To be honest, No. 7777: Garphas Necklace, it was not a very consuming item. You were guaranteed to get an item numbered 35 or higher, of course, but before those odds became effective, you needed to spend 1.5 billion stones.
You only make profits if you get a single-digit numbered item.
Getting something in adolescence - that is, from No. 19 to No. 10 - was a balance point, and any No. 20 or higher was a loss. And not only that, but there was a non-zero chance that the necklace would self-destruct when thrown again, which would mean the biggest loss of all.
In other words, it was a high-risk, high-reward game item.
«Bjorn...? Why don't you say anything?» I shook off my stupor upon hearing Ainar's worried voice. «Isn't it... good?», he asked hesitantly.
That was as far from the truth as possible.
«Well done, Ainar. You're the only one I can trust».
I was passing on my love to him as seriously as I could, but Ainar didn't seem to notice. «Oh! If you say that, then the object must be good! What does this shield do?»
Oh. That was all?
The way he got rid of my feelings so easily hurt me a little, but it was okay.
True, this could all have ended with me stuck with the Naraka Rake.
To be honest, I would gladly let him punch me in the face three times and laugh with a smile if it meant getting this result. And on that note...
Let's pull this now.
Just in case something went wrong, I hurriedly took out the selected object.
¡Flash!
Pressing the confirmation button, a stream of multicolored light gushed out of the necklace. The bright rays gathered in the air like clay and took shape.
[The selected object has taken shape].
No. 3: Aegis Wall.
As obvious as it may seem, this was the best shield in the game for a Shield Barbarian like me.
I guess since from now on I will exclusively use this shield, I have officially filled my shield space...
I honestly didn't expect this to happen. No, realistically, there were other objects I planned to stop at if I saw them.
There was the final teenage armor that I always wore as part of my build; my second choice for a final shield, the number 21; one of the single-digit numbered objects that was essential to the ice-type double sword master build... Also, if the Crack Maker appeared, an object useful for agriculture would have seriously considered taking it only for its future usefulness. And if that one didn't show up, he had planned to quit if he got any of the final weapons for Amelia or Erwen.
But...
I really didn't expect to get this.
I still couldn't tell if I was dreaming.
[Due to the excessive influx of mana, the necklace containing Garphas' power has been permanently damaged].
With that, the Numbered Object around my neck became a normal jewel. I barely paid any attention to him as I carefully raised my new gray shield.
[You have equipped No. 3: Aegis Wall. Your total item level has increased by +18600].
I had become stronger.
Much stronger.
The shield itself was not too luxurious. The color was gray, and it did not have a single decoration on its surface. But so what? A shield just had to be strong and resistant.
«Is this shield... a single digit Numbered Item?»
«Wait... There are only two above No. 3... It's an incredible treasure!»
«Aegis Wall! I've only heard of it in stories, but now I'm seeing it with my own eyes!»
I heard my companions start whispering among themselves when they realized what my shield was. The last one to speak, Amelia, seemed to be the most excited, strange as it may seem.
Ainar joined happily. «Oh! Since everyone says things like that, I guess it's some kind of valuable treasure!».
«Tsk, that's not all», Amelia scolded her. «The Aegis Wall has not appeared even once since the last adventurer who had it died in the labyrinth 120 years ago».
Actually, now that I thought about it, it wasn't strange at all. This woman really liked these things. If I had to put a label on it, I was some kind of maze geek.
«Right now, excluding the one the palace has in its warehouses, Yandel, you are the only person with one in your possession. Furthermore, according to previous records, that shield is indestructible...»
He must have wanted to show off his knowledge or something, because Amelia kindly explained the shield and its history to everyone. The explanation itself was quite professional...
But when it comes to information, this world is always missing some details.
As an inveterate player, I couldn't accept it. I proceeded to go over the article in my head.
High quality to the point of indestructibility. Keeping the shield in the guard position gives me immunity to all damage.
Reduces by 30% all magic damage dealt to me and anyone within ten meters of me, and grants immunity to all spells of rank five or lower.
All my defensive stats increase by 20% when equipping it.
When using an aura ability, the aura range is doubled.
As long as my threat level is above five hundred, all monsters will attack me first.
And finally...
An active effect.
Yeah, that's what it was like to have a team by the end of the game.
My heart was beating so hard that I wanted to run out and try it in combat right now. But even though I felt like I was dying to fight, I had already told everyone that today was a day of rest, so I held back.
True, I also needed time to get used to this thing.
It is quite light.
It was much heavier than a normal steel shield, but it still seemed strangely lighter to me than I was used to. Although it may have been because my last shield was ridiculously heavy.
Let me take my hammer too.
With the Demon Crusher in my other hand, I tested the balance between the two. After all, this was not a video game. The differences in weight and feel were something that could end up turning against me.
¡Whoosh! ¡Swoosh!
And so, I was brandishing my weapon against the empty air inside the cave to get used to the change in weight when an idea occurred to me.
Somehow, I ended up getting my best weapons.
Number 87, the Demon Crusher of Kraul, and number 3, the Aegis Wall. With these two, the truth is that I never had to look for another weapon again. Technically, the Demon Crusher could be upgraded to get a better item, but that would be a lot of work for diminishing performance, so he could continue using this hammer.
I guess I only have the armor, shoes and belt left.
Anyway, those were the basic objects for my final construction. Although the barbarian tribe's Genesis Treasure was another basic item, it was something he probably couldn't get despite being the only thing he really wanted to have. The Genesis Treasure was one of the reasons why the Shield Barbarian was so powerful.
Anyway, I think I've gotten used to it...
