"Woah!"
Weapons and combat equipment were piled up in crates. The futuristic touches and elegant designs left everyone stunned. Such as a black greatsword with a chromed metallic hilt, metal gauntlets painted red, body armor with black dope, or a helmet with green glass covering the face. The awakeners could not help but drop their jaws.
However, what surprised them was; all of this stuff was artificial arcana. The awakeners were very sensitive to mana. They could feel the magical aura when the black crate was opened.
"Wow! Those gloves are so cool!"
"Is it just me, or do you think they're arcana too?"
"For real! They're cooler than those crappy arcana sold at auction."
Various words of admiration echoed in the training room. They had never seen artificial arcana in person, even though they were Klaus's men.
Standing next to him was Sylvia. The red-haired woman also seemed as interested as the others. Her eyes were attached to one of the iron gauntlets with a pink color.
"What did you bring all this for, Klaus?" asked Sylvia.
"You'll find out later."
Klaus just gave Sylvia an enigmatic smile.
At the same time, Joanna stopped by the chest, and her eyes lit up as she saw a metallic stick with a silver color.
"I borrow this, Klaus."
The girl took a metallic staff. She then showed some moves, swinging and twirling it in the air. Although the staff was heavy metal, Joanna seemed to have no trouble playing it.
"Hey! Be careful!"
Olivia was almost hit by the swinging; luckily, she dodged it. She snapped, telling Joanna to stop, but the girl did anyway.
Seeing his sister acting impudent, Klaus sighed in upset. He caught the staff just when Joanna was about to hit the air vertically, causing her to lose her balance.
Olivia stifled as she saw Joanna fall to the floor with her forehead landing first.
"What's wrong with you, Klaus!" Joanna whined in annoyance, rubbing her red, bruised forehead.
"I should have said that. Why are you suddenly picking up arcana and demonstrating moves in front of people? Think logically."
Joanna pouted. Her cheeks puffed up like a bloated fish.
Klaus sighed. He then turned his attention to the guild members.
"I would be grateful if you would ignore my sister's silly behavior."
The guild members just giggled. They seemed to be used to Joanna's silly behavior. Every day they practiced and explored the dungeon together. Seeing her ignorant behavior was a usual thing.
"Now, listen to me carefully," Klaus continued. He looked at their spies, making sure they were listening to him or not. "I want to give you these arcanas to conquer the dungeon."
The moment Klaus said so, he grinned.
After the agreement with the Divinve Ursine Alliance was formed, Mors Industries set to work to create new products. Klaus created hundreds of artificial arcana designs to develop, and they were among them.
Of course, Klaus would only hand over some of the new products to Jacob Blake and his guild. Some would be sold to the market and some to arm the Rays of Hope.
"These are product samples from Mors Industries. I will give them to you for free."
"Woah!?"
The guild members were surprised when they heard the name Mors Industries. Like everyone else, they were also exposed to the hype of the Elemental Gun. Receiving a product sample from the company that created the innovative weapon was enough to make them excited.
Klaus only smiled. His men did not know that the boss owned Mors Industries. Only certain people knew his secrets, like Sylvia and Justin.
"So, line up. I'll share with you one by one."
The guild members quickly lined up after Klaus gave the order. They scrambled for queue positions. Even Akio, who always showed disinterested eyes, also scrambled to take the first queue.
"Michael! Get off. I was here first!" Akio pushed his friend's giant body.
"Nonsense. Get in line at the back."
The two men bickered like children.
While the others queued up, Joanna used the blood relationship as a golden ticket, persuading Klaus to give her the arcana first.
"Klaus, I'm your cute little sister. Give me first, okay?" Instead of getting what she wanted, Klaus pinned her on the forehead. "Aw! What's wrong with you? I just hit my forehead on the floor."
"Don't be overly dramatic. Line up, just like everyone else. Don't make me look like a nepotist."
Joanna clucked her tongue. "You're boring, Klaus!" She stuck out her tongue before going to the back of the queue.
Only Justin didn't take the queue. He still stood next to Klaus, thinking that the guild master would give it to him without having to queue, considering he was the guild master.
"You don't want to get one?" asked Klaus.
Justin squinted. "Eh? I'll take the last one. It's okay."
"If you don't wait in line like everyone else, you won't get it."
Sighing in exasperation, Justin smiled wryly. Klaus grabbed his arm as Justin was about to turn his body around.
"I'm just kidding. You're the guild master. There's no way I'm telling you to wait in line like the rest of them." Klaus chuckled. "You're the first one to get the arcana."
"Damn you, Klaus," Justin replied with a happy smile.
The ex-celebrity guy was the guild master, after all. Klaus would treat him differently than the others. He wouldn't drop Justin's pride just for the fun of it.
Klaus snapped his fingers, and Sheila came over with a pair of glasses, its frames metallic and shiny under the lights. Justin frowned as the glasses fell into his hands.
Standing in line at the back, the guild members looked curious as they watched the guild master get their arcana.
