Chapter 84 — Weapons for the Impossible

The forge had finally gone silent.

Kael stood in the middle of the workshop, staring at the three weapons resting before him.

The Darven Origin Blade.

The Darven V-01X.

And the newly reforged Darven Vanguard Armor.

They were stronger than anything he had possessed when he first entered the wilderness.

But Kael wasn't satisfied.

He had reached Level 50.

His equipment had evolved.

His understanding had improved.

Yet the Legendary Beasts remained.

And Kael had learned one important lesson during the hunting arc.

Strong equipment did not guarantee victory.

An enemy could always possess a hidden ability.

A battlefield could always change.

A plan could always fail.

And when facing a Legendary Beast—

a single mistake could end everything.

Kael looked at the ring on his finger.

Legendary Immortality.

One hundred hours.

Five seconds between death and reformation.

Pain remained.

Death remained.

Only permanent defeat was removed.

Kael lowered his hand.

“Before I use that…”

He looked at the weapons.

“…I need to make sure I don't need it immediately.”

Kael began with the Darven Origin Blade.

He slowly drew it.

The dark silver blade reflected the forge's light.

Thin crimson lines ran beneath its surface.

The family crest had transformed after its awakening.

Kael inspected every part.

The blade itself was flawless.

The guard remained intact.

The handle had adapted to his grip.

The System displayed:

[Darven Origin Blade]

Grade: 7 — Legendary

Artifact State: Awakened

Bloodline Synchronization: 100%

Adaptive Edge: Active

Metal Control Amplification: Active

Unknown Origin Function: Sealed

Kael stared at the final line.

Still sealed.

He hadn't forgotten the ancient voice from the first forge.

The first Darven did not wield a sword.

He forged one.

That statement continued to bother him.

The sword wasn't simply a family weapon.

It was connected to something older.

Something beyond the Darven family itself.

But that mystery would have to wait.

Kael placed the blade aside.

Next—

the V-01X.

He lifted the rifle.

The weapon instantly responded.

Its internal sections rotated.

The violet Void Crystal brightened.

The System displayed:

[DARVEN V-01X]

Grade: 6 — Epic

Quality: Legendary Potential

Stability: 97%

Configurations:

I — Penetration

II — Mana Disruption

III — Spatial Anchor

IV — Suppression

V — Close Combat

VI — Emergency Overload

Kael froze.

“Six?”

He hadn't created Configuration VI.

He inspected the weapon.

The Crimson Core fragment had apparently produced an unexpected effect.

[Configuration VI — Emergency Overload]

Warning: High risk.

Function: Temporarily increases all weapon output.

Duration: 12 seconds.

Cost: Severe mana consumption.

Post-use stability: 64%.

Repeated activation: Not recommended.

Kael frowned.

“Twelve seconds.”

That wasn't long.

But twelve seconds during a Legendary Beast battle could be enormous.

He switched to Configuration VI.

The weapon transformed.

The barrel expanded.

The Void Crystal brightened.

Thin crimson lines appeared along the receiver.

Kael could feel the energy building.

He immediately disabled it.

“Too dangerous to test at full power here.”

He wrote a note.

Emergency Overload

Use only for decisive moments.

Never activate without an exit route.

Never activate when mana reserve is already low.

Kael looked at the weapon again.

It was becoming something dangerous.

Exactly what he needed.

Kael turned toward the armor.

The Darven Vanguard Armor had survived every test.

But he noticed a problem.

Its resistance profile was balanced.

Too balanced.

Against ordinary enemies, that was an advantage.

Against Legendary Beasts—

specialization mattered more.

Kael opened his notes.

Shadow.

Poison.

Undead energy.

Spatial distortion.

Pressure.

Regeneration.

He needed the armor to respond differently depending on the opponent.

Kael returned to the forge.

He created three removable modules.

The first contained compressed Void Crystal.

The second contained specially treated Blackwater scale.

The third contained anti-necromantic materials.

He installed three slots along the armor's back.

The System recognized the changes.

[Modular defense system detected.]

[Configuration options created.]

Shadow Configuration

Verdant Configuration

Undead Configuration

Kael smiled.

Now the armor could change with the opponent.

He tested the Shadow Configuration.

The Void Crystal modules activated.

A faint spatial field surrounded him.

Kael moved.

The field followed.

He stepped into a magical shadow.

The armor resisted the distortion.

Not completely.

But enough.

Kael nodded.

Next—

Verdant Configuration.

The Blackwater scale fragments activated.

The armor's surface gained a thin protective layer.

Kael tested a toxic mana compound.

The armor resisted the contamination.

Better.

Finally—

Undead Configuration.

The anti-necromantic modules activated.

Blue sparks appeared around the armor.

Kael tested a weak undead curse.

The system registered a significant reduction.

He smiled.

“Good.”

The armor was ready.

Kael sat at the workbench.

A large collection of ammunition lay before him.

Standard rounds.

Penetration rounds.

