Evolved Sword

In Nazarick's warehouse, countless Gold Coins lay scattered across the floor, along with many precious items and weapons that gave off a faint glow.

Every piece of equipment inside was a priceless treasure to ordinary Players, yet in Nazarick, they could only be casually tossed onto the ground.

For the Pay-to-Win and Grind Master of Nazarick, everyone's equipment was artifact-grade. Even the NPCs wielded legendary weapons, and some even possessed artifacts.

"With this many Gold Coins, I could revive at least a dozen Shalltears, right?"

Looking at the mountain of Gold Coins, Naiyuan thought to himself.

"Let me see your limits. Don't disappoint me."

He tapped the system panel, and waves of light flashed. All kinds of precious materials instantly appeared before Naiyuan—bones, hearts, dragon horns, and more—silently floating in the air.

Like a bottomless pit, precious Dragon-Class Materials continuously emerged from the void as though they cost nothing.

He raised the Dragon-Slaying Sword in his hand. At once, a pulling force emerged from the blade, and countless drifting materials seemed to find their target, rushing toward the sword and being absorbed into it.

The massive pile of materials rapidly vanished before Naiyuan's eyes, while even more materials continuously emerged from the void, forming an endless cycle.

One minute, three minutes, ten minutes.

Time passed quickly. Holding the sword, Naiyuan boredly read the descriptions of the other legendary weapons in the warehouse to pass the time.

At the same time, he could not help feeling a trace of concern. Don't tell me it won't be enough even after it absorbs every material in the warehouse?

"Forget it. Momonga is still around. I'll rummage through his little stash when the time comes."

As a collector, Naiyuan had also stored away some of the most precious Dragon-Class Materials. Momonga, who shared the same hobby, had quite an impressive collection as well.

"Ding!"

"Congratulations, you have obtained an artifact: Dragon-Slaying Sword."

The system notification snapped Naiyuan out of his thoughts about how to borrow Momonga's collection.

"Weapon: Dragon-Slaying Sword"

"Class: Dragon-Type Exclusive"

"Evaluation: A Dragon-Slaying Sword evolved after bathing in the blood and flesh of countless dragons. Its blade possesses unparalleled power and can cut down any target that stands in its way. (Slaughter more dragons and obtain their bodies. Perhaps some unknown changes may occur.)"

"Dragon Bane: The sharp blade inflicts wounds that will not heal, causing the target to enter a bleeding state. The longer the state lasts, the higher the damage."

"Scale Pierce: Its powerful armor-piercing effect can ignore the target's defense and deal true damage."

"Destruction: Destroys all weapons and items of a lower grade. Against items of equal quality, repeated attacks can also put them into a damaged state."

"Bloodlust: Restores the user's health while dealing damage to enemies. The effect is enhanced if the target is bleeding."

"Knockback: Attacks can forcibly inflict a stagger effect on the enemy."

The once unremarkable blade had disappeared. After a burst of dazzling light, an entirely different massive sword appeared before him.

Several dark red gems were embedded in the enormous blade, each representing a powerful special effect. Five gems had been set into it in sequence from the hilt onward, but a groove remained at the end of the sword, as though it indicated that something was still missing.

The blade, shaped like a dragon's fangs, looked sharp enough to cut someone in half with the slightest swing.

"So strong."

Holding the drastically transformed weapon, Naiyuan stared at its attributes in astonishment.

Artifacts were powerful—Naiyuan understood that well, since he himself possessed several. But compared to his own artifact, the Dragon Blood Sword, the difference between them was like heaven and earth.

Scale Pierce, combined with Dragon Bane, could directly send the enemy into a bleeding state. Bloodlust strengthened his endurance, so he no longer had to worry about HP consumption. Knockback could prevent the enemy from dodging at critical moments, while Destruction could damage the opponent's weapon and greatly weaken their combat ability.

Its powerful attributes, combined with skill effects that complemented each other perfectly, pushed the Dragon-Slaying Sword to the very limit an artifact could reach.

In comparison, Naiyuan instantly felt that the Dragon Blood Sword, which he had once treasured, was complete garbage. They were both artifacts, so why was the difference so huge?

"Wait, I remember the Dragon Blood Sword was made from Dragon Bone and dragon horns."

Looking at the Dragon-Slaying Sword in his left hand, then the Dragon Blood Sword in his right, Naiyuan sighed helplessly.

