I thought I had a revelation about karma. One’s actions would always come back to them: for being a bad person, they’d suffer a bad end. In that case, why is Lucia so damn lucky? She enters the immortal realm and just so happens to become the disciple of one of the strongest existences without really doing anything. Isn’t she supposed to endure some suffering? Isn’t she supposed to walk along the edge of life and death, experience hardships that’d break a normal person before finally catching the eye of an expert who takes her in? There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and getting a master like the ruler, there’s no way all Lucia has to do is suffer a bit during some sparring sessions. Something’s off. Things just don’t add up.

“Hum, hum, hum.” Lucia’s singing to herself while skipping through the halls of the ruler’s home. I call them halls, but they’re actually the branches of a world tree. Without even having to work hard, she’s already become proficient with spiritual energy thanks to the ruler’s special operation. I will admit, a normal person would be traumatized by that experience, but it seems like an awfully small price to pay for such a massive increase in spiritual-energy-manipulating proficiency. I’ve been trying my hardest to use the spiritual energy around me, but after all this time, I can only control a tiny strand. It’ll take years for me to form a piece of armor like the law enforcement chief did.

If things continue at this rate, Lucia will far surpass me, and I can’t let that happen. While it’s not like I haven’t been surpassed by Lucia before, it’s different this time. A little bit of difference in strength is alright. However, if I can’t master the usage of spiritual energy, I won’t be as effective as a weapon that can conduct Lucia’s spiritual energy fluidly. I’ll be replaced. It’s already bad enough that she enjoys using a hammer, but if she finds a better sword, won’t I be rendered completely useless? I’ll be thrown away. There’s only one thing to do; I’ll go through Lucia’s interspatial ring and find that chunk of metal she stole from the ruler’s treasury. I’ll eat it, consume it for my own growth, and in the chance that I can’t eat it, at least she won’t have it to create a new sword with. Where did she put it? In this interspatial ring?

Wait. What’s this smell? I’ve never smelled something quite so fragrant before. Something deep within me is scratching at my heart, telling me to find it. There’s a pile of trash here—although, Lucia calls them treasures. Underneath this mound of random furs, there’s…. What is this thing? A broken sword? Where did Lucia get this, and what exactly is it made out of? I’m not sure, but it smells awfully delicious. Just looking at it is causing me to hallucinate. If I eat this sword, there’s no doubt I’ll ascend to a higher level. For now, I’ll eat the broken blade. As for asking Lucia for permission first, why would I do that? I’m her weapon spirit. My life is practically linked to hers. Her items are my items too; there’s nothing wrong with me eating something in my possession.

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I have to prepare myself. I’ll sit down and calm my nerves until I’m in my peak condition. The last time my strength rapidly improved, I was forced to wrestle naked against a cactus. This sword fragment seems to contain much more energy than a regular sword; it’s possible there’s a spirit living inside that’ll fight me for control once I consume it. Like I said, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Alright, I’m ready. I’ll raise this sword up and take a bite. It’s tough, much tougher to chew than other swords. It’s also extremely sharp. This isn’t the first sword I’ve eaten, but it’s the first time the insides of my mouth have ever been cut by a blade. Just touching the edge is enough to make me bleed. Oddly enough, nothing’s trying to possess me. Perhaps the spirit inside died when the sword was broken? Or it’s residing in the other half of the sword. In that case, I have to absorb this fragment completely and thoroughly before feasting on the other end.

It was only one bite, a mere fragment of the sword, but so much energy is coursing through my body. I can feel my heart thumping. It’s like something is wriggling within my muscles, threatening to burst through my skin. If I don’t use my qi to control it, I’ll explode. If I die now, in this form, my core might even be damaged. It’s a good thing the sword was broken in half. Lucia must’ve picked it up somewhere in the ruler’s home while I was dead.

“Teacher!” Lucia said. Although my focus was mostly on controlling the energy within my body, I still have to pay attention to what’s outside. Even if I’m not the strongest weapon spirit and even if I’m weaker than my owner, that doesn’t mean I’m irresponsible. There’s a part of me always watching over Lucia, making sure she’s alright. Since the captives told her the method to generating spiritual energy from her own body could be given to her by the ruler, that must be what she’s here for. “I need your help!”

The ruler always seems to be sitting down and meditating when Lucia shows up. I think it’s an act. The ruler obviously knows when Lucia’s going to appear, and to make herself look more like a respected master, the ruler corrects everything about her image before Lucia arrives. The ruler might be able to fool Lucia, but she can’t fool me. There’s no way anyone would be so selfless to give their disciple everything without asking for anything in return. It’s even more unbelievable because the ruler is a squirrel, one of the most selfish creatures out there. Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do to convince Lucia to stay away from the ruler. All I can do is bide my time and grow stronger until I’m strong enough to save Lucia from herself.