The World Item and the Holy Knight’s Revelation

Domu and Soronna’s group journeyed towards Morgan City.

Domu’s explanation for their appearance in the Velsen Forest’s heart was peculiar. They claimed that they and Dora had been sleeping soundly.

Suddenly, without understanding why, they had opened their eyes to find themselves in this unfamiliar place. The shock of the new surroundings had caused both Domu and Dora to lose their memories, specifically any recollection of the Klaham Continent.

Soronna and her companions offered no comment on this explanation. It sounded utterly riddled with holes, and Soronna found it hard to believe that someone as powerful as Domu could genuinely be afraid.

Yet, seeing Domu, hand-in-hand with Dora, beaming with a spring-like warmth, seemingly proud of their ‘perfect’ and clever explanation, Soronna decided to temporarily overlook it.

While the true identities and origins of Domu and Dora remained a mystery, the genuine smiles on their faces spoke volumes. Soronna’s feminine intuition assured her that they could not be malicious.

Moreover, with her Sage talent awakened, Soronna possessed great confidence in her judgment of character, a trait that had propelled the Eye of Soaroka to a 7th-tier mercenary group in such a short time.

Under Domu’s instruction, Dora had already set the Forest Overlord down. The creature glanced back with every step, a mix of fear and reluctance in its gaze.

Observing Dora’s tearful, aggrieved expression, Soronna felt a pang of sympathy. She was even tempted to suggest that Domu allow Dora to bring the Forest Overlord back to Morgan City.

However, a second thought dismissed it as a terrible idea. If anyone accidentally touched the Overlord’s ear, Soronna couldn’t guarantee it would remain as docile as it was in Domu and Dora’s arms.

Should it truly go berserk, it was unlikely anyone in Morgan City, save for Domu, could stop it.

Along the way, Soronna provided Domu with a general overview of the Klaham Continent.

“The Klaham Continent boasts three powerful human empires.”

“Among them, the Norachi Kingdom, to which Morgan City belongs, is renowned for its formidable military might, situated in the eastern Velsen Forest as one of the strongest empires.”

“The kingdom’s cohesion is exceptionally strong, as every official, from the highest to the lowest soldier, demonstrates extraordinary execution and unwavering loyalty unto death.”

“To the northeast of the Norachi Kingdom lies another formidable empire: the Actica Empire.”

“Positioned in the continent’s far northeast, the Actica Empire is a land of ice and snow, celebrated as one of the strongest empires for its unparalleled military prowess.”

“The final empire is named Lunbang, located north of the Velsen Forest. It is an empire with extremely advanced commerce and technology, and notably, it possesses the largest number of Holy Artifacts.”

“Holy Artifacts?” Domu inquired, a peculiar term piquing their curiosity.

“Just as those who cultivate martial arts are divided into different ranks based on their Aura levels—for instance, Kase and Os are now Great Swordsmen—magic-users are categorized by their overall magical power.”

“I, myself, am only a step away from reaching the Archmage rank. Similarly, weapons, armor, and items are also graded: Common, War, Military, Renowned, Holy Artifacts, and then Divine Artifacts, which I have never seen.”

“Common items are the most basic equipment used by ordinary soldiers and mercenaries. War items are more refined versions of Common items, made from superior materials and often possessing specific properties.”

“Military items wield immense power, capable of confronting entire armies. Renowned items are weapons that have endured through history, recognized for their fame or imbued with a certain faith, granting them abilities far beyond Military items.”

“Holy Artifacts possess power that vastly surpasses Renowned items, each with unique characteristics. Even an ordinary person can become incredibly formidable by wielding a Holy Artifact!”

“As for Divine Artifacts, I’ve only ever heard whispers of them in legends…” Soronna explained patiently to Domu, detailing each category.

“It sounds a bit like equipment in a game, doesn’t it? Common, Fine, Rare, Epic, Legendary.”

“Holy Artifacts feel almost like the World Items from ‘Goddess’s Tear’—each with different, incredibly powerful abilities. I really want to see what they look like!” As a gamer with a collector’s obsession, Domu muttered to themself, frustrated at being unable to visualize the capabilities of these fresh, unknown pieces of gear.

“Oh, right! Soronna, you just said you’d never seen a Divine Artifact, but doesn’t that mean you *have* seen a Holy Artifact? What are its abilities? Tell me, tell me!” Domu suddenly remembered, eagerly questioning Soronna.

“Dora wants to know too!” Curious about the unknown, Dora turned, looking at Soronna with expectant eyes.

“Well… actually… it’s because I possess a… Holy Artifact.” Soronna hesitated for a moment internally.

Seeing the sparkling, curious eyes of both Domu and Dora, she decided to tell them the truth.

“W-wait! Soronna, this…” Kase frantically spread his hands, attempting to intervene.

“Lady, while we trust Domu, still…” Os also tried to stop Soronna.

“It’s alright, Kase.” Interrupting both Kase and Os, Soronna cast an apologetic glance at them.

Then, her hands moved to the back of her pale neck, unfastening a necklace. From the neckline of her nun’s habit, she produced a crystal heart-shaped pendant.

“This pendant was a gift from my mother, a Holy Artifact—the [Heart of No Regrets].”

“It can significantly enhance the wearer’s perception and allow them to cast magic skills two tiers above their own level.”

