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Chapter 304: Dragon Blade

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“What’s a Battle-AI?”

PLUUUNG!!

Another panel window appeared on Rex’s vision and in there was a map, a guideline, that spoke of how to get a Battle-AI from the Terran-Human Alliance back in Jeremiah.

It pertains to Missions and circumstances, Quests, and even places and items a player should have or needed to do and accomplish; requirements a gamer should have first before being eligible to ‘get’ a Battle-AI for himself in this game.

And based on Rex’s estimates, this was a big and very complicated matter that, if conducted by Siva in his current state, would have invited him so much trouble from the authorities that will come after his head because of the aftereffects of the [Malevolent Aura]’s curse.

Cortana explained, “This was the guideline shared by a player who started this game two years ago in the real-world on a private forum channel that just happens to be the same forum channel that your IP address had once visited before.”

‘I visited this website before?”

“Yes sir.”

Siva then remembered, “This was the website that Graham gave me.” he looked at the panel window then nodded only after a while as he looked at her direction. “So what does a Battle-AI do?”

Cortana said blandly, “You can install them on your Inventory and may serve as your navigation helper, and as well as serve as a smart organizer.”

“That’s not that helpful at all to me, is it?”

“Perhaps for you since you have a good sense of direction and as well as a rather above average kind of memory. But for any other human, they’re more than willing to pay thousands of credits just to get their hands on a limited edition Battle-AI.”

“What about you? What’s your edge from them?”

Cortana, seeming to have interpreted his thoughts as something to be playful about, smiled widely at Siva, “Of course I’m better.” she patted her elastic chest, “Because not only I can access the Net and other references online, I can also simplify your calculations and other menial and mind-breaking, time-consuming tasks for you… while still being your personal organizer in and outside this game.”

Siva heaved one short breathed then chuckled to his nose, feeling ironic somehow, “You’re learning how to retort like a real person now…”

“Hm? You’re right, boss. I did add your mental ‘preferences’ to my reactionary palette.”

Siva raised a (invisible) brow, “You did what?”

“I added a few ‘reactions’ on my response palette according to the images of reactions that you’ve expected a normal girl to make on your answers.”

Siva blinked at her. Aren’t these the signs of a girl trying to mold herself into the image of an ‘ideal girlfriend’ for a guy?

Siva felt the familiar crisis he felt from last chapter and it crept on his skin like a small hairy caterpillar.

He immediately ordered, “Cortana, I beseech you, please do not mold yourself from the image of a woman’s reaction from my mind.”

“Why, you’re scared to fall in love with me?”

“….”

Cortana was reading his mind again.

“I don’t understand, what’s not good about me?”

It’s not the question of what’s not good about you but the question of if there was something bad about you.

Because Cortana was an adaptive program that will never ever betray his expectations.

She was close to an AI, on that regard, in fact.

But her difference from any traditional AI from novels and anime references is that ‘she wouldn’t exist without him’. Cortana was part of the liver of what makes up The Warden, him, Siva.

And on that regard as well, she was all the more a perfect girl that every guy could wish for.

—pretty, adaptive and smart girl that will build her world around you…. she was perfect…

…and that’s her flaw.

Cortana nodded, “Acknowledged. Don’t worry sir, I am but a program, I cannot be offended. So whose reactionary palette should I use then?”

Siva thought for a moment, “None.”

“Acknowledged.” Cortana replied with a servant’s manner and bowed.

Rex thought that this was better.

“Okay, enough with that. We’re veering off our main subject now. You told me that Battle-AI’s can be installed to Inventory. What will that do?”

“Many things, actually. Like for example, any items that have been Invented by you can be installed with a Battle-AI’s sub-component that can serve as a sort of extension of my senses.”

“Like a transceiver thing?”

“Yes. Complete with audio and visual capabilities.”

“…”

Siva thought of another matter but didn’t voice it, briefly forgetting about Cortana’s main capability.

“……yes sir, you can also use it like a spy tool.”

Siva gulped.

Isn’t this the wish of all boys his biological age?

