CHAPTER 1193: WOE IS ME!

The battlefield had finally settled into some semblance of stillness.

Cain stood slightly above the carnage, his grey robes still smoking slightly from the residual heat of activating his spells. His eyes burned with a fervent glow— an aftereffect of the intense burning of mana within him.

The crater where the {Firesand Naga} nest had been was now just an enormous lake of cooling magma, the bodies of hundreds of creatures scattered across the scorched earth like broken, discarded toys. The blood of the {Firesand Nagas} was extremely flammable, so when mixed in with the magma, they formed numerous pires of flames jutting out into the sky.

It was absolutely horrid.

The air was filled with the stench of burning flesh which was not particularly rancid, but it also wasn’t the best of aromas.

He let out a groan as he stretched his arms then turned to the side...

His contracted beasts were recovering nearby. Ruby was licking her wounds, her massive frame still trembling slightly from exertion, Lyos had coiled around a nearby rock formation, his breathing gradually returning to normal, and Ignis had her eyes fixed on her own body as she scanned it for wounds.

There were none.

Cain turned his attention elsewhere.

The system notifications had been flooding his vision for the past few minutes, an endless stream of kill confirmations and experience gained. He’d been ignoring them during the fight, too focused on keeping his magic stable to pay attention to the rewards. Now, with the immediate danger passed, he finally allowed himself to look.

His interface materialized before him, translucent and glowing with that familiar blue light. The experience numbers were staggering, with the entire bulk pushing him all the way to the edge of Level 299. But what caught his eye were the item drops.

There were dozens of items and a few weapons. Cain skimmed through them rather quickly. Most were relatively useful but not immediately necessary. Hh

He was about to dismiss the interface when something made him pause.

At the very bottom of the list, almost hidden among the more mundane rewards, was an item that made his breath catch.

***

{Arbitrator’s Stamp}(Heavenly):

Description: A pair of well taken care of gloves once belonging to the eighth marshal of the Curlown Heaven’s Gate. Contain the authority of {Seal of Arbitrator}.

{Arbitrator’s Stamp}:

Magic: 6000.

Spirit: 3000.

Control: 300.

Durability: N/A

Skills: Seal of Arbitrator, Aegis, Mana Conduit, Celestial Construct.

{Seal of Arbitrator}: The Seals of Arbitrator were awarded to the seventy-two marshals, each with a different authority. The Authority of the Eighth, is the Stalwart Protector of the End Winds.

{Aegis}: Creates a shield that scales with the wielder’s current magic capacity.

{Mana Conduit}: Channels mana to separate entities, providing momentary boosts in both physical and magical damage output.

{Celestial Constructs: Trismegitus}:

Trismegitus is the herald of destruction and chaos. From it, the very essence of magic flows. The Blessing of the Arbitrator allows the user to call upon its power.

***

The rarity alone was enough to make him stop. Heavenly-grade items were rare enough that he could count on one hand how many he’d encountered. But it was the description that made his heart rate spike.

He pulled up the full details, his eyes scanning the text with growing excitement.

A pair of gloves that had once belonged to the eighth marshal of the Curlown Heaven’s Gate. The name meant little to him, but he could tell it had something to do with the layers of heaven governed by Tian.

He couldn’t help but feel some type of way about it.

’Regardless, I will make sure to use them well ’ He gave his silent thanks to the Eighth marshal, whoever that was...

The stats on the glove were decent, but not very impressive. However, he wasn’t concerned about that at all.

Because it was the skills attached to them that made his mind race with possibilities.

He read through each skill description carefully, his excitement building with every line.

The {Aegis} skill was straightforward enough—a shield that scaled with his magic capacity. Given how absurdly high his magic stat had become, that meant a rather incredible defensive option that could keep him alive fairly well.

{Mana Conduit} was interesting. The ability to channel mana to separate entities, providing a temporary boost to both physical and magical damage. That had obvious applications with his contracted beasts and allies.

But it was the last two skills that made him pause.

{Seal of Arbitrator} was described as an authority granted to seventy-two marshals, each with a different power. The eighth marshal’s authority was "Stalwart Protector of the End Winds." The description was frustratingly vague, offering no concrete details about what that actually meant.

And {Celestial Constructs: Trismegitus} was even worse. "Trismegitus is the herald of destruction and chaos. From it, the very essence of magic flows. The Blessing of the Arbitrator allows the user to call upon its power."

Cain frowned, reading the description again. What did that even mean? Herald of destruction and chaos? Call upon its power?

He let out a sigh.

The system had always been rather cryptic in its skill descriptions, so he wasn’t too mad about it. But it would have been nice not to have to figure it out by himself for once.

A flicker of concern crossed his mind. Vague descriptions usually meant either incredibly powerful abilities that the system couldn’t properly quantify, or dangerous ones with hidden drawbacks. Sometimes both.

But looking at the gloves themselves, at the sheer utility they could offer, he couldn’t bring himself to care too much about the vagueness. He needed every advantage he could get right now, especially defensive options that could compensate for his glass cannon build.

’I’ll figure out the details later,’ he decided. ’Right now, I need the stats.’

He mentally confirmed the equipment, and the gloves materialized in his hands.

The first thing he noticed was the texture. The material was unlike anything he’d ever felt—soft as silk but with a weight to it that suggested durability. The fabric was primarily white, with intricate patterns woven in light blue, green, and gold that seemed to shimmer when caught in the right light.