CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31 – CURSED ITEM

Chapter 31 – Cursed Item

Sitting down in a corner, Jack pulled out all the stamps he got from killing all those monsters. Six stamps in total — quite a huge number, as so far, he had only received two, and now he had three times that number lying in his hand.

"Hmmm, I wonder if I can get another useful skill from these," Jack muttered. "It’s very much luck-based, isn’t it?" he asked Liliana.

"It’s not really luck but rather what the Divine Records decide. Sometimes it’s good for you, sometimes it isn’t. It really depends on what it wills."

"I see..." Jack muttered. ’Basically, if the records love me or not. Sounds about fair enough,’ he scoffed sarcastically.

He didn’t know what these Divine Records wanted or who they considered good and bad, but he simply didn’t care. As long as he got good things that would help him survive, then he was completely satisfied.

"Well, here goes nothing," Jack muttered and picked up one of the item stamps. Since they were less important than the skill ones, he decided to start with them.

Stamping his hand, the process started and ended rapidly as an object manifested in his hand out of thin air.

The object was a small glass vial filled with a bright red liquid with a rather beautiful hue to it.

"Hm? Is this..."

[Name: Healing Potion I]

[Rarity: Common]

[User Requirement: None]

[Description: A potion that can heal minor injuries with instantaneous effect.]

"Interesting. A healing potion, huh?" Jack muttered. "This will certainly be useful in the future."

’I will definitely suffer from more and more injuries as the risk increases. Healing potions will be crucial,’ he mused.

"Does that Roman numeral at the start indicate its tier?"

"Yes, there are ten levels of potions in general. The higher the number, the better the potion."

"There are different kinds of potions?"

"Of course. There are endless varieties of potions, and it’s an entire field that people dedicate their lives to studying and learning. Potion making is one of the most sought-after skills in all realms," Liliana said. "A potion can flip the tides of an entire war and make one side overcome the other."

"They can be that effective?" Jack raised an eyebrow curiously.

"When you reach a certain level as an awakener, improving any further becomes an extremely tough task. You can think of it as a sort of bottleneck that every being goes through at some point. So, what awakeners resort to are potions, buffs, and anything that can give them the edge over their opponents — and that’s all they need to secure victory," she explained.

"It becomes a battle of small details, huh?"

"Precisely. That is why every big nation, clan, and entity requires a reliable and consistant source of potions to achieve their goals."

"..."

’So I need to make sure to keep an eye out for potions... Got it.’ Noting down that new information, Jack put the potion to the side and used the second stamp.

This time, the object that formed in his hands was much larger than anything he had received before. Landing in his palms, Jack was taken aback.

"What’s this?" He fidgeted with the large object until he realized what it was. "It’s armor."

Made out of a mix of iron and thick clothing, the chestplate looked quite stylish and light, barely weighing a few kilograms.

[Name: Leather Chestplate I]

[Rarity: Rare]

[User Requirement: 15+ Strength, 10+ Agility]

[Description: A normal leather chestplate that can defend against light attacks from any awakener Level 15 and below.]

"Hmmm, its requirements are in stats, not levels," he mused. "But the fact that it can stop Level 15 attacks... this is pretty useful."

Jack needed that kind of defensive ability if he wanted to survive. Stopping an attack could be the difference between life and death.

"You should try it on," Liliana said. "Look at the chestplate and think about wearing it."

"Hm." Jack didn’t know why, but he did what she asked. After focusing for a second, a new notification appeared in front of him.

[Would you like to wear this?]

Oh? Automatically putting it on me? Quite handy, he thought, then agreed to the question in his head.

Instantly, the chestplate disappeared from his hands and appeared again, wrapped perfectly around his body.

"Wow..." he gasped. ’That was quick. It’s also perfectly comfortable and isn’t placed awkwardly — as if the system already knows how I’d adjust it beforehand.’

"How does it feel?"

"Hmm, I feel more protected. It’s also not hard to move in."

"You can also make it disappear if you don’t want the armor to stand out. It will become invisible to the naked eye."

"Oh really?" Jack raised an eyebrow as he looked at the armor again, and another notification appeared.

[Would you like to make the item disappear?]

"Yes."

Immediately, the chestplate started slowly vanishing until it was no more, and Jack’s normal clothes appeared again.

"This won’t bring any attention to me. Perfect," he mused. "So far, so good. Two useful items, though nothing crazy yet."

"Your luck has been really good. I’d say you’ve already gained a lot," Liliana said as she sat next to him.

Picking up the last stamp, he took a deep breath and then stamped his hand. A second later, the stamp disappeared, and finally... the last item manifested in his hand.

It was small, barely the size of his palm — a necklace made of an orange jewel at the heart of a pendant, with a long golden chain. Immediately, Jack felt a very odd sensation touching it, as if his hand were tingling and his body reacting to its presence in all kinds of ways.

"A necklace?" Jack asked.

[Name: Necklace of Damnation]

[Rarity: Ultra Rare]

[User Requirement: 50 points in all stats]

[Description: A necklace of the cursed. Those who wear it shall be destined for endless madness. Yet, those who are already mad shall be the carriers of great power. Requires Aether to activate.]

"What the hell is this?" he said. "Necklace of Damnation? What an ominous name."

’Even the description of it sounds so odd and eerie, unlike anything before it.’

"Hmm... this is an interesting piece you’ve got, Jack. Let me see..." Liliana said as her expression changed subtly.

Touching the necklace, her eyes flashed with a strange glint. "It’s as I expected..."

"Hm?"

"This piece... it’s a cursed item," she said. "Cursed items are so rare to come by. They are the exact opposite of normal items, imbued with negative energy."

"What’s the difference between them and normal items?"

"These are usually a lot stronger, but they also have a setback... they can easily harm their user as much as they can harm others. This one seems to curse you with madness. That’s a pretty strong side effect."

"Hm, but what it can do must be equally strong," he said.

"Indeed. If you can harness that, it could be a very strong item in your arsenal," Liliana explained. "But I don’t recommend you ever use it. It’s dangerous and not worth the risk."

"Hm..." Grabbing the necklace again and staring at it for a second, Jack exhaled before he nodded. "You might be right. I’ll still keep it though."