After the battle with the Sonic Bat, a desire settled into my mind.
"I need a better weapon," I muttered aloud.
"Ho! You possess me, the greatest cursed sword of this world, the Shichifuku-jin, and yet you yearn for more weapons?" The cursed blade's voice erupted into laughter, dark and mocking.
"No, I'm serious." I scowled. "Let's be real—I'm just an ordinary high school student. I'm no kendo champion, and honestly, swinging a sword around without the skills to use it properly isn't exactly practical."
"Fair enough, Saiga," the sword responded, the tone shifting slightly, "You're no swordsman, nor do you possess the skills of one."
It had a point. The blade was incredible, capable of creating all kinds of deadly poisons, and alive, in its own eerie way. But right now, its potential was beyond my reach.
"The quickest way to fix this," I mused, "would be to consume a monster that holds a swordsman skill."
"That would be difficult," the sword replied. "Monsters do not possess what we call 'class skills.'"
"Class skills?" I asked, confused.
"Swordsman, mage—skills with titles that belong to a profession," it explained. "They allow one to become adept without training. A swordsman skill lets you wield a sword flawlessly, a mage skill lets you cast spells by mere thought."
What a convenient power. I wanted it, badly. But if eating monsters couldn't grant me such skills, then it wasn't an option.
"Is there no other way for me to learn how to use a sword?" I asked.
"You could apprentice yourself to a master swordsman," the sword said. "Or…"
"Or what?"
"You could grant me control over your body."
…What?
"What did you say?" I asked, incredulous.
"I might not look it, but I was a master swordsman once," the sword replied.
"Weren't you supposed to be a swordsmith?" I said, narrowing my eyes.
"There is a saying: 'One who excels at a single craft often finds proficiency in many.'"
It meant that those who mastered one field could easily acquire other skills along the way.
"I mastered the art of making blades, and alongside that, the art of wielding them."
I had to admit, it sounded suspicious. But, thanks to the contract binding us, the sword couldn't lie to me. Maybe it really was as skilled as it claimed. But still—
"No way am I giving you control of my body," I retorted. "Who knows what you might do."
"Rest assured, I have no intention of ending your life."
"Yeah, not exactly reassuring."
The sword chuckled. "Too bad. If you change your mind, I'm always open for negotiation."
Hearing that devious offer only made me more determined to get a weapon I could rely on—one that didn't come with strings attached. I needed something a regular high schooler could actually use.
"Can I find weapons in a dungeon?" I asked.
"Indeed. They sometimes drop from treasure chests."
"Treasure chests, in a dungeon?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Of course. Dungeons place treasure chests to lure people in. A labyrinth desires human souls, after all."
So, dungeons craved human souls. But to gather them, they needed to lure humans into their dangerous depths. And to achieve that, they planted treasure within.
This dungeon was supposed to be a higher-difficulty one. It made sense that to lure people here, where few would dare tread, there would be rare items—better weapons, perhaps.
"Alright. I'm going to search for those treasure chests," I decided.
"Then use that skill you acquired earlier—Echolocation. It allows you to emit ultrasonic waves to locate living beings or objects around you," the sword suggested.
Echolocation, the ability the Sonic Bat had used. I closed my eyes, placed my hand on the ground, and focused.
"Activate Echolocation."
Sound waves spread out from my hand, vibrating through the ground. Even with my eyes shut, I could see everything around me inside my mind.
Far away, a monster—still unaware of my presence. And behind me—treasure chests. Not just one, but three of them, all within reach.
"Got it. I've pinpointed the treasure chests. Let's go," I said.
"Wouldn't it make more sense to train your Void skill instead?" the sword suggested.
"I'm working on it, but right now, my offensive Void techniques—Void, Nullify, Invincibility—they all drain a ridiculous amount of MP."
Maybe I'd come up with more efficient ways to use Void in combat. But right now, it wasn't worth the risk—using up too much MP and passing out wasn't exactly appealing.
After some time, I arrived at the first chest. There were two more nearby. I crouched in front of the first one.
It was the size of a cardboard box you'd get from ordering drinks in bulk. I reached down, trying to open it.
Click.
"It's locked," the sword noted. "That means a rare item lies within."
Of course, they'd lock it. It was only logical.
"I'll use Void," I said.
"Oh?" The sword sounded intrigued. "How will you unlock it with Void?"
I extended my right hand toward the chest, channeling the Void skill.
"Unlock."
The skill's name appeared in my mind:
■ Unlock: Selective Activation. Consumes 200 MP.
Click.
"Unlock, hmm?" the sword mused. "Removing the defenses of an object, making it vulnerable. In this case, you nullified the lock on the chest. Clever."
I opened the chest, revealing its contents.
"A gun?" I said, surprised.
Inside was a black, shiny revolver.
"This," the sword said, "is an accursed item—The Lucky Gun: Trigger Happy."