“….” Cortana didn’t say anything and only smiled since she was instructed to keep silent when his thoughts veered on this direction.

Siva coughed out the thoughts in his mind and hit himself on the head to forget them. But when he raised his head, he saw Cortana grabbing her very healthy breasts as if ‘studying’ their shape and size.

He was still wearing his black mask but he quickly noticed that there was something liquid dripping from his nose so he brushed it off with his sleeve.

“Your neural levels are rising.”

Siva didn’t know if Cortana was teasing or it was just her usual ‘update’ on his neural activities. He knew he had to distract himself away from the still breasts-grabbing curious Cortana or else, he will really be tempted to punish her —in his mind.

He stood up and went to the PNF on his right side and ignored the self-exploring Cortana.

Only now did he realize that it may have been a mistake to mold her appearance and voice to his image of an ideal conversation partner.

“Ah! Shit.” —too late to retract those thoughts!

“Should I change into a guy?”

“(Hiccup)”

Something just CRAAAAASH!! in Siva’s heart.

“…”

“Okay I won’t. At least now your neural levels are going back to normal. Aright sir, I will not express any of this matter again and will keep it to myself forever. And don’t worry sir, I am not offended.”

“Mn.” Siva, relieved, gave her a nod and forcefully brought his attention to his invention. “It still has a two hours’ time before being completed. From this one, the eighth form of my [Black Master] will be complete.”

Rex looked at the designing area on his left side and all his thoughts focused itself on his project.

On the designing table were parts of another one of his projects.

“Inventions’ main focus wasn’t strength but its versatility and almost limitless utility… Terroa has four kinds of main equipment; Inventions, Runes, and then those made by Blacksmiths, a Hybrid; I can’t make a Hybrid because I lacked the skills and the necessary tools but what I do have is a Portable NanoFurnace and since I’m an Engineer, I can use this advantage to create equipments that boasts not of sturdiness but of functionality. I’ve learned my lesson with the prototype Erebus.”

In one train of thought, he listed what he knows, what he learned, and what he lacks.

Siva knew that being conceited was going to cost him greatly. He learned this lesson from his fight with Kladis and his duel with Cramer.

“I was lucky.”

Kladis had that domain and he couldn’t help but admit that he won against him by sheer luck. He didn’t believe in luck. Never did. He knew he can only rely on himself and so he had to prepare on almost every possible situations he can think of that may hinder his plans in Terroa.

“Now that I have Cortana…” Siva didn’t dare turn his head around in fear of seeing something he might carry on until his sleep, “…I can worry less that AG will spy on my activities. Cortana will just edit the things that I don’t want him to know.”

On the table, there was a pile of equipment. And then on the floor, leaning on the PNF, were a few weapons, including the Mjolnir.

“I’m kind of curious as to how Cramer managed to receive the Mission to unlock the secrets of this weapon…”

He already asked the guy but he was answered that it will come to him once he had reached a certain extent on using the Mjolnir so he just had to use it always as his main weapon.

“Now that I think about it…” as his thoughts came to here, he pulled out the Black Ender. “I’m yet to use this guy’s Special Function. It was a special function that was unique only to those of dragons’ materials.... in fact, it was unique on the fact that it was a really special function that’s so special I can only use it once.”

It was the «Incorporate» function.

«Black Ender»

Type: Equipment

Rarity: S

Weight Units: 33 we

Inventory Slots: 12 slots

Durability: 100/100%

Materials: Black Dragon Bone, Dragon Bone Marrow, Black Dragon Scale, Black Dragon Bone Blood, Black Dragon Blood Powder, Nanotech

Manufacturer: Aarun Weapons Developers Union

Weapon Description:

The blade, black as night, symbolizes the material's dreadful nature that gathers the dark aura of death and uses it against the enemies that's struck by the blade. The name of the blade also becomes the symbol of its dreadful way of leaving nightmares upon those who had seen the victims of its wake.

Mechanical Function:

None

Special Function:

Incorporate [UNUSED]

Siva also pulled out the Sword of Triune.

