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"The Goblin Ring?!" my dad asked, striding in as he tested his new shiny blue boots. "Well, that's certainly weird. Did you evolve it with your ability?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "I never could have imagined it would turn into this…" I trailed off. "The description… never mind. Just look for yourself."
My family gathered around with open curiosity as I shared the ring's status window. They read it carefully, their expressions shifting as they grasped its true nature.
"Huh, now this is strange," my mother said. "An ancient ring that belonged to a Goblin King who ruled the Green Plains? When the hell did that happen? There's no record of any such history."
"Maybe it's just a made-up fairy tale," my brother said. "But that power is the real deal. Still… it seems way too strong. Does it have no limits?"
"I… uh," I muttered, noticing a new notification.
[You have spent the power of the Laughing Goblin King Ring. You cannot use the {Goblin's Greed} Item Skill for the next 24 hours. Additionally, you cannot choose the same target twice.]
"I see, it does have limits," I said, a smile breaking across my face. "Once per day—that's still incredibly strong! I'm definitely never using it on people again, though. Maybe on monsters…"
"Twenty-four hours for a stat bonus and the chance to steal any skill? That's an incredible ring," my mother said. "Can anyone equip it?!"
I gasped. "You're right! It has no requirements! Anyone can wear it and steal power from monsters! Our entire clan… we could all become so much stronger with this!"
"Yeah…" my brother nodded slowly. "That might be the key to growing stronger a little faster. One use a day means it'll still be slow for everyone, but it's a hell of a bonus."
"Hm," I nodded. "The speed boost feels amazing, but I'm already strong. Does someone else need it more than me? Who wants to become a speedster?"
"I guess I can take it off your hands, baby," my mom said with a warm smile. "I'll give it back later if you want it."
"Sure, Mom. Here." I handed her the Goblin Ring. "You need it more than I do."
After all, I was already strong and had plenty of skills I needed to keep hidden. Even though the speed was incredible, my mother would benefit from it far more. And why wouldn't I want her to be faster—so she could escape danger more easily? It was a win-win.
She hadn't received any special rewards either, so for now, it felt right to let her have it.
"Wow, the effects are ridiculous!" she exclaimed, darting from place to place and leaving faint after-images in her wake. "It'll take some time to get used to this! What an incredible speed boost!"
"Yeah, I couldn't recognize myself when I used it all those years ago," my dad said, nodding. "The ring had another skill too, didn't it?"
"Yeah," my mother replied. "Runaway!"
As she activated it, her speed surged to an even greater level. She moved so fast we could barely track her, appearing and disappearing across the room in a blur.
"Hahaha! This is fun!" she laughed—until the effect ended after only ten seconds. She stumbled and fell face-first onto the floor.
"Mom!" I rushed over. "Are you okay?"
"I'm not an old lady for you to worry about yet, young lady," she said, pushing herself up. A trickle of blood ran from her nose, but she pretended nothing was wrong. Classic barbarian mom.
I quickly used Healing Flames to mend her nose. Then, before leaving, I turned my attention to two other pieces of equipment I had received from my family—my birthday gifts.
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[Demon Wolf Coat (D+ Rank Armor)]
[Equipment Bonus]: +500 Vitality, +200 Strength, +200 Endurance, +200 Resistance, +200 Agility, +100 Charm.
[Equipment Ability]: {Demonic Wolf's Howl} – Infuse Mana to activate. Release a ferocious Demonic Wolf's Howl that intimidates foes, with a chance to temporarily lower their Agility and Strength by 20% for a few seconds.
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[White Stag Bone Helmet (C+ Rank Armor)]
[Equipment Bonus]: +700 Vitality, +1000 Mana, +300 Endurance, +500 Resistance, +500 Spirit, +200 Luck, +300 Charm.
[Equipment Ability]: {White Stag's Spirit Blessing} – Infuse Spirit Energy to activate. Covers the wearer and a 5x5 meter area with a Spirit Blessing that hastens natural recovery by 200% and increases Endurance and Resistance by 20% for 60 seconds.
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These two items felt different from what I could create with my own System.
