these powers?

Aether has only been used as a last resort power boost that leads to  suicide.

Players never looked too deeply into this power because of that. 

What Sceptim just said is merely a theory so Arnold shouldn't blindly believe it. Even if it's true, how would one go about using aether's other powers?

Also, if it's true, wouldn't that mean that it's possible for him to use magic?

"Do you intend to learn this dangerous power?" Sceptim stared intently at Arnold.

"…Yeah. A certain professor of mine is trying to teach it to all his students. Of course, I know that none of them will be able to learn the power in the end."

Stella could probably pull it off. In a decade or so.

Rodrick could only surround his finger in Aether's full power. Arnold could do a lot more due to his potential that's equal to Luke.

"I see. It just so happens that the book I just gave you has a section dedicated to  aether. It's somewhere in the last 100 pages, I believe."

"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Arnold took out the book again and began flipping pages. He tried to open the last page of the book. Miraculously, the book turned to the table of contents instead.

"What the hell…?"

Is he hallucinating or something?

"Ah, I almost forgot to tell you. You cannot skip pages in this book. It will always take you back to the page that you've yet to finish." Sceptim scratched his cheek with a wry smile.

"…Are you telling me it knows when I skip a page?"

"In a sense, yes. You might think that you're trying to skip a page by going to the next one when in reality you're just staring at the page you've yet to finish. You may have thought that you were flipping pages but in reality you were just standing there looking at the table of contents."

'Infinite mental focus manipulation… The one who created this book must've added that magic to this book.'

If so then what's the point? Does the creator want you to know everything?

"Haa…" Arnold gave up, "How does that work exactly? Do I have to learn everything in the book?"

"No. Reading everything is fine. It's up to you what you want to learn. I suggest you read through all the pages at first then reread with the purpose of learning. It retards your progression if you go in expecting to learn everything just by reading it once. Don't make the same mistakes I did, haha. I don't consider myself a talented individual when it comes to martial arts which is why I always have low expectations. It turned out to be the right mindset to have. Then again, it's up to Lord Arnold in the end."

"I'll decide later on." He put the book away again.

'I got excited for nothing.' He thought with a sigh.

'Choosing the right mindset is interesting. According to what is said in the game about me, I should be capable of learning anything regardless how difficult it is to master.'

Something worries him: Does his(a Transcendent's) potential as a whole get held back once he reaches level 60? Or does it only apply to the amount of XP he earns in general?

"Now that that's settled, do you see anything else you like?"

Arnold looked around. There were some great armours and weapons on display. But it's not like he can take it all. He wouldn't use everything anyway.

"Hm?" Arnold noticed a certain full set of silver armour on the far end of the vault.

A gentle breeze blew the blue mantle and feathers on its helmet softly. The magic orbs illuminated its shiny silver surface, giving it an attractive glow.

It was a slim set of armour.

It's like it was made for Arnold.

Sceptim followed after Arnold who approached the armour.

He spoke.

"I found that armour deep beneath the surface of a world. The world itself was in ruins with nothing left except roaming undead and a single fire raging atop a mountain of ashes—which not even the ash rain could put out. The wearer of this armour was already corrupted by some mysterious darkness. He posed a threat to Lady Siana. Sadly, I had to slay him. The greatsword in your possession belonged to him."

"Hmm…"

"He was a magnificent man. Of that I have no doubt. The diary I found on his corpse is enough to bring tears to one's eyes. He fought the darkness so that his king could build a nation for their people. It only lasted a hundred years before the outsiders came and wreaked havoc."

Outsiders.

There's that word again. No doubt the Offspring destroyed that world.

Arnold asked with his back turned:

"Have you ever encountered one of them?"

"One of whom?"

"The outsiders."

"I have."

Arnold turned around.

"What did they look like?"

"Unfortunately, I did not have the luxury of seeing their forms completely. The world where I got this set of armour lost its high walls so there were hordes of those things lurking. Plus, the energy pollution was so severe that the entire world was in a dark age. I was attacked by many of them at once while fleeing. They are extremely fast and relentless."

"I see…"

"Sorry for not being able to answer your question."

"It's fine," Arnold turned back to the armour. He took off one of the gauntlets. It had some weight to it.

"What kind of metal is this?"

"I'm not sure. It's quite resilient to magical damage and blunt force. Every dent or tear that do appear is fixed within mere seconds. The armour is some type of magic armour that uses its wearer's own energy to fix itself."

"What if I'm on the verge of death or i run out of aura? How will the armour repair itself then?"

For example, what if Sceptim managed to break a part of it off while Arnold was wearing it in this state?

