The courtyard of their new house was quiet. Ren sat in the middle of the yard. He put his Wasp-Sting Longsword on the ground in front of him. Next to it, he placed the Pristine Royal Stinger.
"Let's see what an Epic item can do," he said to himself.
He used his Conceptualization talent.
[Target Item: [Wasp-Sting Longsword] (Uncommon)]
[Target Special Item: [Pristine Royal Stinger] (Epic)]
[WARNING: Special item is much stronger than target item. The result may be a surprise. Continue?]
Ren grinned. "Surprises are the best part. Continue."
[New ideas found. Please choose one.]
1. Evolve Idea [Sharpness] -> [Absolute Sharpness]
2. Add NEW Idea [Royal Venom]
The choice was easy. A new ability was always better. 'Add [Royal Venom]'.
The upgrade was much more dramatic this time. The Royal Stinger did not turn to dust. It melted into a river of dark purple energy. The energy wrapped around the sword like a snake. The sword started to shake and make a high, humming sound.
When the light and sound stopped, the sword was changed. Its steel blade now had a faint purple color. A beautiful, thorny pattern was now on the blade near the handle. It glowed with a soft, poison-green light.
[Evolution Complete!]
[Wasp-Sting Longsword has become: [Sting of the Queen] (Rare)]
[Attack Power +30]
[Property: [Piercing Edge] is now stronger.]
[New Property: [Royal Venom] - Your attacks can now poison enemies. The poison does damage over time and makes enemy armor weaker.]
"Oh, I like this," Ren said. He picked up his new weapon.
He saw an old stone training dummy in the corner of the yard. He walked over and hit it with a casual swing.
The sword cut a deep line in the stone. But that was not all. The stone around the cut started to hiss and bubble. A dark purple liquid seemed to come from the cut. The stone turned black and broke into small pieces. It was a very powerful corrosive venom.
"By the gods, Ren..." Lyra said from behind him. She had been watching. "What kind of poison is that?"
"The royal kind," Ren said with a smirk.
He was now much stronger. But he wanted to be even stronger. He needed to find stronger monsters to fight.
Later that evening, they looked at a map in their big hall.
"The monsters in the fen are too weak for me now," Ren said. "I need a better place to train."
Lyra pointed to a place on the map, far to the north. "If you want a real challenge, you should go here. The Gorge of the Silent King. It is a big canyon full of undead monsters. It is a B-Rank danger zone. Even strong parties have trouble there."
Undead monsters. Skeletons and zombies. They were often immune to normal poison. It would be a perfect place to test his new corrosive venom. Ren's eyes lit up with excitement.
"The Gorge of the Silent King," he said. He liked the name. He had a base. He had the gear. Now he had a new goal.
He leaned back, a happy and confident smile on his face. "A new house, a new sword... Now I just need a cooler title than 'The Phantom'."
He looked at Lyra. "How about 'The Undead-Slaying Landlord'?"
Lyra just rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. A new adventure was about to start.