Jun had entered the Church’s vault multiple times in the game.
Not only that, but thanks to the vast amount of big data accumulated by community users, he had been able to learn about the effects of various equipment as well.
Jun picked up a pair of short swords that had been placed in a corner and spoke.
“These are weapons called ‘Fangs of Acanthus’.”
“Acanthus?”
Maya asked with a note of curiosity.
Acanthus was the name of a flower.
Fangs, for a flower?
And the twin blades before her hardly resembled anything floral in appearance.
Rather, they emanated an ominous aura.
“It’s the name of a flower, yes, but it was also the name of a woman long ago.”
Jun briefly recited the tale contained within the two swords.
It wasn’t because he had a natural flair for storytelling. Maya needed to know the story in order to properly wield the weapons.
“It’s a fairly common tale, really. A woman named Acanthus who worked in a tavern once met a young noble from a prestigious family. Enchanted by her beauty, the noble took her to bed that night.”
But the noble didn’t take Acanthus with him afterward.
Instead, when he later found out she was pregnant, he sent an assassin after her.
She survived but was eventually poisoned.
As time passed and she neared her end, her story reached the ears of the child she had barely managed to save.
“The child grew up to become an assassin.”
As he built his reputation as an assassin, he eventually received a particular request.
To wipe out his own father and the noble family to which he belonged.
“The client’s name was Acanthus. The legendary assassin took up his dead mother’s name and raised the blade of revenge.”
In the end, Acanthus’s child annihilated his father and the entire noble family. But in the process, he sustained fatal injuries and met his own death.
Acanthus. The flower’s symbolic meaning was revenge.
“That sword. It’s the very weapon used by the protagonist of this story.”
“That’s an incredibly tragic tale…”
Aiden, who had been listening from the side, wore a sorrowful expression.
It was a story where everything ended in tragedy.
In contrast, Maya’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
“Then, why are you telling me this story?”
“Because it’s your personal weapon. And because the spirits of your ancestors needed to hear this tale.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Normally, anyone who uses these swords becomes the type of person who can’t suppress even the slightest desire for revenge.”
“Are you saying it causes anger management issues?”
Jun let out a surprised sound. He was impressed by Maya’s ability to casually use such complex terminology.
“You know that term?”
“Bradden taught me.”
“That guy really teaches you all sorts of things. Anyway, there is one excellent way to cure anger management issues.”
“And what would that be?”
“Violence.”
“That’s exactly what Bradden said too.”
The mercenary branch chief. What in the world had he been teaching this kid?
Jun couldn’t help but wonder, though in truth, he wasn’t much different himself.
“To sum it up, those swords are possessed by an evil spirit. The original owner of those twin blades.”
“So you want the ancestors to beat the crap out of it?”
“Correct.”
“Understood. I’ll make sure it gets a proper thrashing.”
With that, Maya reached out and placed her hand on the twin blades.
There was a subtle glint in her eyes.
Just by looking at them, it was clear that these swords were sharper than any weapon she had ever seen before.
“Hmm. Then now it’s your turn, Aiden.”
“Uh… yes.”
Aiden who had been listening nearby began to sweat profusely.
“Will one really turn into a crazed murderer if they hold those swords?”
“If an ordinary person grabs it, probably.”
The Church had retrieved the swords by physically exorcising the person who had gone mad.
“Hoho… You truly are well-versed in these matters.”
While Roshin appeared to be impressed by Jun’s explanation, he was quickly working things out in his head.
He tried to recall whether any mages had been around since he had become the vault keeper.
That mage, moving so skillfully through the vault, seemed as if someone had told him about the place in advance.
The mage’s decisiveness was just as bold.
After that, the mage had even picked out a piece of armor for the blonde, blue-eyed warrior and chose a single glove for himself, thus wrapping up everything he needed to do in the vault.
“About time I started benefiting from some gear.”
Just before leaving the vault, the mage muttered those words.
***
By the time they returned from the vault, the sun was already beginning to set.
With the beautiful scenery, which remained stunning no matter how many times they saw it, as a side dish, the group finished their dinner.
And so, the next day dawned.
Bern spotted Aiden who was now wearing a worn leather armor.
“Hoho. So you brought that with you?”
“Yes…”
It was a buff coat, made like a shirt.
“Doesn’t look like you’re too happy with it.”
At Bern’s remark, Aiden shook his head.
“Since it’s something senior gave me, I’m sure it’ll be useful.”
The old shirt-shaped buff coat gave off a musty smell, and since it had been a long time since it was tanned, cracks could be seen here and there.
Of course, he couldn’t possibly be pleased with it.
– If used well, that’ll serve you like a Level 3 armor.
But because it was advice from a senior he deeply respected, Aiden believed those words without a doubt.
“That armor goes well with the energy flowing through your body.”
“You know about this?”
“Did the mage not tell you?”
“He did… but he said there’s a ferocious beast sleeping inside it and told me to wake it up.”
That was when the true potential of the buff coat would be unlocked.
