Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Chapter 1267: Indescribable

After a few isles of weapons paired with enchantments, the merchandise slowly transitioned to rows of potions. Neatly spaced and labeled, the shelves were filled with high-quality alchemical products of all kinds. Many were basic potions they knew.

Medicines to recover Mana, Health, or Stamina. Potions to buff attributes but there were also all kinds of cremes and oils that were less common on Urth or many of the system world. The majority were poisons or elemental substances that could be applied to weapons or armor.

Like in the previous section, there were also potion recipes, but a lot less than in the armory. it seemed like craftsmen were a lot more open to sharing blueprints and enchantments compared to alchemists and their precious potion recipes.

Just snooping around was enough to widen Sethʼs understanding of , as it was able to accomplish way more and develop in way more ways than just the potions and cremes he associated with games.

What really stuck out from the rest of the shop was a row of locked glass cabinets. So far they had not picked up any of the items and made a list of what they wanted to purchase, because the shop had a similar anti-theft system in place as Sethʼs shops. So picking up anything without permission was not possible.

This was why the cabinets stuck out. Even with an anti-theft spell in place, Erka still saw the need to put these items into locked containers that could only be viewed from the outside. A poignant sign told them not to even though the glass of the cabinets.

The shop was full of epic and relic-rated items that were just standing and lying around. What was so precious that it needed several levels of security? Intrigued, the tree stepped closer to these cabinets and they couldnʼt help but gasp.

.....

They were filled to the brim with substances that could raise stats permanently, independent of the level of the user. Many also ignored the userʼs current attribute value. Taking into account the rarity of such consumables, Erkaʼs security measures became very understandable.

A playerʼs growth and strength were influenced by many factors, but the most common were the class, attributes, equipment, and skills. The class dictated the multipliers of hidden stats, for example, how much physical attack one point of strength generated. However, a class was usually something permanent for most. Similarly, skills needed time to grow. Equipment cost a lot of money and was temporary for most.
If a player wanted to grow stronger the most fundamental and palpable to most players were their attributes. Even when these elixirs were even more costly, their effects were immediate and permanent, making them almost irresistible to players.

The three wordlessly shared a glance with each other, before nodding.

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They continued but their thoughts stayed with the treasure trove of steroids. To their surprise, they soon returned to the counter where Erkas was sitting. Was the space of the shop actually bent? So after a while, they had walked the full circle and returned to the beginning?

“Did something pick your fancy?” Erka asked with a cheeky smile as if she found it impossible for anyone not to find something they wanted in her shop. Seth places the list of items they wrote down on the counter.

“In addition to these, how much would the content of all the glass cabinets inthe alchemy section cost?” Seth asked. Despite the meticulous labeling, there were no prices on any of the items.

“Cost?” she asked smugly reading the list, as if she said it a thousand times. “Just so you know, Iʼm not selling those for system currency or any local currency. Iʼm only bartering so you have to...Wait. D-Did you say you want everything in the cabinets?” she asked shocked as realization dawned on her.

Her smile had vanished and the list fell back on the counter. It took her a moment to get her bearing back. As studied as the bartering clerk seemed, this was a genuine shock, but she quickly calmed down.

“Ha, arenʼt you a bold one? You got my heart racing a for moment there. You heard me, right? What could you possibly give me in exchange for all the consumables and this list of items?” she asked joyfully. it was clear she didnʼt expect any of them to be able to offer anything for it.

“Hmm, I have seen a lot of good items here, but I didnʼt see any legendary items,” the bard mentioned, playfully running his finger over the counter, picking up some dust, and rubbing it between his thumb and index

“Legendaries? Who would be crazy enough to exchange a legendary item for anything lower?” she asked offhandedly. It seemed like she had yet to catch on, but her eyes widened when Seth reached into his inventory.

A bright glimmer danced over Erkaʼs eyes, reflected by a wide black knife Seth placed on the countertop. A dark red aura played around the clean edge and the jagged back of the blade. Of course, Seth was not crazy enough to just hand out a legendary item, that could have been used.

The blade was something Seth had created more as a potential trap than as an item for actual use. When one of the bars of legendary ended up with such a dangerous effect, the blacksmith couldnʼt help but try and make something... sinister.

Mind Render

Legendary, Ego

Phys. Attack 2200

Durability: 5000

1. Mind Absorption

2. Mind Corruption

3. Life Drain

4. Blessing of Orias

5. Active Skill: Demon Berserk

A weapon with a voracious ego, that is as much of a danger to the enemy as it is to the wielder.

A terrifying creation from the hands of Master Smith, the first Master Enchanter, and Master Blacksmith of Urth intertwining the demonic and the divine.>

The Mind Absorption came as the random effects of the material and allowed the ego of the knife to absorb and rip away at the wielder and the targetʼs ego. Of course, the target was affected worse than the wielder. This gave Seth the idea of making a true cursed weapon.

He chose a forging ballad called “The Berserker of Orias” It was a powerful piece of demonic music, that granted the weapon Life Drain, the Blessing of Orias, and the active skill of . The price for this power was the Mind Corruption which would eat away at the userʼs sanity as they used the item. It was a true suffer 800 damage to deal a 1000 kind of deal.

Despite not being layered with various enchantments, the weapon was able to grant terrifying power to the wielder, at a terrible price. Blessing of Orias alone raised the base attributes by 25% each. It was a weapon that perfectly fit the description of a demonic or cursed weapon, as it would eat away at the userʼs mind the more it was used, turning them into a murderous monster that would ultimately serve Orias.

Absorb the Power of Orias to temporarily transform into a demon.

Willpower is lowered by 50%

Strength, Agility, and Endurance are doubled.

You deal triple the physical damage to non-holy targets.>

Especially the use of would quicken the progress of Mind Corruption. Even someone with a high mental resistance wouldnʼt last long wielding this item, unless they actually possessed Immunity, like Seth when he wore Laraweg.

However, putting a weapon to create power servants of a demon into the world, was not Sethʼs intention. Despite all the power the demonic enchantment offered, there was also a contingency in it. The same conditions that quickened the Mind Corruption also supported the Mind Absorption.

Even if whoever he gave it to turned into a terrible berserker under the power of Orias, it wouldnʼt be long before they became a crippled vegetable. A mind needed to exist, to be corrupted, but if the knife fully devoured the mind, the body would become essentially brain-dead.

It was a curse that could perfectly contain itself.

Erka stared at the knife he just placed on the counter for a while.

“Fuck...unbelievable.”