MM - Chapter 200 - CHOICES, CURSED CHOICES

Keep it together, Raine! No matter how good it is, it's only level 40 and will eventually be just as obsolete as my old weapons. I need something that transcends levels, something that will retain value, even if it's not as good on the surface.

“Amazing, aren’t they?” Selena softly called out from behind, approaching with a knowing smile. “I’ve been reading about these treasures since I was a child. Seeing them for myself is… like a dream within a dream.”

Raine briefly considered using her knowledge to find what he was looking for quicker, but decided against it. There was no telling what the royal family might have dismissed as unimportant or useless. Better to look for himself.

Raine nodded as he moved to the next 500-merit item—the cloak made of shadows. “Yeah, they aren’t too bad.”

Selena scoffed, swiping at a lock of hair that fell in front of her eyes. “Enjoy looking without being able to touch,” she giggled cutely, then headed to a group of pedestals separated from the rest by a thin wall of clouds. “Do not attempt to follow; these are for family only.”

Raine waved her off, already moving to the following item. He’d seen the area she was heading to when they arrived and deduced its purpose was to build her custom artifact. After all, nothing he’d seen so far came anywhere close to the power a Celendine could wield. If they didn’t usually have even 200 merit, then it could only mean they had a separate system of choosing rewards. She passed through the wall of clouds, and it firmed behind her, blocking sight of what lay beyond.

None of the 500 merit options called to Raine. While great, they would eventually be outshone by regular Lustrous Blues of a higher level. With fingers crossed, he moved to the second-to-last row where the price tags measured between 700 and 900 merit. There, he found exactly the kind of items he was looking for.

[Merit: 900]

[Elixir of Celestial Ascendance: (Legendary - Consumable) A vial containing a diluted drop of blood from an Ascended Celestial. Upon consumption, grants a permanent +500 to all attributes and unlocks Celestial Skills for purchase in the General Skill Shop (Uses: 1/1)]

Damn! A legendary! And no wonder. Celestials are even more powerful than demons. Having access to their skills could open up so many insane options for my build. This one’s a definite maybe.

[Merit: 750]

[Elderwood Staff of Elemental Insurrection: (Heavenly Amethyst - LVL 40) (All Power +600) (ACU +400) (CNC +400) (Durability 1000/1000)]

[Innate Passive - Origin of the Arcane: Noticeably enhances the wielders sensitivity to all mystic powers]

[Innate Skill 1 - Infinite Ascendance: With each successfully cast skill, grants a stacking 5% bonus to elemental damage (Limitless)]

[Innate Skill 2 - Elemental Ragnarok: Release all charges of Infinite Ascendance upon the battlefield in an expanding spherical AOE. Deals 100% Elemental Damage for each charge. AOE = charges x meters squared (No cooldown)]

That passive would massively increase the speed of learning to control Connection and Elemental Power. If Celeste had this, she would be flinging spells in no time. It could be passed from person to person, giving Astra Infernum a frankly disgusting edge in creating true casters.

[Merit: 850]

[Scepter of Eternal Life: (Heavenly Amethyst - LVL 40) (Celestial Power +1200) (FNS +250) (ACU +250) (CNC +1000) (Durability: Indestructible)]

[Innate Passive 1 - Fountain of Life: All skills and abilities that heal or protect are amplified by 500%]

[Innate Passive 2 - Shields of Faith: Excess healing dealt by the wielder is converted to an omni-shield of equal potency]

[Innate Skill 1 - Abundance of Life: Drains 5% of wielder's Celestial Power to heal all allies within 200 meters equal to the Celestial Power consumed (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

[Innate Skill 2 - Life’s Sacrifice: Consume 1% Celestial Power per second, restoring an equal amount of all resources to allies within 200 meters (No cooldown)]

Even a level 150 healer could keep a raid alive with this. The overhealing shields and restoring all resources to everyone… insane.

[Merit: 700]

[Horn of the Galactic Ancient: (Heavenly Amethyst) Upon steeping in the Primal Realm’s energies for a millenium, this shattered horn of a Nebula Shifter has evolved into a container capable of storing any form of mystical power. Stored energy may be withdrawn or added at will. (Current Storage: Primal Energy 1,000,000 / 1,000,000)]

Wow… I’ve learned so much with just a little Primal Energy. How far would so much take me down my martial path? Wait, it can store any energy source! Even after using all the Primal Energy, I could fill it with Discipline, completely alleviating a major weakness in my class. Another serious contender.