"From my understanding, it only needs a certain amount of energy. If you don't have the required amount then it will remain damaged."

"As expected. But what a strange set of armour."

The game never had this kind of armour in the main story or side quests.

The developers loved hiding a lot of content for players to find on their own. The game guides you for a few quests before you're left on your own to follow the story. Of course, there are hints and dialogue from NPCs that help you on your way. Not to mention the short descriptions in the quests.

But secret locations like the Sky God dungeon is kept secret from players intentionally. It's left as end game content. Of course, being a game with thousands of different worlds, it lets you explore as you wish.

Even veterans like Lufulur hadn't found everything the game has to offer, not to mention the fact that he missed a sizeable chunk of the game's story(except some story leading up to the endgame) in the latter half.

The School Arc is just the beginning.

◇◇◇

"—How do you feel?" Sceptim asked Arnold.

Arnold—now clad in the silver set of armour—replied:

"It feels like my body became several times lighter all of a sudden." He opened and closed his hands. While tough, there was a lot of movement in the joints of the armour.

"While the armour is certainly greedy for taking its user's energy to repair itself, it offers light healing spells to help in combat. It's an active trait of the armour. Of course, mana is required for this otherwise the rune won't be activated. Check the inside of your gauntlets. There should be some space to dump magic crystals into."

"Hoh?" Arnold fiddled with his left gauntlet. Suddenly a small hatch opened up. He could see a small crystal inside. He moved his hand a little which caused the latch to close automatically.

'It'll take a while for me to get used to this. I can use the blood crystals with this armour.'

They'll last much, much longer than regular crystals. A single crystal, that would fit in the armour for example, will last him up to a week.

"Try using some of your aura."

"Hmm. I'll try." He squeezed out what little he had left.

Even though he didn't have enough to cover his entire body, the aura burst out of the armour like gushing water, submerging him in a field of dark blue aura.

"What the…"

"In addition to healing spells, there are some buffs and multiplier runes inside the armour. That will help in combat when you run low on aura. If used correctly, there would be no need for your armour to sacrifice your energy to restore itself." Sceptim then chuckled, "Want to know the best part? You can modify the armour with runes as you see fit—depending on how well you integrate the runes."

"…."

What kind of bastard decided to keep this armour hidden? Sure, it was a reward for defeating a secret boss(who was probably very strong) but an armour like this would definitely be worth the time dedicated to looking for and fighting the boss.

Using or creating runes isn't something Arnold needs to worry about. He can have Lauran help him craft the specific runes he has in mind. Rune arcane masters are non-existent in the current era so it's doubtful whether he'll find someone capable of creating runic formulae for him without the need for him to go find Lauran whenever he needs a new rune.

If Arnold fills this armour with runes he made using arcane magic then he'll be able to use magic without actually using mana. Using Great Runes—something lost throughout history as of right now—will serve as a valuable asset in battle.

The combination of the blood crystals and Great Rune magic will be a force to be reckoned with.

That was fun and all but…

'Can the armour be stored…?'

That was one of the biggest gripes with Star Fantasy's armour. It's rare for high class armour to be portable. Who wants to walk around with clunky armour everywhere? Everything in the game has some weight to it. Considering the scale of the game, you can get lost exploring and picking up different stuff which will only increase your inventory size, making the armour a nuisance when not in battle.

Players hated the weight limits in Star Fantasy, especially warriors who have to carry several heavy items(like backup weapons and such) which will slow down their speed, stamina regeneration and increase skill cool down. This was one of the few things that people actually hated about the game.

"Rezeky ru inmu." Arnold muttered the runic phrase for "store to inventory". Usually he says the phrase inside of his head when storing the demon armour.

Of course, he doesn't have an inventory like the one players have in the game. However, this is a magic armour just like Oriel's armour which can bind itself to aura.

He can store Oriel's armour fairly easily. Maybe he can do the same with this silver armour?

Despite being sure that it would be possible, nothing happened.

"Is something wrong? You muttered something then went silent." Sceptim asked innocently.

"….I… I was trying to store the armour…"

"I see! Well, it's very easy to do that. Just call out the armour's name. It will transform into a ring."

"Why didn't you say so sooner…"

He felt like an idiot.

"Say 'Gergois'."

Arnold did as Sceptim said. The armour turned into particles. A small ring appeared on his left index finger.

Arnold said the name again but this time he only thought about the helmet. Sure enough, his vision darkened when the helmet spawned on his head.

He could see through the slit of the helm.

"Is Gergois the original owner of this armour?" Arnold asked Sceptim.

"Yes. He was the one I fought in the world I mentioned before."

'Hmm, name doesn't ring a bell.'

