ALL NOVEL Chapter 31
Chapter 2: The Sealed Holy Sword and the Undead
If the Empire has “Divine Relics,” then the Church possesses “Holy Artifacts.”
Each exists in three forms, and I was wearing them all.
A laurel crown, a robe, and a legendary sword.
Equipment powerful enough to turn a village shepherd Hans into a seasoned knight.
Yet, those divine relics merely appeared as rare artifacts before the holy artifacts.
Of course, this was based on standards from a millennia ago.
A lot had changed since then.
First, all the Church’s holy artifacts were lost.
As someone distant from religion, I wasn’t curious about the whereabouts of these artifacts.
So, I didn’t look for them separately, yet I hadn’t imagined I would stumble upon a sealed holy sword in a place like this.
The process of finding this sealed holy sword was quite simple.
In a spot where ghouls and skeleton knights respawned rapidly, there was a single coffin buried.
Inside that coffin was a rusted sword, which turned out to be the sealed holy sword.
“Hey, Pera. Is that an item?”
I shared the item info window with Suzuka, who had quietly approached me.
―――
[Corrupted Rusted Sword with Malicious Energy]
*Unidentified
―――
“Unidentified?”
“It seems you need the appraisal skill from the sub-class Appraiser to see its info.”
However, even with the appraisal skill, the chance of unsealing the holy sword was slim.
The appraisal skill only reveals information about items in an unidentified state.
“Now I see why Appraisers are needed,” I said, glancing at Suzuka, who was staring intently at the sealed holy sword.
“Do you want to take it?”
“No thanks, my inventory’s full.”
Right, I had gathered quite a lot of surplus while hunting.
Because of that, my inventory was on the verge of bursting.
Judging by appearances alone, the sealed holy sword looked like something I’d hate to touch.
‘Should I just leave it be?’
The statue of the goddess, merely named a goddess, was actually a transcendent being.
She was an object of ruin and one of the most dangerous foes in this world.
The Church, free from her interference, had undergone many transformations at the hands of the Saint.
The hero, brainwashed by the goddess, was killed by her own hand.
The holy sword, a byproduct of the object of ruin, was buried here.
‘But it’s a weapon that might grow over time.’
Though it had the grand name of a holy sword, due to the Saint’s reformation and long neglect, it had lost most of its power.
To even use the holy sword properly, a lot of time and effort would be needed since it was sealed.
Taking all that into account, I concluded it wouldn’t matter if I left it alone.
‘By the way, it’s surprising that the Saint would directly execute the hero.’
The execution of the corrupted hero, who had fallen under the goddess’s brainwashing.
That was the first act of the Saint, who initiated the religious reformation.
“I’ll handle it from here.”
I had been having fun without realizing how much time had passed and wanted to continue, but ever since discovering the sealed holy sword, I felt uneasy.
There might be more like this.
“Oh, are you leaving already?”
“It’s already… well, it’s almost dawn.”
I sent a friend request to Suzuka as a farewell gesture.
She seemed a bit disappointed but smiled as if satisfied with the friend request.
“Then see you later!”
“Yeah, let’s hang out next time.”
With plans for later, I logged out.
***
Since its official release, Akare was achieving remarkable success.
On the other hand, the PC gaming industry was experiencing an unprecedented slump.
Suddenly appearing was the first virtual reality game, the Akashic Record.
It was like a colossal meteor falling into the dinosaur era.
Even without the title of the first virtual reality game,
In terms of gameplay and completeness, it was far from lacking.
However, not everyone came to enjoy the game.
[Indie Minor Game Gallery]
―――
[Title] Black Obsidian Staff Prices are Crazy lol
(Current trading site screenshot)
Is this the price for a level 20 staff?
Is it really worth 2 million won in cash, goddamn?
If I had known, I would have leveled up a Priest and farmed in the Cradle of Dark Magic instead.
Upvotes 450 Downvotes 222
―――
[Comment 352]
Is it because the launch is new? The bubble is severe.
ㄴWith that one, it’s a free pass to level 30.
ㄴIf it’s a bubble, it wouldn’t be sold at that price, ain’t it, goddamn?
ㄴIt doesn’t drop outside the appropriate level range.
Spending 2 million makes hunting a breeze.
ㄴWater buckets aren’t pay-to-win~
ㄴOn the contrary, if you gather only those, you’re immediately at 200!
ㄴIf luck is on your side, a thousand month kick is totally possible lol
―――
It all started with the real-world trading of an item called “Black Obsidian Staff.”
The boss in the Cradle of Dark Magic dungeon had a very low chance of dropping the Black Obsidian Staff.
The performance of this staff was overwhelmingly superior compared to others of the same level.
Thus, possessing just one Black Obsidian Staff made it possible to level up quickly and comfortably up to level 30.
―――
[Title] Seriously, isn’t there something wrong with the Black Obsidian Staff?
The Cradle boss is at level 17, and based on the appropriate level range (-5 ~ +5),
From level 23, the Black Obsidian Staff just doesn’t drop at all.
Consequently, demand is extremely high, but supply can’t keep up.
