Chapter 7 : The Rusted Blade's Resolve
Shame’s training was anything but trivial: it consisted of exhausting all the magical energy from his body. Grealf had infused him with a vast amount of his own magic. For hours, the poor child suffered, doubled over in pain, but over time, he eventually got used to it.
This training would serve him well for today’s hunt. At that very moment, he was in the dense forest surrounding his grandfather's manor.
"Kid, stay on my heels. We’re going to hunt Anodin-rank monsters, like the wolf you killed," Grealf suddenly said, his voice strong as he strode forward under the scorching sun, keeping Shame just behind him to avoid any surprise attacks.
"Anodin rank?! Is that... the strongest rank?" Shame exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement, thinking his previous fight was impressive.
"What? No, it’s one of the weakest ranks," Grealf replied, a puzzled look crossing his face before he realized his grandson knew nothing about this world.
Suddenly, Shame stopped dead and lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.
"Grandpa, I have to tell you something... about my powers…" he murmured in a hesitant voice.
"I’m listening, kid," Grealf replied, stopping as well and turning towards Shame.
"I have a… skill… that continuously attracts monsters around me," Shame admitted in a low voice, as if fearing his grandfather’s reaction.
"Ah… You mean the Guilt skill, right?" Grealf replied with a serious look.
"How do you know that?!" Shame cried out, stunned.
"It’s well-known; it’s a curse used on criminals. I’ve noticed the number of monsters lurking around the manor these past few days…" Grealf explained, slightly amused as if it were obvious.
"A-Ah…" Shame murmured, feeling a bit foolish.
"Don’t pay too much attention to it. If we stopped at every problem, no one would move forward. I ignore what doesn’t concern me, not out of irresponsibility, but because otherwise, my heart would’ve burst long ago. My rise to claim the title of King by seizing a fragment of the Crown, trust me, it wasn’t without leaving a few scars," Grealf said, looking up at the sky thoughtfully, as if recalling old memories.
A light knock drew him out of his thoughts. Looking down, he saw Shame’s fist resting against his chest.
"Don’t worry, old man, I won’t die," Shame reassured him, a bold smile on his lips.
Grealf returned his smile, and they continued their march through the woods.
A little later, Shame asked a question.
"Say, Grandpa, raising your orb’s level makes you stronger, right?" he asked in a casual tone.
"Exactly. And if you keep raising it, you’ll become as strong as me," Grealf replied.
"And… raising the alignment of your constellation?" Shame added.
"That unlocks the spells related to your constellation. Keep going, and you’ll become truly powerful, like me," Grealf replied, a hint of pride in his voice.
After a long walk, they finally reached a clearing in the heart of the forest. Grealf crouched in a bush, and Shame did the same.
"Listen carefully, trust me, and make as much noise as possible," Grealf suddenly whispered. Then, without warning, he jumped up, grabbed Shame in his arms, and hugged him tightly before lifting him up.
"Grealf? What are you doing?" asked Shame, not understanding the situation.
The old man got into position, like a baseball pitcher ready to throw his projectile, with Shame in his hands.
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"OH NO, OLD MAN, YOU’RE NOT GONNA THROW ME—AAAAAAAAAAH!" Shame screamed as Grealf hurled him with all his might into the center of the clearing.
The boy flew through the air for a moment before crashing headfirst into the ground. He immediately stood up, fuming.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU CRAZY OLD MAN?!" he yelled, red with anger.
Grealf, laughing heartily, finally answered.
"We were being followed by a bunch of monsters because of your skill. They didn’t dare approach with me at your side, but now that you’re all alone, they should show themselves. Good luck, kid!"
But Shame didn’t share his optimism.
"WAIT, I’M GONNA DIE, YOU CRAZY OLD FOOL, I’M GONNA DIE!" he shouted. But Grealf just burst into laughter.
"Ah! You told me not to worry, right? That you ‘won’t die’! BWAHAHAHAHA!" With these words, Shame’s anger skyrocketed.
The next few seconds were an avalanche of dark and sordid insults, so venomous they would have made a hardened sailor shudder. These would be best forgotten.
Barely a few seconds later, the monsters that had discreetly followed them finally revealed themselves. An army of them appeared, undead creatures similar to those Shame had fled from upon his arrival here. Grealf, hidden in his bush, watched the scene with a confident smile.
