"Ha… haaa…"
I drew in slow, steady breaths, forcing myself to calm down as the manic rush of excitement and my adrenaline slowly ebbed.
"Huuu… Alright, onto the next!"
Closing the User Profile, I shifted my attention back to the Inventory and opened it again.
Eight left.
Hmm…
Which one this time?
I went over the remaining options in my mind—Anatomia Transfiguration, Infinite Vending Machine, Multiversal Energy Circulation Method, Yu Namit, Telepathy through Time and Space, App Bundle, Permafrost Bladed Staff, and finally, Multiversal Currency Pouch.
Yu Namit…
Growth type too?
——
{Weapon - Yu Namit}
[Open?] [Yes] [No]
——
"Yes."
Pop.
After my confirmation, a matte gray sphere—about six inches in diameter—appeared, floating before me.
I reached out and ran my finger along its surface. It was cool and metallic to the touch.
Curious, I tapped it lightly with a finger.
Tok.
A hollow sound echoed from within.
——
{Ding! Add blood to form a connection with Yu Namit.}
——
"…Blood, huh."
I stared at the sphere for a moment, then let out a quiet breath.
"…Of course it's blood. Yeah… figures."
I brought my thumb to my teeth and bit down—
A sharp sting.
A dark bead of indigo blood welled up.
For a brief second, I hesitated.
Partly because the color of my blood threw me off…
And partly because—
Yu Namit moved.
Just slightly.
Drifting closer the moment I bit down on my thumb.
Raising my hand, I held my finger over Yu Namit's spherical form, the bead of indigo blood swelling at the fingertip—ready to fall.
Then it did.
The drop touched the surface—and the surface gave way.
Not metal.
Not liquid.
Something in between.
The impact folded inward.
Ripples raced across the sphere as the blood was accepted.
Small waves rose and crashed against each other—distorting, sharpening—until uneven spikes erupted across its surface.
The matte gray dissolved, giving way to a deep indigo that churned with slow, shifting currents of darkness beneath.
Vmmmmm.
A low-pitched hum echoed through the training grounds as the ripples receded—slowly sinking back beneath the surface as if they had never been there.
Yu Namit slowly started to descend in the air. Quickly moving my hand, I reached out and caught it.
The moment I touched it, the indigo shifted—gathering beneath my palm, a soft glow spilling around the edges of my hand.
The darkness swirled slowly, small specks of indigo flickering to life within its depths.
Cool! It's kind of like a dark plasma globe right what glows indigo when you touch it.
As I held it in my hand, I noticed the texture remained the same, but it was no longer cool to the touch. Instead, it held a subtle warmth—one you wouldn't notice unless you were actually holding it.
I fiddled with it for a moment, turning it over in my hands—until I was interrupted by a—
——
{Ding! Congratulations on bonding with Yu Namit!}
{Ding! User Profile has been updated!}
——
"Hehe let's see!"
Opening the system interface, I navigated to the User Profile app.
——
User: Vesper Evren
…[Expand]
…
[Equipped]
1 » Fabric of Nothingness
… [Expand]
2 » Yu Namit
Equipment Rank - Mythic Immortal, Growth-Type
Information: When meeting the Dwarven Crafts Matriarch for a… [Expand]
- Metamorfose Bukiko
Allows Yu Namit to transform into any weapon in the Bukiko. Yu Namit has idle mode in which she can transform into something other than a weapon. Expand the Bukiko through the abilities below:
- Okami Buki
- Devour weapons to expand the Bukiko. Each weapon consumed strengthens Yu Namit, with even greater gains when claiming the weapon of a defeated enemy. Devoured weapons transfer their traits, which are then integrated into Yu Namit.
- Benkyo Senso
- Yu Namit adapts through training, sweat, blood and war. Each swing, parry, block, strike and energy infusement allows Yu Namit to help the bearer adapt and survive.
Bukiko: 0
{Notice: Use Okami Buki for Yu Namit to assume weapon form!}
{Recommendation Notice: Apply Okami Buki to the Permafrost Bladed Staff in Inventory.}
——
My eyes locked onto the final line.
