Gazing at the Mysterious Scale, now turned ashen white from its former pitch-black hue, Adam knew he had drained every ounce of its curse energy.
The dense curse aura that once permeated the narrow stone crevice had vanished.
"Two class levels in one go. What creature did this scale come from?" Adam mused, lifting the massive scale with ease, his expression grave.
It was surprisingly light!
He shook the palm-thick scale, slicing through the air without a whisper of sound.
Drawing an iron sword with his left hand, Adam struck the scale with force.
Clang!
A crisp collision rang out.
The scale bore no mark, while the sword's edge dented at the point of impact.
Incredibly durable!
Adam's eyes glinted. Capable of storing such immense curse energy, the scale's quality was extraordinary.
It could even withstand the curse's corrosion.
What if it were forged into a weapon?
The thought flickered through Adam's mind, a promising material. But could anyone in the New World craft such a scale into a weapon?
Moreover, the curse energy stemmed from this Mysterious Scale.
Could it be…
"Was the 'Cursed Knight' class born from this scale, or perhaps the creature it came from?" Adam speculated, his tone heavy.
In this world, the only known Cursed Knights, to his knowledge, were Leinas and, two hundred years ago, one of the Thirteen Heroes.
Adam's gaze shifted to the human skeleton slumped against the wall.
Could it be one of the Thirteen Heroes from human legend?
Surveying the cramped crevice, he found nothing beyond the scale and the skeleton.
No evidence confirmed the skeleton's identity.
Adam stored the Mysterious Scale in his item box.
"I'll take this. Whoever you were, thanks for the gift." He said softly to the bones.
The puzzle was mostly solved.
The curse energy had been leaking from the scale for an unknowable time, perhaps since the Forest Gnome tribe began dealing with the toxic monsters emerging from the valley.
Trapped in this crevice, the curse energy dissipated slowly.
A few years ago, a Petrified Lizard dug through the barrier, unleashing the curse fully.
A pity.
Had the lost energy remained, Adam felt his Cursed Knight class might have maxed out in one go.
Whoosh!
An Archangel Flame flapped its wings, carrying Adam back through the cave, away from the hidden crevice.
Outside, Dorgan had awakened from its coma. But so close to the scale's epicenter, its skin had completely rotted.
Waves of pain surged through it, yet the manic glint in its eyes had faded, replaced by clarity.
Struggling to rise, Dorgan propped itself against a rock.
"Cough, cough. Is the curse resolved?" it murmured weakly.
Since the curse's grip took hold, Dorgan had never felt its mind so clear. The air no longer carried the force that drove it to madness.
A glow appeared in the darkness above.
The Archangel Flame descended into Dorgan's view, its vision blurring.
"You okay, Dorgan?" Adam landed and hurried to its side, frowning at its frail state.
The curse's corrosion had ravaged Dorgan, mirroring the fully rotted monsters he'd slain.
"What caused this, great warrior?" Dorgan's clear green eyes met his, its voice faint but urgent.
It needed the truth, the reason behind the tribe's destruction.
Its sole purpose for coming here.
"A cursed undead creature." Adam replied after a pause, choosing his words carefully. "Sealed deep within the rock. The Petrified Lizards must have accidentally breached the wall, leaking the curse energy."
This answer, he felt, would be easier for the Forest Gnome to accept.
If he admitted a mere scale from an unknown creature caused it all, Dorgan might spiral into despair.
"Undead…" Dorgan's weak voice carried anger and relief. "As expected… a vile existence that disgusts the living."
"The Forest Gnomes… existed to protect the jungle and its creatures."
Its eyes grew distant.
"In the end, were we cursed by the Petrified Lizards' power?"
Its frail, dazed voice echoed in the cave.
Adam now grasped the full story.
The Forest Gnome tribe had a unique magic ritual, reserved for those with the "Wild Shape" Ability.
In the ritual, consuming a monster or beast's heart granted its power and allowed the user to surpass Wild Shape's limits, transforming into that creature alone.
