Magus
patreon
Chapter 56: Rusted Sword? A New Pokémon Joins the Team!
🕑 Added 2025-08-14 12:53:24 +0000 UTCCynthia paused, staring at the sword that had suddenly appeared before her, a puzzled expression crossing her face.
The sword looked completely ordinary, even decrepit—like something that would fall apart if picked up, or break in half with a single swing.
Why would such a sword appear in the volcanic ash exchange item list?
The stream chat exploded with comments as they noticed the sword.
[What’s this guy’s deal? Is he really trying to sell junk like this?]
[Hey, don’t underestimate scrap dealers. They probably wouldn’t even want a rusty sword like this.]
[True…]
[Something feels off. Knowing this game creator’s style, this sword can’t be just ordinary…]
While the chat debated, Cynthia’s gaze remained fixed on the sword. For some reason, it felt… compelling. As though it was silently urging her to connect with it.
This wasn’t the first time Cynthia had experienced this sensation. Whenever she felt this pull, it meant one thing: whatever lay before her had survived countless ages, was ancient, and held secrets beyond ordinary comprehension.
She often sensed it while exploring ancient altars and ruins.
But this time? The sensation was stronger than ever before.
Without hesitation, Cynthia pressed the interaction button beside the man and asked, "How much volcanic ash do I need to trade for that sword?"
The man blinked in surprise. A red exclamation mark popped above his head as he fumbled through a nearby cabinet, pulling out the broken sword and placing it on the table.
"You mean this?" he said. "I found it lying on the side of the road. It’s not worth much."
"I was going to melt it down for scrap metal, but it won’t melt, no matter how much I burn it. So I just left it here."
"If you want it, I’ll take all your volcanic ash in exchange. What do you say? If not, I’ll sell it to the town collector. Steel that won’t melt even in flames? He’ll pay well for it."
Cynthia didn’t hesitate. She immediately traded all her remaining volcanic ash.
She felt a small sense of relief—she had already spent most of her ash on other items. If she hadn’t, getting the sword would have meant missing out on the Leftovers and flutes.
A notification popped up.
[Item: Rusted Sword has been placed in your bag.]
Opening her bag, Cynthia inspected the sword. It looked like nothing special—just a worn, old blade. But that deep, unshakable feeling still lingered.
An item description appeared:
[Description: A very ancient sword. Perhaps with restoration, it could unleash incredible power and effects?]
Cynthia’s eyes narrowed. As expected, this wasn’t just any sword.
The description hinted that the sword could be restored to unlock its full potential. But how would she repair it?
Cynthia sighed, shaking her head slightly. There was nothing she could do for now. She’d have to wait and see.
She couldn’t think of any way to repair swords at her current stage of the game.
With a quick thanks to the volcanic ash man, Cynthia stepped outside, only to be greeted by a familiar face—the same child who had once "ambushed" her among the volcanic ash.
Seeing Cynthia, a red exclamation mark appeared above the child’s head.
[Big sister, did you get that sword? Can I see it?]
Two choices appeared before Cynthia.
—Yes/No
She hesitated for a moment but then selected Yes.
On screen, Cynthia’s character pulled out the Rusted Sword and placed it in front of the child. The child eagerly ran their hands along the blade, inspecting it carefully before speaking.
"Thanks, big sister! But this sword doesn’t look special. The old man said it couldn’t melt even in flames—he must be lying."
"Hey, big sister, if you bought that sword, maybe you should sell it to someone named Bill in the nearby town. He collects ancient stuff like this."
"But if you want to get along with him, be careful. He’s always hanging around broken rocks, calling them fossils or something. And he laughs weirdly while walking around—it’s kinda creepy!"
Among the child’s rambling, Cynthia caught two important details.
Fossils? Bill?
She had never heard of a Bill in the real world. But if he was connected to fossils…
A thought suddenly struck her.
She turned to the child. "Little one, do you know where this Bill lives?"
The child thought for a moment. "He lives in the leftmost house in Fallarbor Town… but he’s usually not home. He spends most of his time wandering around Meteor Falls. Nobody really knows what he’s doing there."
"Dad says he’s a mad scientist and that I should stay away from him."
"Not like you, big sister—you’re pretty, so you must be a good person!"
Cynthia couldn’t help but smile at the child’s words. She crouched down and gently patted the child’s head.
"Thank you for telling me."
"You're welcome! After all, you saw through my stealth technique! Next time you come back, I’ll be even better at it!"
With that, the child dashed off, disappearing into the ash.
Cynthia stood there, thoughtful. Based on her experience, the red exclamation mark above the child had signaled that the upcoming words and actions were significant. The clues the child provided were likely valuable.
If that was the case, then heading to Fallarbor Town was the next step.
She put the Rusted Sword away and began heading left.
