Standing in a room filled with all sorts of weapons, accessories, books, and even runes, Cain was at a loss for what to look for.
The room was very wide and tall, yet the items in the room seemed to fill up all the space.
'Is this the so-called 'demon treasure cache'?' Cain couldn't help but wonder.
"So, are you saying I'm free to pick whatever I want?" Cain asked hesitantly.
"Sure... You are free to pick any five items of your choosing. Whether you can use them or not is up to you..." Azazel said with a small smile.
'It is hard to believe this human boy is the Avatar of Lord Ashur.' Azazel thought to himself. Thoughts of the old times flew through his mind, causing a bittersweet expression to appear on his face.
Completely ignoring Azazel, Cain continued to scan his surroundings...
"Even if I wanted to pick something, where do I even start?" Cain said.
"Then, allow me to give you some advice..." Azazel said. With a clap, a chair and table appeared on the table was a complete tea set, and within the cups on the table was tea that looked as though it was steeped in gold flakes.
The aroma of the tea immediately made Cain's pores open. He could feel his head clear the moment the smell invaded his nostrils.
"Here, have a sip.." Azazel said, handing Cain a cup.
Despite his inhibitions, Cain took the teacup from his hand and took a sip of the tea. It felt as though a rush of flames swam through his body. However, this feeling was by no means uncomfortable. It was by far the most pleasant thing he had experienced in his life.
The slightly sweet flavor of the tea danced on his tongue like a butterfly, causing him to let out an involuntary sigh.
{Due to the effects of the Spirit Vos Grass tea, the host's soul and mind have become more at ease. Spirit stat has doubled for the next hour...}.
Seeing that Cain had calmed down, Azazel began,
"The things in this room can be roughly divided into five; weapons, runes, mana shards or cores, equipment, and books. You can choose whatever you like from these options. Here is a list of all the things that are in this room that will be of use to you. To save you the stress, I have limited the things on the list to items that are below tier 1."
"I see..." Cain said as he grabbed the list.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that if the item was at or above tier 1, then he, who was below tier 1, would be unable to use it. Feeling a little bit of gratitude toward Azazel, he began going through the list...
Sure enough, the list was separated into five different sections, each having at least twenty items under it.
The first section he looked through, was the weapons section...
Glancing through the list, Cain was able to bring the description of every weapon he focused on out. However, while all of them were incredibly powerful, most of them failed to give him any excitement.
That was until he stumbled upon one that caught his eye...
Tears of the Water God (Maelstrom): In his dying moments, the water God, Typhoon, had a wish. Birthed from that wish, was the bringer of Calamity, Maelstrom. Its potential was so great, it made the heavenly emperor seal its true powers away. Even then, its power was feared throughout the universe. However, after many years, the weapon has been damaged and lost a majority of its strength...
'Water God, huh...' The weapon didn't seem like much, but for some reason, Cain felt that any weapon that could draw Tian's attention was definitely not ordinary. A being hailed as the emperor of the Heavens wouldn't feel threatened by a simple weapon.
'Besides, since {Maelstrom} I'll use it to replace {Sea Demon}.' Remembering how the bow he had newly acquired was destroyed by Azazel, Cain felt the need to complain, but eventually let it go after some thought.
'He could easily choose to not give me anything. The fact that I'm getting anything at all out of this originally terrible situation is quite pleasant.' Cain thought.
"I want this one," Cain said, pointing at {Maelstrom}.
"Ho? Are you sure? While this weapon is quite ancient and its story is filled with marvels, it is damaged and is still incredibly hard to use." Azazel said to Cain.
"I'm sure..." Cain said after a moment of thought.
"In that case..." Azazel stretched his hands, and a magical bow that was nearly the size of a fully grown human appeared in his hands.
"Damn! Why is it so tall?!" Cain exclaimed.
Despite being tall himself, Cain could only imagine how much of a pain it would be to use the bow. The good thing about the bow was its streamlined body and slender frame. It was dark blue mixed with patches of purple.
"It is a long bow after all. Here, try holding it..." Azazel said to Ashur.
Taking it from him, Cain's eyes and hands bulged under the strain.
'So heavy!' Cain exclaimed in his mind as he struggled to hold the bow up.
