Storm Stomp Plus

Melina first gently scraped the halberd with the Whetstone Knife, shaving gray, translucent crystals from its surface one by one.

"To attach a new Ash of War to a weapon that already has a skill and gain a new skill, you need to remove the original Ash of War."

Melina then evenly scattered the Storm Stomp Ash of War across the halberd's surface as she explained it to Lucian.

"An Ash of War is essentially the remnant of a warrior proficient in a particular skill. When you use it, you activate the Ash of War's owner's memories through it as a medium, releasing the skill that warrior once used. That is why it consumes magic."

"Though it consumes magic, you should be able to feel just how exquisite those skills are."

Lucian nodded. He could perform a skill like Stamp himself, but when he activated the warrior's remnant with magic, it felt entirely different—the mastery honed through what seemed like tens of thousands of swings.

"If I completely master the skill contained within the remnant, then attach a new Ash of War, wouldn't I be able to use two skills at once?"

"Though it would be difficult, if it is a move you have personally honed and mastered, why would that be impossible?"

Melina poured magic into the Whetstone Knife. The secret patterns on its surface gave off a faint glow, and under that light, the Ash of War seeped into the halberd like liquid.

Melina raised her head and asked Lucian,

"This knife can change a weapon's affinity from Standard to Quality. Do you want to alter it?"

Lucian thought about it. He could not quite remember what the Quality affinity did. He only remembered that the Heavy affinity had high Strength scaling.

Following the principle of asking when he did not know, Lucian asked anyway.

"Melina, what does Quality do?"

"The Quality affinity slightly lowers the weapon's damage, but it allows it to better make use of your Strength and Dexterity."

With Melina's reminder, Lucian finally remembered. Quality was the affinity that split its scaling evenly between Strength and Dexterity. The higher those two attributes were, the more power it could bring out.

But the weapon's base damage would drop slightly.

Lucian considered it. While he had indeed invested points into Strength and Dexterity, at this stage, the benefits from those few points might not surpass the lost base damage.

"No need. Keep the Standard affinity."

Melina nodded and did not further alter the halberd.

Melina picked up the original Charge Ash of War from the halberd, crystal by crystal, and placed them into the little bag that had previously held the Storm Stomp Ash of War.

She handed the halberd and the Whetstone Knife back to Lucian.

"All right, the replacement is complete. Do you want to test it out?"

Lucian gripped the halberd. Though its appearance had not changed in the slightest, it felt different in his hands.

The memories lingering within the Ash of War surfaced in Lucian's mind. As long as he wished it, he could now use the skill called Storm Stomp.

But Lucian was in no hurry to test it.

"Not yet. I want to level up first."

After killing so many enemies, he should have enough to gain a level or two.

--

After killing so many enemies, he had only earned a little over 1,100 Runes.

Those enemies had not even been worth that much to begin with. The few he had executed had contributed a little extra.

Melina explained that Runes dwelled within the inhabitants of the Golden Order year after year, and a small portion had long since fused with their bodies. A violent execution was like squeezing a sponge—it also forced out the Runes that had seeped into the body.

That made Lucian understand. The game had that mechanic too: when killing an enemy dealt 1.5 times the damage, the amount of Runes gained became 1.2 times higher.

Luckily, he still had 300 Runes in savings, along with the two hundred-odd Runes he had earned by killing Misbegotten along the way. Otherwise, Lucian would have barely missed being able to level up.

In the end, Lucian put the point into Vigor, leaving him with just over a hundred Runes.

Misbegotten infested Castle Morne. What awaited him was likely an assault even more terrifying than in the game.

Choosing to attach Storm Stomp to the halberd was also so he would have two forms of area-of-effect damage.

Lucian rose from the Grace. The thin mist around it had drifted away with Ranni when she left, but Irina and the wandering merchant were still asleep.

Lucian looked at the sky. It was still night, so he did not disturb their rest.

He took out a torch and lit it with the flint in his Crafting Kit.

Lucian mounted Torrent, held up the torch, and set off down the road the Frenzied Flame enemies had come from. There was something there he needed to collect.

"Huh, Torrent, why does your fur seem a little... sparse here?"

Torrent did not respond and simply kept running in silence.

Before long, he carried Lucian to the village in the dense woods on the hillside.

A huge bonfire stood in the middle of the village, but no one remained to gather around it now.

Looking at the empty village, Lucian confirmed it. Those enemies had come down from this place—the Sick Village.

After searching around, Lucian picked up a Flame Crest Wooden Shield from a corpse.

Then he arrived at the Church of Baptism of Callu beside the village.

The ruined church had become a completely open-air structure, leaving the enormous statue of Marika exposed to the ravages of wind and rain.

Lucian's target was beneath the statue: an exquisite golden chalice, empty within.

It was a Sacred Tear, an item that strengthened the healing effect of the Flask of Crimson Tears.

Melina's voice rang out beside his ear at the same time.

"That is a sacred chalice. Take it. It can recreate the miracle of the chalice receiving Tears, strengthening the ritual of the Flask of Crimson Tears and making the Tears more effective."

Lucian stepped forward and picked it up. Even without Melina telling him, he would have taken it. After all, this was what he had come for.

Returning to the Sick Village, Lucian gripped the halberd in both hands. He wanted to test Storm Stomp's power.

Following the memories carried by the weapon, Lucian gathered magic at his feet.

He stomped down hard, and a gust of wind formed around him, sweeping across a radius of two or three meters before dispersing in an instant.

Lucian was fairly satisfied with the result. It would be useful for disrupting an enemy's attacks, and the strong wind could also throw off the trajectories of ranged weapons.

Not enough.

The Ancient King's voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

Not enough. You have seen it before—the true storm.

The Ancient King's voice pulled Lucian's memories back to the Chapel of Anticipation. He recalled the relentless storm that had swirled and raged around that isolated island without ever stopping.

He gained some insight, but it seemed as though something was still missing, so he asked the Ancient King what he should do.

Imagine it. Follow your heart and imagine that you are the storm.

Guided by the Ancient King, Lucian continually deepened his understanding of the storm.

When he tried again, a fiercer storm was born with a single stomp.

The winds roared. The wooden houses caught in their wake creaked and groaned, while the storm carved scar after scar into the timber like blades.

Lucian was astonished. The difference in magic consumption was small, yet both its range and damage had increased enormously.

Not bad, but you are still far from a true storm.

I will teach you only once. Remember it well.

The Ancient King guided Lucian's magic. Lucian did not need to do anything as a surging storm burst forth.

The houses within a dozen meters crumbled beneath the storm, and the bonfire, along with its base, was utterly destroyed.

The true storm had descended here.

There had originally been a Frenzied Flame incantation in the church, but I removed it. In this story, I directly set it so that anyone whose eyes house the Frenzied Flame can use it. There is no need for a seal either; they only need to endure the pain and release it directly from their eyes. So there is no reason for anyone to record it for later generations to learn. Those without the Frenzied Flame cannot learn it, while those with it do not need to. Also, all legendary ashes possess consciousness, but the Ancient King is king-tier. Only it can communicate with the protagonist on its own without being summoned. On a side note, it seems 3DM's Wind Spirit Moon Shadow box started charging today. If you want to use Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, go directly to its official website and download the corresponding trainer for free. Do not waste money paying 3DM. o.O