HideousGrain
patreon
Path to Prosperity - B2 Chapter 57
🕑 Added 2024-10-05 10:00:08 +0000 UTCIt felt like the Syreablade had a heartbeat.
It was talking to him, urging him to bind it to him.
The Syreablade didn’t tell Percy how to do that, but his instincts told him what he had to do. He licked his lips in excitement and uncertainty of what was going to happen and pressed his thumb incredibly lightly against the sharp side of the Syreablade.
Percy was fully focused all the time, but he still didn’t notice right away how deeply the Syreablade cut into his thumb. His eyes widened in surprise.
How in the seven hells is this blade so sharp?!
The weapon’s sharpness surprised him, and so did the blood pooling out of the wound. Far more blood than he’d planned to surrender for the binding experiment streamed down the blade, which consumed everything.
The blood didn’t reach the tip of the Syreablade before it was consumed by the Dragon Fang’s seemingly insatiable hunger. Time passed eerily slowly, but it was still not slow enough to show Percy what exactly was happening. After absorbing Percy's blood, the pitch-black blade was covered in thin crimson vein-like streaks, but that was not all. The Syreablade urged his mana to mix into his blood…and Percy followed the command without hesitation.
His mana reserves were emptied within seconds, leaving Percy a little exhausted. However, a smile blossomed on his lips, replacing the strained expression on his face when he sensed a connection building up with the Syreablade. It wasn’t unexpected, nonetheless, it was a pleasant experience.
His senses shot back to their original sensitivity, and Percy had to put the Syreablade back into its sheath before his legs caved in.
He landed in a heap of gold and Imperial coins, his entire body covered in cold sweat. Still, his smile never ceased.
Crazy. This is crazy!
Percy was over the moon, yet he struggled retrieving a Healing Potion from his spatial storage, all while the Old King and royal librarian surrounded him. They stared blankly at him for a while until both were certain Percy wouldn’t collapse suddenly.
“What is this doing here, Your Excellency?!” The royal librarian asked sharply.
Even though he followed formalities, everyone could tell how angry the royal librarian was. The Old King didn’t mind the lack of manners and shrugged in confusion.
“I…am not sure. My father lost Dragon Fang before I ascended the throne. I am sure of it: I remember how sad I was when he told me about it. I always dreamed about using the Syreablade in battle…” His loud voice turned into a whisper the more he said, while his eyes were glued to Dragon Fang in the sheath.
“So, you are trying to tell me that Percy found Dragon Fang, which your father lost several hundred years ago, under a pile of gold? Do you want me to….” The librarian went silent while the Old King shook his head.
“I cannot believe it myself. It was always here… That makes no sense.”
“It does not, Your Excellency. It does not.”
Percy didn’t listen to the older man’s quarrel. It looked like something that must have occurred often in the past. There was no need for a youngster like him to listen to.
Instead, Percy summoned his personal interface because he sensed that something had changed. It felt almost like the Syreablade was now… a part of him.
『Percy Kain』
[Ego – Coin of Prosperity]
[Tier] – [Elite-9]
—
[Dragon Fang (Syreablade)] – [Growth⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐],
[Gnoll Warrior (Elite –⭐) – [Blade Mastery⭐⭐⭐],[A Hunter’s Smell⭐], [Basic Strength Boost⭐], [Berserk ⭐⭐⭐⭐]]
[Blueflame Hawk (Elite – ⭐) – [Hawk Eyes ⭐] – [Frostbite ⭐⭐⭐⭐], [Basic Agility Boost ⭐⭐],
[Silent Reaper ⭐] ]
『Coin of Prosperity』
Prosperity: 1,000,000
➛Consume
Dragon Fang was added to the Monster Card section. It is not a Monster Card, and it doesn’t feel like it occupies a spot for a Monster Card – I don’t have a space left in the first place. Yet, the Syreablade is connected to him similar to Monster Card. It doesn’t feel like an Artifact, yet it is not a Monster Card either. That is…interesting.
[Growth] felt more like an Augmentation than an enchantment. There was no runic enchantment engraved on the Syreablade in the first place. Still, Percy couldn’t decipher the extent of the [Growth] Augmentation. It didn’t feel like his growth improved. Instead, it was more like the Augmentation applied only to the Syreablade.
He unsheathed the blade again and felt its grip adjust perfectly to Percy’s grasp again. It was still in the molding process, or so it felt, yet Percy couldn’t help but be more than satisfied with his new play tool. He turned away from the odd pair of quarreling men and closed his eyes.
[Blade Mastery] was always active but felt stronger when wielding blades. In fact, the greater the blade, the stronger [Blade Mastery]. At least, that was what Percy felt at this very moment.
He took only one step forward, but that was enough to slash down, twist the blade when it was about to reach the ground and cut upward with little effort. Percy used the accumulated momentum perfectly in sync with the application of little force.
The Syreablade whizzed quickly through the air, filling the treasury with Dragon Fang’s pleasant humming.
After executing a few sequences, Percy stopped and smiled vibrantly. He opened his eyes and turned around.
“You know…you can probably cut the treasury apart with the Syreablade,” The royal librarian muttered, “It looked great and all…but how about you train outside next time?”
“Oh. Well. Of course.”
The Syreablade transformed into a black wisp when Percy was about to sheath it again. However, the pitch-black sheath wasn’t there anymore. What had replaced the sheath was the mark of an obsidian-colored Syreablade on the back of his right hand. As everything followed the natural process, the black wisp burst forth and impacted the back of his right hand. It merged with the mark of the obsidian-colored Syreablade, dying it in a much darker tone.
