Eren opened his eyes after what felt like an eternity to him.

He tried to get up and found out that he wasn’t lying about anything. He was placed in an anti-gravity field.

“So you finally decided to wake up.”

Eren heard Kino’s voice and turned to her. Lightning struck and he got himself out of the anti-gravity array effortlessly.

“How long?”

Eren asked while tearing down his worn-out tunic. He surrounded himself with a dense cloud of fire before changing into a new set of clothes.

“You were out for more than 80 hours. Did you notice the change within you?”

Kino asked, looking astonished at Eren. The latter scratched his light stubble and appeared confused. He looked at his arms, legs, and torso. Then he brought out his status window and realized what Kino was talking about.

The battlemage was only a step away from becoming an Awakened. He just needed a small push to become a Rank-2 entity.

Eren had a mild smile on his face when he noticed the big change. He realized that battling the overhyped lizard had brought him significant benefits beyond the rewards he would receive.

“I’m ready when you are.”

Eren adjusted his white hair so it wouldn’t block his view and got right to the point. Kino nodded at him before adding.

“Eren, I reckon you’d be a fearsome ranker and Hexer one day if you manage to get past the Arch rank. Even now, there’d hardly be anyone of your caliber in your generation.

My master Ilevar wanted to pass on this legacy to the most exceptional Hexer I could find. Even if you are the first and only contestant these testing grounds have seen, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to find someone more worthy of his legacy than you.”

Kino said and smiled. She then conjured up a sleek-looking ring in her hand before sending it toward him.

“These are your rewards for clearing the testing grounds completely. They include the rewards you received for clearing the first stage as well.”

Eren raised his eyebrows before grabbing the ring that was levitating in front of him. The face of the artifact had a bear motif. He bound it to himself with his mana signature before sending his mana sense inside.

Artifacts!

Potions!

Spell scrolls belonging to different schools and elements!

Alchemy products!

Books related to artifact smithing and more!

And lastly, loads and loads of mana quartz.

“These are…”

Eren stuttered while asking his question, too shocked and overwhelmed by looking at the rewards to form a coherent sentence. It looked like Kino was planning to bankrupt the whole testing ground by giving him these many rewards all at once.

They were simply too many to count in a single breath.

“Yes. They all belong to the Awakened rank. I figured there’s no use giving you anything related to your current rank since it is bound to get outdated once you become Rank-2. So the rewards are future-proof for your growth.”

Kino chuckled and confirmed Eren’s suspicions. She had indeed given him a lot more than he was supposed to receive. But she knew her master best. She would want Eren to have these rewards.

“That’s not the only thing you’ll get, Eren. Take out your bear armor set for me.”

Kino commanded Eren and he obliged without thinking twice about it. He was too busy sorting through his rewards to say or object to her suggestions.

Boom!

Eren was snapped back to reality when Kino destroyed his armor set as soon as it appeared on the ground in front of him. The bear tattoo on his chest disappeared when the armor set was dispersed.

The set was already half-ruined anyway. Thus, Eren didn’t care about the artifacts. But he wanted to know why Kino did what she did.

“Hehe. You don’t need counterfeit Hex gear anymore.”

She snapped her fingers and said. In the next moment, a three-dimensional array formed around Eren. The runes that the array was made from started illuminating and rotating around Eren as Kino operated on them.

“Drop your blood on the ground and manifest your elemental mana around you.”

Eren heard Kino’s commands and followed suit. Biting his thumb, he dropped a drop of blood. He also imbued it with his mana signature before channeling his mana throughout his body.

Eren knew what was happening to him when the blood disappeared into thin air before reaching the ground. He was bound to an artifact set. However, the feeling he received was more profound than what he had experienced last time.

A new bear tattoo was formed on Eren’s left chest when the array dispersed. It was formed with runic details that had distinct mana fluctuations.

Eren quickly tapped into his bear tattoo and manifested the gear set around him. In the next moment, he was seen wearing a full-fledged heavy armor set that looked exquisite.

This set looked and felt lighter than before. The armor covered his entire chest and back. The gear consisted of arm guards, leg guards, and shoulder guards. Even his legs and head could be covered in armor details if he chose to.

The set also included a shield and a sword. The shield had a bear motif over it that seemed to change its expression from time to time. The broadsword Eren had received with the set looked heavy and intimidating. It was oversized and gave off a dominant aura.

The gear allowed for relatively better agility than his last set despite being focused on defense. Eren had to say that the gear set he was using before this new set was nothing but bull’s crap in front of it.

Eren didn’t know which question to ask first. Thankfully, Kino understood his dilemma and gave detailed information about the reward.

“This is a transcendent-grade Bear armor gear set. Eren, this armor is not bound by any rank. It will grow with you until the Arch rank. Even beyond with some adjustments. The runic markings over it will help the set evolve as per your needs.

This Bear armor set is the pinnacle of artifact smithing done by my master Illvar.

It will adjust to your battle style the more you use it. It had been endowed with partial consciousness. That means the gear set can also repair itself, given enough time and resources.”

Eren’s blue eyes shone and he couldn’t help flashing a wolfish grin when he heard the transcendent-grade gear set’s description. But then he became worried about something.

“Alephee, you must have seen me using various spells. So there’s no harm in asking you. The way my elemental affinity works…”

Kino nodded at Eren when she understood what he was trying to say. She replied to him in an assuring voice.

“Eren, the gear is not bound to any element. It looks like you are a multi-element user. I don’t know how you achieved what you have achieved. And you have the right to privacy. But some of the functions of the testing grounds are beyond my control.

As determined by the testing grounds themselves, you possess true elemental neutrality. The bear armor set you have been provided with will ensure that your Hex spells, regardless of what element they come from, are not restricted while you are wearing the gear.

Sadly, the gear won’t be able to amplify the Hexes like the regular Hex gear set because of its elemental neutrality. However, this gear set is still a better choice for you than restricting your battle style unnecessarily.

The set will allow you to diversify your attacks. It will keep up with your growth. And it will keep improving itself over time. You can say that the gear set is alive in its own way. And it would have the same growth potential as you since it would be copying you.”

Kino talked about the transcendent-grade Bear armor set’s qualities and kept on surprising Eren with new details. The more he listened the more fascinated he became by the set.

Only now did he understand why so many rankers were willing to become Hexers. If they knew what kind of gear set the final winner of the testing grounds received, a huge number of rankers would be willing to risk their lives and become Hexers to get their hands on gear like this.

Eren kept his bear armor to a minimum. He wore only his heavy mail, arm guards, and shoulder guards and dispersed the rest. He then called forth the sword he had received as a set and started feeling it in his hands. He had to channel his mana through his arms to lift the weapon properly.

Eren activated his Twin Star Arts: Solo Weapon stance. He then swung the broadsword around him to get the feel of the weapon.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Sonic-like sounds were created when Eren started sending Igni and Blitz slashes around him as he spun. Eren stopped when he started sweating. Since it was crafted only for him and tailored to his needs, the weapon allowed for fluid handling.

“This… this set is freaking awesome.”

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