“But he said it’s not something he could help me with and told me to ask you for assistance, Sir Bern.”
“Uwahaha!”
Bern let out a hearty laugh for the first time in a while.
“It really would be great if I could peek into that mage’s mind!”
As Bern laughed heartily, Aiden spoke.
“Sir Bern, it seems like you already know about this.”
“Know about it? Of course I do. That item is something I once used myself.”
“What?”
“Haha! You look surprised. But don’t be disappointed. I let that thing go because it didn’t suit my temperament. Or rather, I should say my temperament had changed. That’s why it left me and ended up in the vault.”
Aiden couldn’t quite understand what Bern was saying.
He couldn’t have meant that this old leather armor had grown legs and walked away from him.
As he tilted his head at the puzzling words—
“You’ll understand once you experience it yourself. You’re more than ready to use it. If you awaken it properly, you’ll gain one more powerful weapon.”
With that, Bern released a surge of aura.
Aiden reacted instinctively. He drew his sword and took a stance.
***
“I wonder if Aiden’s doing well.”
Since it was equipment Bern once used himself, its performance was no doubt astonishing.
Had Bern not changed his own temperament back then, he would still be in possession of that gear.
That’s how aggressive it is. And that’s why it suits Aiden.
Though Aiden often wore a goofy smile, one should never judge him lightly because of that.
Jun knew the true nature of Adrian, the protagonist of the game.
Anyway, Bern will take care of things on that side.
Shifting his focus away from Aiden, Jun now turned his attention toward Maya.
“…….”
Maya stood holding two swords, each emanating an ominous energy, staring blankly into the air as if entranced by something.
She was likely sensing the spirits of her ancestors.
“Savage, aren’t they.”
The evil spirits dwelling within the two blades retained no memories of their past lives.
Their souls had long since found peace, leaving behind only the history of the lives their former masters had lived.
And that history was filled solely with bloodstained vengeance.
From the moment Maya grasped them, the cursed blades began to whisper, trying to drive a wedge into her heart by conjuring up her greatest object of revenge.
But there was a problem.
There’s an intruder, huh.
Jun couldn’t see spirits the way Maya could, but if he could borrow her gaze—
An evil spirit getting gang-beaten?
The ancestral spirits had stepped in to protect Maya’s mind.
They were probably beating the cursed spirit so hard, it was like dust flying up on a rainy day.
She had lost herself in the sight of it.
It was likely because this was the first time the ancestral spirits had intervened so directly.
The spirits of her bloodline are positively inclined toward Maya.
There was no chance Maya would fall victim to the curse.
Without the evil spirit, those swords are level 3 weapons. And they’re even growth-type items.
They might not match up to [Tear of Teiya], which Jun possessed—
But when it comes to revenge, they’ll be a huge help to Maya.
In the end, for Maya to grow, revenge was a necessary and unavoidable step.
And those two swords would vividly portray her most important growth arc: Her revenge.
Anyway, that side would take care of itself with time.
Now then.
It was time to deal with this side.
Jun looked down at the pair of gloves resting on his hands.
They were called “Predator”.
Just like the name implied, they were gloves that devoured anything.
You might wonder what a pair of gloves could possibly eat, but—
“Ow, damn it.”
As he put on the gloves and clapped his hands once, a sharp sting pricked at his fingertips.
The pain was stronger than expected, making his shoulders flinch slightly.
“Mm.”
These gloves, if used properly, could be incredibly useful. And yet, the reason they had been stuffed away in the Church’s vault was because they lived up to their name.
Artifact: Predator.
Just like its name, this thing devoured everything.
Starting from junk items to all kinds of equipment and gems and even the wearer’s blood and mana.
It was, quite literally, a glutton that could consume anything.
In fact, some wearers who had everything drained from them ended up dried out like mummies and died. So it was no surprise that Predator had come to be regarded as a cursed artifact.
But that’s only because they didn’t know how to use it.
Still, the problem was that the method of using it was extremely limited.
“Hmm.”
Jun forcibly stopped the blood that Predator had begun to consume.
The thing was just about to throw a tantrum, but the moment Jun began supplying mana instead of blood, it immediately settled down, as if nothing had happened.
Shluuuuuurp.
It ate.
True to its name, Predator devoured mana at an absolutely monstrous rate.
Even at his current level, it was overwhelming, and Jun ended up releasing the seal as well.
The mana in the air trembled for a moment, then was immediately sucked into Predator.
Still not enough?
Judging by the intensity with which it absorbed, it was clear that this wouldn’t be resolved in a short amount of time.
Instead, he closed his eyes and focused his mind.
Predator was an artifact that chose its master.
The process of choosing a master was incredibly simple.
Just keep feeding it something until it was satisfied, like now.
Whether that was blood, food, or mana….it didn’t matter.
But most people couldn’t satisfy its appetite.
Jun, however, could.
He was someone who possessed mana as vast as the sea.
I’ll make sure it can’t live without me.
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