Arriving at the Lord's chambers, I see Theo sitting in his chair.
I approach him, kneel down, and offer a polite greeting.
Even if you are a douchebag, shouldn't you at least be polite if you are gaining an item?
'Furthermore, for some reason, Theo took my side in the conversation with Grine earlier. Maybe he's up to something.
"Come."
"I heard you had something for me."
I didn't drag it out but cut straight to the chase.
Theo's character in the game.
I remember very well what that was like.
Unless it's about work, he doesn't enjoy talking at length. It's better to keep it short and to the point.
"Yes, it is. But whether you get it or not is up to you."
I knew there was going to be an event.
Perhaps Theo was trying to test me.
Before he gives me a certain artifact, he wants to make sure I can handle it.
He wants to make sure.
Naturally, I have no choice but to comply.
I've already come this far.
Even if he's disappointed, I can only do my best.
"If you're giving me a trial, I'll take it."
"Very well. Rodwell, fetch it."
Rodwell, back in his chambers by now, brought me a wooden box.
It was long, with the family's signature black sword emblem engraved on the outside. I could tell it was more than it seemed.
"This is the sword of the founder of House Rinehafer."
The sword of the first patriarch.
I can feel my heart tighten at Theo's words.
Pounding.
It beats hard, sending shivers of excitement up my spine.
It's the sword of the first lord of House Reinhafer.
'It has never been seen in the Inner Lunatic.'
In other words, I don't recognize it.
An item that even I, a deceased man who had beaten the game a whopping 27 times, didn't recognize.
Theo was about to hand it to me.
…with a little trial, of course.
"I don't know what's going on.... but I have to get it here."
My gamer senses were telling me so.
I calmly took the box and opened it.
I opened it,
not at all what I expected. There was an unsightly sword. {1}
"Is this the sword used by the first patriarch?"
A white, chipped-toothed blade.
The hilt is barely covered with cloth, and the sword's appearance is frankly ugly.
Unfortunately, I might as well have taken a random blade from the training center.
"Why would he hand me something like this?
The question burns deep in my chest.
But Theo must have had a reason for showing me this. There must be a reason he said he would test it.
So I calmly wait.
For Theo to speak.
"Yes, it is. It's the sword you first held as a child, and it's been with me all my life."
"Tell me what test you're going to do with it."
"Hold the sword."
I obediently grasped the cloth-padded handle as Theo instructed.
Then I lifted the sword lightly.
It wasn't difficult, as my recent training had improved my strength stats considerably.
However, there was one peculiarity.
'It's… absorbing my magic.
The First Lord's sword was absorbing the magic in my body.
If other swords were designed to fight by absorbing magic, this was the exact opposite.
Moreover, the blade was gradually turning black as it absorbed the magic. It seemed to be an artifact that used magic to change its color.
A sword that takes away the user's power… What kind of artifact is this?
"You're already starting to feel it."
Theo poked me in the eye, as if he had anticipated my reaction.
I could only nod.
"It's just how it happened."
"Yeah. You felt it."
Theo rose from his seat and took a step toward me.
"This sword absorbs its master's magic power and releases it… multiple times over."
Definitely.
If so, it could be quite useful.
If a normal sword accepts magic and uses it to slice through enemies. It could absorb it and release it many times over.
But I frowned at the twitching arm.
"It doesn't look like a sword you can use casually."
The words were true.
Even as I speak, the sword seems to be eating me alive. It continued to ravenously feed on my magic and life force.
The result.
[Player's magic is rapidly being drained!]
The warning was unmistakable.
Theo confirmed my words.
"If you want the sword from me, you have to hold it for ten minutes."
I was stunned by his words.
Ten minutes…?
In my current state?
'Theo, you son of a...!'
I gritted my teeth.
[Talent 'Master of Smoke' triggers].
"Of course."
I said, though there wasn't an ounce of tension or pain in my expression.
Theo looked down at me and spoke in a cold voice without a hint of emotion.
