chapter 8 gearing up part 2

Masato did see many items with similar abilities as his necklace, but not one item or artifact had all of them combined, and he didn't even bother to find an item that had something to do with 'threads of fate'.

'Is this really an artifact or item in the first place? Can someone even make something like this in the first place?' Masato wondered.

"Um...sir?" A meek voice called Mr.Lucas; this brought Masato out of his reverie.

It was Mark calling for Mr.Lucas.

Mr.Lucas who was leaning against the wall answered.

"Yes, what it is it mark?"

"Uh...I've finished choosing."

"Oh, excellent. Now, let's wait for others to finish as well." 

"Okay sir." Mark replied and gingerly stood beside Mr.Lucas. 

Then Masato also searched for his item by using the number he had seen on the glass container, and selected it, along with an uncommon ranked crossbow with a single fractal on it.

Masato then browsed other items-memorizing some enchantments and their uses.

There were even names of some divine artifacts, but they were just names without their image. One such item caught his eye.

Item : [Herald of madness]. 

Artifact Rank: Divine. 

Artifact Tier: I 

Artifact Type: Tool

Artifact Description: [As hopelessness brings forth despair, ye who walk the path of madness shall conquer all.]

Enchantment: Searing Vengeance, burning wrath, Indestructible

Searing vengeance: if your cause is deemed good you shall trample any and all foe beneath you. Grants the ability to stand against any foe you deem to be your enemy.

Burning wrath: Anger as fuel, you may protect yourself from mental attacks while still being able to use it against your foe. 

Artifact status: Unknown. 

The artifact only had two active enchantments, but its power was quite sinister... 

Very few items had the enchantments of being able to defend the user against mental attacks, but there were even less items with the ability to let the user cast mental attacks. 

However, the first enchantment was quite vague in its use like many other enchantments of such rank. It was ambiguous, but maybe it was powerful as well.

-rustle

 Masato was brought out of the contemplation my someone moving. 

It was Elicia moving towards the students gathered around Mr.Lucas, who was currently looking at an item shaped in a bowl.

"Probably giving advice to the students, I guess." 

Masato noticed that Hellen was constantly tapping her foot barely paying attention to other people. 

'Is she waiting for her item?' Masato guessed.

Mr.Lucas stopped talking with the students when he noticed Elicia and Masato and asked them curiously. 

"I wonder what took you so long? Were you able to find what you were looking for?" 

Elicia answered slightly flustered, "um...yes sir. I just had difficulty finding something suitable for me…" 

Masato then just shrugged and said nonchalantly: 

"Same here, sir. And I was also looking at various types of enchantments."

"Well, having rare affinities causes trouble I guess. Anyway, a staff will bring what you've chosen, and I'll check them first before giving it you."

After relaying this to Masato and Elicia. Mr.Lucas went back to discussing stuff with the other students. 

With nothing better to do Masato sat on one of chairs in the academy waiting and watching.

Then were some students checking their artifact while some were mulling around armory observing different artifacts. 

And after sometime, Masato noticed an academy staff appeared carrying a spatial card, and they handed them to Mr.Lucas and Mr.Lucas beamed two items.

 Masato realized that it was Hellen looking at Mr.Lucas with glint of excitement hurrying Mr.Lucas with her eyes. 

Masato then looked towards the after it materialized in front of Mr.Lucas. The first item was a wooden staff with a gem embedded at the top. It would definitely look like a common staff without the glowing cyan gem, which floated around a ring atop the staff. The interested students stared intently at the artifact, which passively radiated mana. But Hellen looked outright disappointment. 

"So it's not hers huh…" Masato thought.

Then Masato checked its description.

Item : [Timeless Twilight]. 

Artifact Rank: Unique. 

Artifact Tier: III 

Artifact Type: Weapon 

Artifact Description: [created by an excellent wizard for a princess with the blessings from the great ones.] Enchantment: Endless radiance, night aversion, self-recovery. 

Endless radiance: stores sunlight and converts it into mana for the user. 

Night aversion: spells activated through endless radiance gets stronger at night but weakens at night. 

Artifact status: quasi-soul bound

Self-recovery: Able to restore itself under sun.

Restrictions: N/A 

The enchantments in the staff were befitting of a unique item; ambiguous with a potential to make a user a spell factory...and it didn't even have any affinity restriction.

"Well, it was quite a decent item for Elicia. I heard that she has below average mana pool…" Masato muttered to himself.

Then he checked the description of another item

Item : [Cloak of mystery]. 

Artifact Rank: uncommon

Artifact Tier: I

Artifact Type: Utility

Artifact Description: [Created for the [redacted] order to be given to the novices from the order.] 

Enchantments: self-recovery, nightwalker, cloud of darkness.

Nightwalker: when in night; the user's mana recovery increases.

Cloud of darkness: makes the user hard to spot during the night.

Artifact status: mana-bound. 

Restrictions: none

Owner: Elicia de grace

"It seems you thought things through huh…though, I hope you have other offensive items." Mr.Lucas said to Elicia with slight doubt.

"I do have one sir…do I have to show it?" Elicia said with hesitation.

"No need for that, Elicia." Mr.Lucas said with a smile and added, "It's enough if you have one as you only chose supportive items.

