The Unknown God

Chapter 9 - 9 Black Artifact

"Friend, what is your d.e.s.i.r.e?"

"I don't know. Becoming the best, I guess."

"The best, huh? I was once acclaimed as this century's prodigy. Countless challengers fell under both my blade and my wits. Beauties of all over the world came to me in the hope of marriage. My father completely trusted my abilities to overcome all obstacles present and future that may obstruct my path. I roamed across the world, going where no man had ever reached. Yet I could do nothing... This world is on the brink of destruction. The exact goal, I do not know, however, the Demonkind have taken over all the chaos races and evil races. Unifying them under one banner. Its massive legions, wage war against the elves and the dwarves. The prideful races of this continent are incapable of working together, even with such a powerful common enemy. Maybe, just maybe someone who was neither elf nor dwarf, could unite them. But that would require a legendary hero, respected by all."

The young man studied Simply for a moment before continuing his monologue.

"On the day I discovered the true might of the fiendish legion, I made a choice. From my many travels and adventures, I had come across a few mythical artifacts. Items that of unimaginable powers. A single one can bring about the end of an empire or the birth of a new one. The Imperial Heirloom, the Eternal Flame is one such mythical existence. However... the threat we now face would require a plethora of such items. Something that is near impossible. Something that we lack the time to do."

He admired the sword which laid b.a.r.e on its display. A sad smile accompanied his following words.

"That day, as I laid in the dust, bleeding. As the Demon Lord sent his steel predator to finish me off, I made a decision... tell me, what do you know of black artifacts?"

"I'd guess pretty op, maybe related to necromancy or demonic rituals?"

"Hahaha. Op, yeah they can be very powerful artifacts. However, that depends on a single factor, the quality of the components. Although, it has been forgotten, and shunned as a demonic ritual, the creation of such item is rarely done by a demon. You need three things for it to succeed, a well-crafted blade and someone willing to sacrifice his immortal soul. An immortal soul is the very identity of a being. Without it, that being cannot reincarnate anymore. He ceases to exist... Fearing the worst, I created this black artifact."

He walked up to the sword. Placing his hand on the hilt, he admired this deadly work of art.

"How did you slay the steel predator with your current strength?"

"Well... It was eager to open its jaws wide, soo... I kind of jammed a highly flammable improvised jar. You can say that I melted its internals. You know nothing much, just got lucky."

"You definitely got lucky! Alright, hopefully, it sticks to you. Do you wish to become the wielder of this magnificent sword?"

"I, Simply of House Umbra, wish to become the wielder of this outstanding sword."

"Very well, so be it."

The mysterious man disappears, as Simply's vision begins to once again fade into darkness.

---

Once again in the game's main dimension, Simply noticed the stats change for the broken blade.

[Broken Blade] ( Black Artefact (??? rank), Longsword)

The sword requires a high mana-content ore to recover.

[Congratulation, you have completed the trial and have been chosen to bond with the artefact. Doing so will absorb a portion of your soul. Do you wish to continue?]

'Holy shit, not only does it require the player to defeat a high-level world boss, but it also requires the player to lose a part of their soul.. damn! This must be a top tier item.'

"Sure"

[150 kilograms of Darksteel is sufficient to repair the sword during the bonding process. 187 kilograms have been detected in your inventory. Do you wish to use it?]

"A HUNDRED AND F.U.C.K.I.N.G FIFTY! Why don't you rob me while you are at it, f.u.c.k.i.n.g piece of shit AI? Sure, better give me an OP, O motherf.u.c.k.i.n.g P weapon. Son of a bitch."

[Please watch your language when addressing the system. This is your second warning. We advise you to take a break if you are feeling frustrated or emotional.]

[Binding black artefact]

The sword flew out of his inventory and latched itself into his hands. The artefact started to emit a white glow while morphing into the perfect shape for Simply. The handle moulded itself to fit him. The blade adjusted itself to match his fighting stance. It seemed as if the Ai had analysed his swordsmanship style and crafted a unique sword to match it.

When the process was completed, Simply was exhausted. The process had drained him of his stamina and had s.u.c.k.e.d his concentration out of him. However, the final product was priceless.

[Congratulation, you have successfully bonded with a black artifact. Having reforged it, you can name the sword.]

"Name it Narsil."

[Narsil] ( Black Artifact (Legendary rank), Longsword)

Attack Power +24

All Attributes +10

Attack Speed +10%

Ignore monster's Level by 5.

Attacks have a 10% chance to cause 2 x damage.

If wielder belongs to any Swordsman Class, all Skill Levels +2.

Increase free stats points received by 2 points for every increase in Level.

Additional Skill 1: Slash Dash.

Cast Time: Instant

Target: Multiple

Range: 6m range

Cost: 100 Stamina

Cooldown: 10 seconds.

Dash between enemies while slashing them down, dealing 200% Physical Damage.

Additional Skill 2: Five Dragons Wraight

Cast Time: Instant

Target: 5 targets

Range: 15m range

Cost: 150 Stamina

Cooldown: 60 seconds.

Launches five copies of the sword towards enemies, dealing 500% Physical Damage and impaling them to walls. Binding enemies and preventing movement, reducing defence by 100%.

Equipment Level 0. Can be levelled up. (Devour ten Level 25 Uncommon Weapons and one Level 25 Rare Weapon to level up to Level 25). Can be evolved.

User restriction: Simply Umbra

Durability Infinite

[Forced Class Change: Swordsman]

[Class: Swordsman]

Sword-related Mastery +5

Obtain 8 free mastery points every 5 Levels.

Sword-related skills proficiency increased by 50%.

An adventurer armed with a sword, big deal.

[Level Up]

"I be damned"

Before he could take in all of this, he was hoisted up and carried back to the tavern by the settlement folks, celebrating the new hero.