NOVEL NEXT B1 | Chapter 8 - New Weapon
Alexia Knight
Ten years ago
A loud smacking sound echoes in the hallway of the orphanage as Astrid is sent flying into the wall.
“Astrid!” I scream, only for the orphanage director, a fat man in his late sixties, to turn his anger on me instead.
He walks up to me before grabbing me by the throat and lifting me into the air, showcasing his enhanced strength despite his level being low for his age, “You will learn to keep your mouth shut when a noble is here, got it? Otherwise you’ll both be sent to the-”
“Sent where, exactly?” a calm voice asks, their even but dangerous sounding tone filling the hallway as I feel the director’s grip on my throat immediately slacken, making me fall to the ground in a coughing fit before I rush over to Astrid and pivot her behind me, putting me in-between her and the director.
When I quickly look to the entrance of the hallway, I find a man who is most likely a noble considering his clothes standing there in full magical armor, a cold look plastered on his young looking face.
“Oh, to the laundromats, of course! It’s a common punishment here for breaking the house rules, needing to go there to help out in washing everyone’s clothes,” the director lies while visibly shaking slightly before he turns to me with a sickening smile on his face and adds, “Right, girls?”
The most-likely-noble turns to me, his gaze softening. And right when I’m wondering if I should lie or not, just like the director, a kind and gentle voice enters my head, clearly not having been spoken out loud, “It’s alright, little one. Just speak the truth. I can get you out of here.”
My eyes widen at that, and I quickly look at Astrid to find her looking frightened between the two men while hiding behind me. Then I look between the two adults and come to a decision.
“He’s lying,” I state plainly and simply, the director’s eyes widening in shock at my words before I even finish, “he always sends the kids who interfere in any way with his-”
I feel a large pain bloom on my face as my head is send flying towards the wall before I hit it, making the pain grow even worse.
“Insolent-” the director shouts, but everything feels fuzzy as I try to pick myself up off the ground, only for Astrid to help me and pull me away. Then I look up to find why the director had cut off.
The most-likely-noble is holding him in the air by his throat.
I fight through the dizziness I’m feeling to hear their words, “By my order, the Knight of the Crimson Score, I sentence you to death for illegal child trafficking and abuse of children with B or higher mana affinities.”
Both my and the director’s eyes widen in shock at that, but the dizziness is growing stronger, and soon enough everything goes dark.
Alexia Knight
The present
My eyes shoot open as I quickly move forwards into a sitting position before looking around at my surroundings, only sighing in relief after finding that I’m alone in the hidden area.
Good. At least that’s still the same.
Nothing else can enter a hidden area when someone is inside.
Despite that relief, I can’t help but frown as I lie back down on the ground.
That dream… it was when Astrid and I first met gramps. But why am I dreaming about it now?
Actually, for that matter, how long was I out cold?
I stare up at the ceiling for a few seconds before opening my status.
Name: Alexia Knight Species: Quantum Reaper(T1)
Level: 8 Class: Quantum Reaper
Soul: 537.5/637.5
VIT: 22 DEX: 22 STR: 22 MAG: 29 MEN: 29
Racial Skills Active Skills
Passive Skills General Skills
Okay, my soul has regenerated a lot. Which means that I’ve been out for at least a couple hours now. Seeing as from what I saw before it would take about four or so hours to fully regenerate my soul thanks to the regeneration rates of both my health and mana combining into one for soul.
Oh and there’s one other thing I can do to check.
I open the leaderboards.
[#1 Lucas Nightshade – 57 points]
[#2 Alexia Knight – 52 points]
[#3 Leif Eriksson – 45 points]
[#4 Aurora Frost – 44 points]
[#5 Noah Kowalski – 42 points]
[#6 Alexander Frost – 41 points]
[#7 Isabella d'Aragon – 41 points]
[#8 Leonidas Silver – 40 points]
[#9 Damien Black – 35 points]
[#10 Nathan Briar – 34 points]
Huh. My position didn’t move at all.
Wait a second, didn’t I get points for killing that lesser brood and clearing the hidden area? That’s probably why. It made up for the time I spent out cold.
Well, that’s fine then. A free ten points, a couple levels, and whatever item I get from the loot box in exchange for a couple hours of unconsciousness. Plus I got to keep my potion for later use.
Totally worth it.
Could’ve done without the dream though.
I let out another sigh before finally climbing to my feet. Then I begin walking over to the back of the hidden area where I find a fancy looking chest sitting at the spot the lesser brood was previously giving birth before I shot it with a Quantum Bolt. The chest has spiderweb patterns going all around it with a large spider’s head engraved front and center, and it’s purple and black in color.
A rather cool design, but that’s not important.
I reach out to touch the chest, following which the chest opens wide on its own and a bright purple and blue light shines out of it while a polearm appears above the chest. One that if I had to describe by its appearance looks to be a glaive. Something I have some training in, seeing as gramps taught us the basics of a lot of weapons, more than just the sword. But not as much training as I have in the sword.
It’ll have to do though. And considering that I’ll probably not be leaving this dungeon for a while, I best get used to using it as a main weapon now.
The weapon is completely gray and rather boring looking. It has a long blade spanning about two fifths or so of the length of the polearm. One that’s sharp on both sides of the blade. Meanwhile the butt end of the weapon is slightly rounded.
I look at it for a few more seconds before remembering that I can identify items now. So I do just that.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Elemental Polearm
Description: This polearm passively absorbs the elemental energy of the user as they naturally radiate it, not harming the user in any manner. Through this, the weapon takes on some minor characteristics of the user’s strongest elemental affinity.
Stats Bonus: +10 STR, +10 DEX
Requirements: Must have one elemental affinity beyond C Grade.
Item Tier: 2
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
My face morphs into a grin as I reach out to grab the polearm.
Tier 2. I knew it was likely, but I didn’t want to hold out hope that just because I took the hidden area on solo I’d be given a higher Tiered item.
The moment the polearm makes contact with my hand, I feel a very light drain tugging on my soul, following which it goes down by about ten points before stopping. Then the words ‘Soulbound’ appear in the description of the item.
Nice.
My eyes widen slightly when the polearm begins to change color from its dull gray tone to a much more interesting color consisting of varying shades of purple. And out of curiosity, I grab onto the polearm with my other hand and swing the weapon, and the blade immediately coats itself with a bit of my quantum energy. Although that’s all it does. And when I hold it still for a few seconds, the blade returns to normal, no longer coated in the energy.
Now this is a much better weapon than the trash the System gave me. Ignoring that this is technically also from the System, of course.
And with it being coated in quantum energy and soulbound to me, I’d like to see those damned piranhas try stealing it!
With a wide grin on my face, I dismiss the weapon, making it vanish in a flash of purple energy, only for me to summon it again, then dismiss it.
I’ve always wanted a soulbound weapon. Really have.
Never could get one though. They’re too expensive, and most of them are only found in these hidden areas of dungeons. Which aren’t very commonplace in the first place.
I begin to leave the hidden area, very much satisfied with my prize.