Master Jack called out to him, and Shi Feng was slightly surprised.
"Young man, would you let me take a look at that sword?" Master Jack gazed at Shi Feng, his eyes filled with intense longing. His tone was no longer indifferent; instead, he sounded almost pleading.
"This..." Shi Feng hadn't expected a renowned forging master to ask him for something, and he wasn't sure how to respond.
Then again, it made sense.
The value of a magic weapon went without saying, let alone a famous sword forged by a master artisan. Such swords were the lifelong pursuit of every forging master. Naturally, seeing one would make them want to examine it.
Seeing Shi Feng hesitate, Master Jack spoke again. "Don't worry. I only need to look at it for a little while, and I won't do so for free. Just tell me what you want."
Shi Feng was overjoyed to hear that.
This was a forging master!
Anything he forged would be at least Mystic Iron Grade, perhaps even Mithril Grade, and all he had to do was let him look at the sword.
Shi Feng agreed without hesitation and handed the Abyssal Walker to Master Jack.
NPCs couldn't steal players' belongings, so Shi Feng wasn't worried at all that Master Jack might take the Abyssal Walker. He could look at it all he wanted. Afterward, Shi Feng could ask for a Mithril Grade one-handed sword and finally show a Swordsman's true strength.
Master Jack held the Abyssal Walker, which looked like a fire poker, praising its exquisite craftsmanship and marveling at its power. More than ten minutes passed before he reluctantly returned it to Shi Feng.
"Young man, this is a fine sword, and its power is boundless. However, the curse on it is extremely evil. The more you try to draw out its power, the stronger the curse will become. In the end, it will drag its wielder into the Endless Abyss. With your strength, controlling this sword will be extremely difficult. You could easily be consumed by the curse," Master Jack said earnestly.
Shi Feng knew this, of course. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hesitated for so long before finally binding himself to the Abyssal Walker.
"Master Jack, is there any way to weaken the curse?" Shi Feng asked.
He knew of a few methods, but he didn't have the ability to use them right now.
"Young man, you must understand that this sword was forged by the master artisan Osiris. There is only one in all of God's Domain, and only thirty-five other swords can match it. To give these famous swords unparalleled power, countless terrifying beings were slain. These beings were far more powerful than you could imagine. The master artisans used their power after death and sealed it inside the swords. Without tremendous strength, it's impossible to suppress that power." Master Jack spoke with profound reverence. Then he smiled. "Still, there is a way to weaken the curse."
"What's the method?" Shi Feng asked quickly.
"To suppress such a powerful force, you need another powerful force. The power sealed in the sword is a curse, and to weaken it, you need a sufficient amount of luck." Master Jack sighed. "On the God's Domain Continent, there are stones that gather the good fortune of God's Domain. They're called Lucky Stones. With one, you can resist this curse. These stones can appear anywhere across the continent, but very few people ever find one. Even I have never seen one. Finding one is incredibly difficult. If you can find one, I can help weaken the sword's curse."
Seeing Shi Feng's stunned expression, Jack shook his head and comforted him. "Young man, you must understand that Lucky Stones are extremely rare. It's perfectly normal not to find one, so there's no need to feel so discouraged. After all, anyone who finds one has been blessed by the heavens. We can't compare."
"Master Jack, is this the stone you mean?" Shi Feng asked with a slight smile as he took the dark green Star Glow Stone from his bag.
"Yes, this is a Lucky Stone..." Master Jack glanced at the dark green Star Glow Stone and nodded. A moment later, he froze and stared at Shi Feng as if he were some kind of monster.
Shi Feng shrugged, indicating that it was no big deal.
He had been stunned earlier because Jack could use a Lucky Stone to suppress the Abyssal Walker. There were plenty of forging masters in the Star-Moon Kingdom, but only a handful could use a Lucky Stone to suppress a magic weapon's curse. He hadn't expected Jack to be one of them.
"Master Jack, can you weaken the curse now?" Shi Feng asked expectantly.
Only after a long while did Master Jack regain his usual composure. He feigned nonchalance as he replied, "Yes, no problem. I can have it done in half an hour."
Heizi clutched his stomach off to the side, trying his hardest not to laugh. But Master Jack's shocked expression was just too much for him, so he ran into the woods and burst out laughing.
Half an hour later, Shi Feng took the Abyssal Walker back and noticed that its description had changed.
A famous sword personally forged by the master artisan Osiris from the Black Dragon King's fang. It is one of the thirty-six famous swords of God's Domain, ranked thirty-first. However, the sword is cursed by the Black Dragon King. Besides granting its wielder astonishing power, it will periodically turn on them. Master Jack modified the sword and added a Star Glow Stone, greatly reducing the backlash. If the backlash cannot be suppressed, the wielder will suffer the Black Dragon King's curse, permanently reducing all attributes by 50%. Cannot be dropped. Cannot be traded.
Seeing this description, Shi Feng felt much more at ease. At least the backlash wouldn't be too strong in the short term.
Shi Feng put away the Abyssal Walker and suddenly noticed that Lonely As Snow had sent him a string of messages, all asking why he still hadn't arrived and how much longer it would take him to reach Dead Silence Forest.