[Merit: 950]

[Aegis of the Stars: (Heavenly Amethyst - LVL 40) (Health + 2,500) (Defense +600) (Resistance +600) (PTC +600) (PHY +600) (Durability: Indestructible)]

[Innate Passive - Irrevocable Existence: Grants immunity to all negative status effects. Any attempt to apply such an effect damages the source for 100% wielder’s Defense, and heals the wielder for 100% Defense]

[Innate Skill - Palace of Stars: Creates a 100-meter immobile dome of stars. All attacks against allies within the dome release a star that deals 200% wielder’s Defense in Physical and Celestial Damage (Quantity of stars = wielder’s Defense/2)]

[Innate Skill 2 - Solar Magnitude: When wielder’s health reaches 25%, the Aegis primes a supernova of immense power that can be unleashed at will. Deals 10,000% wielder’s Defense in Elemental Damage and force to all enemies within 1,000 meters (Cooldown: 1 sunrise)]

Fizgore would shit a brick.

Raine could only afford one of the items. He felt an overwhelming urge to pull his hair out; the choice seemed impossible to make. Instead, he glanced at the final row. There were only two items, both had a price tag of 1,000,000 merit. He jerked his eyes away before looking closer, lest he spend the rest of his life drooling over a memory that could never be.

I can only afford one. Which is the most valuable to me, and will it empower the guild? The elixir is out. I have no idea what Celestial Skills would become available, and since they’re general skills, they might be trash. Good chance they aren’t, but it's not worth the risk when the other items are so good.

The staff, scepter, and shield are all amazing for the guild, and will continue to be useful forever. The horn would only be for me. Of the four, it's the one I would choose if I was only thinking of myself. It's also the cheapest.

Raine spun and retreated to the first five rows of pedestals, inspecting the items there one at a time. There were weapons and armor of all types, consumables, strategic-level scrolls, and even a few crafting recipes. The third-to-last item sealed his decision.

[Merit: 250]

[Starry Skies: (Array Schematic - Adept) Contains the requisite knowledge to craft the Array of Starry Skies]

[Array of Starry Skies: (Chaotic Gold - 12 Users) Creates a defensive field in the shape of a 12-pointed star in a 200-meter diameter. Each point can be sacrificed to create one of the following effects for 10 minutes—only summoning effects are stackable (25% damage reduction) (25% cooldown reduction) (25% ailment recovery) (25% healing received) (25% enemy attribute reduction) (Summon a blazing meteor anywhere in a 10,000-meter range dealing 2,000% Elemental Damage) (Summon a level-variable Star Behemoth to fight under your command)]

Most arrays could be thought of as strategic resources capable of single-handedly influencing the outcome of a raid encounter or pitched battle. Those that couldn’t had more niche uses, like creating powerful locks to protect treasures or forming illusory spaces that could trap the unwitting. The Array of Starry Skies definitely fell into the former category.

It's not the most powerful array I’ve seen, but its versatility is off the charts. And it's only Adept grade. What a find. I could afford this and the staff or horn. While the staff could help train casters to use spells, there’s no guarantee it will drastically increase the speed of neuron adaptation that’s required. The horn I can use to advance my own martial path, opening the gateway to more and better loot in the future. Additionally, I know exactly how useful Primal Energy is; no guesswork needed.

Unwilling to doubt himself, Raine breached the bubble protecting the scroll. His fingers passed through without resistance, and the moment he touched the precious item, it vanished into his inventory. He tensed instinctively, half expecting the realm to buckle and collapse around him. When it didn’t, he jogged to the horn and bought it as well. With 50 merit remaining, Raine backtracked to the very first row and purchased the most useful item there.

