Edgar could tell that these rewards were not for him, and he backed away. Jonathan felt sorry for the man, and resolved to give him the lion’s share of the other dungeon rewards. Then he succumbed to curiosity, and started to scan the items.

Martial Master’s Vial

Untiered

Upon drinking the contents of this vial, all comprehension of martial pathway skills and normal skills will be sped up by a factor of 25. This boost lasts for an entire day for mastery up to Expert Rank. It also grants a permanent 15 percent boost to comprehension speed afterwards.

Jonathan stared at the vial in wonder. It was incredible, far better than he could have expected. With that vial, he could blaze through his Journeyman ranks in Martial Arts in the blink of an eye. One day of training would be the equivalent of almost a month. That would almost certainly get him close to Expert Rank, especially with the bonuses that he had already acquired in this dungeon. He withheld judgment for the next item however, and moved on.

Mana Titan Eye

Untiered

In the dark corners of the Astral Plane, massive monsters lurk, made out of concentrated mana and hatred for existence. When a part of them is taken back to the real world, it turns to crystal. Ingesting this crystal will give you a fraction of a mana titan’s strength, permanently increasing the potency of your mana by 25 percent.

The bonus was of a different variety to the other one, but it was just as good. A permanent bonus was always welcome, and one to potency was too. It would effectively increase his mana pool, and the power of it. Before choosing, he moved on to the final item. The obsidian figurine.

Soul Link Totem

Untiered

The greatest weakness of any type of fighter is an inability to blend their martial prowess with the more magical variety. Completely neglecting one for the other, like many are wont to do, is a mistake. This totem will seek to reverse that mistake. Using it will provide a permanent 25 percent boost to all stat efficacy, while they are being used in conjunction with one of the opposite type.

This item was just as good as the others, if not better. In addition, it seemed to fit his fighting style more than they did. Because of the way that he fought, he always blended his mana with his physical strength. It would be almost like an actual 25 percent boost. After a few moments of deliberation, he picked the totem. It was the only real choice that he could make. The other items had been tempting, but he had to play to his strengths.

“Now that you have seen these rewards, you know why the circle lords have ruled undisputed for eons. They cannot be defeated without the presence of some arch talent, a being powerful enough to defeat a creature with multiple of such boons while at the same level. Do not expect such rewards in the future, as the cost increases exponentially with Tier.”

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The figure of Angranor dissipated like smoke on the wind, and the room faded away. The two men found themselves outside of the tower once more, with Jonathan holding the totem.

“That was unexpected,” Edgar said as he tried to tear his eyes away from the totem.

Jonathan could tell that he was jealous, but any man would be. He nodded, and put the totem away. He would use it when he returned to the city. In case there were any side effects, he did not want to be caught unawares. He tossed the storage pouch to Edgar, who looked at him in puzzlement.

“Here, take the items we got and sell them in the Trading Hub. Buy yourself something nice. The other thing I want from that dungeon is the totem.”

“That’s… Very generous of you,” Edgar replied, surprised. “Very well.”

“To be honest, I feel a bit bad that you were unable to benefit from the final reward of the dungeon. I suppose it was intended for me to do on my own though, given that the transportation token technically was intended for my use alone. It seemed that my low strength allowed for me to bring a companion with me.”

“It’s all right. I can get a lot of money for such valuable goods. All of these armor sets will sell for a pretty penny on the Trading Hub. I can probably get something almost as good as the treasure that you received.”

Both men knew that was not true in the slightest. A permanent boost like the one that the totem possessed was a rare boon indeed. It far outstripped the powers of most natural treasures, as many of them did not even give a boost at all, rather improving an aspect of one’s body.

As Edgar started to sort through the spoils of war, Jonathan held out the token and took them back to the Ash Heaps. Edgar broke off immediately to sell his treasure, and Jonathan headed up towards his cave to use the totem. There was no need to procrastinate with it. As he walked, he thought over the description of the item. It was incredibly powerful, but not unfairly so. He noticed that the description deliberately stated stat efficacy only. As a large portion of his effective strength was from energy abilities, the boost would be smaller than one might expect. However, he would need every boost that he could get to defeat Granath.

Jonathan entered the cave a few minutes later, sitting down in the center. He held out the totem, which had been clutched in his hand on account of Edgar having his storage device. As he directed his will towards it, he could feel the totem begin to resonate with his mind and soul.

A few moments later, it began to transform. The totem crumbled into dust, and a larger version of it appeared in the air, taking the form of a human body. It gazed down at Jonathan, and then sunk into him, its form overlapping his own. He could feel a sudden heat as his muscles and bones were empowered by the totem. His mana core seemed to bulge, sending tendrils of power into his corporeal body. A wave of energy raced through his body and soul, uniting them as one.

You have used a Great Treasure!

Great Treasures are above and beyond anything that one can find in most circumstances. Generally, they are the creations of gods, used as rewards for great deeds. You may only use three of them in your lifetime. If your level is too high upon using them, the costs of syncing them to your current strength might become prohibitive. Great Treasures take a percentage of your essence to function.

Jonathan read the notification absently, and then banished it. He had something to test first.