My life as a reborn monster-Chapter 44 - System, Loot, And A .... Hallmark Moment?

I sat Sondar down and explained to him that my ability as a Sin holder also came with a 'system', a window like pop up that showed our stats boiled down to a number, I also told him that it granted me a way to grow stronger and acquire more skills than the average person of this world.

He was amazed by the end of it as I was able to show him my system window and give him a demonstration. I tried to show the others that were listening in but they were unable to see it, I assumed it was only showing for me and Sondar so I just resumed the explanation.

"Wait does this mean I can get stronger aswell now?" Sondar said as he was inspecting his own status window.

"I see my skills here, I knew about the skills I had like being able to use earth magic and things like that but if I use it now it feels like it lost its power somehow?" He said as he tried to generate a earth wall like he did to block the fire but was only able to make one that came up to his shin.

"Yea about that, It seems that after you gained my ability it reset your skills down to lvl 0 but this means that it has the potential to be way stronger if you train in those skills again."

"Oh... well that seems like a good trade off and the extra buffs I got from being near you is a great bonus aswell. I feel like I could lift a mountain."

"Yea same here even if your stronger than me it would seem that we both gained a pretty good buff to our stats. I can feel my mana pool is huge right now, So for now we just need to focus on staying near eachother in a fight and we should be alright."

As we discussed the new things that he gained I also discovered that he didn't receive the Gluttony sin but instead it was more like he shared in my sin he would feel a stronger need for sustenance but it wasn't as power as when I would get hungry. I also noticed he didn't gain my hidden skills like my abyssal stomach, or my consumption, that means that more than likely he cannot use devour and assimilate to gain more skills.

After noticing this and telling him he seemed a little saddened but he perked up before saying how he is totally fine without having to go on a devouring spree whenever he gets hungry. He said he was fine with the skills he had and that any new ones he gains would just be a bonus.

I nodded and agreed then I was told about the drops that they found such as the crystals and the loot. I was happy that this happened because I had been wondering if this world had such benefits of their dungeons but up until now had not gotten anything from the ants or the goblins we had killed.

It seems that after a certain level of strength maybe they drop items or another option is that those are the items of past adventurers that died here and somehow those items survived the digestion process. Either way I was totally fine with using the loot drops to give my party a much needed boost.

I had them take me there after I was well enough to walk and was soon led to a huge area that was the site of where the bomb went off. The walls were still crumbling around us and black scorch marks covered the walls. There were even outlines of some of the weaker ants that were flash incinerated in the initial blast.

I walked over to look at the drops and was happy to see that after searching around there was actually a few more drops. There was the spear, the helmet, a book with the symbol of an ant on it, a shield made from the shells of a royal guard, and also a chestplate made from the same material. Obviously I knew who would receive what but I wanted to try and get a look at the specs before making the decision.

'System, is there a way to inspect these items and see what the items stats are?'

[Yes, the skill: Analyze will give accurate details on subject within site.]

'Ok, can you give me the skill or do I have to learn it myself?'

[System not authorized to generate skills.]

'Figures, ok well can I atleast get a hint on how to get it?'

[System not authorized]

'Bullshit you are, but fine whatever thanks for atleast telling me a way exists.'

After having another fruitful conversation with my system I tried to determine how to gain the skill. I first thought just like any other eye/sight related ability It would all depend on the eyes. So I focused a bit of mana into my eyes and stared at the items. The only thing that happened was that my eyesight increased by a small margin and my MP depleted.

"Hey so I know this is a weird question everyone but do any of you have the skill Analyze? or maybe a way to determine how strong an item is?" I ask while looking at the others, they all said no but they had heard of such a skill existing so I knew it was possible to gain.

"Ok thanks anyways. I'll try something and hopefully get it soon. But in the meantime lets gather all this loot up and head back to base. I don't see any signs of the ant queen and I am getting a bit worried about that."

"Oh now that you mention it that is a bit odd. I wonder if she survived your attack master? That would be quite a feat considering how powerful the aftermath was." Shorunt said as he took a quick look around at the various leftover burnt and disintegrating shells.

