The Gathering of Armaments Concludes
36. The gathering of armaments had ended. After Efusio's body shattered into countless fragments, a massive white sphere—larger than my torso—floated low in the air where it had stood. Even looking at it, I can't glean any information. Should I poke it with my sword? We'd gone through hell to defeat Efusio. Surely the story wouldn't pull another betrayal right after. Could this be a unique item? I recalled the memory of obtaining Barak on the third floor, but no matter how closely I examined it, this felt different from a mass of light that would transform into something else. It looked more like an egg. Don't tell me it's one of those clichés where something hatches from a shrunken egg, loses its memories, and joins as a pet or companion? Ugh, damn it. The thought alone gave me chills. I prayed that wasn't the case.
"Surely nothing horrible like the layer lord reviving in a weakened state inside this strange sphere will happen, right?" Leisia voiced her concern, clearly thinking along the same lines. I was about to shake my head and respond when Victor approached. He tossed his greatsword to the ground.
"What's there to worry about now that it's all over? Let's just touch it or smash it and be done with it!" Victor declared, ready to punch the outer shell and break it right then, insisting nothing worse could happen. "I'm sick of being jerked around by things I don't understand!"
Just then—
"Waaait!" Heinz shouted, stopping Victor. He turned to me with a firm voice. "I agree that leaving it alone serves no purpose either way. However!" He pointed at me. "If this isn't a trap but something tied to a special reward, then the one who contributed the most to defeating the layer lord should be the one to touch it."
Leisia nodded vigorously in agreement. "Exactly! I think so too—wait, I mean..." I'd been wondering why she kept correcting her natural speech mid-sentence. Might as well ask; if it was sensitive, I could apologize. "That way of speaking suits you, though. Why do you keep fixing it and repeating yourself?"
Her face flushed bright red. "Uh, th-that... suits me? Cute?" She twisted her body awkwardly. "After years as an adventurer, I felt embarrassed about sounding like a noble showing off, so whenever it slips out instinctively, I try to correct it..."
Fortunately, the question hadn't been rude. "A-anyway! If it weren't for Aren, we'd all be dead or turned into nutrients for that layer lord!"
Victor, who had been quietly watching the exchange, scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Yeah, that's true. I was just getting impatient watching everyone hesitate." He pointed at me. "You, Aren, was it? You already took down that monster calling itself a layer lord. What are you dawdling for? Let's finish this and rest easy!"
Right. At best, it'll be some subjugation reward. What kind of gimmick could possibly remain? I decided to touch it. This labyrinth expedition on just the first floor had brought far more than I could have imagined. Still, staying overly tense wouldn't help. I steeled myself and reached out to the unknown sphere.
Contact established with the Layer Lord's Source.
Subjugator confirmed... Commencing settlement.
"Huh?"
With a low hum, the sphere shot upward into the distant sky.
All traits absorbed by the Source are being returned to their original owners.
Cracks spread across its shell. With a brilliant flash, countless white arrows rained down like a shower, filling the sky.
"Whoa..."
"Wow, it's beautiful!"
"Incredible. A magnificent sight."
"Seeing this makes my magical sight feel like it's opening further. Truly a mystical spectacle."
All adventurers afflicted by the trait 'Oblivion' have had their amnesia status ailment lifted.
"Teh... huh?"
"...Right! I'm not some idiot—I'm Luke, a proper adventurer of Labyrinth City! Krib, you bastard. You're getting exiled the moment we return!"
"M-my memories... My memories came back!"
Everyone had returned to normal. Yet the settlement for the first-ever layer lord subjugation wasn't over. After all, this was merely returning what had been stolen. A deep, resonant sound—like a drumbeat—echoed through the air.
"What the hell is that sound?" Victor looked around in confusion.
This is the same sound Efusio made when spreading his waves... We'd already returned the traits and restored everyone's sanity. Surely nothing serious would happen now. What was going on?
Combat analysis and total contribution verification complete.
Unique subjugation rewards granted to adventurers Aren, Leisia, Victor, and Heinz.
All 52 surviving adventurers who participated in the battle will receive traits based on their contribution.
Unique subjugation rewards? Just as the system window stated, four pure white spheres appeared before us. The earlier sphere had confused me with its strange "source" appearance, but seeing these glowing and pulsing like the third floor... It seemed we were finally about to receive the real rewards—unique items.
I should've just touched it without hesitation. I must've been too on edge since fighting Efusio.
"Th-this... This is what I think it is, right?!" Leisia covered her mouth in awe.
"...Unique items, was it? I've heard of them. They say defeating particularly rare or powerful foes sometimes triggers this phenomenon and grants something."
Victor grinned broadly, hoping for equipment. "Getting my first unique item as an adventurer on the first floor... Is this fate's joke? Haha, whatever it is, I'm grateful. Risking our lives paid off."
Even Heinz pushed up his glasses, eyes gleaming. Chaos is clapping its flippers in delight. I clenched my fists, overwhelmed with emotion. Yeah. After all that hardship, this kind of reward is only fair! Our desperate struggle hadn't just let us survive the brink of death—it had earned us unique items, something most lower-floor adventurers and even many mid-floor ones never glimpsed. And this was my second one.