"Have you ever worn this armour?" Arnold asked while looking at the armour that Sceptim was wearing at that moment.

The armour had signs of damage. This was something Arnold noticed even before the two of then fought Kalda.

"…." Sceptim shook his head, "Not every type of armour suits me, even magic armour is no exception to this. I need special kind of armour that will provide me both comfort and protection. Besides, most metals are extremely dangerous to Him."

"Him" as in the monster.

"I've worn this armour ever since I left my home world—no, I've been wearing it even before that. To me it's the perfect suit of armour. Not only that but it gives me comfort when I head into battle with the armour specially made by the one I fell in love with."

"You were once in love?"

"Yes. She wasn't like all the other women I've met before. She left quite an impression on me the first time we met. Ladies in her age group wanted to buy all sorts of clothing and makeup to make themselves look nice so that they can be courted by other gentlemen. My… Oh dear. It seems I've forgotten her name. How odd… Was it Phelithia? Piniria? No, that can't be it. Anyway, unlike the other women, she preferred riding horses, duelling against knights, fixing weapons and armour and even crafting them. How strange… Why can't I remember her face either?"

Sceptim smiled wryly as he muttered, "Perhaps this is the price I paid for immortality."

"You'll need a new set of armour if you're going to be fighting in my army. Though I suppose I could find someone to fix that armour instead."

It's obvious how attached he is to the armour despite not remembering who made it. The fact that he knows how much he loved that person even now is enough to show his attachment to the armour.

"I'll include that in the letter to Lunaria."

"I would be grateful if you would, Lord Arnold. Is there anything else you'd like to take along with you before we leave?"

"Besides a few other weapons, there's nothing else. I'll stay behind so you can go."

"Understood." Sceptim bowed before leaving the vault.

Arnold checked each and every weapon inside the armoury. He only took weapons that were class C and above. Anything below that was useless in an all-out battle.

In total he found over thirty different weapons. If Vetis didn't give him a magic bag then he wouldn't have been able to carry this much.

He studied every single weapon—down to its description even—before deciding whether he'll take it or not. He left the armours alone since he already had the perfect set of armour.

Arnold left the armoury after he filled his magic bag with weapons. He stepped back into the treasury and looked at the fortune before his eyes.

How many generations of royal family treasure was inside this vault?

His eyes were blinded by the shimmering glare of the gold coins and expensive antiques.

He arched his back as he looked up at the ceiling. It was fairly big for a treasury, even by normal standards.

"Hmm, the treasury won't be able to hold all my money once I become the richest man in Diacree. Should I have the treasury vault renovated or stash my fortune in various locations? Keeping everything in one place is just asking to be robbed."

Keeping only a portion of his wealth in one location will work while the majority of his money will lay in banks and other residences.

One might ask: Why not just give everything to the bank where it's safer?

To answer that question: some politicians have shares in most of the banks in the empire. They can freeze his accounts and take all his money if the people ever find out what he did(In Nuaria). Normally his family would receive his fortunes but the announcement of the worth of his magic crystals will turn a lot of heads and cause him to make a lot of enemies aiming for his fortune.

Even the Imperial Court can't be trusted.  

He suddenly yawned.

"It's not even close to night-time but I'm already tired."

I'll sleep a little then write the letter, he thought as he dragged his feet out of the treasury.

Arnold stepped into the hallway.

"Why is it so quiet?" he looked down the hallway. He then looked out of the windows.

"It's dark? What's going on?"

He couldn't even see a glimmer of light, only emptiness.

Arnold felt a heavy pressure weighing down on him. It was so strong that his knees felt like they'll give in and cause him to collapse. However, he remained standing even as the sweat fell down his cheek.

He walked towards an open window slowly. His feet felt heavy and his body was shivering.

"The light…. It's gone?"

The light—which was a sign that the artifact's power was still active—was nowhere to be seen.

"—Lord Arnold!" Caerwyn suddenly ran down the hallway towards him, "It's here! The one who wants Kalda's soul is here!"

Arnold's eyes widened. He hurriedly took out the hologram card to check the notifications.

·        Ladiath has descended from the Between Realm!

'Between Realm?'

That was the realm between the Nine Realms(basically the realm where all mortal lifeforms originate from) and the divine realms(the birthplace of the three Timeline Gods and other gods). It was home to countless gods and demigods alike. Not a single mortal could survive between the fabric of reality. It was a realm filled nothing but death and suffering where the weak won't survive.

One can say it's hell itself.

Ladiath. The name didn't ring a bell. However, the fact that it comes from the Between Realm means that it's a creature of divine origin – an Outer God.

Arnold was going to meet a divine being for the first time.