When thinking of artifacts in [Dragon's Roar], the most common ones are rings—
rings that increase a unit's stats or give them an edge in battle.
For example, the Frozen Boots artifact reduces the damage taken when standing on floors with fire traps.
Thankfully, these artifacts can be exchanged between units, which gives some freedom when building a character.
That cloak could be a really good addition to my arsenal. I just need to figure out what it does.
If that lich—Cravesmal, was it?—had the cloak, then it must be at least a very useful artifact.
Speaking of that lich, I remember finding the necklace that'll help Kaida in the future, in case she falls behind as the late-game difficulty ramps up.
I haven't seen it since that day. The last time I remember using it was during the battle with the lich—when I reached that strange state where my inner mana felt irrelevant.
That spider too... I have no idea what happened to it after the dungeon disappeared. It's a shame—it really helped during that fight.
Sometimes I wish I were a tamer instead of a thief. While the tamer class wasn't great in the game, I'm sure I could use its abilities far more effectively than the thief's.
---
"Alen! I was told you wanted to talk with me," Lycree Doolvo called out with a warm smile.
"Oh—yeah!" I snapped out of my thoughts and straightened up.
"My, what a dear you are. Not every kid would wait for an old woman," she laughed, extending her hand.
In it was the black cloak that the lich had used.
"Have you already inspected it?"
"After thorough inspections, this cloak remains a mystery."
"What do you mean?"
"As we've discussed in class, artifacts need mana to activate their effects. Some, like this cloak, imprint onto the wearer's mana and can only be used by them," she explained, handing me a few sheets of paper.
They contained everything they had discovered about the cloak.
Apparently, it regulates the wearer's temperature, acts as armor to reduce the effects of slashing attacks, and behaves strangely when interacting with mana.
"We've been hoping you'd pour a tiny bit of your mana into it—just to see if it rejects you," the old woman said.
The cloak's original owner was a lich, after all.
"So I just… pour mana into it? Is there a specific spot?" I asked, holding the cloak with both hands.
"If the artifact rejects you, you'll feel your hands go numb—and you'll feel a wave of disgust, like stepping barefoot into poop," she said with a giggle.
I raised my brows and squinted at her in confusion—but did exactly as I was told.
I began channeling my mana into the cloak.
"What exactly does pouring mana into it do?"
"It might make the fur move. It might make the cloak invisible. It might even explode—we don't know."
"Explode?!"
"We really don't know. It's all still a mystery."
Despite the risks, I didn't stop feeding it mana.
Actually, once I thought about it, I realized it probably wasn't dangerous. If a lich used it, it must be beneficial somehow.
At least, that's what I told myself as I continued.
"Nothing bad so far. Feel anything?"
"I... don't feel anything bad. Definitely doesn't feel like I stepped in poop… It actually feels like… I'm being watched."
As if a pair of predatory eyes had locked onto me—testing me.
"Most people would consider that a bad feeling," the old woman said, crossing her arms.
"It would… if I wasn't used to it."
Being watched, judged like this isn't new to me. From the [Crescent Moon] members who trained me, to the teachers and students here at Aurum Academy—even monsters in dungeons have weighed my worth as prey or predator.
"I'd say… it's not rejecting me."
"I'd agree. You're still able to pour mana into it, and the cloak is accepting it," she said, eyeing how the artifact absorbed every drop I gave it.
"What do I do now?"
"You can stop."
I did and let out a sigh.
Not even two full minutes, and I already felt drained...
"Still not activated, huh? That's one hungry artifact," the teacher chuckled, uncrossing her arms.
"What now?"
"What now? It's yours—do whatever you want with it," she said, handing me a paper.
"Go see the esteemed director. She has to approve your ownership."
"That sounds… tedious."
"It normally is, but don't worry. I'm sure she'll approve it without issue."
"I… don't think I can do it today."
"Oh, right. She's probably drowning in angry parents' complaints. But you have to do it today. What if someone catches you with an unregistered artifact?"
"A... license?"
"Yes. Students must register their artifacts. Same for adventurers and knights."
You can walk around with a sword as tall as three grown men without any issue, but you need a license for an artifact?
At first, I didn't understand. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Artifacts are more dangerous than any regular weapon.
Still weird... but I get it.
---
As much as I wanted to do other things, I let out a long sigh and walked toward the director's office.
When I arrived, I heard multiple parents speaking with her. Some of the louder ones outright yelled at her, accusing her of mismanaging the academy.
Unlike Kafka, though, the director held so much authority that she calmly addressed every single complaint.
What shocked me most was how she kept up the facade of a gentle, understanding leader. I couldn't see her face, but I was certain she wore the warmest smile while internally cursing the parents out.
I leaned against the wall and waited.
I thought it'd be maybe thirty minutes.
It turned into hours.
Eventually, I had to leave for my optional subjects. When I came back, nothing had changed—Goldenlaw's office was still full of parents. So I waited.
An hour… then two. Three. Four.
Every time someone left, another went in.
I rubbed my eyes, trying to calm my nerves.
"Why today of all days? I should've picked up the cloak some other time..."
Thankfully, I'm not dumb—or so I tell myself—and I spent the time pouring mana into the cloak, stopping when I felt completely drained.
After the second hour, the feeling of being watched changed. It became… softer, but still wary.
By the third hour, it shifted again—whatever was observing me seemed to be loosening up.
The cloak absorbed more and more of my mana, showing no sign of stopping.
"I still need to buy items… go with the others to a dungeon… and that fishing spot event is about to unlock a great EXP farm—"
Wait. There's no EXP here...
In the game, I had windows that tracked stats and levels, but I haven't seen anything like that since I transmigrated.
Does that mean the EXP farm is pointless? If there's no EXP to gain, then the event serves no purpose.
Maybe not...
The event involves befriending fishermen. After building enough trust, they'll tell you about a sea monster that kills anyone fishing at night, and knights not helping despite the fishermen telling them to do something.
Once trust is high enough, you help them hunt it.
After that, you can return each night to challenge it again.
The community labeled such monsters as super bosses. There are three total—each one helps boost a specific stat.
This one boosts EXP. The strategy was fight against the monster's minions and then lose the fight against the boss repeatedly, so you could keep farming some other day.
This works so much since the boss' minions are extremely weak, but give so much EXP to low-level units.
I'm not sure why I'm justifying this. Even if the rewards don't translate here, I still need to test it.
I need to try everything if I want a good ending.
---
Suddenly, the door to the director's office slammed open.
"What are you doing here, Student Alen?" the blonde director asked, wiping sweat from her brow.
"I just need this artifact license approved," I said, holding up the paper Lycree Doolvo gave me.
Without warning, she snatched the paper from my hand.
"How long have you been waiting?"
"Not… that long." She had already dealt with so much—I didn't want to burden her further.
"Here. Take this paper and the artifact to the Green Tower," she said, writing quickly and handing it back to me.
"You could've come in whenever. I always put my students first, Student Alen."
I took the paper and thanked her.
"Thanks for being considerate, though," I heard her mumble.
"I really needed some decency after the day I've had..." she added, rubbing her temples.
I nodded again and left.
Next up: running all over the city.
I still had some time before I needed to meet up with Agatha and the rest of the group for the dungeon run.
And the best way to use that time? Stock up on the items I need.
My shopping list: mana stones, throwing knives, small metal wires, a couple of potions, and some lockpicks.
Now, here's the issue—do I spend a lot of money on all that?
I still have my date with Fran tomorrow, and I will be spending a few coins with her.
Looks like I'll have to keep my spending to a minimum.