"The sword's name is Stormbringer."
With his words, the artifact's detailed status window popped up.
__________________
[Basic Info]
Name: Stormbringer – Weakened Status
Category: Equipment
Tier: Medium-low → grows to a higher tier later.
Attribute: Darkness
Stats: +2 Dexterity
Equip Limit: Knight class
Special Effects: Whenever you kill an enemy, you absorb their magic and replace it with your own stats.
*This sword absorbs a large amount of the player's magic before releasing it to unleash its power.
*Raises the player's rank by 3 ranks.
*Caution: If the sword is not energized, it cannot be used.
__________________
I couldn't afford to care less.
I was going to die of disenchantment right now. Does it matter?
I'll just have to live and see. ....
It was then.
[All the magic in your body has been used up. Replace the energy consumed].
[Forces the player's health to be replaced with magic].
[Player's life will rapidly decrease!]
What?!
My lifespan is decreasing?
I'm already hitting rock bottom…!
I was about to pull my hand away when I realized this wasn't right.
Suddenly, the sword stuck to my body and wouldn't let go.
Like a blood-sucking mosquito. It began to gnaw away at my life force.
One more son of a bitch.
Oh well.
I'm not going to die here, am I…?
* * *
Theo von Reinhaber watched his youngest son, Nox, take up the sword of the First Lord for a long moment, and he could not help but be deep in thought.
'The Stormbringer… what a sword it is.'
The sword in Nox's hand was a demonic sword named Stormbringer.
A demonic sword is an artifact from the mythical past that is said to lead a swordsman to his doom.
But it is real.
From the very first founder of House Reinhafer. His sword was actually passed down through the generations.
But.
No one, not even the successive patriarchs, thought anyone could wield it.
The reason was simple.
It absorbed too much of the wielder's magic.
Nine out of ten would collapse from exhaustion the moment they held it.
Those who managed to reach the level of a master could barely last more than a dozen minutes. Even the greatest Patriarch of history, himself, can only last an hour.
And yet he's asking this of the youngest, who hasn't even begun to blossom.
There's a better than 9% chance he'll give up.
Theo knew it, but he made him clench his teeth once.
Some unknown sense of anticipation was slowly expanding within him.
'Nox von Reinhaber. He's growing. More than I realize. And he's hiding his power.
From the recent rescue of the maid to the family scandals, Nox has been at the center of every storm.
Theo was convinced none of it was a coincidence.
He had also come to believe that Nox might indeed be as gifted as the Three Swordsmen.
So he decided to test him.
What if he could hold this sword for ten minutes? If he could, Nox would be the greatest Patriarch of all time.
If he could.
'He will surpass me, and finally succeed in killing me.'
It was a long-held desire of Theo's.
And so it was.
The next ten minutes flew by like arrows.
Theo had to admit it now.
That my son Nox's talents were now too great to ignore.
* * *
"...Hmph."
[Talent 'Master of Smoke' begins to shake].
[User's lifespan has been reduced by 91 days].
[Returns the circulation of magic power in your body to its normal state].
Thanks to my lifespan sacrifice.
Ever since Theo's story ended, I've been concentrating on holding onto the sword for dear life. Now, even my traits are faltering.
I stood speechless, gripping the blade still. I gritted my teeth as I felt the energy drain out of me.
After about sixty days, I thought, "Whatever this thing is, it doesn't matter anymore.
Whatever this thing is, it doesn't matter anymore.
I'll take it, no matter what!
I'll take it, even if it's rotten!
I finally got to the point where my brain couldn't make a good decision.
Well, it worked out in the end.
"Enough."
I heard Theo's heavy voice, followed by a clang.
I finally let go of the tangled sword in my hand and let it fall to the floor.
Theo looked at me and nodded.
"So… you had a power you were hiding."
"What do you mean?"
It seems that the [Master of Smoke] talent has returned to its original state.
I feel the greatness of the talent again.
I can't even hear myself gasping for air.
