Chapter 359: A Cat That Doesn’t Want to be a Hero Isn’t a Good Cat (4k)
While Dark was studying the rusty sword, the other golems gathered around.
Only Meow lay on the bed, holding a “Shield Tortoise Jade” in one hand and a “Mana Coin” in the other, occasionally tapping them together, producing a pleasant tinkling sound.
Because Meow had performed exceptionally today, using “Deception” and “Theif” skills brilliantly, Dark rewarded it with some red flowers.
After obtaining the red flowers, Meow immediately used them to cancel its debts and buy a mana coin.
As for the “Shield Tortoise Jade” in its hand, it was a purple gem summoned earlier using the “Treasure Accumulation Skill,” a product of a high-tier monster called Shield Tortoise that could absorb physical impacts and convert them into mana.
This “Shield Tortoise Jade” made Dark think of Rose’s “Mobius Worm.” It was unclear whether something similar could be crafted.
Dark had acquired too many resources from today’s dungeon adventure and didn’t have time to focus on this purple gem right now.
…
Just seconds later, Dark poured mana into the rusty sword for the second time.
This time, the amount of mana he poured in was at least three times more than before.
The reaction of the rusty sword was indeed much stronger.
He thought for a moment, then decisively grabbed the hilt and poured a large amount of mana through his palm!
The mana surged like a tidal wave, instantly entering the short sword.
Through mana perception, he clearly noticed that the short sword’s interior was engraved with a very complex mana circuit.
As soon as the mana was poured in, it was absorbed and dispersed by the mana circuit, vanishing like mud in the sea.
But the rusty sword itself began to tremble wildly.
This couldn’t possibly be a sign of affinity.
“It seems I’m being disliked.”
Dark smiled; this was expected.
A divine artifact lying dormant in a treasure chest, waiting for someone to awaken it—such scenes were not uncommon.
He wasn’t the destined person, though.
Dark wasn’t particularly concerned about whether this rusty sword was one of the legendary Holy Swords.
“Deoxys.”
“Meow?”
Deoxys, perched atop the cat tower, was pondering how to use the red flowers. Hearing the call, it leaped down, landing gracefully with crossed legs and hands.
Dark glanced at Deoxys and pointed at the rusty sword, saying, “Have you learned mana manipulation? Give it a try.”
“If it’s just releasing mana…”
Deoxys slowly approached,
passively learning to recognize and manipulate mana through “Armed Conjure.”
Deoxys’ learning progress remained at the forefront among the golems.
It approached the rusty sword, grabbed the hilt with its claws, and released mana.
Its life force gradually drained as a result.
However, “Paradise’s” mechanism slowly compensated for this loss.
Dark eagerly asked, “Do you feel anything?”
Deoxys frowned and said, “There is something.”
Just as he spoke, the rusty sword, which had been rejecting Dark’s mana, suddenly glowed white.
The white light emerged from within the sword, making the blade gradually transparent, as if it were a glowing sword.
The rust covering the blade began to peel off under the white light!
…
“Wow!”
Seeing the situation escalating beyond expectations, Dark couldn’t help but show surprise.
The golems sitting nearby also showed great curiosity.
Especially the imp beast who had personally obtained the rusty sword, it kept flapping its wings—was it envy, jealousy, or hatred?
The imp beast cursed fate for its injustice!
Why did the sword react to this stinky cat when it was the one who got it?
…
Deoxys was already deeply immersed in the interaction with mana.
With all the rust completely falling off, the sword’s true form was revealed.
The handle was exquisite, almost like a decoration, with a circular ring at the end carved with a flower pattern. Despite its short length, the blade was clear and unblemished.
As Deoxys sensed it, it gently pulled the ring at the end of the handle, pulling out a long silver steel wire!
This wire was extremely long, retracting when released.
If controlled by mana, it could be manipulated more freely.
This single setting drastically changed the sword’s attack range and methods.
Whether used as a projectile, a flail, or hardened as a spear, all were viable options.
Deoxys released the ring and re-grasped the hilt, gesturing in the air and suddenly saying, “Very handy.”
“Of course it is handy, haven’t you seen the white light climbing up your arm?”
[Envy +1]
At this point, Dark truly wanted to confirm with Wit whether this sword was one of the legendary Holy Swords.
If it was, it meant Deoxys, who could trigger its use, possessed the “Hero”资质 (quality).
One of the candidates for the current generation of Heroes!
“What on earth is going on here?”
Dark found his mind a bit muddled.
He slapped his forehead to calm himself down.
According to his original plan, if this rusty sword was useless to him, he would find more compatible materials to attempt crafting a golem called “Solo Sword Sheath.”
Since this rusty sword rejected him, he would turn it into a golem.
Surely it wouldn’t reject him again.
In any case…
Dark’s idea seemed very feasible.
But the current situation made him hesitant.
Deoxys could actually use it!
“Hold on.”
Dark slapped his forehead, an idea popping into his head.
“Even if it can be used, wouldn’t it be even more convenient if it could be turned into a ‘Solo Sword Sheath’?”
“After all, who doesn’t want a sword that can move on its own?”
“At that point, I could ride the ‘Solo Sword Sheath’ and pretend to be a sword immortal.”
…
While Deoxys was trying to familiarize itself with the “Rusty Sword”—”Short Sword,” it never imagined that Dark was planning to turn this sacred sword exclusively for it into a golem that everyone could use.
Such a privatization of public property was truly malicious (Meow!).