“Furthermore, if the wearer can wholeheartedly desire to achieve something, this Holy Artifact can make their spoken words a reality, though I have never successfully attempted it myself.” Soronna said regretfully, gently caressing the pendant in her palm.

“Soronna, may Dora take a look at this Holy Artifact?” Hearing Soronna describe its abilities, Domu felt a sense of familiarity.

To verify their hunch, they intended to use Dora’s abilities to see if it could be analyzed.

“Oh, alright.”

Soronna handed the necklace to Dora, watching with great curiosity as Dora took it in their hands and slowly closed their eyes.

‘Could Dora possess the ability of [Mana Appraisal]?’

Mana Appraisal was a unique ability to discern items, a special power akin to a superpower, possessed by only a select few.

“Hmm… I’m not entirely sure,” Domu replied, a slight frown on their face. “It’s probably a similar skill, but it takes a lot of time.”

“Mama, I’ve analyzed it!” Dora happily declared, handing the necklace back to Soronna.

[Heart of No Regrets] [Sealed]

[Rarity: World-Class Item]

[Item Type: Wearable Accessory]

[Effect: User’s perception increases by 100% (500%), allows casting magic 2 (3) levels above user’s own. (Can manifest the user’s focused thoughts into reality through speech).] [Abilities in parentheses are sealed.]

[Note: Rumored to be an item born from a goddess in love, after detecting signs of her boyfriend’s infidelity.]

One after another, pieces of information surfaced on Domu’s game interface. Domu stared in disbelief at the message Dora had conveyed.

Unbelievably… this world’s Holy Artifact was actually a World Item from ‘Goddess’s Tear’!

Gazing at the item with its absurdly powerful abilities on the interface, even in its sealed state, Domu realized it was undeniably one of the mere hundred World Items that had existed in the game.

‘Why would game items appear in this world? Are all the Holy Artifacts here connected to ‘Goddess’s Tear’?’

The [Heart of No Regrets] had never appeared in players’ hands in the original game. Domu had only seen its description on the official forums.

Its absurd abilities had caused quite a stir on the game forums for a while.

Considering Soronna’s words, these Holy Artifacts had existed for thousands of years. Could there be some connection between this world and ‘Goddess’s Tear’?

Domu realized that, due to insufficient clues, their own mind couldn’t fully comprehend the situation.

Looking at Dora with a hint of desperation, Domu hoped Dora’s computational abilities could help them sort out their thoughts.

“Mama,” Dora said, tugging gently on Domu’s hand, “Dora thinks the best way to handle this now is to quickly find other Holy Artifacts to verify.”

Soronna and the other two watched, somewhat bewildered, as Domu suddenly grew anxious, haphazardly raking their soft white hair with their hands, then gazing at Dora as if seeking help.

“Domu,” Os asked tentatively, watching Soronna take the Holy Artifact Dora had handed back, “do you recognize this necklace?”

“Yes, Mr. Os, parts of the [Heart of No Regrets]’s abilities are sealed. Soronna, apart from this Holy Artifact, have you seen any others?”

“Parts of its abilities are sealed? I wasn’t aware. My mother gave this to me when I was very young, and I’ve worn it ever since I can remember.”

“As for other Holy Artifacts, I haven’t seen any myself, but an uncle in my family has. He said that among all the Holy Artifacts he’s encountered, the energy they contain is always the same.” Soronna recalled for a moment before speaking.

“The energy is the same?” Domu mused, a theory forming. “Then, Soronna, can you differentiate between the energies of Holy Artifacts?”

“My Sage position grants me the ability of discernment. With the enhancement from the [Heart of No Regrets], I should be able to faintly distinguish Holy Artifact-level energy.”

“Then, could you examine the energy difference between the armor on my body and the [Heart of No Regrets] in your hand?” As Domu spoke, a soft glow enveloped them.

When it faded, Domu was clad in a flawless, pristine white full-body armor. The pure white armor was exquisitely beautiful, adorned with intricate golden patterns.

The form-fitting armor made Domu appear considerably taller and more imposing. The chest plate, which would typically accentuate a feminine form, had transformed into the style of male armor, making their ample chest seem to vanish.

To any bystander, it would be utterly impossible to believe that the white-haired, curvaceous young woman from moments ago was now this seemingly sacred and noble male Holy Knight.

“Th-this… this is…” Kase and Os stared dumbfounded at the incomparably magnificent Holy Knight armor before them, drooling with envy.

“It was as if… it appeared out of thin air…” Soronna, too, was utterly incredulous.

While she already knew Domu possessed immense power, she hadn’t anticipated their potential mastery of spatial magic—an incredibly rare art on the Klaham Continent.

‘If Domu had been dressed like this from the very beginning, Kase, Os, and I might not have even considered them a Demon Lord. Though, that idiot Kase probably never truly saw them as one anyway…’ she mused, shaking her head to clear the internal monologue.

Shaking her head to dispel her inner thoughts, Soronna used her discernment ability on Domu’s armor.

“Discern!”

“N-no… no… this is impossible… How can there be such a powerful energy signature?” Soronna gasped in utter disbelief.

If the energy contained within the [Heart of No Regrets] was comparable to a cherry, then the magical power she discerned from Domu’s pure white full-body armor could only be described as a watermelon.

‘If my [Heart of No Regrets] is a Holy Artifact, then could this pure white armor be… a Divine Artifact?’