My body is screaming, but my exterior is nonchalant, as if I've accomplished something almost effortless.
My upright posture, straight back, and cool legs stretched out below are still intact.
He's barely holding it together, and Theo says in a tasteless tone, "The sword is yours now."
And with that, he walks away.
I felt the urge to grab him in anger.
For fuck's sake, I want my life back!
* * *
A few days passed, and the morning dawned for the Chasers' slaughter.
I packed up my things with Zitri, stuffed them into my subspace pouch, and strapped them on.
The pouch was Theo's paycheck.
Apparently, the Stormbringer wasn't the only thing he was going to hand over.
To me, that's not a bad thing.
No doubt more means of survival is always a good thing.
I glance to the side and see that Grine has also received a lot of supplies. His pockets seem to have been enriched by the support.
It's a bit much for what he received in exchange for taking me with him, but at this point, it's all mine anyway.
I'm going to use the Grine to do all the heavy lifting.
Heehee!
I'm riding a full-grown (well, not quite full-grown, but still) Carl with Zitri.
We're following behind Grine and the Knights as they form a long procession.
All the while, Zitri is memorizing the surrounding landscape and marking it on a map.
She says it's so she can find a good place to camp and a water source, but I think it's great.
Still, I can't believe a maid can be so helpful in battle.
I stroke my sword, wondering where the boundaries of the realm lie. He whined and snorted in amusement.
It was about two hours later when he heard the voices up ahead.
"…No, it's not! It's this way!"
"No! I said this way…!"
"Uh-huh! I said this way…!"
"Ron, didn't you say you could find the way?"
Amidst the commotion, Grine's voice is heard as well.
Beside him, the leader of his hired knights, Ron, scratched his head and replied in a disheveled voice.
"I'm sorry… I've never been this way before…."
Immediately, the situation became clear.
This is so ridiculous….
They're… lost.
"Crazy assholes...."
"Master?"
"Oh, I didn't do it to you, I did it to those incompetents."
Slowly, he drew his sword and moved to the front of the halted procession.
As I did so, I caught sight of Grine, his face crumpled into a grimace. I smiled nonchalantly and asked.
"Brother, something must have happened to you."
"None of your business."
I dismissed the answer, gesturing lightly around.
"You're lost."
"I thought I told you clearly that it was none of your business!"
"I did."
I interrupted him appropriately, then smiled sheepishly.
"I can help you find your way."
"...what?"
For the first time, Grine's expression was colored with bewilderment.
How could his youngest brother, who had been confined to the family mansion for most of his life, talk about being able to find his way around?
At most, he'd read about it in books…
"You should try hiring me as a Pathfinder, the vassals have said I'm pretty good at it."
Of course, the vassals never said that.
They just know me as a bastardized bastard.
Grine was half-heartedly dismissive of my words, but he began to rack his brain diligently.
'Being late is certainly a problem, but… if we can break Nox's momentum here, it might not be such a bad idea to go back a bit.'
"…Since you're so confident, I'll leave it to you for a while."
Grine finally agreed.
"Everyone gather here and pay attention to me. I will be your guide."
I smiled weakly and gathered my people.
Then I scanned the procession with a wary eye.
'Some non-gamers sometimes ask me,' I said, 'so what's so different about being an Inner Lunatic?'
There are two key elements of being a deceased person.
'Wayfinding. And hidden pieces.'
It had to be something that any deceased individual could do.
What demons are there.
And what treasures or artifacts are hidden, because that's the key to getting gamers to play the game deeply.
In that sense.
The Chasers area is a strategic location that I've been to hundreds of times.
To put it simply.
I could find it with my eyes closed.
I smirked.
"This way."
T/N
{1} : 볼품없는 검 / bolpum-eobsneun geom
{2} : ok so "gazoo" has always been used to refer to Theo as either patriarch or lord and is used as a noun here
'inner dialogue' vs "exterior dialogue"
This inner map knowledge dow ring close to heart, If I close my eyes I can still see ancient COD maps from my childhood.