Jonathan closed the notification, and started to look around, seeing what the best option was. He doubted that the System would allow for Edgar to simply pick two objects, as would be more efficient, so Jonathan would have to think. There were about a dozen suits of armor in the place, all of which seemed to be light variants of armor, either made out of chainmail or leather. None of them suited Jonathan, so he moved on, letting Edgar look over the armor. They would deliberate on the best choices after they had both seen the extent of the options available.
Jonathan walked through the weapons, finding a few more options, but none of which were good enough for him. Again, they seemed to be tailor made for Edgar, and all of them were some variant of staff or wand, or other elemental focus, something that would break if used as a bludgeoning implement. However, Jonathan would still have to pick something. There were no miscellaneous items this time, which made his job easier, and he eventually doubled back, meeting Edgar in the middle of the weapon aisle.
“Any idea what you want? None of this stuff really suits me. I can pick one for you to use however.”
“To be perfectly honest, this is a hard choice to make. I already have some good gear from before but I did notice that these pieces have the option to upgrade to Tier 2, which makes them more valuable in the long run. If I had to make a decision though, I would go for the Sunrise Mage armor set, and the Wand of Gusts. Both of them are suitable for my magic, and they provide great options in battle.”
Jonathan nodded, wondering why Edgar had gotten items with such poetic names, while had been stuck with things that were far more utilitarian, but he didn't really care. He watched Edgar walk towards the wand, which meant that he was supposed to claim the armor. Jonathan sidled back into the armor aisle, and began to scan suits of armor, eventually finding his target, a set of chainmail armor that seemed to glisten in the light of the cavern, giving off an auburn hue. He quickly read over the armor stats before claiming it.
Sunrise Mage Armor
Tier 1 Growth Armor(Light)
Armor crafted after the pattern of the legendary mage Alvaran of the Dawn, this suit increases the power of all magical abilities, as well as giving serviceable defenses to the wearer. However it is not intended for prolonged melee combat, and is subsequently quite fragile. The lingering conceptual presence of the man who inspired it lurks within this armor, and all true followers of the magical path will be able to access its innermost secrets.
Growth Reagents: Tier 2 Bone, Tier 2 Blood, Tier 2 Dawnstone.
+7 to Intelligence, +7 to Wisdom while wearing
As Jonathan picked up the suit of armor, the cavern started to shake, and a moment later both men were deposited outside the entrance of the dungeon. Only this time, Jonathan hoped that there was not an army waiting for them.
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Of course, in no universe would Jonathan ever be so lucky as to get what he wanted, even once. As the two men climbed over the rock face that separated the dungeon from the rest of the world, they beheld a vast array of soldiers waiting in perfectly formed ranks. Waiting for them.
Jonathan and Edgar tensed up as they saw this, and Jonathan tried to get a quick headcount of the legion waiting for them. In the short amount of time that he had, he was unable to do so. There were easily thousands of soldiers waiting for them, and even a few Tier 2s headed the armies. This could easily spell their end. Jonathan snarled, and Edgar frowned beside him, the two men searching for a way to get out of this. A few flying ships hovered in the background, which would render Edgar’s flight mostly useless, as they would simply be sniped out of the air. This time, the forces of Granath had learned from their mistakes in facing Jonathan before, and there were entire contingents of mages and artillery pieces, ready to launch their deadly payloads at the two men. Jonathan spotted more than a few of the catapults loaded with the same glassy orbs that had taken him out last time, with their toxic payloads of noxious gas. Without another word, Jonathan started running, and leaped off the side of the cliff. This would end in bloodshed one way or another, and there was no reason not to start now.
Edgar floated down behind him, a few seconds slower, already charging up a powerful attack in his hands, the air in the area being sucked towards him in a hurricane-like wave of power. Jonathan landed a moment later, bending his knees slightly, and started to send his mana and Divinity to his hands, empowering them to new heights. As the implacable army stared back at him across the plain, Jonathan roared out loud, and charged, flashing across the ground.
The ranks of soldiers started to form up as he did so, and the creaks of the ballistas and catapults being cocked resounded over the battlefield. However they had underestimated his speed, and Jonathan reached the enemy lines before he could be fired upon. This time, he would have to break straight through, with no time for dallying. If he could distract the army from Edgar, he would be able to take the brunt of their attacks, letting Edgar support him as they tried to break out.
Jonathan led the way with his fists, tearing through the ranks of the relatively low level soldiers. Most of them were around level sixty, which, while impressive, was nothing compared to Jonathan. He did not linger for more than a second in any one place, tearing through the enemy lines like a thunderbolt. They tightened around him, trying to slow him down with their bodies, but he easily broke free, shattering bones and armor with his sheer speed and power.
All around him, the mages began to cast their deadly spells, sending all manner of elemental fury down upon him. Bolts of lightning leaped down from the cloudless sky as if the divine wrath of some god above was being visited on Jonathan. However this only made him smile. He was the only real god here.
As if to back up this sentiment, golden arcs of divinity coursed down his arms, and into the runes on his gauntlets, filling them with the conceptual power of their nature. The left gauntlet distracted the nearby soldiers with its alluring glow, whereas the right one punished them for their distraction, slamming down with a nova of reddish energy surrounding it. The soldiers fell like chaff before Jonathan, as not only was he stronger than them, he outleveled them, a first in his time in this world. Before he had been the underdog. Now he was the predator. However these were only the foot soldiers, and the leaders of this army were far more imposing. Now that he had progressed in power so much, Granath was able to send far more powerful opponents after him, ones that would easily be able to kill him if he was not careful.