This time played out just like the first. 8,000 burnt, but still nothing. By now he had been busying himself for over an hour. Vera should be approaching anytime soon.
So he decided to push for the last try. System, burn 5000. He tried the lucky number which got him the first, but unfortunately the sea of empty, lusterless slots said otherwise.
Sigh, getting the first was already lucky I guess. He was just about to swipe away impatiently when an unassuming last slot pinged into view.
A familiar blinding gold erupted. Holy shit! I… won! Eyes wide, heart racing, an in-suppressible grin pasted onto his face.
What am I getting now… Hands rubbing together, Roy's mind raced with countless possibilities. Finally, the item came into view…
His heart seized. He had already put the ceiling of expectations so high, but this… this broke through the ceilings by margins. Indeed, legendary pulls couldn't be fathomed by mortal minds.
[Primordial Essence Spark Horn: Legendary Item!]
A regal-looking horn floated in view, adorned with runic inscriptions of myriad legendary mythical creatures. Its surface released a radiant white flare as though it was cast from stars.
Roy gulped. Somehow he felt this item would be more special than the last. His finger quickly reached and tapped for descriptions.
[Primordial Essence Spark Horn: Legendary Item!
Details: Constellation — He Who Births Beasts was slain. Divine beasts across all of creation wept. ???? saw this and felt sympathy. Then, in order to honor the deceased constellation, he took his essence and cast a totem in remembrance…]
[Item Traits: Reminiscence of the Lost, Spark of the Divine, Summon of the Creations (Inactive).]
Roy realized that he didn't need detailed descriptions this time around to know what each function did. It was as though the words themselves relayed all he needed to know about the traits.
Reminiscence of the Lost was a mental attack-based trait. Blowing the horn and activating this trait would cause the enemy to fall into a melancholic, stunned state for a few brief seconds or minutes depending on their mental resilience.
Spark of the Divine was, without question, the most useful for him right now. It seemed the horn carried something called the last ember of forgotten divinity, and activating this trait and blowing the horn would result in the birth of a divine beast.
After speaking to the system, it stated that the minimum requirement of ether that could barely activate this trait was 100 ether units, meaning he would need to take his Intelligence stat to 50 for that.
Thankfully, he was venturing into a dungeon soon. He figured that before they reached the final boss, his stats should have reached this barrier…
And finally, the last trait, which remained unusable until Level 100, would allow him to summon the creations of the fallen constellation: He Who Births Beasts.
He had barely finished examining the horn when the stone doors creaked open. Walking in was Vera and nine others.
Roy's eyes flashed as he tried peeking at their stats. Unfortunately, he was met with question marks signifying an overwhelming level gap. They should all at least be in their twenties.
The nine consisted of three women and six men, all dressed in full gear. Their presence reminded Roy of his oddity in attire. The modern cop gear made him stand out. Of course, he wasn't alone in this plight, as Dio by his side, dressed in orange prison wear, gave off the same odd feeling.
The stark contrast between fantasy and modern Earth wear was quite jarring. One of the men, the most robust and stalwart of them, spoke, his thick voice not concealing his disdain. "Master, is your partner aware that armor is more important than aesthetics? We can't let anyone drag us down during this expedition."
Roy frowned, but he said nothing to this. Why would a Lord bother exchanging words with an incompetent Hunter?
"Barut! Mind your words. Speaking down on Lord Roy is the same as speaking down on me. And also, do not forget this is a partnership between us two. We are comrades on this mission." Vera chided with a slight frown. She understood their disdain. After all, lowering yourself before someone weaker than you was tough.
"Master, I can't help but object to this arrangement. He brings literally nothing but the location of the dungeon, and we are expected to treat him as an equal? Share profits and benefits with him, even though he would be a liability? Forgive me, Master, but this order I can't follow." An elderly man with a mage staff among the bunch voiced, his tone carrying heavy disregard for Roy.
Vera's frown deepened, but she remained silent. In a sense, they were speaking the truth. But the thing was that this Lord before them might be weaker now, yet from the slight hints she had discerned, this guy's potential had to be terrifying. And if things went well and he went on a leveling spree during this expedition, he would be a formidable and dependable ally in the future.
Roy, on the other hand, didn't seem to react as though their words were directed at him. This display just showed how lacking Vera's hold over her subordinates was.
It was embarrassing as a Lord for your subordinates to openly object to your orders, right before another Lord no less. He sighed internally. It seemed even early comers might have some experience in Arcana but had zero knowledge of leading.
"Let's go." He ordered, startling Vera and her subordinates who were expecting a comeback.
Vera's crew frowned. He dared order them?
But very quickly they realized his words weren't directed to them, nor their Lord. He was speaking to Dio, who trailed quickly behind him, not even sparing them a glance.
Their expressions went ugly. This was basically a slap to their faces. They complained about his incompetence, and his seemingly rude gesture pulled back the initiative into his grasp, brutally reminding them that he was their only ticket to the dungeon.
If they dared delay in following him, they might as well give up on going anytime soon.
Vera glanced coldly at the bunch behind her, her gaze sending chills down their spines. "I won't like to repeat my words." Her words carried chilling intent. With that, she left trailing after Roy.
The nine glanced at each other and could only swallow their displeasure about the arrangement.
"Tch! When he faces death, I would like to see if he can keep the same composure." A green-haired lady spat disdainfully.