[Name: Bueller Glasses]
[Type: Artificial Arcana]
[Class: Unique]
[Effect: Enemy movement looks 3x slower to the eye, Mana efficiency 25%]
[Material: Wind stone 2x, Black iron 1x, Elves' Blood 1x]
[Runes: ᛚᛁᚠᛖ ᛗᛟᚡᛖᛋ ᛈᚱᛖᛏᛏᚤ ᚠᚨᛋᛏ. ᛁᚠ ᚤᛟᚢ ᛞᛟᚾ'ᛏ ᛋᛏᛟᛈ ᚨᚾᛞ ᛚᛟᛟᚴ ᚨᚱᛟᚢᚾᛞ ᛟᚾᚲᛖ ᛁᚾ ᚨ ᚹᚺᛁᛚᛖ, ᚤᛟᚢ ᚲᛟᚢᛚᛞ ᛗᛁᛋᛋ ᛁᛏ]
"What is the power of this arcana, Klaus?" asked Justin curiously.
"You can see everything slower."
Justin frowned, unsure of what Klaus was saying. He then put it on and looked around; before long, his body shook. His eyes absorbed all the information around him, and everything moved slowly. The dust moving in the air, the sparkle of the lights, and the movement of his own hands. Justin experienced a strange sensation.
"SHit! No way!" He shouted in shock.
Pursing their lips, the guild members became curious about what arcana the guild master had gotten from Klaus.
"Well, you're satisfied, right? Now, move along. They can't wait to get their arcana."
Still smiling with his new arcana, Justin stepped aside and made room for the next queue.
"Hehe, I wonder what arcana I'll get," said Michael.
"Something that suits you very well." Klaus turned to Sheila. "Give the arcana to Michael."
"Yes, boss."
It wasn't long before Sheila came out of the crate, carrying an iron armor. It looked like a vest worn by policemen, black and upholstered, but still had a futuristic touch.
[Name: Armor of Resolve]
[Type: Artificial Arcana]
[Class: Unique]
[Effect: Deal 10% damage to enemies when receiving attacks, 5% damage to nearby enemies, Strength +15%].
[Material: Wind stone 2x, Black iron 1x, Elves' Blood 1x]
[Runes: ᛋᚢᚠᚠᛖᚱᛁᚾᚷ ᛗᚨᚴᛖᛋ ᛟᚢᚱ ᚺᛖᚨᚱᛏᛋ ᛋᛏᚱᛟᚾᚷᛖᚱ.]
A grin bloomed on Michael's face.
As the big man was about to put it on, Klaus stopped him.
"You can't wear it here. You can only wear it when you're alone or in the dungeon. Understood?"
Michael nodded. "Got it." He threw Sheila a smile before leaving.
The queue continued to roll.
Akio got an Epic-Class artificial arcana in the form of a sword. It could deal 100% critical damage to enemies.
Sylvia got a pair of gauntlets with rocket thrusters on the elbows—an Epic-Class arcana. It gave the user 90% mana efficiency, so she did not run out of mana after using [Time Rewind] once or twice.
The younger sister, Joanna, received an artificial arcana that was beyond her expectations. The girl frowned as she received a crystal ball. Its shape was no cooler than the others. It was round and plain, like a typical crystal ball.
"Eh!? Why did I get this crystal, Klaus!? I want the metal staff from earlier!"
Klaus snorted. "Look, Joanna. Despite its ordinary shape, that crystal ball has an extraordinary effect." Klaus stood up and brought his mouth to her ear. "The one I gave to the others was trash. "
Instantly, Joanna opened wide. "Really?"
Klaus nodded, and then the girl walked away with a smile.
Of course, the crystal ball wasn't the best. A Rare-class arcana strengthened the user's magic by 15%. Klaus was forced to lie to her so Joanna wouldn't make a scene.
The members of Rays of Hope smiled happily after receiving the Mors Industries semi-finished product. For the awakeners, arcana is a luxury item. They need to work hard and save up to get one. Getting an arcana is an extraordinary thing.
Klaus gave them arcana one by one until the last person in line, and that person was Olivia.
The busty woman smiled expectantly as she stood before Klaus. Even though she had not "fully" reconciled with Klaus, she was still happy if she received an arcana for free. So far, she hasn't gotten one.
"I can't wait to see what kind of arcana I have," Olivia said with a smile.
There was no answer from Klaus.
Seeing the guild owner's reaction, Olivia frowned. She turned her eyes to Sheila. "I want to see my arcana."
Sheila sighed. A sorry expression was written on her face. "Unfortunately, there are no more artificial arcana left."
Naturally, Olivia twisted her face in confusion. "Then, when do I get my arcana?"
Sheila shut her mouth.
The shorthaires-woman made Olivia even more confused. Not long after, Olvia realized what she meant. "Don't tell me... I didn't get the arcana."
"Yeah, you didn't get one," Klaus replied.
