Chapter 130 - 130: Choosing Epic Rank Artifacts
"Tch...so much for helping you."
Velmara rolled his big owl eyes at Lucien's rejection in disgust and said,
"I have no interest in these old and useless books. Why would I go with him there?"
He answered him first before perking up with a mischievous light in his eyes.
"Kid, I know you also don't want to waste your time here waiting for your grandpa. So...in the meantime, why don't you go to...you know, that warehouse?"
He said while pointing in the direction of the one and only Artifact Treasury in the entire Dimensional Vault.
While Malcolm was excited to enter this spell library, Velmara's attention seemed to be on that Artifact hall.
After all, although he couldn't learn spells like a human, he could use artifacts just fine.
"Hmm? You mean that Artifact Treasury?"
Lucien raised his eyebrows at the direction pointed out by Velmara. To be honest, he was also quite interested in that place.
After all, the only decent robe he had was already snatched by his father and he basically didn't have any good gear.
If he could get some from that place, his power could level up once more.
"Then, let's go. I am also bored waiting anyway."
Once Lucien decided, he didn't wait and directly left the library, leaving his gramps alone.
It wasn't that he was inflated and didn't need the myriad of spell books here, his priority was different for now.
He would definitely return here when he had time.
"Haha...that's what I was saying. A cool artifact is countless times more valuable than these worthless old books."
Velmara laughed after seeing Lucien hearing his words, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
He couldn't wait to choose a few awesome gears for himself, especially those that could increase his defense.
He didn't want to experience that feeling of getting trampled under someone's foot again.
Before, Malcolm did try to give him some epic rank artifacts, but he directly denied them proudly, which he now really regretted.
'There must be Epic rank artifacts inside and maybe even...Legendary...?'
He was going wild with imagination when they finally reached the tall and wide warehouse in the style of a grand pavilion suspended inside the Dimensional Vault.
It looked dull and unremarkable from the outside, nothing more than a massive block of steel drifting in the silent void…
…but when Lucien and Velmara entered the place, it looked vast, orderly, and strangely alive.
"So many?"
As Lucien entered the place and looked around, his heart couldn't help but skip a bit.
He saw that the artifacts were arranged in clear layers in the pavilion.
At the entrance stood the common stock, everyday talismans, low-grade weapons, and trinkets displayed in open racks like goods in a marketplace.
The numbers were so many that he couldn't even count.
But as he went deeper inside, the shelves began to grow taller, the space wider, while the ranking of the artifacts increased from common and early rare rank to middle-rank artifacts.
And those artifacts were clearly sealed within glass-like cases, each humming faintly with its own aura.
As Lucien and Velmara went further in, the atmosphere began to thicken.
Now, the rarer pieces were no longer simply displayed, but locked within runic cages, suspended behind glowing sigils that flared when anyone approached.
Every step they took deeper was like peeling back another layer, the protections increasing with the value of what was stored, first simple locks, then enchantments, then entire barriers of light, until some sections could only be glimpsed through translucent seals that refused to yield even a sliver of their contents.
"So many Epic rank artifacts."
Velmara couldn't help but say in shock, rolling his big eyes while looking at those heavily protected unusual goods.
Lucien could see that the artifacts here looked somewhat unnatural.
There were all kinds of artifacts: mirror, lantern, shard, quill, ring, paper, and even one that was very similar in shape to a compass.
If not for their strong aura, he would have thought they were just common goods.
"No Legendary items? Tch...it seems we are unlucky."
Lucien suddenly heard Velmara's voice filled with disappointment. It seemed he was expecting a Legendary item inside.
"But these Epic rank artifacts are still good, and a few are even at the Peak of Epic rank, nice."
He said once again, finally paying close attention. He was clearly trying to find something that was useful to him as an Owl.
'Yeah, they are good...but how am I going to see their effects?'
Lucien thought, feeling perplexed. He could see that what Velmara was doing right now was feeling each artifact with his senses.
Although he could also do that, it was ineffective after all.
'How good would it be if the system could show the details of this artifact?'
