Suspicion

Samael returned after his fight with the assassin. Unfortunately, he forgot to interrogate the assailant, which dismayed him a bit. 

He also made sure to erase his tracks and not leave a single trace of his involvement. As said in a quote, "prevention is better than cure."

On his way back, he examined the object he had received from this fight. The system took quite some time to acquire enough information about the object, which surprised Samael a bit.

<Name: Core of a fallen deity>

Origin: Portika, the deity of mist

Type: Consumable

Effect: Boost in overall strength and magic capability. low chance to acquire illusion affinity.

Samael was surprised that the system managed to find the origin of the core. But he was more intrigued by the effects of the core

The system said it would make him stronger, and there was the possibility of acquiring illusion affinity, but it didn't mention any side effects or requirements.

He was a bit hesitant to consume it as he didn't know what it could do aside from the bonus to overall strength.

While it was very tempting, Samael had to investigate more before he used the core. He stowed it in his storage ring and eventually got back to the auction house.

When he got there, he was immediately halted by soldiers wearing golden armor. From the aura they exuded, Samael knew to follow their orders and avoid more complications.

The guards approached him with caution and cast a barrier, trapping him inside, before interrogating him. They were also accompanied by a mage holding a big wooden staff.

"State your name and purpose!" The guard said

Samael paused a bit before replying. "I'm with the esteemed Duke Mikhael. We were separated when the explosion happened."

The guards looked at him for a second before replying. "We will need you to show us something that will prove that you are indeed with the duke. Please do not take offense, as the place is in total lockdown after the attack."

Samael was silenced by this request as he didn't have anything on him that would signify his relation with the Duke.

The guards started getting suspicious and started raising their guards further. With the recent events, they couldn't afford to taint the name of the royal family.

They started approaching Samael with their weapons ready. Samael started sweating as his chances of escaping were slim to none. But before the guards could cuff him a voice suddenly intercepted.

"What are you doing to my guest?" The voice said

Samael breathed a sigh of relief, as he knew very well who that voice belonged to. It was no one but Mikhael himself.

The guards halted their advance and immediately stood in a formal manner before greeting the war hero. They also apologized to him and Samael for the ruckus

Mikhael dismissed it, knowing that they were only doing their jobs. The guards left shortly and apologized one more time before vanishing.

"Who were those guys?" Samael asked

"They're part of the royal guards the king sent to protect this place while they investigate the attack earlier." Mikhael replied in an easy-going manner, as if he hadn't been sending heads flying earlier.

"Well, that explains why they're so damn cautious." Samael replied

"Hey now, don't be so stingy, they are only doing their job." Mikhael said while slapping Samael's back.

They went on afterwards to search and group up with the siblings. Fortunately, they weren't hurt and somehow Mikhael wasn't worried a tad bit

When he asked about it, Mikhael just said that he trained those kids ever since they were little. They were battle-hardened, and they are old enough to take care of themselves.

They went back to the shop after the incident and decided to call it a day. Silvy was a bit grumpy as she had lost the opportunity to obtain a deity rank core. That core would have sent her straight to the next rank.

Samael estimated that she was around grandmaster rank, similar to Oscar, while Rekton and Severyn were at master ranks.

Samael wasn't surprised at how weak they were, even with all the resources they had. He was only growing that fast due to his skill [Multiplier], which gave him a massive boost.

Ordinary people don't have the skill or the system to increase in ranks that fast. Although some people, if they are lucky enough, can gain the attention of a superior being, which can bestow blessings on them.

Normally, these people are generally called ascenders. They are bestowed with the power of their respective gods.

Even people like Mikhael can't contend in terms of strength. These ascenders have managed to "temporarily" break their limits with the help of a primordial being. This caused them to break through a rank that no humans were meant to step on.

Due to this, their limiters would increase, thus granting them more room for improvement. However, while this was indeed amazing, Achieving it was very difficult as their limiters were only open for mere moments.

How does Samael know this? He read it back at the cursed king's castle while exploring. These ascenders played a huge part in the destruction of the great empire of Erudicia.

Samael couldn't help but grit his teeth. He felt rage boiling in his core. To think that these ascenders were once humans too, but chose to do the dirty bidding of the gods, made him feel sick.

