NOVPUB
Chapter 108: Hoarding Loot
Zayn was halfway through his third bowl of stew when Tobias finally appeared at the top of the stairs.
’You took your damn time,’ Zayn thought, it had been several minutes since he had called the Hero.
"Decided to join the land of the living?" Zayn called through a mouthful of food.
Tobias ignored him with a sigh and descended like a man about to deliver a sermon. "I figured if I waited any longer, you’d start licking the pot."
"Don’t tempt me," Zayn said, slurping so loudly that Elisse winced from across the table.
Bran was still gnawing on his bread, dual-wielding a spoon and a knife like he was prepping to dual-class as a chef.
Kara had her arms crossed, staring at Zayn’s bowl with a mildly scandalized expression.
Elisse just smiled gently, having long since given up on trying to control the chaos she so lovingly fed.
Tobias sat down, hands folded for a moment before he glanced around at everyone.
"I just want to say," he started, clearing his throat, "I’m glad we’re all alive. That was a tough dungeon. And while we’ve all faced dangerous monsters before... this one nearly took one of us out."
The mood dipped slightly at that, eyes briefly flicking to Elisse, who offered a soft smile as if to say I’m fine now, really.
"I’m grateful," Tobias continued. "To each of you. For having my back. For having each other’s. I... I don’t say it often, but thank you."
Bran raised his spoon in salute. "To not dying."
"To not dying," Zayn echoed, tapping his spoon against Bran’s.
"To living," Elisse said more gently.
"To future baths," Kara muttered, glancing briefly at Zayn before looking away like he might catch fire if she stared too long.
They all chuckled, and Tobias gave a small smile.
Then he straightened up, and something about his posture changed — more serious now, more Hero-of-Knowledge mode.
"I have something for each of you," he said. "Consider it a proper outfitting. I should’ve done this long ago, but better late than never."
Zayn muttered, "You’re not going to propose, are you?"
"No," Tobias said flatly, opening his portal inventory with a shimmer of blue light. "Though I appreciate your relentless optimism."
He walked over to Bran first, who leaned back slightly as Tobias pulled out a hulking set of armor.
"Uh... that looks like it’s built for a minotaur," Bran said.
"Which is why I upgraded it," Tobias replied. "Watch."
He tapped the armor once against Bran’s back.
Instantly, it reacted — dismantling into dozens of metal fragments that danced in the air like enchanted puzzle pieces before snapping onto Bran’s body in a coordinated shimmer.
Everyone froze as the armor merged with Bran’s clothes and vanished entirely.
"...Did you just install a stealth mode?" Zayn asked, blinking.
Tobias gave the faintest of smirks. "These are cloaking combat sets. Lightweight. Soul-resistant. Won’t trigger dungeon wardings or typical monster senses. They auto-activate under high-threat conditions — say, when you’re flying through the air because a boss punched you in the face."
Bran flexed an arm. "I feel like a fridge."
"You are a fridge," Kara muttered.
Next, Tobias approached Kara and pulled out a far more elegant set — sleek, rune-lined, almost stylish if Kara ever cared about that sort of thing.
"This will reinforce your mana output and shield generation. Same enchantments. And yes, it’s water-resistant."
Kara blinked. "That... actually sounds amazing."
As the armor shimmered over her frame and disappeared beneath her clothes, she gave a small nod. "Thanks."
Zayn leaned toward Elisse. "So that means if I trip in a river again, we’ll know Kara’s still dry."
Elisse giggled.
Tobias moved next to her, revealing a softer-looking armor set with a faint golden glow.
"For you," he said. "This one’s attuned for healing amplification and elemental protection. It’s also self-repairing. I had it tailored for priests back when I thought I’d be meeting some at the academy. You’re better than any of them, anyway."
Elisse’s eyes softened. "That’s... really thoughtful. Thank you, Tobias."
Zayn crossed his arms dramatically. "Okay, are you going to hand out gifts like Santa Claus or are we going to pretend I didn’t get a single hug?"
"You already got your armor," Tobias said, deadpan.
"I want my dramatic moment."
"Fine." Tobias sighed and turned to him. "Zayn. My chaos incarnate."
"Flattered."
"You’ve already got your armor. But I figured you’d want more options."
From the portal, Tobias pulled out a long, black-steel blade — slim and wickedly curved with twin notches near the hilt that pulsed with faint light.
Zayn’s eyes lit up.
"Ladies and gents," he said, holding up the sword and admiring the gleam, "I think I’m in love."
Tobias wasn’t done.
He pulled out two short daggers next — matching the sword in design, made to be worn at the hips or lower back.
One had a hooked edge and the other a blunt reverse side, more for parrying than stabbing.
"These," Tobias said, "are soul-forged from a material called Voidglass. They respond to soul energy and will resist degradation. I made them for a rogue archetype, but honestly, they scream Zayn."
"I’m honored," Zayn said, sheathing the blade with a satisfied grin. "Finally, someone sees me for the stylish murder hobo I truly am."
"You’re not a hobo," Elisse said gently.
"Yeah," Kara muttered. "Hobos don’t flirt that much."
"I’m well-rounded," Zayn beamed.
Bran leaned forward. "Wait, so we all have invisible armor now?"
"Correct," Tobias said.
"Do I still look buff though?" Bran asked, flexing one arm.
"No one’s stopping you from taking your shirt off again," Zayn said. "Just give us a warning this time."
As the laughter returned to the room, the mood lightened fully. n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
The earlier tension from the dungeon fight began to ebb, replaced with an atmosphere of preparation and purpose.
Each of them had nearly died.
But now, they were stronger. Better equipped. And more tightly bound as a party than ever before.
Tobias stood in the middle of them, now looking slightly sheepish under all the attention.
"...Also," he added after a pause, "I may have, uh, had all this stuff sitting in my inventory since we arrived in this town."
A beat of silence.
"You’ve been hoarding Overpowered loot?" Zayn asked, scandalized.
"I didn’t think we’d need it this soon!" Tobias defended. "I was saving it for when we ranked up! Or... I don’t know, endgame?"
Zayn raised a hand. "I vote we check Tobias’s inventory weekly. Who knows what else he’s hiding. Magic horses? Instant chicken?"
"I bet there’s a throne," Bran said, nodding.
"There is not a throne," Tobias muttered, but the corner of his mouth twitched.
