Chapter 198: Treasury Interlude
[Unique Item: Heart of Chronos]
As I grasped the necklace, a surge of latent energy pulsed through my fingers, reverberating up my arm and settling deep within my core.
The Heart of Chronos was alive with power, and the celestial runes etched into the surface glowed faintly, the same ancient script I had seen before when I first acquired my [Unique Item: Tears of Chronos].
Those runes were unmistakable—a mark of celestial magic long lost to the current era.
There was no doubt in my mind: this was the real deal.
With the Heart of Chronos, I could offset most of the dangers that awaited me in the future.
The ability to manipulate time, even in short bursts, was a game-changer, a force that could turn even the most hopeless situation into one I could control.
But then, a system prompt flashed before my eyes:
[Note: Unique Item: Heart of Chronos – Currently Broken]
[Item Status: 70%]
‘Of course’
As expected, the item wasn’t in perfect condition.
I should have anticipated this.
The Tears of Chronos, the first unique item I had come across, had also been incomplete when I found it. This Heart of Chronos—while incredibly powerful—had suffered the ravages of time, much like its counterpart.
Still, even in its damaged state, the potential it held was undeniable.
A fully restored Heart of Chronos would have been immeasurable in power, capable of not only turning back time but perhaps even altering the flow of causality itself.
But, much like the Tears of Chronos, this necklace was meant for something different—more tactical, precise in its manipulation of time.
The fact that it was only at 70% functionality wasn’t surprising.
After all, this artifact had endured centuries of existence.
Unlike the Tears of Chronos, which had been locked away in a dimensionally sealed book, the Heart had been exposed to the wear and tear of the physical world, to time itself.
The celestial magic within it had decayed, the runes still glowing but noticeably dim, and the intricate design of the necklace showed signs of age, tarnished in places.
Yet, the craftsmanship was impressive.
That it still retained this much power, despite not being protected in a sealed dimension, spoke volumes about the skill of its creator.
Whoever had forged this necklace had poured their very soul into its construction.
‘The academy had managed to preserve it to a remarkable degree as well…’
Even with the Heart of Chronos operating at only 70% of its prime state, its power would still put many legendary items to shame.
The sheer potential it held, even in its incomplete form, far surpassed the capabilities of some of the more coveted treasures in the academy.
Most people would pass over it, not realizing what they were looking at.
And fortunately for me, I didn’t have to worry too much about its condition.
After all, I had just the right item in my possession to restore it.
Professor Amelia was still skeptical. “Is this really the item you want? There are plenty of other, more functional items available of the same rank, you know? Even if this is a rare-grade item—”
Ah, so it’s been downgraded to rare grade now. If they truly understood the full extent of its potential, there’s no way they’d label it anything less than unique or higher.
In its prime, this necklace had a power that could rival items far beyond its current and potential rank.
I smiled calmly. “It’s fine, Professor Amelia. This is perfect for me.”
She seemed perplexed, staring at me with a mix of confusion and disbelief. After a moment, she sighed, still clearly unconvinced.
“Well, if that’s what you want, I can’t force you to choose something else, but there are still a lot of better—”
Before she could finish her thought, Snow’s voice cut through the room, redirecting all attention.
“Professor, can I have this?”
Amelia blinked in surprise, her gaze shifting to Snow. Snow was pointing at a sleek silver wand encased in glass.
A delicate white gem adorned its tip, gleaming faintly in the low light of the treasury.
Professor Amelia’s eyes widened in delight, a stark contrast to the doubtful look she had given me earlier.
Her voice brimmed with excitement.
“Oh my, your highness, you do have excellent taste~”
Unlike the tepid response she had for my selection, Amelia was positively glowing with approval over Snow’s choice.
It wasn’t surprising, though.
The wand Snow had chosen was an exquisite piece of craftsmanship, its elegance and power evident at a glance.
[Demetria Alba]
If I recall correctly, that wand Snow chose—Demetria Alba—had a particularly useful effect: it could store a spell inside its white gem and fire it off instantly, without needing to chant.
The key was to save the magic circle’s encryption in advance, which meant Snow could essentially have a spell “on call,” ready to activate without using any mana.
