SSS-Rank Talent: Super Upgrade System
Chapter 108: Safeguarding Treasure!

Chapter 108: Safeguarding Treasure!

Ayra, now clad in S-Grade Crystal Gloves that seemed to absorb light and hum with raw, unyielding power, felt a surge of exhilaration.

Her earlier resentment towards Daniel had completely vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of gratitude and a primal urge to test her new toys.

She flexed her hands, and a small, almost imperceptible shockwave emanated from her gauntlets, making the ground tremble beneath her feet.

"Vance, you magnificent weirdo!" she roared, her voice laced with pure joy.

"These gloves are insane! I feel like I could punch a hole through the entire Taiji Basin!

You’ve officially earned my eternal, axe-wielding loyalty! And maybe even a slight reduction in bathroom-related threats!"

Daniel just chuckled, his own S-Grade Flying Cloud Mystic Bow now glowing softly in his hand.

"Glad to be of service, Ayra. Just ensuring our team’s primary brawler is properly equipped to handle any... overzealous social engagements."

Lia, ever serene, floated closer, her A-Grade Staff of the World Ash adding its gentle emerald light to the scene.

Her calm grey eyes, however, held a new depth of awe as she observed the transformation of Ayra’s raw power into focused, almost divine defense.

"Daniel, your generosity... it is truly extraordinary. An S-Grade weapon is a treasure beyond measure. Few would part with such power."

Daniel shrugged, a subtle, almost imperceptible flexing of his own S-Grade [Soul Assimilation] talent humming within him.

"They’re more suited for Ayra’s style," he replied simply, a truth that was both honest and strategically misleading.

For Daniel, whose core power lay in his unique talent, no single weapon was irreplaceable.

He could assimilate, enhance, and even manifest entirely new abilities from essences.

An S-Grade item, while impressive, was merely a conduit, a tool to be wielded or gifted as needed.

His power came from within, and from the grim, bountiful harvest he tirelessly reaped.

He then turned his attention back to the empty black treasure chest that had held the magnificent bow and the powerful gloves.

It sat on the sand, its dark metal seemingly drinking the light, engraved with swirling ancient patterns that seemed to shift with a faint, dormant energy.

"Still," Daniel mused aloud, a thoughtful frown touching his brow, "it seems... off."

Ayra stopped mid-flex. "Off? What’s off, Vance? We just pulled an S-Grade bow and S-Grade gloves out of it!

That’s like, the ultimate loot! What more could you possibly want?"

"Exactly," Daniel replied, his gaze fixed on the chest. "

Think about it. An SS-Grade beast like the Abyssal Maw Leviathan, a creature that could single-handedly lay waste to entire cities, guarded this chest.

And inside, we found two A-Grade items, before my talent upgraded them to S-Grade."

Lia’s eyebrows, usually calm, furrowed slightly in thought.

"You have a point, Daniel. While exceptionally powerful, two A-Grade items, even of that caliber, seem... disproportionate.

The Leviathan’s sheer power, its supposed SS-Grade classification, suggests it should be guarding something of truly transcendent value.

A hidden relic. A dimensional key. Something that could reshape this entire plane of existence, not just two incredibly powerful weapons."

Daniel nodded, his eyes gleaming with a growing realization.

"The Golden-Armored Blue Ape, the transcendent guardian of the mountain.

Its level and power were unknown, completely unreadable by the Nexus.

That was a truly supreme being. Yet, it guarded a mountain pass and only offered a conditional favor.

This Leviathan, while terrifying, was ’Level 30 (Suppressed). True Level 60. SS-Grade.’

Its power, while immense, was quantifiable. This chest, then... it must be hiding something more."

He reached out, not to the inside of the chest, but to its outer surface, pressing his palm flat against the strange, seamless black metal.

He focused his intent, channeling his S-Grade [Aura Sense+] and his Tier 2 [Soul Assimilation] to delve deeper, beyond simple item identification, to discern the chest’s true nature.

The chest hummed faintly under his touch, then pulsed with a deep, resonant energy that reflected the very vastness of the cosmos.

It wasn’t just a container; it felt like a compressed void, an impossible space within a finite object.

His Nexus Interface, after a moment of struggling against the sheer, overwhelming data, finally responded.

The screen flashed, displaying a single, profound notification.

[Item: Mountain and Sea Chest]

Grade: UNKNOWN

Effect: UNKNOWN

Description: A legendary artifact capable of containing and transmuting vast energies and spatial anomalies. Its true potential is currently sealed.

Further analysis requires a profound understanding of universal constants and dimensional manipulation.

Daniel’s eyes widened, a slow, triumphant grin spreading across his face.

"UNKNOWN," he breathed, the word vibrating with a sense of immense, boundless possibility.

Just like the Golden-Armored Blue Ape. This wasn’t merely a treasure chest; it was a cosmic mystery, a relic potentially far beyond SSS-Grade.

This was the real prize, the true loot the SS-Grade Leviathan had been guarding.

