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Although I was shocked to know a big shot like Sigurd had appeared out of the blue, claiming his sword, I couldn’t bear this damned demonic blade’s powers.
“{Store}”
The sword instantly disappeared from my hands as the darkness enveloping me dissipated in a second. I quickly stored everything else inside of my inventory, for convenience’s sake.
[You have stored the [Wicked Demon Sword of Destruction: Gram (??? Rank)] x1 within your Inventory Space. The Sword has entered a dormant state.]
[You have stored [Bael’s King of Wickedness Ancient Demon Core (??? Rank)] x1!]
[You have stored [King of Wickedness Cursed Demon Armor (S Rank)] x1!]
“Phew… Thankfully, it’s over now.” I sighed in relief.
[You have defeated [Bael, King of Wickedness Manifestation (??? Rank)] x1!]
[You earned an incredible quantity of EXP.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Your Level has increased from Level 38 to Level 40!]
[All your Stats have increased.]
[You earned Stat Points and Skill Points.]
[You have reached Max Level, you can now enter a Job Class Trial to earn yourself a Job Class, which will grant you special abilities and unique skills.]
[To enter the Job Class Trial, merely will it when you feel ready.]
[Once you enter this Job Class Trial, you will be in a different space, and time will go faster than in the real world.]
[However, you will only have a time limit of 6 hours to complete it; if you don’t complete it, you will have to try again after 7 Days.]
[The Level of [Violet] has reached Level 40.]
[Tamed Monster [Violet] can now evolve.]
[Utilize compatible Materials to force a powerful evolution upon your Familiar.]
[The Level of [Snow] has reached Level 30.]
[Tamed Monster [Snow] is already evolved, but you can evolve him once more upon reaching Level 40.]
Alright, I even reached the Max Level, that’s nice, I suppose.
[The Heroic Cosmic Throne {Heroic Dark Dragon Slayer} is wondering where you put his sword! He can’t sense its presence any longer…]
[He already felt great shame when Bael stole his sword in the last battle he had with the Death Apostles, and now that it has landed in the hands of a pitiful mortal and a girl from all things, he feels even more shame.]
[The Heroic Cosmic Throne {Heroic Dark Dragon Slayer} says that you must give him the sword back! Or... become the inheritor of his legacy.]
[However, he will not go easy on you, even if you’re a girl.]
Sigurd is the heroic figure of Norse Mythology, known for wielding Gram, the Great Sword he used to slay the corrupted Dwarf that transformed into a Dragon due to a curse, Fafnir.
It could be said he’s the equivalent of Hercules, but in Norse Mythology, in some iterations, he’s also half-god. In this world, he’s a deity, but a “heroic” one, between higher and mid-tier constellations.
Nonetheless, he’s an incredibly strong patron, and I remember there was a man from Russia who had become his incarnation within the novel’s contents. I suppose that might not happen now that he’s dead set on making me worthy of wielding his sword.
Ugh, what a pain, but I don’t have time to give him any attention.
[Several Constellations are amazed by your accomplishment against Bael’s manifesting presence!]
[As you’ve cooperated with the Grand Quest of stopping the Manifestation of a Death Apostle, you will be rewarded accordingly.]
[The Constellations have sponsored: [5000 Plot Points] [Cosmic Crystal Core (S Rank)] x1 [Elixir (S Rank)] x1 [Panacea (A+++ Rank)] x3 [Mythic Beast Egg (A+++ Rank)] x1 [Skill Level Potion (B Rank)] x3 [Weapon Enhancement Stone (B Rank)] x5]
Woah, so many rewards, though it is a big amount of mostly good enough items. What has me the most intrigued is the egg and the cosmic crystal core. What does this last one do? I don’t remember this. Wait, is this item what I think it is?
For now, I’ll keep things in my inventory anyway; I’ll check them later.
“Are you okay?” Wondered Annabelle. "Sorry, I didn’t know it would hurt you like that."
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“You were fine even when your spiders touched it." Asked Kevin. “That’s the weird part; that sword was deadly cursed!”
“Hehehe, well, my big brother often says I have a powerful body and constitution; I am particularly good at resisting colds!” Annabelle smiled proudly.
“It could be said she’s immune to curses and most status effects,” I explained. “Or so I assume."
“Anyways, I’m relieved you’ve been able to store those things in your inventory, but you’re sure it’s fine to carry them around?” Wondered Baihe.
“Yeah, I know it is risky, but they’re valuable materials; I think they might come in handy eventually." I smiled.
After all, although Gram has been corrupted by Bael into a Demonic Sword, its true form is actually compatible with my element, but for that, I would need to first find the necessary materials to purify it, something that the incarnation of Sigurd had done in the novel’s story.
Not all materials were specified, but I do remember that one of them was the blood, scales, and eyes of a True Dragon. It goes with the myth of Sigurd slaying Fafnir, I suppose. To purify and unlock the sword’s powers, materials from a Dragon are necessary.
I remember materials from the Boss of the Snow Dungeon in the hunter market, though they were super expensive. But they’re my only shot at them. I do have a lot of savings and could make more if I sell some of my extra-rare materials, so I’ll have to see how that goes later.
“Was the armor also cursed?” Wondered Kevin. “It looked dreadful."
“Yeah, I stored everything for now.” I sighed. “Anyway, now that we’re done with this, we should probably find survivors. This entire hunter drill ended up getting fucked over by the Death Apostles, so the least we can do is find survivors. Annabelle, can you sense anybody?”
“There’s a big group of survivors gathering to the west!” Said Annabelle. “I know because my spidies told me... They seem scared and are being chased by scary monsters."
“I see.” I nodded. “Let’s go pick them up and then go back to Stronghold City; the outskirts are only going to grow more dangerous with that huge castle floating in the sky.”
