Chapter 172: [172] Tristan’s Goodies

North left the room shortly after dropping the items, which only went to show just how confidential the discussion they were about to have was.

Ark’s gaze moved from the items on the table to Tristan. "I was wondering when you would call me."

He knew that sooner or later, Tristan would demand payment. Once in a while, during his adventures in Eden, he would wonder why he still hadn’t asked for the information.

Tristan was a snake. Snakes took their time, but one month was a lot even for a snake, and now he knew why.

’So he was preparing these items?’

"Are you really going to make me ask?" Ark stared at the first item, the crystal ball.

Tristan followed his gaze to the item and then he picked it up. The crystal shimmered in the light, or did it give off its own light? It was hard to tell.

"We need information about the Tower, but as you know, word of mouth is not the most reliable source of information."

"These items are meant to... facilitate your journey back into the tutorial. This one..." He moved the item to Ark, and placed it in his hands. It felt cold to the touch.

"Is a Self Automated Magical Instance Capture Artifact. SAMICA. A mouthful, I know. It will help you record live images of whatever you encounter in Eden."

Ark gave him a deadpan stare. "So is a camera."

Tristan shrugged. "More or less."

Ark observed the artifact in close detail. As simple as it sounded, the association had actually managed to create a marvel of engineering.

Although some simple items from Venaris, like a kitchen knife or a pot, could be moved by placing them in your inventory, more complex items like smartphones would vanish if you tried to move them into Eden.

To be able to create what was essentially a camera using magitec was no easy feat.

Ark placed the material on the floor and picked up the next one.

"A spatial notebook," Tristan said simply. "In case you need to write something down."

"I don’t know if I’m going to have the time or patience to whip out a pen during a tower raid, but sure, I’ll keep it with me."

Finally, Ark picked up the last item. The cube was not as flashy as the crystal, but it was just as odd.

The rune-like patterns on it glowed faintly the moment he touched it, as though responding to his touch.

"And this?"

Tristan smirked. "That right there is one of our greatest assets yet. We found it in a dungeon raid a few weeks back. Kinetic armour."

"Armour?" Ark brought the cube closer to his eyes. It was hard to believe that any type of armour would fit into that shape.

"Give it to me." Tristan stretched out his hand. Ark placed it in his hand, and he placed it back on Ark’s hand.

[Player Tristan wishes to transfer Artifact, Kinetic Armour, A-Rank. Do you wish to accept?]

’A rank?’ Ark nodded. "Yes."

[Item transfer complete]

"Now summon the armour." Tristan paused, then pointed at the other side of the room. "But first... please step away from my furniture."

Ark walked over to the other side of the room, still feeling unsure. The idea of wearing armour did not quite sit well with him...

Sure, having sturdy armour could be the difference between life and death in a battle. Armour could help you deflect against a number of attacks, but at the same time, armour can also be used as a weapon.

With enough strength, gauntlets could be maces, and with the right positioning, a chest plate could be a shield.

But just as it had many advantages, wearing armour came with its own set of disadvantages.

The most notorious one was its weight... Armour tended to slow down players, because to deflect against attacks from supernatural monsters, armour was usually made of thick, solid materials.

A regular human would not be able to walk in awakened armour, and depending on the grade, they could even be crushed to death.

Still, there was no harm in trying it out.

Ark summoned the armour, and suddenly, a pulse of electricity spread out around him, causing a soft gust of wind to brush past him.

From the top of his head, right down to the sole of his feet, every single aspect of him was covered in armour.

The armour was made of a gleaming dark-blue metal with highlights of gold lining its edges.

It was an armour crafted purely for war, smooth and elegant in some areas, and jagged and cruel in others.

The helmet was like the skull of a demonic beast, it covered the upper part of Ark’s head, only leaving his jaw exposed, and had two short spikes poking out of the top of it, like that of an Oni.

There was a dark blue hood over his head that led to a cape that flowed down his back. The cape was fluttering behind him, even though there was no wind.

"Strange."

Ark raised his hand and was immediately left stunned. Although the armour was made out of layers of metal-like material, it felt incredibly light.

He did a few squats, and then he leaped into the air.

"The hell?" It was not noiseless, but for armour, it was relatively quiet.

— Kinetic armour

An artifact crafted by The Dreamer for the Filial Knights during the fall of civilization. When the kinetic armour receives attacks, it absorbs the force of motion, storing it within itself.

This kinetic force can be used in two ways.

• Release. This enchantment unleashes all stored kinetic energy as explosive force, causing wide-area damage.

• Rush. This enchantment allows the user to use stored kinetic energy to temporarily boost their speed.

__

’The enchantments are also good!’ Ark read through the details for a second time, then gave Tristan a wary stare.

Such a powerful artifact would definitely have been useful to other members of the association. Why then was he giving it to him?

Was the information he was going to get from the tutorial really so important that they would invest this many resources in him?

"Don’t look at me like that." Tristan frowned. "Must you be so distrusting?"

"I’m not looking at you in any way. My face is bone." Ark tapped his finger against his jaw for emphasis. "It’s just your guilty conscience bothering you."

"My conscience is clean and clear. Certainly not as murky as yours." Tristan picked up a cookie and pointed it at him. "Did you really think I would send you back to that place without proper protection?"

Ark’s silence was enough of an answer. He was still relatively new to the world of Players, so he did not know what was normal.

Tristan shook his head. "I can’t have you die with all the information you owe me."

"Aha, finally the truth comes out." Ark nodded and retook his seat, the armour vanishing from his body and appearing on his hand in cube form.

Tristan rolled his eyes.

’The Dreamer, huh...’ Ark mused.

He had already cleared a domain that was related to the Dreamer. So... ’Where did this artifact come from?’