Chapter 041
The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 041
EP.41 Demon Sword and Fake Necromancer (2)
As soon as I arrived home, I took out my smartphone again.
– Would you like to receive the Demon Sword? –
Without hesitation, I pressed the option to receive the Demon Sword in response to the alert asking if I wanted to receive it.
“……!”
At that moment, black smoke rose from the smartphone.
What is this? Why is it like this?
When Maru was summoned, there was a completely different phenomenon from when the intense light radiated.
The entire house was engulfed in dark smoke.
The ceiling light blinked and soon went out, plunging everything into darkness.
Silence descended.
Fortunately, the silence didn’t last long.
Electricity returned, the room light came on again, and the dark smoke that had engulfed the entire house gradually receded.
“…….”
Momentary confusion at the sudden phenomenon.
Soon, the interior of the room returned to its original state.
The only change was a massive black sword now resting on top of the smartphone.
“Is this the Demon Sword?”
It looked different from an ordinary sword at first glance.
The appearance of the Demon Sword was entirely black, from the blade to the hilt. It invoked a cold sensation, like darkness itself.
The handle of the sword had bone-like fragments sticking together, giving it a gruesome appearance.
It wasn’t just the appearance.
“Thanks to the Magic Sensitivity trait?”
Around the Demon Sword, mana fluctuated.
It felt like non-existent, forbidden entities were driving away the surrounding mana.
Literally, it was a sword made of darkness and death.
Even those who knew nothing could think it wasn’t an ordinary sword at a glance.
It emitted such an ominous aura.
“Can I even wield this?”
The problem was that the aura of the Demon Sword was too ominous, making me hesitate about whether I could wield it or not.
People’s perception of the Demon Sword was one.
An artifact that grants powerful strength to the target but corrupts them.
I had seen a few records when I was on the El Dorad Continent, but seeing the Demon Sword in person was a first for me.
So, when Celia offered the Demon Sword as a sacrifice, there was a slight expectation.
However, now that I actually saw the Demon Sword, it was inevitable to have doubts.
The appearance alone seemed dangerous.
And the ominous aura the Demon Sword emitted made it seem like not many would dare to grab it.
I wondered if it was allowed to take this, considering the ominous aura.
Maybe, like the cases recorded in the documents, it could go wrong?
But soon, I shook my head.
“Let’s discard such weak thoughts.”
My goal is to become stronger.
This world is never a warm place for the weak.
Haven’t I experienced such situations firsthand until now?
There was a time when I was so desperate for strength that I even sold my soul to a demon.
But now, after gaining power and getting a status window and even acquiring a trait, my stomach was full.
“It’s far from enough.”
Now I only had a status window and just one trait.
I still needed to get stronger.
Just looking at my Academy classmates like Kang Jin-soo showed that.
He had lower-middle-tier grades, but now he works at the Awakening Center.
Fortunately, he didn’t pay attention to me while doing public work, but it could change anytime.
If he set his mind to it, he could easily block my way forward.
Even if not to that extent, he could be a hindrance.
In contrast, my current self had no power at all.
The voices of the weak were nothing more than a silent roar.
I made a choice.
Besides, this Demon Sword was offered as a sacrifice by Celia.
Celia had sacrificed things that would benefit me so far.
I trusted Celia that much.
“Yes.”
As soon as I made up my mind, I lifted the Demon Sword.
Mana around me began to tremble.
But that was all.
“Nothing happened?”
Literally, there was no change at all.
Except that the Demon Sword was now in my hand.
“Should I draw the sword, perhaps?”
This time, I didn’t hesitate.
Slowly, I pulled out the Demon Sword from its sheath.
Dark smoke emerged again.
– Tingling –
A tingling sensation, like electricity flowing through my hand, accompanied each appearance of the Demon Sword’s blade.
“Kuk.”
Nevertheless, I endured it.
– The Demon Sword is attempting to interfere with the user’s soul.
–
– The user’s soul is bound to the dungeon.
–
– The Demon Sword’s soul interference fails.
–
Soul? Binding? What does that mean? Although sentences appeared before my eyes, it wasn’t the time to pay attention now.
I endured the pain and exerted my strength. I tried to pull out the Demon Sword from its sheath. And soon, the fully drawn Demon Sword revealed itself.
Simultaneously, the tingling pain disappeared entirely.
“Is this the Demon Sword…?”
The Demon Sword emerged from its sheath.
The blade emitted darkness, shining black. At the same time, red lines were embedded on the surface, resembling blood vessels.
The overall appearance became more sinister. But I needed power. That’s why I grasped and pulled out the Demon Sword.
The problem is…
“Why isn’t anything happening?”
