Chapter 44: The Gloamkeeper's Beacon

"Hmm, my makeshift knife barely scratched it."

The fact that it was still majorly intact amidst all of those turbulence should show the resiliency of this lantern.

"I wonder if this world counts it as an equipment…"

To see the description of the item, I decided to let my finger touch its exquisite surface of this lantern.

[Gloamkeeper's Beacon (Calamity 87%) - 1.8 kg: The Gloamkeeper's Beacon is a relic from an era long lost to time, as its construction blending the tangible with the ethereal. The lantern is fashioned from an arcane metal that seems to drink in the surrounding darkness, with an intricately carved framework of unknown symbols that pulse faintly with a serene, golden hue.

Enclosed within the beacon is a steady, unwavering flame that burns without flickering, casting a soft, comforting light that soothes the mind and spirit.

Holding the beacon feels like grasping a piece of a forgotten dream; it is light as air, yet the handle is warm, as if drawing warmth from the bearer's soul. The light emitted creates a sacred barrier, warding off malevolent forces and illuminating hidden paths in the deepest shadows.

Under its glow, clarity and purpose are bestowed upon those within its radius, revealing hidden resources and safe passages that would otherwise remain unseen. However, this boon is not without its price—the beacon demands a personal sacrifice from its bearer. To channel its full protective power, one must offer up a piece of their own vitality, binding themselves to the lantern.

Over time, the Gloamkeeper's Beacon instills its bearer with an unyielding determination, granting them the fortitude to withstand even the bleakest of times. Yet, this newfound resolve comes with a heavy cost, as the lantern feeds on the bearer's emotional depth, slightly numbing them to joy and sorrow alike.

If abandoned or left unused for a long time, the beacon's light will dim, lying dormant until another willing soul dares to pay its price and rekindle its mysterious flame]

"I see."

In exchange for a clearer light in my path, I must sacrifice bits of my vitality like what the Wraithgrip does.

To me who barely got affected by physical fatigue, it just means that I should eat more.

It also numbs me to emotion, to put it simply.

"Would it work on me, though?"

Unless the numbing effect was multiplicative, it probably wouldn't affect me as much, since subjects like emotions barely linger in my head for more than an hour, unless I start a chain of it.

A person I cherished might die in front of me, and I would barely shed a proper tear for them. Even if I did, the sadness wouldn't last long and my emotion would reset back to zero a few hours later.

I didn't even feel much grief for Tahlia after the first few hours of duration I failed to keep him alive. Not to mention, what I felt wasn't grief, but more of anger and annoyance…

Hmm, I might be an actual psychopath, like what was indicated by my Highlighted Traits.

"Yup, this is a perfect thing for me to equip."

As I gripped the handle with the intent to bind my own soul to it, the Gloamkeeper's Beacon responded kindly as it created a new line of anchor from its flame to the source of my consciousness.

To put it, it was as if the lantern had become part of my body, just like how my soul cast its anchor to every inch of my flesh and skin.

"Huh, the effect kicks much faster than I expected." I tried to move it around. "It also became weightless the moment I bonded with it. I wonder if it's the same for anyone outside of me."

Just by holding it with my hand, my vision and hearing started to guide me to things of worth.

It was as if I had a built-in mental navigator that highlighted certain things and places that would lead me to an unseen discovery.

Even right now, I found some lootables that I somewhat missed when looking around the area.

"I might need to experiment with its function, especially for the part of 'revealing hidden resources and safe passages that would otherwise remain unseen'. Heh."

For now, I attached this sizable mystique lantern on the holster of my tool belt as I continued scavenging this area.

"... The dead body of the Lantern Keeper is also a loot in itself."

So I took off what was left of the fabric that was formerly meant to be its cloak as another loot, hoping that I could somewhat use it together with the Sorrow Weaver's silks to make something of use.

The creepy naked humanoid remains of the Lantern Keeper was left peacefully with nothing but its own skin.

Welp, back to scavenging hunt!

—

[Cinderclaw]

[Description: A large, crab-like creature with glowing, molten claws. The Cinderclaw's pincers can slice through metal, and it leaves a trail of burning embers wherever it walks. Its thick carapace makes it resistant to most forms of damage, particularly fire]

[Hint: Cinderclaws are tanky, with high health and fire resistance. Bastioneers should focus on using armor-piercing weapons and avoid engaging it near flammable structures]

— seaʀᴄh thё Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

I found the remains of this large creature buried by debris of soil and structures thanks to the Gloamkeeper's Beacon.

"This thing was almost as large as the Sandstalker in terms of size."

I didn't really have a proper equipment to disassemble its claws and carapace yet, so I just decided to drag this thing alongside the carriage with this biome's trusty and resilient vines as the chosen tool.