Void Reaper: The Essence Apocalypse

Chapter 52 52: Fractured Aegis Talisman (Magic-class artifact)

Leon took a step back, like he needed that sliver of space just to process what he'd heard. He stared at her, no smile, no amusement, only the dry, exhausted look of someone who was out of patience for nonsense.

"For an angel," he said at last, voice rough, "you're pretty perverted."

Valeria didn't look offended for even a second.

If anything, she laughed lightly, casually, like it was the most normal observation in the world. Then she shrugged with practiced innocence.

"Well," she replied calmly, "there's probably a reason my wings are black, not white."

She looked at him with that sweet, infuriatingly patient gaze and simply… waited. Like she was certain that sooner or later, he'd do exactly what she wanted.

Leon stood there for a long moment, feeling irritation, exhaustion, and the deeply unwelcome realization that she was serious grind against each other inside him. That didn't make it easier, he didn't know what to do or how to react, and the silence stretched into something increasingly awkward.

Finally, he let out a heavy sigh.

The kind of sigh someone makes when they stop fighting, not because they lost, but because they're no longer willing to waste the energy.

Slowly, he raised his hand, careful, like he was approaching a wild animal. Valeria visibly brightened; anticipation lit her eyes, and she even tilted her head a little, making it easier, waiting for his fingers to touch her hair.

His hand was centimeters away.

Leon inhaled, opened his mouth to say something…

And in that same instant, Valeria vanished.

She didn't hop back, didn't dodge, she simply stopped being there. A heartbeat later, she reappeared sitting comfortably on a tabletop several meters away, legs dangling slightly, smiling like nothing had happened, utterly pleased with herself.

"I changed my mind," she announced breezily.

Leon stood there with his hand still hanging in midair, stunned. It took him a moment to realize it again, that he'd been dragged into her game, and he'd fallen for it. Again.

"You…" he started, something genuinely dangerous gathering in his voice.

He didn't get to finish.

A small red object flew toward him, tossed lazily, without warning. Leon reacted on instinct, catching it midair before he even had time to think.

He looked down at the red item in his palm, and a familiar, cold system window snapped into view, making his heart beat a little faster.

[Do you want to open the Red Box?]

For a moment he just stared. Then his brain finally started connecting the dots. The color wasn't random. He'd dealt with Essence Record enough to know it didn't use colors without reason.

If there were Gray Boxes and Brown Boxes…

Then a Red Box had to be much higher in the rarity hierarchy.

Much higher.

His fingers began to tremble, slightly, uncontrollably, as the realization hit. He was holding something he might not have seen for months… maybe years… even at his current pace of growth.

Only after a beat did he lift his head, staring at Valeria with his mouth slightly open.

"Where…" he began, then swallowed. "Where did you get this?"

Valeria's grin widened, practically radiant, like someone watching a perfectly planned reaction pay off.

"Don't worry about it," she said breezily. "You can rely on this Sugar Mommy."

She patted her chest for emphasis, completely shameless, and added in the same sweet tone,

"I'll spoil you in every way possible as your lover, so really… you can count on me."

Halfway through her monologue, Leon simply looked away.

Not because he was embarrassed, because he already knew her well enough to understand he wasn't getting a real answer. And the longer he listened, the further she'd drift into pure absurdity. So he focused on the red box instead, forcing his breathing to steady.

Valeria noticed his lack of interest, pouted in exaggerated offense… but this time she didn't comment. She just watched him quietly, letting him do his thing.

The same prompt hovered in his vision again.

[Do you want to open the Red Box?]

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

The red box shattered into particles of light that rose into the air and began condensing in one spot, forming something tangible. Watching the process, Leon felt that familiar knot tighten in his stomach, the same one he got every time he opened a box.

"Just not socks…" he muttered under his breath, borderline paranoid from experience. "Please. Anything but socks…"

The particles dimmed, settling, gathering, until an item landed softly in his hand, cool to the touch and surprisingly light.

A necklace.

Leon's first reaction was a jolt of excitement. In his head, a box that red simply couldn't give something mundane. And the fact it was jewelry already suggested something more sophisticated than ordinary combat gear.

That impression started to crack the moment he looked closer.

He lifted it by the plain, thin cord, almost like a makeshift string, and let the metal piece hanging from it drop freely.

It was a triangle.

Or rather… something that used to be a triangle.

The metal was bent in several places. The edges were uneven. One corner had a crack so deep it looked like the whole thing would split in half with a little force. Its surface was worn, scratches and tiny chips that couldn't have happened by accident.

Leon's expression soured.

"...Seriously?" he muttered, turning it between his fingers.

For a moment he looked like someone who'd been handed a battered hand-me-down instead of a legendary treasure. But he didn't give up hope. Experience had taught him not to judge too quickly.

He focused on the item, and the system window unfurled immediately.

[Fractured Aegis Talisman (Magic-class artifact)]

[Description: An ancient defensive necklace that has suffered severe damage. Once a powerful relic, its original protective capacity has been almost entirely lost. The core structure remains unstable, and its passive defense is a fraction of its former glory. Upon equipping, the artifact permanently increases the user's Mana capacity and Intelligence.]

[Active Effect: When the user is exposed to immediate lethal danger, the talisman automatically releases a protective barrier. The strength and duration of the barrier depend on the intensity and amount of damage received. After the barrier fully depletes its stored energy, the talisman requires 24 hours to recharge before it can activate again.]

[Effect: +20 Intelligence | +100 Mana]

Leon read the description, tilting his head slightly. Only now did it really register: besides the normal Effect that boosted stats, it had a clearly labeled Active Effect, something he hadn't encountered before. His focus sharpened for a moment, like he needed to make sure he wasn't misreading it.

"Artifacts like that," Valeria said calmly, noticing his reaction, "often come with active effects, not just raw stats. Treat it like an extra skill in your arsenal."

Leon nodded, but the longer he read, the more his brows knit. Fractured. Severely damaged. Lost its former power. The phrasing kept returning like a refrain, reminding him that what he held was only a shadow of what the artifact had once been.

Disappointment didn't hit like a punch, more like something slow and annoying crawling under his skin.

He exhaled, looked at the cracked triangle again, and muttered to himself, half-joking, half-serious,

"Maybe the socks wouldn't have been so bad…"

Valeria snorted, completely unfazed, and flicked her hand like she was swatting the thought away.

"Appreciate it," she said, clearly amused. "Even if it's long past its prime, for you it's still a treasure. In your pre-apocalypse world, it would've protected you from most weapons."

Leon looked at the necklace again, then at Valeria. Then he sighed, this time without frustration, more like acceptance. Because he knew the truth: in this world, "imperfect" often meant "good enough to survive."

And survival mattered more than former glory.

He nodded and slipped the necklace over his head, letting the fractured triangle settle against his chest, cool and light. Another familiar system message appeared immediately.

[Equipment Effect Applied]

[Effect: +100 Mana | +20 Intelligence]

He felt it almost at once, like something inside him had quietly expanded, as if the internal reservoir he'd gotten used to had suddenly grown. The awareness that his maximum Mana capacity had climbed to 400 made him nod in grudging approval.

Four hundred Mana meant he could use his abilities far more often, more aggressively.

He idly turned the triangular pendant between his fingers, feeling the tiny uneven edges and cracks in the metal…

When a soft knock sounded at the door.

"Leon?" a voice called from the other side. "You up? Everything okay?"