Curseguard Amulet

Another tiring day had passed, and a fresh sun rose in the west, rousing Kuber from his slumber. He pushed open his room's window, greeted by a gentle breeze, and couldn't help but smile as he took in a deep breath of the crisp air.

"Ah, this air is so refreshing."

With a polite smile on his face, Kuber stepped out of his room and headed towards Leona and Luna's quarters. He rapped lightly on Luna's door, his knuckles tapping twice.

"Hey, time to rise and shine!" he called out.

Without hesitation, Luna swung open the door, while Leona continued to sleep, her form tangled in a messy heap.

"Leona, wake up! Unless you want me to leave you behind," Kuber teased, giving her a friendly tap on the head.

"Huh? What's going on?" Leona mumbled, jolted awake by the unexpected tap.

"Time to get moving! We're hitting the road," Kuber declared, addressing both Leona and Luna.

After a bit of time, Leona and Luna readied themselves to depart the city, while Kuber took care of sorting out their accommodation fees. Fortunately, he didn't need to pay anything for his stay due to the 10-day free period granted by the Newbie Protection Regulations.

With their preparations complete, the trio readied themselves to leave the city.

"By the way, Luna, you were talking about bloodline awakening yesterday. Remember?" Kuber brought up.

"Ah, right! I do remember," Luna responded, a smile gracing her features. She felt pleased to finally be of some help to Kuber.

"The bloodline awakening process happens at the Resource Association, or the Resources Management Association if you want to be formal. This association building is located in the Capital City, and it's overseen by the Elder's Council. But awakening your bloodline doesn't come cheap. It costs around 30 iron credits per person," Luna explained, her enthusiasm evident.

"I see. That's quite a hefty price," Kuber remarked, rubbing his temples as he pondered the information.

The process of bloodline awakening proved to be prohibitively expensive for commoners, given that one thousand stone credits were equivalent to a single iron credit. Similarly, one thousand iron credits translated to a solitary crystal credit. Furthermore, acquiring a premium credit necessitated ten thousand crystal credits. These premium credits held the highest value across all the towers in the vast universe.

After a short while, they arrived at the city gates. Before them, Darryl and a few of his associates were engaged in a discussion with the city guards. Enhanced security checks were in place at the entrance.

"Hey, Darryl!" Kuber called out, waving to capture Darryl's attention.

Darryl swiftly approached Kuber upon noticing him. "Glad to see you're well, young man. It looks like you've even made some friends," he remarked with a smile.

"Yeah, well... I was actually planning to leave this place. Would you be interested in joining the clan I intend to establish in the future?" Kuber extended the invitation to Darryl, though his uncertainty was palpable.

Darryl responded with a mocking tone and narrowed eyes, "What on earth are you talking about? You do realize I can't even walk properly, and even if you're clever, that doesn't guarantee success in creating a clan from scratch."

Kuber fell silent, taken aback by Darryl's cynical response. Meanwhile, Leona grew incensed by Darryl's words.

"What did you just say, you old man? You know nothing about Kuber. He managed to take down that Sha—"

Kuber swiftly covered Leona's mouth, his expression indicating his urgency to prevent her from revealing the secret of the Shadowfang Syndicate incident.

"Quiet down, you little troublemaker!" Kuber snapped at Leona, urging her to contain her impulsive words. She pouted and seethed with anger in response.

"I apologize for her behavior. How about we find a more private place to talk?" Kuber suggested.

Darryl nodded, "Sure, we can discuss matters in the city guard's office."

The two of them entered the office, leaving Luna and Leona outside.

Once inside, Darryl inquired, "So, what's on your mind?"

Kuber's tone turned serious, yet his grin remained sly. "I want you to join me, no matter what."

Darryl sighed, folding his hands and paying close attention. "I understand your request, but you need to grasp that I can't join your clan or whatever due to my injury."

Darryl sighed, and in response to Kuber's persistence, he lifted the corners of his pants to reveal the injury.

"You see, this isn't just a wound or injury. It's a curse inflicted by a demonic practitioner during a rescue mission on the 9th floor," Darryl explained, showing Kuber the cursed part of his leg.

Yellow scales covered his leg, a characteristic trait of Draconians, while a section of his leg had begun to rot away. He further disclosed that the curse was gradually spreading to other parts of his body, gradually reducing his lifespan. His original lifespan had been 2200 years.

Kuber pondered this information and said, "What if I could find a solution for you?"

Darryl scoffed, shooting down Kuber's suggestion. "Quit jesting, kid. Only those ancient beings from the Neutral Faction have any hope of curing me."

Kuber fell silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on Darryl's injured leg as he rubbed his chin in thought. Then, a glint of determination sparked in his eyes. He paused for a second, his mind racing, and then swiftly summoned the dimensional shop.

After scrolling through the options, he finally found something that seemed promising.

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[Curseguard Amulet]

The "Curseguard Amulet" is an artifact that can contain and neutralize curses, rendering them ineffective for 40 minutes each day.

[Rank] – C

[Price] – 40 iron credits

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'This is quite a hefty price, but I can't really back down now,' Kuber mused, his expression a mixture of hesitation and determination. He knew he didn't have many alternatives.

As Kuber contemplated the artifact, Darryl regarded him with a puzzled expression. Eventually, Kuber decided to make the purchase using Grendar's credit coin, which held 160 iron credits.

"Here, take this," Kuber handed the "Curseguard Amulet" to Darryl, who accepted it with evident satisfaction. The amulet was crafted from a blue jade-like material, with a white crystal embedded within it.

"Now, what's the next step?" Darryl inquired, curiosity lighting up his gaze.

Kuber retorted with a touch of annoyance, "Why are you asking me? You should figure that out on your own."

Faced with Kuber's response, Darryl attempted to infuse the amulet with his aura energy. A soothing warmth enveloped his leg, gradually alleviating the excruciating pain he had endured for years.

"Why... Why didn't I find this sooner? It would've saved me so much pain," Darryl's voice trembled as he gazed at the amulet, tears welling up in his eyes. Holding the artifact gently, he seemed to be overwhelmed with a mix of relief and regret for not having found a solution earlier.

Seeing Darryl's emotional reaction, Kuber was reassured that the amulet was indeed having a positive effect.

"It seems like the amulet is working as intended. So, what do you say now?" Kuber inquired, his smile now confident. He was convinced that Darryl would be more inclined to accept his invitation to join him after experiencing the amulet's effectiveness firsthand.