Aluneth floated in midair, gently swaying its shaft as it made a show of "watching" the elven boy in the distance.
A deep blue tint spread over Al's face, a sign that arcane energy had filled him to the point of overflowing.
"Long ears, are you all right?" Aluneth's ethereal voice rang out in the boy's mind.
"I-have-never-felt-this-good."
"Hah!"
An angry roar carrying an immensely powerful sonic wave shot into the sky.
Not far from the boy, lush trees more than a dozen meters tall looked as though a speeding truck had run them over. Their thick trunks crackled like hot oil dripping into water.
Only when the surging air scattered the smoke did the ancient trees, snapped through the middle, come into view. Masses of shattered wood fell from above, forming a spectacular "rain of timber."
[Arcane energy connection detected] [Warning! Excessive energy] [Warning! Energy overload...]
Al clutched his head in agony. Blue-purple bruises covered his delicately soft face as arcane energy rampaged through his body, as though roaring at him,
Begone, mortal. Your feeble body is unworthy of stealing the authority of the arcane.
He hunched like a shrimp, crouching with his legs slightly bent and his fingers digging desperately into the damp soil beneath him.
His snow-white teeth sank hard into his lower lip until blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. Purple-black blood flowed down his slender, tender white fingers, dripping onto ground already stained red.
His face twisted with a fierce, resolute air, yet he also looked as frail as a willow in the wind, inspiring tender pity.
In the game, the intelligence stat's most direct effect was to grant the player-controlled character a corresponding amount of mana and spell critical strike chance.
But in the real world of Azeroth, those panel-based stats became vast quantities of arcane energy and profoundly mysterious brain development.
Al had always understood what kind of being the Dark Titan Sargeras was, even if this was only ten percent of one avatar's intelligence.
Yet he had still underestimated the Lord of the Legion's immense power and overestimated what his own body could withstand.
Chaotic arcane energy tore wildly at his body. With a blood-dripping hand pressed against his forehead, where blue light blazed ever brighter, he roared with all his strength.
At that moment, Al was like a drowning fish or a bird afraid of heights, struggling desperately to no avail.
"Need a hand, boy?" Greed colored Aluneth's voice. As an Elemental Lord, how could it remain unmoved by such vast quantities of arcane energy?
"Absolutely-not!"
As though his strength had been drained away, the boy's voice grew weak, but his firm will supported him as he pressed on.
"Ignorant long ears, you'll burst from all that energy. I can put an end to this, and all you need to pay is a little insignificant arcane energy..."
Aluneth's voice was low and rich, as though it truly had the boy's interests at heart.
"Shameless thief. Cowardly, despicable arcane prisoner. Don't even dream of taking a single shred of energy from me."
"Fool! Damn Grandet! Useless miser! Fine, fine. I curse you. I curse you to drown in your own blood. Your corpse will burn fiercely under the erosion of arcane energy, and I will witness it all..."
Al kept gritting his teeth and holding on, ignoring Aluneth as it revealed its true nature in the distance. Without a wielder controlling it, it was nothing.
He had long understood that this unruly legendary staff had a vile nature. Acting entirely on its whims, it had no concept of good or evil, no compassion, and certainly no feelings.
All its initiative lay in "following its heart and doing as it pleased." One should never judge or measure it by the values of intelligent beings. Simply treating it as a noisy, powerful weapon might prove more satisfactory.
"That's impossible!"
Aluneth's shrill voice rang out in the boy's mind, its shock and fear plain to hear.
The surging arcane fluctuations around his body had long since vanished, and mysterious violet runes were etched onto his forehead.
They slowly faded with the passage of time. The cracked wounds on his fingers had also healed at some point, leaving only a few dried bloodstains on his smooth face to bear witness to the ordeal he had just endured.
[Ten percent intelligence of the Fallen Titan Sargeras (false)] consumed
[Your brain development has reached 40%] [You have acquired a new skill: Telekinesis] [You have acquired a new skill: Mystic Eyes of Death Perception]
Al opened his eyes and looked around, feeling the power he had just acquired.
His active thoughts and the more vividly colored world both proved that his brain development had reached an astonishing level. Even knowledge that had once been obscure and incomprehensible now made perfect sense.
Telekinesis doesn't seem particularly useful at the moment. Mage Hand can do the same things Telekinesis can.
But if [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception] is the same skill as that person's in my memories, this could be interesting.
Al stood up, stopped thinking about it, and turned to face Aluneth.
"Who was it that wanted to steal my arcane energy just now?"
Al slowly raised his head. His emerald eyes had already turned crystalline blue, with pale violet glimmers occasionally flashing deep within his pupils. Paired with the boy's handsome face, its skin smooth as cream and its complexion rosy, they possessed an astonishing charm.
