CHAPTER 143.

Amber wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but what she saw blew her away. There were no sprawling towers of gold, no piles of priceless treasures bunched up together. Instead, all there was before her was a white hallway with no distinguishing features. One that had a warm and dim light coming from some edges on the ceiling to barely illuminate it.

It felt alien; akin to something that didn’t belong in Vir. it reminded her of modern designs back on Earth more than anything. Smooth surfaces with two gaps that were perpendicular to one another in the ceiling that leaked light in an aesthetically pleasing manner. And then, there was the end of the hallway in the distance which seemed to lead to a hall that shared the same design.

[Welcome to the 1st out of 3 levels in the treasury…]

That was what the notification said. Amber stared at it for a moment before beginning to walk down the only path she could take. It was unlike anything she had expected, and unlike anything she had experienced, even back on Earth, but she also found herself looking forward to it.

And this is just the first floor. While she most definitely wouldn’t be able to explore the next two floors, it was still an incredibly exciting prospect. After all, if there are any divine artifacts, they ought to be here.

Amber grinned and soon she walked out into the hallway. Where five pedestals awaited her, one of which was empty. And before her feet, there was yet another stone plate.

“Only champions may access the first floor.

Only heroes may access the second floor.

Only legends may access the third floor.”

Except, there was another carving, a very rough one that Amber couldn’t understand. It seemed crudely made, and it was in reply to the plate. She stared at it for a few moments; someone had left it there a very long time ago.

Finally, she raised her head and looked at the items on the pedestals. One was a black knife that had a purple sheen to it. The second one was a golden bracelet. The third item was a vial with some murky purple liquid. And the last pedestal held a small red bead. While it reminded her of the Demonic Mana Stone, it was only in color, its material looked completely different. It almost looked like plastic.

[You may take one item from this room. Beware, your choice shall be laid bare before the eyes of judgment. Only heroes may access the second floor of the Shattered Tower’s treasury.]

Amber frowned at that. How will it even be judged if the Primordial Spirit is sealed? Her confusion didn’t last long however, because she knew that the tower meant what it said.

“Let’s see then.”

She walked forward to the nearest pedestal, which was the fifth one and the one that contained the small red bead. She used Appraisal on it and a moment later she got the result.

[??? ⁠— Refinement Pill ⁠— ???

This is a medicine from a higher realm. It shall cleanse your core and allow you to reach new heights with it. It will fundamentally change the way your core works.]

“Certainly not what I expected,” Amber said with a small frown.

Her core had already changed in a way she didn’t understand, and now taking some weird refinement pill was definitely not a good idea. It almost felt like the equivalent of taking something that gave stomach aches for the sake of cleansing.

That said, she was sure that this pill was incredibly useful.

No quality grade and no enchantment grade. She observed. And it's from a higher realm too…

The fact that it was even there greatly excited her, but she also had a feeling that the pill was useless to her. After all, she was a Fledgling Primordial Human now. And with it a lot of changes had come, and the ones she had yet to explore were all related to her core.

I think… Amber stared at the pill. It would probably do the same thing that my core already went through.

That was her theory anyway.

Finally, she turned to the third pedestal, which contained the vial with the purple liquid. It was the closest pedestal from where she stood.

Amber approached it and after staring at the liquid with glitter in it, she finally used Appraisal.

[??? ⁠— Curse of Disintegration ⁠— ???

This is a curse from a higher realm in liquid form. It shall disintegrate anything it comes into contact with. This curse surpasses a Cursebearer’s innate Supernatural Nullification.]

“Oh.”

To say she was interested was an understatement. After all, from its description it could melt her hand right off. Meaning its strength was beyond anything she could imagine…

But if I learn to use it then…

Needless to say, it would be nothing short of extraordinary. A curse that could be used against anything? That was a dream come true. After all, if it bypassed Supernatural Nullification, then doesn’t that mean that it would go unaffected by whatever the Saints of Truth try to do against it?

Amber grinned, she wanted it. And she also felt excited as she looked towards the bracelet and the dagger. With this curse it was practically a confirmation.

All of the items here are from Ill’hine.

Or another higher realm at least. But Amber was quite certain they were from Ill’hine specifically. After all, it was literally the only higher realm she was aware of. And most likely the only one. Needless to say her excitement was over the roof.

She turned back to the curse.

“I’ll be back.”

And with that, she went after the second pedestal, the one that held the golden bracelet. It had carvings of stars and intricate scenery engraved all over its entirety, it was by all accounts fine jewelry, and it was also coursing with power.

Exciting.

But even in spite of the presence it exuded, she didn’t know how this bracelet or the dagger could be better than the curse; for her anyway. That said, going in expecting something worse was an insult to all of these items, and so, she decided to expect nothing but excellence.

And as she used Appraisal, she got what she expected.

Excellence.

[??? ⁠— Bracelet of Dusk ⁠— ???

