Chapter 183: Increased Durability

Amon sat at the desk in his room with the old staff placed carefully in front of him.

The ancient weapon looked nothing like the elegant staffs used by modern mages.

Amon had spent quite some time studying it.

Fortunately, his Merchant’s Divine Insight had already provided him with the information he needed to repair the artifact.

The instructions were complicated, but they were still far easier to follow than trying to figure everything out on his own.

"First, this."

Amon carefully placed a small mana core into the hollow section near the base of the staff.

The damaged runes along the surface immediately began to glow.

A faint vibration passed through the wooden body as the old materials started responding to the mana.

Several cracks slowly closed, while the damaged metal around the upper section began shifting back into its original position.

Amon watched carefully and followed the instructions shown by his Divine Merchant’s Insight.

The next step required something he didn’t possess.

Fortunately, the System Shop did.

Amon opened the shop interface and purchased the required item before immediately using it on the staff.

A faint golden light spread across the weapon. The effect was almost instantaneous.

The broken sections of the staff began reconnecting as if time itself were being reversed.

The cracks disappeared one after another, while the damaged metal structure restored itself with a soft ringing sound.

Even the faded runes carved into the surface regained their original brilliance.

Amon narrowed his eyes as he watched the final stage of the repair.

The mana core embedded inside the staff suddenly pulsed.

Boom!

A wave of mana spread through the room.

The curtains moved slightly from the pressure, and several objects on the desk trembled before settling down again.

Amon quickly reached out and caught the staff. The weapon felt completely different now.

The old, damaged appearance was gone.

The dark wooden body was smooth and almost perfectly straight, with thin silver lines.

At the top, an intricate metallic structure surrounded a brilliant blue mana core.

Amon stared at the restored weapon for several seconds before he smiled. "Finally."

He slowly raised the staff above his head.

The moment he poured a small amount of mana into it, the entire weapon responded.

The blue core became brighter, and the surrounding runes began rotating faster as a faint pressure filled the room.

Amon couldn’t help but grin. "This thing really is powerful."

He lowered the staff and casually swung it through the air a few times, getting used to its weight and balance.

It was much lighter than it looked, but the amount of mana contained within it was frightening.

Amon’s smile became wider. ’I wonder what I’ll get if I give this to Seraphina.’

The thought of another Tenfold Return immediately made him curious.

Amon looked at the weapon one last time before storing it inside his space bracelet.

"That’ll be a surprise for her."

He then reached toward the bracelet again and took out another item that he got from Rebate System after gifting Sidney her necklace.

---

[Return System]

[Genuine investment toward registered wife detected.]

[Investment Grade: Gold]

[Current Rebate Multiplier: ×15]

[Rebate Activated!]

[Congratulations!]

[You have received a Mythical Grade Item.]

---

A small locket appeared in his hand.

The moment he held it, Amon’s expression became slightly more serious.

’....Chains of Hell.’

That was the name of the item.

The locket itself looked rather ordinary at first glance, with a dark metallic surface and a small chain attached to it.

He raised his hand and allowed the chain to hang freely from his fingers.

With a thought, its length changed.

The chain became longer, stretching across his hand before shrinking again until it was barely larger than the locket.

Amon experimented with it several times, changing its size and length according to his will. "This could be useful."

The Chains of Hell possessed several abilities that made it extremely versatile, but there was one obvious drawback.

It consumed an enormous amount of mana.

For most people, that would make using the item in prolonged combat extremely difficult.

Amon, however, looked at the chain without much concern. ’That’s not really a problem for me.’

With his enormous mana reserves and the effects of Mana Furnace, Amon could afford to use abilities that would exhaust ordinary mages.

He allowed the chain to extend again before making it coil around his wrist.

He imagined using it against an enemy trying to escape.

Amon narrowed his eyes. ’I could also combine it with Spatial Steps.’

The possibilities were interesting.

After playing around with the item for a while longer, Amon finally stored it inside his space bracelet.

After everything that had happened recently, Amon couldn’t help wondering how much stronger he had become.

He stood up from the chair and stretched his body.

His shoulders loosened, and he felt his muscles move naturally beneath his skin.

Amon clenched his fist.

The air around his fingers seemed to tremble slightly from the strength he unconsciously applied.

’....How strong have I actually become?’ Amon frowned slightly. ’I should check my strength later in a fight.’

He stopped thinking about it and walked toward the bed.

After sitting down, he eventually lay backward and stared at the ceiling.

His thoughts returned to the two men he had seen in the city.

The possibility that they were vampires was still there in his mind.

Amon’s expression became slightly more serious. ’Humans, elves, vampires...’

Nadya’s prediction had suddenly begun feeling much less like an impossible future.

He then remembered the ancient page Marielle was translating.

The Thousand-Year War between elves and vampires had ended centuries ago.

Yet something about the recent events made Amon wonder if that history was truly as distant as everyone believed.

His thoughts eventually shifted toward the elf he had found.

Amon blinked. "Oh."

He suddenly remembered that he still had her inside his space bracelet.

A strange thought entered his mind. ’Would my bed break if I put her on it?’

Amon stared at the ceiling for a moment before quietly chuckling. "What am I even thinking about?"

He rubbed his forehead.

He had never interacted with the elf, yet somehow he was already wondering about things like that.

His thoughts then moved toward the Royal Elven Queen.

Amon’s expression gradually became more thoughtful. ’I wonder what kind of person she is.’

More importantly, he wondered whether she would become an ally or an enemy.

Amon closed his eyes. ’I’ll talk to Richard tomorrow.’

The exhaustion accumulated from everything he had done over the past few days slowly caught up with him.

His breathing became slower as Amon finally fell asleep.