Should I check what enchantments I can engrave on the Syreablade? Or does it act like a Monster Card and grant me multiple Augmentations if I engrave them? Will 1,000,000 Prosperity points be enough… Yeah, no. That’s definitely not enough. The Syreablade is already priced at more than two hundred million Prosperity. It’s far more valuable than anything I’ve seen.
Percy decided against it. He was curious, but enchanting a powerful weapon like Dragon Fang would cost a fortune. His mind would always drift to the cost of upgrading the Syreablade, forcing him to save up rather than invest in other things. In the first place, Dragon Fang was sharp enough to cut through lots of things. The royal librarian wasn’t joking when he said Dragon Fang was sharp enough to cut the treasury in two.
And that wasn’t an easy feat. The treasury was made of a material not even Peak Master Tier Gifted Ones could destroy easily, and it was further reinforced with countless runic enchantments. Yet, the Syreablade was sharp enough to cut through it.
I don’t think I have enough mana to support such a straining task, but it is good to know that it is theoretically possible.
Percy smiled and didn’t even notice that the quarrel between the Old King and the royal librarian had died. They talked about something else.
“He should pick the Vermillion Bird Monster Card. I don’t think you’re realizing how powerful this Card is. You haven’t been using Monster Card for centuries, so it’s obvious that you forgot a lot, Your Excellency. But think about it. This kid can use the full power of the Vermillion Bird in the near future,” The royal librarian said, but the Old King shook his head. He was holding another Card, two to be precise, in his hands and tapped them lightly.
“These Cards are better for him. I’m certain of it!”
Percy tilted his head and stepped forward, “Can I help you somehow?”
Both men turned around and nodded.
“What do you want to pick next? Do you like the Vermillion Bird? Its Augmentations are powerful, and it is a very strong creature. Once you learn how to control the Vermillion Bird, you will be stronger than most Imperials!” The royal librarian announced, but the Old King snickered in annoyance.
“But you will still be weaker than me. If you use these two Cards, you can become much stronger. For the records, one of the Cards is my present to you. I…think it was good that you’ve survived. Maybe it wasn’t the best move to sent assassins after you…”
That was probably as far as the Old King would ever get to apologizing.
It was much better than anything Percy had been hoping for.
He accepted the Cards from the Old King and checked them out
[Capture Card – Mythical – 5,023,236 Prosperity]
[Ego Boost – Relic Card/Perfect – 73,913,692 Prosperity]
Percy had never heard of Mythical Quality or Relic Cards. He thought only Monster Cards were a thing. The Capture Card sounded interesting, mostly because of the special label as ‘Mythical’, but the Prosperity points offered by the Ego was a little low.
He couldn’t help but throw a doubtful glance at the Old King, who smiled in response.
“The Cards are both special. The Capture Card allows you to capture any kind of monster. It will be far more intelligent than the average Monster Card and will retain 100% of its combat prowess. My – Our– great ancestor procured two Capture Cards, and my father used one of them to capture a Dragon in the past. The success rate is relatively low, but maybe you can boost it somehow after you use the Relic Card, Ego Boost, to enhance your Ego. Maybe you learn how to turn your fortune into something else than a means to upgrade your Tier.” The Old King proposed.
Percy snickered in response, “I already know how to upgrade Monster Cards. I can also use my Ego to engrave runic enchantments using Prosperity points – the currency I earn from consuming my property.”
The Old King smiled in response, “That’s even better. The Relic Card will probably help you grow even stronger in an even shorter time.”
Percy nodded, but he felt a little odd about the Ego Boost Card. Something about it repulsed him. There was something ‘bright’ about the Relic Card, which repulsed him and vice versa. His Ego didn’t urge him to consume the Relic Card, but it felt like the Coin of Prosperity was pulling him away from the Relic Card. That was…odd, to say the least.
“The Relic Card is something I obtained and used for a long time. It helped me grow into one of the strongest Egos in the mortal realm. That was before I got injured, of course. It occupies a Monster Card spot, but the Relic Card is worth it.”
The Relic Card could be applied to strengthen Egos. That might be great and all, but it was useful if the Relic Card rejected him from the distance while his Ego didn’t want to have anything to do with it either.
“The Relic Card is a gift from you, right?” Percy asked with slight hesitation, “So I can use it in whatever way I want to, right?”
“I cannot use it either way, and it's waste on your father. He isn’t using his Ego often and he would never replace his Monster Cards with Ego Boost. What a fool!”
“My Ego rejects the Relic Card,” Percy said straightforwardly, “But I can push to Master-0 right away if I consume it. The remainder Prosperity can then be used to strengthen the Capture Card, to enhance my other Monster Cards, or–...”
The Old King raised his hand. His eyes quivered a little but he nodded, “Ego Boost is my present to you. You can use it as you please. As long… As long as you don’t waste it.”
“Thank you. I will not waste it,” Percy said, “I promise.”
He unleashed [Consume], unsealing the abomination of the Coin of Prosperity to devour the Relic Card a moment later.
The abomination burst from his palm with a primal roar and swallowed the pristine light within the Relic Card instantaneously.
[Relic Card has been consumed. 73,913,692 Prosperity has been added.
[A Fragment of a Holy Star has been consumed.]
[Your Tier increased by one rank.]
[Your Tier increased to Master. Additional Monster Card Slot has been unlocked.]
[Your attunement to the Coin of Prosperity increased. Your understanding increased.]