This is an artifact from a higher realm. This bracelet is made out of precious materials that cannot be found in Vir. And it is given to those that have risen to become true warriors. This bracelet bears the following enhancements.

Twilight: While under the embrace of the sun, the Bracelet of Dusk will make your body 20% more durable for as long as the bracelet is supplied with Primordial Energy.

Dusk: While under the embrace of night, the Bracelet of Dusk will empower your abilities with a flat 20% increase in power for as long as the bracelet is supplied with Primordial Energy.

Ability: Dawn of Dusk: While under the embrace of night you can shatter this bracelet to resurrect from the dead.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Ability: Dusk of Dawn: While under the embrace of the sun you can shatter this bracelet to resurrect someone else from the dead.]

“Holy fuck…”

The Bracelet of Dusk was strong. While the improvements it offered by wearing it were good for a piece of jewelry, the shocking thing to her was its two abilities. One of them allowed her to resurrect herself, and the other allowed her to resurrect someone else.

The only drawback is that they were locked behind the time of the day. But even then…

Passing on this almost feels stupid.

She loved the idea of the Curse of Disintegration, but at the same time this item felt like it was a one of a kind in Vir⁠— and even if it wasn’t, one thing was for certain.

“If I pick it, I won’t regret it.”

It definitely was the “safe” option, which Amber saw as the lame option during the large majority of the time. But after what she had experienced with the Archmage, she now truly valued the ability of the bracelet.

Still…

She looked at the Curse of Disintegration. It was also something she couldn’t find in this world, and something that was most likely going to bring her to new heights of power and understanding of curses.

Amber gulped.

How can I even choose?

Then there was the black dagger, which she decided to approach after a few moments of indecision. She stared at the black dagger and its purple sheen, and then, she used Appraisal, bracing herself to be awed.

[??? ⁠— Dagger of Light ⁠— ???

This artifact has been forged by ??? the Primordial Spirit using the rarest materials to be found in Vir. This dagger bears the enhancements of:

Ability: Blood Binding Contract: Give the Dagger of Light your blood in order to be bound to it, making you its owner and preventing anyone else from wielding it for as long as you live.

Ability: First March: Blink: Teleport to the Dagger of Light or teleport the Dagger of Light to you with a one kilometer limit. This ability has a five second cooldown.

Ability: Second March: Movement: When chaining two attacks make the second one instantaneous. This ability has a ten second cooldown.

Ability: Third March: Breath: For as long as you’re holding your breath, the Dagger of Light will double your dexterity.

Ability: Fourth March: Throw: When throwing the Dagger of Light you will always have perfect throws with no deviation from where you intend to aim.

Ability: Fifth March: Focus: When wielding the Dagger of Light you gain superhuman focus.

Ability: Final March: Light Speed: Once a month gain a 1000% increase in dexterity and erase the cooldown of all the other abilities that the Dagger of Light possesses.

“The fuck?!”

If this item was here, what the fuck was on the fourth pedestal that had been taken? The Dagger of Light’s effects were completely disgusting. And it wasn’t even an item from another world, but from Ill’hine.

“It’s tempting even if it would essentially turn me into an assassin.” She had already gotten to experience being a mage, and she didn’t miss it. In fact, it resolved her even more to focus on acting like a berserker, but even then. “Ugh…”

Amber groaned from frustration.

“Why are all the items so good?”

Undoubtedly, the Dagger of Light was the best one by far, it would probably make any fight where the enemy couldn’t instantly kill her trivial. And a 1000% increase in dexterity would make her a speed demon. Not only that, but the item got stronger the stronger she herself was, simply because its effects hinged on the user’s base stats.

It was almost as if she had no choice but to pick it.

Amber frowned as she turned to the fourth pedestal. “Was the item there that good? There is no way, right?”

So far it almost seemed that they went from worst to best, and while maybe that wasn’t intentional, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was missing something. After all, why even give her a choice when one option was so overwhelmingly better than the rest.

Well then again, her special advancement granted her no options.

She placed a hand on her chin as she stared between all of the items, before finally her eyes landed on the Dagger of Light.

“I don’t even have an option…”

She wanted to consider the Bracelet of Dusk or the Curse of Disintegration in a bottle, but she felt that if she took them she would regret it deeply. Not because they were bad or not worthwhile, but because the Dagger of Light was that good.

And the thing with it was that it wasn’t even an item that fit her. While it was an item she wanted solely because of the fact that it was a divine artifact; a kind of item that she was hoping to get her hands on during this run, it still felt…

Too easy.

It had been too easy to acquire it.

Amber then remembered what the tower had informed her when she came into this room.

Beware, your choice shall be laid bare before the eyes of judgment. Only heroes may access the second floor of the Shattered Tower’s treasury…

It had told her that for a reason.

