Chapter 710: The Price of Advancement

Third Person’s POV

With that thought in mind, Ethan lowered his gaze toward the elegant, mysterious saber resting in his hand.

Its newly restored curved blade reflected a faint purple sheen mixed with a bloody glow, and the sinister aura lingering around it reminded him that he had only just begun to uncover its true potential.

Since he was already testing the weapon’s abilities, he decided to see whether it could absorb other weapons and materials to strengthen itself.

He reached into his storage ring and retrieved several weapons he had accumulated over time, examining them briefly before placing them beside the saber.

Some were ordinary weapons he had obtained during his travels, while others possessed enough magical properties to be useful to a mage of his current rank.

He then held the saber over the pile and waited for the devouring maw to emerge.

But nothing happened.

Ethan blinked, then tried again, bringing the blade closer to the weapons and channeling a small amount of dark mana into it.

Yet the saber remained completely motionless, its hilt retaining its elegant appearance without revealing the slightest trace of the sinister mouth that had devoured the Devil’s Eye and that scythe moments earlier.

He couldn’t help frowning in confusion.

"Lady Lilith, why isn’t it reacting?"

[Because these weapons are simply too trashy for this prideful weapon to even consider eating them.]

Ethan stared at the saber for a moment, momentarily at a loss for words.

He had expected the weapon to be selective about what it consumed, perhaps preferring weapons or materials with only dark affinity, but he hadn’t imagined that it would outright reject the weapons he offered without even bothering to reveal its devouring maw.

More than anything, the word prideful caught his attention, as he had never expected a weapon spirit to possess such distinctly human traits.

[Surprised? Hehe! You can’t even imagine what weapon spirits are like.

This is a newborn weapon spirit, so you can at least establish a connection with it and use the weapon.

A mature weapon spirit raised by someone else, on the other hand, might even try to kill you if you attempted to wield it, regardless of how powerful, talented, or well-suited you were to the weapon.]

Ethan’s expression grew thoughtful as he absorbed this information.

The distinction between a newborn weapon spirit and a mature one was certainly worth remembering.

He had only just awakened the Life Devouring Saber, and even now, he didn’t fully understand the nature of the spirit residing within it.

If Lilith’s words were anything to go by, the weapon’s current willingness to accept him was an opportunity he shouldn’t take for granted.

However, her explanation also gave him an idea.

Instead of continuing to waste his time offering weapons that the saber considered unworthy, he reached into his storage ring again and retrieved the remaining corrosive bone spikes he had collected.

These belonged to the Sky Realm bony demon whom he had encountered in the Abyssal Sanctum.

Their corrosive properties, their innate deathly energy, and their origin proved how much more valuable they were than the ordinary weapons he had offered earlier.

Ethan had no intention of letting such useful materials go to waste, especially now that he possessed a weapon capable of devouring them.

He placed the saber directly over the pile of bone spikes and watched closely.

As expected, the moment the weapon came into contact with them, the sinister maw emerged from its hilt.

Its rows of sharp teeth parted, revealing the dark interior of its mouth before its thorn-covered tongue lashed outward.

The next instant, the maw opened wider and swallowed the entire pile in a single gulp, devouring more than a dozen corrosive bone spikes almost simultaneously.

Ethan’s eyes lit up.

’As expected!’

These were not ordinary materials, and he was delighted that the saber had finally accepted something he offered.

He had already seen how much trouble it had taken to awaken the weapon, and now that he had discovered a material it was willing to consume, he certainly wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to strengthen it.

As the maw disappeared back into the hilt, streams of gray smoke began rising from the saber’s surface.

They curled around the blade before gradually seeping into the weapon, as though the saber were absorbing the essence of the devoured materials and incorporating it into its own structure.

Ethan watched the process for a few moments, committing the strange phenomenon to memory before deciding that he had spent enough time experimenting.

He retrieved a sheath from his storage ring and carefully slid the saber inside.

Once the weapon was secured, he fastened it at his waist, where its weight settled comfortably against his body.

Only then did he remember the excuse he had used to leave the others.

He had claimed that he needed to relieve himself, and considering how long he had been away, he was beginning to stretch the limits of that explanation.

If he remained absent much longer, his mother, Aurelia, and others might start wondering what was taking him so long.

With that in mind, Ethan began walking back toward the cave entrance.

His steps were unhurried, but his thoughts remained focused on the weapon at his waist.

After a moment, he addressed Lilith again.

"What do you think the saber’s rank is now, after devouring those bone spikes?"

[Well, if I’m being frank, it might have just entered Rank Three.]

Ethan nearly stopped walking.

He turned his attention toward the weapon at his waist, his expression revealing his disbelief.

"Even after I fed it a top Rank Three dark scythe and those Rank Four spikes?"

[Heh! What do you think a godly weapon is?

If you expect it to be much stronger than other magic weapons and deadly, then of course, leveling it up will be that much harder.

Expect it to take at least ten weapons of the same quality as those peak Rank Three weapons before it can reach peak Rank Three itself.]

Ethan let out a long, frustrated sigh.