Chapter 356: Just give me the goddamn robotic arm

Chapter 356: Just give me the goddamn robotic arm

After being told to fuck off, we leave the place. It's the nicest way anyone’s ever told me to fuck off, and I don’t realize what's happening until we’re already outside, and she throws our shoes out behind us.

HOW! How is she not enamored by the chance to examine an arcane weapon? Just show me the goddamn robotic arm!

"Maya, I'm annoyed," I complain to the woman next to me.

"You should run [Focus] in the back of your mind to..." Maya swiftly dodges my mana projectile and deflects another by creating a barrier over the back of her hand.

She smiles playfully, "Just let it be before you make it worse. We can ask Tess or Channeler to talk to Miwa and at least get you your pizza."

"But the arm..."

"Oh, come on! What's even so fascinating about it?"

"It was made by Champion Keiron, the dude with [Avatar] skill and the descendant of Cockroachsandra. That alone makes it interesting."

Her eyes burn on my skin as she asks, "Please tell me you are not planning on stealing that arm."

"Borrowing. I can give her both of my arms if she wants. They’re good arms."

She snorts, "Only Lily has any use for your arms, please act like a normal human. You shouldn’t be so laidback about losing an arm. I mean, what are you, a lizard or something? Having Lily on hand is making you even worse."

Grabbing my hand, she pulls me away from the house, "You have that arcane alloy you keep babying. Maybe she would like to examine that more, she seems like a blacksmith."

She lets go of my hand and I shake my head resolutely, "She would want a piece of it. I know that. I'm not willing, not even if she offers to give me the arm."

"Is it that good?" Maya wonders.

"Yes. It was made by someone who worked with the Champions on the 5th floor and was rewarded for it by their Absolute. His life’s work."

"But it's only arcane." She pauses, giggling. "Only arcane," she repeats. "You already have a damaged arcane ax."

"That's not how it works," I offer my hand to Maya and she puts hers onto it. Then I teleport both of us, appearing near our house, and I continue, "It's arcane even in its raw form. If you have, let's say, upper rare materials like metals or stones you can, with a lot of work, create low or maybe even mid epic items."

She pauses me there, "But I saw arcanadium, endurium, and some other metals and that’s not including the rare crystals she had, some of them were even epics.."

"Yes, that's the difference in the purity of the material. I don't know that much about it, but these metals are rarely found in their pure state, so they usually need to be purified. Nevan told me about a method he had to categorize the different grades of ore, but I ignored it back then."

"So that arcane alloy can be turned into a mid or upper arcane item?"

"Probably? There is a low chance that I may even be able to make something better than arcane, but probably not. Even Champions tended to carry arcane weapons and items. If the system hasn’t been reducing the grade of these items, then it means that mid and upper arcane are usually what the new and weaker Champions would have."

"And the system’s already been putting low tier arcane items in the tournament?" she asks unbelievingly.

"If I'm right, there is a huge difference between grades within arcane." It makes a lot of sense, in my opinion. As the rarities will grow, the difference between low, mid, and upper will only increase.

Maya smiles out of nowhere, "When you have the funds, buy me some arcane armor or something. I’ll be your personal minion if you do. We [Focus] holders have to stick together, right?" she pokes my side.

In retaliation for her shameless declaration, I ask, "So what level is your [Focus]?"

That silences her for a moment, and she sighs, "That skill is scary to level. Anyone who makes it to the higher levels can't be normal," she says, repeating her favored excuse.

"But I turned out just fine," I say, in defense of my favorite skill, and myself by extension.

(Food food food!)

Only an hour remains until we get the notification for the third event. It's still night, yet from the hill where our house is, we can see thousands of lights shining in the common area. People moving around, lights of the houses, campfires set.

Nobody here is a normal human anymore, and that applies even to the weakest among us. Even a few levels are enough to put the average person on a footing with those who’ve trained their whole lives.

We are stronger, we can move faster, and our stats make us more resilient. It's easier to go without sleep for some time, and after the body upgrade, a lot of us require less food, water, and rest.

Even with that, only a few things would change if we returned to Earth. But it doesn't end with this.

Some people lack the proper scope. They see people from Hell as tactical weapons of mass destruction. Weapons to be used as deterrents by their respective countries. But that's straight up silly.

We’re in the process of the Pairing, we will be forced to fight a whole other planet and face its natives, who are likely to be much more experienced than us and have had more time to build their forces.

We’ve just been introduced to the system, everyone in the tutorial is our First Generation. People who went through the tutorial while learning as much as possible. The goal here seems obvious now.

We’re being groomed to lead, protect, and set the order once we return to Earth. Some of us will need to serve as teachers.

Every time I think about it, I feel the excitement in my chest. The boring life I had on Earth has been left behind, replaced by something new and grand. The pursuit of power in the name of taking on opponents who want to see me dead, and the opportunity to explore the powers we’ve received.

Champions, Absolutes, and their Disciples, Rulers, and maybe something over that? The mystery of what happens after reaching level 99 in a skill. The final Beyond trial and Beyond itself. And more.

Thinking on too small a scale is straight up stupid. This won’t end with Earth.

Back in the common area, I examine the window that pops up announcing the event.

Please, create your avatar. You can decide the severity of your [Restriction] as well as any additional rewards.

Warning, if your avatar gets defeated, the additional rewards will be split between the challengers.

Warning, once you set a [Restriction], it can't be changed.

Looking at the window, I think of the love and hate relationship I have with the system and the tutorial. From a certain point of view, it also makes sense that Savant thinks that the system is fair.

But, the system is still an asshole.

I set my avatar and look around the common area, Lily next to me has finished setting up hers as well.

Then after a minute a notification appears for the difficulties under Hell and everyone starts scrolling through their windows. Then like clockwork, a conversation starts. Slowly growing shocked calls and hundreds of people looking around, some people look almost like their eyes are bulging out of their heads.

Some of them find me, poking their friend, and like that, hundreds of pairs of eyes are looking straight at me.

The reason is obvious, a simple small window they’ve all been shown.

Avatar: Noname, group 4

Restriction: 3rd Floor

Additional rewards:80,000 shards