I believed it was because the people of this world used an entirely different system or form of magic. My System—Freyja—worked differently, with percentage-based bonuses like in the games I remembered. Those were honestly better the higher your stats grew. Flat numerical bonuses like these were usually only useful in the early game. When rolling for upgrades with Potential Cubes, percentage bonuses were always the smarter choice.
However, if there's one thing that this system wins over is that it gave a far more detailed explanations of skills. I wondered if she could do the same if I asked her?
"Freyja, if I use Evolve on these, will our equipment systems fuse?" I asked.
"I was thinking the same thing," Freyja replied. "They do look a bit different. I believe they'll simply transfer over to my system. I can add proper descriptions for each skill too. They'll be taggable. Is that fine with you?"
"It's perfect," I said, smiling. "Thanks. Life's really fun with you by my side."
"Haha, I'm a System, built to assist my master and help them grow quickly," she said warmly. "It's an honor to help, Master!"
"Nah, not Master. We're friends," I corrected gently. "We've been in this together since the beginning, right?"
"I… yes, we have," she said, sounding pleased. "I'm glad to be your friend. Now, let's do it."
"Alright," I nodded.
I evolved both items at once. Thanks to the catfish I had eaten earlier, my Mana was plentiful and regenerating at an astonishing rate, so the cost was easy to handle.
FLAAASH!
Both pieces, crafted with love by my parents, overflowed with power as the inner spirits of the beasts within them awakened. A giant demon wolf and a majestic white stag emerged before me, merging deeper into the equipment. Their colors shifted dramatically.
"Wow?!"
The Demon Wolf Coat turned an even darker shade with striking red accents, while the White Stag Bone Helmet now truly resembled a white skull helm, its antlers larger and more imposing than before.
"Wow, you evolved the items we gifted you too?" my mother asked, eyes wide.
"They look awesome!" my sister exclaimed. "I can't believe my work evolved like this… It's incredible!"
"If you hadn't given these to me, I wouldn't have been able to defeat that Lich in the Soul Realm," I said. "The Ancestor helped a little, but it was the lingering spirits in these pieces that let me win. Thank you so much."
"Really?!" my mom gasped. "I had no idea they played such a big role in beating that jackass!"
"You should've told us sooner!" my sister added. "We could've celebrated!"
"Hahaha, sorry," I giggled, gazing at the two newly evolved items.
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[Demon Wolf Spirit Coat]
[Item Type]: Clothes, Coat
[Item Grade]: B+ Grade
[Item Requirements]: None
[Item Parameters]: Physical Defense: 7,000 | Magic Defense: 7,000 | Durability: 10,000
[Item Bonuses]: +15% Vitality, Strength, Endurance, Resistance, Agility, Charm.
[Item Skills]: {Demon Wolf Spirit's Howl} {Demon Wolf Spirit's Protection}
[Item Description]: A beautiful coat made by a mother and her eldest daughter for her younger daughter. Further evolved by said younger daughter, carries the guardian spirit of a demon wolf.
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[White Stag Bone Helmet]
[Item Type]: Armor, Helmet
[Item Grade]: B+ Grade
[Item Requirements]: None
[Item Parameters]: Physical Defense: 8,000 | Magic Defense: 8,000 | Durability: 20,000
[Item Bonuses]: +15% Vitality, Mana, Endurance, Resistance, Spirit, Luck, Charm.
[Item Skills]: {White Stag's Great Spirit Blessing} {White Stag Spirit's Protection}
[Item Description]: A beautiful helmet made using the skull and horns of a Spirit Beast, the White Stag by a mother and her eldest daughter for her youngest daughter, carries the guardian spirit of the white stag.
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I equipped both pieces again and felt my stats surge. The new bonuses were outstanding, the skills had been upgraded, and powerful new abilities had emerged.
"What do these do?" I wondered, and promptly activated them.
I was the type to test skills first rather than read long descriptions.
And this time…
"Huh?!"
A giant demon wolf and a white stag spirit appeared at the same time, staring at me in solemn silence.
"Hi?"
They didn't respond or move—they weren't interactive spirits. My mother, sister, and the rest of the family stared in speechless awe.
"Magnus, are those the spirits of the beasts?" my mother asked.
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