As Ian donned the Abyssal Helmet, Infernal Armor, Gravity Leggings, and Hurricane Boots one by one, an indescribable surge of power flooded into his body.
When the last piece was equipped, a blinding flash of light burst forth, illuminating the entire space.
The light slowly receded, and the deep-colored armor gradually became subdued, as if it had absorbed all its power back into itself.
"This feeling... is so f*cking incredible!" Ian couldn't help but roar, his voice echoing as the power within him roared to life. It felt as if he could punch and destroy a planet.
When he put on the newly synthesized Ring of Arcana, he sensed a strange connection forming between himself and the surrounding elements.
Ice, water, fire, lava, wind, plants, lightning, gravity—even time itself—seemed to have become extensions of his own body, bending to his will.
He tried raising his hand, and a small cluster of fire danced on his fingertip before quickly extinguishing and turning into a wisp of smoke. With another raise of his hand, a small hurricane rotated around him, emitting a crisp, low hum.
Snowflakes fell from his open palm; when he clenched his fist, arcs of lightning exploded outward.
At that moment, Ian stood motionless, as if he were the center of the world, radiating an awe-inspiring aura.
But as time passed, he slowly learned to control that power, his energy settling down.
Ian began to examine the Gem Armor Set he was wearing. To his surprise, the armor could change its appearance at will. The default model was already quite impressive, but since he wasn't exactly a blocky Steve, he figured it was worth experimenting.
With a thought, the once-deep, dark armor began to flow and shift, writhing like living metal.
Moments later, a set of heavy armor appeared on Ian—the same style as a Raven Heavy Knight, with a dark red base and dark gold patterns as accents. The design, the texture... holy crap, it was so cool!
The dark red color added a sense of iron-bloodedness to the heavy armor, and the dark gold patterns made the armor look even more mysterious.
Ian looked at his formidable reflection in the ice mirror, feeling the profound sense of security from the armor and the strength that was almost overflowing. His grin stretched from ear to ear.
What man could possibly resist such a badass suit of armor? Especially one that granted overwhelming, absurd, godlike power!
"Hmm... it's cool, but it still feels like something's missing..." Ian muttered, rotating his model twice before suddenly clapping his hands—he knew exactly what it lacked.
Without hesitation, he began crafting. After a flurry of rapid operations, two Red Matter Katars materialized in his hands. They were powerful, sure, but... not exactly stylish.
"No way. These don't fit my vibe at all," Ian shook his head. With armor this good, he couldn't wield something so plain.
Then, a flash of inspiration hit him. With a thought, a surge of power flowed from his armor down his arm to the Red Matter Katar. The weapon began to twist and deform as if melted by intense flames.
Soon, a massive greatsword appeared in his right hand—dark crimson base, dark golden highlights—wide-bladed, ornate, and brimming with raw might.
In his left hand materialized a matching gauntlet: a brutal piece of craftsmanship with jagged knuckles that gleamed menacingly. One glance was enough to tell that a single punch would pulverize anything. The design? Inspired by a Warhammer 40K Power Claw—beautifully overkill.
"Perfect!" Ian swung the greatsword a few times, then punched the air with the gauntlet.
"Hey, don't hide so far away. Come over and tell me what you think," Ian waved to the little Witch in the distance.
The witch timidly peeked out, and only when she saw that Ian's terrifying aura had subsided did she approach, still keeping a safe distance—as though afraid he might suddenly lose control.
"Um... are you okay?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just changed clothes, that's all," Ian said with a friendly smile, trying to appear as harmless as possible. "So, what do you think? Cool, right?"
The witch blinked her big eyes, scanning Ian's Set. Though she was still a little scared, she couldn't help but nod.
"It's... yeah, it's really cool. Just... it was kinda scary before. But now, not so much."
Ian waved his hand, sending a gentle breeze across the ground to gather the emeralds scattered nearby. They floated neatly into a wooden chest, which he handed to the frightened witch.
"Don't worry. It's just armor," he said with a grin. "Go rest in the house I built. I'm going to experiment a bit—it might get a little..."
Before he could finish, the witch had already bolted, clutching the chest tightly. She was not about to stick around for whatever came next.
Ian's mouth twitched as he watched her disappear into the distance.
Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the artifacts.
First, he slipped the Ring of Arcana onto his right index finger.
Then he crafted the Archangel's Smite (ring) and placed it on his right middle finger. With a thought, countless arrows appeared before him, dense as a storm cloud, blotting out the sky.
Each arrow shimmered with killing intent, ready to fly. Ian could feel that with just one command, they would seek out and destroy every target in range.
"This'll be perfect for clearing mobs!" he exclaimed. He could even sense that his internal EMC could continuously transform into more arrows.
Next, he synthesized the Void Ring and wore it on another finger.
The moment it touched his skin, the space around him seemed to warp. When he activated its power, his body vanished instantly—only to reappear hundreds of meters away in the blink of an eye.
Ian excitedly kept testing the limits of the teleportation. He found that as long as he had enough EMC, he could even break the distance limit and perform ultra-long-distance teleportation.
The cost increased with range, but with his ocean of EMC, that hardly mattered.
He even imagined that in a normal universe, he might be able to teleport all the way to the edge of space itself.
This novel teleportation experience amused Ian. From a distance, one could see a dark red figure flashing back and forth on the Skyblock, leaving trails of afterimages.
Once he had enough fun teleporting, Ian turned his attention to the Repair Talisman. It could slowly repair items—but at his current level, it was nearly useless.
After all, his equipment was pristine, and even if it broke, he could repair it instantly with EMC.
Still, an artifact was an artifact—he had to have one. Though, honestly, its design was hideous.
Ian started tweaking the talisman's appearance. No way was he going to hang something that ugly on such a magnificent suit of armor.
After some tinkering, a medallion appeared in his hand—dark gold inscribed with crimson runes, glowing faintly with a mysterious, regal light.
"Yeah, that's more like it." Ian nodded in satisfaction and hung it from his belt, adding an extra touch of prestige to his look.
Finally, he crafted the Body Stone. This artifact provided constant health regeneration and restored hunger—essentially stamina. The recovery rate of one was modest, but the effects could stack.
Better yet, it could be accelerated with the Watch of Flowing Time, reaching a terrifying regeneration speed, like a walking fountain of life.
Even though Ian doubted anyone could actually hurt him now, artifacts like these were still essential trophies of power.