Returning to the training facility, Aaron immediately headed to the medical room to find Luo, who was attentively assessing Laura's well-being. With a hint of relief in his voice, Luo shared with Aaron that Laura was in good hands and that the advanced technology within the room was aiding her recovery.
"I suppose she'll wake up sooner or later, and I don't intend to stick around for the 'later' part. I've taken care of any evidence linking her to the orphanage, so she should be fine," Luo remarked as he prepared to leave the room.
"Um, thanks. Here are the belongings I retrieved from the kidnappers. They claimed to be associated with an organization called Diabolic Dominion. Have you heard of it?" Aaron handed over a bag containing the kidnappers' possessions, excluding a pair of knives that appeared to be the artifact used by one of them before their death.
Luo expression turned serious for a moment before he went back expressionless.
"Ugh, what a bothersome bunch. You'll need to go there and make sure every single thing of theirs is burnt. They're like relentless cockroaches, capable of seeking revenge. I'll do whatever it takes to erase any trace of them coming to this town... See ya later," Luo sighed with exasperation before departing with the belongings.
"Sigh... What a tiring day," Aaron muttered to himself as he made his way to the abandoned factory to burn everything left behind by the kidnappers.
Half an hour later, Aaron reappeared inside the facility, but this time he headed back to his old room. He needed to freshen up and grab something to eat. It was almost dawn, and he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.
"Ah, I miss the food here... At least I have some free time before she wakes up," thought Aaron as the steaks he had ordered were served on the table in front of him by the facility robot.
While enjoying his dinner, he contacted Garry to discuss what to do about Laura's situation. Garry recommended taking her to his private hospital in the center of Coolay Town, which Aaron immediately agreed with as it seemed like the most logical course of action to explain her absence later. He hastened his pace, finishing his meal quickly.
"Great... I'm full now. It's time to see if I can figure out what their artifacts are capable of... But I have no clue about these knives. Hmm..." pondered Aaron for a moment before recalling that he could use the Gatcha app to appraise artifacts.
He rarely used this feature, as it was quite troublesome to scan random objects unless he already knew they were artifacts or magical items.
He scanned both of the knives together using his phone and was quite surprised when he saw their grades.
The appraisal results for the knives were as follows.
[(Fake) Bloody Knife - A counterfeit magical item created by replicating the original Bloody Knife (Rare). It is made and refined using human blood and souls. However, due to the poor craftsmanship of this imitation, the blood consumption required to utilize this knife will be higher compared to a typical magical item.]
"That's it?" muttered Aaron in frustration as he wondered why there were no instructions on how to use the knives. If he hadn't witnessed the kidnapper expertly throwing the controllable knife through the air, precisely hitting others, he wouldn't have known the true potential of the weapon.
However, as someone well-versed in handling numerous artifacts and magical items, he believed he had the skill to wield the knife effectively after a few attempts.
He bit his thumb slightly to draw a few drops of blood and applied it to a specific area on the knife. Releasing the knife, it began to hover shakily before falling when Aaron tried to move it forward.
Quickly, he caught the knife with his other hand before it hit the floor. He made three more attempts before successfully moving the knife in all directions.
After a few minutes of practice, a pair of knives was hovering and rotating in an orbital motion around Aaron. He could even adjust the speed and direction of their movement, which made him wonder why most of the items he obtained were always passive in nature.
"At least I can use these knives from now on, since the effects of using them seem negligible to my physique," thought Aaron, satisfied with his progress. He carefully caught both knives as they landed in his hands, then stored them inside his spatial ring.
He sat down and played with his phone while waiting for Garry's arrangement to transfer Laura to his private hospital. Suddenly, the Gatcha app sent a notification.
"New Task Unlocked! Hurry and claim your rewards!"
He quickly tapped on the notification with his thumb, and the app opened, taking him straight to the daily task interface. He pressed his thumb on the column where the red exclamation mark was stamped.
[New Task: Destroy any fake artifacts to earn reward(s)]
"Rewards? Not tokens huh?" Aaron was surprised as this was the first time the system mentioned the rewards before he had even completed the given task.
Without hesitation, he pressed on the small and slightly blurry image to view the description.
[Aetheric Tear: A tear drop-shaped magical item, born from the tear of a deity, revealing and distinguishing genuine artifacts, including cleverly counterfeited ones. A drop for your eye to see the world!]
He realized that the new task was only unlocked once he had come into contact with the fake bloody knives he acquired earlier in the evening. Despite his initial intention to keep the knives due to their practicality and versatility, he understood the need to complete the task.
He retrieved one of the knives from his spatial ring and placed it on the floor. He knew that the hammer he had obtained from the system was meant for this purpose - to destroy the fake artifact. However, he didn't favor using a hammer as a weapon due to its large size, as he preferred weapons of a piercing and slashing nature.
Carefully, he dropped the knife onto the floor, aligning it with the hammer set at its maximum weight (5000kg), ensuring precision to prevent any damage to the floor.
"Snappp..."
The knife cracked and shattered into pieces. Aaron was about to touch the fragments, but he was taken aback when they suddenly transformed into white particles and were absorbed directly into his phone.
[Congratulations. Task completed. Claim your reward]
A small glass tube with a dropper appeared in Aaron's right hand. It was incredibly light and delicate, barely noticeable in his grip.
...
"Huh..."
He examined the small glass tube and realized that he needed to drop the tear into one of his eyes. After some consideration, he lazily chose his left eye, eager to experience the magical eye's abilities. However, he paused and pondered for a moment.
"Hmm... The last time it took me three days to digest the golden apple for super physique. Should I use this tear drop now?" Aaron thought, weighing the pros and cons of using it immediately.
Without further hesitation, he swiftly opened the glass tube and dropped the tear onto his left eye.
"Heh... Well, I can still use my other eye even if I can't use the left one," Aaron muttered proudly, making the spontaneous decision to use the tear drop.
...
Soon, he noticed that the left side of his vision began to blur gradually. It felt as if he was losing control of his left eye, occasionally sensing a soft poking or nudging sensation within the eye. Although it wasn't painful, he could definitely sense something happening to his left eye.
"Whatever... At least it doesn't hurt like before. I can still manage with just my right eye," Aaron thought as he gathered his belongings into his spatial ring before teleporting to the medical facility to see Laura.
Laura remained unconscious, prompting Aaron to consider completing one of the daily quests to earn some tokens. However, as he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror, he was taken aback.
"What the heck? My left eye is completely black?" he exclaimed.
Despite his unwavering trust in the system's products, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease when he saw his left eye entirely black while the other eye appeared normal.
"Uh... I need to cover my left eye with something, like a bandage or an eye patch. I hope the medical robot can assist me!" he said, calling the medical robot to his room using the master tablet.