Unlike the other Grades, Artifacts under the Spirit Grade aren't divided into ten Tiers, but instead followed the normal Power System of the Spheric Verse. As such, as they could technically be considered living things, they evolve just like any other being.
In other words, any Artifact categorized under the Spirit Grade can evolve normally like any other practitioner except, their evolutions are a little more unique.
It was for this reason Damian was stumped.
Any Spirit Grade Artifact or Spheric practitioner worthy enough to have the word 'God' in their moniker meant they stood firmly in the Eigth Sphere at the very least. As a result, any existence capable of forcing such an Artifact into dormancy was definitely not on a level even his own House of Octavius could hope to match.
Damian took a deep breath before he shook his head. It wasn't yet time to be thinking of such matters. Although, it could be said that he garbed the highest talents in the Spheric Verse, to existences even on the level of Claire's House of Etoile, he was still an ant. An ant that could be crushed on a whim.
He threw the Battle God Sabre into his Storage Ring, and returned his focus on the Artifacts displayed on the shelves.
"For my first Tier 5 Bronze Artifacts, show me the best dresses, possibly ones with defensive augmentations."
The shelves vanished then reappeared again, this time, in a far higher number. Obviously, since they were just mere Tier 5 Bronze Artifacts, it only made sense they were nearly countless.
The reason Damian had asked for a dress was because his previous set had been destroyed in his fight against Valerie. As he stood currently, he was only half naked. His t-shirt had been destroyed, leaving his upper body naked, while his black trousers had tears and burns desecrating its appearance.
Damian sifted through the options as usual before finally settling on a black tracksuit with nearly imperceptible Edict Runes adorning it. It came with a self-cleaning mechanism in the case it was dirty, and a self-repairing mechanism in the case it suffered tears. In addition, it also boasts of a defensive capability that completely offsets the attacks of any existence in the First Sphere, and does the same for Second Sphere existences by 50%.
For his second Tier 5 Bronze Artifact, Damian picked a pair of white sneakers. It had a rigid defense of its own and directly grants a +25 to his Agility, making him a notch faster than his previous self.
His third Tier 5 Bronze reward however, was a little bit unique. It was a Skill called Swift Strike. Just as its name implied, it was a Skill that accelerates the speed of one's strike and slashes.
The truth was, Damian didn't see a need for this Skill. He had plentiful Skill Scrolls in his Storage Ring, and could have chosen any out of it. However, the reason he hadn't was because these Skills were only tailored to perfectly match his House Physiology. And since he hadn't awakened that, there was no way he could use it.
As such, he could only make do with this. But of course, he had it in mind to awaken his House Physiology. This was one of the things he would do the moment he leaves the Spheric Tower.
With that, Damian was all set. But then, he thought of something. Abruptly, a familiar sabre appeared in his hands. Its blade shone with a silver sheen, its sharpness undeniable.
"System, do you think I could trade this for a different Artifact?" Damian asked.
Although, he felt a little bit bad for departing from his first ever earned Artifact, there was no denying the fact that it was at the end of the day, a mere Tier 5 Bronze Grade Artifact. It had no place beside Damian in his journey from here onwards.
But then, that only depended on the response of the System. If his wish was doable, then, he wouldn't hesitate to trade it for another Tier 5 Bronze Artifact. But if it wasn't, then the Light Sabre can always rest in his Storage Ring till he found an use for it.
[ Yes ]
Damian's eyes lit up. "How's that done?"
[ All you have to do is pick any Tier 5 Bronze Artifact you want and drop the Light Sabre to replace it ]
Damian didn't reply but got to work. He surfed through the countless Artifact, before finally settling on an earring that had just one function.
Multilingualism.
It allowed him to understand and comprehend nearly all languages just under the Second Sphere, and in turn, those he speaks to will always hear him in their respective tongues, when in actuality, he was just speaking his home language.
He had taken this just in case he travelled to another world, so he wouldn't be helpless.
"Done."
The moment he said that, the shelves vanished as though they had never been there, and once again, he found himself in the grey fog that rendered his senses a jumbled mess.
While Damian was still contemplating on the intentions of the System, a blob of golden light suddenly appeared before him. At first, he skidded several steps backwards, his stance an aggressive one. However, the moment he noticed that the golden blob of light was harmless, he began moving towards it.
"System. What is this?"
[ Earth's World Will ]
Damian's eyes widened, a seemingly surprised expression coating his face. Even so, that didn't seem to stop the smile that began to curl at the corner of his lips.
A World Will was just what it seems, the Will of a world. It was this Will that granted talents given to them by the Spheric Embodiment to the inhabitants of the world they looked over. It was this Will that protected a world to a certain extent, and in addition, it was also a very integral part of a world.
The death of a World Will meant the destruction of the world they were overlooking. As such, to protect them, World Wills are usually kept in the hands of the most talented of a generation. It just so happened Damian fell into such a category.
Without hesitation, he beckoned for the Will into his body and almost immediately, a sensation the likes of which he had never felt bombarded his being. It wasn't painful, nor was it pleasurable. It was an odd in-between state he couldn't properly decipher.
It felt as though he was Deity looking over his prized creation, as though all of Earth was within his grasp. And indeed, that was the case.
With the World Will in his possession, Damian felt as though he could teleport to any part of Earth without difficulty. What's more, he suddenly felt as though he was undefeatable.
Without a doubt, so long as he was on Earth, he would enjoy a +100 increase to all his already overwhelming attributes, and in the case he had to leave the planet, the +100 increase would be halved, leaving only +50 to all his attributes. Even so, that was still terrific.
And the beauty of it all was that it would only continue to increase. As Earth is currently still a First Sphere World, its World Will is still in its infancy stages and as such was still limited in the benefits it bestowed. However, with each evolution into each subsequent Sphere, the benefits it bestowed would only increase by 200%
Which meant, when Earth evolved into the Second Sphere, Damian would see a +200 increase to his stats, and a +400 increase to all his attributes when Earth became a Third Sphere World.
Damian couldn't help but grin in exhilaration.
But maybe… just maybe… the most shocking part of it all was that, this was just a part of the benefits he could glean.