Roseus was momentarily left too stunned to respond to Lencho’s words. He kept going over the effects of the treasure again and again.

Not only was this the longest negative effect he had seen so far, it was also one of the most dangerous. He couldn’t even fathom the idea of creating a new predatory creature in the world simply because he was a bad artist.

Yet at the same time, being able to summon these creatures was incredibly useful. He had not come across many Elite creatures; however, it was the rank between Greater, which was where creatures like the Blood Shark existed, and Apex, which was where creatures like Nammon’s Vessel existed.

A treasure like this was enough to turn the tides of battle, but also enough to completely destroy oneself if their art happened to be bad. Not to mention, he did not know to what standard the brush would be able to recognise and distinguish creatures.

However, due to his previous pact with Nammon, Roseus was given an extra effect that was incredibly broken. It allowed him to paint treasures as well.

These treasures would still come with their original negative effects. However, Roseus noticed an impressive loophole. Although there was a cooldown period after painting a treasure, the brush’s catastrophic failure effect only applied when creating creatures.

This meant that even if the brush was unable to recognise a painted treasure, there would be no known punishment tied to the failure. The worst-case scenario was that he would accidentally create a different treasure that the brush did recognise.

If this effect could be seen by everyone, it surely would have been purchased already. Surely this raises its rank above Epic?

He silently thanked Nammon for his lingering gifts.

"How much does this one cost?" Roseus asked.

"6,000H," the store owner replied.

"..."

Suddenly, the sack carrying his Halos started to feel really empty.

"I see." Roseus scratched his head before examining the second treasure that had caught his attention.

[Epic Treasure Equipped]

[Boots of Maternity]

[Positive Effect I ~ When equipped, the user’s movement speed is doubled in all situations.]

[Positive Effect II ~ The wearer can perform one step on air, treating it as though it were a solid surface.] (Greedy Effects)

[Negative Effect I ~ When wearing these boots around someone younger than yourself, you will be overcome with a powerful maternal instinct towards them, rendering you unable to intentionally harm them.]

...

"You seem young enough, Captain. They might benefit you," Lencho said from the sidelines.

Although the boots were strange, this was one of the main reasons why Roseus was considering them.

As an eighteen-year-old, he hardly ever had to worry about those who were younger than him. Whilst out at sea, the only people he had met who were certainly younger than him were Jackson, Pip, and One-Hand Lucas. The twins, Lavender and Lyna, were eighteen, and so was Dawn.

On top of that, Roseus knew that as a captain, he would likely be facing off against other high-ranking sailors and pirates. For someone to reach that rank at an age younger than him was almost impossible.

The only thing he had to worry about was when he eventually grew older and new sailors entered the seas to challenge him. Of course, by then he would be much more powerful and would have likely replaced the Boots of Maternity with a greater treasure.

"That one’s a bit cheaper, at only 5,000H," the store owner answered a question that Roseus didn’t ask. "But if you buy them both together, I can do a deal for you. Hmm, how’s 10,000H?"

Roseus nodded his head in thought. It was a good deal. The only problem was that they were running low on Halos, as they had used most of them during their time spent at Highstorm Island. Installing the physical ship upgrades was not cheap.

So, Roseus scratched at his chin for a few moments in thought.

The store owner noticed this and must have been able to put two and two together.

"Low on funds? Luckily for you, there are a few jobs going around town. Have a look around, and you might be able to find some extra Halos."

"Can’t you give us a better discount?" Lencho tried, but the man shook his head.

"I’ve got to run a business here."

...

After hearing the disappointing prices, Roseus didn’t allow himself to be dismayed.

Those two treasures might not give him the same physical power that he once had with the Greycloud Longsword and the Monochrome .38 Special, but they were powerful in a different kind of way.

He had already thought about strategies he could implement in battle with this new combination.

Use the Boots of Maternity to sprint around and away from his opponents whilst using the Brush of Creativity to mimic useful treasures he had seen during his travels.

For example, if he wished, he could recreate the Greycloud Longsword. Failure would simply lead to him creating a different sword.

Then, if he ever found himself in a tight situation, he could use the brush to paint a creature that could help in battle. This would encourage him to discover more creatures of the Elite Rank so that his options could be expanded.

However, to do this, Roseus needed to earn 9,000 more Halos.

On a street, he found a bulletin board filled with numerous missions alongside their rewards. They even showed bounties that the Yazuan Church was willing to pay for. These were usually rogue pirates who had angered the Alzabe but had yet to be found.

This was where Roseus looked and found a bounty that stood out to him. One that he believed would be worth hunting.

The paper of the bounty mission was weathered and mostly torn, which meant it had been there for a while.

A mission that had been there for a while meant that it was either difficult, or people were too scared to attempt it.

...

Issued by: Priest Bolajide

Mission: Bring back the head of Pirate Mikoto

Bounty: 26,000H

Mission Reward: Bounty reward and one Epic Treasure.

Suspected Location: The Sand Chasm

...

Mikoto... How have I never heard of this name before? Should I ask around first?

Lencho, who was beside Roseus, suddenly had a cautious look on his face. He seemed to recognise the name.

"A dangerous mission," he said in his accented voice. "You and Mikoto have your similarities too."

Roseus was taken aback.

"What similarities do I have with him? Who is this Mikoto?"

"Well, when he first arrived at the Southern Sunny Islands, he was believed to be a Priest of this god whom he called Susanoo. He hasn’t been seen for months, so I don’t know how powerful he might be now."

Roseus felt his body stiffen.