The Abyssal Walker's Curse

Shi Feng was slightly surprised when Master Jack called out to him.

"Young man, would you be willing to let me take a look at that sword?" Master Jack looked at Shi Feng, his eyes burning with intense longing, his tone no longer indifferent but rather somewhat humble.

"This..." Shi Feng was caught off guard, never expecting a prestigious master blacksmith to make such a request.

But then again, it made sense.

The rarity of a Magic-grade weapon went without saying, let alone a famous sword forged by a master craftsman. Such blades were the lifelong pursuit of every master blacksmith; seeing one, they would naturally want to examine it.

Seeing Shi Feng hesitate, Master Jack added, "Don't worry, I only need a moment. And I won't look for free—name your price, and I shall grant it."

Shi Feng's heart bloomed with joy upon hearing this.

This was a master blacksmith!

Anything they forged was at least Mystic Iron grade, if not Mithril, and all he had to do was let the man look at a sword.

Shi Feng agreed without hesitation and handed the Abyssal Walker directly to Master Jack.

NPCs could not loot players' items, so he had no fear that Master Jack would steal the Abyssal Walker. He could look as long as he liked; afterwards, Shi Feng would simply ask for a Mithril-grade one-handed sword, which would allow him to unleash a Swordsman's true potential.

Master Jack cradled the Abyssal Walker, which looked like a charred poker, praising its intricate craftsmanship and marveling at its power. It took a full ten minutes before he reluctantly returned it to Shi Feng.

"Young man, this is a fine blade of infinite power, but the curse upon it is truly wicked. The more you attempt to draw upon its strength, the more potent the curse becomes, eventually dragging the wielder into an endless abyss. Your current strength is far too insufficient to master this sword; you will easily be consumed by the curse," Master Jack said with deep, earnest concern.

Shi Feng naturally knew this, which was why he had hesitated for so long before finally binding the Abyssal Walker.

"Master Jack, is there any way to weaken the curse?" Shi Feng asked.

Although he knew of some methods, he lacked the capability to execute them at his current level.

"Young man, you must understand that this sword was forged by the master craftsman Osiris. There is only one such blade in all of God's Domain, and there are only thirty-five others that can compare to it. To imbue these legendary swords with unparalleled power, countless terrifying entities were slain—entities far more powerful than you could ever imagine. The master craftsman harnessed the power remaining after their deaths and sealed it within the blades. Without immense strength, it is impossible to suppress," Master Jack said, his expression filled with profound reverence, before smiling. "However, it is not impossible to weaken this curse."

"What is the method?" Shi Feng asked hurriedly.

"To suppress such powerful energy, you require another form of powerful energy. The power sealed within the sword is a curse; to weaken it, you must possess sufficiently powerful luck," Master Jack sighed. "On the God's Domain Continent, there are stones that gather the world's good fortune, known as Lucky Stones. With a Lucky Stone, you can contend with this curse. While these stones can theoretically be found anywhere on the continent, those who obtain them are few and far between. Even I have never seen one; they are incredibly difficult to find. If you can find such a stone, I can help you weaken the sword's curse."

Seeing Shi Feng's stunned expression, Jack shook his head comfortingly. "Young man, you must understand that Lucky Stones are extremely rare. It is perfectly normal not to find one, so there is no need to be discouraged. After all, those who find Lucky Stones are favored by the heavens; we cannot compare to them."

"Master Jack, is this the stone you mean?" Shi Feng took the dark green Star Glow Stone from his bag and smiled slightly.

"Yes, this is a Lucky Stone..." Master Jack nodded after a glance at the dark green stone, but he soon froze, staring at Shi Feng as if he were a monster.

Shi Feng shrugged, indicating it was nothing.

He had been stunned earlier because he hadn't realized Jack could use a Lucky Stone to suppress the Abyssal Walker. There were many master blacksmiths in the Star-Moon Kingdom, but very few—less than a handful—could use a Lucky Stone to suppress a Magic-grade curse. He hadn't expected the man before him to be one of them.

"Master Jack, can you weaken the curse now?" Shi Feng asked expectantly.

After a long moment, Master Jack regained his usual composure and feigned indifference. "Hmm, no problem. I can get it done in half an hour."

Nearby, Heizi clutched his stomach, trying his best not to laugh, but Master Jack's shocked expression was too much for him to bear, and he had to run into the woods to burst into laughter.

Half an hour later, Shi Feng took back the Abyssal Walker and noticed that its description had changed.

A famous sword hand-forged by the master craftsman Osiris using the fangs of the Black Dragon King. It is one of the thirty-six famous swords of God's Domain, ranked thirty-first. However, this sword is cursed by the Black Dragon King. Beyond granting the wielder astonishing power, it will periodically backfire on the wielder. Modified by Jack with the addition of a Star Glow Stone, the backlash has been greatly reduced. If the backlash cannot be suppressed, the wielder will suffer the Black Dragon King's curse, permanently reducing all attributes by 50%. Item cannot be dropped or traded.

Seeing this text, Shi Feng felt much more at ease; at least the backlash wouldn't be too severe in the short term.

Shi Feng put away the Abyssal Walker and suddenly noticed that Lonely As Snow had sent several messages, all asking why he hadn't arrived yet and how much longer it would take to reach the Dead Silence Forest.

"Heizi, let's go run the dungeon." Shi Feng replied directly, saying he would be there shortly.

