NOVEL NEXT Chapter 105: Weapon Armory
Sebastian returned his axe to its place on his back, clapping to get their attention.
"Alright," he said, voice echoing through the vast empty hall, "let's see what our trouble earned us."
Ingrid nodded, kneeling near the remains of the shattered boss. The crystalline fragments of Arytemis were still scattered on the floor.
She picked one up carefully, holding it to the light. "Beautiful… and terrifying," she murmured.
"Careful," Rowan said, limping towards her. "The goddess has a habit of coming back when you least expect it."
She smirked faintly but dropped the shard anyway.
Wade arrived last, Toothpick slung across his back, his expression calm but satisfied. "Let's tally everything before the dungeon decides to throw a phase three at us."
They all laughed at the joke.
They moved, retrieving the loot the twin Arytemis had dropped, piling them with the other loots they'd gotten.
Sebastian tallied the coins first, the chests arranged before them.
"Twenty thousand coins in total," he announced. "Looks like the goddess was loaded."
"I'd like to think it's a reward for our great work," Rowan muttered, crouching beside another pile of loot.
His fingers brushed across a neat stack of glowing stones. "And these…" He whistled low. "Seventy stat stones. One point each. Seven thousand coins in value."
"Not bad," Ingrid said, peering over his shoulder.
"Not bad?" Rowan turned his head toward her with a grin. "That's fantastic, for a single clear in a dungeon like this."
"You know what this means, right? This was a first-clear reward. The dungeon recognized us as the first to beat this new scenario."
Wade looked up at that. "So that's why the loot's better."
Rowan nodded. "Exactly. Dungeon mechanics reward pioneers. You beat a new variant, you get paid like one."
Sebastian moved on to the next pile, splaying out the four smooth, translucent stones glowing faintly with white light.
"Skill stones," Ingrid observed, eyes narrowing as the text appeared before her.
[Double Image]
[Allows the user to create an illusory clone with no substance, which can be controlled, and used to distract, confuse, or draw attacks.]
[Requirements: 30 Constitution. 30 Agility.]
[Cost: 10 Mana per use.]
Rowan's grin widened. "Now that's a good one. Cheap mana cost, solid utility. Could save a life or two."
Sebastian nodded. "And it'll sell well."
Wade nodded. He already had one. And he hadn't been using it that much. That was something he'd have to change.
Beside the skill stones, another glittering array caught Wade's attention. He crouched and picked one up.
[Item: Mirror Dagger]
[Deals 20 damage + 10 reflection damage. 12% chance of Critical Hit.]
Wade tested its balance, then twirled it once before handing it to Ingrid. "Too light for me. Might suit you better."
She shook her head. "I don't use daggers. I'll stick to my bow."
"Then Rowan can sell them," Sebastian said. "Let the guild appraise them."
"Gladly," Rowan replied with a grin.
But the real treasure wasn't in any chest or pile of coins.
Their attention moved to the main loot they'd received from fighting Arytemis.
Ingrid reached for the two shards of glass. Each one shimmered faintly, its surface shifting like a liquid mirror when touched.
Wade leaned closer, using Observe.
[Weapon Armory]
[Passive: Shift into the shape of any weapon you want.]
[Active: Reflect up to 50% of enemy attacks (Cost: 40 mana per reflection)]
The four of them stared at the text hovering above the loot.
Rowan whistled low again. "Now that... that's a jackpot."
Sebastian reached for one of them, his reflection warping across the surface.
"An armory in a single piece of gear," he muttered. "You could turn this into any weapon you want. A sword, axe, spear… hell, maybe even a bow."
"Plus reflection ability," Wade added. "That's insane. You'd be nearly untouchable if you timed it right. Would be worth at least 50,000 coins with the war coming up."
Ingrid smirked. "Sounds like something right up your alley, Sebastian."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "You're offering?"
Rowan chuckled. "We all know what that tone means. Fine. You can have one, but only one, and you're giving up all other loot except a single Double Image skill stone. Deal?"
The older man didn't hesitate. "Deal." He extended his massive hand, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. "And you won't regret that choice."
Rowan handed him one of the shimmering shards. Sebastian pressed his hand to it, and instantly, the glass rippled, wrapping his arm before vanishing.
When he summoned the glass again, the weapon had changed into an axe, its surface now mirrored.
He tested it with a grin. "Perfect balance."
Wade looked down at the remaining Weapon Armory piece, his fingers brushing over its liquid surface.
For a fleeting second, he imagined wielding it, but he shook his head. 'I already have a weapon that does the job.'
He was not yet skilled enough to be wielding multiple weapons. It was better to stick to what he was already good at.
Besides, he had a vision to eventually become an adventurer who didn't need weapons.
"Since no one wants the other Weapon Armory, I'll go sell it," Rowan said cheerfully, taking it and storing it in his inventory. "I'll see what the guild's buying price is and we'll split it between you, me, and Ingrid."
"Fair," Wade said.
The next step was sorting the rest. The Double Image skill stones were distributed next. Sebastian took one, and the remaining three went to Wade, Ingrid, and Rowan.
But after a quick discussion, they realized none of them planned to actually use the skills.
"Then I'll sell those too," Rowan offered. "They'll move fast on the market with the war coming."
Sebastian nodded. "You handle the trade. Split it three ways, same as the rest."
Rowan's grin widened. "My favorite part of adventuring. Profit management."
Sebastian groaned. "Don't say that like it's a noble profession."
"It is," Rowan said proudly, adjusting his coat. "Someone's got to make sure our income doesn't vanish faster than our mana."
They moved next to the Mirror Daggers and Double Image stones, all of which were handed over to Rowan for sale.
Finally, the last of the loot, the coins and stat stones, were divided.
Sebastian oversaw the counting, while Ingrid recorded each item meticulously. They made sure every single coin was accounted for before agreeing on the final distribution.
Rowan and Ingrid took six thousand coins each, along with thirty stat stones, which amounted to roughly nine thousand coins worth in total per person.
Wade received eight thousand coins and ten stat stones, putting him in the same range of value.
Sebastian, true to his earlier agreement, took only his Weapon Armory and one Double Image stone.
When all was said and done, the floor was clear.
Sebastian exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Alright. I'd say we've earned ourselves some rest."
"Until the horde." Rowan said quietly.
No one disagreed.
Their gaze all moved to the green crystal hovering in the center of the hall.
It was time to leave.
Sebastian stepped forward, placing his palm against the crystal.
A message appeared in front of all of them.
[Would you like to exit the Shattered Hall?]
[Yes / No]
Sebastian didn't hesitate.
"Yes."