Chapter 552: A Sword's Symphony under a Moonlit Sky
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Mage Tower, the enchantment workshop on the top floor of the main tower
Link had finished a new magical item. The whole process had taken him five days.
It seemed that he had only forged one item. It was a colorless, transparent runestone, which resembled the button of a shirt. Upon a closer look, one could see a milky-white cloud swirling in it.
It was a rare sight to see Link heave a long sigh after working on a simple magical runestone. He sat down, his body relaxing considerably. The five-day ordeal was finally over.
The enchantment workshop was huge, so he was not the only one there. Celine, Eliard, Evelina, Alloa, and Vance were also there with him. They too were hard at work working on the Ethereal Crystal. Before, they only watched from afar as Link worked, fearing that they might interrupt his thought process.
However, they were all curious as to what sort of magical equipment he was working on. When Link was done, they all came over to inspect his creation.
Everyone took a look at the crystal button that Link had placed on the enchantment workbench, but could not make out what it was supposed to be used for.
There was no magical activity within the button. The white cloud inside it resembled the blemishes one would find in normal gemstones. This was not their standard definition of a magical equipment.
No one in Scorched City would probably not bother picking it up if they saw it lying on the ground. Any ordinary passerby would simply mistake it for a heavily blemished crystal.
Eliard grew even more curious about it. Link certainly would not spend the last five days crafting useless knick-knacks. The magical principle behind its conception was simply too profound for them to comprehend at first glance.
This suggested that Link had deepened his understanding of magic even further. Eliard bent over to carefully inspect the button on the workbench, but still could not fathom its purpose. Becoming even more curious, he asked, "Link, why isn't there any magical activity in it?"
Link was satisfied with his work. It might not seem like much, but it contained everything that he had understood about magic. The button was the highest pinnacle of magical workmanship he could reach at his current level.
Seeing everyone gazing so intently at the crystal, Link smiled at Eliard and said, "Actually, this is a seal, and it's used for enchantments. There's no power in it at the moment. It requires a set of magical equipment in order to activate its effect."
Saying this, Link took out his Dragon King's Fury sword. He unsheathed it and laid the sword out on the workbench.
Right now, the Dragon King's Fury sword was Level-13. This was the result of Link constantly nourishing the sword with his Dragon Power. As soon as it left its scabbard, the blade gave off an indescribable aura.
Under the sword's oppressive aura, the onlooking Magicians took a step back away from it. They did not dare stand too close to it.
Link stood up and picked up the crystal button from the workbench. He then inserted it into a groove in the middle of the sword's blade. The button slotted into the groove perfectly. Once inside, the sword's dragon scales began rearranging itself until the crystal merged seamlessly with the blade itself.
Then, something peculiar happened.
Once the button was on the sword, the white cloud inside it began to dissipate until none of it was left in the crystal. The crystal was now transparent. Its surface radiated a soft, watery glow.
The light was as calm as moonlight and as clear as a mountain stream. Some of the Magicians around it could not help but feel drawn to this ethereal glow. The light also seemed to have stilled their thoughts, bringing them a sense of peace and tranquility.
The sensation was akin to taking a walk across a moonlit field without a care in the world.
Suddenly, Eleanor spoke, "There's something about this light. It seems to have a spell-focusing effect."
Link smiled and nodded. "Indeed. But that's trivial in comparison to its true purpose."
He then picked up the Dragon King's Fury sword, which was now adorned with the crystal button. As he infused his own power into the sword, a watery glow spread out across the intricate maze of runes on its surface. Countless rune circuits lit up on the Dragon King's Fury sword. The watery glow streaked through them until it reached the crystal button.
Shortly after, the glow began to intensify. At first, it only illuminated a corner of the workshop. But after a while, the light solidified into a ball which began steadily expanding until it engulfed the whole room. The light was not at all blinding.
After a while, the Dragon King's Fury sword began absorbing the ball of light. Clear tinkling sounds could be heard from within.
Though no one could see what was happening inside the ball of light, they could feel that the Dragon King's Fury sword was transforming. They all waited to see its final transformation with bated breath.
The whole process took at least 15 minutes.
Fifteen minutes later, the light enveloping the sword gradually began to subside. Slowly, it revealed the sword's tip. Then came its blade. In the end, the light was completely absorbed by the sword itself.
The appearance of the Dragon King's Fury sword had changed drastically.
The sword had originally been dark red. Two dragons had been sculpted on its hilt, their wings serving as the sword's guard. The blade was also covered with dragon scales, making it look primal and oppressive.
But now, the sword had suppressed its oppressive aura. It was now a silver steel sword. The only distinguishing feature on it was the colorless gemstone that Link had placed in the midsection of the blade.
At first glance, the sword now resembled the steel swords ordinary Warriors usually armed themselves with. It did not give off any magical aura. The sword simply gleamed a bit brighter than the others. A plain-looking gemstone was mounted on its blade. The sword was no more elegant than the decorative swords forged by a master blacksmith.
Ordinary folk might mistake it for a normal sword. However, any Magician would be able to tell that the sword was now even more powerful than before.