That’s when Shame drew his weapon, the one he’d chosen. A rusty, dull sword, so dilapidated it barely looked functional. But from the moment he’d seen it in the armory, his eyes had lit up, as if the weapon had resonated with him.
Grealf had ended up letting him use it, although he didn’t think it was the most sensible idea.
"AHAH! With this legendary weapon, I’m gonna slaughter you all!" Shame shouted as he saw the creatures approach. The truth was… the only ‘weapon’ he’d ever seen in his alley was an old rusty iron bar.
He remembered a homeless man he used to live with, who had once bashed a nobleman with that bar, and ever since, Shame associated rust with absolute power.
From the bushes, Grealf watched the scene, his face full of despair.
"What… What is my idiot grandson doing…"
"No, seriously… he just shouted that this sword, incapable of cutting anything, was ‘legendary’..." Grealf sighed. "Well, whatever, I guess I should encourage him…" he murmured, before shouting at Shame:
"IF YOU WIPE OUT ALL THESE LOW-LEVEL MONSTERS, I’LL FIND YOU A WOMAN AMONG MY CONNECTIONS!"
In his excitement, Shame only half-understood the promise.
"OKAY, DO THAT, GRANDPA!" he shouted back, clenching his fist around the sword handle, ready to strike.
An armored skeleton then stepped forward with a heavy stride, standing out from the other monsters. It held a sword and shield much sharper than Shame’s rusty weapon.
"I see… you also have rust on your sword… You must be a valiant warrior; it’s an honor to fight—"
"ARE YOU STUPID OR WHAT? IT’S A MONSTER! ATTACK, FOR GOD’S SAKE!" shouted Grealf, exasperated by his grandson’s misplaced enthusiasm.
The skeletal monster suddenly lunged at Shame, its sword swinging straight toward the boy’s neck. But Shame reacted instantly.
"I can see your moves!" Shame shouted, dodging the attack skillfully, his training with Grealf starting to show results.
Before the monster could retrieve its sword, Shame gripped his rusty weapon with all his strength and smashed it onto the skeleton’s skull. Instead of cutting, the blunt blade shattered the monster’s skull into pieces.
It was no longer a sword; it was a true club of destruction.
"Wow… Maybe this weapon is too powerful for me," he murmured.
Grealf sighed deeply from his bush.
Suddenly, Shame rooted his feet in the ground and charged at the mass of monsters with full speed. He struck in all directions; not a single blow cut, but each smashed the skeletal bodies of the creatures to pieces. The scene was shockingly gory every time he struck a zombie.
"Ugh… So this is the ‘Monster Heir’…" Grealf muttered, observing the grotesque scene from the bushes.
A few minutes later, all the monsters lay on the ground, reduced to a bloody pulp by the rusty sword. In the center of the clearing, Shame, completely out of breath, launched into an unnecessarily dramatic monologue.
"I ate my shoe… and since then, I’ve become so powerful… so that’s my—"
He was abruptly interrupted by Grealf, visibly annoyed.
"Shame… what you just did there, that’s not swordsmanship, kid," the old man growled.
"But it works, so I do what I want," Shame replied with a grin. "My stats must have skyrocketed… heh heh!"
"Well… I guess I’ll have to keep my promise…" Grealf murmured, too low for Shame, absorbed in his status screen, to hear.
[ Name: Shame Dracarys
Divine Name: None
Orb Level: 5 -> 17 (It was a… massacre… Congratulations!)
Status: Grandson of the King
Skills: {Guilt} {Determination}
Celestial Alignment: Star of the Guilty ]
"NOOOO!" Shame shouted, his voice so powerful it made Grealf jump.
"What is it, Shame?!" Grealf asked, concerned.
"I didn’t get a new skill…" Shame murmured, dejected.
"Your celestial alignment increases based on certain actions, not your level," Grealf replied, sighing even deeper. "That said, you’ve clearly improved. These were low-level monsters, but defeating them in such numbers isn’t trivial," he said, glancing at the corpses strewn across the clearing.
"This sword is really incredible; can I keep it?" Shame asked, completely indifferent to the compliment, his eyes fixed on the rusty blade.
"If it makes you happy, kid," Grealf replied indifferently.
And so, the hunting session ended in a… let’s say, unexpected way.
Author's note : YO, hope you enjoy the story so far, you'll get more info on what exactly is the King and the Crown later on, im a very very small author, and don't usually have time to even write, I do it because I like it, so it would help me a lot if you let me know in the comment if you're enjoying the story