"You are the one! Your energy resonates with mine, almost perfectly. Unlike that blacksmith, who couldn't even properly grip me. But, sun, my brother took a liking to him and decided to accompany him on his journey," the voice said.
Did he mean the 'sun dagger'? Matt did say that Justin took one of the daggers as he went climbing the Tower.
His forger couldn't use him; I wonder how it even chooses its master.
[A link is trying to be established by the item: Moon Dagger]
[Do you accept it?]
A link? Was it something like a contract?
Yes, I accept!
[Congratulations! You have successfully established a link with the item: Moon Dagger]
[The abilities of the item: Moon Dagger, are morphing to suit its master!]
"Master!" called a voice from behind me. This voice was shrill and calm, unlike the hoarse voice of the dagger I had heard before.
Behind me stood a child who looked around six or seven years old. The child had pale white skin and snow-white hair. His face was small, round, and cute; his body was frail but didn't look malnourished. He wore a white shirt and pants, which seemed too big for his frail body.
"Who are you?" I inquired.
Where did this boy suddenly come from?
"Master! It's me! Moon! " The boy joyously said.
I guess it acquired a form when we made a contract. The Tower surely works in strange ways.
Suddenly, a status screen appeared on top of the boy's head.
**********
Moon Dagger (C)
A dagger that is made by a novice blacksmith who has incredible potential.
This dagger is a part of the 'sun and moon' set. When used together, a secret effect is unlocked.
No additional enhancements can be applied to this.
The grade and power of this weapon increase with the power of its user.
Attack: +30
The dagger's attack power is doubled under the Moon.
The dagger will provide its user with the skill: 'Shadow Morph'.
The dagger doubles the arcane recovery rate in darkness.
The dagger may unlock more abilities in the future.
Once a link has been established with the dagger, it cannot be broken unless the dagger or the user perishes.
**********
This was fabulous!
The fact that the dagger may receive additional abilities made up for the fact that no enhancements could be applied to it.
But what did this 'shadow morph' skill mean?
Shadow morph!
**********
Shadow Morph (C)
Gain the ability to become one with the shadows.
Your presence will completely disappear for one minute.
Arcane Consumption: 10 to activate
Proficiency: 0%
Cooldown: One hour
**********
This skill looked interesting.
The fact that I got this skill just by linking with a dagger was mind-boggling. I need to research more about skills and items in the future.
"Master! What are you looking at? There is nothing on top of my head," the boy commented, waving his hand to get my attention.
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"Nothing much. But, it looks like you will be my dagger from now on. So, I hope you take good care of me," I said, ruffling the boy's long, unkempt hair.
"Hehe! Of course!" Moon replied.
Suddenly, Moon started turning transparent until he disappeared. Soon, my surroundings began to regain their colour. It looks like I came back to the real world.
"Don't touch it yet! A newbie like you won't be able to handle a link until I tune the dagger's energy a bit!" yelled Matt in a worrying tone.
My fingertips were still touching the dagger's handle. It looked like no time had passed in the real world.
"I'll take it," I informed Matt, holding the dagger close to my eye to examine its details more carefully.
It was around twelve inches long, and its handle fitted my hand perfectly. Moreover, the grip on the handle was terrific; it was almost impossible to slip when holding this dagger.
The blue gem above the handle was glowing brighter than before. I finally got a great weapon.
"Looks like you aren't the average newbie. Glad to do business with you," the man said as he put his hand forward, offering me a handshake.
"Likewise," I replied as I shook Matt's hand.
"Take this as a gift from me, at no extra cost," Matt said as he took something from under the reception desk and threw it toward me.
It was a sheath for my dagger, made of black leather with beautiful white stitchings running along its middle, lengthwise.
**********
Dagger's Scabbard (F)
A scabbard for a dagger that automatically sticks to the user's body using arcane.
It automatically adjusts its length and width to fit the dagger.
**********
This was good.
I slid the dagger into the scabbard and brought the scabbard close to my waist. It stuck to it all by itself, just like a magnet.
This would come in handy.
"Thank you," I said, throwing the pouch with the money to Matt.
Grabbing the pouch, the blacksmith gleefully said, "Justin had told me not to take money for the dagger, but, since you are offering it to me with such persistence, I shall not decline."
