Deep beneath the earth, far from the noise of the town, a small cave system lay hidden in the dark.
Within its quiet chambers, Evan stood before a table lined with his newly forged equipment.
Drogmir leaned silently against the wall, his skeletal form still as stone, the Undead Mage lingering beside him.
The air thrummed faintly.
An enchantment process was underway, light spilling from the items in slow, deliberate pulses.
Evan waited. Every flicker of glow meant another point drained from his reserves.
Then, it happened—The light faded, the shine settling into a refined texture, every edge and curve of the equipment now honed to perfection.
A crisp notification appeared before his eyes.
[Talent has enchanted six items to the peak.
Cost deducted from Total Points.
T.P: 15,433 (-4,192)]
Evan's eyes twitched. His chest tightened.
'Four thousand… for six pieces?'
It was outrageous. The kind of price that made your heart bleed.
But he forced the thought away.
If he couldn't invest in himself, then how could he hope to grow stronger?
Letting out a long breath, he swept away the sting of the loss and began checking the items.
First—the armour.
It sat neatly on the table, every line of its design exuding both strength and elegance.
Exactly as he had envisioned: a perfect blend of a warrior's resilience and a mage's fluidity.
He opened its panel.
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[Egaisveil Battlemantle – Erith Rank | Tier 0 | +3]
A hybrid war-mage armour forged from tempered steel and mana-infused weaves. Balances the raw durability of a warrior's plate with the fluid mobility needed for casting. Its enchantments bolster both offence and defence without sacrificing speed.
🔹 Enchantments:
Beast Wardskin – +30% Magic resistance, +20% elemental shielding, +50% Physical Defence
Kinetic Flow – Reduces stamina loss by 32% during physical combat, and slightly increases movement speed.
Arcane Conduit – Mana regeneration +10%, faster spell weave speed by 15%.
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It was perfect.
Better than perfect.
Evan began changing into the suit, the armour settling onto him with a satisfying weight.
It moved with him, neither too heavy nor too loose, as though it had been made solely for his body.
"Good work," Evan said with a calm smile, then glanced at Drogmir.
"But if you'd failed to meet my standards… I'd have shattered those precious hands of yours."
The undead blacksmith immediately pulled his skeletal hands behind his back, instinctively guarding them as if they were the last treasures he had left in the world.
Evan smirked faintly. Drogmir's reaction told him the blacksmith still valued them—even in undeath.
With that settled, Evan turned to inspect the rest of his items. One by one, each proved to be just as impressive.
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[Iron Greatblade – Erith Rank | Tier 0 | +3]
A masterwork double-handed sword forged from star-tempered steel and reinforced with precision smithing techniques. Lacking any elemental influence, the Iron focuses purely on overwhelming physical might, edge retention, and combat reliability.
🔹 Enchantments:
Edge of Eternity – Blade sharpness is permanently maintained; ignores minor armour degradation.
Balanced Might – +50% attack speed for a weapon of its size, reducing recovery time between swings.
Unyielding Frame – +75% durability; can parry heavy strikes without damage to the blade.
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[Shadow Twin Daggers – Erith Rank | Tier 0 | +3]
Forged from shadow-type beast bone and tempered steel, these twin daggers are designed for lethal precision and absolute mobility. Their curved, predatory edges ensure deep, tearing wounds, while the natural presence-erasing trait of their material allows the wielder to slip into shadows unnoticed.
🔹 Enchantments:
Dance of Swiftness – +60% attack speed and movement flow during close combat.
Adaptive Edge – Blades instinctively shift micro-angle upon impact for maximum penetration.
Veil of Silence – Passively reduces presence and sound output by 45%, enhancing stealth kills.
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[Crimson Gale Blades – Erith Rank | Tier 0 | +3]
A matched pair of single-handed swords forged for perfect dual-wield synergy. Their balanced weight and mirrored design allow seamless transition between offence and defence. Forged with alloy-infused steel and blood-etched bones, each strike carries a subtle bleeding curse that saps an enemy's vitality over time.
🔹 Enchantments:
Twin Harmony – +65% attack speed and precision when wielded together.
Hemorrhage Edge – Inflicts a minor bleeding effect with each landed cut, stacking up to 8 times.
Flow Step – +30% agility boost when chaining attacks between both swords.
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[Bulwark – Erith Rank | Tier 0 | +3]
A full-body tower shield forged from reinforced heavy-steel plates layered with shock-absorbent bones. Despite its massive size, internal weight distribution allows agile manoeuvring without sacrificing durability. When fully deployed, it can cover the wielder from head to toe, forming an impenetrable wall in both solo defence and group protection.
🔹 Enchantments:
Fortress Stance – +90% overall durability and physical defence when stationary for more than 2 seconds.
Impact Dissipation – Reduces the force of incoming blows by 25%, preventing stagger.
Guardian's Reach – The shield can extend its coverage area by 30% via retractable side-plates when activated.
__
[Crimson Edge – Erith Rank | Tier 0 | +3]
A broad, single-edged blade forged in the style of an oversized katana, its heavy curve and reinforced spine built for devastating sweeps. Infused with the blood of a Flameborn Lizard, the weapon roars with internal heat, its core forging channelling fire as though the blade itself were alive. Each strike carries the weight of a great weapon and the fury of an inferno, amplified to overwhelming intensity.
🔹 Enchantments:
Blaze Amplification – Flame attacks are intensified by 200%, with heat output able to scorch armour and melt lesser weapons on impact.
Flame Outburst – On strong swings, releases a short-range explosive flame wave, dealing additional fire damage in a cone.
Searing Edge – Passive effect causing sustained burning on any struck target, ignoring basic fire resistance.
Blaze Hall - Slightly heal the holder with each minute passed in a fire-infused area.