…
However, Dark only had this idea.
To turn such a self-aware weapon into a golem would require unprecedented amounts of auxiliary materials and mana consumption.
Dark lacked confidence in his current mana levels.
He needed more time to prepare.
Of course, if he really wanted to turn it into a golem, he had another method—shattering the sword!
Once shattered, it would transform from a self-aware weapon into pure precious material, significantly reducing the consumption.
But that might prevent him from creating a “Solo Sword Sheath.”
Although the “Solo Sword Sheath” appeared as a sword, it was actually a dual-type golem combining “Steel” and “Ghost” attributes.
Lacking the “Ghost” element would make success difficult.
Moreover, after evolving into “Dual Sword Sheath” and “Shield Sword Monster,” both would possess shields.
Thus, creating a “Solo Sword Sheath” requires the “Shield” element.
Speaking of shields…
Dark involuntarily glanced toward Meow, but quickly looked away.
“Thinking about it, do I already have the core conditions to create a ‘Solo Sword Sheath’?”
“If not, perhaps a piece of living metal could fill the gap.”
Suddenly, he realized that he was only lacking in “mana.”
“Lack of mana can be supplemented in various ways.”
For example, the common “Mana Recovery Elixir,” or something more efficient.
Unfortunately, the “milk” from the “Big Milk Jar” fundamentally restores life rather than mana, so he wouldn’t need to worry about mana deficiency if he had it.
The final question was, which “Capital Sin” should he use as a guide?
…
While considering the feasibility of creating a “Solo Sword Sheath,” Dark took out Deoxys’s golem card for inspection.
After receiving feedback from a touch of mana, he discovered that Deoxys’s base attack had increased significantly with the short sword.
Deoxys’s base attack was 1900, which could be maintained at 2400 with the “Sacred Ring.”
With the short sword, it directly increased by 1200 points!
“This number…”
“The dual-headed demonic man’s great axe only provides a 1000-point attack boost, yet this short sword offers 1200 points with no apparent side effects.”
“1200 points… Could it be 4×300? Like Diana’s ‘Bear’s Strength,’ calculated by star level x 300?”
“If it truly is a Holy Sword, this calculation method is quite plausible.”
“Let me see what other abilities it has besides pure attack increase.”
“It has two passive skills: ‘Holy’ and ‘Holy Sword.'”
[Holy: Increases 100%克制 (restraint) against demons and 50% against dark attributes, with additional lethal effects on demons.]
[Holy Sword: Ignores the opponent’s ability changes, always hits, and has a small chance to ignore defense directly.]
“It’s definitely a Holy Sword!”
“These two passive attributes truly resemble those of a Holy Sword.”
“If I remember correctly, the ‘Solo Sword Sheath’ golem also possesses the ‘Holy Sword’ skill, although the effects differ slightly but fit perfectly.”
…
Looking at the “Holy Sword” passive skill, Dark felt increasingly convinced that this Holy Sword and “Solo Sword Sheath” were connected.
Perhaps they could be easily fused.
And as a Holy Sword of the Light Attribute, the guiding “Capital Sin” must be “Pride.”
Just like when crafting “Meow,” using the “Basic Conjure Method” as the main axis, adding “Holy Sword,” “Shield Tortoise Jade,” and “Pride,” it might work.
The more he thought about it, the more likely this possibility seemed.
If he had a means to efficiently replenish mana, he might start experimenting immediately!
…
Fortunately, he didn’t have the conditions yet, so he calmed down.
“No rush, no rush. Tomorrow, I’ll first visit the Catgrass Flower Shop to inquire about Liongrass-related matters, then look for a quick way to supplement a large amount of mana.”
“Now, there are other things that need attention.”
Dark returned to his desk, turning his gaze to the black crystal with eighteen faces on the table.
Emma’s casual mention reminded him where he had seen such an object.
As Emma said, it was a “die.”
An eighteen-sided drinking game die!
Though not famous, it did exist during the Western Han dynasty, used for entertainment at banquets.
“If I use this as a template, could I possibly turn it into a die with eighteen different effects?”
“Starting from this perspective, I might achieve a breakthrough in my thinking.”
“If we exclude light and dark, golems have exactly eighteen attributes.”
“However, my knowledge of crafting item cards is still limited.”
“Unless I make it into a type of armed golem.”
Regardless, he had a general idea on how to handle this eighteen-faced crystal.
After recording his thoughts, Dark picked up the piece of living metal.
Even among today’s gains, this piece of living metal stood out prominently.
Unlike ordinary metals, it was not hard, but slightly deformed under pressure, yet it slowly returned to its original shape, resembling “memory metal.”
Dark’s initial idea was to use it for “Armored Conjure,” but he hadn’t decided what to make.
This was indeed a challenge for him.
Living metal had a wide range of applications.
Sometimes, he wondered if he could turn it into a figurine, then use puppet-making techniques to create a legendary “moving figurine”?
But that would be a waste.
Wasting such a rare metal for personal preference would keep him awake at night.
But speaking of figurines…
After staring at the living metal for a long time, inspiration struck.
He remembered something very similar to a figurine.
Undoubtedly, it belonged to the armed category.
It used the system of “Mental Power.”
But the essence of that thing was “the inheritance of souls.”
No matter how he thought about it, it was impossible to craft with just a piece of metal.
“We need to consider this carefully.”
As night deepened, Dark gradually formed some bold ideas.
…
