Moments after they introduced themselves, Merlinda rose from her seat and urged him to follow her to the armory.
Along the way, Rohan expressed his gratitude, as Merlinda was willing to act immediately without further delay.
"Careful," she said lightly. "I did not do this because you looked desperate. I was curious. I want to see what kind of things you choose."
Rohan said nothing and followed her in silence. Soon after, they arrived in a vast room, brightly lit by rows of lightbulbs.
The room formed a heptagon, with each of its seven walls lined with hanging items.
Even without being told, Rohan could tell all of the items within this room were magical. Moreover, a third of the items gave off immense pressure!
"For Blue Soul mages," she said, pointing lazily at one of the walls. "Over there."
"How did you know about my Blue Soul essence?"
She smiled, faintly amused. "I didn't. I just like guessing."
After that, she turned and left the room, muttering, "One item," she said lightly. "Try not to get greedy."
The door clicked shut before he could question her.
'You don't have to tell me that. I might be shameless, but even I know not to push it.'
Rohan walked over to the wall meant for him and began picking up items. As soon as he held them, information about each item flowed into his mind.
The first item he picked up was a pair of sunglasses. It allowed the user to move at extreme speed for a brief moment, enough to evade fast projectiles such as arrows.
The restriction was that the burst of speed lasted for one second, followed by a ten-second cooldown.
Rohan stared at it for a moment, acknowledging its usefulness. He then put the sunglasses down and moved to the next item.
This one was a red crown.
It allowed the user to breathe fire, hot enough to melt steel. However, the user could only unleash the fire breath twice per day.
Still holding the crown, Rohan sighed. 'Such a good item, but the restriction is terrible.'
It was common knowledge that every magical item came with a restriction. Even the ones given to him by the system were no exception to this rule. It was an absolute rule, one that not even a godlike system could bypass.
He set the crown down and moved on to the next item. After nearly ten minutes, he finished examining every item available to him.
At that point, his choice came down to two items: the Blade of Distortion and the Whip of Silence.
The Blade of Distortion could warp its target, distorting their senses and even their mind. Its only restriction was that it had to draw the target's blood for the effect to take hold.
The Whip of Silence could become invisible once infused with essence, and it made no sound when used. It was lethally powerful, capable of shattering a boulder with ease. Its restriction was that the user would constantly feel an itch all over their body.
These were the best items available to him right now. Compared to the rest, these two were far more useful and come with lighter restrictions.
Rohan was in no hurry to choose. Even after several minutes, he was still weighing his options between the blade and the whip.
And just as he was finally about to decide, he heard a metallic sound behind him.
Instinctively, he turned. He then saw a sword lying on the stone floor. It was a sleek, sapphire-blue blade with a mirror-like sheen, paired with an ornate golden hilt shaped like a radiant crest, giving it a regal and otherworldly presence.
As if drawn by the sword, Rohan stepped closer. From the aura it emitted, he could tell it was far beyond his level. There was no way he could choose it.
Still, that didn't stop him from taking a closer look. He picked it up and examined it carefully.
"Such a beautiful sword. Too bad it's far too strong for me."
With a sigh, he turned toward the wall it had fallen from, intending to return it.
But to his horror, he couldn't let go. Not because he didn't want to, but because his hand refused to obey.
'Oh shit…'
At that moment, a notification appeared before his eyes.
[Warning: An unknown fragment of divine authority has been detected]
[Analysis complete: Incompatible authority]
[Divine Decree: This authority does not belong to the Storm. It shall not be absorbed]
Rohan didn't even have time to process the system's notification, because the horror of being unable to let go of the sword consumed his attention.
He realized he could switch the sword between his hands. However, he still couldn't let go.
Even when he tried to throw it from his right hand to his left, his grip refused to loosen. His hand would only release the sword when he genuinely intended to catch it again.
What confused him even more was that there was no surge of information entering his mind.
For every mage, not long after they held or used a magical item, the detailed information about it would naturally flow into their mind. But for this sword in particular, he didn't get any information at all!
After panicking or a moment, he gradually calmed down.
"I should ask her."
With the sword still in his hand, he left the vast room.
Before long, he arrived at the courtyard. Merlinda was there, sitting beside the table just like before, reading her book.
He then stepped closer to her. "What is this sword?" he asked. "I can't let go of it."
Merlinda glanced at him, then at the sword.
"…You really don't disappoint," she said softly. "What an interesting thing to choose."
"I didn't choose it. It dropped to the floor."
"I just picked it up to take a look."
Merlinda slowly closed her book and gestured for him to sit.
And reluctantly, Rohan sat.
"It's called the Soul of Leviathan," she said. "Nobody really knows what it does."
"Every generation tried to figure it out. And they all failed."
She tilted her head slightly.
"But that's not the interesting part. Mages below Cyan Soul usually lose consciousness within seconds."
"…And yet you're still here. How interesting."
"Then what about not being able to let go?" he asked. "Has anyone ever experienced what's happening to me right now?"
"No," she replied calmly. "Everyone else could let go."
"I wonder why you couldn't."
"Perhaps it's an act. Or perhaps you're telling the truth… but that's not important."
"Of course it's important!" Rohan snapped. "How am I supposed to live normally if I have to keep holding this sword all day long?"
Rohan had already begun imagining himself holding the sword even while in the bathroom.
"The downsides are boring. The interesting part is what you could do with the sword," she said lightly.
Rohan was about to retort, but stopped himself. He drew in a slow breath, then let it out just as carefully.
He lifted his free hand to cover his bruised, battered face and murmured, "I never even learned how to use a sword…"
A moment later, he remembered the notification. It had suggested that the sword contained a fragment of a divine authority.
'Perhaps it's similar to what I already have… a fragment of the Storm God's authority?'
'If I build a church and complete the quest, I'll have two fragments in total…'
It was only an assumption, but Rohan began to wonder. If he possessed two fragments, would he gain greater control over the sword? After all, the sword itself contained only a single fragment of divine authority.
So far, he had already made the emergency quest his top priority, but what if he had two fragments of the Storm God's authority? With that, perhaps he could complete the emergency quest much more easily. It might also provide a way to separate the sword from him.