Lucien thought dreamily while coming near the small golden blade hidden behind the light barrier.
Fortunately, since he had control over the core, he could easily take the artifacts out from their safeguards.
Otherwise, he might have to look and drool just like before.
'Well, it seems...quite ordinary?'
Once Lucien took the bell out and examined its golden body in his hand, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Feeling that without testing he might not get any conclusion, he was about to input his mana when suddenly a surprising prompt appeared in his mind,
Ding!
[Detected a good amount of high-rank artifacts near the host owned by him. Do you want to look through their details?]
The prompt was as robotic as ever, only its appearance shocked Lucien.
'So, it works this way too?'
He thought, feeling good.
To be honest, he was just about to go inside his status panel and see if he could expand the details of this warehouse inside the Dimensional Vault section.
Now that the system clearly gave the direction, of course he was happy.
'System, show me the details.'
Lucien said, looking intently at the bell in his hand, completely ignoring Velmara who had now begun to use unknown magic.
Sure enough, as soon as he gave the order, a transparent blue panel quickly appeared in his mind filled with information.
---
[Soul-Listening Bell:
A small silver bell that rings automatically when near lies, hidden killing intent, or suppressed emotions. Extremely useful in negotiation, interrogation, and surviving betrayals.
Method of Use: Imprint your soul power onto it, and it activates instantly.]
---
'So it is a soul-related artifact?'
Lucien saw the brief introduction and raised his eyebrows.
Although he had just awakened his class, he knew that in this world there were three aspects of life: Body, Mind, and Soul.
And among them, the soul was a very strange and sensitive aspect. So, seeing such an unusual Epic Rank artifact related to the soul had to shock him a little.
He was sure that he couldn't find even a Rare rank artifact related to the soul outside. This was truly a valuable find.
'Let's see others too.'
Lucien suddenly thought, feeling his expectations getting higher.
So, he carefully placed the bell inside the array and then began to pick other Epic treasures one by one, scanning them with his system.
---
[Driftstone Compass:
A flat black stone with a silver needle that glows faintly when near power. It always points toward the strongest source of mana or hidden treasure in range, and its needle trembles when detecting concealed threats.
Be careful, as it is not absolute. When multiple sources overlap, the wielder must choose carefully.
Method of Use: Input your mana whenever you want to use the artifact.]
---
[Phantom's Die:
A black die etched with shifting silver runes. When rolled, probability subtly bends in the user's favor: a strike lands true, a trap fails, or an escape barely succeeds. But greater twists can cause heavy backlash, although even small bends can save or doom a life.
Method of Use: Focus your intent and roll the die; its effect triggers immediately.
Cost: Each use drains a portion of the user's innate vitality and mana.
Note: Can use Origin power as a substitute when available.]
---
[Mirror of the False Self:
A hand-sized obsidian mirror that can project a living double of the user. Although the double cannot fight, it can walk, speak, and even carry items, perfect for bait, deception, or scouting in dangerous ruins.
Method of Use: Focus your will on the mirror and speak your intent; the double materializes instantly.
Cost: Maintaining the double drains the user's stamina and a small portion of mana over time; longer durations increase the strain proportionally.]
---
[Eclipse Lantern:
A lantern that burns without fuel, capable of swallowing all light within a radius when opened. Useful for ambushes, stealth, or weakening light-based magic.
Method of Use: Open the lantern and focus your intent; darkness spreads immediately within its range.
Cost: Consumes a portion of the user's mana while active; prolonged use risks exhaustion and dizziness.]
---
'How odd!'
As Lucien began to read through the details of the artifacts, he found that although all of the effects were good, they were also situation-specific.
Not one was useful in every incident, and quite a few required specific situations to be of any use at all.
'Sigh...they were placed here to sell after all. It makes sense for them to be like this.'
Lucien sighed and placed the artifact in his hand inside the barrier, intending to pick up another one when he heard Velmara exclaim loudly beside him,
"That's it. I choose you."
It seemed he had already found the one he wanted from these groups.