The vampire's crimson robe hadn't survived, suggesting it hadn't been anything particularly valuable.
However, the lightweight blue-black metal armor beneath it remained. It was called "Magesteel Armor."
The name sounded ordinary, but it was genuinely a Rare item with +3 Armor Class.
Ever since the Weave had fallen into chaos, simple yet practical armor like this had become far more sought after than flashy magical equipment.
The second item was a magic ring. Anser had seen a similar one before.
...
[Magic Item: Ring of Regeneration]
Category: Ring
Rarity: Rare (requires Attunement)
While wearing this ring, as long as you have at least 1 Hit Point, you regain 1d6 (1–6) Hit Points every 10 minutes.
Even if you lose a limb, as long as you maintain at least 1 Hit Point continuously for 1d6+1 (2–7) days, the missing limb will regrow and regain all of its original functions.
...
The ring was carved from stone, about a finger wide. It felt remarkably smooth to the touch, with a warm, silky texture reminiscent of a young woman's skin, making it difficult to put down.
'Now this is a good item.'
As Anser gently rubbed the ring between his fingers, he couldn't help thinking of the dwarf Soradin, who had lost an arm.
On Toril, regenerating a severed limb was anything but simple. Most creatures had no such ability. Only a handful of rare magic items and a few high-level spells could accomplish it, such as the 7th-level spell Regenerate.
'I'll keep it. It can be one of the team's benefits.'
People got hurt in battle all the time. With something like this available, everyone could fight with a lot more confidence.
The rest of the loot wasn't bad either, but none of it was useful to Anser, so he tossed everything into the Party Storage, updating the borrowing records while he was at it.
Even so, all eight members of the party still seemed hesitant. No one felt comfortable taking those magic items for themselves, even if some of them genuinely needed them.
Responsibilities and benefits went hand in hand. Although the benefits could be enjoyed in advance, they simply weren't used to that kind of system yet—or they still had their reservations. Makaria, for example.
Anser wasn't in any hurry. Having everyone spread the news about Bane's Chosen would serve as the party's first official mission and help everyone gradually get used to the system.
After leveling up, the Adventuring Party's maximum size had increased to eleven members. The team was finally beginning to take shape, and there was much more it could accomplish.
After thinking it over for a moment, he returned to the dungeon, remaining hidden within the Ethereal Plane instead of revealing himself.
The treasure left behind by the Red Wizard wasn't among the spoils recovered from the castle, giving him yet another reason to stay.
According to Sosk, there were quite a few valuable treasures inside—the last remnants left behind by the werewolf clan. Some of those items had been gathered by the death knight from throughout the dungeon.
Perhaps that was one of the death knight's lingering obsessions.
'I'll wait. If things become impossible, I'll retreat.'
Compared to before, he now felt considerably more confident.
Casting Teleportation Circle required a full minute and couldn't be Quickened, but Teleport could!
Unless the enemy possessed the power to kill him with a mere thought, keeping him here would be nearly impossible.
Several hours passed.
Night had already fallen outside, and Iris had begun eating dinner. Inside the underground castle, however, it grew brighter and brighter.
As time passed, the massive spherical dome overhead shone ever more brilliantly, like a full moon suspended above, casting a gentle silvery radiance that illuminated the circular magic array below.
Magic Power rippled through the air as streams of light slowly flowed along the engraved patterns. The dazzling spectacle was utterly unlike the plain stone array from before.
'This is on a completely different level.'
Anser couldn't help but marvel. It was the first time he had ever seen a Teleportation Circle of such sophistication.
He even felt the urge to pry it up and secretly study it. With a few modifications, perhaps it could even be reused.
The changes in the array continued for an entire hour.
Anser waited patiently the whole time, but no one ever emerged from the Teleportation Circle.
Meanwhile, Sosk became increasingly restless, pacing around the circular array again and again, his eyes constantly darting toward its center.
After waiting a while longer, Sosk pulled out his pocket watch. The impatience on his face was becoming impossible to suppress.
