Azimuth: The Elden Throne

?The chapter is edited now, enjoy :)

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"... Alright, I'm ready."

Not long after logging in, Dale sat before a small table next to his bed after putting some clothes on, getting ready to start another equally long day.

Even after all this time, his room was still rather minimalistic, with the same old furniture that had likely been in place for over 100 years, not making many changes to it as he felt there was no need for it.

Most of it had been repaired, and although most of those things were usable, you can't really repair a mattress, if you could even call that one…

He thought about moving, but he quite liked living here, there was something about an adventurer renting an Inn, from the smell of the wood to the smell of the breakfast in the morning…

Anyhow, the sun wasn't even up yet and he wasn't going to leave his room until he finished his 'special' task.

"... Sigh, I'll just get this over with before I forget."

With a few hand gestures, Dale went through his System interface, opening his inventory before pulling three unique boxes from within.

/Cling... Clang.../

The first one was a metallic box full of chattering chains, binding it up tightly as if a great demon was sealed inside...

Spikes seemingly grew on its edges, their tips rusted and bent.

The box seemed to be drenched in a reddish substance, spreading the thick smell of iron in the air.

This was one of the ultimate rewards he received after he became the Champion of the Coliseum, the highest quality loot box in the entirety of the Babylon Event.

Following that, there were two golden boxes with dozens of glistering gems adorning its body, everything about it was smooth and high class, shining and reflective, to the point Dale thought the box was clean enough for him to eat on it.

With long silk dresses adorning their bodies, the boxes were a beautiful display of art and draftsmanship, exquisite enough to be appreciated in an Art museum... The good kind of art, not the modern crap Dale was tired of seeing.

The Golden Loot Boxes, rewards associated with his Status and Wealth at the end of the Event, which he imagines were the highest of them all.

"I hate gambling…" He said with a frown as his expression fell

'My luck has always been lackluster, it comes and goes but never reaches an all-time high, and even if does, it quickly comes down with me receiving some sort of backlash.'

'This time, I was unlucky, had I not been pulled to that special one-time event I would've had the time to open these with Ermin's Sisters to at least guarantee a decent reward.'

'When I tried to open them in the alternative future, my great luck came in clutch! Giving me 3 values beneath 50 out of the 100 max value...'

'Even so, I got three Half-Luminous Items, which is incredible, for comparison, the highest class Loot Box one could buy in the Shop only gave me a Half-Luminous Item when I rolled a 96, with 95 awarding me an Epic Armor Set.'

'Of course, I wasn't the one that rolled those values... It was Ermin's sister...'

'So far, I've seen less than 10 items within the Luminous category, of which, I only own 1, which is the special clock that can control the weather, and even so, most of those 10 items weren't even full Luminous items, there were mostly Half, or in other words, unqualified for the Title.'

'The rest of these items I only witnessed from afar, such as the belt of the spirits I gave to Erile, and Sarferato's War Axe. The rest I saw during my time at Babylon, the items the players wore as they fought me.'

'So getting three from these was an unexpected boon.'

'Even so, it made me think… What if I got 100? What kind of item would I receive?'

'Heck, it doesn't even need to be that, 80 would've likely been enough for me to go beyond the Luminous Grade...'

'Anyhow, I can't wait for Ermin to come to me as that will likely take months unless I go there myself, and I can't leave these in my inventory to rot as it would only reduce their value over time, since regardless of the outcome, I can't guarantee that his sister will roll a high value on the Boxes, causing me to lose many opportunities from the items, even if I rolled a low dice early on.'

'So it's time to open them and move on, regardless of the result.'

Because he was somewhat hesitant to open any, he decided to test the waters first by opening one of his Golden Chests.

In the back of his mind, he had a certain scenario visualized:

If the value came underneath 30, he would stop and continue some other time whenever he felt lucky.

If it came above 50, he would continue, anything in between and he would need to recess his situation depending on the item he received and his mood...

He didn't know if he would receive the same items, one of the reasons he didn't quite plan his actions with them in mind, but there is a chance for his plans to alter depending on what he receives, mostly because of the unique powers they hold.

Luminous items usually have one special characteristic, something Dale named, "The Legendary Effect".

On the other hand, Fable grade items, which come before Luminous will tend to have a great assortment of bonus Stats for their user, potentially even having Unique bonuses, such as Dale's Armor set which gave him a +1 Star Level to his Skills if he was mounting a Wyvern.

As for the grade beyond it, Folk Legend…

Dale had never seen an item with such grading with great detail.

The only ones he ever saw were the Boots he momentarily visualized during his clash with the Hero Party.