A brilliant flash erupted. "Finally!" After a brief wait, the orbs of light before each of us took on distinct shapes. Victor cheered as he watched the transformation.
With a hum—this was... a pair of gloves? I grabbed them.
◈ The first layer lord, Efusio of the Beginning, sought to gather the power of sacrificial adventurers to reclaim his former glory. Though his ambition was crushed by four adventurers, only the remnants of his abilities remain in the labyrinth.
◈ Cannot be dirtied or damaged as it was forged from a spiritual entity.
◈ Up to 5 armaments can be registered for storage in an extradimensional space. Additional registrations require permanently destroying one existing armament.
◈ All effects of registered armaments are always active.
◈ While using a registered weapon, beginner-level corrections apply. User's weapon skill traits take priority.
◈ Correction rank may increase with user's growth.
A flash of light transformed them into a pair of gloves dyed the same pure white as Efusio. The abilities are roughly... armament storage, constant application of held effects, and beginner corrections? It seemed to reflect how he'd absorbed dozens of traits in his final desperate pattern, wielding eight different weapons across eight arms. Dagger for Sting, spear for Piercing Thrust, mace for Blunt Strike... I'll equip them for now.
They slid on smoothly. Oh, almost no sensation at all. Feels like bare hands. The abilities... I'd test them later where no one could see. Meanwhile, the other three were also examining their rewards, each holding something and marveling.
Leisia had received gauntlets.
◈ The absorption ability of the first layer lord, Efusio of the Beginning, materialized after his defeat.
◈ Extremely durable despite its innocent white gauntlet appearance.
◈ On hit: Minor life steal based on damage dealt.
◈ When hit: Inflict Enervation on attacker (stacks up to 3).
◈ When hit: Gain Vitality on user (stacks up to 3).
◈ Can be repaired with mana if damaged.
...Wow. Leisia must feel like she hit the jackpot. Those white gauntlets looked excellent even to me. Next was Heinz.
◈ A grimoire born from the first layer lord's summoning ability fused with the wishes of earth mages.
◈ Enhances the user's earth magic in various ways but disables all non-earth magic.
◈ As the user grows, locked pages containing enhancement spells can be unlocked.
◈ Halves mana cost of user's earth magic.
◈ Applies minor damage reduction to earth magic used for defense.
◈ Increases control over summoned creatures when using earth summoning magic.
◈ First Enhancement Spell: Rocky Outcrop available.
Heinz's unique item was a book-type weapon known as a grimoire. Fitting for something born from defeating a layer lord, its quality was exceptional—a complete earth mage specialization weapon. Finally, Victor's.
◈ Fragments of the first layer lord's body were processed like jewels and infused with a portion of his powerful oblivion ability.
◈ Appears as a radiant pendant, but wearing this powerful talisman comes at a cost.
◈ Strong mental resistance when receiving mental attacks.
◈ Minor damage resistance when receiving physical attacks.
◈ Rarely inflicts Debilitation on enemies when attacking.
◈ Rarely inflicts Confusion on enemies when hit.
◈ Constant headaches and tinnitus while worn.
◈ Cannot be removed once equipped, but will never break or dirty.
This one... Strong resistance was useful, but the penalties seemed heavy. "Damn it! Grr..." Victor didn't look pleased. Probably the headaches and tinnitus. "A northern warrior like me having to wear a sparkling gem necklace!" The radiant white jewel stood out oddly against his scarred upper body. So that was the issue... The penalties were apparently bearable. Good. Meanwhile, news of four people obtaining unique items on the first floor would inevitably spread. It won't scare me, but it'll probably drag me into annoying situations. Still, I'll have to deal with it. Too many eyes had seen it already. How could I silence dozens of adventurers?
Just as we finished checking the unique items—
"Oh!"
"This feeling...?"
"A trait! It's definitely a trait! We haven't even left the labyrinth yet?"
A stir rippled through the group. As I turned to look, the same strange sensation and intense tremor that affected the others wrapped around my body.
You have acquired the trait 'Mark of Subjugation - First Subjugator'.
Mark of Subjugation - First Subjugator [P]
Granted to the 52 adventurers who participated in subjugating the first layer lord, Efusio of the Beginning, awakened on the 1st floor. Only the one with the highest contribution receives the First Subjugator trait.
◈ Luck increases by two stages.
◈ Increased chance of gaining favor with higher-ranked opponents due to subjugating an overwhelmingly powerful foe.
◈ Luck occasionally finds you.
So only I received the First Subjugator trait? I turned my head and spotted Luke, whose face was somewhat familiar by now. His trait was simply 'Mark of Subjugation' without the 'First' designation—Luck increased by one stage, with a weaker favorability boost. The difference was clear. 'Luck occasionally finds you.' That part especially appealed to me. It was the opposite of the misfortune option in the Mixed Dragon Core. Vague, but it would surely help later.
A rumbling sound echoed. Huh?
The 1st floor's terrain is changing due to the subjugation.
The Prison of Convergence is beginning to disappear.
The barrier that had remained even after defeating him finally began to fade.