Minori examined the mysterious scale, now faded from jet black to a pale, chalky gray. Whatever curse it had held was now completely devoured.
The ominous aura that had clung to the narrow stone crevice vanished with it.
"My class advanced two full levels just from that?" Minori muttered, eyes narrowing. "What kind of creature did this even come from?"
He raised his hand and lifted the scale with ease. Despite its large size—it was thicker than his palm—it felt oddly light, as if hollow.
He gave it a sharp shake. The scale sliced cleanly through the air without a sound.
Curious, Minori drew a standard-issue iron sword from his inventory and brought it down with force against the scale.
Clang!
The sword rebounded with a clear metallic ring, leaving not even a scratch. In fact, the blade had slightly warped from the impact.
"Incredible hardness," he murmured. "It stored that much curse power, and it's this resilient… More than just a trophy. This could be excellent material for a weapon—if anyone in this world can even forge something this durable."
But that wasn't all.
The curse hadn't just been residing in the scale. It seemed to be its source. Which begged another question.
"Did the 'Cursed Knight' class originate from this creature? Or from whatever left this behind?"
Minori glanced at the nearby human skeleton slumped against the wall. The bones were weathered, crumbling. No clues remained—not a name, not a scrap of cloth.
Could this have been one of the Thirteen Heroes?
There was no way to be sure. All he could do was bow slightly and whisper, "Whoever you were… thank you for the gift."
He placed the scale into his item box and stood in silence for a moment.
The pieces were falling into place.
Most likely, the cursed energy had been sealed in this narrow mountain crack for a long time—perhaps even centuries. The forest gnomes may have unwittingly stirred the seal while dealing with the venomous monsters in the valley.
And then, years ago, a petrified lizard had burrowed too deep and breached the stone wall. The seal cracked. The curse leaked. Slowly at first, but over time…
What a waste. Had more of the cursed power remained, he might have leveled Cursed Knight to its cap in one go.
With a flap of wings, the Archangel of Fire descended and lifted Minori out of the cleft, returning him to the cave chamber outside.
Duogan had regained consciousness. But the price was high.
His body, too close to the scale during the curse's final pulse, was badly decayed—flesh rotted, limbs twitching in agony. Yet his eyes… his eyes were clear now.
"The curse... it's gone, isn't it?" he rasped, leaning against a rock.
Minori nodded and approached, grimacing at the damage. The madness in Duogan's gaze had faded, but his body was barely holding together.
"What… was it, my lord?" Duogan asked with effort, voice brittle but desperate. "What destroyed my people?"
Minori hesitated, then spoke softly. "An undead creature. Cursed, ancient. It was sealed in the rock wall. One of the monsters here must have cracked it open."
A partial truth. If Duogan knew that it all stemmed from a scale—not even the creature itself—he might lose hope entirely.
Duogan trembled. "Undead… of course. We forest gnomes exist to protect the living."
His gaze drifted, eyes glassy. "Did we bring this on ourselves? Was it the basilisk's curse?"
Minori remained silent, letting the weight of the question settle. He now understood the full picture.
The forest gnome tribe had passed down a secret ritual—wild transformation, an ancient magic. Those who mastered it could consume the heart of a monster and gain not only its form, but its power. A dangerous path.
Duogan had hunted a petrified lizard and completed the ritual. Others followed his lead.
And the curse had exploded from within.
One moment, a celebration. The next, extinction.
Even now, Minori struggled to categorize Duogan's strength. The gnome had skills from both the Wizard and Forest Priest classes, wielded second-tier spells, and had a formidable transformation ability. At a glance, his combat level should've been over 20.
But the sheer size of his transformed body… something was off. The third tier of Wild Transformation was supposed to be reserved for those above level 60.
Clearly, the ritual had circumvented that requirement.
Duogan stirred and looked at Minori.
"Pasha… is he safe?" (the guy who cursed Leinas then killed)
Minori offered a quiet smile. "He's well. Alive and safe."
A lie—but a necessary one.
Duogan seemed to relax. He fumbled at his chest and withdrew a fragile bark scroll, yellowed with age.
"Give him this," he said, placing it in Minori's hand. "Tell him… not to repeat my sins."
Then, with a final sigh, Duogan's body went still.
No XP gained.
But Minori felt the faint pulse of lingering curse magic drift from the corpse into himself—subtle, diluted, and quickly absorbed.
He stayed there, silent.
Later that night, he buried Duogan beneath moonlight in a peaceful clearing on the surface. The stars shimmered in the black sky, silent witnesses.
Standing before the grave, Minori looked up and felt something unusual.
Reality.
A sudden, vivid clarity that this world was real—not just something simulated or scripted.
But he had no time to linger.
He exhaled slowly and opened his status panel.
[Capability Table]
Innate Ability:
[Player]
Overall Level:
24Lv
Experience Slot: 17,520 / 10,000 → [LEVEL UP PENDING]
Professions:
Basic Class: Genius 10Lv (Warrior-type)
Intermediate Class: Sword Master 10Lv
High/Special Classes: Magic Swordsman 1Lv, Curse Knight 3Lv
Skill Points Available: 40
[Skills]
Passive Skills:
Item Box
Sword and Magic
Magic Infusion
Curse Resistance
Dark Attribute Resistance (+20%)
No Rest
Slash Boost (+10%)
Active Skills:
Warrior: - Instant Reflection - Four Lights Slash - Quick Slash - Stealth - Tracking
Spells:
Tier 1: Minor Wound Treatment, Magic Arrow, Smellless, Camouflage
Tier 2: Item Identification, Magic Accumulation, Magic Interpretation
Tier 3: Undead Spirit, Undead Control
Tier 4: Heating, Angel Summoning, Papermaking
Tier 5: Resurrection of the Dead
Occupational Skills:
Medicine
Alchemy
Scroll Making
Magic Slash
Dark Wave
Shrinking (2/day)
Wild Transformation
[Attribute Table]
Name (Player): Minori
Justice Value: 51 [Neutral]
HP: 173 (13%)
MP: 28 (2%)
Physical Attack: 173 (13%)
Physical Defense: 58 (4%)
Agility: 113 (8%)
Magic Attack: 58 (4%)
Magical Defense: 28 (2%)
Comprehensive Resistance: 150 (9%)
Specificity: 60 (5%)
Total Power Rating: 60%