Folk Legend, in short, from what he observed, is a weaker but emerging form of a Legendary Armament… Or whatever that comes before it.

Like Caladbolg, it has special effects that function given a conditional circumstance, strengthening the user in proportion to said condition the longer they fulfill it.

For Caladbolg, it increases Dale's Stats for up to an undetermined amount in proportion to his determination, albeit this effect doesn't always activate, and that's likely because Dale doesn't meet the Statistical requirements to wield it properly.

But it does come into effect from time to time, or at the very least, he feels as if it does.

What does come into effect is the Unique effect that lowers Caladbolg's requirements in proportion to his Determination, which is likely what allows Dale to tap into Caladbolg's special effects and Skills whenever he is in a very tough situation, although those moments of extreme tension only last for a few breaths if not less… If he can even reach such a state anyway.

It is true, however, that as his Stats increase, it becomes easier for him to reach the threshold of Caladbolg's requirements.

Caladbolg also has the Unique effect of telekinetic control, it floats in the air naturally if he wishes for it with minimal consumption of his mental power and he can ride it in the sky for incredible bouts of speed.

The only other Legendary pieces of equipment he ever saw were the ones he witnessed during, once again, his clash with the Heroes and in the finals against the previous Champion of the Arena.

In total, it amounted to 4 such items.

He did not doubt that there were likely other Rankers that possessed such high-class pieces within the top 100 of the Arena, but as it wasn't possible to check their gear during it, he couldn't confirm nor deny the possibility.

In the end, this only said one thing to him, that he was in dire need of some better items, regardless of how good his already were.

"Well… I'm not expecting much from this anyway…"

'I don't need a new weapon, my spear and sword already cover most of my issues, even if they aren't consistent with the Stats they give me… Which is certainly an issue…'

The fact his spear did not give him Stats was a disadvantage in itself as it meant whenever he faced another player with an equally good piece of equipment, he would be losing in the Stat department, at least on that front.

His base Stats are high, but there is only so much they can cover for the difference in good items.

'Honestly, it's not that big of a deal, I'm more than happy with what I have. I can't be overwhelmingly better than the best players in the entire world all the time… Or the luckiest ones…'

'My items are already months if not years ahead from what the ordinary player will ever be able to acquire, though I wouldn't say it's right to neglect searching for powerful replacements…'

'In fact, it's not just about me, I have the Villagers and my own players to gear up for the future. If they can't get items, then Resko's economy will die with them sooner or later.'

'Nonetheless, if I were to ask for an item… Then maybe my Necklace, followed by one of my bracelets, if not both, my earrings, and finally my Rings.'

'That would be my order of priorities, which I'm already working to substitute.'

'I collected many artifacts from my venture to the Wall, however, Barme couldn't fix all of the Accessories, yet now, we have someone that can amidst the survivors.'

'I just need some time to get them settled so they can begin working on these masterpieces, until then, I can try to find replacements on my own... I'll need everything I can get my hands on if I wish to move the way I'm planning to...'

As he thought of that, he took another look at his items.

[Arkesian Golden Vow (Half-Epic)

Rating: 5.5-Star

+10 to Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Reflexes, and Mana; +20 to Mental Power

+5 Soul power

Unique Effect -> Equilibrium

Under the blessing of the God of Harmony, this collar represents her domain.

Convert Health into Mana, and Mana into Health with reduced effects.

Requirement: Mental Power: 100;

Hidden Requirements: Soul Power: 20

Description:

The Golden Vow was only given to those of Bishop status and above, and among those with the rank of Bishop, only the few who achieved great feats were allowed to use it, the ones that attained the special Title of Archbishop.

In itself, the collar possesses no incredible abilities as that in itself is a break of Harmony.

But due to its many decades of use in the hands of proficient priests, it attained a Unique ability…

It seems that the philosophy of seeking harmony became lodged into it like rust on a sword.

Such was the strength of the faith of the ones who used it over the years.

]

'... My necklace, it is good, but not particularly useful.'

'My natural regenerative ability is high enough to make me avoid its use due to the low efficiency, and I've rarely ever come to need Mana since I never really had any Active Abilities for me to employ in battle.'

'Even if I had… They would either fall into one of two extremes: To leave me so tired I can't keep fighting optimally, or so insignificant I wouldn't feel much of a difference.'

'Overall, I think a substitute is in due time, and to be honest, an item with such a unique description would be better gifted to Erile than risked being damaged while on my neck.'