They chose to be the lapdogs of these so-called supreme beings. They slaughtered their fellow humans like cattle and for what?

Samael's fist was turning into a ball, and a bit of pressure was pouring out, which caught the attention of Mikhael.

Mikhael looked at Samael before putting his hands on his shoulder. This made Samael snap out of his anger and calm his heart a little.

"Is there something bothering you?" Mikhael asked

Samael was silent for a bit before telling a lie. "It's nothing; I'm just disappointed that I didn't get the pen earlier."

"Oh, don't worry, the goods were secured in a vault, so they weren't harmed in the explosion earlier." Mikhael clarified

This made Samael feel a lot better, as he still gained two things from this trip of theirs. While making their way back, Mikhael suddenly asked him to talk personally.

Samael didn't think much of this and agreed with the request. Mikhael was a trustworthy person, so he never speculated on anything.

"Samael, who are you really?" Mikhael suddenly said

Samael was caught off guard by this question.

"No, rather, let me rephrase that. Are you an enemy?" Mikhael added

Samael was silenced by this question. Mikhael didn't ask any personal questions, but rather wanted to know if he was on their side.

"I've seen lots of interesting people. Some of them tried to hurt us while some sought our support." Mikhael spoke

"You're an interesting kid. You had enough guts to block my path and even cripple the mage accompanying us." Mikhael stated

"On top of that, you're the apprentice of that blacksmith, Ignacio. You were also able to destroy the reinforced door with an element I've never seen before." Mikhael said

"I don't care who you are or what you want. Just know that if you're my enemy, it will be in your best interest to leave and spare yourself." Mikhael said before turning and leaving.

Samael stood there in silence for a while. He wanted to tell his secrets, but if he did, it would do more harm than good. The path he chose was lonely and desolate

Samael sucked in cold air before walking out of the alleyway. He knew for a long time that this question would come to him. It wasn't unexpected for someone to doubt him.

Samael appeared out of nowhere. He didn't have any records or background information. He showed powers that humans had never seen. His existence was a mystery in itself.

Samael joined Mikhael and the others. Mikhael gave him a glance before they went on their way. The siblings were a bit confused as the two of them were silent on their way home.

Before going on their own paths, Silvy gave him a small red stone with rune carvings in it. The stone was a communication device that could send a message once a day.

The siblings gave it to him so that they could be updated all the time about his progress. Even though they hated the fact that Samael was in charge, they had no choice but to accept it.

Afterwards, Samael bid farewell and left the place. It has been an exhausting day, and he needed his well-earned rest.

...

The next morning, he was woken up by a sudden knock on his door. Samael grunted as he left his bed and made his way to the entrance of his room. There stood a man holding a parcel which was for him.

To his surprise, the package was delivered by the auction house in exchange for helping subjugate the assassins. Inside the box were an envelope and a small wooden case. Samael first opened the envelope and read the message inside it.

Samael read the contents of the letter, and his mood gradually got better. The text said that the auction house will always consider him a VVIP, along with its perks. They gave him a black card with the sigil of the auction house on it.

Samael was pleased by this, as he can now earn more profit. The auction house would now accept his items because he was a VVIP. On top of that, he would also get 95% of the profit.

When he auctioned his items back then, the shop would regularly take 20% of the profit. This caused him to lose a lot of money.

He tucked the paper away and checked the wooden case next. The case had magical formations protecting it, and they only reacted when Samael tried to open it.

When Samael saw what was inside, he couldn't help but smile in glee. The runic pen he was waiting for finally arrived.

With this pen, his preparations were complete. All he needed was to test out his knowledge in rune making. Fortunately, he made sure to check out as many books as possible back at the library.

Based on his stock knowledge. Rune pens required the core of a beast. The higher the grade of the core, the stronger the effects of the rune.

The elements and purity of the core also depicted the elemental affinity of the engraved item. Having the right elemental rune on your gear would vastly boost your ability.

Samael tucked the pen in his spatial ring and left his house shortly. He planned to enter the Tower of Eden to gather resources for his upcoming trial.

Samael then tucked his pen in his spatial ring and left his house shortly. He planned to enter the Tower of Eden to gather resources for his upcoming trial.