The ominous aura that I felt initially from the Demon Sword disappeared. Even though I put the Demon Sword back in the sheath and tried pulling it out again, nothing changed.
I didn’t feel the pain from before either.
“What is this?”
While pondering, a new alert appeared before my eyes.
– You have become the true owner of the Demon Sword.
–
– The soul of the Demon Sword is bound to the user’s soul.
–
– Adjusting causality.
–
– Sealing most of the Demon Sword’s characteristics, except for some.
–
“?”
Suddenly, an alert came up stating that I had become the true owner of the Demon Sword.
Now that I think about it, I remember the message from earlier stating that the Demon Sword tried to interfere with my soul but failed.
“Could it be because of that?”
Confirming the alert, I immediately called up the status window.
“Status Window.”
The status window that unfolded in front of me showed several changes.
[Lee Kang-hyun]
[Traits]
– Magic Sensitivity (A)
– Owner of the Demon Sword (S)
[Basic Information]
Health: C+
Attack: B
Defense: C
Magic: A+
Divine Power: F
[Skills]
– Knight’s Oath (S)
– Goddess’s Healing (F)
“Oh.”
Firstly, my stats had changed. When I first got the status window, all the stats were F-rank.
Even with a slight increase in levels, the stats didn’t move beyond F-rank. Except for the increase in mana rank to B-rank after obtaining the Magic Sensitivity trait, the other stats remained miserable.
And now, with the acquisition of the Demon Sword, all my attributes have increased.
The vitality, attack power, and defense, which were all F-rank, have risen several levels. The mana, which was B-rank due to the Magic Sensitivity trait, has increased to A+. However, the divine power remained an exception and maintained its F-rank.
“Is this the power of the Demon Sword?”
Even the S-rank trait, ‘Owner of the Demon Sword’, and the previously singular skill list underwent changes.
Specifically, the Knight’s Oath. An astounding S-rank skill.
“I don’t really understand just by looking at the name.”
I had never heard of the skill called Knight’s Oath before. I immediately checked the skill’s description.
– Knight’s Oath (S): The rightful owner of the Demon Sword, bestows the Demon Sword along with the knighthood to a loyal subordinate. The entity bestowed with knighthood and the Demon Sword cannot use this skill until they perish.
The description seemed a bit ambiguous at first glance. Of course, being an S-rank skill of an extraordinary grade, it couldn’t be ignored.
“But why can’t I use the Demon Sword?”
If I bestow the Demon Sword to someone else, it literally means I cannot wield the Demon Sword. The owner of the Demon Sword can’t even swing the Demon Sword…
I raised the Demon Sword and swung it through the air.
“Hmm.”
Come to think of it, I had practiced wielding a sword a few times in the past. Without a status window, I had still engaged in training like that.
Of course, the result was obvious. No matter how much I swung the sword, I could never catch up with those who had sword-related traits or skills.
Even if someone had better skills at the moment, if a person with sword-related traits trained, the gap gradually narrowed until an unexpected reversal occurred.
Of course, back then, I had nothing, so it was just a form of practice. But now, I found myself in a situation where I possessed a status window and overflowing traits.
“Is it necessary for me to wield the Demon Sword?”
The answer to the dilemma was not clear. I glanced at the nearby Maru.
“Maru, come here.”
It seemed good to check what the skill was about. If the results didn’t meet expectations, I could simply reclaim the Demon Sword.
Although the skill description specified that the entity bestowed with the Demon Sword and knighthood could only use the skill until their demise, that was something to consider later.
I turned to Maru, who stood still, and activated the skill.
‘Knight’s Oath.’
At the same time, I handed over the Demon Sword to Maru. Without a word, Maru, with only a bone left in its skeletal hand, began to grasp the Demon Sword.
Simultaneously, dark smoke appeared and enveloped Maru’s entire body. The originally white color of Maru’s bones gradually turned dark.
– Thud –
– Thud –
Maru, twisting its entire body in pain, made a sound. How much time had passed?
The once-white bone was gone, leaving only the bone that had turned entirely black. Simultaneously with Maru’s transformation.
– The monster ‘Skeleton Soldier (★)’ has received the Knight’s Oath from the owner of the Demon Sword.
–
– Congratulations! ‘Skeleton Soldier (★)’ has evolved into a unique monster.
–
– Unique Monster, skeleton Black Knight ‘Maru (★★★★)’ –
A notification appeared, indicating that Maru had evolved.
The Skeleton Soldier, which had one star, had evolved into a Skeleton Black Knight with a whopping four stars.
The black skeleton holding the Demon Sword. That was none other than my dungeon monster, the knight, Maru.