Chapter 25: Surprising Discovery
While looking at the numerous barrels filled to the brim with various weapons, I didn't really have any idea where to begin, so I just started with the closest barrel; picking up what seemed to be a golden halberd, I swung it around a few times, and although I felt like I could cause some serious damage with this thing, I wasn't necessarily fond of it.
"Hey, Master, since you were a mage, what staff or magic wand did you use?" Asked Alexander curiously while simultaneously testing out different weapons.
"The staff I used was a family heirloom called 'The Staff of Ethos'. it was gifted to us by Goddess Eywa many generations ago; it was a staff made specifically for us Dryads, meaning that it gave a passive boost when casting water and earth spells." Said Lavender lightly with an amused smile, observing Alexander swinging around a club the size of a troll, nearly knocking over several shelves.
"Passive boost? Sounds powerful; however, for your family to be given a specialized artifact by a Goddess, you must be from one prestigious family, Master." Remarked Alexander with a raised eyebrow while glancing at Lavender as he set the massive club down.
"Fufu, I suppose you could say that." Said Lavender softly while chuckling.
"Seeing how you're just picking random weapons, I assume you don't have a specific type of weapon you'd like to use?" Asked Lavender as Alexander grabbed a tiny dagger the size of a finger.
"Well, I was leaning more towards being a swordsman, but after seeing the numerous options available, I figured I should test a few of them out, though so far, I haven't found anything that has piqued my interest." Replied Alexander as he carefully placed the tiny dagger back, not wishing to break it.
"The sword isn't a bad choice, probably the best option if you don't manage to find a weapon suited just for you; it's well-rounded, reliable, and you don't need to have been a master swordsman to use it properly, unlike some other complicated weapons" Stated Lavender with her hand on her chin while nodding her head.
I had no intention of testing out every weapon since if I were to do that, I'd be here for weeks, probably months, besides I didn't need to test every weapon as my heart would occasionally help me out, though it only assisted with bad weapons. So for the next ten or so minutes, I continued testing various weapons while talking to Master until I eventually stopped picking any weapon and only grabbed swords, which there surprisingly weren't a lot of.
"Oh, to think you've found that sword; I've forgotten about that thing." Said Lavender in mild surprise while eyeing the sword in Alexander's hand, a long sword covered in pulsating blood-red veins, though only on the blade.
Looking at the living sword in my hands, I felt disgusted just looking at it, let alone holding it, not to mention when I laid eyes on the pulsating veins, my heart started beating quickly, warning me to stay away from this thing.
"Master, what sword is this, and why do you have it?" Questioned Alexander while eyeing Lavender as he held the sword away from his body.
"It's called the Blasphemous Blade; it's a very powerful weapon I discovered shortly after becoming an adventurer and encountering a series of unfortunate events. In fact, without that weapon, I probably wouldn't have escaped my predicament back then; however, while I advise you not to judge a book by its cover, it's a terrible weapon, one that I only used twice in my whole life, then again, that's not saying much; I'm a mage after all." Said Lavender as she entered a little rant.
"For you to call it powerful yet terrible, I assume it has some adverse side effects or maybe steep requirements to use it to its full potential?" Asked curiously while eyeing the pulsating sword.
"It's because of its terrible side effects; to use the Blasphemous blade, you must offer a portion of your very essence to do so, and that is something I'd never recommend unless you truly have no other option. Though I will admit, it's incredibly powerful; however, the main reason I have it is that I don't want it to be used in the wrong hands, since in order to use it, the wielder doesn't have to offer up their own essence, it just requires essence, and any will do." Replied Lavender with a shake of her head while looking at the pulsating sword Alexander had just put back in its original spot.
'I don't know what essence is exactly, but it sounds essential; let's stay away from that sword.' Thought Alexander as he backed away from the blade while heating his hands with fire mana to burn any traces of the blade.