Permafrost Bladed Staff…
For a moment, I just stared.
Then a slow grin spread across my face.
"…Yeah… I'm definitely trying that."
I quickly navigated to the Inventory and selected the Permafrost Bladed Staff.
——
{Permafrost Bladed Staff}
[Open?] [Yes] [No]
——
"Yes!"
Pop.
With a soft, bubble-like pop, the temperature around me dropped instantly.
My eyes flew open as a blast of cold air swept over me, the chill prickling my skin and raising the hairs along my arms.
Looking at the six-foot long Permafrost Bladed Staff, floating horizontally five feet before me, a few thoughts immediately came to mind—
Cool.
Elegant.
Mystical.
The blade was cloaked in a rolling, misty fog that drifted lazily across its surface, partially obscuring the clear, icy edge beneath. Faint flowing runes glimmered within the blade, pulsing softly through the frost.
There was no handguard—just a seamless fusion of blade and Kelvin's white wood, as if they had never been separate.
At the top of the staff rested a royal blue permafrost gem, cradled by three branch-like prongs that curved inward, pinching it securely in place.
Waves of freezing air pulsed from the wood and gem, seeping into the surroundings and dragging the temperature down with them.
I couldn't look away.
My gaze lingered on the blade, tracing the faint runes as they pulsed beneath the frost… following the slow drift of mist along its edge.
Elegant.
Refined.
Perfect.
The kind of weapon you'd only ever read about—never expect to see, let alone stand before.
My thoughts slowed.
Complete tunnel vision.
Until there was nothing but the staff.
Just its presence.
Its design.
Its quiet, overwhelming beauty.
…
And then—something felt… off.
A faint unease crept in.
Subtle at first.
Easy to miss.
But it didn't fade.
It grew.
Twisting into something sharper.
Tighter.
Anxiety.
My brow furrowed slightly.
That wasn't—
Jealousy.
The feeling hit harder this time, coiling in my chest, unfamiliar and misplaced.
My breathing slowed.
"…That's not mine." I muttered, a faint crease forming between my brows.
A flicker of irritation followed—low, restrained… but undeniably there.
Anger.
Not overwhelming.
Not consuming.
Just enough to be noticed.
And just enough to be wrong.
I closed my eyes.
Focused.
Not on the staff—but on the feeling itself.
Tracing it.
Separating it from my own thoughts… my own emotions…
Finding its source.
…
And the moment I did—my eyes snapped open.
Not to the staff—
But to the side.
Yu Namit hovered there, silent… steady… its indigo depths faintly stirring beneath the surface.
For a moment, I just stared.
The faint flickers within its darkness pulsed—uneven now.
Restless.
Not calm like before.
"Ah…That was you."
The realization settled in quietly.
The anxiety.
The irritation.
That brief, sharp edge of something that hadn't belonged to me.
My gaze drifted back toward the Permafrost Bladed Staff for a split second—then away again.
A faint heat crept up the back of my neck.
"Haaaa…Right."
I exhaled softly, rubbing the back of my head.
"That was… kind of rude, wasn't it."
Yu Namit didn't move.
But the indigo within it shifted—subtle and slow.
I hesitated.
Then lowered my hand slightly, palm open toward it.
"I'm sorry…"
The words came out quieter than expected.
Not forced.
Not dramatic.
Just… honest.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
And then—the swirling within Yu Namit eased.
The restless flickers settled, smoothing into slow, steady currents beneath its surface as Yu Namit drifted into my open hand.
Landing on my palm, Yu Namits erratic emotions settled.
Smiling down at it, I asked—
"Alright… let's do this. You ready, Yu?"
A faint pulse of excitement answered me in confirmation.
"Okay… here goes nothing," I muttered as I stepped closer to the Permafrost Bladed Staff.
"Okami Buki."
For a brief moment—nothing happened.
Then a slight jiggle from Yu Namit on my palm.
I looked down as the process began.
The surface… softened.
Then Yu Namit moved.
Like flowing water, it slipped from my palm and drifted toward the Permafrost Bladed Staff—slow and unhurried.
Halfway there, its form shifted.