Mana Disruption rounds.

Spatial Anchor rounds.

Suppression rounds.

Soul-Breaker rounds.

He counted them.

Then frowned.

Not enough.

Even if he fought perfectly, three Legendary Beasts could create battles lasting hours.

He needed ammunition that could be reused.

That was why Kael returned to his father's engineering books.

He searched for a concept he had seen months earlier.

Mana return circuits.

A projectile that could partially recover energy from the surrounding environment after impact.

The design was difficult.

But the pocket world's dense mana made it possible.

Kael spent an entire day creating a prototype.

The result looked strange.

The projectile had a crystalline core surrounded by a thin metallic shell.

He loaded it into the V-01X.

Then fired it into a steel target.

BANG!

The target cracked.

The projectile stopped.

The System appeared.

[Prototype ammunition detected.]

[Mana Recovery: 17%]

[Structural Integrity: 62%]

[Recovery possible if projectile is retrieved.]

Kael's eyes lit up.

“Seventeen percent.”

Not enough.

But useful.

He improved the design.

Second attempt—

31%.

Third—

44%.

Fourth—

57%.

Kael smiled.

He had created something practical.

[Darven Reclaim Round — Prototype]

Mana Recovery: 57%

Usability: Moderate

Recovery: Required

Warning: Projectile may become unstable after repeated use.

Kael created twenty.

Not enough for an entire war.

But enough to conserve his reserves.

He stored them carefully.

The next morning—

Kael stood before the pocket-world key.

He had decided it was time to physically enter.

Not to fight.

Not yet.

To scout the terrain personally.

He activated the key.

A circular portal opened.

The other side showed a dark landscape.

Kael put on his Vanguard Armor.

He equipped the Origin Blade.

V-01X rested across his back.

The ring containing Legendary Immortality remained untouched.

Kael stepped through.

The world changed instantly.

The air felt different.

Heavier.

Older.

Mana density was enormous.

Kael activated Network Sense.

Nothing.

That was expected.

The pocket world wasn't connected normally to the mountain network.

He activated Mana Detection.

The result was almost overwhelming.

Every region was saturated with powerful mana.

Kael immediately slowed down.

He wasn't going to walk toward one of the Legendary Beast territories.

Instead, he turned toward the outer region.

The land around the entry point was relatively empty.

Small monsters moved through the grass.

Kael analyzed them.

[Pocket World Feral Beast]

Level: 42

Grade: Elite

Kael smiled.

Interesting.

Even the weakest creatures near the entrance were stronger than most monsters outside.

He walked deeper.

Another creature appeared.

Level 44.

Then another.

Level 45.

These weren't Legendary Beasts.

Their presence wasn't enough to threaten him individually.

But they showed him something important.

The pocket world was genuinely dangerous even before he reached the main territories.

Kael stopped.

A group of six creatures emerged from the trees.

They resembled large panthers.

Their bodies were covered in crystal-like fur.

The System identified them.

[Prison Crystal Stalker]

Level: 44

Grade: Elite

Traits: Crystal Hide, Pack Coordination, Mana Tracking

Kael smiled.

“Perfect.”

He wanted to test his equipment in the real environment.

The six creatures spread out.

Kael didn't draw the Origin Blade.

He activated Configuration I on V-01X.

The first stalker charged.

Kael fired.

BANG!

The projectile struck its shoulder.

The crystal hide cracked.

The creature didn't slow.

The others attacked simultaneously.

Kael switched Configuration V.

The rifle transformed.

Its barrel shortened.

The weapon became closer to a compact close-combat firearm.

One stalker lunged.

Kael parried with the weapon.

CLANG!

Another attacked.

Kael spun.

The rifle's reinforced frame struck its jaw.

The creature staggered.

Kael activated Metal Control.

Small blades appeared.

One.

Two.

Three.

The stalkers dodged.

Pack coordination.

Kael moved backward.

The creatures surrounded him.

He smiled.

“Good.”

He wasn't going to use the same method twice.

Configuration IV.

Suppression.

The weapon released a wide mana pulse.

WHUM!

The creatures staggered.

Kael moved.

Origin Blade.

SLASH!

One fell.

Another attacked from behind.

Kael rotated.

CLANG!

The blade blocked the claws.

Metal Control wrapped around the creature's legs.

It fell.

Kael fired.

BANG!

Another down.

The remaining four changed formation.

The leader moved forward.

The rest circled.

Kael immediately noticed.

The leader was directing them.

He targeted it.

The creatures intercepted.

Kael switched to Spatial Anchor.

One shot.

BANG!

A spatial field formed beneath the leader.

Its movement became slower.

Kael charged.

The pack attacked.

Kael changed direction.

He intentionally moved toward the weakest creature.

The leader reacted.

Exactly as expected.

Kael used the opening.

SLASH!

The leader fell.

The remaining creatures lost coordination.

The battle ended quickly.

The System appeared.

