The system notification hung in front of Jack. Three choices. No further details. Just like usual.
He hated guessing games. But that seemed to be the system's preferred method of engagement. Names. No context. Just a leap of faith.
[DEATH'S ELDER WAND] [VESSEL SPARK] [DULLAHAN ARMOR]
He considered them. Death's Elder Wand. Sounded like a magic stick. Was it a reference from his previous life? From Harry Potter's Deathly Hallows? A wand of immense power, tied to death?
It seemed to be amazing artifact for magic. But his specialized for mystic arts was his specter form. And it already had its [Spirit Torch] magic weapon.
Then, Vessel Spark. This was the most unpredictable for Jack. Vessel. It could mean many things. Ship? Container? A body? For another incarnation? What kind of vessel did it mean? A literal boat? A metaphorical vessel for power?
And spark. What spark? Literal spark? Or metaphorical? A spark of something? A beginning, perhaps?
It lacked a clear, immediate function in his mind. It could be anything. A wild card. It might be less direct, more foundational. Potentially something big. Or something useless. The name offered minimal clues.
Finally, Dullahan Armor. Dullahan. The headless knight. The headless horseman. So, Dulahan armor would be... a headless armor? Or an armor that made him headless? Or a living armor that acted as a bodyguard?
It sounded defensive. Heavy. Physical. Tanky. He already had good defenses. But it might be redundant. Judge Jack already had Naraka Armor. Jack Mystery and Racer Jack wouldn't need armor.
Jack Night might need one. But he was his social persona. As a Steamrune Engineer, he needed a steamrune armor. Not the mystical armor like this one.
Jack weighed the options. Magic, unknown, or defense. Magic boost was good for utility and ranged attacks. Defense was always useful, especially against unexpected threats.
But the Vessel Spark. It was a complete unknown. And that alone intrigued him. It wasn't a direct upgrade to an existing capability. But something new.
A spark. A beginning. Maybe a seed for a completely new ability or form. The system rarely offered truly useless things, even cryptic ones.
He made his decision. 'Vessel Spark!' He thought. Not bothering to vocalize it. Just focusing his intent.
The menu shimmered. Then collapsed. The other two options vanished. A new notification appeared, fleeting.
[VESSEL SPARK ACQUIRED. STORED IN SYSTEM INVENTORY.]
He didn't check it. Not here. Not in this place filled with people who would soon be exiting the spatial gate. He would examine it later. In the privacy of their home. No need to reveal anything now. The Junkyard had been a gamble. And he had won.
The spatial gate continued to fluctuate. A shimmering curtain in the center of the vast chamber. More people streamed out. One by one. They looked varied.
Some were grim-faced. Others had hopeful, yet uncertain, expressions. A few wore wide, smug grins. Already calculating their newfound wealth.
"Jack! You're back already." A cheerful voice resounded. Cutting through the low murmur of the emerging treasure hunters.
It was Nick Glaiver. The young Mystic Scholar student strode towards him. A satisfied smile plastered across his youthful face.
"Nick!" Jack acknowledged with a curt nod. "Great harvest?"
Nick laughed. A cheerful sound that seemed out of place in the chamber. "I found some truly fascinating artifacts. This broken locket, I'm almost certain, is an ancestral relic of the Old Nagaean Kingdom. And this sphere... the energy readings are off the charts! I'll need to spend weeks analyzing them back in the lab."
His eyes gleamed with academic enthusiasm. "What did you get your hands on, Jack? Anything good?"
Jack merely gestured to his empty hands. "I picked some strange mechanical things. Not sure whether they are good or not. Still assessing their value."
He wasn't about to spill the beans on what he gained. Nick might be an acquaintance. But he wasn't family.
"Ah, the Steamrune things." Nick chuckled. Undeterred. "Well, I wish you luck. The market for these Junkyard finds is going to be fierce. Everyone's already talking about it. Your wife hasn't come out yet?"
As if on cue, Reina emerged from the shimmering portal. Her long black hair, usually so perfectly kept, was slightly disheveled. A few strands escaping her elegant bun.
She didn't look as elated as Nick. Nor as poker-faced as some of the others. A subtle frown creased her beautiful brow.
Jack offered her a small smile. "Love! How is it?"
Reina's lips upturned slightly in response. "Oh, Dear. It was… an experience."
She approached. Her movements were graceful even after the ordeal. "I didn't fare as well as I hoped." She gave her five broken items to Jack. Who stored it in his now-usable Spatial Bag.
"I saw a magnificent hammer." She sighed. "It didn't seem to be broken. It glowed with electric power, pulsing like a heartbeat. And a sword, stuck in a stone, radiating an ancient aura. But I couldn't move either of them. Not an inch. So I had to settle for these. Smaller. Less impressive."
Jack widened his eyes. What the heck did she encounter? Thor's Mjolnir? King Arthur's Excalibur?
"Perhaps they were useful. Or not. Doesn't really matter. It was an experience, at least." Jack replied.
"Ah, Reina! You encountered two ego-based anomalies?" Nick interjected. Ever social. "What a luck! My teacher did say there were some objects like those two you encountered in there. That Junkyard realm was truly a goldmine of potential!"
Reina raised her eyebrows. "Ego-based anomalies?"
"Objects that can only be used by 'chosen ones'. Amazing artifacts, they are." Nick explained. "Ah, but if you looked at it in certain perspectives, they are flawed because of that. Er... for the non-chosen ones, they are basically broken artifacts."
