What did a staff that was originally worth an eye popping million gold coins look like?

  Most people probably wouldn’t have an answer to this question, but today, Roel was fortunate enough to be granted the credentials to express his opinion on this matter.

  Sitting on a comfortable chair on the balcony, he examined the blackwood staff in his hands carefully. The small mountain of gold coins that had been sitting grandly before him a moment ago had already vanished without a trace.

  Make no mistake, 300,000 gold coins was definitely a humongous sum even for the prosperous Rosa. Yet, all of this money had been put into purchasing a meter long staff. To be honest, despite being the one who had made the decision, Roel still felt like it was a little unreal.

  It’s ugly.

  This was Roel’s first impression of the Nine-headed Serpent Staff. Despite its terrifying reputation, according to the advertising, it didn’t look as splendous as he imagined it would. It looked pretty plain; it was just a glistening black stick, looking no different from those fire pokers villagers used.

  There was a saying in his previous life that divine objects tended to look ordinary. Sentient artifacts would usually conceal their true form and abilities, so it was to be expected that they look normal. However, this logic didn’t hold for Sia. Most high-level items on Sia, especially man made ones, tended to look grand and fanciful, desperate to flaunt their splendor.

  In the current era, staves were viewed as decorative objects, placed in the same category as earrings and necklaces. However, if one were to trace further back, it was actually a symbol of power, authority, and glory. Sometimes, it was even used to signify royal authority, and naturally, it was not an object that just anyone could use.

  Considering that the Nine-headed Serpent Staff was an ancient weapon, it was likely to be of noble lineage. If he were to consider its powers too, it was not impossible for it to be a national weapon of some ancient kingdom even. It didn’t make sense for it to be designed like a shiny fire poker.

  “It really looks quite ugly. Seriously, why would someone make a weapon…… Huh? Wait a moment!”


  Roel was in the midst of grumbling when he noticed something weird about the staff…… there was no mana pulsation coming from it at all!

  Most transcendent equipment, even in its inactive state, would emanate bits of mana, but this trait was completely absent in the Nine-headed Serpent Staff. In other words, its true nature was well-concealed, which meant that it could be passed off as an ordinary object and brought into all sorts of places.

  On the Sia Continent, most magicians weren’t allowed to bring their staff into banquets and formal settings, similar to how knights were forbidden to bring their swords into formal events. However, the fact that the Nine-headed Serpent Staff looked no different from a harmless decoration meant that it could easily bypass any checks. Naturally, this was a huge plus for Roel.

  On top of that, he came to another deduction.

  This Nine-headed Serpent Staff might be an item that requires mana to activate. I need to give it a try to know for sure.

  Having made up his mind, Roel immediately went into action.

  It was fortunate that the Hundred Birds Gallery was massive, being the home for a hundred species of different birds. Making use of Charlotte’s absence, he had the servants bring him into the estate’s forest, where there was ample space and privacy for him to try out his new gear.

  After finishing up his preparations, he ordered for the servants to head off. Then, he took out the black staff and tapped it lightly on the ground. He closed his eyes and began focusing his mana toward the staff.

  The next moment, he felt a mysterious sensation that excited him. The staff was indeed absorbing his mana, but it wasn’t to activate the staff. Instead, it felt like he was incubating some sort of egg.

  With his hands on the staff, he could channel his mana gradually, filling up the egg and nurturing it. Gradually, the staff began to transform. Its black exterior began to peel, causing a shimmering light to peer out from within, illuminating the entire area.

  “This……”


  Roel widened his eyes in surprise. He quickly examined his transformed staff and noticed new designs had appeared.

  It was now inlaid with golden threads on a black base, and it carried an ancient look reminiscent of those cave paintings dated to the Stone Age. With simple lines, it abstractly depicted a monster, the Nine-headed Serpent. Despite its simplistic design, there was an unusual beauty to it.

  Along with the changes in its exterior, the material of the staff seemed to change as well. It was stiff and hard a moment ago, but along with the earlier outburst of light, its surface smoothed into a jadelike texture.

  There were slight cracks on the handle of the staff that revealed a gemstone reminiscent of a snake’s eye. It was connected to inconspicuous dark golden lines that extended across the surface of the staff. Upon closer examination, it looked like there was dark gold blood flowing through these lines.

  It was archaic and authoritative, humble but majestic. Vaguely, it seemed to give off a scent of danger. Looking at the completely transformed staff in his hands, Roel could hardly hide his astonishment. He quickly turned to look at the System.

  【Nine-headed Serpent Staff (Incomplete, Activated)

  Ruler of Venomous Beasts

  The venom of the ancient monster continues to linger within its carcass. You may use your mana to extract and utilize it. The potency of the venom depends on the amount of mana channeled.

  Relentless Regeneration

  You may use mana to trigger the regeneration ability of the Nine-headed Serpent’s carcass, summoning the ancient monster’s body back to the world. The strength of the Nine-headed Serpent depends on the amount of mana channeled. 】


  Reading through the effects of his newly bought equipment, Roel’s heart was slowly thumping faster and faster as a smile formed on his lips. It looked like his 300,000 gold coin investment hadn’t been in vain. Indubitably, the Nine-headed Serpent Staff was a powerful magic tool. He couldn’t wait to try it out.

  The first ability, Ruler of Venomous Beasts, would require living beings to test the potency of the venom. It wouldn’t be hard for Roel to find guinea pigs here—there had to be at least a thousand birds, all demonic beasts, here. However, after careful contemplation, he dropped that idea.

  He was in Charlotte’s house, after all, and even though these birds weren’t exactly domesticated, they were still somewhat her pets. It would be uncouth to go killing them. Furthermore, these birds had accompanied her through her lonely childhood. Thinking of this was more than enough to dispel any thoughts he had of using them as test subjects.

  Forget it, I’ll spare you all.

  Roel glanced at the birds perching on nearby branches. Then, he turned his attention toward the second ability.

  He carefully channeled a decent amount of mana which shouldn’t place too much of a burden on his physical condition into the staff, and it began to shudder. It slowly extended outward, and just as it looked as if it was about to turn into a Nine-headed Serpent, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in his ears.

  “Lad, what are you doing?”


  It was Peytra’s voice.