[Prison Crystal Stalker Pack defeated.]

[Combat data recorded.]

[V-01X configuration efficiency increased.]

[Origin Blade synchronization increased.]

Kael looked at the message.

“Interesting.”

The System could learn from actual combat.

That meant the Legendary Beast battles could potentially strengthen his equipment during the fight.

But relying on mid-battle adaptation was dangerous.

He needed a strong initial plan.

Kael continued scouting.

He didn't enter the three major territories.

Instead, he explored the outer regions.

He found abandoned structures.

Old roads.

Broken watchtowers.

Ancient magical barriers.

Some were thousands of years old.

Then—

he found something unexpected.

A giant stone pillar standing alone in the wilderness.

Kael approached.

The pillar carried a symbol.

The same five-path symbol he had seen in the Darven inheritance.

His eyes narrowed.

“Here too?”

He touched it.

The System responded.

[Ancient Darven structure detected.]

[Classification: Inactive.]

[Function: Unknown.]

[Activation requirement: Bloodline resonance.]

Kael pushed mana into it.

Nothing.

Then he inserted the Legacy Key Fragment into a slot.

The pillar activated.

WHUM!

A map appeared above it.

Not of the pocket world.

Of something else.

A route.

Three lines.

Each ending at one Legendary Beast territory.

But a fourth line—

went toward the central black tower.

Kael's expression changed.

The map wasn't merely showing geography.

It was showing seals.

Three Beast prisons.

One central prison.

Four major containment structures.

And they were connected.

Kael stared.

“So the Legendary Beasts and the unknown prisoner aren't completely separate.”

The System immediately warned him.

[Relationship detected.]

[Cause unknown.]

[Do not interfere with containment structures.]

Kael slowly removed the key.

The map disappeared.

He wrote the information down.

Then looked toward the central tower.

Far away.

Too far to see clearly.

But he could feel something.

Watching.

Kael decided not to go closer.

Not yet.

Kael returned to the entrance.

He opened his notebook.

He added a new section.

Pocket World Rules

1. Outer region already contains Level 40+ monsters.

2. Three Legendary Beast territories are heavily sealed.

3. Central black tower appears to be a separate prison.

4. The four containment structures are connected.

5. Ancient Darven structures exist throughout the world.

6. Do not disturb the seals before the Legendary Beast battles.

7. Unknown central prisoner remains unexplored.

He paused.

Then added an eighth.

8. Never assume the prison is helping us.

Kael stared at the sentence.

His father had imprisoned these creatures.

The ancient civilization had imprisoned them.

But why?

Were the beasts merely dangerous?

Or were they protecting something?

The question remained unanswered.

Kael returned to his campsite outside the pocket world.

He laid everything out.

Darven Origin Blade.

Darven V-01X.

Vanguard Armor.

Ammunition.

Medical supplies.

Resistance kits.

Spatial anchors.

Suppression tools.

Soul-Breaker rounds.

Legacy Key.

Pocket World key.

And finally—

the ring.

Kael held it.

He could activate Legendary Immortality now.

He didn't.

Not until Chapter 86.

He had three more preparation periods.

He needed to make them count.

Kael looked at the pocket-world entrance.

“Three beasts.”

He knew exactly what he needed to do.

Before fighting them—

he had to decide the order.

Shadow Lion.

Verdant Serpent.

Bone Sovereign.

The order mattered.

Each victory would provide more information.

And according to his father's recording—

the defeated Legendary Beast would eventually have something important to entrust to him.

Kael opened his notebook.

He wrote:

First target: Shadow Lion.

Reason: Highest mobility threat.

Second: Verdant Serpent.

Reason: Defensive endurance.

Third: Bone Sovereign.

Reason: Army and battlefield control.

Then he stopped.

He crossed out “First target.”

He wrote instead:

Order not final.

Kael remembered something important.

He didn't know how the beasts would react to one another.

If killing one affected the others—

the order could become critical.

He needed more data.

And there was only one way to obtain it.

Another observation.

But this time—

he would observe all three simultaneously.

Kael stood.

He equipped the Vanguard Armor.

The Origin Blade rested at his waist.

V-01X locked into place.

The pocket-world key floated before him.

Kael took a breath.

“Tomorrow.”

He looked at the ring.

“I'll make the final preparations.”

Then—

the ring gave a faint pulse.

Kael froze.

He had not touched it.

A System notification appeared.

[Legendary Immortality responding to pocket-world proximity.]

[Ancient survival authority recognized.]

[Activation remains optional.]

[Warning.]

[Once activated, the 100-hour countdown cannot be stopped.]

Kael stared at the message.

One hundred hours.

Not one hundred days.

One hundred hours.

Only slightly more than four days.

Every second mattered.

Kael closed his fist around the ring.

“Then I won't waste a single one.”

The preparation was almost complete.

But tomorrow—

Kael would make his final decision.

And after that—

there would be no more preparation.

Only the Legendary Beasts.