“E-Eh? So the whole thing’s ruined now?” Kevin felt disappointed. “Dammit…”
“I think we’ll still receive quite a lot of merit for just having done what we did, Kevin. Be a bit more optimistic.” I sighed. “Anyways, let’s go!”
As we rushed to the scene, I noticed Annabelle suddenly glancing behind us at a shadow standing atop a faraway building. It seems that somebody was following us around.
“Annabelle, is someone following us?” I wondered.
“Ah… N-No.” Annabelle looked away, trying to clearly hide the truth.
RUMBLE!
Suddenly, as we were about to arrive at the scene, we watched from afar what was happening in there. The buildings themselves looked like they were moving, slowly chasing down the hunters.
“Wait, golems?!” Kevin asked in surprise.
“They’re not normal golems at all, though,” Baihe said, preparing her magic.
Indeed, they were quite different from normal golems. These golems were made up of these buildings around them, camouflaging, and were covered in sharp and big Demonite crystals, which seemed to be fueling their movements.
These golems weren’t easy to kill either; most of them looked to be at least B- rank in strength alone. None of the hunters that entered this Newbie Hunter Drill would ever be able to stand a chance against such monsters.
Was it the plan of the one behind this to kill all these weak hunters to gain something? Demons do get stronger by absorbing souls. And the souls of hunters are very rich in mana, too.
“Baihe!” I said.
“On it!” Baihe nodded, jumping into midair by boosting her body’s physical strength using her large quantities of mana and then conjuring dozens of gigantic icicle spikes. “{Frost Spear Rain}!”
The frozen spears rained over the golems chasing the young hunters, crushing them one after the other into pieces while freezing their pieces so they wouldn’t be able to easily regenerate their bodies.
“W-Woah! W-What the… Huh?! H-Hunters… High-ranked hunters are here?" One of the many within the group of young hunters cried out of happiness.
“Eh? No, they look even younger than us. Said another.
As we arrived at the scene, they were left flabbergasted that Baihe, a girl in her sixteenth year of age, was able to deal with monsters they couldn’t even make a scratch into.
“Are all of you alright?” Baihe said. “Is anybody hurt? Did those purple spikes hurt you anywhere?”
“P-Purple spikes?”
“Actually, some of us got hurt by them; the wounds burned a lot."
“Ugh… Is it going to get worse?”
“Dammit… Anna!” Baihe called for me.
“I’m already preparing.” I nodded, stepping towards the group. “Everyone that’s wounded or got hurt by those crystals, come here; I’ll purify your bodies.”
“What? Purify?” One of them wondered.
“If I don’t purify your wounds, the demonic energy will seep into your bodies and transform you into monsters,” I said.
“E-Eh? What?!”
“H-How are you so sure of that?!”
“N-No way… such a thing exists?!”
“Shut up and just let me heal you!” I said, sighing. “{Sunlight Veil}! {Purification}!”
By channeling the power of the Sunshine Skill, my Mana, Ki, and the power of the [Maiden of Life (S Rank Privilege)], which is amplified by purifying and healing spells, I conjured a simple spell to heal everybody affected by the blows. A warm, golden light encompassed their bodies, their wounds quickly healed, and the demonic energy was exorcised, turning into particles of darkness before fully dissipating.
“W-Woah…”
“Amazing, and you’re a newbie too?”
“No way…”
“Hey, do you have a boyfriend?”
“Ugh, I’m not in the mood for this.” I sighed. “Anyways, let me lead you back to safety. How many of you are there? Are there any other hunters you left behind?”
“Well, our group was bigger.” Said a young man. “But a few of us—maybe six? Eight? Separated from us when those things started chasing us down."
“I see… Annabelle?” I asked.
“My spiders already found them; they’re in real trouble! One of them seems to have died. And the others are running and battling against tons of infected orcs and golems!” Annabelle felt a bit panicked herself, finally showing more of her own concern and emotions.
“I see, we’ll have to go look for them too, but..." I sighed. “Dammit… Fenrir! I know you’re here. Come out.”
“…”
“Come on, this is an emergency!”
From my shadows, a large shadow wolf with red eyes emerged. Every hunter was scared out of their minds except Baihe, who was used to Fenrir, and Annabelle, who somehow had already sensed him from the beginning.
“W-What?! Is that Jack’s Familiar?!” Asked Kevin in shock.
“W-Woah… Hunter Jack’s shadow wolf!”
“S-So she’s his sister?!”
“F-Forget about the flirting; please don’t tell your brother I said anything!”
Most hunters here knew of my brother well enough already. I guess he’s not the protagonist for nothing.
“How come you knew I was there?!” Fenrir asked.
“I always knew, dummy.” I sighed. “I’m not going to question why you didn’t even help us with Bael, but move your butt and bring these people to safety for me.”
“What? No.” He said. “I promised Jack I would protect you! I don’t care about these small fry. If they die, it’s their fault for being weak!”
“What did you say?!” I asked angrily. “Bad dog! I won’t give you any treats!”
“E-Ehh?! No treats?!” Fenrir suddenly panicked, changing his attitude.
In the time I spent training and resting, I’ve made him addicted to a specific dog treat I can make using alchemy, which tastes spectacularly delicious for him and is mostly made up of monster parts.
“Also, if you don’t help me now... I might hate you.” I said this while pouting and crossing my arms.
[Several of your Skills and Privileges are activating together…]
[Fallen Constellation: Fenrir] cannot resist the thought of being hated by you!]
“O-Okay, fine! Ugh! But don’t you dare die!” He roared angrily, expanding his shadows and grabbing all the kids. “Alright kids, you better not vomit while you’re in my shadows! Off we go!”
“And that’s how you convince a Fallen Constellation.” I smiled.
“You’re a master of manipulation.” Sepa sighed at my side.
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