But for now, his focus was on the wheel in front of him. The glowing skill books spun rapidly, blurring into one continuous ring of light. He clicked "Spin."
The wheel started slow, then quickly picked up speed. Once again Kaito couldn't keep up with how fast the books whirled past the pointer. It was like watching streaks of light race by. For five long seconds, the blur continued, until the wheel began to slow again. One by one, the books became visible. Common white skills flickered past, then a cluster of blue, and finally a few rare golden-red books that drew everyone's eyes.
Kaito held his breath as the pointer ticked forward, stopping for a fraction of a second at each book. It passed over a basic sword technique, then a rare flame strike, then a frost defense skill. Each one passed him by. Then, as the wheel slowed to its final crawl, it stopped on a book glowing faint blue.
Words floated above it.
[Rare Skill Book: Sword Spirit Guard]
Requirement: Swordsman-related class.
Effect: Summons a sword spirit to protect you, blocking two incoming hits. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Kaito's eyes lit up, a sharp thrill rushing through him although he didn't get a unique skill. This was no ordinary skill. While it was technically classified as "rare," its effect was something that could change his survivability in battle. Blocking two hits might not sound like much, but in real combat, those two hits could mean the difference between life and death.
He immediately compared it in his mind to the thief class's famous "Invincibility" skill. That skill gave full immunity for a short time, making the user untouchable. Sword Spirit Bodyguard wasn't quite on that level it didn't remove negative status effects, and it didn't make him truly invincible. But still, being able to block two hits of any power was extraordinary. Whether it was a massive boss strike or a finishing blow from an enemy player, those two hits could turn the tide.
Kaito smiled faintly. This was exactly the kind of skill he needed. For someone like him, who often charged headfirst into the most dangerous fights, having a safeguard like this was priceless.
Without hesitation, he tapped the book. It dissolved into light, and knowledge of the skill burned itself into his mind. A faint glow flickered around his body as the system confirmed the new ability had been learned.
After learning the Sword Spirit Bodyguard skill, Kaito turned his eyes back to the throne room. His teammates were still standing among the piles of glowing items left behind by the Abyssal Wraith Royal Guards and the Mist Queen Demon. Their gazes lingered on the loot, their eyes full of curiosity and excitement, but none of them dared to touch it. The system had already marked Kaito as the team leader, which meant only he had the authority to collect and appraise the drops.
The loot scattered across the floor shimmered faintly, each item glowing in paint-like colors as though enchanted. The dim throne room felt almost alive with the flickering light of rare treasures. Kaito stepped forward, his breathing still heavy from the long battle, but his hands steady. With a single motion, he began gathering everything into his inventory.
The first pile came from the Abyssal Wraith Royal Guards. Since they had been far stronger than the ordinary Wraith Soldiers, their loot was naturally better. Still, compared to the Wraith General, the drops were a step lower. That didn't bother Kaito too much what mattered was the experience gained from cutting them down.
He glanced at his teammates. The constant fighting against the Royal Guards, combined with the final victory against the Mist Queen Demon, had pushed their levels up. Most of them were now sitting comfortably at Level 17, while the few who hadn't fought as aggressively had at least reached the end of Level 16. It was a massive improvement in a single dungeon run.
As for Kaito himself, he had received only a small share of the experience from the Royal Guards, since his focus had been on the Queen. But the Mist Queen Demon's death still rewarded him greatly. Because he had been the one who had dealt the most damage and was the one to land the finishing strikes on her, the system poured a massive wave of experience into him. His level shot up from 16 to 17 instantly, and his progress bar already sat at 15% toward Level 18. For someone at his stage, that was no small feat.
Satisfied with that, Kaito examined the smaller loot from the Royal Guards. Each of them had dropped a Level 0 mana core, but unlike the common low-grade ones that were dropped by the Wraith Soldiers, these were of medium and even high grade. The glow from them alone made it clear how valuable they were. In addition to the mana cores, every Royal Guard had dropped an average of one gold coin with some silver and bronze grade melee class equipment. When Kaito finished gathering them all, the pile had grown into a respectable sum. It wasn't a fortune, but it was steady income, and every bit counted in the early stages of Glory.
But what truly interested him wasn't the guards' drops. It was what the Mist Queen Demon had left behind. After a fight that had pushed him to his very limits, Kaito couldn't deny the excitement bubbling in his chest. He clicked on the loot icon, and a cascade of items appeared before him.
The first thing he saw was 100 gold coins, a solid prize on its own. Following that were gleaming crystals that pulsed faintly with inner light. His eyes widened.
Ten Shimmering Level 1 High grade Mana Cores.
Joy sparked in his chest. This was exactly what he needed for his Solstice Blade. To advance the weapon, he required one hundred Level 1 mana cores. He had already started the collection, and now this high-grade core would become a key piece of the process. Ninety more to go, he thought with determination.
Next came the skills. The Mist Queen Demon, being a sorceress in life and death, had dropped two rare skill books, both for mage classes. The first was Arcane Missile, but it was restricted to the Arcane Mage specialization. Kaito made a quick decision this one would be passed along to his second uncle, who would then select the player for it from Genesis. Even With this book in hand, securing some talent would be much easier.
The second skill was far more interesting. A Lightning-element spell. Immediately, Kaito thought of Kaede, who was an Lightning Elemental Mage, this skill would boost his potential greatly. Handing it to him was the obvious choice.
Then Kaito examined the equipment. Several mage-related items had dropped, most of them silver grade, but two of them stood out immediately.
The first was a necklace that increased mana regeneration. Kaito's eyes lingered on it. Even with his knowledge from his past life, he had rarely seen equipment with such an effect. In fact, the only other mana-regeneration item he had encountered was Lucien's crown, obtained earlier. Now, his team had two people with gear that could recover mana faster a luxury even top guilds would envy.
The second was a ring with a unique mist effect. When activated, it would release a haze in a two-yard radius, lowering the vision of any enemy caught inside. The effect reduced their Vision attribute by 10, which could mean the difference between life and death in chaotic group battles. It was situational, but powerful nonetheless.
Both items glowed in golden light. Gold-grade equipment. That alone made this dungeon run a success. The rest of the items from the Queen were silver pieces, all having good effects and attribute boosts for the mage classes, he then collected them all.
There were also a few other items he planned to check later. For now, he stored them safely in his inventory.
And then he saw it the final piece of loot. A scroll resting among the pile, glowing faintly with golden light.