"That bow is actually a God remnant. However, he was killed by the Heavenly Emperor, Tian. If a celestial is killed by him, it will cease to exist, the laws and order that created bum completely vanishing from existence. However, the Water God who is the origin of this bow is quite the character.
He is one of the most powerful gods to ever exist, and ruled over the Cosmic Ocean, Atlantos." Azazel explained.
"When he was killed, he managed to birth his bow and granted it with the last of his will and power that could not be destroyed. Hence, this bow at its peak can harm the Celestial emperor, Tian." Azazel finished with a heavy sigh, as though he had just told the story of a lifetime...
Staying at the bow in silence, Cain could feel the emotions that had been placed in it upon its creation. The intent, the tears...
"I like it..." Cain said, a profound glimmer in his eyes.
"Hmm... To reduce the weight of the bow and have it submit, you will have to feed it with your ki. If it deems you worthy, you will be able to use it. If not, then it is as useful as junk to you." Azazel said to Cain.
Taking a good look at the body of his new weapon, Cain closed his eyes and circulated his Ki plundering technique.
Streams of crimson energy flowed out of his body and into the weapon. Cain could also feel a strange water-based energy flowing into his body, linking his being with it.
He gradually felt the weight of the bow decrease until it was comfortable for him to use. The purple markings on the bow took on a crimson hue as well, making the bow look even more beautiful.
{Congratulations to Host... You have gained the Half-god Weapon, Maelstrom...}
Durability: 1000/1000.
Skills: Cosmic Water Arrow, Tidal Sensing.
{Cosmic Water Arrow}: Water can cut through the strongest of stones and defenses. Concentrate Cosmic water into a single arrow and fire to pierce through your enemies without limitations. No defense or boundary can impede the flow of Cosmic water. Only one arrow can be created every second. Each arrow has a piercing effect and will deal damage equal to the host's magic stats.
Cost: 1000MP per arrow and 100Ki points.
Tidal Sensing: Creates Imaginary waves that are linked to the mind and soul of the user. Any disturbance within a 500-meter radius is sensed by the user.
Looking at the skills of {Maelstrom}, Cain was extremely happy with his choice. Turning to Azazel who was stroking an imaginary beard with a pleased expression, he moved on to the next category,
He had studied runes a lot, so he had a very good understanding of them and was able to tell the characteristics of most of the runes he saw without having to look through their descriptions.
Each rune was unique in its own way. Some of them even had elemental properties. They were a total of 50, and Cain took his time looking through every single one of them. They were many times more complex than the runes that were produced upon the death of mutant beasts and devils.
'These runes are complex, yet they are all classified as basic runes. Who drew them? Was it him?' Cain turned to stare at Azazel for a brief second before focusing back on the list...
Mark of The Malevolent Beast.
Eventually, Cain came to a stop.
He had come across a rune that was quite peculiar...
{Armament Armory}: Creates a special space within the body where weapons can be stored and immediately called on for battle.
Cain stared at this rune for some time. It made use of the laws and principles of spatial magic to create a special space within the body where weapons could be stored. While storing weapons in the inventory was good, there was a one-second lag between calling the weapon out and it materializing.
This lag could be very dangerous when considering what type of opponent one was facing. However, from what Cain could glean from the rune, this space would become one with the body and would manifest the exact moment the user filled it. It also allowed the storage of more than one weapon.
This meant that switching weapons out in battle or getting a refill of ammunition would be much more convenient and would save a lot of time, especially in the heat of battle. It could also serve as a means to confuse the opponent.
With all these thoughts in his mind, Cain quickly made his decision...
"I want this one..." Cain said, pointing at the {Armament Armory}.
"Excellent choice!" Azazel said, applauding Cain's decision with a simple on his face.
"Really?" Cain said, still a little in doubt.
"Not everything has to be for combat. While I understand that you might live in a world filled with all sorts of woes that require you to raise your battle power as fast as possible, you also need versatility and utility. At times, these things are just as, if not more important than combat-related equipment, runes, or weapons." Azazel said to Cain.
Staring at the {Armament Armory} Cain felt he was finally beginning to comprehend things a bit better...