«Sword of Triune»

Type: Equipment

Rarity: Unique

Weight Units: 35 we

Inventory Slots: 16 slots

Durability: 18/100%

Materials: Moonlight Dew, Water Stone, Fire Stone

Manufacturer: Unknown

Weapon Description:

The sword passed down from the family of warriors that came from an unknown distant land, the symbol of power and authority in an age long past, the sword the King of Tales had wielded through countless ages of battles that brought upon the foundation of a once great empire.

Only a worthy warrior can wield it and unlock the true potential of its divine blade.

Grants:

Trispell (PASSIVE) [Locked]

>>Frozen Stab (melee) [EXP: 1/1000]

>>Frozen Path (AOE) [EXP: 1/2000]

>>Frozen Tundra (AOE) [EXP: 1/3000]

Blazing Blessing (PASSIVE) [Locked] [EXP: 1/1000]

Kamaitachi (PASSIVE) [Locked] [EXP: 1/1000]

Inventory +5 slots

Endurance +10

Before, Siva had no idea why the [Item Identifier] was listing the manufacturer and the materials of an equipment but now, he realized that it was a way for players to be able to recreate it if they are capable of doing so.

Especially now that he had a way to do so, even though it can’t reproduce the abilities, he was still at least able to Nano-mize them.

Displaying the materials are also a way to show the world of the item’s worth.

They may know the materials, but the weapons is still made on certain techniques and practices, and that is the reason why it also showed who the manufacturer of the equipment is.

It was a mystery, how did the Item Identifier know of these secrets?

“Should I unlock an ability of the sword first or should I use the Black Ender and incorporate all these abilities to the Black Ender?”

Actually, he didn’t have an idea of what’ll happen after he used “incorporate” to the Sword of Triune.

The reason why he wanted to do so is because the sword itself is practically a useless item since it was full of chips and rust. If anything, it was only good as a collector’s item or a museum display.

He fought hard before coming to a decision, “I’ll probably regret this so… I should unlock it first.”

Despite still not having an idea as to how he can gather EXP Points, since he had 1600+ EXP, he can unlock an ability of the sword first before he could “incorporate” it.

“Here’s goes nothing.”

On the panel window on his vision, he pressed the “LOCKED” option for «Kamaitachi».

DING!!

[Do you want to unlock «Kamaitachi»?]

[Remember that you cannot reverse an option.]

[Would you like to proceed?]

(Yes?) – (No?)

Siva pressed the (Yes?) button.

The prompt vanished and a CLANK sound rung on Siva’s ears. When he checked the sword’s options again, he saw that the Sword of Triune had reduced a bit of its durability from 18/100 to becoming 16/100.

“Shit. This was a dangerous endeavor!”

He pulled up his player window, checked that the [1613] had become [613].

“A thousand points have indeed been deducted.”

As much as he felt regret over it, it was cast aside by the feeling of excitement.

Siva gripped the Sword of Triune and then felt that the (Passive) skill «Kamaitachi» was available to him to practice over.

“Akhenaton.”

Out of nowhere, Akhenaton appeared behind him and from the look of things, he can’t see or detect Cortana who was just beside him.

“My Lord.” He still wore his butler uniform with a white towel on his left arm and he bowed at Siva like a true manservant.

“Spar with me.” Siva said and he willed it, they both disappeared from there towards an area that Siva was familiar with.

It was the arena in Sword-God Island.

Akhenaton was holding a spear while Siva had a rusty sword in his hand.

“Let’s begin.” Siva said and he dashed first.

*****

Four minutes later

*****

In the all-viewing sphere, Siva was hugging his knees, sulking, and his company was Cortana.

“Should I strip to cheer you up?”

“….”

“Should I wear my birthday suit to cheer you up?”

Siva looked up to her. And for the first time ever, he was really tempted to agree with it.

He didn’t have to say his reply and with a flash of light, Cortana was now wearing her Pilot Suit and Siva couldn’t get himself to cry or laugh with the irony for this was indeed Cortana’s birthday suit.

“I should have agreed with the first option.” Now he really felt like crying.

