Chapter 23: Cloak Of Trickster.

Chapter 23: Cloak Of Trickster. [Sentience Detected] Wait—what? [True Form Of Artifact Is Being Revealed] Okay, what the fuck did I just trigger? The cloak in my hands twitched... then floated. Just like that. Not creepy at all. A blinding light erupted out of it. I closed my eyes on instinct... when I opened them back. The cloak wasn’t the same. It had turned pure white. [Cloak of the Trickster Has Revealed Itself] Huh? Trickster? The cloak fluttered dramatically in the air for a few moments before it flew slowly towards my direction. I didn’t flinch. I knew what sentient artifacts were after all. The name kind of gives it away—artifacts with minds of their own. They had distinct personalities and could grow with users but they didn’t bond with just anyone. Heck, before bonding, they were only visible to the one they chose. Only after forming a bond did they reveal themselves to everyone else. So, why did it choose me? Am I secretly one of those "chosen ones"? The son of providence? Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen. Still, if I had to bet... it was because of my class. I mean the name Trickster matched with my flaw [Trickster’s Face]... So maybe that’s what caught the cloak’s attention. Probably. But who knows the inner thoughts of an artifact really? I reached for it and it wrapped around my arm. Lightly. Like a hug. Huh? What the hell is it doing now? Tsk. I ignored the weird movement for now and pulled up its stats. A status window appeared before me. __ [Cloak of the Trickster] Rank: B Type: Sentient Artifact Description: A semi-aware cloak born of prolonged exposure to deception, illusion, and dramatic flair. Once worn by ▒▒▒▒▒. It reacts most strongly to wielders who align with trickery or unpredictability. Abilities → [Mutable Design]: Can alter its color, texture, pattern and size, adapting to combat, stealth or drama. The cloak cleans itself automatically, maintaining a pristine appearance. [Infinite Pocket]: The inside of cloak acts as a personal subspace. Items can be stored simply by pressing them into the fabric and retrieved just as easily by sinking your hand into the cloak’s interior. [Instant Recall]: Can be summoned at will to the user’s body [Veil of the Trickster]: Pulling the hood cloaks the wearer’s face in shadow. Identity and features are obscured even in daylight. Quirk: It flutters dramatically sometimes. It dislikes asymmetry and self-adjusts when crooked. __ I looked at the status. Then at the cloak curled around my hand. ...The fuck? That was my honest reaction. I had heard about stories of sentient artifacts that could level cities, devour souls and whisper forgotten truths. Mine? Mine had an option for fashion and storage. Was I supposed to be impressed? All that glowing and floating drama—for this? Really? I sighed. "...Seriously?" Still, it wasn’t completely useless. It had storage... and an infinite one at that. And who knows what abilities it might unlock in future? Thankfully, sentient artifacts in this world didn’t suddenly transform into lolis or start calling you onii-chan after bonding. They were just artifacts. Nothing more, nothing less. Sure, they had some form of sentience, a flicker of personality and maybe a few stubborn emotions but they weren’t people. In fact, most started as plain artifacts or just everyday objects. But after being wielded by some users with ridiculously strong emotions for long enough... Their personalities started to seep into them. And over time, those echoes turned into something more. This was how Sentient Artifacts were born. With just a thought, the cloak turned pitch black and strapped itself neatly onto my back. It straightened itself like a terminal perfectionist spotting a tilted picture frame. Almost like it didn’t like how I was wearing it. Great. I got a judgemental cloak. I stood up, trying to get a feel for how it looked. Not that I actually knew, of course. I mean, it’s not like I carried a full-length mirror around for fashion emergencies. Whatever. I will just check it out later. For now, I wanted to test its features. I focused on turning it red. The cloak obeyed instantly, turning blood-red. I shifted it longer, then shorter and made it flutter like wind even when there was none. Some mana was consumed, sure, but not much—probably because the transition was small-scale. Next, I decided to test out its so-called Infinite Pocket. I reached out cautiously, brushing my hand along the inside of the cloak. The fabric rippled beneath my fingers—not like cloth but like the surface of water pretending to be solid. Yep. That was definitely not normal. I walked over to the weapon stand near the edge of the training hall, picked up a wooden practice sword and casually tossed it into the cloak. It disappeared instantly without any flash or sound. Just gone. A smirk tugged at my lips. Maybe this thing isn’t so useless after all. My mind immediately jumped to the possibilities. I pictured myself standing alone in a courtyard, surrounded by a dozen enemies throwing weapons at me from all directions. I just stand there, arms crossed and say— "Cloak Expansion." Boom. The cloak would grow out like some dramatic stage curtain and every single weapon would vanish into storage. Honestly? That would be so damn cool. Okay... okay, maybe that was a bit too dramatic. But hey, a man can dream, right? Still, I needed to rein it in before I started imagining myself deflecting meteor showers with a spin. I need to figure out this cloak’s actual limits and powers. No point dreaming about world domination if all it can do is hold snacks and spare socks. After some more time playing around with the cloak, I found out a lot of things. And guess what? It’s not useless but it’s definitely not broken-tier either. Turns out I can’t store mana-enhanced objects directly inside. Also, if I try to toss out multiple items at once, it drains a noticeable chunk of mana. It was definitely not something ideal during combat. The stealth effect on the hood was cool though. It hid my face in shadow, even in bright sunlight. As for its personality... calling it "sentient" might’ve been a bit too generous. It didn’t even act anything different from ordinary artifacts. But it fluttered dramatically whenever I said something cool. So, overall? It was usable. Not exactly a divine artifact from legend. But if I ever need to make a dramatic entrance... ... I’ve got a cloak for that. __ Author’s Note Alright, quick question for you guys— If Rael’s cloak were to upgrade or his class unlocked some crazy new ability after evolution. What should it be? Storage tricks? Shadow teleportation? Card explosions? Summoning an army of angry rubber ducks? Using a deck of cards to uno-reverse someone’s soul? Teleporting behind enemies just to whisper "nothing personnel, kid"? Turning invisible but only when no one’s looking? Drop your wildest (or smartest) ideas below. I might actually use one. No promises. But hey, who knows? And don’t forget to drop Power Stones, Golden Tickets or a Gift if you’re enjoying the chaos.