CHAPTER 42
Emptying the contents of the chest, Grey quickly picked up the items one by one, examining each prize with stars in his eyes.
He felt a surge of excitement as he realized these were the fruits of Randin's hard work and their shared victory.
Firstly, he picked up a new sword fashioned for him by Randin, as his previous blade had been shattered during the grueling fight with the Goblin Lord's elite squad.
The weapon was a masterfully crafted double-edged sword with a blue-silver hue adorning the hilt, while the blade itself featured an intricate snake pattern etched along the steel.
The next item was a pair of boots. Grazing his hands over the material, he could feel how incredibly smooth and soft the texture was.
Trying them on, Grey noted how comfortable they felt as his feet rested snugly within the interior.
The boots were long enough to reach his ankles and possessed a unique design resembling rabbit ears on the edges, and the footwear was finished in a deep black color.
Lastly, the final object in the chest was a small red pendant, no larger than a tiny gemstone.
Seeing it, Grey already recognized its function, as he had frequently observed a similar trinket hanging from Randin's neck; he understood exactly how helpful such an artifact would be for his journey.
"This… this is a storage pendant. It is so beautiful, and it actually complements my red hair perfectly," Grey said with a wide smile.
He put on the jewelry and tentatively tapped the surface of the gem.
He held his sword in front of the stone, and like a miniature wormhole, the pendant sucked the weapon in, making the blade disappear instantly.
"Cool!" Grey beamed.
He took his boots next and performed the same action, watching as the footwear vanished into the dimensional space.
"Now, how do I actually equip my sword when I truly need it?" he wondered aloud.
Almost immediately, the sword materialized back into his grip.
"Huh? It functions with just a simple thought?" he remarked, impressed by the seamless transition.
He then concentrated on his boots, and they appeared on his legs, sitting comfortably once more.
"Now, that's what I'm talking about," Grey smiled.
He returned his new equipment to the pendant's storage for safekeeping.
Once he finished testing his new gear, he lay back on his bed to get some well-deserved rest, making a firm mental note to thank Randin properly the next time they met.
After he finally woke up from his nap, he headed downstairs to find his mum setting the table, and he quickly moved to assist her.
After a few minutes, they both sat down to enjoy their dinner while chatting happily.
Grey spent most of the meal asking his mother about her occupation, listening as she said nice things about the factory where she worked.
Clara, in turn, asked Grey how he felt after finally unlocking his elemental affinities.
They continued making small talk until the meal was finished.
After dinner, Grey handled the dishes, but his mum called him back to the living area before he could retire to his room.
"What is it, mum?" he asked, noticing her serious expression.
"I want you to promise me something important," Clara said after gesturing for Grey to sit beside her.
"What is it?" Grey asked, leaning in.
"I want you to promise me that you won't use your powers for evil purposes; you must only use them for good.
Whether I am around or not, or whether I am with you or not, you must continue using your abilities to help people—even those who might have wronged you in the past. I want you to do this for me, and I will be truly happy," Clara explained.
"Mum, you have already imparted such good manners to me.
Don't worry, I won't turn toward darkness or use my powers poorly. I will use them for the benefit of others," Grey replied with a reassuring smile.
"Good! That's my boy," Clara said, her voice filled with warmth as she ruffled his vibrant red hair.
"Darn! That is definitely going to take some getting used to," Clara remarked, holding a few strands of his hair and examining the vivid crimson color.
"Yeah, same here," Grey chuckled.
They shared a few more lighthearted moments, playing a quick game together before they both retired to their respective rooms to find some well-deserved rest.
Upon heading to his room, rather than falling into a deep slumber, Grey opened another chest that he had tucked away in his bag.
Taking out four glowing crystals from within, he smiled broadly as he admired the stones.
This specific box was the one he had retrieved from the Goblin Lord's cave; it was a bounty half-filled with glittering gold coins and half-filled with these mysterious crystals.
Out of the ten stones in the collection, he selected four that he sensed possessed truly immense power.
"I can definitely feel the energy radiating from these four crystals. Two of them seem to contain pure fire magic, while the remaining two are infused with earth magic. With these, I can finally increase the points in my affinities," he whispered, smiling as he immediately got to work absorbing the essences.
It always required a significant amount of time to absorb the raw power from such crystals.
It was a delicate process that could not be rushed; if a user's concentration was broken, it would sever the connection with the energy flow, rendering the crystal entirely ineffective and useless.
Because the user would be unable to attempt the absorption again, this advanced technique was typically only known to the most powerful mages—those at the 6-star rank and above.
However, since Grey was special, he was able to harness the crystals even at his current level.
After a few minutes of deep meditation and absorption, Grey finally opened his eyes with a satisfied grin, feeling the new energy bubbling within his mana core.
He swiftly utilized his appraisal skill to check his updated elemental status.
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"Woah! I managed to gain ten points in each element, which means those power stones were at the level 2 tier," Grey said, the smile on his face widening.
"Ha! This is going to be a truly great week for me!" he declared.
He quickly tidied his room and drifted off to sleep, feeling invincible.
Grey couldn't have been more wrong.
He had no way of knowing that the coming days would actually be a horrible, life-changing week that would alter his path forever.