“Would a hero take the strongest item though? Maybe if they absolutely need it, and if they have no choice, but…” Amber closed her eyes remembering what a hero was in her mind. She remembered childhood stories, news articles, and other things. “A hero is someone that sacrifices themselves for the sake of others…”

She spoke after a moment.

“Though it’s fucking stupid to just forego the dagger because it’s not what a hero would choose,” Amber muttered. It was a huge logic leap to do that.

“Still, my choice shall be judged…”

That was a fact.

If she chose the indisputable strongest item, and the item that didn’t even fit her ⁠— if she was judging herself ⁠— she’d think it was pretty damn superficial.

Finally, Amber turned to the rest of the items, now actually considering it. The only things that interested her were the Bracelet of Dusk and the Curse of Disintegration. As for the dagger…

She shook her head.

“I’ll come back for it later, and even if I can’t get it; doesn’t that mean the second floor of the treasury has even better items?”

One thing was for certain, after thinking about it, the dagger was a trap.

The bracelet was enticing, but in the end, there was something that Amber felt she needed; and it was something she had been chasing after for all this time.

Amber reached for the vial.

“I want my curses to be just as useful as Essence…” she said as she grabbed the Curse of Disintegration.

A notification came when it entered her grasp.

[Judgment has been made. You may now leave the treasury.]

Along with it, a teleportation circle with green energy appeared in the center of the room. Amber blinked, and then turned as she heard a weird crack as she saw the Dagger of Light shatter and crumble into dust.

“It was a bait.” Amber smirked as she turned back to the circle, shaking her head. “It really was just that good to be true.”

Finally, her eyes turned to the fourth pedestal.

“And looks like the person that came before me also realized this.”

Well, that was assuming the tower hadn’t really changed since then. In the end, she had no way of knowing. Amber looked down at the vial with the swirling and glittering dark purple liquid, before finally looking at the teleportation circle yet again.

“I can’t just go without testing things out a bit, can I?”

And so, Amber lingered in the treasury, not even entertaining the idea of trying to take the bracelet even though it was still there. The first thing she did was try to have Cursewelder absorb the curse within the vial, but it straight up refused.

[ This curse is unable to be absorbed. ]

Amber blinked. “That’s a new one.”

In all honesty, she preferred not having it only available within Cursewelder, but the fact that it was unable to absorb it just went to show how strange the Curse of Disintegration truly was. She took a moment to breathe before she sat cross legged, it was in the stupid lotus position that Essence required; it was the most comfortable way of sitting now for whatever reason.

Then, she turned to the liquid and grabbed the black cork atop of the bottle and pulled it out with utmost care, careful to not spill any of the contents. And as soon as she did, Amber felt nervous⁠— not from any emotional or rational reaction, but because of an instinctual reaction.

“No wonder Cursewelder refused to absorb it,” she said as she raised her finger. “It really is as dangerous as expected. The question is: how dangerous is it?”

Following her words, she dipped her finger into the vial and it⁠— melted. She squeaked, almost spilling the contents of the vial as she lost her finger in a second, taking her hand out in an instant.

Amber watched as her finger failed to regenerate for a couple of seconds before she finally got it back. And through her teary eyes, she couldn’t help but smile.

“I couldn’t even get a feel for the curse.”

The fact that Cursewelder couldn’t absorb it was interesting enough on its own, but now there was the fact that she hadn’t been able to sense it. It was actually ridiculous. But it only served as motivation to her; if she learned how to use it, she could quite literally melt her enemies apart.

Amber furrowed her brows. “Though I have a feeling that if it affects me too, it’ll probably be messy.”

Still, that was all the more reason to learn it.

So, for the next few days Amber remained in the treasury, repeatedly dipping her finger into the deadly liquid that could kill almost anything that it got spilled on.

All in the name of growing stronger and also polishing her use of curses.

* * *

And a week in, something happened.

[New General Skill! You have learned Curse Resistance ⁠— level 1.

As a Cursebearer this skill should be impossible to obtain for you, but through nothing short of a miracle you have acquired. Now you are even more resilient to curses. Wait, do you even need this skill given you’re immune to the Supernatural?]

She learned Curse Resistance.

Amber stared at the skill, and finally at the vial, having an immediate realization.

“If I level it up enough, I’ll be able to resist the curse…” And with it, I’ll learn it.

She grinned as she got up, sealing the vial. She had spent more than enough time in the armory, and while she would’ve loved to continue sitting there, multitasking was objectively better. After all, there were other skills to be leveled, and at the same time, levels to be gained.

With her level 225 Core Skill being so close by, Amber knew that it was something she needed to actively chase after. Along with leveling her skills and learning to use the Curse of Disintegration as well as finishing the schematics for the runes in her body.

All of these possibilities are so damn exciting.

Amber stowed the Curse of Disintegration into her ring and turned to the portal with a satisfied smile.

“It’s time to resume pushing my limits in other areas.”

And so, she stepped into the portal as she returned to the 106th floor.

She was here to get considerably stronger, and that was what she was going to do.