For the next half an hour that I spent scavenging through the barrels in search of swords, I didn't come across another sword like the blasphemous blade, which was good, but I also didn't find a sword I really liked. I did happen to discover a few swords that I thought were decent, but I didn't want just decent; I wanted a weapon I could trust with my life; besides, I have this feeling there is something here just waiting for me to pick up, and I won't be leaving until I find it.
"Is this everything, Master?" Asked Alexander as he set the last sword down and approached Lavender.
"It should be; I might have some weapons hidden throughout this area that I've forgotten about, but I doubt they will be worthwhile, though if your hellbent on your weapon being a sword, I suppose giving a quick look wouldn't be terrible." Replied Lavender with a thoughtful expression, though her words caused Alexander to frown as he remembered how big this place was.
Hearing Master's words, I looked at the ceiling and sighed in annoyance before going in a random direction; unfortunately, my heart didn't seem in the mood to guide me in the right direction.
'I swear, my heart only guides me when it feels like it.' Thought Alexander in annoyance as he began scrutinizing every shelf for possible weapons while Lavender seemed to be doing her own thing.
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"Haa, how long have I been here for? It feels like days." Remarked Alexander while lying on the ground with a few weapons beside him, which he had found in the past few hours.
Standing up, I grabbed the weapons on the ground; not a single one happened to be a sword and took them to the area where all the other weapons were. Placing them in a random barrel, I once again headed in a random direction, though I avoided the areas I'd already searched.
'At this rate, I'm going to die of old age before I find what I'm looking for.' Thought Alexander while searching through a nearby desk covered in miscellaneous items.
Shifting through the items on the desk, I found two silver spheres the size of my hand; I thought nothing of them other than them being quite shiny; grabbing them, I looked at my reflection, and out of curiosity, I activated the skill, [Heroes Gaze], yet when I did so, I was utterly flabbergasted.
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Name: ____
Tier: Mythical
Description: Item forged with unalloyed Pulsar by Blacksmith-Master Hewg amid his ascension to Godhood.
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Although that wasn't much of a description, for a Mythical item to be just lying around in Masters basement, it seems like she wasn't aware of its presence; or maybe she was, but I highly doubt it.
"Master, can you come here; I've found something very important." Yelled Alexander while holding the two silver spheres in his hand.
Not even a second later, Master suddenly appeared beside me while wearing weird glasses, but I ignored it and quickly showed her the items, which she took from my hands and examined them.
"What is it, Alexander? I mean, I'm surprised after all these years, they're still in pristine condition, but I don't think it's something important." Stated Lavender with slight confusion while holding the two silver spheres.
"I know they're silver spheres, Master; that's not why I called you; examine it with your skill, then you'll see why It's so important." Said Alexander as he practically pushed Lavender's two hands into her eyes.
"Calm down, and I already have Alexander; other than them being made from refined quartz, which is quite expensive, there is nothing unique about them." Stated Lavender calmly as she handed the two spheres back to Alexander.
When Master said that, I was perplexed, rechecking the items to make sure I wasn't mistaken, yet it was the same as before; how could the two of us see different descriptions?
'Wait, the skill I used is of the Mythical tier, and while I don't know the exact tier Master's skill is, it's most likely not Mythical; so is it possible that someone, likely Master Hewg, placed some sort of illusion on the item, deceiving Master, while I saw it's real description?' Thought Alexander with a thoughtful expression while Lavender fiddled with her weird glasses.
"Master, I think what you're seeing is only a fake; since these are not made from refined quartz but unalloyed Pulsar, whatever mineral that is." Declared Alexander seriously while looking at the shocked Lavender.
"D-Did you just say Pulsar?" Asked Lavender with widened eyes while intently staring at Alexander.
"Yes, Master; the description says 'Item forged with unalloyed Pulsar by Blacksmith-Master Hewg amid his accession to Godhood.' It is also of the Mythical tier, though it doesn't have a name." Replied Alexander, though when he finished speaking, the silver spheres were no longer in his hands.
"To think this entire time, I've had a Mythical tier item just in my storage room." Muttered Lavender with a frown while intently examining the two spheres in her hands.