The list of records was very long, divided into detailed sections, and as Ash continued to read through the items one by one, his satisfaction grew steadily with every passing moment.
The Records contained all kinds of rare treasures — pills, potions, and many other precious things.
- Pure Soul Essence (??) x 2
- Soul Rebirth Elixir (EX) x 1
- Eternal Heart Pill (SSS) x 1
- Elixir of Life (SSS) x 5
- Phoenix Recovery Pill (S) x 50
- Pain Nullification Pill (S) x 2000
- Dragon’s Vitality Brew (A) x 30
- Overdrive Pill (A) x 1000
- Hunger Kill Potion (A) x 10,000
..
...
.....
The list kept going endlessly. Even in the section that only listed pills and potions, Ash could already feel a rush of excitement. He had known the black market would hold valuable items, but this was far beyond what he imagined.
Each pill carried terrifying effects. Among them, the Soul Rebirth Elixir stood out the most. It could heal soul damage completely, something that was considered impossible even for Saints.
The fact that the black market had managed to obtain such an elixir was shocking. Ash could only assume it came from a dungeon or an ancient ruin.
And then, there was the Pure Soul Essence. It was a priceless treasure capable of nourishing and strengthening the soul itself.
He had also once found a small pool of soul essence back in the Dragon Continent. The energy it contained had saved his life in the battle against Dark Ash.
And now, he had two small vials of it in his possession. Although it won’t have a drastic effect like the small pool, it was still something nice.
But that was far from all. There were more than 10,000 pills of different grades and effects, and over 50,000 potions, ranging from the lowest rank to the highest.
All of them were stored in space rings hidden deep within the black market’s vaults, which was why he hadn’t seen their true quantity during the raid.
Among them were deadly poisons and toxic brews, some so potent that even a Saint would be forced to stop for several seconds if struck by them. The more Ash read, the more he felt the thrill building inside him.
Then he turned to the next section, and his eyes lit up.
- Eternium (EX) x 50
- World Tree’s Root (SSS) x 25
- Ten Thousand Year Cold Steel (SSS) x 1
- Void Steel (SS) x 200
- Soul Stones (SS) x 10
- Draconic Mana Crystal (S) x 100
- Moon Stone (S) x 2
- Fire Stone (A) x 5000
..
..
..
This section was filled with ores and minerals of all kinds. There were common metals like iron, copper, and steel in huge quantities, while the rarer ores were fewer in number, but still far more than what one could normally find in a lifetime.
There were even Elemental Stones of all kinds of elements.
It was a clear display of the black market’s wealth and influence across the continent.
And it didn’t stop there. There were also tens of thousands of mana cores, each harvested from beasts and monsters roaming through dungeons and wilderness.
Their ranks ranged from the weakest to the strongest, but what caught Ash’s attention the most were the five Saint-rank and ten Mythical-rank cores.
Just the sight of them made him pause.
He could finally test his theory — whether absorbing mana directly from the cores of these high-rank beasts could help him increase his stats.
Still, what truly made him pause were the Eternium and Soul Stones. These were treasures beyond compare. Eternium was the same metal that his soul sword was forged from, and now he had a great amount of it in his hands.
The thought stirred something within him.
If he wished, he could forge another soul weapon for himself. One equal to his current blade... or perhaps even stronger.
As if listening to his thoughts, Eclipse appeared in front of him and buzzed lightly, as if showing its dissatisfaction.
"Don’t worry, buddy, I don’t need another weapon. I have you."
Ash smiled bitterly as he pushed the sword away, trying to focus on the list again. But Eclipse buzzed once more, clearly unconvinced by his words. It stayed right beside him, floating near his shoulder as if it didn’t trust him to keep his promise.
Ash pretended not to notice and continued reading through the Records .
The same scene repeated itself in the next section, which contained a variety of herbs. They were large in number, some even rare enough to be considered priceless treasures that were almost impossible to find now.
Many were ancient-grade herbs that only grew in extreme environments, while others were key ingredients used in crafting high-grade elixirs.
They easily numbered in the thousands.
For Ash, who was still learning both Blacksmithing and Alchemy, this kind of resource influx was an incredible blessing. With this much material, he could experiment freely and continue his research without worrying about running out. It was the kind of fortune that most alchemists could only dream of.
He realized that even if he worked without rest, day and night, it would still take him more than a decade to finish using all these materials.
Then came the next section of Records , which showed piles of pure wealth. There were mountains of gold coins stacked within the black market’s vaults, enough to rival the treasure hoards of royal kingdoms.
The total value was close to a hundred billion gold coins, a sum so large that even his next seven generations could live comfortably without lifting a finger.
And that wasn’t all.
His eyes moved to the next recorded category, and his expression changed.
The section contained materials from monsters and magical beasts—body parts, cores, and organs taken from powerful creatures across the continents. Each entry carried weight, from common beasts to legendary ones.
- Heart of Infant Titan (EX) x 1
- Legs of Infant Titan (EX) x 2
- Hands of Infant Titan (EX) x 2
- Vampire Heart (SSS) x 1
- Dragon Scale (SS) x 23
- Minotaur Tusk (S) x 1463
- Cave Serpent Scale (S) x 1343
- Flame Lizard Scale (S) x 357
- Shadow Panther Claw (A) x 4434
- Thunder Fox Whisker (S) x 243
- Sea Serpent Fin (S) x 2432
- Flame Roc Feather (A) x 433
- Night Owl Feather (B+) x 234
- Goblin Bone Fragment (C) x 34335
.