__
Evan examined each weapon in turn.
Every blade. Every piece of gear.
Satisfied, he stored them one by one into his inventory.
'You'll be the ones to show my enemies the face of death before they even fall,' he thought, lips curling into a cold grin.
The image of their terror played vividly in his mind. It was enough to make him almost eager for the coming battles.
Once everything was packed away, he collected Drogmir's smithing tools and dismantled the forge. With a thought, he recalled his summons.
The cavern was silent again.
Stepping out of the fake mountain, Evan raised a hand.
A faint tremor rippled through the ground. Stone shifted, sealing the entrance until no trace of it remained.
'Time to move. Before anyone shows up.'
He vanished into the forest's green shadows.
Minutes later, a small party of low-level adventurers stumbled upon the area.
They found nothing—no forge, no mountain, no intruder. Only silence.
The culprit was already far away.
Evan reached the city wall in a few breaths.
With his boosted stats, climbing it was trivial.
The system-fortified defences were meant to keep monsters out, not someone like him.
He slipped over the top and into the streets, moving unseen.
Soon, he was back at his inn. His bed groaned under his weight as he let himself collapse, ending the day in quiet exhaustion.
The night passed quickly...
Morning brought the usual bustle to the town—merchants shouting, forges ringing with the urgency of new orders.
Weapons were in constant demand beyond the walls.
Evan checked out of the inn. He had a few last opportunities to seize before leaving.
First stop—a meal. He ordered something simple and took a quiet seat in the corner of the inn's bar.
The mood hadn't changed much from before, but the air carried new rumours.
It started as a faint shift, a whisper that drifted into his ears.
"Twilight Guild's stocking supplies like mad," one voice murmured. "Market's already tilting in their favour."
"Probably gearing up for the Lord raid," another replied. "Either the end of it… or the start of something bigger."
"They say the beast ruling that territory's about to ascend," a third added. "Final stage of the Expanse's limit. If that's true, the fight will cost plenty of lives."
"Bah." A man scoffed, waving his mug. "In front of Sir Sylen, no beast can stand. His sword cuts through anything here."
"When's the march?" someone asked.
"No clue. But soon. Maybe within the week. Stay alert—it's going to be chaos."
Evan kept his expression blank, even as the news stirred something inside him.
The clock was ticking. If he didn't move fast, he'd lose the perfect window to eliminate certain weeds in the field of the Expanse.
Whether it was Kael or Sylen…time would decide who reached the peak.
He finished his meal in silence, the hunger from last night's forest run finally satisfied. Leaving a few coins on the table, he walked out.
He made no effort to hide from the gate guards as he exited the town.
If anyone tried to connect him to Drogmir, they'd find nothing concrete.
Meanwhile, Kael was still tearing the city apart, desperate to find the one who had taken Drogmir from him.
He refused to believe the blacksmith had died by his own hand.
But the truth had already slipped beyond his grasp.
Evan walked a short distance from the city before summoning his steed—a majestic Great Eagle.
His first target was marked on the map.
It wasn't the closest, but it was the right starting point. Seventy kilometers away.
He chose the skies over the ground.
The land route would have meant crossing three small mountains, each crawling with level 50–60 beasts. Fighting through them would be nothing but a waste of time.
He didn't have time to waste.
Hours passed in the wind's embrace. The jagged peaks of the Expanse blurred below.
At last, the destination emerged.
A narrow cliff, wedged between two towering mountains. It looked like the scene of a betrayal in some ancient tragedy—cold, silent, and steeped in death.
The air itself seemed to whisper that anyone who fell here would not return.
Evan's summons spread out, checking the mountainsides. The only untouched place was the cliff itself. Darkness pooled there like ink.
He signalled the eagle. Its talons closed around his shoulders, and they descended.
The walls were nothing but stone and brittle, dead branches that jutted out here and there. No signs of life.
No beasts.
No people.
Minutes passed before a glimmer caught his eye in the flame-light he conjured.
Something was shining below.
"Go lower," he ordered.
And there it was—a weathered, ancient ring, lodged in the dried branch of a tree clinging to the cliff wall.
He reached for it. The moment his fingers brushed it, the branch snapped.
The ring fell.
And with it, his chance.
His instincts screamed. This was the opportunity marked on the map.
"Down! Faster!"
The eagle dove, but it wasn't enough.
Without hesitation, Evan wrenched free of its claws and plummeted after the falling ring.
Wind roared in his ears.
He closed the gap, spotting the ring still hooked on a twig as it fell. In midair, he caught the brittle branch in one hand—and the ring in the other.
Darkness swallowed everything around him. Summoning the eagle now was too risky.
He lit a flickering flame in his palm and hurled it downward. The glow hit the bottom long before he did, giving him a rough sense of the distance left.
From the shadows, dark hands erupted, latching onto him to slow his fall.
But the speed was still brutal.
Bone armour coated his hands as he scraped against the cliff wall. Sparks burst where bone met stone.
The grind slowed him just enough.
He stopped, hovering a few meters above the bottom. Dropping down, he let out a sharp breath and flexed his fingers—blood oozed from the tips.
"Oh, thank my fingers," he muttered. "If I hadn't slowed down, this little ring would've cost me half my bones."
Checking his map, he saw one of the opportunity markers fade.
'Success.'
But as he stepped forward, something gave way beneath his boot. A brittle crack, like the shattering of something impossibly old.
He froze.
A cold ripple ran through him.
'Please tell me I didn't just wake something up…'
He looked down.
Not a beast.
Not a monster.
Something else entirely.
"…Why is this here?"
The answer would have to wait.
-->To be continued…
What did he see? Is it something like a beast or something else? Is it good or bad news for Evan? I wish we could find out.
You'll have to wait until the next chapter to discover more.
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