The strongest monster in the region was the Petrified Lizard, so the tribe's youths saw hunting one and eating its heart as an honor.
But some in the tribe opposed the ritual, viewing the consumption of monster hearts as a violation of their duty.
Dorgan, clearly no traditionalist, had captured a Petrified Lizard alone and completed the ritual.
This caused a stir in the tribe, as Petrified Lizards were formidable.
Dorgan shared the slain lizard's corpse as food with its kin and others.
Then, the curse erupted.
The tribe was obliterated in an instant, with only one survivor escaping. This was why Dorgan believed they were cursed by the Petrified Lizards.
Hearing the tale, Adam withheld judgment but noted the ritual he'd overlooked.
During their battle, Dorgan's strength had seemed disproportionate.
It held the "Wizard" class, capable of second-tier magic, requiring at least level 8 casting.
It also had the "Forest Priest" class, enabling transformation into a Petrified Lizard far larger than its frame, suggesting a high level.
At least level 21.
Yet, aside from its Petrified Lizard form's durability, Dorgan wasn't exceptionally strong.
The "Wild Shape" Skill had tiers. The first allowed transformation into creatures of similar size. The second permitted larger forms, with limits. Only the third tier, around level 60, removed size restrictions.
The tribe's ritual bypassed this limit!
"Is Pasha… okay?" Dorgan turned its head, looking at Adam with hope.
"He's fine." Adam nodded, smiling gently.
Pasha had long perished, killed by Leinas, succumbing to the curse's madness.
Adam's earlier claims were to facilitate dialogue.
"Give him… this ritual scroll." Dorgan said, its trembling hand reaching into its chest, retrieving a yellowed bark scroll. "Tell him… not to hesitate."
"I must atone for my sins."
"May the ancestors… forgive Dorgan Petrified Lizard, this sinful name."
Its arm fell limp.
Adam gazed at Dorgan, now lifeless, and fell silent. No experience was gained, but its curse energy flowed into him.
At his current Cursed Knight level, the amount was negligible.
…
Moonlight bathed the land, stars twinkling above.
After returning to the surface with Dorgan's body and burying it in a serene spot, night had fallen.
Standing before the grave, Adam looked skyward, the world feeling vividly real.
"Now's not the time to linger or reflect." He exhaled, his gaze steadying.
Opening his attribute panel, he reviewed the data.
…
[Status]
[Talent: Player]
[Overall Level: 24Lv]
[Experience Gauge: 17520/10000]
[Classes:
[- Basic Class: Genius 10Lv (Warrior…)]
[- Mid-Tier Class: Sword Saint 10Lv]
[- High-Tier/Special Class: Magic Swordsman 1Lv, Cursed Knight 3Lv]
[Skill Points: 40]
[Passive Skills: Item Box, Sword and Magic, Magic Infusion, Curse Immunity, Dark Attribute Resistance (20%), Restless, Slash Enhancement (10%)]
[Active Skills:
[- Warrior: Instant Reflection, Fourfold Slash of Light, Quick Slash, Stealth, Tracking
[- Magic:
[- 1st Tier: Light Healing, Magic Arrow, Odorless, Camouflage]
[- 2nd Tier: Item Appraisal, Mana Accumulation, Decipher Magic]
[- 3rd Tier: Undead Spirit, Undead Control]
[- 4th Tier: Warm, Angel Summoning, Papermaking]
[- 5th Tier: Resurrection (Modified)]
[- Class Skills: Pharmacy, Alchemy, Scroll Crafting, Magic Slash, Dark Wave, Shrink Spell (2/day), Wild Shape]
…
[Player: Adam]
[Karma: 51 [Neutral]
[HP: 173 (13%)]
[MP: 28 (2%)]
[Physical Attack: 173 (13%)]
[Physical Defense: 58 (4%)]
[Agility: 113 (8%)]
[Magic Attack: 58 (4%)]
[Magic Defense: 28 (2%)]
[Total Resistance: 150 (9%)]
[Special: 60 (5%)]
[Total: 60%]
…
***
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