Probability adjustments << Just remove them entirely to increase supply; it's a must-upvote. Upvotes 150 Downvotes 1999 ――― [Comment 561] What's with rice-draining drifters? ㄴI hope all those rice-draining bastards die. ㄴI’m a magic user, and yes, the black staff supply is indeed inadequate. ㄴI’m a law user, and I’m a special rice-drainer. The Thanksgiving << was a festival for the rice-drainers, goddamn. ㄴRight? LOL. ㄴIt's hilarious, LMAO. ㄴThe startled Priests immediately spammed the back button. ――― For the newly formed economy to stabilize, sufficient time was required. The same went for the Black Obsidian Staff, but as time passed, it became a problem to solve. However, due to the excessive popularity of Akare, an unreasonable price bubble formed. ――― [Title] Sharing an Epic Rice-Drain Route 1. Create a Priest character. 2. Farm in the Cradle until level 23. 3. Delete character. 123 Repeat endlessly. (Thousand month kick verification screenshot) It takes a day to regenerate the character, but it's fine, right? Upvotes 250 Downvotes 1446 ――― [Comment 447] Priests << are the ultimate rice-draining class. ㄴThe perception of the class is ridiculous LOL. ㄴThe population is already low; please don’t do this. Please stop. That verification screenshot is a composite image (link targeting post). ㄴWTF? ㄴWas it a viral from the rice-drainers? ㄴAlmost had to delete my character, phew. ――― The most optimized class for farming the Black Obsidian Staff was undoubtedly the Priest. Because of that, the image of Priests was utterly ruined, to the point they became half a common enemy. Priest = Rice-drainer, Rice-receiver. For those who played the game normally, it was undoubtedly frustrating. How could a class I cherished so suddenly morph into a rice-draining stereotype? In terms of human psychology, it was only natural that affection for that class would wane. Even if I protested otherwise, public sentiment was already turned against the Priests. Disconnection from the outside inevitably led to isolation and, eventually, infighting. ――― [Title] It's just because of that Priest who appeared on Suzuka's stream. (Screenshot of Pera reaching out to a zombie) The method of spamming heals on the undead with Priest skills. Ever since that aired, the rice-draining ratio for Priests soared. That Priest pretty much opened the great rice-drain era. And the damage to the Priest's image was just a bonus. Upvotes 565 Downvotes 404 ――― [Comment 411] Do rice-drainers now even kill ordinary people? ㄴI’ve been rice-drained by a rice-draining priest, goddamn. ㄴThe term rice-drainer sounds absurd. ㄴLMAO. How could a rice-draining saint utter those words? ㄴWhat the hell is a rice-draining saint? ㄴThe perception of Priests has gone to hell. ㄴGive it up; it’s too late. ――― The spreading of the information that a Priest’s healing power acted devastatingly on undead monsters. Well, that was me. "How unfair." I felt wronged. A method for spamming heals on the undead? It was information that everyone already knew. It was merely that the Priest population was so low that strategies or information spread slowly. So I fully disclosed it on Suzuka’s stream. I never imagined it would come back to bite me like this. It's so unfair, I tell you. "Behold, the Rice-draining Saint." "What does that even mean, Akachan?" How did the Director's alternate character get dubbed the Rice-draining Saint? I had somewhat anticipated that mention when I got involved with Suzuka in the community, But I never imagined I’d earn such a grand nickname. For real. "Akachan, should we block the trades?" That the situation had heated up to this extent was unexpected. If left unchecked, I couldn't predict how far the flames would spread. "Downvote. I don’t recommend it." "Akachan, stop browsing the community." "Question? You’re even worse with the community addiction, Master." Unable to counter that, I fell into silence. 'Should I block trades?' If I just blocked the trades, the rice-drain issue would be solved immediately. However, it didn’t feel like a good solution. It felt like it infringed on freedom. 'Maybe I shouldn’t intervene at all.' It seemed like a problem that would sort itself out eventually. After all, the act of rice-draining was against the terms of service. If I suspended them for violating the terms, that would be the end of it. But there was no way I would abuse that right. 'Let’s set some standards.' If it reached the level of a farming operation, I’d hit them with an immediate suspension. A little casual income was fine. But rice-draining at the level of a farming operation was intolerable. "Ugh… I wish there was someone who could establish accurate standards..." Akachan already sensed the crisis and was leaving. Tch. That perceptive little brat gets on my nerves. Someone who could set clear standards and manage based on those. I moved toward a place where such a person might be found. The library, housing most books related to contemporary knowledge. In the center of the library, piles of books were stacked, and before them sat the Crown Prince, flipping through pages in search of knowledge. "How’s it going these days?" "Thanks to you, I'm having a great time." "You look it." Ahem. After clearing my throat, I explained the reason for my visit to the Crown Prince. "It’s a surprisingly simple matter considering the atmosphere you've created." "At the same time, it’s a tedious task." It blatantly sounded like I was passing on my chores, yet the Crown Prince, seeming pleased, closed the book he was reading. "You always hand over the bothersome tasks to me." "Was that so...? I don’t really recall." "Well, I'm used to it now." I sat beside the Crown Prince and casually asked, "When do you want to explore the real world?" "Um..." The Crown Prince glanced between the neatly piled books and me. "Just a week more..." "Alright. Let’s go a week from now." After making plans, I bid farewell to the Crown Prince and left the library.