---
Five minutes later, after defeating a few NPCs in her path, Cynthia reached Fallarbor Town, a small settlement nestled at the foot of a mountain. Maple trees lined the streets, their golden leaves fluttering in the autumn breeze, creating a serene, picturesque scene.
Following her usual routine, Cynthia wandered through the town and stumbled upon two items in the sandpit on the bottom right corner.
[Congratulations! You found an item: Pearl]
[Congratulations! You found an item: Flame Orb]
The Pearl was clearly meant for selling, while the Flame Orb was an item that inflicted the "burn" status condition on non-Fire-type Pokémon.
To most players, the Flame Orb would seem like a negative item, but after her recent gym battle, the chat had a new perspective.
[The godly orb has arrived! Sister Cynthia, want to catch a Pokémon with the Guts ability? I want to see another one-punch knockout!]
[Sorry, Orb-sama, I was talking too loudly earlier.]
Cynthia eyed the Flame Orb thoughtfully. A Pokémon with the "Guts" ability holding it could become a powerhouse.
The problem? Most Pokémon with that ability were Fighting-types, and she hadn’t encountered any so far. Her focus was on building a rain-themed team, and Fighting-types didn’t really fit into that.
Could there be any dual-type Pokémon that were both Water and Fighting?
After a moment of thought, Cynthia couldn’t think of any. She shrugged and decided to hold onto the Flame Orb for now. Worst-case scenario, she could sell it for a decent price later.
She exchanged the items for money at the shop, and her savings hit 50,000.
After healing her Pokémon at the Center, she continued her journey. Soon, she found a run-down shack with a sign reading:
[Bill’s Lab]
The place didn’t look like a lab at all—more like a junk-filled storage shed.
Cynthia knocked on the door, but a notification appeared.
[The door is locked. No one seems to be home.]
Just as the child had said, Bill wasn’t around. But the child had also mentioned that Bill spent most of his time near Meteor Falls.
And, conveniently, Meteor Falls was right where she was headed.
With that in mind, Cynthia set off south, leaving Fallarbor Town behind.
Crossing a suspension bridge, she was suddenly blocked by a familiar figure—a middle-aged man wearing a red hat and carrying a fishing rod.
He looked exactly like the fisherman from Dewford Town.
"Hey, young lady!" he exclaimed. "I see you’re carrying a fishing rod. You must really love fishing!"
Before Cynthia could respond, the man pulled out a new fishing rod and handed it to her.
"Here, take this one. Your rod looks outdated."
[Congratulations! You obtained the item: Good Rod!]
[Description: A fishing rod with better performance than ordinary rods, capable of catching rarer, stronger Water-type Pokémon.]
"No need to thank me. I wish you tight lines and no skunked catches!" The man waved as he ran off into the distance.
Cynthia stood there, confused.
When did I ever say I liked fishing?
She sighed. Her first fishing experience had been a disaster, but maybe this rod would yield better results. Given her rain-themed team, Water-types were definitely something she needed.
Cynthia stood at the bridge’s edge and cast the new rod into the water.
A few moments later, the rod jerked violently.
She instantly pressed the interaction button to reel it in.
A massive blue shadow emerged from the water, accompanied by a loud roar.
[You encountered a Gyarados (Lv45)!]
Cynthia blinked. "Not again?!"
This Gyarados was far too powerful to capture right now. Cynthia immediately fled the battle, her team vulnerable to Flying-types.
She fled twice before escaping.
The stream chat erupted in laughter.
[LOL, Cynthia’s fishing career is over!]
[Streamer: Holy crap, the Gyarados is STILL chasing me!]
[The creator’s on a different level! Who can catch a Gyarados with a fishing rod?!]
Cynthia sighed. She didn’t mind the frustration—Gyarados was a powerful Water/Flying dual-type Pokémon, and one day, when her level cap increased, she’d come back to catch it.
---
After crossing the bridge, Cynthia encountered a wild Pokémon in the riverside grass.
[Wild Wingull (Lv23) appeared!]
Perfect. This was exactly the kind of Pokémon she needed.
She sent out Ludicolo and used Fake Out, followed by Teeter Dance, then switched to Grovyle to weaken Wingull with low-power Grass-type moves. Finally, she threw a Great Ball.
The ball shook three times before it clicked, and the cheerful capture sound played.
[Congratulations! Wingull was successfully captured!]
Cynthia checked Wingull’s stats.
[Pokémon: Wingull]
[Gender: ♀]
[Type: Water/Flying]
[Ability: Hydration (Cures status conditions during rain)]
[Known Moves: Water Gun, Growl, Wing Attack, Water Pulse]
Cynthia paused. Hydration?
Wingull had this ability in the games, but once it evolved into Pelipper, it lost it. Would this change after evolution?
It was a mystery.
But honestly, after everything she had uncovered so far in the game, Cynthia just shrugged.
This was just another discovery.
After all, she'd already encountered legendary Pokémon. A new ability didn’t seem all that exciting anymore.
