Chapter 152: Ch152: Ambush
Five minutes later, Helen returned with four thick books. The kind of books coated with dust, their covers faded by time.
*DHAB!*
She dropped the books onto the table.
*Cough-Cough*
"What the fuck, Helen? You know I’m allergic to dust," Zane coughed out, waving his hand like a fan.
"Sorry... I totally forgot," Helen replied, her tone apologetic.
After wiping the books with a cloth, Daniel, Zero, and Zane each picked one.
What in the world is this...
It was like a dictionary of artifacts — hand-drawn illustrations, descriptions, rarities, and sentences partially erased, yet reconstructed, as though someone had stitched the missing words back together.
"Find anything that looks similar to the artifact," Helen said, her tone serious.
Minutes passed, yet none of them found anything that matched the artifact.
*Dhab*
Daniel dropped the book onto the table.
*Dhab. Dhab.*
The others dropped theirs as well.
"Helen, did you find anything?" Zane asked.
*Sigh*
"Nothing," she said with a frustrated expression. "So, what do we do with this?"
"Can’t we try this? I mean, it looks like a sword’s crossguard to me," Zero said with a curious expression.
"Yeah, you’re right. Bring your sword then," Zane said.
"What? Why mine? Bring yours," Zero protested.
"Because, it was your idea," Zane said with a smirk.
"Fine," Zero said, before pulling out a sword from beneath the bed.
The sword was pitch-black, as though it had been forged from obsidian.
"Far..." Daniel whispered under his breath.
——————
Name: Obsidian blade
Type: Sword
Rarity: Epic
Durability: 98%
Description: A razor-sharp blade known for its exceptional heat retention. It can absorb heat and unleash it through devastating strikes, making it a formidable weapon at both close and medium range.
Each slash inflicts 1% Burn damage, stacking up to 50 times. If the user fails to land another slash within 10 seconds, all stacks expire.
——————
Helen disassembled the sword with her artificer’s tools and replaced the crossguard.
"Looks great, doesn’t it?" she said, her tone expectant.
Zero lifted the sword high, near the burning lantern.
"To be honest, Helen, my sword looks absolutely the same," he said with a shrug.
Zero passed it to Zane, who then handed it to Daniel.
The moment Daniel gripped the sword, the pitch-black blade began to glow from the bottom, the glow rising to the tip like molten lava flowing through obsidian.
"Woah," Zero breathed, his eyes widening.
However, the very next second, the blade began to crack, thin fractures spreading across its surface.
It didn’t shatter, nor did it explode.
Instead, it crumbled into countless obsidian shards, falling onto the floor like pieces of a broken mirror.
Everyone stood dumbfounded.
Silence settled over the room until Zero broke it.
"My sword!"
Daniel pulled back his hand as small bits of obsidian pricked his skin.
"Thank goodness I didn’t bring my sword," Zane muttered.
Zero heard it.
"What did you just said?"
...
*Thud!*
Zane, Helen, and Daniel were kicked out of the room.
"I’ve never seen him like that. Why is he acting like that? It’s just another obsidian sword," Helen said, her tone confused.
"Well..." Zane scratched his head. "Maybe someday I’ll tell you. Ahm, good night."
"Wait, what about me? I can’t go back in the dark," Daniel said, his tone uneasy.
"Helen, can you do me a favor and guide him to the exit? Bye."
Saying that, Zane left them.
"Wait a second," Helen said before walking over and taking a torch from the wall. "Let’s go."
With that, Daniel left the underground passage of Exil.
*Grr...*
I’m starving so bad...
As Daniel returned to his room, he found a note pinned to his door with a knife. He pulled the knife free, unfolded the note, and read.
———
(Note)
Denis, or should I say, Daniel.
If you want to see the lady of the house alive, meet me behind the church tomorrow at dawn, before anyone wakes up.
If you don’t, she’ll die.
And not only her — the entire Dikson family will die as well.
———
After reading the note, he raced down the stairs and stormed into Esmeralda’s room. Inside, a fresh, warm aroma of cooked chicken drifted from the kitchen, as though nothing had happened.
"It must be that fake Zane I saw," Daniel muttered, crushing the note in his fist as he gritted his teeth.
...
Daniel woke after taking short naps throughout the night. The window had been left open all night. As soon as he saw the first rays of the rising sun, he got to his feet, got dressed, washed his face, and left his room.
The morning air was cold and still. The streets were empty, and the lamps still burned as he sprinted toward the church.
*Gasp... Gasp...*
"Where are you, fake Zane?" he muttered, hiding behind a bush as his eyes swept the area.
Behind the church stood a small forest, its tall trees casting long shadows across the ground.
Daniel waited, scanning the area, keeping his ears open for any unusual sounds.
Moments later, a faint rustling sound broke the silence.
*Shrk-Shrk*
He drew his knife and peered through the bush.
"There you are, Mister Fake," Daniel whispered under his breath.
Patience...
*Stab!*
"How do you like that?!"
Daniel drove the knife into the figure’s back from behind, yet it remained standing as if nothing had happened.
Getting no reaction.
The figure didn’t move an inch.
Daniel narrowed his eyes.
However, the moment suspicion crept into his mind, the figure slowly rotated its head one hundred and eighty degrees until it was staring directly at him.
"Aaaah!" he screamed and thrust his knife toward its head.
*Stab!*
The blade sank in, yet the figure didn’t even flinch.
Daniel tried to pull the knife back, but it wouldn’t budge, as though it were lodged in solid stone.
Before he could react, two hands shot out from behind and locked around his neck in an arm lock.
"Sleep," a voice whispered from behind.
Daniel’s eyelids grew heavy in an instant. His vision blurred, his knees gave way, and darkness swallowed him whole.
