With his mind finally set on their next destination, Grimm started getting ready to move. There wasn't much to prepare. He stripped off the government-issued leather armor and tossed it aside. Calling it an armor felt generous at this point. It was worn thin in several places, stitching shredded by past fights, some parts holding together more by stubbornness than material. One glance told him everything he needed to know. It had passed its usefulness.
With his current endurance stats, anything strong enough to pierce his body wouldn't even slow down for that sad excuse of an armor. Putting it back on would just be dead weight. So off it went.
What remained was the underlayer he always wore. A fitted dark shirt made from a surprisingly durable fabric. Not the kind that stops blades, more like the kind that survives being pulled, stretched and slammed around during a fight. His pants matched, snug enough not to snag on anything. A utility belt rested around his waist, though most of its purpose had vanished thanks to his massive storage space. He still kept it on. Mostly for the look.
Once that was settled, only one thing remained. He raised his hand and called up his spatial storage. A faint shimmer opened like a window in midair, and from it he pulled the obsidian-dark ring etched with gold runes. The same ring he'd gotten yesterday.
The one he hadn't dared to wear yet.
He stared at it for a moment, remembering the description that had given him a headache.
---
[Ring of True Measures]
Grade: Common
Durability: — / —
Effect:
→ Equip ring for special effect
---
That was it. No hint. No warning. No explanation. Just an invitation and a mystery.
After almost dying to the tower guardian the moment he stepped inside this place, Grimm had developed a healthy fear of vague descriptions. Anything with missing information had a habit of trying to kill him. He learned that lesson fast.
But hesitation only wastes time. And like they said, no pain, no gain.
He let out a long breath and slid the ring onto his finger. The material was cool against his skin, smooth enough to feel almost slick. It tightened and resized itself until the fit was perfect. That alone made his shoulders tense. His eyes flicked forward, half expecting a red system screen to appear telling him he had violated tower rules and a guardian was coming down to ruin his day. Thankfully, nothing happened.
Instead, a soft chime echoed.
Grimm's heart jumped. His chest tightened. For a split second he saw his soul dissolving again, just like that first day. But the panic vanished when a blue notification blinked open.
— [You have equipped the Ring of True Measures.]
He let out a shaky breath. "Great. Thanks for the reminder, jackass." He muttered at the ring, then waited. Nothing. No effect. No drama.
"So where's the special effect?" he wondered aloud.
Did it need a trigger?
Before he could think on it further, he heard movement behind him.
Sophia was packing up.
Well—packing wasn't the right word. She walked to the magic tent, placed her hand on one of the seams, and channeled a bit of mana. The whole structure collapsed, folding inward like soft fabric. It shrank as if someone had let the air out. In moments it was no bigger than a suitcase, neatly sealed and easy to carry.
Grimm stared. Magitech. The pinnacle of modern Aelios engineering.
When it was discovered that normal tech failed inside the tower, people found answers in mana instead. A mix of magic and machinery. Simple to describe, impossible to replicate without absurd knowledge and rarer materials.
Owning even the cheapest of them was already insane.
He glanced at Sophia.
Rich people lived different lives.
Sophia, unaware of his thoughts, snapped the compact tent into her storage, brushed her hands together and turned toward him with a silent look that said lead the way. As she moved, her gaze flicked once to the ring on his hand. She didn't comment, but he caught the curiosity. Understandable. The ring looked expensive. Too expensive to be considered common. Even he didn't understand it.
But he wasn't planning to figure that out now. His priorities were simpler. Farm exp, gather loot and try not to piss off the walking nuke behind him.
He shot Sophia a quick look. She didn't seem irritated. That was good. Traveling with her probably wasn't great for his mental health, but he didn't have a choice. He sighed, rolled his shoulders and started walking.
The goblin settlement wasn't far. A short walk later, the trees thinned and the stench of goblins drifted into the wind. Grimm handled the stragglers on the road. Low-level trash mobs not even worth effort. Their so-called ambush points and traps looked like toddler attempts, with his Omnivision revealing everything.
Sophia stayed behind him with her hands clasped behind her back, perfectly relaxed. She didn't lift a finger. He didn't want her to anyway. Extra experience was always welcome.
Soon enough, the settlement came into view.
Just as they stepped forward, a soft chime echoed.
— [Ring of True Measures detected.
Recomputing difficulty.]
Grimm blinked. "Huh?"
Before he could check Sophia's reaction, another notification slammed into his vision.
— [Difficulty recalculated: Hell Tier.]
— [Grimskulk Clan settlement generated.
Transporting to appropriate environment.]
"What—wait—?"
He didn't get to finish. The world blinked.
Sophia reached out, sensing the sudden shift, but Grimm had already vanished.
His vision blurred like someone had smeared ink across it. When it cleared, he stood somewhere completely different.
The goblin settlement was gone.
Everything was gone.
In its place sprawled a landscape ripped from an apocalypse.
The sky had turned ashen, a pale gray sheet pressing down on everything. Dead trees stretched in crooked silhouettes, bark blackened and peeling. Their branches clawed at the air. Fine white flakes drifted down. Snow at first glance, but he recognized it as ash. It coated the ground in a powdery blanket that puffed around his steps.
Then the air hit him.
Thick. Heavy. Sharp. Poisoned. His eyes watered. His lungs burned. Every breath tasted like metal and rot.
A series of notifications flared.
[Toxic elements detected.]
[Body Adaptability activating.]
[Purifying foreign substances...]
[Poison resistance increasing…]
[Toxins neutralized.]
Grimm waited for the final message, then exhaled through his teeth. Good thing his trait handled the poison. But that didn't make the air better though. The stench lingered, harsh and clinging.
He was about to cover his mouth with his sleeve when his instincts flared. A faint whistle behind the wind. Something cutting through the air.
He moved without thinking. A sharp twist, feet digging into the ashen ground. Arrows sliced past the space he had just occupied, slamming into the earth with enough force to bury halfway into the ash. Gray dust burst upward.
His eyes narrowed. These weren't normal goblin shots.
He snapped his gaze toward the source. A watchtower fused with a warped settlement wall. Several goblin archers perched on top, already drawing again.
No hesitation.
Grimm pushed off the ground. The force cracked the earth, ash bursting outward in a gritty shockwave. He shot forward like a launched spear, body blurring.
The goblins panicked. Arrows flew but none could keep up with his speed.
He was airborne now, closing fast. Mana surged into his right hand as he called on Vicious Edge. Energy condensed into a sharp, claw-like shape around his fist.
He pulled his arm back.
The wall rushed up to meet him.
Then he punched...