He grabbed the clay jar in his hand and hurled it into a corner.
Crash!
The jar shattered, pottery shards scattering in every direction.
Anser watched the entire thing unfold but didn't reveal himself immediately. He waited several more minutes before emerging into the Material Plane from the opposite side.
"Sosk?" Leaning against a pillar, he called toward the circular array.
"I'm over here." Sosk hurried around to meet him, his expression already calm again. "Something's not right. How about... we go in?"
"You know how to activate it?" Anser asked with a smile.
"I do. The array is active now. Just step into the center and channel your own Magic Power into it."
"Then why didn't you go in yourself?"
"Uh..."
"Afraid of running into danger?"
"Uh... yeah."
"What kind of danger?"
Sosk let out an awkward chuckle.
"You know... quite a few people went in back then..."
Anser said nothing, simply staring at him in silence.
"As for the divine realm..."
Before Sosk could finish, the circular array suddenly blazed to life.
A slender crescent moon appeared at its center. Slowly, it waxed from crescent to full, transforming into a moonlike portal.
Bzzz—
The portal stabilized completely.
Through it, Anser saw a vast plaza paved with white crystal. It reflected a soft moonlight that shimmered hazily, giving the entire place a dreamlike atmosphere.
'Is this a divine realm?'
Confusion flashed across his face.
According to the limited records concerning the gods, Sehanine's divine realm was located within Arvandor, in the Plane of Arborea.
Arvandor should have been a vibrant paradise filled with towering ancient trees, dazzling wildflowers, abundant grain fields, and luscious fruit.
While Anser was still pondering the discrepancy, Sosk had already dashed toward the portal in excitement.
He didn't step through it.
Instead, he hid beside the portal so that anyone coming through wouldn't spot him immediately.
Seeing this, Anser flashed into the Ethereal Plane.
The next instant, a brilliant flash shot out of the portal before exploding with a deafening roar.
Scorching flames swept across the circular array, accompanied by surging waves of heat.
As soon as the flames subsided, twenty to thirty figures burst out of the portal, fighting even as they ran.
They were broadly divided into three groups.
One group consisted of Thayan Red Wizards. Floating behind their leader was a miniature coffin that immediately drew the eye.
The other two groups weren't fighting each other. Instead, they had joined forces to hunt down the Thayans, and the battle was fiercely contested.
The leaders of all three groups were especially formidable. They cast spells with effortless ease, showing no sign whatsoever of being affected by the disruption of the Weave.
One of them was none other than Brunhilde!
Anser stared in disbelief.
Was this really the Brunhilde he knew?
'Was she putting on an act the last time we met?'
After the fighting moved away from the portal, Sosk cautiously peeked inside a few times before fixing his gaze firmly on the coffin, his eyes filled with unwillingness.
The veins on the hand gripping his wand bulged as he anxiously scanned his surroundings, but Anser was nowhere to be found.
Anser curled his lip.
Sosk really had been hiding the truth.
If the other side of the portal truly led to a divine realm, why wasn't he rushing in?
That coffin was the real objective.
Just then, a black-robed wizard teleported to the entrance of the hall ahead of everyone else, completely cutting off the Red Wizards' escape route.
The holy symbol of a white human skull emblazoned on his forehead was especially conspicuous.
Brunhilde blocked the Red Wizards from behind. Quite a few people stood with her, including several masked wizards from the Cowled Wizards.
"Huh... They're connected somehow?" Anser found it difficult to make sense of the situation.
The three factions temporarily ceased fighting and silently faced one another in a tense standoff.
Meanwhile, the light of the circular array gradually dimmed, and the portal slowly closed until it disappeared completely.
Sosk's expression wavered with indecision, yet he still didn't take the opportunity to enter before it vanished.
'Just as I thought. Something's definitely going on.'
Anser cast Dragonkind Transformation and sped through the Ethereal Plane, quickly closing in on the Thayan Red Wizards...
...and the coffin.
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