Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: The Demonic Sword and the Fake Necromancer (2)
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The moment I got home, I pulled out my smartphone again.
Without a second thought, I tapped the option to accept the Demonic Sword.
"...!"
At that instant, black smoke billowed from my smartphone.
What the hell? What's going on?
This was completely different from the intense light that had leaked out when Maru was first summoned.
The entire house was engulfed in dark smoke.
The ceiling light flickered, then went out completely.
Darkness descended in earnest.
A profound silence settled in.
Thankfully, the quiet didn't last long.
Electricity surged back, the room lights flickered on, and the dark smoke that had filled the house began to recede.
"...".
I was stunned by the sudden phenomenon, but only for a moment.
Soon, the room returned to normal.
The only difference was the hefty sword now resting atop my smartphone.
"Is this the Demonic Sword?"
It looked nothing like an ordinary blade at first glance.
From the scabbard to the hilt, the Demonic Sword was dyed pitch black, evoking a chill like darkness incarnate.
The hilt was studded with what looked like bone fragments, amplifying its grotesque appearance.
It wasn't just the looks.
"Thanks to Mana Sensitivity?"
I could feel the mana churning around the Demonic Sword.
It was as if things that shouldn't exist—things that never should have existed—were shoving aside the surrounding mana.
The sword was literally forged from darkness and death itself.
Even someone clueless would never mistake it for a normal sword upon seeing it.
It radiated such a ferocious aura.
"Can I even hold this thing?"
The problem was its aura was so menacing that I hesitated to even touch it.
People's perception of Demonic Swords was unanimous.
Artifacts that granted immense power to their wielders at the cost of corrupting them.
Back on the Eldorado Continent, I'd only glimpsed records of them a few times. This was my first time seeing one in person.
So when Celia offered it as a tribute, I couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement.
But now that it was right in front of me, doubts crept in.
For starters, it looked dangerous.
And who would grab a sword radiating such an ominous vibe without a second thought?
Was I ready to wield it?
Would I end up like those cases in the records?
But I quickly shook my head.
"Enough with the weak-willed nonsense."
My goal was to grow stronger.
This world wasn't kind and forgiving to the weak.
Hadn't I experienced that firsthand?
Once, I'd been desperate enough to sell my soul to demons for power.
Now that I had a Status Window and some traits, was I getting complacent, belly full?
"I've got a long way to go."
A Status Window and one measly trait—that was all.
I still had to get stronger.
Just look at Kang Jin-su, one of my Academy classmates.
He'd been mid-to-lower tier, but now he worked at the Awakener Center.
Luckily, his official duties kept him from bothering me, but that could change anytime.
If he wanted, he could easily block my path as I was now.
Not to his level, but he was positioned to cause trouble.
Me? I had nothing.
The voices of the powerless were just silent screams.
I made my choice.
Besides, Celia had offered this Demonic Sword as tribute.
Everything she'd given me so far had been a boon.
I trusted her that much.
"Alright."
The moment I steeled myself, I lifted the Demonic Sword.
The surrounding mana began to tremble.
But that was it.
"Nothing's happening?"
Truly, no change at all.
Except the sword now in my hand.
"Do I need to draw it?"
This time, I didn't hesitate.
I slowly drew the Demonic Sword from its scabbard.
Dark smoke rose again.
Zzt—
A stinging jolt, like electricity, shot through my hand gripping the sword.
As the blade emerged, the pain intensified with each inch.
"Ngh."
Still, I endured.
Soul? Binding?
What did that even mean?
Sentences floated before my eyes, but now wasn't the time to dwell.
Gritting my teeth through the pain, I pulled with all my might.
I struggled to draw the Demonic Sword from its scabbard.
And finally, the fully unsheathed sword revealed itself.
The stinging pain vanished all at once.
"So this is the Demonic Sword...?"
Drawn from its scabbard, the blade exuded darkness, gleaming black. Red lines like veins etched its surface.
The overall form was even more grotesque.
But I needed power.
That's why I'd picked it up and drawn it.
The issue was...
"Why isn't anything happening?"
The initial ferocious aura had vanished.
I sheathed and drew it again, but nothing changed.
Not even the pain returned.
"What the...?"
As I pondered, a new alert appeared before me.
"?"
Suddenly, an alert declared me the Demonic Sword's master.
Come to think of it, during that earlier pain, there was a message about the sword failing to interfere with my soul.
"Is that what did it?"
I checked the alert, then immediately summoned my Status Window.
"Status Window."
<Yi Kang-hyun>
[Traits]
- Mana Sensitivity (A)
- Master of the Demonic Sword (S)
[Basic Stats]
Vitality: C+
Attack Power: B
Defense: C
Mana: A+
Holy Power: F
[Skills]
- Knight Commissioning (S)
- Goddess's Healing (F)
"Oh."
My stats had changed.
When I first got the Status Window, everything was F- rank.
Even after a few levels, they stayed stuck at F.
After gaining Mana Sensitivity, my mana jumped to B, but the rest remained pathetic.
And now.
With the Demonic Sword, all stats had risen.
Vitality, Attack, and Defense—all former F-ranks—had climbed several grades.
Mana, B from Mana Sensitivity, shot up to A+.
Holy Power stayed F, though.
"This is the power of the Demonic Sword."
Not to mention the S-rank trait 'Master of the Demonic Sword,' and changes to my skill list, which had only one before.
Knight Commissioning.
An S-rank skill, no less.
"No idea from the name alone."
I'd never heard of Knight Commissioning.
I checked the description right away.
"Hm..."
The description made it seem a bit ambiguous.
Of course, an S-rank skill was nothing to dismiss.
"But then I couldn't use the Demonic Sword?"
Bestowing it on someone else meant I couldn't wield it.
Me, the master, unable to swing my own sword...?
I gripped the Demonic Sword and swung it through the air once.
"Hm."
Thinking back, I'd swung a sword a few times in training before.
Without a Status Window, that's how I'd practiced.
The results were predictable.
No matter how much I swung, I couldn't catch up to those with swordsmanship traits or skills.
Even if I started better, their training closed the gap, then overtook me.
Back then, I had nothing, so I'd practiced anyway. But now, with a Status Window and overkill traits...
"Do I even need to swing it myself?"
It wasn't a full answer to my dilemma.
I glanced at Maru beside me.
"Maru, come here."
Seemed like a good time to test the skill.
If the results disappointed, I could just reclaim the sword.
The description said it could only be reused after the recipient died, but I'd cross that bridge later.
I activated the skill on the blankly standing Maru.
'Knight Commissioning.'
At the same time, I offered the Demonic Sword before him.
Understanding my intent, Maru grasped it with his bony hand.
Dark smoke appeared, enveloping his entire body.
His pristine white bones gradually darkened.
Crack—
Crack—
As if in agony, Maru twisted, clattering noisily.
How much time passed?
The white bones were gone, replaced by pitch-black ones.
With Maru's transformation...
Unique Monster, Skeleton Black Knight 'Maru (★★★★)'
An alert announced Maru's evolution.
From one-star Skeleton Soldier to four-star Skeleton Black Knight.
A black skeleton wielding the Demonic Sword.
That was my Dungeon monster—and now knight—Maru.