The back room was a trove of treasures, each one precisely labeled—its name, type, rank, and enchantments etched onto small, ivory placards.
They rested in velvet-lined cases, glinting under the low golden light.
The scent of age and power lingered, like dust soaked in forgotten magic.
Grey's golden eyes moved without haste, cataloging the collection with the cold precision of a surgeon.
His gaze held no reverence—only calculation.
As he moved toward the Scrolls, his reflection flickered briefly in the polished glass— Reflecting his golden eyes...
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[Emberlash Scroll]
Rank - Tier 1
Type: Offensive
Description - A single-use fire spell. Releases a whip of flames capable of searing through flesh and igniting weak materials.
Enchantment: Searing Lash – Flames linger for 3 seconds after impact, intensifying burn damage.
[Tidal Ward Scroll]
Rank - Tier 1
Type: Defensive
Description - Summons a swirling barrier of water to deflect projectiles and weak physical strikes. Duration: 10 seconds.
Enchantment: Fluid Repel – Automatically repels lightweight attackers.
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Grey studied them, then stepped back.
He spared them no more thought than they deserved.
Then, without pause, he turned— and walked toward the artifacts.
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[Artifact: Swiftfoot Anklet]
Type: Mobility Artifact (Worn on ankle)
Rank: 1
Material: Braided wyvern sinew and windsteel thread, inlaid with a jade focus gem.
Description: A lightweight anklet that hums faintly with restrained kinetic energy. When activated, the wearer's movements become drastically more agile, momentum responding like a blade to intent.
Passive Effect – Windstride:Footsteps become nearly silent, even when sprinting or leaping.
Passive Effect – Gale Surge:Increases movement speed by 30%
No activation required; always active while worn.
[Artifact: Veilstep Cloak]Type: Stealth Artifact (Worn as half-cloak)Rank: 1Material: Shadow-fiber cloth woven with duskbeast hide, hemmed with illusion-thread.
Description:A tattered half-cloak that drapes across one shoulder and down the back, weightless as mist. In low light, its edges ripple unnaturally, distorting the form of the wearer like heat rising off stone.
Passive Effect – Shadowmeld:In dim or obscured environments, the user's outline subtly blurs, making visual tracking difficult.Always active while worn; effectiveness scales with lighting conditions.
Active Effect – Veilstep:Dulls the user's presence, reducing auditory and mana-based detection for 15 seconds.Cooldown: 5 minutesTrigger: Activated by tapping the hidden rune beneath the collar.
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Grey studied each item with a deliberate slowness, tracing the edges of the scrolls first, then the runes. His silence was heavy. The woman standing behind the counter grew visibly impatient.
"Are you done?" she snapped, the annoyance thick in her voice.
Grey didn't answer.
Ignoring her as he moved toward the weapons...
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[Venomstrike Dagger](Rank 1 – Melee)
Description: A slender, curved blade with a venom reservoir near the hilt. Each cut injects a paralytic toxin.
Enchantments:
Weightless Edge – The dagger has no physical weight, allowing for lightning-fast strikes.
Restoration Seal – Prevents wounds from closing naturally, ensuring poison remains in the bloodstream.
[Stormbreaker Bow](Rank 1 – Ranged)
Description: A sleek recurve bow reinforced with wind enchantments, turning arrows into armor-piercing missiles.
Enchantments:
Pressure Shot – Arrows fired gain triple their normal velocity.
Trueflight – Minor trajectory correction mid-flight.
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He picked up the dagger first. It felt like holding a breath—utterly weightless, dangerous in its silence. Then the bow. It throbbed with potential, a predator yet to leap.
Then—he dropped it.
"Oops," Grey said, a whisper.
The woman moved. Fast.
Despite her age, her body moved with the reflex of a seasoned hunter. She twisted, caught the bow mid-air, and pulled it to safety.
"You idiot! This thing costs more than your life—!"
But she was never able to finished.
The dagger was already at her throat.
but just as it was about to touch her
A blur of silver pass through him.
As her spear reacted—barely in time.
Clank!
Metal shrieked as blade met shaft.
She stepped back, fury overtaking her surprise.
"YOU—!"
Her spear launched in reflex—a sharp gleam of wrath made manifest.
The weapon screamed toward him, aimed with deadly precision at his throat.
But grey didn't move. With a flick of his wrist, he tore the Emberlash Scroll.
With a hiss.
The rune containing in the scroll combusted into flame as a whip of fire burst forth—serpentine and seething.
The searing arc clashed against her floating spear, colliding with it just as it twitched to intercept.
Her Spear flared, confused by the false threat.
That was the opening.
And grey didn't waste it
As he surged forward, closing the distance between them like a shadow folding in.
He surged forward, folding the distance between them like shadow swallowing light.
The old woman had no time to react.
She tried to retreat, to say something—but before a word could form, the dagger sank into her neck—deep, precise, silent.
Her struggle ended before it began.
Her eyes widened in horror—then, in the next heartbeat, turned vacant.
In a mere seconds, she was dead.
A D-rank hunter died just like that...