Chapter 44 Two Hearts (2) (1/2)
But after a while, Yeon-woo’s expectations ended in disappointment.
Contrary to his thoughts, there was a limit to the number of souls that could be bound to the artifact.
[Number of bound souls: 150]
‘Is this the limit, or can it go over 150?’
Yeon-woo thought it was the latter one.
As he continued capturing souls, he got the feeling the artifact was getting fuller. It was like the vessel was large, but it had several barriers inside blocking souls from entering. He could only guess that the barriers would disappear over time or that they would unlock once the seal was lifted.
It wasn’t the picture he wanted, but he wasn’t disappointed.
‘This will do.’
There were plenty of other ways to increase the power of the explosion.
Yeon-woo gradually deactivated Draconic Eyes.
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He noticed that the souls had gone far away from him, as if they were afraid of being sucked into the Black Bracelet. But they didn’t seem to be completely avoiding Yeon-woo. Rather, they were banding tightly together and following him around like a tail.
‘Do other players also have souls following them?’
Yeon-woo took a look around Galliard, but he didn’t seem to have any kind of soul following him.
He didn’t know whether he could only see souls that were following him or it was only him who had these souls around. But his interest ended right at that point. It looked like souls couldn’t make interfere physically or put a curse on him. If so, it was fine if he didn’t pay attention to them.
‘And next.’
Yeon-woo checked the rewards from Monster Outbreak.
‘I had 4 rewards pending in the quest window.’
When he pressed the receive button, several messages started to pop up in succession.
[You have acquired the title ‘Monster Hunter’.]
[Your Strength has increased by 10 points.]
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[Your Dexterity has increased by 15 points.]
[You have acquired ‘Goblin King’s Eye’.]
[You have acquired ‘Monsters’ Five Colored Jewel’.]
[You have acquired 3,000 additional Karma.]
One title and two artifacts.
Yeon-woo quickly checked the title.
[Title: Monster Hunter]
A title given to a player who has driven countless monsters into chaos. The owner of this title will inflict greater damage when hunting monsters.
However, the monsters killed by the player possessing this title will turn into ghosts and follow the player even after their death.
Effect: +10 Strength, +15 Dexterity. +15% chance of inflicting critical damage to monsters. Better chances of provoking monsters.
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‘So that’s why.’
Yeon-woo was getting a vague idea as to why so many souls were following him. It seemed to be the penalty in exchange for granting such outstanding options. But of course, that wouldn’t stop him from using the title.
Next, Yeon-woo identified the remaining two artifacts. Both were jewelry type artifacts. One was the eye of a monster. Lots of veins were sticking out on the surface of the eye as if it had just been cut out from its socket, its pupil staring back at Yeon-woo. And the other was a strange gem that shone in different colors depending on the angle from which it was viewed.
[Goblin King’s Eye]
Classification: Jewelry. Amulet.
Rating: B-
Description: An eye left by the Goblin King, Kranum. He left this eye so as to not lose track the enemy who killed him even after its death. Simply by wearing it, the player can be affected in various by the rancor of Kranum.
If handled properly, it can be a good artifact.
* Enemy of the Goblin King
Kranum’s eye will always turn towards the enemy who killed him. It will constantly give off its valor and rancor to prevent his enemy from being killed by others.
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Influenced by the artifact, the owner can emit a thick wave of aura and gain 10% increased attack power. The artifact will also keep watch for invisible attacks such as curses and poison, providing a 15% chance of blocking such effects.
[Monsters’ Five Colored Jewel]
Classification: Jewelry
Rating: C+
Description: Jewelry created by the feelings of enmity of five races of monsters: Goblins, Kobolds, Gnolls, Lizardmen, and Orcs.
Brings out and provides the wearer with one of the characteristics of five monsters.
* Feet of Goblin
Will have faster feet.
* Ear of Kobold
Will be able to hear smaller sounds.
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* Nose of Gnoll
Will be able to smell fainter odors.
* Eyes of Lizardman
Will be able to see further into the distance.
* Hands of Orc
Will gain stronger physical power.
‘Why do I only get things like these?’
Yeon-woo burst into laughter in spite of himself.
It seemed that the impact the Monster Outbreak had on them must have been enormous. Because every single one of them had expressions like ‘rancor’ or ‘enmity’ in their description.
Their options were mostly based on those emotions, making them well suited for Yeon-woo.
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Excluding the Unique items, Goblin King’s Eye was in fact the best artifact available in the tutorial. It had a Rating of B-. Considering the fact that the lowest grade of artifacts available in The Tower was C, it was quite high.
In addition, the artifact had the ability to protect its owner from curses and poison. Thanks to this, Yeon-woo could now be shielded from attacks that he couldn’t feel with his senses, especially those from a distance.
And the thing he liked most about the Goblin King’s Eye was the aura it emitted.
‘It goes so well with the Black Bracelet.’
To state the obvious, negative emotions like rancor and magics like curse were effective in enhancing dark elemental power, meaning that he could increase his attack power with them.
‘The same goes for the Five Colored Jewel.’
It would be a little inconvenient to have to go through each option to disable one and select another option whenever he wanted to switch, but still, he liked the fact that he had obtained another way of enhancing his senses.
The eyes, ears, and nose could support him when using Sense Strengthening, whereas the hands and feet could enhance Shunpo.
‘It’s like everything was prepared just for me.’
Yeon-woo couldn’t stop his laughter from coming out of his mouth.
This content is taken from lightno_ve_lw_orld.com
But it was not unusual for this to happen. The system of The Tower tended to give players things that would suit them as much as possible when handing out rewards. The larger the achievement players made, the greater such tendency got. It was a system designed to help players to enhance their characteristics.
Yeon-woo finished checking his rewards. He packed up the quest rewards and headed back towards Galliard’s cottage.
* * *
“Hmm? A chain?”
“Yes. Anything that can be fastened will do.”
Galliard narrowed his eyes at the Yeon-woo’s sudden request, but soon gave a smile.
“Did you get something like a jewel or a rune as a reward?.”
“Something similar.”
“I’m also a blacksmith, so I could help you make it into an artifact if you want, but… You don’t have much time left, do you?”
Yeon-woo nodded gravely.
This content is taken from lightno_ve_lw_orld.com
Players usually preferred to get jewels or runes as quest rewards. The reason was because they were not only easy to carry, but could also be attached to their artifact as ornaments.
They would have the same effect as wearing them, while reducing the hassle of actually wearing it.
However, the combination required a blacksmith with metallurgy or alchemy skills, one with a high level of proficiency. If they were to be left to a poorly skilled blacksmith, the option could be lost, as was often the case, or in the worst case scenario, both the material and the artifact could be destroyed.
Moreover, Yeon-woo could not immediately combine the jewelry with an artifact even though he met a somewhat skillful blacksmith named Galliard, because of a simple reason: he didn’t have much time left in the tutorial.
For the time being, Yeon-woo had to convert it into a necklace or a bracelet in order to get its effects.