One might say that the Dragon King's Fury sword had resembled a feral creature baring its fangs and claws to intimidate its enemies into submission before its transformation. Now, this seemingly ordinary sword had retracted said fangs and claws, giving off an almost imperceptible aura. Though it did not feel as strong as before, there was an immeasurable profoundness to the sword's new aura. If one were to carefully feel it, one could sense a power capable of rending seas and uprooting mountains within the sword.
As a Legendary master herself, Evelina was able to sense this power most vividly. She stepped forward and gazed unblinkingly at Link's sword. She then asked, "What special properties does it have?"
"Properties?" Link thought for a moment, then said, "There's just too many to list out right now, I'm afraid. Let me put it simply: the sword is me right now. Whatever I can do, it can do it as well."
The rune on the sword had channeled Link's understanding of this world into it. Link had also worked his Realm Essence on the rune to its fullest extent. In other words, the rune was perfect.
Evelina was stunned. She then sighed and sighed, "Your magic has surpassed even my understanding. I can't give you a proper evaluation of your sword."
Just then, a message from the game system flashed before Link.
Player Link has successfully forged a Legendary mid-level rune and receives 200 Omni Points as his reward.
At this stage, he could exchange one Omni Point for one Realm Essence point. It was a reasonable deal.
Rune integration a success. Please rename your magical sword.
Link thought for a moment, then said, "From now on, this sword belongs to me completely. I'll name it... Ode of a Full Moon."
When he was finished, Link slowly sheathed his sword. Once the sword was back inside its scabbard, the enchantment workshop darkened considerably. The general air of tranquility in the room had also subsided.
It was as if the moon had sunk behind the mountains. Everyone began to stir from the calm, distant mood that the sword had put everyone in.
All the Magicians in the workshop heaved a wistful sigh.
There was things in this world which might not seem like much at first, but their absence was enough to leave one in a sorrowful disposition as if there was now something important missing in this world.
It seemed that Link's Ode of a Full Moon sword had such an effect on people.
Once the sword was back in its scabbard, Link received a message concerning the Ode of a Full Moon sword's true nature.
Ode of a Full Moon
Level-14 Magical Sword
Description: This is a sword fit for a king. You would be hard-pressed to tell exactly what powers this sword possesses, but one thing's for sure: all your enemies will submit to its power once it leaves its scabbard.
(Note: The sword sings high into the moonlit sky.)
"Everyone, I'll be leaving for the Golden Plains. I leave Ferde and its matters to your capable hands. Especially you three, Eliard, Vance and Alloa."
All three of them were Link's most trustworthy Magicians of the Mage Tower.
Eliard was Link's best friend and also the most innovative Magician he had ever known. Vance had lifetimes' worth of experience, while Alloa had a gift for seeking out the absolute truth of things. Together, their strengths compensated for each other's weaknesses. That should be more than enough to see Ferde through these turbulent times.
Link then gave a Magician's salute to the three of them. As of now, he was no longer a lord but simply a scholar in pursuit of magical knowledge.
Eliard and the others were aware of Link's plan. They straightened their backs then solemnly saluted back at him.
Link nodded at Evelina and the others. His eyes finally fell on Celine, who had not spoken a word. He smiled, and Celine smiled back at him. As they looked at each other, a white light engulfed Link, and soon, he was gone from the Mage Tower.
A moment later, he appeared 10,000 feet in the air. This was his latest upgraded version of the Dimensional Jump spell. The maximum distance he could teleport across was now 10,000 feet.
In the air, Link activated Void Walk. His entire body transformed into a streak of light which hurtled through the air towards the Golden Plains.
...
Black Forest, Skeletal Fort
A secret congregation was underway in a secret room; its participants consisted of Nagas, Beastmen, demons and Dark Elves. They were all major players in the Army of Destruction.
The room was dim that no distinguishing features could be seen on the shadowy figures occupying the room.
"Parmese's tribe has broken off from the rest of his kind. The king of the Beastmen may not take kindly to this."
"He's most likely already decided to ally himself with the humans to storm the North. At this rate, the humans' forces in the South will soon grow even stronger."
"The Beastmen may appear unified, but they still employ a tribal system. If we remove the king from the equation, whatever semblance of power the Beastmen have will disintegrate into a puff of smoke."
"Are you talking about assassinating Avatar?"
"Sounds like a great plan, but who's gonna do it?"
"Me." The speaker had a small, delicate physique, and there was a long spear behind their back.
"One will not be enough," a Naga Priest spoke.
"Count me in." A winged demon stepped forth, a pale blue sword in his hand. It was a fallen angel.
"Alright, anyone else? We need to make this work on our first try. There won't be any room for error here," said the Naga Priest.
"I want in. It's about time I avenge my fallen brethren, anyway," a low voice rumbled. A slender, muscular figure stepped out from the shadows. It was the Storm Warlord Parmese. He held two swords in his hands that were as slender as a pair of palm leaves.
"The three of you should suffice. But Avatar's strength is the stuff of legends. I fear this mission may not go smoothly, especially if the king of the Beastmen is expecting assassins being sent his way. I'll cast transformation spells on the three of you, disguise you as Beastmen..."
The Storm Warlord Parmese interjected, "It'd be best if you could disguise us as humans. Beastmen can distinguish their targets via smell. A simple disguise would not be enough to fool them. On the other hand, we may be able to easily sabotage the humans' plans if we're disguised as one of them!"
"Well said. Then we'll do as you say."