Then Mr.Lucas handed the items to Elicia and brought a single item this time, making cast a questioning gaze at Hellen, who just shrugged in response.

Hellen choosing a single wasn't unexpected though…she was from a prestigious family, and she probably had tons of items in her spatial card right now.

Anyway, the single item was a rapier with its hilt made like a crimson dragon biting its own tail, the blade itself was blood-red with intricate runes carved in it. 

Masat checked its description as well.

Item : [Blaze]. 

Artifact Rank: rare

Artifact Tier: III

Artifact Type: Weapon

Artifact Description: [a last creation of an unknown being, forged from a bone of titanic creature living in depth an active volcano.] 

Enchantments: baleful scorching, self-recovery, maddening tenaciousness, light eater. 

Baleful scorching: The user is able to absorb store mana in the weapon and use it to create a contained detonation.

Maddening tenaciousness: You shall stand firm until the battle ends. The user is able to ignore any form of pain and fatigue, and engage in battle until they give up. 

Light eater: Emits a light depending on the amount of mana poured. 

Artifact status: quasi-soul bound. 

Restrictions: Fire affinity

Owner: Hellen 

Masato didn't know much bout Hellen, but even he thought that it was a fitting weapon for her. 

While the [maddening tenaciousness] may be a problem for some, but it may actually be a boon for her.

He noticed that Hellen was ready to rush towards the rapier any second due to the glint of excitement in her eyes. 

"Okay, you can have this rapier, Hellen it suits you quite well. But don't being ignorant of pain may be good sometime but be careful to not push yourself too far." Mr.Lucas said analyzing with methods unknown to the students. 

"Okay sir! I'll be careful" answered Hellen rushing towards Mr.Lucas and taking the rapier off his hands.

 While Hellen was checking her rapier, Mr.Lucas beamed the last of the card, and the item that came out of it was small ring which seemed to be made of silver with some runes carved in it. The area around the simple looking ring however, was pulsating with magical energy which was visible to Masato only. But there was another item that got beamed along with it. 

"A crossbow? I thought you used a sword before?" Mr.Lucas asked with a frown.

"Yes sir. I took swordsmanship lessons, and since I've already got a sword I wanted to get something for ranged attacks as well."

"Oh, then you wanted to cover your weakness, huh? But, have you trained with crossbow before?"

"Well, My dad has taught me before..." Masato said with slight hesitation in his voice.

Mr.Lucas then gave him a knowing look, and he seemed to apologize with his eyes.

Mr.Lucas also knew about his dad, so it was only natural for him trust his teachings.

 Then he added after looking at the cross bow with hazy and unfocused eyes again; probably looking at the item's specs. 

"Hmm...I guess you choose this with consideration huh...It will probably have a good synergy with your ring." 

"That was my intention as well Mr.Lucas" Masato said with a subtle grin remembering the description for the two items.

Item : [Ring of salvation].

Artifact Rank: Unique

Artifact Tier: III

Artifact Type: Tool

Artifact Description: [anything that can go wrong will go wrong.]

Enchantments: Ceaseless Torment, Limited clairvoyance, self-recovery

Ceaseless Torment: time may heal every wound but not a wound dealt by you. Wounds inflicted by user is persistent and hard to heal with natural means.

Limited clairvoyance: you will be able to predict certain outcomes that may happen in the future, but know that to peer at the river of fate requires more than your mana and what you see may not occur at all.

 Self-recovery: rewind and recover. Restore point: when wounded, bring your body to a point in time when it is not wounded.

Artifact status: quasi-soul bound.

 Restrictions: Time affinity

 Owner; Masato

The ring was something Masato needed as he never had a chance to own any artifact related to his affinity as they were extremely rare, especially ones that had attacking ability as time affinity may be a rare affinity it had its limited uses in direct combat.

So the next item was something Masato thought that had a good synergy with the ring even as an uncommon rank item.

Item : [Crossbow of doom].

Artifact Rank: uncommon

Artifact Tier: IV

Artifact Type: weapon

Artifact Description: [A common weapon made for the soldiers of azeria to fight against the blood thralls.]

Enchantments: mana-bolts of doom, ill omen. Mana-bolts of doom: conjure bolts through mana, with two unique properties: Stable bolts, and explosive bolts.

Stable mode: High penetration, and concentrated damage.

Explosive: Lower penetration but explodes upon contact with the target.

Festering wounds: wounds cause by the conjured bolts will rot unless healed with various means.

As mr.Lucas said the crossbow's [festering wounds] had a good synergy with the [ceaseless torment]

enchantment from the [ring of salvation].

Even though he had chosen to pick the ring due to the connection he had seen with the 'threads of fate', the crossbow was quite a good addition to his kit as he lacked ranged attacks.

"I think I know what you thought when you chose the crossbow instead of sword but know that the chance of you guys being directly deployed against the abominations is quite low. But if you did get in such situation do not depend too much upon your artifacts, they're not going help you overcome the sudden rush of battle or worse, they can't help you when freeze due to your instincts."

Mr.Lucas, Advised and Masato kept it in the back of his mind.

"Thanks Mr.Lucas. Will make sure to follow your advice." Replied Masato with gratitude. Even though it wasn't some unique of an idea he still chose to follow it.

"It's my job to do so; you don't need to thank me for it." Mr.Lucas replied while waving his hand.