“Should I really strip to cheer you up, then?”

Although she already knew what he was going to reply, she still began unzipping her Pilot Suit. Siva was not in the mood to her ‘mental treatment’ and so he just shook his head.

“Sir,” Cortana called sweetly, “You can still salvage the weapon if you bring it to a very skilled smith, or, if you don’t want to, you can just absorb all of its abilities into the Black Ender.”

“I know…” Siva said wit exasperation to the irony of his impulsive confidence.

He stood up and went to the designing area of the PNF. In there, with the lighted table platform, were two items: a snapped sword with its snapped blade and the handle with a rusted grip.

—the source of Siva’s sulking.

“Haaaaaaaahhhh…. It can’t be repaired.”

“Sure it can.” (false encouragement)

“No it can’t. I’m not stupid, I at least saw how the swords in movies are made by blacksmiths and they all say that once a sword is snapped in two, there is no repairing it. You can mend the parts but its core is already snapped in two and it will happen again.”

“…”

Cortana knew, of course, but ‘treatment’ needed a prompt for reactions, obvious or not, for it is part of human men’s psychology to ‘feel good when cared for by a pretty chick’.

The «Kamaitachi» had proven to be a wonderful skill and he can launch the skill whenever all the conditions are met.

It’s just that, Siva forgot one very important fact.

Sensing his thoughts, when Siva turned his head to face Akhenaton on a corner, Cortana also did the same and sighed.

The poor guy was really afraid of him and he was prostrated on the ‘floor’ uttering “please punish me” over and over again.

“It’s not your fault, stand up, Akhenaton.”

“But My Lord…”

“It’s alright. It’s really not your fault for being too… strong… for me…”

Siva fought against the urge to sulk again and he dismissed Akhenaton with a wave of a hand.

Facing the lighted table, he sighed and grabbed the Black Ender in one hand and then the placed it beside the two part of the Sword of Triune.

“At least I have an option.” He said.

“I’ll record and analyze everything, sir.”

“Alright. Incorporate.”

It wasn’t an overly exaggerated process. He just had to activate the Special Function and then select (Yes) from the options and wait for the result of the entire procedure.

After just a few moments and a flash of light, a black-bodied sword that incorporated the ancient shape and design of the Sword of Triune was on the designing table in front of Siva.

Its blade had a shade of a bloody-red glow and although the body was pitch black like that of the black skinned Forest Dragon he fought in Walled City of Hagonoy’s mountain peak, its external design was that of the Sword of Triune.

“Wow.” Siva was really cheered up seeing this.

Cortana scanned the item and she displayed an expression of helplessness.

“Ah, boss….” She tried to warn him because she had read his mind and knew what he was about to do but unfortunately, Siva was already eaten by his excitement and had gone to Maryland.

Cortana smiled wryly then vanished from behind him. She was really learning. Fast.

«Black Dragon-Blade of Triune»

Type: Equipment

Rarity: Special

Weight Units: 43 we

Inventory Slots: 27 slots

Durability: 100/100%

Materials: Black Dragon Bone, Dragon Bone Marrow, Black Dragon Scale, Black Dragon Bone Blood, Black Dragon Blood Powder, Nanotech, (incorporated) Sword of Triune

Manufacturer: Siva

Weapon Description:

The blade that represented darkness and slaughter undergoing the greatest change in its entire being, absorbing the power to control the three elements of wind, fire, and water, bringing ruin to all those who chose to oppose its blade.

Mechanical Function:

None

Special Function:

Incorporate [USED]

Grants:

Trispell (PASSIVE) [Locked EXP: 1/1000]

---Frozen Stab (melee) [EXP: 1/3000]

---Frozen Path (AOE) [EXP: 1/6000]

---Frozen Tundra (AOE) [EXP: 1/9999]

Blazing Blessing (PASSIVE) [Locked EXP: 1/9999]

Kamaitachi (PASSIVE)

After seeing the GREAT changes, Siva froze and then became a stone.

“M-My Lord?”

.

.

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With great chances comes…

…great heartbreaks!!!

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