It didn't expand, yet something flowed from it as its form began to morph—thin, black and indigo tendrils branching outward, spreading like the veins of a leaf or branches of a tree.
They weren't solid.
Not quite liquid either.
Just… there.
They reached the staff first.
Touched—and adhered without force.
Then more followed.
Branching. Spreading. Layering over one another until the Permafrost Bladed Staff was completely covered in a thin, shifting film of darkness and indigo.
The surface rippled with a quiet hunger, devouring the Permafrost Bladed Staff without a sound.
The darkness slowly faded, giving way to indigo and deep royal blue as the process continued.
Over the next few minutes, those colors gradually drained away. When it ended, all that remained was a matte gray silhouette of the Permafrost Bladed Staff, floating there horizontally—completely blank.
——
{Ding! Yu Namit has devoured its first weapon! First-time devouring has unlocked the ability to override and select two elements from the following!}
[Lightning] [Fire] [Wind] [Water] [Ice] [Earth] [Plant] [Light] [Dark]
——
" Well… that's kind of a no-brainer."
"Dark and Ice."
The air suddenly shifted. A faint breeze began to stir, quickly building into a howling wind as darkness and deep bluish-indigo light erupted from the Permafrost Bladed Staff.
The temperature plummeted, darkness spreading like a frozen tide, as if I had stepped into a massive freezer. The only light came from the metamorphosis Yu Namit was undergoing.
Dark, eerie ice spread outward from Yu Namit, rushing across the ground in all directions—visible only in the faint reflections of light.
Dark snow appeared, swirling like a blizzard that swept across the entire training grounds.
Frosty plumes of breath rose before me, yet I didn't feel the cold. I looked down as frost crept across my skin, I felt nothing but a thrilling excitement despite my calm expression.
It was as if the chill itself was part of me—an extension of my being.
ZZZZT!!
——
{Ding! Error! Retrying!}
{Ding! Error!}
{Ding! Error! Retrying!}
——
"W-What happened!?!"
Sparks of dark energy flickered wildly, rippling across Yu Namit's surface as the error messages rang in my ears.
The wind shifted erratically, throwing loose frost in spirals as if the air itself resisted the transformation.
——
{DING!! User: Apply your blood to Yu Namit immediately!}
——
"Shit!"
I sank my teeth into my fingertips, tasting the metallic tang as I bit down hard.
I ran forward and held my bleeding fingertips over Yu Namit, heart hammering. The metallic scent of my blood mingled with the cold air around me.
As the indigo droplets fell, they hovered for a fraction of a second above the surface of the weapon—then were drawn in, almost as if Yu Namit itself had inhaled them.
The glowing matte gray surface rippled violently, black and indigo tendrils erupting once more, writhing and stretching like veins across its body. A pulse of energy radiated outward, and the freezing wind intensified.
The gem at the top flared a deep, icy indigo, casting fractured light across the training ground. Shadows danced along the frost-covered floor as Yu Namit shivered, almost alive, absorbing the blood with a quiet, ravenous hunger.
A low hum filled the air, growing into a resonant thrum that seemed to echo inside my chest. My hands tingled, my blood pounding in my veins, as if the weapon and I were syncing—bonding at a level deeper than thought or command.
Then Yu Namit changed. The once mist-covered, clear long blade was gone, replaced by a blade of deep indigo ice, etched with deep royal blue runes that pulsed faintly. Black frost and mist clung to the blade, trying to obscure its otherworldly presence.
Where the blade had once been a seamless fusion of clear ice and white wood, there was now a simple, icy black hand guard. Ten inches of shadowy black wrap served as the handle.
The former white wood had taken on a pale, bone-like hue, almost hidden beneath the dark ice that encrusted its surface.
At the top of the staff rested a black gem, glowing indigo, cradled by three branch-like prongs that curved inward, pinching it securely in place. The entire weapon seemed alive, humming with restrained power, both elegant and menacing in its new form.
——
{DING!! Yu Namit has absorbed the Primordial Dark Cold talent from the User's blood!}
{DING!! Yu Namit has awakened its first form!}
{DING!! First Form Unlocked: Primal Arcblade of Dark Cold!}