'As for my bracelets, while Grief of Trux is a good item, it only increases all of my Basic Stats by 1 for every minute I wear it, and it has the downside of clouding my mind the longer I use it, to the point I can't properly wear it after two or so hours… No, that's a bit much, after an hour I already feel mentally exhausted, another hour under that stress would make it a liability in combat.'

'Two hours wearing it would give me a massive 120 bonus to all Basic Stats, which is insane, that's a 720 bonus Stat gain from a single item, and reaching that stage would make it my best item from a purely Stat-wise perspective.'

'Even just wearing it for an hour would already be enough to reach that category… But I just don't need Stats across all areas, I need Stats where I need them to be.'

'Still, there is one thing I could pursue to make it more viable... And that is purifying the Curse on the Bracelet, or maybe just toning the Curse down a little.'

'Even if I weakened the Stat gain or placed a limiter on how much I can get, if I could at least think straight while wearing it, then I wouldn't mind keeping the bracelet, I would even cherish it more then my Armor...'

'As for my other bracelet…'

[Sky Wing Feather Bracelet (Relic)

Rating: 6-Stars

Dexterity Ratio = 1.35

Unique Effect -> Kingfisher

Sight is enhanced by 10 times.

When using a projectile weapon, it is possible to alter its course to a certain degree.

Requirements: Dexterity: 200

Description:

A bracelet made with the prized head feathers of the extinct Kakri bird, the prideful Kingfisher.

Despite its age, it still contains the faint aura of the mighty bird, its cry seems to faintly echo from time to time for those with acute hearing.

'... Sigh, this was meant to be a temporary item, but I never found anything better to replace it.'

]

'This isn't meant for me, I would even dare say it's a waste of an equipment slot.'

'I only keep it for the Dexterity Ratio, as it's, in fact, the second highest Ratio I've ever seen… Third if I include the time I reached Level 100, receiving a Ratio of 5 to all of my Stats...'

'But as I said before, I need something else, even if I were to lose some Stats, an item's value is oftentimes centered around its abilities rather than on the Stats it provides.'

'And this bracelet provides me with a boost to a Stat I don't favor and an ability I never used before at all.'

'This leaves my earrings…'

[Elite Grade Military Essence Earrings (Relic)

Rating: 5.5-Stars

+40 to all Basic Stats

Unique Effect -> Valiant Breath

Natural Health, Stamina, and Mana regeneration are enhanced considerably.

Harmful substances can be cleansed from the body by activating the earrings.

Requirements: 70+ to all basic Stats

Description:

The Elite Grade Military Essence Earrings are an improvement of the Standard Grade Military Essence Earrings made for the Elite Corps use.

They are made with better materials and more time is spent in the confection of each earring, and once upon a time, it may even be possible to make alterations to its design to fit into the requirements of its destined user.

This one, however, does not possess any such features.

The purpose of these earrings is simple, to provide soldiers with the necessary strength and bodily increase so they can survive and accomplish their missions.

As a last resort, the soldier can activate the earrings to cleanse their bodies of any harmful impurities, however, such a thing can only be done once per day at a minimum, and overuse will put a strain on the enchantments cast upon it.

Despite it all, the earrings were unable to save their wearer from their inevitable fate.

]

'There's nothing special about these, there were ordinary, mass-produced items of the Corps to allow their Elite soldiers to fight for longer, and to save them in moments of crisis.'

'I have several of these in my inventory, although they're either broken or already used, not having much of a use aside from mementos of the past... Which is rather harrowing.'

'Most Elite soldiers died without the time to even use their items to save themselves...'

'Overall, the effect is good but the Stats are lacking now that I have reached this stage. I would certainly want another pair of a higher grade, but it's not my priority as they already perform somewhat decently.'

'Lastly, my rings, but I don't need to even think about it. For me to even consider altering them… I would need another pair of matching rings with quite some power.'

'They cover most of my area of effect damage and even though I can dish out extreme area damage, it's not as efficient as activating the rings, even if it takes a while for them to reach their maximum potential.'

'Not to forget, there is also the possibility of me receiving an item that can be worn with everything I currently have, another ring, maybe a cloak, or a special item that can be worn underneath my armor, there are many possibilities.'

'I don't expect anything of the like dropping though, but still, it's something to consider, that I may not even need to part ways with my current items.'

"Anyhow, I've spent enough time rummaging through these…" He said out loud as he clasped his hands together, rubbing them against each other

'Time to open them.'

After cracking his hands and neck, Dale did a silent prayer to his Goddess before raising his hand…

"Wait, I have an idea." He said as a devious smile formed on his face

Before opening the chests, Dale knew there was something he could do to boost his luck!

/Jump!/

Excited, he jumped through the window, running to the church with great zeal…

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Notes