Because of the Abyssal Walker, he had completely forgotten the agreed-upon time and kept Lonely As Snow waiting for over half an hour, though he would make appropriate compensation once in the Dead Silence Forest.

"Great! I've been itching to show off my new spells," Heizi said happily.

When Shi Feng and Heizi arrived at the entrance to the Dead Silence Forest dungeon, the area was already packed with people. Everywhere, Level 2 players were forming groups.

"Dead Silence Forest group forming! Need heavy DPS, 4 waiting for 1."

"Efficient Dead Silence Forest run, only need one strong healer, guaranteed clear."

Shi Feng shook his head slightly and walked toward Lonely As Snow, who was waving at him. In his previous life, the Dead Silence Forest had been a major bottleneck; it wasn't until most players reached Level 5 that it was finally cleared.

"Big Brother Expert, you're finally here! My friends were getting anxious. Let's hurry over," Lonely As Snow said, burning with impatience as he watched Shi Feng approach at a leisurely pace.

Lonely As Snow then led the two of them to the party's gathering spot.

"Lonely, is this the 'expert' you mentioned? I thought he'd have three heads and six arms, but he looks like nothing special," the male Priest, Bu Yu Xia Ye, sneered as he saw Shi Feng wearing beginner gear, his weapon a charred poker he'd likely picked up from a trash heap.

"Brother Bu Yu, how can you say that to Brother 'Expert'? He's a prestigious Beta Tester; he must have some 'extraordinary qualities,' otherwise how would he dare to claim all the Swordsman and Cursemancer gear?" the Shield Warrior, Yi Zhan Dao Di, chimed in with a cold laugh.

Both of them had disliked Shi Feng from the start. The moment he arrived, he wanted to claim all the plate and magic gear, which would have left them working for nothing. If not for their leader wanting to see what Shi Feng was capable of, they would have already started the dungeon with someone else. Seeing Shi Feng's pathetic gear, they took the opportunity to belittle him, hoping to make him give up.

Lonely As Snow wanted to retort—after all, Shi Feng was his recruit—but Shi Feng's gear gave him no room to argue, so he remained silent.

"Alright, let's form the party. Many people are already in the Dead Silence Forest; if we don't start now, we might lose the chance at the First Clear," interrupted the handsome male Ranger and party leader, Tian Wang Hui Hui.

Heizi wanted to snap back, but Shi Feng stopped him. He didn't take their mockery to heart; after all, he had kept them waiting for over half an hour—couldn't he let them vent a little?

As soon as the party was formed, the Shield Warrior roared in anger, "Damn it, this noob is only Level 1! He's just here to leech gear."

"Leader, the Dead Silence Forest is a Level 2 dungeon. Bringing a Level 1 noob is just asking for a wipe," the Priest, Bu Yu Xia Ye, said, looking at Tian Wang Hui Hui with clear dissatisfaction.

Seeing Shi Feng's level, even Lonely As Snow was stunned.

Most players had already reached Level 2; how could a Beta Tester not even be Level 2 yet? How was that possible?

The leader, Tian Wang Hui Hui, looked toward Shi Feng. The sliver of expectation he'd held before was gone, and he said coldly, "Did you die once already?"

"No." Shi Feng shook his head and said honestly, "But level 1 is enough to run the Dead Silence Forest."

"Then you can go. We don't need an 'expert' like you here. I hope you can understand," Tian Wang Hui Hui said, his brows furrowing as he spoke in a frigid tone.

"Boss, there must be some misunderstanding. Why don't we try it out first?" Lonely As Snow explained.

"Try it out?" The priest Bu Yu Xia Ye sneered. "And who takes responsibility if we die? You should know that even dying in a dungeon costs experience points. It might be small, but it's still 10%. Can this newbie afford that kind of loss?"

"Bu Yu, don't make things difficult for Lonely," the ranger Tian Wang Hui Hui said repeatedly. "Lonely, I know you're shielding this swordsman, but I have to be responsible for the team. I only recruit veterans for dungeon runs; I won't waste time grouping with newbies. You have two choices now: either come with us into the dungeon, or leave the team with them."

"I'll just withdraw from the group." Shi Feng didn't want to put Lonely As Snow in an awkward position, so he withdrew directly, turned around, and left. "Heizi, let's go find others to run the dungeon with."

"Alright." Heizi chuckled, and without a second word, he also withdrew from the group.

"Hmph, the 'expert's' cover was blown. He knew he couldn't scam any gear, so he left on his own. He's got some self-awareness, at least," the Shield Warrior sneered with a grin. "Lonely, you really are naive. Only you would be fooled by a newbie like that. In the future, you should stick close to Boss Tian Wang and learn a thing or two."

Lonely As Snow's face turned livid, but he didn't feel he had misjudged the man; Shi Feng was definitely an expert.

"Boss Tian Wang, I'm sorry." Lonely As Snow also chose to withdraw from the group, prepared to follow Shi Feng to see if his judgment was correct.

"You!" The ranger Tian Wang was stunned. He hadn't expected Lonely As Snow to be so decisive; the man was practically a fool. If it weren't for the fact that Lonely As Snow's skills were decent, he would have kicked him out long ago.

The priest Bu Yu Xia Ye looked at Lonely As Snow and sneered, "Lonely, don't regret making this choice. When we clear the Dead Silence Forest and get top-tier gear, you'll regret it. You'll regret it for ten years, twenty years, for not sticking with Boss Tian Wang."