With a quick movement of his hand, the huge man slid the money into the drawer of his reception desk after glaring at the gold coins with lustful eyes.
It looks like he really liked money.
Anyway, I had now gotten myself both armour and a weapon. It wouldn't be long before I started climbing the Tower.
"Let's go," I ordered Margaret as I headed out of the shop.
"What would you like to do now?" The waitress inquired as we strolled aimlessly down the street.
It was almost evening. Although I would like to go back to the inn and rest some more, it would be better to explore the town a little more.
"Please take me to the important locations in this town," I told Margaret, beckoning her to lead the way.
She took the lead after slightly bowing her head.
Our walk was delightful and calming. Every street had its own unique aesthetic. Some were full of shops and massive markets, while others had huge buildings, probably houses.
The soft, cool breeze that continuously blew didn't allow me to get tired too quickly, and the sweet aroma of flowers and trees filled my nose, calming my heart.
We walked around the town for half an hour before finally stopping in front of a huge wall with a massive gate.
The area in front of the walls was bustling with shops, traders, and buyers. A handful of inns could also be seen in the vicinity.
"This is the most important place in the entirety of the kingdom of Midland," Margaret commented, pointing to the wall, "the palace!"
Since this town was based in the medieval era overall, it made sense for it to have a castle. But, because of these massive walls and the colossal iron gate, it was impossible to see the palace behind them.
Guards were lined, equidistant from each other, in front of the wall. Around ten people stood guard in front of the gate.
"Are people allowed in there?" I inquired as I pointed toward the many groups leaving and entering the palace.
"Of course. The palace sorts out all matters of dispute, no matter how trivial or important they are," the red-haired woman replied.
The Tower is a world where power rules everything and anything. Just thinking about how powerful the people of the palace are to rule over such a huge land, where even Divinas reside, hurts my brain.
A huge white banner with a golden sword and shield was hung on top of the castle gate. I guess this was the 'Golden Guard' insignia that Margaret had told me about.
Around a hundred people marched out of the gate in two straight lines. All of them wore white, dazzling armour, which had the insignia of the 'Golden Guards', and a handful wore long white robes with golden designs.
"A march?" I asked Margaret.
"It's customary. The march's main purpose is to show the newbies just who the boss is," the red-haired woman replied.
"I see… Let's go back to the inn," I suggested. The sun had almost sunk beneath the horizon, and getting tangled up in this march would be bothersome.
"Of course," Margaret replied as she started walking back from where we came.
After around ten minutes of leisurely strolling, a strange sight caught my attention. A crowd had gathered in a huge building about twenty stories tall. A huge red cross design could be seen on the building's wall; it was the same as a hospital sign.
"What's that?" I asked, pointing to the crowd.
"It looks like a huge fight broke out somewhere. The crowd gathered must be to witness the wounded," Margaret commented.
"A fight?" I inquired.
"Well, it's normal. Although the crime rate has decreased in the past ten years, it still exists," Margaret said as she continued walking.
There would always be some rebels, no matter who the ruler was. I quickened my pace to catch up with the waitress.
We passed through different streets this time. I guess Margaret wanted to show me every part of the city. The streets were well-lit. It would be impossible to distinguish the day in the town from the night if it weren't for the dark sky above.
"By the way, when can I challenge the first floor?" I inquired. Was there some specific time to do it?
"Since, you are well equipped, you can go challenge the first floor, tomorrow itself. Although, I would recommend getting to at least level six before going," Margaret advised me.
"There aren't any monsters nearby? How do I even level up?" I asked. Was there another way?
"By training! Although it takes much more time to level up by training, as compared to hunting monsters, it is still a viable method," the red-haired waitress replied.
This was great information. If I trained during my free time and hunted monsters, the rest of the time, I could level up faster.
Soon, we reached the inn, and Margaret opened the door. She beckoned me inside and sat me on a corner table while heading into the kitchen.
Although some of the people were different from yesterday's, the vibe of the inn was still the same. The fragrant aroma of various dishes swirled around the entire hall.
"SIR!!" shouted a familiar voice from across the room.
I turned my head towards the voice.
Elizabeth, Liam, and Ignis were seated at a table in the other corner of the room. The young boy was waving his hand vigorously to attract my attention.
I felt a strange joy, seeing my team.