The soft, white sheets of his bed and relative comfort and quiet of his dwelling allowed Shane to rest until just a bit before noon. He welcomed the dreamless sleep after having such a rollercoaster morning. Feeling refreshed, awake, and like a new day had started, Shane bounced out of bed with Liz and Sharlot at his side moments after.

"Time for my favorite part of any day," Shane said in a sing-song voice.

Shane opened the first of two notifications as he hummed parts of the song Liz had played for him back when the first Cane attacked him and Alabaster.

-Battle Rewards!-

1 Level 9 Hybrid Slain!

1 Level 11 Hybrid Slain!

You Have Earned The Following Rewards:

671 Experience Points! 22 Silver Coins! 6 Gold Coins! 2x Mana Potions

Restores a medium amount of mana

(Rare) Sharp Steel Claymore of Confusion

A 2-handed sword that can turn into a boomerang at will

(Uncommon) Ancient Bracelet of Experience

A bracelet that increases experience points gained

Oh wow! Awesome! He exclaimed without disturbing a napping Alabaster hanging from the ceiling upside down as a bat. Shane first explored the Bracelet of Growth, hoping for a significant increase in all experience gained.

-Ancient Bracelet of Experience-

(Uncommon)

Increases Experience Points Gained by 10%

"Okay, not a huge amount, but way better than not having it!" Shane quietly said but was still beaming.

Next up was the new weapon! While the mace he had used was excellent, his aptitude with bladed weapons compelled him to find a replacement. Better yet, this new sword was two-handed, so its damage and reach easily trumped the weapons he had used thus far.

-Sharp Steel Claymore of Confusion-

(Rare)

+36 Damage

-Modifiers-

[2-Handed]: Must Wield Using Two Hands

[Sharp]: +25% more damage on weapon

[Confusion]: has a 30% chance apply [Confusion] to opponent hit

Feats Gained:

-Boomerang Blade-

(Rare Active)

Disconnects the weapon's blade and sends it spinning at the enemy at high speeds in an arc that returns to the user.

Damage: Base Weapon Damage

Cost: 25 Fatigue

Range: 20 Meters

Duration: 2 Seconds

Cooldown: None

"Yes!" He exclaimed loudly, forgetting to keep his voice down in his newfound excitement from good loot.

Alabaster grumbled awake as his form changed from a bat to his usual collected self. He dropped to the floor with a thud yawning and stretching.

"I'm sorry for waking you, Alabaster, but you have got to check out this new weapon I got from beating those hybrids!"

Shane walked over to the window and held the sword in both hands, letting the midday light wash over its surface. The Claymore was longer than Shane would have thought it ought to be. The steel blade alone was a full meter in length, and yet its flexible and wavy design was light in his hands—a typical claymore it was not.

The orange energy dripping from the blade's edges caught everyone's eyes. The flowing energy fell outward from the blade's boundaries as it blended into the air and disappeared in an endless cycle.

Sadly, the rest of the sword's offerings weren't as interesting, at least for a magical sword. A plain rectangular wooden guard rested atop a two-handed grip made of faded leather. Shane looked past the grip and observed the sword's brass spherical pommel.

Everything but the blade itself seemed near a state of wear and decay. Overall, he really couldn't complain, could he? Besides, weapons in Endless Veil were not easy to break.

Shane carefully slid the sword into its cream-white sheath that had appeared at his side—securely attached to his novice pant's belt loops.

"I am not sure if I should be more impressed at the sword you've just obtained or the fact these gifts materialize for you out of thin air," Alabaster said with a dry smile.

"I think it's certainly incredible. You deserve it, Shane!" Said Liz with the happiest digital eyes Shane had ever seen on her metallic screen.

Shane grinned an equal smile and happily opened the second quest screen.

-Level 10 Emergency Quest Complete-

Killed The Hybrid Pair and Avegened Humphrey

You Have Earned The Following Rewards:

652 Experience Points 56 Silver Coins 17 Gold Coins 5x Skeleton Keys

You May Choose Two of The Following Rewards:

10 Gold Coins 10x (Uncommon) Iron Throwing Darts

These darts heal instead of hurt

(Rare) Loot Sense Passive Feat

Allows the user to sense the quality of loot within a specific range

(Rare) Weeping Velvet Shorts of Madness

Sadness fades quicker. It can cause madness when the user is damaged

(Rare) Lucky Hammer of Retribution

Allows for melee attacks at a distance

"Interesting," Shane remarked as he perused the quest completion's offerings.

He didn't need the hammer, not with the new Claymore at his side. The free gold coins were certainly appealing as they were perpetually helpful. After a few moments of consideration, Shane opted for the loot-sensing passive feat and those weeping velvet shorts. There was no excuse to replace his current paltry leggings—as comfortable and freeing as they are.

The loot sense passive feat materialized in his hand first. It looked like a small vanilla wafer cookie, but he knew it held a power he sought within the cookie's golden-brown edges. Its vanilla flavor was a bit on the bland side as he chewed it, but moments later, the passive skill's screen popped into view.

-Loot Sense-

(Rare Passive Feat)

Allows the user to focus and see a loot's rarity within 1 meter.

Loot can be immediately identified by the following colors:

Common - White

Uncommon - Green

Rare - Blue

Unique - Purple

Legendary - Orange

Supreme - Red

God-Like - Gold

Shane whistled as he acknowledged the passive skill was indeed working by looking directly at Alabaster and focusing his vision. The opulent vampire's garb gave off a dim blue glow—the only exception was the locket he stole and gave to Alabaster, as its glowing hue was green.

"Nice gear, Alabaster!" Shane said as he gave his friend a thumbs up.

The vampire looked confused for a second, shrugged, and gave Shane a rushed bow in return for the compliment. He scowled slightly as Shane's attention had already been whisked away by a pair of dark-red velvet shorts materializing in the human's hands. Their soft, silky material paled in comparison to their stat offerings.

-Weeping Velvet Shorts of Madness-

(Rare Armor)

+5 Phy Defense

+12 Mag Defense

-Modifiers-

Weeping: Reduces the amount of time the wearer is sad considerably

Madness: Has a 25% chance of causing madness upon being hit

-No Feat or Spell Infused-

I guess my luck was bound to run out sooner than later, Shane thought with a half frown. He didn't expect every piece of gear to come with a feat or spell attached. It was only a matter of time before the streak would have broken.

Shane used his inventory system to seamlessly swap his pants for the new shorts. He couldn't believe how comfortable and soft they were on his thighs. The shorts themselves hung just above his kneecap. Seeing himself within the inventory screen made him think of a park ranger with a magical cloak. He snorted and laughed at himself briefly before his attention was stolen by a half-sized Sharlot poking gingerly at his legs.

"Master has nice knees," Sharlot seemed to say to herself as she prodded each knee gently.

Shane shook his head and sighed with a smile. A small and twisted part of him was looking forward to becoming sad just to see how effective his new shorts were.

"Alright, everyone. Are we ready to do some dungeon diving?" Shane asked to the room.

Everyone replied with a loud confirmation at nearly the same time.

"Okay. Liz, remind me to pump some gold into my dwelling when we return later today. I'll level up and morph a spell or feat on our way there," Shane said quickly as he opened his dwelling's door and walked into the sun's shining rays with his companions in tow.

He wouldn't see his dwelling again for over a month.