Chapter 192: After Defeating the Boss, It's Time for Loot

  While Shana and Astor were talking, Alex had already arrived at the top floor of an abandoned department store—the so-called residence of "The Hunter" Fariagni.

  But...

  "This guy dressed all fancy, but his living space is a total mess?"

  Frowning as he took in the sight before him, Alex’s displeasure was clear. The entire hall of the abandoned department store was littered with all kinds of junk—tattered tents, rusted iron rails, rotting shopping carts, and heaps of miscelneous garbage. If someone walked in without context, they would have thought this pce was a recycling dump.

  "Never expected that Crimson Denizen was an environmentalist."

  The only saving grace was that the garbage here was mostly industrial waste—nothing rotting or decomposing. Otherwise, Alex wouldn’t have even bothered stepping inside. Even so, he had no interest in digging through a pile of junk to find loot.

  "Arcane Sight!"

  As soon as Alex spoke, his eyes underwent a change, glowing faintly with magical energy. This was Arcane Sight, a third-tier divination spell that allowed him to instantly locate magical items in his surroundings. Not only that, but the intensity of the magical glow would give him an estimate of their value.

  The moment the spell activated, his vision changed—discarded junk faded into shadows, while magical items stood out with a luminous glow.

  "Only three? That’s a little underwhelming… but still decent, I guess."

  Examining the magical glows that appeared in his vision, Alex furrowed his brows before raising his right hand. Instantly, the piles of discarded trash began to shift aside, revealing the treasures hidden beneath.

  The first item to appear was something that looked straight out of a sci-fi movie—a holographic 3D projection map. On its surface, the entire city of Misaki was dispyed in stunning crity. Every building, street, and river was precisely outlined. Even the people within the city were visible in real time.

  "This thing is pretty interesting."

  Curious, Alex reached into his coat and pulled out a pair of frameless monocle gsses. This was one of the Rich Man’s Trio items he had purchased from the Dimensional Store—the Eye of Insight. With these gsses, he could instantly determine the value and function of an item, and sometimes even trigger hidden quests… Too bad it didn’t measure combat power.

  As soon as he put on the monocle, information about the artifact appeared before him.

  [Artifact: Gss Urn]

  [Rank: A]

  [Effect: Allows the user to designate an area for observation, detection, and surveilnce.]

  "Not bad."

  Alex nodded in satisfaction. Right now, he really needed a system for monitoring and scouting. This thing seemed far more convenient than satellites—no need to unch one into orbit or adjust its trajectory. The only question was whether it had any range limitations. But for now, just having this artifact made this trip worth it.

  "Retrieve."

  With a command, the holographic map in front of him rapidly deconstructed, breaking into small blue transparent blocks that reassembled into an oval-shaped bronze mirror, which nded in his hand.

  First loot secured.

  Satisfied, Alex gave the mirror a quick gnce before stowing it in his inventory. Then, he turned his attention to the second treasure.

  This time, it was a ring—simple and unassuming in design. But in Alex’s eyes, its effects were just as straightforward as its appearance.

  [Artifact: Azure]

  [Rank: B]

  [Effect: Grants the wearer complete immunity to all fire-based damage.]

  "Fire immunity, huh…? Well, this thing isn’t much use to me, but it’ll make a nice gift for Nymph."

  Alex examined the ring for a moment before tucking it away. While "fire immunity" was a decent ability, it was practically useless to him since he already had elemental immunity spells from his defensive magic arsenal. However, for Nymph, this was a solid addition to her defenses. Fire-based attacks were among the most destructive and commonly used abilities in the main world, so having an extra yer of protection was always a good thing.

  "Alright, that just leaves the st one… Oh, now this, I like!"

  The item that immediately caught Alex’s attention was a greatsword. It cked a handguard, consisting solely of a massive, heavy bde and a golden hilt. Simple in design, but something about it appealed to him.

  In truth, Alex had always wanted to wield a greatsword. Maybe it was because he had trained in the Dark Souls world early on, but he was most comfortable with a greatsword and shortsword combo. Unfortunately, the Voidbreaker Sword was just a standard one-handed sword, and not even he could use it for proper greatsword techniques. That had always been a regret. But now, it looked like he had finally found a repcement.

  Not to mention, the Voidbreaker Sword was already somewhat notorious in the Sanctuary. Switching weapons might actually be the safer choice.

  Thinking this, Alex turned his gaze toward the greatsword.

  [Artifact: Vampire]

  [Rank: A]

  [Effect: ??? (Sealed)]

  "What… the hell?"

  Seeing the question marks, Alex frowned. Sealed? This sword was locked? It felt suspiciously simir to his Soulstone… Could this thing be another key element to unlocking his Soulstone’s full power?

  With that thought, he reached out and grasped the greatsword.

  At the same moment, a familiar "ding" echoed in his ears, and just as he expected, a system message popped up in front of him.

  [Side Quest: Seal Removal]

  [This is a weapon steeped in blood and destruction, sealed away due to the grudge of vengeful spirits. Remove the seal, and you shall obtain all its powers. (Infuse Power of Existence to unlock the artifact. Current progress: 0/10,000. Completing this quest will unlock the artifact’s effects and grant +1 random reward.)]

  "So… it needs Power of Existence?"

  Reading the quest description, Alex furrowed his brows. To be honest, this wasn’t an especially difficult task. Compared to his Soulstone, which still had no clues on how to fully activate, this one at least had a clear and straightforward requirement. However, the problem was that he had absolutely no idea how to use Power of Existence.

  Was it a power he himself possessed? Or was it something exclusive to people from this world?

  Guess I should ask Shana when I get the chance.

  There was also the matter of The Seal. If he remembered correctly, she could create Seals too. Maybe he could get her to teach him how to use it?

  (End of Chapter)

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