"The Merit Point rewards are way higher than usual. You'll have 48 hours to prepare, then you're heading out." Damon said seriously.
Everyone nodded. The chances of someone dying on a mission were always high. Even when the objectives and descriptions were crystal clear, extra problems always popped up. On top of that, this mission required extreme caution, and the time frame was tight.
Leander turned to Darian. "Now that we know what we're up against, this is the time for you to buy stuff."
Everyone took a deep breath before Darian nodded and made his way to another building—the stock and treasure vault.
Being part of a clan had its perks. They could buy anything from the Empire at a huge discount. That was the biggest benefit: members could take advantage of those privileges.
Darian had been here before. When he first arrived at the clan, Damon gave him something called a mana crystal. It was used in some clan artifacts and facilities designed for training.
Everyone got a set amount for free every month. It was a huge help, letting them push the difficulty of their training even further. Some artifacts even required a bit of those crystals just to function. If they ran out, though, they could be bought with points.
Darian hadn't held back on his training—his life literally depended on it. He'd already burned through almost a hundred million on mana crystals.
When he arrived at the building, no one was there to assist him. He grabbed an electronic list, packed with options and search filters. It included items from the stock as well as things that could be ordered from the Empire.
Now that he had a better idea of what he was up against, he knew exactly what to buy. First stop: equipment. He selected the Magic Defense Cloak.
Inside the building, AI-controlled robots moved to the storage and retrieved his request. After paying 30 million, Darian received a box containing a dark blue cloak with golden inscriptions along the edges.
The fabric and inscriptions were made from materials brought from other universes. Basically, it could burn through the power of the ring to defend against non-physical attacks, like elemental or energy-based ones. For a support fighter who stayed at a distance, getting hit by that kind of attack was pretty common.
Next, he looked for materials that specifically worked with the power of the ring.
Darian now had a much better understanding of how Spiritual Guardians worked. It was simple: they all had two energy sources—their internal law and their ring.
At first, everyone only used their law's power, but its energy was extremely limited. Then, once they formed their first ring, everything changed. The ring's energy was ten times greater.
To activate blessings, only 1% of the internal law's energy was needed. The rest came entirely from the ring. That's why everyone mixed both sources.
Using only the bare minimum of their internal law was the standard. Sure, it lowered the maximum power of a blessing, but in most cases, it was better to use them repeatedly over a longer period. Only in extreme situations would someone burn more of their law's power.
Gaining more rings just increased the amount of this energy. The internal law's energy never grew. Its limit was determined by the initial level of the law absorbed, which meant that someone's future was basically decided the moment they took the entrance test.
But Darian? He was completely abnormal. He didn't have a regular law—he had two marks. And all their power depended entirely on what he devoured.
He could have an absurd amount of energy—or none at all. Unlike others who recovered energy naturally over time, his energy would never regenerate on its own. He had to devour more.
He tried mixing his ring's power with one of his own, but it didn't work. He couldn't combine both energy sources like everyone else. His ring's power didn't directly boost his own.
That, however, turned out to be an advantage. Everyone else had to carefully manage their ring's energy, since it made up 99% of their total power. But Darian? He could use any artifact or item that consumed ring energy without a second thought. It wouldn't be used in his 'blessing' anyway.
The cloak he bought was a good example. In theory, it was incredibly useful for mages and support fighters. But almost no one used it because the energy cost was too high. Only those with extremely high-level laws who didn't rely much on their ring could afford to use it.
Back to the present, Darian picked out four artifacts. After selecting and paying, the package arrived, and he opened it.
Explosive Crystal: Had extreme offensive potential, depending on the amount of energy put into it.
Wind Tail Crystal: Enhanced movement speed. The duration and speed depended on the energy applied.
Black Mist Crystal: Created a large area that messed with everyone's senses. The energy used increased the area and the effect.
Poisonous Fog Crystal: Released a non-lethal poison into the air that made enemy energy flow much slower. Its effect duration and potency depended on the energy applied.
All were single-use items. Darian bought ten of each, at one million per piece.
They were insanely expensive for one-time use and heavily situational, depending on the amount of energy invested. Most people only bought one or two, picking specific ones based on their blessings for emergency situations or powerful combos.
Darian, though? He planned to use them casually, without worrying too much.
After that, he looked for something Veyle had and had advised him to get. Soon, he bought it for 50 million:
Defensive Lock Ring: Created a subtle spatial distortion around the user for a single second, preventing a fatal hit—as long as it was activated in time. Once used, it was gone.
Despite being useful, it was insanely expensive, and hardly anyone bought it. The real issue was activation. Only people like Veyle—who, even without fighting on the front lines, still trained as hard as tanks and fighters—had sharp enough reflexes and instincts to use it in time.
Last, Darian looked for weapons to use. Harper had trained him in all kinds, but because of the nature of his powers, he felt that something more versatile would be ideal.
Then, his eyes lit up.
He found a set of twelve Flying Daggers. But they weren't available for purchase in the clan. He'd have to make a special order, and the clan would buy them from the Empire.
It was an item nobody bought—it was just listed. The full set cost 150 million. Made from a unique metal, the daggers moved through space with extreme ease, requiring very little effort.
Despite their speed and ability to hit distant targets, they demanded high precision. Plus, the blade was short, which could lower its damage. The metal also couldn't hold poison, and no power or energy could fuse with it to enhance its strength.
Reading that, Darian felt an uncontrollable urge to test them out. He had to try them.
Damon got a notification about Darian's order. He quickly placed the request with the Empire remotely. Within minutes, a drone appeared in the sky with a sealed box.
Darian eagerly took the package. Inside, he found twelve small daggers, made of an extremely cold metal with a subtle bronze tint. He grabbed one and focused...
A black aura flowed into the dagger.
Regular powers didn't work on this metal. But his black power? It worked perfectly.
"Excellent. It's perfect," Darian thought, excited.
After finishing his purchases, he still had tons of millions left. So, he did something different—he converted all his remaining Merit Points into money.
A massive amount was transferred. He received a new card with the balance, and shortly after, a car arrived.
Darian headed back home, where Lucy and Lucius were living.
He visited them once a week and always spent the whole day with them. The two had already fully adapted to a peaceful, stable life. Unfortunately, that peace wouldn't last a year.
When he arrived, he found them upstairs in an open area of the house. They had rearranged the balcony, turning it into a training space. Both had asked for a teacher, so Darian had hired a military instructor—a regular human—to train them.
The sound of wooden swords clashing and the strict voice of the instructor correcting their movements echoed as he stepped in.
Darian could only sigh as he watched them.
The two were working hard, preparing for what was coming. They wanted to seize the opportunity. They didn't want to be protected forever—they wanted to become strong enough to never lose family again.
At the very least, Darian could give them everything he never had—knowledge and training. They didn't have to learn everything the hard way, like he did.
Lucy glanced at her brother and instantly smiled before running over to hug him tightly.
He gently patted her head and then spoke softly:
"Take this card. I converted everything left into cash. If anything happens to me, you two will be able to live well for a long time without me."
Both of them froze, eyes wide.
"Your mission…"
Lucius murmured, and Darian just nodded slightly.
Death was lurking. He wanted to make sure he had done everything he could for them—just in case.
So, after their training session, they spent the rest of the time together.
Life was harsh and full of pain. But together, it felt worth it.
When the time came, Darian said his goodbyes with a faint smile, seeing the trembling, anxious looks in their eyes.
'I have to come back,' he thought, then stepped into the car.