Digging Sword

Seeing Ye Chuan completely unharmed, Niya's gaze lingered on him for a long moment before she struggled to her feet.

"You're actually fine... I clearly hit you earlier."

"What could possibly happen to me? It's just a ghost." Ye Chuan had already dealt with plenty of them back in the Fierce Ghost Dormitory. Noticing Niya swaying unsteadily, he casually cast a healing spell, and her wounds instantly vanished.

"Thank you..." Feeling no pain at all, Niya looked up at Ye Chuan.

"One hundred silver coins."

"You charge for this?!"

"Obviously?"

After their exchange, Ye Chuan suddenly noticed an eerie wind sweeping through the arena, followed by the appearance of more and more crimson wraiths, one after another, giving him the surreal feeling of returning to the nightmare world.

"There really are a lot of them." Ye Chuan pulled out a Soul Banner and waved it. Thick smoke billowed out as dozens of chains shot forth.

"Tell it to my Holy Light Magic—Soul Purification!"

The chains pierced through the crimson wraiths one by one, dragging them into the banner. The wails were incessant as the wraiths screamed mindlessly, unable to break free. Once inside the banner, their bodies seemed to melt away.

"Is this Holy Light Magic?" Niya gulped involuntarily.

"Obviously?"

"Then why does it look so... sinister?"

"Oh, it’s just a bit discolored from overuse." Ye Chuan pointed at the Soul Banner. "This is a holy relic of the light attribute. See?"

As if responding to Niya, the skull on the banner opened its mouth, emitting a violet glow.

"Whose light-attribute artifact has a skull on it?!"

"It’s for warding off evil, of course. You need a demon’s skull for intimidation."

Niya felt there was some logic to his words but couldn’t decide where to start criticizing.

"Tch, such a measly power boost. These wraiths are too weak." Ye Chuan shook his head.

"..." Niya remained silent.

This was even less convincing. He looked like a full-blown dark priest.

"These wraiths... they must be the adventurers who died here before. Their grudges festered without purification." Niya said.

"I don’t think so."

"What do you mean?"

"I sense something interesting in this arena."

"Interesting...?" Niya glanced around at the dilapidated surroundings. What could possibly be interesting here?

Ye Chuan tapped the floor with his foot. "Underneath."

"Underneath?"

"Yeah, there’s something underground. I can feel it." His spiritual sense wasn’t mistaken—there was indeed a strange presence beneath them.

Niya crossed her arms. "How do you plan to locate it?"

"I have my ways." Ye Chuan rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a pair of glasses, putting them on.

[Item: Mana Goggles

Function: X-ray vision, capable of seeing through illusions.]

With the glasses on, Ye Chuan scanned the area, then his gaze landed on Niya. "You’re not wearing anything?"

"What do you mean not wearing—" Niya froze, then immediately covered herself and stumbled back.

"Won’t help. Your hands are transparent too."

"You bastard! What are you trying to do?!"

"Just demonstrating its function." Truthfully, Ye Chuan had zero interest in Niya’s underwhelming figure. He lowered his head and peered into the ground.

Soon, he locked onto a violet orb deep underground.

"Huh, there really is something. And it’s buried deep." He tried to get a clearer look and realized it was a sword...

A sword?

Ye Chuan was certain—the hazy silhouette inside the orb was a massive black blade. The sword was pitch-black, but not a dull matte. Instead, it looked like solidified ink wrapped in a layer of shifting dark light. Twisted crimson veins coiled along the spine, pulsing faintly like tiny blood vessels.

It looked downright evil.

"A sword... Oh?"

As Ye Chuan muttered in surprise, Niya seemed to recall something. "That adventurer who went berserk and killed people... it was because of a sword, wasn’t it?"

"After that, the sword vanished. Some said it was taken away, others said it was destroyed." Niya’s eyes widened. "Could it have been here all along?"

"A sword that drives people mad?" Ye Chuan was intrigued. He also wondered why it was buried here.

"Let’s dig it out."

"Wait! We should report this to the guild first." Niya grabbed his arm. "That weapon is too dangerous."

Ye Chuan knew she doubted his ability to control it, but he just shrugged.

"Actually, I’m a swordsman."

"Aren’t you a mage?" Niya frowned.

"Exactly. So you get how strong I am now?" He spread his hands. "It’s just a puny sword."

Niya: "..."

She had no idea how powerful Ye Chuan really was, but her tone turned somber. "Be careful."

Ye Chuan noticed her shift in mood but didn’t comment.

Now, how to retrieve it?

"Phasing through?"

"Hmm... probably won’t work with all that earth pressing down."

"Digging?" That seemed like a solid plan. "Let’s just dig."

"Dig?" Niya pointed at him, then herself, her neck stiffening.

"Us?"

"Why not?"

"No way." She refused outright. "Tch, we’d die before we dug it out."

Ye Chuan laughed—he was only joking.

The next second, black mist swirled at his feet, and one monstrous figure after another emerged under Niya’s stunned gaze.

"M-monsters?!" Her jaw dropped.

"I’m a summoner. Problem?"

"Summoners can only call one or two contracted beasts..." Niya felt her worldview crumbling yet again. Before she could process it, dozens of monsters around Ye Chuan were already clawing at the floor.

Clank, clank, clank. The sound of metal scraping echoed as Della, wreathed in violet flames, joined in with her tiny hammer, smashing the ground apart.

As the Rider of the End, a few strikes from Della shattered the earth completely.

"Faster, faster."

Ye Chuan urged his summons on, and soon, a massive pit was dug out.

He could’ve just blasted the ground apart with magic, but he worried it might affect the sword.

Finally, the blade came into view.

Violet light flickered ominously, radiating an aura of pure malevolence.