The blade, of course, was the Finger Slayer Blade.
Its form looked as though countless withered vines of death had twisted together into a curved weapon.
If one looked closely, faint shapes of a human ribcage and torso could be seen along the blade's surface.
Arthur recalled that this weapon, much like the so-called "Godslaying Armament," was forged from corpses.
That thought made him shiver with disgust.
Without hesitation, he tossed it straight into the system's inventory.
His gaze then fell upon the flower resting inside the chest.
A Great Ghost Glovewort.
Its effect? To strengthen spirit ashes from +9 all the way to +10—the highest possible level.
This wasn't just an upgrade—it was a transformation.
At +10, spirit ashes could truly fight, no longer relegated to being cannon fodder against bosses.
And Arthur had just the right ashes for it: the most unique in all the Lands Between—
the Mimic Tear.
It consumed his own HP to summon an exact duplicate of himself.
And now that he could upgrade it to +10…
Well, let's just say—big brother was about to be even stronger than the original.
With the Finger Slayer Blade in hand, Arthur returned to Ranni's tower.
The moment he ascended to the top, Ranni's eyes fluttered open.
There was a faint joy in her gaze as she spoke softly:
"…Ah, it's you. You truly didn't disappoint me.
Even in my slumber, I felt it—the secret treasure of Nokron is now yours, isn't it?"
"Yes. I found it in the Eternal City."
Arthur pulled the Finger Slayer Blade from the system inventory and presented it to her.
"Thank you. At last, all the conditions have been met.
Now I need only set out… down the path only I can walk, a path deep into the darkness."
"So eager to leave already?"
"Yes. This doll body isn't suitable for staying awake too long.
…Before I depart, let me give you something in return.
You've brought me great results—consider this a reward."
She handed him an object shaped like an hourglass.
But inside the glass, instead of sand, was an inverted statue.
"…This trinket is strange indeed. But for someone like you, I suspect it will be treasured.
Our meeting must have been fated—I even owe my thanks to Torrent for guiding you here.
…You may go now. Though our time was short, you've done well."
Arthur turned the Carian Inverted Statue over in his hands, examining it.
He honestly didn't see what was so "special" about it.
It was basically just the switch that flipped the Carian Study Hall upside down.
But then he realized—perhaps Ranni was hinting at something.
When the Study Hall was inverted, it would lead him straight to the Carian Divine Tower.
And within that tower lay Ranni's original body.
That, indeed, was something he'd be very eager to claim.
Ahem. He meant the talisman upon it—the Carian Filigreed Crest.
"…Why do you linger? I am leaving, down the road of darkness that belongs only to me."
Ranni urged him again, shifting uncomfortably in her chair of stacked books.
"Alright. Take care. I'll be going."
Arthur departed Ranni's tower, setting off for the Carian Divine Tower.
By now, the tower belonging to Ranni's mentor, the witch Renna, had already opened its doors.
At its peak was a portal leading to the Ainsel River Main.
There, Ranni had hidden away a Miniature Ranni—a perfect 1:100 scale figurine.
But Arthur decided to prioritize the Divine Tower first, and only later would he "marry" the tiny Ranni.
After all, carrying his wife's soul to collect his wife's corpse sounded way too awkward.
At the Carian Study Hall, Arthur placed the Carian Inverted Statue into the pedestal.
The whole building rumbled as the world turned upside down before his eyes.
The sight was breathtaking.
He couldn't help but sigh at the Carian royal family's extravagance.
They already had the Grand Academy of Raya Lucaria,
yet still built another massive library just for one Divine Tower—
and even installed a mechanism like this.
Utter luxury.
After much effort, Arthur finally reached the top of the Divine Tower.
There lay a scorched corpse, curled on its side.
Its body was charred black by death's black flame.
Only faint strands of red hair hinted at its origin.
Yes—Radagon's bloodline, without doubt.
This was Ranni's original body.
On the Night of the Black Knives, she had slain it with her own hand and abandoned it here.
The corpse still bore half of the Cursemark of Death,
and around its neck hung a talisman untouched by the flames—
the Carian Filigreed Crest.
Effect: +5 Intelligence.
The sort of engagement gift where the recipient puts it on, suddenly becomes smarter, and then refuses you.
…Just kidding.
In reality, it sharpened the mind and amplified sorcery.
Since in-game, intelligence dictated both spellcasting requirements and damage scaling.
Arthur carefully stowed away Ranni's body.
At that very moment, back at her tower, Ranni stirred.
"…My body. He's taken it. Hmph, I knew that man wasn't entirely trustworthy.
Every time we spoke, I could feel his impure intentions.
Still… he's not as revolting as Seluvis. I'll watch him a while longer."
With that, she moved the Miniature Ranni into a more visible spot within the Ainsel River Main.
Arthur, of course, knew nothing of this.
He logged off from the game, satisfied.
It had been quite a day, and he'd have plenty to keep him busy later.
For now, he decided to give himself a two-day break.
After all, finals were over—why not rest properly?
The next day, he headed to the Black Lake at Hogwarts.
There, he set up his fishing rod and began to fish.
Sure, his Zen Garden had a pond of its own.
But somehow, fishing here just felt right.
Hermione sat quietly beside him, reading on her iPad.
As for Harry and Ron?
The two were sprawled out in the Gryffindor common room playing games—
on the very iPads Arthur had given them.
Normally, Ron would've run his mouth bragging to everyone about their dungeon crawl the night before.
But Arthur's casual line—"No one would believe Voldemort is still alive"—
snuffed that thought out immediately.
And it was true.
In such peaceful times, shouting that would only get the Ministry dragging you off for spreading panic.
Without the biggest piece of drama, Ron lost the urge to brag.
So he and Harry just stayed slumped on the couch, gaming away.
Final exams were over, after all—
time to play without restraint.
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