Chapter 131: An Initiation Gift
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 131: An Initiation Gift
"Yo, kid. You're here."
In the middle of a brilliant sea of flowers, the white-haired, red-eyed loli looked as if she had only just woken up, still dressed in the same pink pajamas Muen had seen her in during their first meeting.
She held a small, cute pink watering can, tending to the flowers. As she watched Muen approach, a hint of satisfaction flickered in her amber-clear red eyes.
"You did well," she said. "Far better than I imagined. Even in my long life, such a performance is rare."
"Teacher Mela..."
Looking at her, Muen found himself at a loss for words. He felt awkward, his hands and feet seemingly having nowhere to go, and could only manage a dry, "Long time no see."
Mela smiled. "No need to be nervous. You are now a disciple of Mela Domir. At any time, before anyone, you have the right to hold your head high."
"Is that so?"
His nerves fading slightly, Muen scratched his head and asked, "So, I'm officially your disciple now? Is there anything I need to prepare? A gift for my master? Or some specific etiquette? Should I change how I address you?"
"Forget those tedious formalities," Mela said after a moment's thought. "As for how to address me, just keep calling me Teacher Mela. I prefer it."
"Then..." Muen gave a solemn bow. "I look forward to your guidance, Teacher Mela."
"Mm, likewise."
Mela accepted his bow graciously, then snapped her fingers. With a flash of light, a silver box appeared before Muen.
"Take it. This is from me—consider it a gift for our first official meeting as master and disciple."
"A gift?"
Muen’s eyes widened. He hadn't expected Teacher Mela to be so generous, giving him a gift the moment he joined her. Since it was already right in front of him, he had no reason to refuse.
Muen picked up the box gleefully, looking it over from every angle and even giving it a little tap. "What's inside?" he asked curiously.
"Open it and see," Mela said with a smile. "I think you'll like it."
With Teacher Mela saying that, Muen’s anticipation grew. He quickly found the latch and pressed it firmly. With the whirring sound of mechanical gears and a sharp creak, the silver box sprang open.
A sharp aura and a holy light immediately rushed out, causing Muen’s breath to hitch for a moment.
Blades.
Short blades.
Two pure white short blades engraved with golden patterns lay quietly in the box. As if they possessed a life of their own, they began to hum softly the moment the box opened.
Muen heard a heartbeat.
His own heartbeat.
The moment he laid eyes on those two short blades, his heart began to race uncontrollably. It was as if he could feel a resonance with them.
"These are..." Muen felt his throat go dry as he looked toward Teacher Mela.
"I haven't had time to name them yet. I thought it would be better to leave that to you," Teacher Mela said softly. "I watched the footage of your battles earlier and noticed you seemed to lack a handy weapon, so I forged these for you."
"Teacher Mela..."
"Like" didn't even begin to cover it; Muen was practically moved to tears.
Though Teacher Mela claimed she had forged them "casually," one look at the exquisite craftsmanship and the profound aura they inadvertently radiated made it clear—these had to be at least Golden Legend level weapons.
As expected of a powerhouse; even a "casual" gift from her was enough to blow him away.
However...
Muen blinked and asked curiously, "Since these are such niche weapons, weren't you afraid I'd fail the exam and you'd have forged them for nothing?"
"Unlike that kid Prang, I have absolute confidence in my own judgment." Mela gave Muen a casual glance. "If I didn't think you could do it, I wouldn't have wasted my time looking for you in the first place."
"I see..." Muen said, a realization dawning on him. "I feel like I've unknowingly had a lot of expectations placed on me."
"Now that you know, shouldn't you work harder?" Mela said. "Want to try them out?"
"Yes!"
Muen reached out and gripped the hilts of the two short blades.
In an instant, he felt a sharp sting in his palms, as if a blade had sliced them open. Warm blood immediately spread along the patterns of the short blades.
The gold turned to a dark red, and even the holy glimmer they emitted took on an eerie, bewitching quality.
But this only lasted for a brief moment.
The next second, the short blades let out a piercing hum, and a golden light erupted.
Muen felt the blades, which had previously felt as light as paper, suddenly gain a sense of weight—a weight that was perfectly balanced, feeling like an extension of his own arms.
In a daze, he seemed to hear a sense of joy emanating from the blades.
"It seems they've taken a liking to you." Mela rubbed her smooth chin. "There are living spirits within the blades. Now that they've acknowledged you, it means no one else will be able to use these weapons until the day you die."
"Incredible..." Muen praised sincerely.
Having read the original novel, he knew exactly how rare weapons with living spirits were in this world. He hadn't expected Teacher Mela to just hand him a pair.
Unable to contain his joy, Muen gave the blades a sudden swing.
Instantly, it was as if a bolt of lightning had flashed through the air, leaving behind a faint, charred afterimage in the void that looked like a stroke of ink.
"Based on your fighting style, the primary trait I gave these blades is sharpness," Mela explained. "Extreme sharpness. There are few defenses in this world that can resist them. For someone like you who wins through agility, I thought this would be more helpful than a bunch of flashy functions.
"Besides that, when these two blades clash, they can trigger a powerful Alchemy Domain."
"An Alchemy Domain?" Muen’s eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he struck the blades together.
Zheng—!
The blades vibrated.
Silver arcs of electricity spread along the golden patterns, forming a special zone around Muen that spanned several meters, looking as if it were made of molten metal.
"The effect of this Alchemy Domain is... to reject all external things."
Mela casually picked a flower and tossed it toward the domain surrounding Muen. The moment the white flower touched the edge of the domain, it turned to ash as if consumed by an intense fire.
"But in reality, this effect isn't that strong."
Mela reached her fair, slender hand into the domain. The silver electricity rippled like water around her hand.
"Anyone with a slightly strong physical body can force their way into this domain, and weapons are no exception. But this domain wasn't meant for physical defense. After all, if I wanted to put defensive functions on short blades, why wouldn't I just give you a shield?
"So, compared to tangible things like enemies or weapons, this domain is targeted at the unseen, the intangible.
"Curses, poisonous gas, negative status effects, mental attacks—things of that nature.
"And most importantly, it can isolate the inside from the outside.
"Which means..." Mela looked into Muen’s eyes and said word for word, "When the domain is active, you can use the Withered King's Crimson Flame without any reservations."