From Freya Van Daalen's Perspective
It didn't take Freya long to understand what was happening.
As soon as she stood beside Alessio, he taught her how to evaluate the items — just touch them and let the system reveal their stats and abilities.
And honestly, she had to admit: the results were unreal.
Simply unreal.
For someone like her — who until then had owned only a plain sword, a mediocre dagger, and a leather armor that had cost her practically a kidney — standing before gear of this level felt like stepping into another world.
Each description that appeared before her eyes was a cruel joke compared to the reality she'd lived just days ago.
The leather armor made from a magical serpent.
The silverwood bow that whispered to the wind.
The Twilight Blade, which seemed to hold the sunset itself within its edge.
And above all — the epic shield.
She didn't need anyone to explain. Just by reading its abilities, it was clear this thing was on an entirely different level.
It was simply too strong.
Almost terrifying.
Only after they had finished evaluating all five items did Alessio finally speak. His voice was calm — but carried unshakable firmness.
"I'll keep the shield and the metal armor. But to be fair, you should take the sword, the leather armor, the bow, and all the gold we found here."
Freya blinked, surprised.
That sounded… excessive.
She acknowledged that the shield was absurdly powerful — leagues beyond any of the other items — but still… she would've been completely satisfied taking just the sword, the leather armor, and maybe thirty percent of the gold.
That alone would make this the most profitable journey of her life.
And, truthfully, he was the one who had done everything up to this point.
He was the one with the knowledge, the plans, the solutions.
She'd merely followed his lead through the madness.
That's how she saw it.
Besides, there was a small detail that made her smile inwardly.
For all his serious words about fairness and responsibility, the way Alessio looked at that shield…
It was exactly the same look her little troublemakers used to have when they got a new toy.
That childlike spark — impossible to hide, even in someone so disciplined.
Freya let out a quiet laugh and said:
"You don't have to. I only want the sword, the leather armor, and thirty percent of the coins."
Unfortunately, Alessio turned out to be just as stubborn as her little troublemakers whenever they tried to have their way.
"No. We signed a contract — we stick to the rules. To be fair, you take all the coins and the three items."
She raised her eyebrows.
Maybe for the first time, she truly thought about what kind of man he was — and realized she'd have to rethink how to deal with him once they left the dungeon.
She didn't trust men easily, but this one… seemed too upright.
Too determined.
And that, she quietly admitted to herself, was something she liked.
Still, she couldn't just let him have his way entirely.
"Do you even have a use for that bow?" she asked.
He hesitated.
She didn't wait for his answer.
His eyes had already betrayed the truth.
"Then here's the deal. I'll take the coins, but you keep the bow. It's useless to me anyway. And we sign a new contract — if we don't find anything else in this dungeon, you owe me a favor."
He pondered for a moment, clearly weighing it in his mind. Then he sighed, defeated.
"Fine."
"Good." Freya smiled, satisfied, and crouched down to pick up the Twilight Blade.
The feeling of the new sword in her hands was liberating.
With a quick motion, she fastened it to her belt and, without a shred of hesitation, threw her old blade aside.
It felt like discarding a burden.
Alessio was doing the same with the shield — raising the Bulwark of the Titans with reverence and positioning it before him.
Items didn't drop upon death inside the Black Tower — but only if equipped in one of the four available class slots.
So the smartest thing to do now was obvious:
Equip them immediately.
And that's exactly what they did.
For Freya, changing armor was quick.
Her old leather protection wasn't hard to remove — just a few knots along her arms, legs, and torso.
Knots that, frankly, had been too tight, leaving marks beneath the coarse villager's clothes she still wore.
When the straps came undone, the armor hit the ground with a dull thud.
Useless.
That's what it was to her now — useless.
The dead weight of a beginner's life that no longer matched her new reality.
She didn't even glance back at it.
Instead, she quickly adjusted her new gear — the Skin of the Shadow Serpent, a rare armor. The supple leather slid over her body as if tailor-made, fitting snugly and comfortably into place.
And the moment she tightened the final strap, a wave of energy coursed through her.
Her stats surged.
Vitality pulsed in her veins, strengthening her.
Her agility multiplied, and her mind instinctively recognized the new abilities granted by her armor and sword.
It felt like opening a door within herself — and finding raw power waiting on the other side.
An involuntary smile curved her lips.
It was a wonderful feeling.
Unfortunately, she noticed Alessio would take a bit longer to feel the same.
Unlike her, his Breastplate of the Sleeping Dragon was heavy armor — composed of multiple plates, like his old one. It wasn't a matter of undoing straps; he had to remove each piece individually: the heavy pauldrons, the reinforced bracers, the leg guards, the thick boots, and finally, the chest plate.
A slow, exhausting task.
For a moment, Freya thought about helping him —
but that would've been far too intimate.
So she simply waited.
Ten long minutes later, Alessio was finally ready.
Clad in his new armor, the scaled plates seemed alive — radiating the warm draconic energy described in its text.
Beside it, the immense Bulwark of the Titans rested heavy in his left arm.
Before she could even speak, a notification flashed before her eyes.
Alessio had just sent her a massive transfer.
Freya blinked twice, speechless.
Her account now showed nearly three hundred thousand gold coins.
For a moment, she felt like she was stealing.
Like this was far too much for someone who had merely followed his instructions all along.
But the feeling vanished the instant she looked at him again.
And saw him completely transformed.
He stood tall — solid as a fortress.
His body wrapped in draconic scales, larger, more imposing than before. The dark metal shimmered under the torchlight, and the aura of warmth emanating from him felt almost alive, as if the heart of a mythical beast truly beat within his chest.
The colossal shield, carved with ancient runes, completed the sight.
It was as if Alessio had been reborn into a new role —
a true tank, ready to crush countless monsters.
Even so, Freya couldn't help noticing one amusing detail.
That perfect armor and that epic shield clashed wildly with the old, battered axe still in his hand.
The contrast was absurd — the weapon looked tiny and dull compared to his newly regal form.
The same went for his lion-skull helmet. Peculiar, yes, but far too rustic to match the rest.
And to top it off, the rare bow he'd tied awkwardly to his back only made the image funnier.
It was almost comical.
A mix of legend and beginner all at once.
Yet even with those small mismatches, Alessio looked like a completely different man —
a walking fortress.
A tank ready to face the impossible.
And Freya couldn't help but think…
perhaps she was witnessing the birth of a terrifying player.