Occult Awakening: From Commoner to Archmage-Chapter 70: Oso’s Jester

Luca stared at the description a few times until he fully calmed down. There was nothing he could do to obtain this artifact at the moment. For a brief second, he considered getting rid of Thalia, but that was counterproductive, as he still needed her.

Those were the tools he would use to steal the holy sun water from the vault in the underground halls.

Overall, he felt mostly satisfied with everything within. His skillset would finally be complete when he obtained the Sky Tyrant feathers.

’I should really find the time to do that.’

There were so many things to think about and organize that it had completely slipped his mind.

After categorizing everything in his mind, Luca moved onto the last item. It was none other than the strange mask that Digger had given him. The face on the mask looked to be in a state of constant agony.

A small pulse of mana flowed from his finger into the mask, causing a flood of information to enter his brain. Luca marveled at the details of the mask for what seemed to be the dozenth time.

Name: Oso’s Jester (Sealed Artifact)

Description: A dark mask transformed from the soul of a human jester captured and forced to entertain the demon known as Oso. Pleased by the jester’s ability to entertain, the demon carved his face off and crafted it into an artifact capable of transformation and illusion. Prolonged use of it will cause hallucinations. The Artifact has been sealed by ********

Abilities:

1. Thousand Faces: Allows the wearer to reshape facial features and assume any visage, ranging from voice to even minor mannerisms.

2. Madness: The mask emits an aura of ancient horror; containing a small sliver of the demon’s essence. Weak-willed individuals who stare upon the mask will have their thoughts corrupted by the demonic essence, leading to erratic actions.

3. ???

4. ???

Oso’s Jester was the single most intriguing thing he had ever seen since getting involved in the magical world.

He grazed his finger across the smooth metal-like material and the slits that made the jester look like he was both experiencing unbelievable pain and unbelievable joy. There was just something about it.

The longer he stared at it, negative thoughts filled his mind. He could only imagine how it felt to actually wear the mask.

All of this wasn’t even mentioning the fact that the information he got called it a ’Sealed Artifact’.

It was hard to explain, but the most accurate way to describe the sensation was like being completely submerged underwater. All your senses were still there, but blocked to a large degree.

Luca could feel the information there, but a large wall blocked him from accessing it, and it was a wall he wouldn’t be able to overcome anytime soon.

The wall was even stronger in the part that would give him the name of who sealed the Artifact.

He assumed that Digger had done so before giving him the mask, but after feeling the sea of harsh and violent information return when he tried to figure it out, he wasn’t so sure the bar owner was the one who sealed it.

’Perhaps he was, and I don’t know as much as I think I do.’

Luca was leaning toward the second option.

Above everything else, though, he was more than satisfied with the current powers of Oso’s Jester. It solved a problem he’d been having for ages and wouldn’t even be limited to when he was moonlighting as the Burning Man.

He placed the smooth mask on and injected a small portion of his mana in. It was hardly noticeable, seeing as his pool was still filled.

As soon as he did that, the mask seemed to change rapidly and blend in with the rest of his face.

A shimmering burst of light covered his head and the rest of his body, altering it visually. This process only lasted a second, and soon enough, he was someone else.

Luca stood in front of the mirror, appearing no different from Finley. Where he looked bulkier than Finley before, his body had now drastically changed and become thin and as tall as he was.

His blue eyes changed to a darker, black-brown shade, and his hair had become longer, just like the inquisitor’s.

Finley’s hateful grin spread across Luca’s face.

The transformation and presence of the mask gave off no magical energy whatsoever. He felt as though the changes were mostly superficial and surface level, but still seemed to hold something beneath. It was likely that even the unlocked abilities were still locked to some extent.

’Still, I should be able to fool anyone that isn’t too powerful. Great for day-to-day stuff.’

This meant that he would finally be able to go out and do certain things without drawing suspicion to himself.

He transformed back into himself and took the mask off, putting it on the ground once more. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

For a long moment, he just stared at it lying there in the dim cellar, and the weight of everything he had learned pressed down on him. The tools, the spells, the artifacts—each was a step, but each was also a chain. He could feel the pressure of the city, of the corruption, of the powers he was challenging.

As fun as it was to go through all the findings and equipment, there were bigger issues at hand, and little time to waste.

What Luca needed now was to accumulate as much personal strength as possible before finally striking.

He sat in a meditative posture, closed his eyes, and silently willed his mind and energy in a single direction.

Whoosh.

A small gust of wind brushed him, and a second later, when he opened his eyes, he stood before the magical Veil.

***

Authors Note; I apologize for the inconsistent updates with this novel, but there’s been quite a lot going on lately, and I’ve been having trouble keeping up with it. I see every powerstone, review,comment and they’re the highlights of my day. I assure you we’ll be back to normal soon!