Then inspiration struck him. Recalling the Dragon Blood Sword's description, Naiyuan immediately narrowed his eyes.

A weapon forged entirely from Dragon-Class Materials should be within its absorption range too, right?

"Rather than being left to gather dust in the Mausoleum, you might as well become my new power. I'm sure you won't mind, right?"

After giving the Dragon Blood Sword an emotional speech, Naiyuan unhesitatingly placed it against the Dragon-Slaying Sword.

Just as he had expected, as a red glow emerged from the blade, the Dragon Blood Sword visibly began to dim. The blood-red light that had once shone from its blade was replaced by a grayish white, and faint dragon roars echoed intermittently, as though it were letting out its final wail.

Several dozen seconds later, a crack appeared in the blade. As if setting off a chain reaction, countless cracks continuously spread across it. After a dragon roar, the former artifact vanished completely, leaving behind only a pile of fragments on the ground as proof that it had once existed.

"Just as expected. But it still seems to be lacking something. Unfortunately, there are too few weapons made entirely from Dragon-Class Materials. Looks like I'll still have to borrow some of Momonga's collection."

Ignoring the fragments on the ground, Naiyuan excitedly raised the Dragon-Slaying Sword in his hand. A progress bar was prominently displayed on the attribute panel, already filled to one quarter.

"My Guildmaster, I'll be relying on you from here on out."

After letting out a strange laugh, Naiyuan raised his left hand. One of the rings on it flashed with a red glow, and his figure vanished from the warehouse.

The pile of fragments remained quietly on the floor, silently waiting for an NPC to come clean up and dispose of them as trash.

Throne Room.

When Naiyuan teleported in, he saw Momonga standing before the NPC Albedo and tapping on the system panel. From his sneaky appearance, it was obvious that he was up to no good.

Without making a sound, Naiyuan quietly approached Momonga from behind, then suddenly slapped him hard on the back.

"What are you sneaking around for, my Guildmaster? Don't tell me you're doing something weird."

Naiyuan shouted loudly. Of course, he knew there was only one reason Momonga would be doing this: changing Albedo's settings to add the setting that she was "in love with Momonga."

But that did not stop him from giving Momonga a good scare. Besides, this would make his plan to get hold of Momonga's little stash go much more smoothly.

"Ah! When did you get here, Naiyuan? Ahem, I was just looking at Tabula Smaragdina's settings."

Hearing Naiyuan's voice behind him, Momonga instantly panicked. However, his excellent composure allowed him to calm down immediately and explain in an even tone. Combined with his skeletal appearance, there was not the slightest trace of falsehood to be seen.

"Is that so? As a Setting Maniac, Tabula Smaragdina's settings are something I'm curious about too. Let me take a look."

Hearing Momonga's words, Naiyuan immediately put on an interested expression, his gaze passing over Momonga toward Albedo's description panel behind him.

"Ahem, there's actually nothing worth seeing. The settings are so long that they're boring to read. By the way, weren't you upgrading that piece of equipment? How did it go?"

Momonga shifted to block Naiyuan's view while quickly changing the subject.

I absolutely can't let Naiyuan see it, or that guy will definitely laugh at me like crazy.

Momonga thought firmly.

"All right. Actually, I'm still short on a few materials. I was just about to ask you for some."

Seeing Momonga's resistance, Naiyuan did not press the matter further. His goal had already been achieved, and asking for materials now was practically guaranteed to work.

"Is that so? Everything in here is all the Dragon-Class Materials I have, including the materials from the boss we just defeated. Take it."

Momonga rubbed his chin, then reached into the void and pulled out a bag before handing it to Naiyuan.

As a hoarder, Momonga had clearly sorted all of his materials. The bag before him looked small, but the space inside was enormous. It was a special pay-to-win storage item.

"As expected of the Guildmaster. This collection is truly impressive!"

Naiyuan glanced at the items inside the bag and exclaimed in amazement. Momonga was even richer than he had imagined.

Together with his own little stash, it should be about enough.

After saying goodbye, Naiyuan prepared to return to his room and complete the final upgrade. He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, Momonga would come to his senses and start feeling reluctant to part with the materials, so it was better to leave quickly. There were not many people as considerate of their friends as he was.

"Don't forget tomorrow night!"

"...Got it."

Hearing the voice from behind him, Naiyuan paused for a moment before quickly leaving once more.