[Primal Belt of the Phantom Thief: (Marvelous Gold - LVL 40) (Storage: 0/2) (HP +500) (DEF +65) (FNS +80) (ACU +80) (Durability 175/175)]

[Innate Passive - Catch Me If You Can: Successful evasions grant a charge of Spectral Slip (Current Charges: 0/3)]

[Innate Skill 1 - Spectral Integration: Expend a charge of Spectral Slip to become intangible for .25 seconds]

[Innate Skill 2 - Phantom Disengage: Expend 3 charges of Spectral Slip to teleport up to 10 meters, leaving behind an invulnerable spectral image that taunts nearby enemies for 2 seconds]

He immediately equipped the belt, glad to finally have the last equipment slot filled. This was the only belt he’d ever seen below level 50. Even better, the accessory slot usually didn’t give much in the way of attributes, primarily functioning as a quick storage for potions.

The Primal Belt of the Phantom Thief only had two potion slots, which was less than usual. However, having two potions he could use at will, without having to physically drink them, was a boon Raine had been sorely missing. He loaded a Minor Celestial Recovery Potion and a Minor Health Recovery Potion into the slots. The last thing remaining was attributes, which he most allocated to Physique, as it increased his survivability, damage, and resources pools.

He didn’t have to wait long for Selena. She came strutting through the wall of clouds, sporting a new, sparkling necklace. She caught sight of his belt and lifted a brow in surprise. “You actually spent merit on that? I could have gifted you a superior one as your reward for bringing me home.”

Raine shrugged casually, intercepting her on the way to the platform they arrived on. “I only had 50 left.”

Her brow rose further, “Oh, what else did you purchase?” Selena glanced back at the rows of pedestals, but they had already faded back into clouds.

“Not much worth mentioning,” Raine answered with a secretive grin.“What about you? Just the necklace? What does it do?”

“I cannot say!” Selena blurted, hand rising to cover the artifact. She cleared her throat and continued in a measured tone. “It is a secret of the-what I meant to say is: it's a royalty thing.” She flippantly bobbed her head side-to-side.”

Raine rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. Keep your secrets. Just don’t let me die if things go as bad as I think they’re about to.” When Raine didn’t take the last step with her, a brief look of fear flashed across her features. She opened her mouth to apologize. Raine spoke first. “Is it safe to assume we’ll be ejected from the Mystic Realm after this?”

“Yes. That’s correct.” Selena confirmed, concern mounting rapidly.

Raine took a deep breath, plunging into the conversation he didn’t want to be having. “Okay, then it's about to get dangerous again.”

“What? Why would you say that?”

So far, Raine hadn’t seen anything that would have caused Selena to die in the past. While hard, the baseline ordeal hadn’t been unbeatable for a forerunner powerful enough to reach the 30s so quickly. There was also the fact that he’d never even heard of Lyale before, making it more likely that whatever killed her had happened outside the Mystic Realm.

Raine broached the subject in the best way he could think of. “We were being followed before we entered. My guess is the Dantinians are waiting to ambush us. Chances are, we’ll have less than a second to escape.”

Selena grew appropriately terrified at the prospect. “The Dantinians?! This far from their territory? That seems unlikely. Could it have been a beast? The Plummus alpha’s mate, perhaps? H-how sure are you?”

“95%.” Raine answered stonily, refusing to break eye contact with the princess.

Her fingers rose to gently touch the new jewelry gracing her neckline. “What do we do? If it really is them, then it's unlikely we can escape.”

“I have another use of the item that protected us when we were ambushed. I’ll use it on you the moment we appear. It only lasts ten seconds; just long enough to channel a Greater Return Stone. Don’t bother with a regular one, they’ll almost certainly have a jammer active.”

Selena’s mouth opened and closed several times before she found words. “What about you?”

It was Raine’s turn to lift his brows. “Doubting me after everything we’ve been through? I’ll be fine. Let them try to catch me.” His cocky grin faded, replaced by absolute seriousness. “The timing is going to be incredibly tight. If you allow yourself to be distracted for even a fraction of a second, it’ll be over. This is no attempt to take a bargaining chip, Selena. They can’t allow your artifact to make it back to the kingdom. They’ll kill you. You understand?”

It took her a full two seconds to nod; when she did, it was full of conviction. “I understand. No matter what, I’ll teleport away the instant we appear.”

Raine could see she meant every word. Now, it was up to fate. “Good. Let’s go.” Together, they stepped upon the platform and vanished from the Primal Realm.