Just then, a figure emerged from the portal. Causing Nick to light up. It was Harold Carpenter, Nick's bespectacled classmate.
Harold's face was, as usual, a blank slate. No joy, no frustration. Just a steady, unreadable neutrality. He clutched five random-looking items.
"Harold! You're back!" Nick exclaimed. Clapping his friend on the shoulder. "What treasures did you unearth? Did you follow my advice about looking for resonant auras?"
Harold calmly adjusted his glasses. "There is no such aura, Nick. My sensory magic spells were inactive there. Without them, I could not comprehend the criteria for 'valuable' objects. So, I just chose five arbitrary items."
He held out his collection of seemingly worthless junk. "Hopefully, statistical probability favors at least one of them."
Nick blinked. His enthusiasm momentarily deflated. "Arbitrary? Harold, that's not how you find artifacts! You need intuition! Foresight! A keen eye for… for the mystic!"
Harold merely stared at him. "My data indicates intuition is an unreliable metric."
Jack suppressed a grin. Harold was always a joy to observe. A pragmatic, logic-driven mind in a world of magic and monsters. He respected the man's blunt honesty.
"Well, we should be heading out," Jack announced. Cutting off Nick's attempt to educate Harold on mystic archaeology. "Long day."
"Already?" Nick looked disappointed. "Oh, alright. Perhaps we can compare notes later, Jack, Reina. My studies might shed some light on your finds."
"Of course. When we have a chance." Reina said. Polite as ever.
Jack just gave another curt nod. "Take care there, Nick. Harold."
With their goodbyes exchanged, Jack and Reina weaved through the dispersing crowd. Heading for the mansion's exit. The Lonestone City streets were bustling and alive with the early afternoon sun. They welcomed them back to reality.
...
They were back. Their house was always a sanctuary for them.
Once inside, Jack locked the door and pulled the blinds. "Alright, Love." He said, turning to Reina. "Let's see what we gained."
He retrieved her five objects from his spatial bag. Laying them out on the sturdy oak table in the living room.
Jack than took his acquisition. Placing his bent crowbar, decapitated robot head, cracked shield, damaged compass, and small headless statue beside hers.
Jack activated his [Eyes of Judgement]. The world shimmered briefly. Information flowing into his mind.
It was unlike his time in the Junkyard. Where the ability had been partially suppressed. Here, in the mundane world, his sight pierced through the nature of the objects. And revealed their true properties.
He started with his own finds.
The first was the Damaged Compass. His eyes focused.
[Name: Compass of Fortune]
[Status: Damaged. Fixable.]
[Repair Requirements: Mystic Glass (Rare material)]
[Repair Requirements: Blessing from a person with Fortune Power]
[Description: A once-potent artifact said to guide its wielder to serendipitous opportunities and hidden wealth. Its needle, though bent, still trembles with faint divinatory energy.]
"Compass of Fortune." Jack muttered. "Good. Fixable. Even better."
The requirements were specific. But not impossible. Mystic Glass could be found. In fact, he had some of this. Fortune Power was trickier. The only one he knew with such kind of power was Chloe Chase. He hadn't seen her since the fiasco in Tideless Island.
Next, the Cracked Shield...
[Name: Shield of Retaliation]
[Status: Heavily Damaged. Unfixable.]
[Extractable Materials: Rebounder Steel (Epic Grade)]
[Description: A remnant of a lost age, this shield once absorbed blows and reflected their force back upon attackers. Its integrity is compromised beyond repair, but its core material retains immense value.]
"Epic grade material." Jack noted. A small internal flicker of satisfaction. "Not bad. Rebounder Steel. Sounds like it could be useful for some of my engineering projects."
Then, the Decapitated Robot Head...
[Name: Head of Sentient Scout]
[Status: Heavily Damaged. Unfixable.]
[Extractable Materials: Blank AI Chip]
[Description: The processing core of an advanced scouting automaton. Though the unit is destroyed, its primary intelligence module is salvageable and can be repurposed.]
"An AI chip," Jack mused. This was a surprise. A blank one meant he still need to set the parameter and provided relevant database.
Jack Night, as a Steamrune Engineer, dealt with automatons and mechanical constructs. An AI core could be incredibly versatile. Especially for some of his pending projects. This one was even more useful than the epic material.
The Bent Crowbar. He examined it closely. It really looked like... A fancy crowbar. But according to his [Eyes of Judgement]...
[Name: Key to Nilone's Treasure Chamber]
[Status: Heavily Damaged. Unfixable.]
[Extractable Materials: Heavy Tungsten (Extremely Rare Material)]
[Description: A specialized key forged from a unique, incredibly dense alloy. It once held the secret to a forgotten treasure vault. Its intricate mechanisms are now shattered, rendering it useless as a key, but its material remains highly prized.]
"A key." Jack corrected himself. A sardonic twist to his lips. "The extractable material was... Heavy Tungsten. Extremely Rare. Very good." This was a significant gain. Extremely rare materials were hard to come by.
Finally, the Small Headless Statue.
[Name: Statue of Eternal Goddess]
[Status: Heavily Damaged. Dissipated Energy. Unfixable.]
[Extractable Materials: None]
[Description: A decorative idol, crafted from common stone. It embodies ancient belief and possesses significant inherent power. However, the power had been extracted, leaving no magical or material value in its current state.]
"Well, can't win them all." Jack stated dryly. "Just a piece of rock. No big loss." One dud out of five. Acceptable.
Wait! It was probably not a dud. The system notification! He gained 14 artifact seeds. It was very likely that they came from absorbing the energy from the statue.