"I think a small scouting party would benefit us but Digger, my man you need to take a break you worked like a horse keeping track of all the potential threats and leading us towards a new area, I think you can rest for a few, hell if you want after today just keep your scouting to a nearby area. We are relying on you." I said to Digger who had indeed been working his ass off not so much as an attacker, but his ability as our scout and watchman was unparalleled.

"Thanks man I am running on fumes here." He said and whenever we got back to base he laid down next to a makeshift fire pit and passed out.

"Now lets try this again. I am going to focus mana into my eyes but also try and send out a thread of mana to connect with the items, maybe that way it will register as me trying to look at the stats." I said out loud not to anybody in particular but instead mostly to myself to help think the process through.

After a while my MP was down by about 20 points until I see the air in front of the Helmet start to shimmer and after a few seconds a pop-up window appeared as a ding went off in my head. Already knowing what the ding was about I ignored it as I looked more at the pop-up.

[Royal Guard Helmet]

[+10 to Defense, Attack]

[+20 to Defense when guarding royalty]

[Skill: Lesser Command when worn by someone of high status]

[Lesser Command: provides buff that help anybody under the service of wielder. Provides attack, defense, speed, and better coordination within unit.] 𝒇𝔯e𝚎𝘄𝑒𝑏𝙣𝑜𝚟𝗲𝑙.c𝘰𝚖

"Oh wow guys it worked it says here that its a Royal Guard Helmet, it even gives a bonus to attack and defense apparently with a focus on defending but it says the extra bonus is when the wearer is guarding royalty. It also gives a skill called Lesser Command that helps with coordinating units I guess."

I was pleasantly surprised that 1. my idea worked, and 2. the helmet was actually not a bad piece of equipment. I decided to give Sondar this as we had planned on him being my official bodyguard. It seemed to fit him pretty well actually almost like it was made for him. That sent a warning bell off in my head but I ignored it for the time being as my plate was already full at the moment without worrying about possible threats outside of my scope.

I then looked at the other items and each time it seemed that the amount of MP taken was the same no matter how high quality the loot was, which made me happy as I was expecting to empty out my MP pool when we found a OP loot drop.

I looked next at the spear with a sharp mandible as a tip that was designed to not only pierce but also tear on exit. It was a brutal weapon but needed.

[Warrior spear]

[+5 Attack]

[Piercing effect]

[-5 to opponent defense upon weapon exit]

[Causes bleeding upon weapon exit]

'Well no shit sherlock ofcourse a weapon meant for causing insane damage when you rip it out of someone would cause bleeding damage.'

"This is a spear meant for causing insane damage that is mostly focused on dealing increased damage when you rip it out of someone. It causes bleeding damage and it also appears to lower the enemies defense."

There were a few of the close range fighters who oohed at this description. It seems that the clear choice would have to instead be a pick between these 3. It was Howy (Surprisingly), Konna, and even Sondar who showed interest maybe of battle royale could decide the winner, It would be good source of entertainment to the others aswell as a short training session for the fighters.

"Ok so lets continue and we can figure out who gets what afterwards so keep your greedy hands to yourselves haha." I couldn't help but laugh as I saw their faces droop in disappointment. Next was the book

[Ant Pheromone]

[Grants the skill: Ant Pheromone - User is able to generate the pheromones excreted from ants. Either to alert others of dangers or to create a path leading to sources of food.]

"This looks like a skill book for someone to learn how to excrete ant pheromones".

The others looked at the book like it was a huge letdown. While I could see how it was a good thing especially considering how I still wanted a ant queen for a pet.

"Well it looks like this one is mine than I guess." I said before looking at the shield and the armor.

[Royal Shield]

[+10 to Defense, Attack]

[+10 to Defense when guarding royalty]

[Grants the skill: Royal Guard - User will generate an impenetrable shield around itself and the royalty it protects. Will guard against and and all attacks in exchange for the user being rooted in place.]

Next up the armor but I had a feeling about what it was gonna be already

[Royal Chestplate]

[+10 to Defense, Attack]

[+10 to Defense when guarding royalty]

[Grants the skill: Undying Loyalty - Will gain buffs when guarding royalty equal to half of said royalty's stats. Will induce rage when royalty is injured.]

