Turning Misfortune into Blessing (3)

Too many things had been happening since enrolling in the academy. That was Luna's thought.

In the early days, she'd met Sivar, who had been living as a wild man. After that, demons and all sorts of incidents had erupted one after another. She wanted to live like a normal student, but with demons involved, that wasn't possible. For now, all she could do was get stronger.

The sky... was split...?

It was during the weekends when she was grinding away, steadily growing stronger through grueling training. Today, Luna had witnessed the pinnacle of strength with her own eyes.

A mere human had cleaved the sky in two. It wasn't some expression from a novel or poem. When Lize threw a punch toward the heavens, the sky itself split apart.

From time immemorial, the sky had symbolized the gods—a realm mortals dreamed of reaching. This was entirely different from merely breaking or cutting space.

"How long until it recovers?"

"A full week of rest should do it. First, let's check the results since Lord Gulaak has responded."

The one who had actually split the sky in two remained utterly composed. Her chest, once as ample as Ellie's, was gone—but that was still better than cleaving the heavens.

No, that's weird too.

Luna stared openly at Lize's chest. It was a veritable cliff. Hers even felt bigger by comparison. Of course, to clarify upfront, hers weren't small either. They just seemed that way surrounded by women with huge ones. Compared to the average, they were absolutely not small. Really.

What kind of being is Lord Chaos, exactly...?

She never imagined breasts could literally become 'pockets.' But ironically, it was utterly chaotic. Luna shook her head at the feeling that every shred of common sense was shattering.

Thinking too much made her head spin. Better to just accept it straightforwardly.

"Looks like it's all done. Shall we head out?"

"...Yeah."

Luna nodded at Ellie's invitation and started walking. The altar, where lightning had poured down like a waterfall, surprisingly looked intact.

"Saintess. Is this your old form from before?"

"Yes, before receiving Lord Chaos's blessing."

"It really was pocket-sized back then. Amazing."

"The bigger I grew, the larger they got. This should be comfortable for a while."

While Ellie and Lize chatted, Luna approached Sivar. Kara was beside him, and they were intently examining something.

"Sis. Is it all over?"

"Huh? Oh, you came."

Luna greeted Kara but couldn't stop her gaze from drifting downward. Even as a woman, that outfit drew the eyes. Especially those rock-solid abs—they were strangely tantalizing.

She'd been training hard under Lize, but her muscles weren't building well. Her abs especially showed no sign of definition. In that sense, Kara's physique was Luna's ideal.

Of course, Lize's was overkill, so she skipped that.

"Ragnarok's fully repaired. But I wonder if this is really right."

"What's different?"

"It's changed so much, that's the problem. Wanna see?"

Luna tore her eyes from Kara and looked at the altar. Ragnarok lay there, repaired as Kara had said—but its shape was a bit off.

"Huh? The color..."

Originally, Ragnarok was a black axe. The blade was somewhat dull, as it had been a sacrificial tool with a hammer side, specialized for smashing.

"The color's unique, right? Looks like it fused with the Usk axe."

But the repaired Ragnarok was different. For starters, the axe blade had turned white. Like the dangerous part had been painted separately. Just looking at it felt like it'd slice you.

The hammer side was the same—painted white like a blade.

"My Usk..."

"Don't be too disappointed. No one's using it but you anyway, right? Be grateful Lord Gulaak fixed it. Anything more is greed."

While Kara comforted the dejected Sivar, Luna observed Ragnarok. The pure black now accented with white looked cooler. And it was bigger too. Fused from two axes, it was close to a battle axe—but the handle was a tad short. Versatile was the word.

Above all, fusing with the Usk axe could only improve it, not worsen.

Did some of the Saintess's holy power go into it? Lize's holy power is Chaos's will, after all. Maybe that's why they merged.

Luna stared at Ragnarok for a while, then focused her eyes to check its details.

"......"

Broken. Utterly, ridiculously broken.

That was Luna's assessment after checking the reborn Ragnarok's effects. Its original rank was SS—a mythical weapon worthy of Gulaak's blessing.

But this new one was SS+. One might think it's just a plus, but that's wrong. It's equivalent to a full rank up.

It was already an insane weapon; now upgraded another step, words failed.

It was already monstrous, and now it's even stronger? I suspected, but it's real?

Ragnarok was hard for non-Gulaak followers to wield properly. But this was different. The description suggested even non-believers could use thunder.

If Sivar, Kara, or Hector used it? No one short of Lize or Lord could block it.

I want something like this.

As a natural swordswoman, axes didn't appeal much. But the looks and performance were top-tier. Fit for myth.

From now on, Sivar would swing this around, a warrior cloaked in lightning, rampaging across the battlefield. Just imagining it was cool.

"Let's check the performance. Call Ragnarok first."

"Yeah."

Tak!

While Luna lost herself in fantasies, Sivar tested it. Starting with the basics: retrieval. Thankfully, the engraving was restored—it vanished effortlessly. Test passed.

"How's the weight? Much heavier?"

"A bit."

"Hmm... Luna, you try holding it. Sivar's so strong, he might ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not notice."

