Liora studied and heard firsthand accounts from adventurers about the process of becoming part of a faction. Well-known adventurers like Sol and Rine visited the church to teach the concubines the ways of the dungeon and adventuring life.
However, when it came to their god's domains, they were hesitant to share and simply said, "You are taken into the god's world, where you are officially brought into the guild."
Liora was currently experiencing Eir's domain. She had no shadow and looked down at herself, finding her body transparent.
'Wow...' Liora thought, in awe at what she was experiencing. After years of hearing about it and wondering what it was like, she was finally experiencing it for herself.
After a short while, Eir popped into existence and wasted no time getting started.
Liora stared at a totally different person—the Eir she knew was goofy and bubbly, but across from her stood a confident, strong woman. Her obsidian eyes narrowed as she lifted her hands slowly, causing numbers and symbols to rise from her and her surroundings.
It was her status. Liora watched silently as Eir sorted through everything, moving her thin white hands around as if conducting an orchestra. After a moment, she dropped them and sighed.
"Alright, it is done," Eir said, taking a step back.
Liora had no idea what she was looking at. What seemed to be a jumble of characters held the answers she sought.
"What is?" Liora asked, unsure of what was happening.
"Your status. I pieced it together, and now it is whole. You've started surprisingly well—you have skills."
Liora knew enough to understand that starting as an adventurer with skills was rare.
Eir pulled out a piece of paper and held it out as her magic controlled a pen, writing out Liora's status.
"You have a skill called Healing Light and another called Mana Manipulator," Eir said.
"Wow, two skills," Liora muttered in awe.
They watched the pen quickly scribble down her status, and soon enough, it stopped. Eir bent over, placed a hand on her knee, and handed the paper slip to Liora.
Reading over it, she nodded happily. No one could complain about having two skills. Aside from that, however, everything was ordinary—her name was displayed, followed by six attributes that all started at level one.
As she finished scanning over the paper, Liora noticed the domain had chilled significantly. She raised her translucent hands and rubbed her arms, though it had no effect.
Noticing this, Eir asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to do here?"
Everything was complete, and Liora was officially a part of the Eir Faction. Now, all she wanted was to get out of the cold.
"No, I think I'm good," she answered.
Eir didn't say anything as the white world collapsed around Liora. Coming back to reality, she got a face full of Eir—no pimple or blemish to speak of. She was arguably perfect. Then, Liora noticed the protective ice wrapped around them.
Eir awoke and quickly melted it away, leaving the two of them sitting awkwardly close to each other. Eir rolled away, her black pants getting dusty.
"So... now what?" Eir asked. Last time this happened, Bane and Eir went to go get him a weapon, but most mages didn't need weapons.
"Hmm... We could go look for furniture or I could get started with moving my things here. I don't have much but it would take a few hours with the trips in between." Liora answered, as she too stood from the dusty concrete floor and wiped the back of her white gown.
'Furniture.' Eir knew the sooner they got it the better. So Eir made a short proposal.
"How about we go see the carpenter I know about getting another bed and after that I can help you move your things here?" She suggested. Even though Liora was a new member, Eir was still a little awkward around her and didn't really now how to act just yet.
With Bane everything came so natural, she sighed internally as Liora answered, "Sounds good to me." And so the two of them readied for the trek through the cold to the carpenters shop.
"Why the hell are you so strong?!" Bane muttered angrily as his katana clashed with a shadow armor's black great sword. The armor swung the massive weapon as effortlessly as Bane would swing a twig in his youth.
He was currently in the boss room, facing off against the oversized shadow armor—a relatively weak boss. The real challenge was its ability to summon other shadow armors. Most were weak, but some were not.
Bane remembered the message he had dismissed a day ago: Shadow armors are imprisoned souls—some are novices with weapons, while others could be masters. It seemed the boss had summoned a master.
He used Threat Analysis, but it gave the same response as for normal shadow armors. Yet, Bane could tell this one was different. The moment it appeared, it carried a dangerous aura. His senses screamed danger as it calmly approached, a hulking black great sword on its back.
Bane quickly dealt with the lesser shadow armors, leaving only himself, the boss in the back, and the new foe across from him.
They traded blows a few times, and Bane silently thanked Mr. Grey for his training. He met each swing of the great sword with a precise parry. If his angle was even slightly off, the katana could crack—or worse, shatter.
"Tch..." Bane jumped back.
So far, all shadow armors had fallen to a well-placed strike. He assumed this one would be the same—the problem was reaching it. The blade the shadow armor carried was brilliant, standing just taller than Bane with expert craftsmanship. If Mr. Grey sold something like this, it would be worth a fortune.
Bane knelt, resorting to a sneaky attack. He withdrew the blade from his boot and flung it at the shadow armor's helmet. To his surprise, the armor simply swiped it away. He hadn't expected much, but the effortless deflection was disappointing.
"Fine!" Bane shouted, moving to his next idea.
'Speed Boost.'
Activating the skill gave him a slight edge, but it wasn't enough. The swords met with a deafening clash, and Bane realized he had finally found a match in the dungeon.
Both blades trembled as metal shrieked against metal. The great sword's reach made it impossible for Bane to swipe at the armor's legs or land a hand strike. Then, with his night vision, he spotted a glint in the corner of the room.
'The knife...'
An idea sparked. He hadn't yet used his Magnetize skill against the shadow armor—he could use that to his advantage.
Bane circled the arena until the knife's return trajectory would cut straight through the shadow armor. The armor, unaware of what was coming, continued its slow advance, great sword at the ready.
'Magnetize!' Bane thought, his outstretched palm waiting for the blade's return.
[Skill Upgraded!]
[Magnetize LV 2]
The system erupted with notifications—and just then, the knife sliced through a gap in the shadow armor's chest plate. It fell to one knee, barely holding itself up by its great sword, now embedded in the ground.
But the armor wasn't finished yet. It struggled to rise.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind followed as Bane activated Speed Boost and drove his katana through the notched helmet of the shadow armor.
Feeling drained from mana use and the prolonged fight, Bane wasted no time finishing the battle. He charged the oversized shadow armor, targeting its weak points. A few deep slashes—cutting through nothing but air—were enough to free the boss's soul.
With it extinguished, the armor collapsed with a clatter. Bane turned his attention back to the fallen great sword, now standing upright in the marble floor. It reminded him of a story his mother had once told him—the tale of Arthur and the sword in the stone.
As if he were part of the legend himself, he reached for the sword. It was awkward and heavy, but Bane managed to pull it free. He held the massive blade and used Appraisal.
Name: Dragon Slayer
Forger: ??
Description: A large greatsword, only to be wielded by a master. Forged from black iron from the dungeon's lower floors, this item could fetch a high price.
Bane was surprised the sword even registered in the system. Yet, some details remained unknown—even the system couldn't identify its creator. But Bane didn't care. The words "could fetch a high price" were all he needed to see.
He set the blade down and used his newly upgraded Magnetize to gather the energy crystals into his void sack. He noticed he could now use the skill from farther away and move items faster—a worthwhile improvement.
After unlocking fast travel to this floor, Bane grabbed the great sword and activated it. Carrying the massive weapon was awkward, but he was determined to give it to Mr. Grey as thanks.
Luna was absent again—he wondered where she was but was grateful she didn't witness his struggle hauling the great sword up the stairs. Skipping the usual crystal trade-in, Bane went straight to Mr. Grey's shop.
The moment he arrived, Mr. Grey's eyes lit up.