After getting familiar with the feel of my new equipment, I started trying a few things. I turned on the active effect and also checked the magic immunity aura.
A radius of ten meters...
I made sure to instill in myself what the ten meters looked and felt like. It would be a critical parameter in battle.
Once I had marked a few more experiments, I rested for the time we had left and then met with the other leaders to discuss our plans for the future.
Well, to be honest, it was closer to an announcement than an argument.
«Mr. Baron, are we going to continue exploring this island of giants again tomorrow?».
«No, for now, we are leaving this island.»
«Excuse me?»
«We've spent all this time hanging around and getting beat up, and we still haven't found anything».
He knew that the Giant Island was hiding a secret. However, I had a feeling that secret would only be revealed to us after defeating that huge giant we saw the last time we were here.
The problem is that we haven't seen him since, and there are no guarantees that we would be able to defeat him even if we found him.
«So... where do you plan to go?»
«Our next destination will be Library Island».
«Excuse me? Ah... You mean the island you told me about earlier».
«That's right.»
First of all, I wanted to go to that island to increase our stats. Back then, we were limited by the fact that we only had seven members and had had to leave after reaching rank three, but things were different now. Also, I was a little curious to know what the situation was like there now that some time had passed.
I'm pretty sure we emptied all the books from the bottom shelves. Have they regenerated since then?
I'd find out when I got there.
As our meeting came to an end, Amelia asked me a question. «Yandel, so we give up on Hipramajent?».
«We are not giving up. We're just putting it on hold for now».
«But why? I remember you wanted its essence».
That was true.
However, even if the distortion magic succeeded and another essence fell, there was no guarantee that it would be one with gigantization. More than anything, even if we won the lottery and got the perfect drop, there wouldn't be much reward.
No matter how you look at it, I don't think the skill stacks up twice.
The essence of the Hipramajent was superior to that of the Orc Hero, but the active ability it would give me would be the same. As it was, I had two spaces of essence left. It would be more useful for me to fill these slots with other essences that would help me become stronger. It wasn't like he had any way to erase the Orc Hero's essence even if Hipramajent's fell.
«Hmm, I see. Understood.»
Still, these were all excuses. They were not the main reason.
Since I've taken care of Erwen and Ainar a little...
I needed to improve the specifications of my other allies as well. They all had a free essence slot, and we should be able to fill them with ease if we cultivated a little in the library.
Oh, of course, this included Amelia.
It had been a long time since he had received a power increase.
«...Why are you looking at me like that?»
«No es nada.»
Something just occurred to me.
Although I didn't know when we could escape from this place when that time finally came...
It's fun to imagine.
How much stronger would we be?
***
After announcing our plans, I spent our remaining rest time alone thinking more about my constitution, going over the things I needed to do to become an even bigger and stronger Shield Barbarian, and my highest priorities toward that goal.
For now, only one thing on that list could be completed on Basement One Floor: getting an essence in the library.
He was looking for an essence and only one, that of the rank three Bellarios monster. Once I absorbed it, the next steps on the path to my final construction would be possible only after escaping this place.
Change the essence of the Orc Hero to that of Hipramajent, reach phase nine of the Spiritual Footprint, surround the eighth floor Rift to cultivate Guardian Essences and Numbered Items, and erase the essence of the Stormy Torrent to cultivate a Soil Essence... The rest of the things he needed to do at level eight would only be feasible after returning to the city.
With this, my day of rest came to an end. As soon as the seventy-fifth day dawned, we left the cave and headed to the beach to reach Library Island.
¡Fwip!
But just as we were about to summon the ship, something suddenly pounced on us from the ocean.
[Successful defense. The Aegis Wall has absorbed all the damage].
Fortunately, I instinctively raised my shield to block it.
What was that?
«It's an ambush!»
Positioning my shocked allies behind me, I looked down in an attempt to figure out what was going on. There, where the silver waves ebbed and flowed at my feet, I could see a crimson spear lying on the sandy beach.
A giant spear true...?
What the hell...? Why was that thing here?
My question didn't go unanswered for long.
[Heaven Lancer Milayel has released Return].
In the distance, a figure emerged from the silver waves of the ocean, walking steadily and unfailingly towards us.
[The Lancer of the Heavens, Milayel, has recovered the Giant Green Spear. Until the end of the fight, the strength of the Return increases slightly].
As the spear in the sand returned to his hand, he spoke with a rumbling voice. «(I won't let you go, mortal.)»
It was a line of dialogue I had heard countless times while running away from this guy in the game, but this time it hit differently.
...Did you lose your mind?
Did this guy really cross the ocean and get here?
***
The Guardian of the Kalheum Rift, the City of Light, was the Lancer of the Heavens, Milayel. When I ran into her again in a place I had never expected, the first thing I felt was confusion.
However, when the shock went away, I felt a totally different emotion. It was a welcoming feeling.
«Great».
And a feeling of joy.
«I thought I would never see you again».
«I won't let you go, mortal».
When Milayel responded with the same old phrase in the same old tone, I smiled.
This time I have no intention of running away.
Then, Erwen had been knocked out, and we were surrounded by monsters everywhere. Hell, I wouldn't have been surprised if another rank two monster had decided to join the fight. That's why we had run towards the beach without looking back.
However, things were different now, although he wasn't sure if this jerk had noticed already. The rainy season had ended centuries ago, and I had even bought a fancy new shield recently.
This will be a good test of our combat level.
I turned to my allies, who were waiting for my orders, and gave the order. «Prepare for battle! Let's take this guy down here and now».
Yes, it would be rude to reject a gift that had been kind enough to fall into our hands.