SSS-Rank Engineer: Only I Can Create Legendary Weapons

The Spellbolt was jammed, and a six-foot-long, bloodthirsty lizard was charging at him. Percy knew what being fucked looked like when he saw it.

There was only a second before the wiry body of the Ashfang lizard was on him, black claws raking across his skin like sickles. His mind fired like a piston, thoughts and ideas like flashes of light in his head.

Moments before it was on him, he had an idea. He raised his hand and used a Rank 2 customisable reward. There was a brief flash of white light, and a thick leather canvas appeared between him and the Ashfang.

It was coated in a heat-resistant gel that the lizard's black claws slipped against as it tried tearing the canvas apart.

Behind the canvas, Percy bore the force of the lizard slipping and slamming into him and redirected it. He made the canvas with a rubber handle behind it, so he was able to hold on as he stumbled.

There wasn't a second to rest though. He planted his feet and pointed the canvas at the Ashfang as it fired two jets of flame at him.

He guessed that the lizard might regain its fire ability after a short time, so he created the canvas with a heat-resistant gel.

The warmth of the flames still reached him, but he wasn't a charred piece of handsome yet. He used his second Rank 1 reward to create a pair of pepper stun balls.

He threw them under his shield at the Ashfang and got low to the ground. Before the lizard could even understand what those silver balls were, they exploded.

BANG!

Percy flinched at the sound and backed up a bit in case the lizard went crazy. He backpedaled more as he heard the anguished cry of the beast and saw it writhing against the ground.

He charged toward his father's fallen katana in a hurry. He wondered if he should just summon the version one Spellbolt in his storage, but shrugged it off.

Even if Thalos had seen him create the fire-resistant canvas, he could just explain it off as something he was working on, but another Spellbolt would be too suspicious.

As he slid and grabbed the katana, Percy realised that he may have just been overthinking it. Thalos would be suspicious no matter what, he just wanted to use the katana for the final kill.

The Ashfang lizard was rolling among the dirt and leaves in intense pain. He made those stun balls with Tommy once—the little suckers stung like a million bug bites.

The Ashfang would wholeheartedly agree with him if it could talk. It shot jets of flames around in a frenzy as it dragged its claws along its face, tearing its skin into a bloody mess.

Percy crouched as it ran out of flames, finding that empty state of mind he usually entered to contact spirits. He found the metallic spirit of his father's sword almost immediately.

It was shaped like a fang, grey and huge, radiating an aura of blood and carnage. His skin crawled as he connected to the spirit. It pushed against him, not willing to take orders.

He cracked an eye open. The Ashfang was recovering from its maddening pain, and its yellow eyes landed on him with murderous hatred burning in them.

Cursing out loud in words Hecate would beat him for saying, Percy rushed to find a way to channel his spirit into the sword and make it obey.

He remembered the old sayings about fighting with weapons: you use it like an extension of your own body. Thalos had said something similar.

The sword didn't really seem willing to become one with him though.

He opened his eyes again, and the Ashfang had started charging toward him. He jumped to his feet and danced between the trees as he tried to keep the lizard off him.

How the hell was he supposed to become one with the sword when it was giving him such a cold, deadly aura? When he used fire spirits to cast spells, they were just drawn to the spirit energy inside him.

Wait. Attraction, I need to give the sword something to be attracted to?

What about murderous intent? He needed to match the sword's desire for slaughter. He reached deep into himself as he ran, enhancing his legs with his Fighting Spirit in the meantime.

The lizard chased after, snapping at his ankles with vengeful intensity. It irritated him, he wanted to kill it. He reached into his spirit and drew on that murderous intent.

Time to go all out… or die.

He pushed forward to gain some distance from the Ashfang lizard and curled round a tree before turning. His Fighting Spirit surged from his feet to his hands in a flash, then he matched the sword spirit's murderous intent.

At first he didn't think it would work. The sword's will to kill was so great, his will was just based on the need to survive and that petty part of him that hated running from anything.

But they mixed so perfectly. The grey spirit surged into him, and for a moment he felt like his fingers turned to steel.

His invisible aura surged over the metal blade, filling him with a chill. His body grew cold, but his muscles tensed and tightened, ready to strike at any moment.

The Ashfang rolled past the tree and jumped right at him, black claws gleaming in the moonlight. His mind was far too calm seeing that.

It was like his body was a blade, forged toward the singular purpose to slash. Swords felt no fear, they were cold and sharp.

He moved instantly. The years of sword training that Thalos drilled into his body revealed themselves. His sword drew a line down, an overhead slash right between those claws.

He felt flesh tear and boiling-hot blood pour over the blade like it was his own skin. His force and the force of the Ashfang met at its head.

Blood exploded as he cleaved into its skull. He turned away as hot blood stung his face. He pulled out his sword, backing away and wiping his face.

His calmed breath grew more laboured as his synchronization with the sword faded. The noises and slight warmth of the world returned to his skin.

It was over. He won.

He glanced at the fallen body of the lizard and let out a small laugh. His eyes traced the silver body of the blade with awe. He couldn't believe that was him, the one wielding the sword. He felt more like the sword had wielded him.

"That—"

The sudden voice behind him made Percy jump, and he turned around to find Thalos frozen in disbelief.

"You really did it… my son is a genius."