Chapter 112: Sorting Inventory (2)

He moved to the next item, tapping the icon for the Pendant of the Undying Ember.

[Pendant of the Undying Ember]

[Description: A small, ember-red stone set in blackened silver, said to carry a fragment of an extinguished fire spirit’s final will. While worn, the bearer’s HP regeneration is permanently increased, and once per day, the pendant may fully restore the wearer from the brink of death, consuming itself partially in the process before slowly regenerating over the following week.]

Leon studied the pendant’s description, paying particular attention to its two effects. The increased HP regeneration was useful, but its true value lay in its ability to restore its wearer from the brink of death.

Even with his current strength, he had no intention of becoming careless enough to assume that nothing in Eternal Heaven could threaten his life. His SSS+ Aura of the Undying had transformed his relationship with survival, but that was no reason to discard an additional safeguard against the unexpected.

"A second chance at survival is never a bad thing," he murmured, deciding to keep it.

He had no intention of relying on the pendant as his primary means of recovery, especially when his own abilities were considerably more versatile. Nevertheless, its emergency effect was too valuable to abandon, and he had no way of knowing what sort of enemy or environment might eventually push him beyond the limits of his current regeneration.

Even a small additional layer of protection could prove decisive when facing opponents of a higher rank. With that settled, Leon moved on to the remaining items, determined to separate the equipment that could still serve him from the treasures whose value was better measured in Eternal Coins.

The first item that caught his attention was the Blade of the Dragon God, a Mythic-grade weapon. He had no intention of selling it. A weapon of that caliber was difficult to replace, and its potential value extended well beyond its immediate usefulness in combat.

Even though he has acquired something stronger, keeping it as a reserve weapon or for some future purpose was far more sensible than exchanging it for a temporary increase in wealth. He marked it as an item to keep before turning his attention to Epitaph, the Legendary weapon beside it.

Epitaph was his primary weapon, it wasn’t going anywhere.

Sovereign’s Mantle, it had enough potential value to justify keeping it, particularly when he had yet to establish whether its full capabilities would become more useful as he advanced. He added it to his retained equipment alongside the two weapons, then moved on to the Band of the Chronos Lord. Unlike the ordinary Band of Deflection he had already discarded, this was a different matter entirely.

After examining its properties, Leon decided to keep the Band of the Chronos Lord. Anything associated with temporal effects deserved careful consideration, especially when dealing with opponents whose speed, reactions, or abilities could surpass his own. He wasn’t going to assume that its usefulness would remain unchanged at higher ranks, but he also wasn’t willing to sell something of that caliber.

He then turned his attention to the Flawless Sapphire Dragon Scale, a material whose value appeared to lie in its potential applications rather than any immediate combat benefit.

The scale was rare enough to warrant keeping, but Leon wasn’t interested in hoarding every valuable material he encountered. He had accumulated enough resources to recognize the difference between an item with a plausible future use and one that would merely occupy space in his inventory.

After a brief assessment, he decided to retain the scale because of its possible value in high-tier crafting. The Aether-Lightning Core received a similar judgment, though for different reasons. Its connection to concentrated elemental energy made it worth preserving, particularly if Snow could eventually incorporate it into equipment or use it in a suitable crafting process.

Next came the Spatial Disruptor Core. Leon examined it for a little longer than the previous materials, considering whether its apparent function would remain useful against enemies with stronger spatial abilities or other means of bypassing conventional defenses. He couldn’t be certain without further testing, but the potential applications were too valuable to dismiss.

He decided to keep it, placing it alongside the other rare materials he intended to have Snow examine when she had the opportunity. The Abyssal Blueprint was an even easier decision, since a Mythic-grade blueprint was not the sort of thing he wanted to sell before understanding what it could produce.

Leon stored the blueprint with the items he intended to preserve for future use. A blueprint’s true value depended on what it allowed someone to create, and its grade alone wasn’t enough to tell him everything he needed to know. Still, the possibility of producing something that could remain relevant in higher-level regions justified keeping it.

He then examined the Void-Lord Core, followed by the Hollow Core. Both appeared to be materials with specialized applications, though their exact usefulness would depend on circumstances he hadn’t yet encountered. Rather than make assumptions about their eventual purpose, Leon decided to retain both until he could investigate them properly.

The two Tears of the Ash required a little more consideration. Their value wasn’t immediately obvious, and he wasn’t inclined to keep rare items simply because they sounded mysterious. However, their unusual nature suggested that they might be useful for a purpose that wasn’t readily apparent from a cursory inspection.

With no pressing need to convert them into currency, he chose to preserve both.

The Phalanx Shield Core was another item he decided to keep, as its apparent connection to defensive equipment made it potentially useful even if he didn’t personally need a shield. Snow’s crafting talent gave him a reason to consider the needs of future equipment projects rather than focusing exclusively on his own immediate combat requirements.

"It seems most of these items could be useful for crafting. Having Snow as an ally is certainly a blessing." Leon couldn’t help but smile at the thought. "Good thing I decided to review my inventory. I’ve been accumulating quite a collection of rare materials without paying much attention to their potential uses. When Snow has some free time, I’ll have her examine them all and see what she can make out of them."

Finally, Leon reached the Crown of the First Era. He studied it, and decided to keep it for the time being. With that, his initial review was complete, and the items he had chosen to retain far outnumbered those he was prepared to part with.

Leon leaned back slightly, mentally reviewing his decisions. There was a difference between hoarding and preparing, and Leon intended to do the latter.

As he ventured into increasingly dangerous regions, Leon knew that raw strength alone wouldn’t always be enough to stay ahead of his enemies. Powerful equipment, rare crafting materials, and unfamiliar artifacts could all provide valuable advantages if used correctly.

Understanding what he already possessed was the first step toward making the most of those resources and ensuring that nothing with genuine potentia lay without use.