'Well I knew this was coming, it seems to be a equipment set, but what is up with that last skill that seems a bit OP of course considering who the said royalty is.'

"Ok so the helmet, shield, and chestplate are all a equpiment set. It's not telling me if it is the full set right here or if there are more pieces needed but all 3 grants a different skill. I know you guys might not like this idea but I say lets give them to Sondar. As my bodyguard he would stand to gain the most from this set, the book is mine since nobody else wants it, but as for the spear I was thinking that you 3 who showed interest could have a trial by combat and the winner would get the spear how does that sound? Or we could just all vote on who should get it and do it that way."

After a couple of minutes the rest of the group agreed with my idea of trial by combat. I knew they would because I noticed that they were starting to get a little disheartened being down here in the dungeon. At first they seemed excited for what possibilities and adventures would unfold but it quickly diminished as the dungeon proved to be more difficult than imagined.

I was partially to blame ofcourse and I vowed to make up for it to them. But right now I still needed to focus on getting stronger that way I could protect the ones I care about aswell as making sure that the Shadow Eaters do not destroy the world.

"Hey, I can tell you stuck in your head so here have a bowl of my delicious boiled ant stew mixed with leftover goblin." I was brought back to reality by Kitsoma handing me a stone bowl filled with boiled meat and another meat that looked like a greenish blob. I laughed at her attempt to cheer me up and ate while she sat down next to me.

After a little bit she spoke up while looking down at the floor.

"I know you feel really guilty about what happened, and I admire you for what you did to bring back Sondar. But you shouldn't blame yourself to much, he did what he did because he is that kinda person, you and him developed a bond very quickly down here and he did what he thought was best."

"I know this won't help but we all think your amazing and even though we messed up we still want to be around you and keep having adventures after this." She was starting to blush a bit as she continued speaking but I couldn't help but stare at her.

"Look what I'm saying is that I want to keep adventuring with you after we escape from here. I know the future looks bleak right now but I believe that being with you could really be a great thing for me so please say you'll keep me around, Please?"

I could only shake my head at her and chuckle. "haha Kitsoma, I am on a road of empowerment. This road may take me to dangerous places, some of which I don't know if I could guarantee your safety. Even knowing that do you still want to come along with me?" I placed one of feet on her hands as a sign of comfort and stared into her eyes to make sure she knew how serious I was.

I was surprised to see a firm conviction reflecting back from hers. I knew then and there that she was serious.

"Fine, You can stay with me even after this." I shook my head with a smile on my face. But seconds later I was bombarded by 2 girls body slamming me to the ground.

"WAHHHH WHAT ABOUT US MASTER, CAN WE STAY WITH YOU TO PLEEEAAASSSEEE." It was the sisters even Tinoa who normally acted like a mature older sister to Vinoa was evening starting to tear up at this point. I couldn't help but feel pity and even pain as they thought that I would abandon them.

"Ahh how could I leave you 2 behind. Our time together may have been short but I feel like you 2 are my daughters you may be from a different species but through our connection we became a family. I could never leave you nor the other goblins behind."

They cried even harder after that to which point the other goblins came and kneeled to me.

"Master, We could never repay your kindness, We as your family will always be there for you." Shorunt said through tears. (Big Baby)

"Master, Liosa and I will also make sure to become the best as your Sword and Shadow ain't that right Liosa." Konna said while slapping Liosa on the back with a huge smile.

"Yes, like this huge oaf said we will strive to fulfill your goals master."

I couldn't help but take a look at those around me in that moment. From Kitsoma who wanted to make sure that she had a place by my side to my goblins who even though we had a contract between us still wanted that reassurance aswell. I even saw the others standing off to the side with a smile on their faces while looking at the hallmark moment.

"Thank you guys really, I was an pretty much an outcast in my family so this definitely gives me a warm feeling that was really needed." I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the warmth that this moment gave me as a my eyes started to water and tears started to fall.

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[Analyze] Lvl 0 5/10 - User is able to determine the stats of whatever is in sight.. May malfunction if used on strong people or items.