I smirked, shaking my head as I raised a hand in a casual salute. "See you later." I said before turning on my heel, eager to get back to my apartment and check out my rewards from the D-Rank Rend.
Once home, I tossed my belongings onto the couch and immediately grabbed a fresh set of clothes. A hot shower was non-negotiable—I needed to clean up after that exhausting fight.
I dropped onto the couch with a deep sigh, muscles finally relaxing. "Finally," I muttered, stretching out. "Time to go over my rewards."
Summoning the System Interface, the notifications instantly popped up before me.
[Rewards Acquired]
Chaos Rend Core
(x10,500) Essence Fragments
(x5,225) Ascended Fragments
New Weapon: [Blue Crystal Chaos Sword]
(x95) Chaos Shards
(x500) Chaos Gemstones
(x130) Aethersteel acquired
(x180) Nightshade Essence acquired
50,000 Gold
Blessing from Chaos
My eyes scanned the list, nodding in approval. The collectibles were a huge addition to my growing stockpile, but my focus immediately locked onto the new weapon.
[Blue Crystal Chaos Sword LV.1]
A sword obtained from defeating the Chaos Behemoth Boss. It is made of blue chaos gemstones and emits chaos energy.
Type: One-Handed Blade
Rarity: Rare
Effects:
[Chaos Infusion] – All attacks deal +5% Chaos damage and ignore 10% of enemy resistances.
[Energy Absorption] – Can absorb Chaos Shards to temporarily increase attack power by +10% for 30 seconds.
[Unstable Rend (Passive)] – Critical hits have a 20% chance to unleash a Chaos Surge, dealing AoE damage in a small radius.
[Phantom Edge (Active)] – The blade can phase through low-tier defenses, bypassing weak shields and barriers.
I equipped the sword, and the moment my fingers wrapped around the hilt, a pulse of energy surged through my arm. The blade hummed with raw, untamed power, and faint purple veins of chaos energy pulsed along its crystalline structure.
I gave it a few experimental swings.
Each motion left behind a trail of shimmering chaos energy in the air. The sword felt absurdly light, but each strike carried an invisible force, like something was amplifying my movements beyond what I could feel.
A slow smile crept across my lips.
"Couldn't have asked for a more badass weapon."
With one final flourish, I unequipped it, letting it vanish back into my inventory. Now, onto the next reward.
[Blessing from Chaos LV.1]
After defeating a secret Chaos Boss, Pandemonium offers you power.
[Chaos Empowerment] – All Chaos-based attacks deal +15% damage and have a 10% chance to trigger a secondary explosion upon impact.
[Chaos Resistance 10%] – Reduces the effects of Chaos-based attacks and corruption.
I whistled, impressed. Not bad at all. This was only Level 1, and the boost to Chaos abilities was already solid.
"Just the beginning, and things are already looking pretty good." I muttered to myself.
The D-Rank Rend had been unexpectedly difficult, though…
No, scratch that. I had a feeling that place wasn't supposed to be a D-Rank in the first place.
Oh well. No point dwelling on it.
Next reward.
[Nightshade Essence]
A thick, inky-black liquid with faint violet luminescence, often stored in reinforced vials.
[Aethersteel]
A shimmering silver-blue metal that hums with latent Aether energy, highly durable yet surprisingly lightweight.
"Hm… interesting," I murmured, rubbing my chin. "I'll definitely have to visit a weapons shop and see what I can do with this. Maybe I can get another weapon."
Dual wielding was badass as hell, after all.
I scrolled further down, eyes locking onto the final two rewards.
[Essence Fragments]
Shards of divine energy left behind when a Rend Core is neutralized. These fragments serve multiple purposes for Eternals.
Uses:
1. Charism Enhancement – Strengthens existing Charisms, increasing their power, duration, or range.
2. Unlocking Greater Charisms – Evolves a Minor Charism into a Greater Charism.
3. Aether Expansion – Increases an Eternal's Aether pool, allowing them to use more powerful abilities without fatigue.
4. Crafting Divine Relics – Key material for creating powerful artifacts, weapons, and armor.
5. Trade and Currency – Used for purchasing equipment and specialized tools for Rend exploration.
[Ascended Essence Fragments]
Far rarer and more potent than regular Essence Fragments, typically obtained from higher-tier Rends.
Uses:
1. Fusion of Charisms – Allows Eternals to combine two or more Charisms, creating unique new abilities.
2. Unlocking Ultimate Charisms – Required to evolve Greater Charisms into Ultimate Charisms.
3. Creation of Unique Relics – Used to craft one-of-a-kind artifacts infused with godly power.
4. Ascendant Path Abilities – Unlocks high-ranking Eternal abilities.
5. True Eternal-Specific Uses – Enhances Charism Mimicry and allows fusion of conflicting Charisms (like Chaos and Order).
6. Gateway to Ascension – Legends say accumulating enough Ascended Fragments could unlock godhood itself.
I leaned back, absorbing all the information.
"So basically, I can upgrade my Charisms?"
Now that was worth testing.
I opened my Charisms menu, scrolling through my abilities.
[Charisms]
[Life (Anima)] [Vital Bloom LV.1] (C-Rank)
[Death (Mortis)] [Necrotic Veil LV.8] (B-Rank)
[Chaos (Pandemonium)] [Fractured Reality LV.1] (D-Rank)
[Order (Harmonia)] [Absolute Edict LV.1] (A-Rank)
[Light (Lux)] [Luminous Ward LV.1] (B-Rank)
[Darkness (Umbra)] [Phantom Rewrite LV.1] (A-Rank)
[Wisdom (Sophia)] [Truth Sense LV.1] (D-Rank)
[War (Bellum)] [Wrath of the Warlord LV.10] (S-Rank)
[Peace (Pax)] [Calming Aura LV.1] (C-Rank)
[Dreams (Somnium)] [Slumber's Grasp LV.1] (B-Rank)
[Time (Chronos)] [Fleeting Step LV.8] (E-Rank)
[Fate (Moirai)] [Threads of Chance LV.1] (C-Rank)
"I should probably upgrade the lowest-ranked Charisms first."
I tapped on Fleeting Step, the only E-Rank Charism.
[Upgrade Available]
[Fleeting Step] E-Rank → D-Rank
Cost: 200 Essence Fragments
[Yes] or [No]
I pressed Yes and watched as a soft glow surrounded the ability, its rank shifting upward.
[Fleeting Step LV.8] → (D-Rank)
Movement speed increased slightly more by distorting time around the body.
[Essence Fragments]: 10,300 Remaining.
I blinked. "Wait… that's all it cost?"
A slow, mischievous smirk formed on my face.
"Time to do a little leveling."