After giving Michael a friendly warning, I made my way to a pawn shop near the airport that was only accessible to the Top Ten Cadets of every batch.
There, I purchased an [Appraisal] Card and a small vial of healing potion — both of which cost me a fortune.
Or, well… they would have.
But I paid the bill using the Golden Badge — a privilege reserved for Aces — granting me a one-hundred percent price reduction on any purchase, up to a certain limit.
Then I made my way home to Alaron Street.
I felt utterly exhausted.
My eyes burned, and my eyelids felt as if they were made of lead.
I was barely staying awake, overwhelmed by the irresistible urge to collapse onto my bed and sleep as if there were no tomorrow.
But before I could finally rest, there was just one more important thing I needed to do — bind the Divine Sword to my soul.
Yes, I had yet to do that.
Aurieth was still not bound to me, which meant I couldn’t use any of its enchantments.
Sure, I had no reason to rush.
I could have waited until tomorrow to bind Aurieth after getting a good night’s rest. But truth be told, I could hardly wait any longer.
So, I decided to do it today.
As soon as possible, in fact.
Therefore, the moment I reached home, I slipped out of my new robe and tossed it aside.
Then I took off my other clothes as well.
The binding process was going to be messy, and while I was still wearing a threadbare tunic and a cheap trouser I bought in Ishtara, I didn’t want to ruin my clothes.
So, after stripping down to my underwear, I sighed and moved toward my bathroom.
My dorm room – if it could even be called that – was a duplex-style luxury penthouse on the highest floor of my building.
There was a plunge pool on the balcony outside. For a second, I thought about doing the binding process there instead of in the bathroom, but then I changed my mind.
I was going to be out cold for a while after the process. I didn’t know how long it was going to be, so doing it outside would be a risk.
Hence, I climbed the stairs leading up to my bedroom on the second floor and entered the attached bathroom there.
Without wasting a second, I got inside the bathtub and comfortably laid down inside it.
I held the Divine Sword in front of my body and watched as its golden blade gleamed under the dim light, a beautiful pattern of intricate runes engraved on its polished surface.
I took a deep breath.
The process of binding Aurieth wasn’t complicated, but it wasn’t something to be taken lightly either.
A soulbound artifact was exactly that — an extension of one’s very soul.
The moment I completed the ritual, Aurieth would become inseparable from me, its power forever intertwined with my existence.
I equipped the [Appraisal] Card in my Soul Arsenal and immediately summoned it.
I focused on the sword before me, and as soon as the Card activated, a string of glowing letters appeared in the air over it.
The letters displaying the item’s status were only visible to me, and they read:
====
[Name]: Aurieth, the Divine Blade
[Rank]: Undefined (Soulbound Artifact)
[Type]: Armament
[Item]: Artifact
[Description]: A weapon worthy of legends, not forged by gods but by mortal hands. Aurieth shines with a golden brilliance that rivals the divine. Those courageous enough to wield it gain the strength to challenge the heavens themselves.
————
[Enchantment]:
1. [Final Gambit] – When the wielder faces mortal peril, Aurieth’s power surges exponentially, turning the tide of battle in their favor. The closer to death, the greater its lethality.
2. [Trinity] – Aurieth can seamlessly shift between three forms: an Executioner Greatsword, Twin Single-edged Longswords, and a Regal Bow.
3. [Celestial Furnace] – Converts the wielder’s raw Essence into pure light energy, fueling devastating attacks imbued with divine brilliance.
4. [Conduit] – While held, Aurieth subtly enhances the wielder’s Essence absorption, accelerating recovery and strengthening their reserves.
————
[Maker’s Inscription]: This is my life’s work. A blade not forged by gods, but destined to surpass them one day. Let it carve legends in its wake and be a testament to the boundless potential of humankind.
====
I swallowed. This was it.
That last part…
Those were supposed to be the words of the sword’s creator. Not much was known about him, even in the game, except that he was a genius artificer captured by the Syndicate and was forced to work for them.
Every item’s status screen followed the same format because of how the [Appraisal] Card worked — it read the engraved enchantments on an object, deciphered their function, and translated it into a human language for the user to understand.
Few artificers or forge masters could create enchantments that were capable of altering the appraised description so smoothly.
The fact that Aurieth’s creator had managed to do so was a feat in and of itself. Truly, he was a genius.
Anyway, time to resume the process.
Taking a deep breath, I held the small vial of healing potion in my right hand and pressed my left wrist against the sharp blade.
The cold steel bit into my skin and a stinging pain shot up my arm.
I could feel it almost immediately. My cephalic vein was severed.
It was terrifying to see how freely my blood flowed from the slit wrist, but before even a drop could fall into the bathtub, Aurieth absorbed it all like water into a sponge.
The sword drank deep.
A pulse of heat surged through my arm. Then came the chill. An unbearable, bone-deep chill. It was so cold.
All of a sudden, mind-numbing fatigue washed over me. I was already tired, so now it took everything I had just to stay awake.
Four minutes.
For four long minutes, the sword continued to drain my blood. I couldn’t take it anymore.
I began closing my eyes. Just for a second… just a quick wink—
But then, a wave of otherworldly power flooded through my veins and my eyes snapped open.
The first thing I noticed was that the engraved runes on Aurieth’s surface were now burning bright with a brilliant golden glow.
At the same time, a strange sensation stirred deep inside me, and I felt an unmistakable connection to the sword.
It was an odd feeling, being linked to an object… but I pushed that aside. Right now, I had more pressing matters.
I quickly uncorked the vial with my teeth and poured the healing potion over my wrist.
The liquid hissed as it seeped into my wound, and right before my eyes, the deep gash slowly but surely began to close.
Almost instantly, the power surging through my veins vanished, leaving behind nothing but overwhelming weakness.
My legs shook as I gasped for air. Pushing the sword aside, I used the bathtub’s edge to support myself as I stood up.
“Haaah… haaah…” I panted, barely holding myself upright. That… was dangerous.
Just as my body was about to give out, the binding process was completed. And in that instant, the sword’s [Final Gambit] enchantment activated, granting me a sudden rush of tyrannical power.
That was dangerous, yes… but also so cool!
I laughed, then turned my attention to the golden sword lying in my bathtub. Without a second thought, I extended my hand, focusing on my connection to Aurieth.
It was deep in my soul — I could feel it. It came as natural to me as breathing, like it had always been a part of me.
I tugged on that connection.
The runes on Aurieth’s surface flared, glowing even brighter. The sword hummed softly before trembling on its own.
And then… it lifted.
Aurieth rose from the bathtub, floating in the air.
In the span of a heartbeat, it shot toward me at a speed incomprehensible to the human eye.
Before I could so much as blink, it was in my grasp.
I gazed at my outstretched hand, fingers wrapped around the dark hilt of the golden blade, and felt a twisted smile creep onto my face.
Then, I laughed hysterically.
Aurieth pulsed in my grip, resonating with my very soul. It was mine now.
With this, one of the tasks I needed to complete in the first arc of the story was done.
Now, all that was left was to crush Juliana — and hope she wouldn’t be stupid enough to defy me.
I then had to kill Rexerd Cronwell – the Concoctor.
“Hopefully, I should be able to achieve both those objectives at once.”
Two birds with one stone.
Oh, and of course, before any of that, I still needed to take Michael’s Essence Circulation technique — because without it, I wouldn’t stand a chance against Rexerd Cronwell.
A lot of work still lay ahead.
But today, I was one step closer to my goal.
And tomorrow, I would be one more.