It was a rare-grade item, but its simplicity was what made it so powerful.
For someone like Snow, this wand was a perfect fit. It proved invaluable in critical moments, especially during boss battles.
If you were going for a high-damage, one-shot build, Demetria Alba was a lifesaver.
And in emergencies, when you were out of mana, it could still deliver that final blow to turn the tide of battle.
Simple, effective, and exactly what Snow needed for the kind of precision combat she was known for.
Considering her regular equipment was already top-tier, I doubt she cared much about its rare-grade classification.
It wasn’t about rarity for Snow; it was about practicality, and this wand fit the bill perfectly.
As for me, I had other plans.
[Note: [Unique Item: Heart of Chronos] and [Unique Item: Tears of Chronos]
[Synergy Available!]
[Would you like to Synergize the items?]
[Yes/ No]
A synergy notification flashed in front of my eyes, a tempting offer.
I could fuse the Heart of Chronos and the Tears of Chronos effects right now and enhance their effects, but… [No] I chose to hold off.
Synergizing them now would activate the item’s full potential, but it wouldn’t be at its best. The Heart of Chronos was still in a damaged state—70% functionality.
There was no sense in rushing things.
If I was going to wield an item with such game-breaking potential, I wanted it fully restored first.
After all, if you’re going to unlock a cheat item, why not make it as powerful as possible, right?
With that decision made, I tucked the Heart of Chronos away for the time being.
Snow and I continued following Professor Amelia as she gave more detailed, though redundant, explanations about various items inside the treasury.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of “educational” detours, we were released from the treasury.
…..
“That was a bit unexpected…” Snow murmured, her voice tinged with curiosity.
“What is?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, it’s just that I didn’t expect you to care about materialistic things, Riley. Do you like accessories that much?”
Snow tilted her head slightly, her gaze shifting to my earrings and then the new necklace I was wearing.
“Now that I look at it, your earrings and necklace have similar patterns and designs. Were you a fan of the Grand Magus, Riley?”
From her perspective, it probably did seem that way.
Both the Tears of Chronos earrings and the Heart of Chronos necklace shared a unique design, embedded with celestial runes and symbols only those attuned to rare magical artifacts would recognize.
And technically, Snow wasn’t wrong.
These two items were essential parts of my build in the game—my go-to support items.
But I couldn’t exactly explain that to her.
“Well, somewhat,” I responded, keeping it vague.
She made a thoughtful, playful “hmm~” sound, clearly finding something amusing in her thoughts.
Snow’s lips curled into a small smile, her eyes glimmering with that particular look she had when she figured something out.
I couldn’t quite tell what she was thinking, but I knew that look all too well. She was always up to something.
“Thank you for taking the time to escort me here, Riley,” she said suddenly, breaking the brief silence.
“No, it’s alright,” I replied casually.
Finally, we arrived at Heavenly Hall, where Snow would have to part ways. I waved a casual goodbye, and she returned it with a graceful smile.
Being the student council president now, she probably didn’t have much free time to spare.
Although she could have claimed her reward on any other day—on a day where her schedule wasn’t packed with responsibilities—she chose to do it on the same day as me.
Just to spend a bit more time together.
‘I should make it up to her next time…’
Snow’s feelings for me were no secret.
I could see the seriousness in her eyes whenever we talked, the quiet moments where her guard would drop, revealing just how much she cared.
Blatantly ignoring her efforts—it would be a shitty move on my part, especially since I knew she wasn’t one to waste her time on trivial things.
She chose to spend this day with me, and I’d been too focused on my own agenda.
I knew I shouldn’t make any big moves with the heroines until I could secure the future—the happy ending I was aiming for—but showing a little appreciation here and there?
That couldn’t hurt, right?
It was only fair, given everything.
Snow deserved at least that much.
Anyway, for now, I had something else to focus on.
I glanced down at the Heart of Chronos, feeling the faint hum of magic still pulsing within it, but it wasn’t as strong as it should be.
The item was in a fragile state. The moment I took it out of the treasury, its already degraded condition started to worsen.
There was no preservation magic in place to protect it anymore, and time was not on my side.
The quality was probably diminishing by the second.
I’d better head back to the dorms and fix this thing before it gets any worse.