..
...
As soon as his eyes reached the top of the list, Ash froze. His breath caught in his throat.
Three EX-ranked materials.
For a moment, his mind went blank.
Am I hallucinating or what..?
He blinked several times, rereading the same lines, but the words didn’t change.
The very reason he had targeted the auction house was that its final item for sale was the Blood of a Titan.
Even then, he had assumed it to be diluted blood, something similar rather than true divine material. The booklet describing the item clearly labeled it as a Legendary Material , not an actual divine one.
But this was different. These weren’t vials of diluted blood. These were actual body parts.
Heart, hands, and legs of an Infant Titan.
A divine material that should not even exist anymore.
Ash’s mind went blank for a moment. Even he didn’t know what a Titan was truly capable of. He had only read about them in one of the old history books, where they were described as beings from ancient myth.
According to the records, Titans were massive creatures, so large that their infant stage alone could match the size of a truck. It was said that as they grew, they could become as large as mountains, and if they continued to evolve, they could eventually transform into cosmic beings capable of crossing the stars.
And at peak, their size towered above even the solar system and various universes.
The history book mentioned that Titans vanished from the world long ago because they had transcended it. Their population had always been small, with only one or two existing at any given time.
That was why the existence of these body parts made no sense.
His shock slowly gave way to disbelief, and then turned into excitement so intense that he could barely contain it.
He quickly summoned the recorded items into the room.
A faint shimmer of light spread around him, and in an instant, large objects appeared before his eyes—two legs, two hands, each larger than his height, and a heart that looked like a large metal engine, all preserved inside transparent ice containers.
Ash stood still, speechless for a moment. The faint pulse of energy inside the Titan’s heart was so strong that it made the air tremble. Even frozen, it felt alive.
"It’s real..." he whispered.
His gaze lingered on the frozen containers. The heart glowed faintly with an inner light, giving off the feeling that it could start beating again at any moment.
For a while, Ash simply stared, overwhelmed by what he was seeing.
A slow smile crept across his face as he whispered, half in awe and half in disbelief, "I actually stole something that could shake the entire world..."
Just then,
"ROOOAAAAARRRR!!!!!"
"Graar!"
"Grrrgggrrrrah!"
"Screee!"
"Gyaoo!"
"Krrraaawwwrrr!!!"
The whole place shook as the roars echoed one after another. All the caged monsters, beasts, and demons alike began to thrash inside their cages, their eyes burning with greed and hunger as they looked toward the Titan’s body parts. The air itself trembled from the power in their cries.
Ash was stunned for a second, his body freezing in place because of how sudden and intense it all was.
He immediately stored the body parts back, and as soon as he did, the roaring began to lessen. But even then, every beast in the room was now staring directly at him, their eyes still filled with that same hunger and wild desire.
Do these fuckers think I am some kind of food to them..?
Ash frowned in dissatisfaction. His mood soured instantly.
Without hesitation, he released the aura of his * Primordial Core *, letting it spread throughout the entire area. The moment his aura surged out, a heavy pressure filled the air, like an invisible weight pressing down from every direction.
The roaring stopped.
Every single monster shuddered, their bodies shaking violently as if a cold hand had gripped their very souls. The beasts who had been clawing at their cages just moments ago now crouched low, their heads bowed in fear.
The entire area fell into silence, leaving only the faint sound of breathing and rattling chains.
"Hmph!!"
Ash let out a sharp snort and vanished from his spot, reappearing in another section where he wouldn’t be disturbed again.
"I only came to get diluted Titan blood so that I could somehow increase my body’s strength using that," Ash muttered, running a hand through his hair as his thoughts began to spiral. "But now that I have the actual body parts... there’s a lot that can be done."
His voice trailed off as his mind drifted deep in thought. He wasn’t exaggerating — the potential of Titan material was immeasurable. From forging divine weapons to body reinforcement or even experimenting with hybrid enhancements, the possibilities were endless.
"But looking at how the black market has the heart, legs, and hands... who knows, they might even have other body parts too."
His eyes narrowed slightly. The black market’s influence ran far deeper than he had expected. For them to possess something like this, they must have uncovered a secret beyond normal comprehension.
Maybe they stumbled upon some kind of Ancient Inheritance... and all these treasures came from that site.
That thought made sense. It would explain the sudden rise in their wealth and resources, as well as the absurdly rare items in their possession.
Who knew what else they had hidden?
Calming his heart, Ash took a slow breath and turned his focus back to the Book of Records floating before him.
The next section contained Formations, and just like before, the list was long and detailed. Each entry carried a certain ancient weight to it.
There were Ancient Paradox Formations, Anti-Teleportation Formations, Mana Sealing Formations, Mana Gathering Formations, and countless others, each crafted for specific situations. The more Ash read, the more impressed he became by how vast the collection was.
Even the materials and resources listed alongside — formation inks, engraving tools, and elemental stones — were all of top quality. This alone could be the foundation for creating an entire Formation Guild.
But then, something unusual caught his eye.
- Yin and Yang Array Plate (Unknown) (C rank) x 1
Ash’s gaze froze. His breath hitched slightly as he reached out and materialized the array plate from the record.
A circular metallic plate appeared before him, smooth to the touch and engraved with countless runic lines. At its center, a Tai Chi symbol rotated slowly, emitting a soft black-and-white glow that seemed to shift and merge continuously.
The longer he stared at it, the more it felt alive. Yin and Yang energies swirled within, constantly balancing and clashing at the same time.
How could this be...?
***