Kara took Ragnarok from Sivar and offered it to Luna. The word 'qualification' from the description flashed in her mind, but she took it anyway.

Pzzt!

"Ow!"

The moment Luna grabbed it, a phenomenon occurred. A faint spark jumped from Ragnarok at her touch.

Everyone, Luna included, jumped in shock at the unexpected event. This had never happened before—something was off.

"Ugh... Why the lightning all of a sudden...?"

"What's going on? Try touching it again?"

"O-okay, just a sec..."

Pzzzt!!

When Luna reached again, a stronger bolt shot out. This time, just before contact. She recoiled in horror, as if it were rejecting her touch outright.

Kara, holding it, was fine.

"Weird. Why's this happening? Anyone could touch it before."

"Ugh... Maybe because Chaos's aura is infused?"

Luna rubbed her still-tingling fingers and offered her opinion. Nothing else made sense. Kara nodded, agreeing it had merit, then turned her gaze.

Lize was still chatting with Ellie.

"Saintess. Quick favor, if you don't mind?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Ragnarok's acting up. Lightning zaps when Luna tries to touch it. It didn't before."

"Oh, that?"

Lize approached Kara knowingly and took Ragnarok naturally. No lightning. Utterly obedient.

"Simple reason. Chaos's will is infused. The unqualified can't even hold it."

"What's Chaos got to do with qualification?"

"No idea. If Lord Chaos wills it, so it is."

"......"

Kara looked dubious. Irresponsible, but coming from Chaos, it passed. At least no one could steal it now. Big merit.

But not all questions answered. Ellie, listening quietly, spoke up.

"So what qualification lets you hold it?"

"Simple. Receive favor from Lord Gulaak or Chaos. It's qualification, not talent—no need to check strength."

In other words, Luna lacked favor from either god. Realizing this, she pouted.

But what could she do? Kara had offered sacrifices forever; Sivar was Chaos-chosen. She wanted to try, but conditions weren't met. Impressive Kara managed weekly offerings.

Chaos won't choose me anyway.

Unlike other gods, Chaos required 'selection'—ignoring mortal consent. Better to follow Gaia or Gulaak than gamble on uncertainty. The process was just long.

Besides, no need to be greedy, right?

She'd been greedy to begin with. As the saying went, caterpillars eat pine needles. Better to let go peacefully. Time would come, if ever.

"Ah. Good idea."

Sivar spoke up while hearing Lize's explanation. All eyes turned. He retrieved Ragnarok and headed downslope.

Everything done, they followed.

"Go ahead. I'll change and clean up."

Kara, in ritual garb, stayed for cleanup and changing. The rest followed Sivar to a very familiar place.

"Sivar. Business with the President?"

"Yeah."

"......"

Sivar's destination was Lord's residence—the building he'd once shared with him. Watching him head there, Luna felt inexplicable unease. Like trouble was brewing.

Whatever, he'll get scolded, not me...

Still, better see what prank it was. Luna smirked inwardly and followed.

They knocked on Lord's door. A familiar voice replied.

"Come in."

Sivar flung the door open at once. The others followed. Lord was leisurely reading, sipping his favorite tea as always.

"So, what's this about? The sky just split in two."

"That was me, so no worries."

"You, eh? Good, saves me the hassle."

Lord had apparently witnessed it. With that racket, sensing nothing would be weirder. The academy might panic, but explanations would handle it. Recent chaos made this minor.

"Lord. This."

"Hm? Why's Ragnarok... No, it's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠changed a lot. The aura's intense too."

Sivar offered Ragnarok; Lord reacted with surprise. He hadn't known it broke, so the changes stood out. Process unknown, though.

"Try holding it. I mean, please."

"......"

Ah, that was it. Luna realized Sivar's scheming(?) intent and let out a hollow laugh.

Lord wasn't Chaos-chosen or Gulaak follower. High chance of disqualification. Meaning Sivar planned to troll him on purpose.

Not a kid anymore, what the...

Prank or serious? One thing clear: reason Sivar got Chaos's pick. Wild-raised, whatever. She shrugged it off.

While Luna mused, Lord accepted skeptically but without suspicion.

Pzzt!

As expected, a weak spark on grip. Luna flinched, knowing from experience it'd sting.

"Hm?"

Pzzt! Pzzzt!

Lord just frowned, steadfastly holding through sparks. Luna and even Sivar were shocked. Didn't expect sheer grit.

Sparks intensified on the handle. Beyond sparks now—Lord's hand could char. Sivar moved to retrieve, but then—

"Hup!"

Grip tightened. The raging rejection vanished instantly. Not just held—it felt like submission to Lord.

"Fascinating. Weapon with a will? Explain what happened."

"Uh... how?"

"How?"

To Sivar's question, Lord chuckled dismissively.

"Anything in my hand becomes a sword. And I've subjugated countless swords in my life."

"......"

In other words—

"Like that twig into a sword last time? Same principle."

Sword Saint my ass.

Yeah. Time to drop weapon greed.

Luna watched ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and fully let go ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of any desire.