The first thing Zarek took out was actually an Elixir. The bottle it was in was so elaborate that it almost looked more like the centerpiece of an elegant hall than a vessel meant to store something—if it wasn't so small, that is.
The material it was formed out of seemed quite substantial.
'Hm?'
Zarek blinked, feeling some information about the item flooding into his mind. He couldn't see its name or anything so specific, but he felt like he could grasp some tidbits of information about it.
Not the Elixir itself, but the material.
'Is this related to Axiograft?'
If that was the case, Zarek had an inborn Scouting Skill that activated by touch. And if he focused on it a little bit more…
'I see. This item should be around A Class. An A Class piece of Godsfall material just to hold an Elixir? How fascinating…'
Zarek wondered if he could use this ability on the Elixir itself as well. Would he have to open the bottle for that? And if he did, would he have to touch it too? Or could he do it just by smell?
If it was just smell, this would be a very useful ability indeed. If not, it would be more troublesome. Having to touch an Elixir to decide whether he could use it or not was dangerous for obvious reasons. He had never consumed those toxins from the Lizardman, for example—just touching his skin had been enough to infect him.
However, there was another way.
"What is this thing?" Zarek asked, looking at the boy-man.
The latter was huddled on the ground, still shivering. He was so out of it that he didn't seem to care that everything he had prepared was being taken by Zarek. This was truly not even a man worth getting revenge on.
Maybe the irony of it all was that his own curiosity had crushed him. If Zarek cared, he would be more shocked by just how pathetic he was. Had the Eclipse Threat really been that scary?
Who knew, maybe the boy-man and his race were more sensitive to such things.
"I… Godsfall… Intent… A Class… I planned… to—to use it after reaching… B Class…"
Zarek looked at the bottle and nodded. His Lurker's Godsfall Intent was lacking. If he was correct, this was probably a decent Wind Godsfall Intent.
In his previous lives, he had used a pretty high-class Fire Godsfall Intent that was also quite important in his Ashborn Demon moniker. But he wasn't too attached to that now since he had chosen to give it up.
He was open to any sort of Godsfall Intent so long as it was powerful. But whether this one was worth it or not was still up in the air.
Plus, he was still a little too weak to use it now. One could have Godsfall Intent of a higher Class than their overall stats allowed, but that would require having exceptional Intelligence Growth Potential—something Zarek definitely didn't have.
Even though Atom Link was gone, his fluctuating stats seemed to still be there, probably since its effects had been grandfathered into Axiograft. So theoretically, if he timed it right, he might be able to hold out long enough to succeed.
But… this boy-man seemed to be part of a special race that had particularly strong Wind Godsfall Intent affinity. If even he was waiting for B Class, this was probably not a normal Godsfall Intent—so it would be too reckless for Zarek to attempt it now.
Zarek put the Elixir away for the time being and took out a weapon.
'Nice. I think I'll use this.'
It wasn't Zarek's favorite sort of weapon, but it would have to do.
It was a heavy lance—or rather, it looked like one. But it was actually incredibly light in the hand, wrapped in colors reminiscent of white pearl and emerald marble. It also looked more like an ornament than something one would actively use.
And better than that, it seemed to be an A Class Treasure.
Without Wind Godsfall Intent, Zarek couldn't activate its true strength, but he didn't care. What was important was that the durability and sharpness of this weapon were on another level compared to anything he had on hand.
Plus…
SHUUUU! WHOOOSH!
Zarek swept it through the air, and a shuddering might shook the wind. As though reacting to the presence of its king, the currents of wind turned an emerald green.
Taking a step, Zarek held up the lance with a single hand, striking out several times in a series of savage thrusts.
Chi. Chi. Chi.
With every strike, he grew faster and faster—as though borrowing the power of the wind to carry his momentum forward.
The drawback was that stopping after beginning an attack was incredibly difficult, probably an issue caused by the fact Zarek was using it so casually without the activation of Godsfall. But this would have to be good enough for now.
In battle, he would just have to be a bit more cautious of that problem.
Or…
'Hm. I'll test that out later—maybe while we're on the move.'
Finally, Zarek took out the final two items that had caught his attention. One of them was something he had already been expecting to find: a map.
It was directing the boy-man toward a specific location—likely the place he wanted to reach before everything really kicked into high gear.
The other thing was more curious.
Zarek rolled the gold badge in his palm for a moment, turning it in his hand as though searching for what was special about it.
'A key? To what?'
"What is this?" Zarek asked.
The boy-man shuddered at the sudden question, but Zarek ripped his head up, forcing him to look at what was in his palm. Realizing what it was, the boy-man's face drained of color, and he seemed to remember something of who he was.
"No… No… you can't take that… you can't…"
Zarek's eyes narrowed.
"What is it?"
"My hope… you can't take… my hope…"
Zarek's frown deepened. This idiot had really lost his mind, and now he was crying like a child.
BANG!
Zarek's foot stomped against his chest, pressing his back into the tree.