"Heizi, let's go run the dungeon," Shi Feng replied at once, saying that he'd be there soon.
He'd completely forgotten about their agreed-upon time because of the Abyssal Walker and had kept Lonely As Snow waiting for more than half an hour. He would make it up to him in Dead Silence Forest.
"Sure! I've been itching to show off my new spell," Heizi said happily.
By the time Shi Feng and Heizi arrived at the dungeon entrance in Dead Silence Forest, the place was already packed. Level 2 players were everywhere, and many were forming groups to run the dungeon.
"Dead Silence Forest group forming! Need high damage dealers! Four spots filled, two needed!"
"Efficient Dead Silence Forest team! Need one strong healer! Guaranteed clear!"
Shi Feng shook his head slightly at the sight and walked toward Lonely As Snow, who was waving at him. In his previous life, Dead Silence Forest had been a roadblock for quite some time. It wasn't cleared until most players had reached Level 5.
"Expert bro, you're finally here! My friends have been waiting impatiently. Let's hurry over." Seeing Shi Feng strolling toward him, Lonely As Snow was frantic with worry.
Lonely As Snow then led Shi Feng and Heizi to the team's meeting point.
"Lonely, this is the expert you mentioned? I thought he'd have three heads and six arms. He doesn't look like much to me." The male Priest Bu Yu Xia Ye saw Shi Feng in his newbie gear, with what looked like a fire poker at his waist—a piece of garbage he didn't even know where Shi Feng had picked up—and couldn't help sneering at him.
"Brother Bu Yu, how can you say that about 'Expert' bro? He's a mighty beta tester, so he must have some 'special talent.' Otherwise, why would he dare take all the equipment for Swordsmen and Cursemancers?" The Shield Warrior Yi Zhan Dao Di sneered from beside him.
The two of them had disliked Shi Feng from the start. He'd come in and demanded all the plate armor and caster gear, leaving them with nothing for their efforts. If their leader hadn't wanted to see what Shi Feng was like, they'd have formed a dungeon team long ago. Now, seeing how shabby his gear was, they had the perfect chance to put him in his place and make him back off.
Lonely As Snow wanted to argue. After all, Shi Feng was the one he'd brought along. But Shi Feng's equipment gave him no grounds to defend him, so he could only remain silent.
"Enough. Let's form the team. A lot of people are already entering Dead Silence Forest. If we don't go soon, we might lose our chance at the first clear." The handsome male Ranger and team leader, Tian Wang Hui Hui, cut in with a wave of his hand.
Heizi wanted to fire back, but Shi Feng stopped him. He didn't take their mockery to heart. After all, he'd kept them waiting for more than half an hour. Surely he could let them say a few things.
As soon as the team was formed, the Shield Warrior exploded. "Damn it, this noob is only Level 1! He's obviously here to scam us out of our gear."
"Boss, Dead Silence Forest is a Level 2 dungeon. Bringing a Level 1 noob along is just asking for a wipe, isn't it?" The Priest Bu Yu Xia Ye looked at the Ranger Tian Wang Hui Hui, clearly dissatisfied.
Seeing Shi Feng's level, Lonely As Snow was surprised too.
Many players had already reached Level 2. How could a beta tester not even have reached Level 2?
Their leader, Tian Wang Hui Hui, looked at Shi Feng. Any expectation he'd had was now gone. His expression turned cold. "Did you die once earlier?"
"No." Shi Feng shook his head and answered honestly. "But Level 1 is enough to run Dead Silence Forest."
"Then you can leave. We don't need an 'expert' like you here. I hope you understand." Tian Wang Hui Hui frowned slightly and spoke coldly.
"Boss, there must be some misunderstanding. Why don't we try him out first?" Lonely As Snow explained.
"Try him out?" The Priest Bu Yu Xia Ye sneered. "And who'll take responsibility if we die? You should know that even dying in a dungeon costs experience. It isn't much, but it's still 10%. Can this noob afford to make up for our losses?"
"Bu Yu, don't make things difficult for Lonely." The Ranger Tian Wang Hui Hui tried to smooth things over. "Lonely, I know you're covering for this Swordsman, but I have to look out for the team. I only run dungeons with experienced players. I won't waste time grouping with newcomers. You have two choices: come with us, or leave the team with them."
"I'll leave the team, then." Shi Feng didn't want to put Lonely As Snow in an awkward position either. He left the team and turned away. "Heizi, let's find another group for the dungeon."
"Sure." Heizi grinned and left the team without another word.
"Hmph. The 'expert' got exposed and left as soon as he realized he couldn't scam us out of our gear. At least he knows his limits." The Shield Warrior grinned mockingly. "Lonely, you're so naive. Only a noob like that could fool you. You'd better stick with Boss Tian Wang from now on and broaden your horizons."
Lonely As Snow's face turned livid, but he didn't think he'd misjudged Shi Feng. Shi Feng was definitely an expert.
"Boss Tian Wang, I'm sorry." Lonely As Snow chose to leave the team too, ready to follow Shi Feng and see whether his judgment was right.
"You!" The Ranger Tian Wang Hui Hui froze. He hadn't expected Lonely As Snow to make such a quick decision. He was practically an idiot. If Lonely As Snow's skills hadn't been decent, he would've 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 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."