"It’s the chest itself," Daniel announced, his voice filled with a quiet excitement that was far more potent than any shout.

"This is no ordinary container. Its grade and effects are unknown, just like the Golden-Armored Blue Ape, its power is beyond the Nexus’s current ability to categorize.

This is a legendary artifact, not just a chest! Maybe... maybe even SSS-Grade, or higher."

Ayra stared, her jaw dropping open once more. "A... a treasure chest that’s a treasure chest?

What in the blazes do you even do with something like that, Vance?"

Lia, however, her composure now completely returned, looked at the chest with a gaze of profound respect.

"An ’UNKNOWN’ grade artifact... Daniel, this is truly unprecedented. Items of such power are spoken of only in the oldest Vanguard legends.

They are the keys to understanding deeper universal laws, to transcending the very limits of existence.

To obtain such a thing... it means the Leviathan was indeed a guardian of a far greater secret than mere weapons."

Daniel nodded, still mesmerized by the subtle, shifting patterns on the chest’s surface.

"Precisely. This is a game-changer. A true grand prize."

He carefully, almost reverently, lifted the black chest. Despite its appearance, it was immensely heavy, resonating with a contained, ancient power.

He knew it had to be protected at all costs.

He activated his storage ring, its ethereal portal shimmering into existence.

With a soft thump, the Mountain and Sea Chest vanished into the boundless depths of his inventory.

No longer would it sit exposed on the Yang Lake shore, tempting opportunistic scavengers.

This treasure, its secrets yet to be unlocked, would remain hidden, a mystery waiting for Daniel to unravel its true potential when his SSS-Rank [Soul Assimilation] talent had evolved even further.

With the chest secured, Daniel looked at Lia, a slight, apologetic frown touching his brow.

He was now armed with an S-Grade Bow and an S-Grade Blade, and Ayra had S-Grade gloves.

Lia, his crucial A-Grade healer and invaluable teammate, still wielded her A-Grade Staff of the World Ash. While magnificent, it was still an A-Grade item.

"Lia," Daniel said, his voice soft, "I apologize.

I haven’t been able to find a truly suitable S-Grade weapon for you yet.

This chest... it was very specific in its contents. But I promise, I will find something to bring your equipment up to par with the rest of the team. A healer of your caliber deserves nothing less."

Lia smiled gently, her grey eyes warm.

"Daniel, there is no need for apologies. The Staff of the World Ash is already a profound gift, and its power has grown immensely under your enhancement.

My role is to sustain, to protect, and to ensure our team’s resilience. For that, I am already more than adequately equipped, thanks to you. Besides," she added, a teasing glint in her eyes, "perhaps the greatest treasures are not always found in chests, but in the most unexpected of places, or perhaps, in the strength of our bonds."

Daniel felt a warmth spread through him that had nothing to do with the lingering heat from his S-Grade [Solar Flare Fist Art].

He nodded, a genuine, appreciative smile on his face. Lia was truly unique.

"Alright, team," Daniel announced, looking at the setting twin moons, their pale light casting long, eerie shadows across the devastated shoreline.

"We have secured the ultimate prize of this phase. We have more than enough Yin and Yang cards to pass, and then some. It’s time to put this sector behind us."

He then looked at the massive pile of excess Yin and Yang cards they had collected from Ragnar.

They had hundreds left, far more than they could possibly use. An idea sparked.

"Let’s head back towards the central mountain, where the teleportation array is," Daniel continued.

"But before we activate it... we have a surplus of cards. A massive surplus. I think it’s time we put them to good use.

We’ll set up a temporary marketplace. It’s time to sell our excess cards to the other Awakened."

Ayra’s eyes lit up. "Sell them? Like, for money? And other cool stuff? Oh, Vance, you truly are a genius!

A terrifying, destructive genius, but a genius nonetheless!"

Lia nodded, her eyes thoughtful and calm, the faint glow of her staff reflecting in their depths.

"That is indeed a wise course of action, Daniel," she said, her voice steady and composed.

"Given the risks involved and the power we’ve already gained, moving forward with caution and strategy will serve us far better than reckless ambition.

We’ve come too far to let impatience undo our progress."

Many Awakened will be desperate for cards to qualify for Level 4.

It would be a mutually beneficial exchange, allowing us to acquire valuable resources that we might not find otherwise, while also helping others avoid unnecessary conflict."

Daniel grinned. "Exactly. The Level 3 trial is almost over, but the opportunity to further strengthen ourselves, and perhaps even acquire some unique items or skills, is still very much open.

Let’s go make a fortune!"

He activated his S-Grade [Twilight Phantom Step], leading his team away from the silent, ominous depths of Yang Lake, and towards a new kind of harvest.

The Taiji Basin had proven to be a crucible, but for Daniel Vance, it had been a forge, transforming him into an unstoppable force, capable of bending reality to his will.

The next stage of his ascent, was about to begin.

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