"I... you... how... how could..."
Aluneth's voice carried panic and fear, its faintly trembling shaft expressing its feelings. It retreated at tremendous speed, turning into a streak of pink light that flew into the distance in mere moments.
"I'll give you a forty-nine-meter head start. My great saber is already thirsting for blood."
Al was in no hurry as he watched the legendary staff almost shrink to a dot in the distance. With a contemptuous smile, he extended his hand and made a grasping motion. The tiny pink dot in the distance gradually grew larger. Within a breath, as though time had reversed, Aluneth flew backward along its original path and was caught firmly in Al's hand.
"You can't control me! Damn creature of flesh! The great Aluneth is free!"
Aluneth's shaft shook violently as it tried to escape Al's grasp, but his cracking voice betrayed its inner terror.
"Tattoos, huh? Some kinda gangster? What sissy designed these gaudy runes?"
Al had yet to notice the change in his appearance. His delicately handsome face, paired with the distinctive voice of a boy going through puberty, made his gender difficult to distinguish. The word "sissy" sounded deeply incongruous coming from his mouth.
"Let go of me! You deformed offspring of Zandalari Trolls! Night Elf bastard! I curse you..."
Al ignored the legendary staff's blustering. Purple light suddenly bloomed in his deep blue pupils. This was not [Hyperthymesia], but another incredible skill.
Mystic Eyes of Death Perception came from Shiki Ryougi in The Garden of Sinners series from Al's previous life. In that anime, this supernatural ability could be called a cheat.
Every living being had weaknesses from the moment it was born, and Mystic Eyes of Death Perception could directly perceive the weaknesses of things. In battle, they could see through an opponent's weaknesses at a glance and defeat them in a single move.
Why was this ability considered a cheat? Because Mystic Eyes of Death Perception could perceive not only living beings and inorganic objects, but also the weaknesses of inhuman beings. In other words, even gods could be killed. It truly was a heaven-defying ability.
[Mystic Eyes of Death Perception] activated
His almost tangible gaze fixed on Aluneth. A moment later, Al broke into a smile.
"Found it."
Casually casting an Elemental Cage to bind Aluneth firmly in midair, the boy stood where he was and began casting.
[Rune of Power] cast! [Arcane Power] cast! [Icy Veins] cast [Skull of Hex] activated! {Akil'zon version}
Al: Thanks again to my bro Akil'zon for the skull. Wishing you a happy afterlife, bro.
Deep blue arcane lightning coiled around the boy, interspersed with piercingly cold, bright blue light. That was not all. A glowing white Rune of Power gradually appeared beneath the elf's feet. The ultimate stand-and-nuke combo-complete!
[Arcane Blast] X1. Arcane energy exploded out of thin air against the third gem at the top of Aluneth's shaft.
"You damned beast!" Aluneth cursed furiously.
[Arcane Blast] X2
"I won't let you get away with this, long ears..."
[Arcane Blast] X3
"Spare me! My knowledge, my power, even I myself-all yours..."
Aluneth's voice grew weak. Its earlier arrogance was gone, leaving only fear and panic.
Maximum power [Arcane Blast] X4.
"M-mercy..."
Aluneth began to beg. Its weak voice gradually faded until it vanished altogether.
The dark, damp forest was completely illuminated by arcane light. The terrifying property of stacking another 100% damage with every cast made the final [Arcane Blast] exceptionally deadly.
With the additional effects of [Arcane Power], which increased spell damage by 50%, and [Rune of Power], which increased spell damage by 40%, quantitative change became qualitative change. Aluneth was thoroughly done for.
The purple light vanished from Al's eyes. He walked over to the now "dead" Aluneth and let out a gentle breath.
As he held its shaft, the legendary staff began to change. The three teardrop-shaped gems floating above its head gradually vanished, replaced by an outline shaped like the character "山," flickering with arcane lightning.
In the notch at the very top, blue arcane energy took the shape of a gem and hovered in the air. Even the flashy pink-purple runes covering the staff transformed into simple, stately blue lines.
[Congratulations! You have obtained: Freedom's Protector]
The system's voice sounded at just the right moment, rousing the boy from his thoughts. Stroking his smooth chin, Al looked thoughtful.
"I thought the staff would lose its power when Aluneth itself died. I never expected this pleasant surprise. Is this the legendary phenomenon of a divine artifact changing form when it chooses its master?
"A tool really is just a tool. No matter how perfect a weapon is, once it gains consciousness, its significance to its master has already suffered an indelible negative effect. For the master wielding it, it can only be a tragedy..."