Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 447: The Black-and-White Ring (2)
A clear presence emanated from the ring. A distinct will awakened within it.
It was an equipment with a different personality, unlike Bardray.
Taesan waited, filled with a mixture of unease and expectation.
Then, a voice rang out.
[...How are you?]
It was the voice of a young woman, incredibly soft and gentle. For a moment, it drained the strength from Taesan.
[Are you my master?]
“Yes.”
[Ah, I see.]
The ring muttered quietly.
[Though I am confused... I understand the situation. I am your possession. I will follow you as my master and protect you. Please, command me. Master.]
Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any issues with the ring’s will. It had acknowledged him as its master and was perfectly willing to follow him.
However, a question arose.
“Who are you?”
The voice from the ring was unmistakably human. Each word carried human emotion.
No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t a newly created will. Weapons with a will like this weren’t something even Kosrun could make. It didn’t seem like something Haphran could have made either.
[...I was...]
The ring paused as if searching for the right words.
[I was once alive.]
“I don’t remember using any living materials.”
[But I was a living human. I remember that clearly.]
The voice carried a strong certainty.
The ring hesitated before continuing.
[I... I trusted someone. I believed in them and trusted them. I gave my life to that person.]
“Who was this person?”
[They... they were... ah... ]
The ring groaned as if in pain.
[I was... a devoted servant... staying by their side... an apostle...]
“Apostle?”
The thought of one of the materials used to create the ring flashed in Taesan’s mind.
[The Apostle’s Core]
[The core containing the essence of a divine apostle. Solidified by the fall of the celestial realm.]
The apostle of the forgotten goddess.
Taesan had fought the apostle on the 30th floor and emerged victorious. As a reward, he had obtained the apostle’s core.
And he had used that material to craft this ring.
The will of the apostle he had defeated had now taken root in the ring. The fact that it was a woman was surprising, but when he thought about it, he had never seen the apostle’s face. All he had seen beneath the armor was a dark aura.
Taesan glanced at Haphran, who also wore a surprised expression.
“It’s impossible for a simple material to take control of a weapon’s will. But... if it’s the apostle, maybe it’s possible.”
“Is there a possibility?”
“The Apostle’s Core is the essence of the apostle itself. I still don’t fully understand it. It’s no ordinary material, so I can’t rule out the possibility.”
At this point, the only explanation was that possibility. The ring slowly began to calm down.
[...I can’t remember clearly. My mind is a mess. But one thing is certain: you are my master.]
The ring spoke calmly.
[I will follow your will. Command me.]
“Hm.”
Taesan stared at the ring.
The being he had slain had taken residence in the ring.
It was disconcerting, but as the ring said, he was its master. There was no reason to reject it.
“So, what can you do?”
[I possess all the abilities that the individual rings had before they became one. And now, I am synchronized with you. I can become your shadow, lending power to your actions.]
“What exactly do you mean by actions?”
[I can increase the consumption cost of your mana and magic skills, maximizing their efficiency and power.]
Taesan immediately tested it. He used the frozen world, which had been abandoned in the dead world.
The ring glowed.
It interfered with the magic being formed, increasing its power.
Crackle!
A chill rushed through the air.
Taesan’s eyes lit up.
As the ring had said, the power had increased noticeably. Although the mana consumption had increased, it was negligible compared to the increased power.
“This is impressive.”
[And I can store the power you have, to be used when needed.]
“Is it like Memorize?”
Taesan tested it by storing dark magic in the ring. The ring absorbed it without any strain.
He then gave the ring a command. The stored dark magic was summoned without any signs beforehand.
Boom!
“This is exactly like before.”
The pure white rings, before they became one, could store power too. There was nothing special about that.
‘Maybe it can store Boundary Line too.’
Taesan created a Boundary Line and stored it in the ring.
The Boundary Line entered the ring without any resistance.
The fused ring could also store Boundary Line.
It wouldn’t be able to store a large amount, but being able to activate it immediately when needed was a significant advantage.
The specific applications still had to be tested, but it was an effect that could heavily influence battles.
Moreover, the ring grew stronger each time an enemy was defeated. The longer it was used, the more its abilities would improve.
‘What kind of equipment is this?’
It was truly on another level. The ring quietly asked.
[Are you satisfied?]
“Definitely.”
[I'm glad. Being useful to my master is the greatest happiness.]
The ring spoke gently.
That response stirred strange emotions in Taesan, who had fought with his life on the line against the apostle and the goddess.
Taesan asked the ring.
“Do you remember anything about the being you trusted?”
It was an unexpected question, but it could be an opportunity.
The quest to recover the lost goddess’s faith. Taesan had to find someone who remembered her, but he hadn’t been able to.
The ring was an apostle of the forgotten goddess. If she remembered the goddess, it could possibly progress the quest.
[...I don’t know.]
After a brief silence, the ring spoke.
[All I can remember is that she was precious. Beyond that, nothing comes to mind. If something triggers my memory, I may recall it...]
Taesan showed the spear he had obtained.
The will-infused spear was an item from the realm of the forgotten goddess. Although it had been turned into a spear, its basic aura matched.
[...It feels familiar.]
The ring murmured in a nostalgic voice.
After staring at the spear for a while, the ring suddenly spoke.
[Akasha.]
“What?”
[Akasha. That was my name in my past life. Or at least, I think it was.]
“Akasha, huh.”
[Beyond that... I’m not sure. I’m sorry.]
“No, that’s enough.”
The fact that she had recalled her name meant that it was possible she might remember the goddess someday as well. If she kept fighting and growing, it could eventually come to her.
“Then I’ll call you Akasha, right? Nice to meet you.”
[Understood, Master.]
[Is the story over now?]
Bardray quickly spoke to Akasha.
[It wasn’t bad, I’ll admit. I’ll be relying on you, fellow weapon. The lady who became a ring.]
[You’re... a sword, right? Ego Sword?]
[No. I don’t follow that guy’s orders. I’m free.]
[A free sword? I don’t quite understand. But you’re also a possession of our master. I’ll be relying on you from now on.]
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[No. I’m not a possession.]
Bardray muttered.
Akasha seemed somewhat distant.
It didn’t seem like it was due to being a ring; it felt more like that was her original nature.
With the basic checks done, Taesan spoke to Haphran.
“I’m satisfied.”
“If you need anything else, feel free to come to me. With you around, I believe I can craft even more powerful equipment.”
Haphran sent Taesan off with a satisfied look.
Taesan returned to the labyrinth.
“What should I do now?”
There wasn’t much time left before he would return to Earth.
It wasn’t time to clear another floor. After a brief hesitation, Taesan took a step forward.
He headed to the 78th floor. The Grand Library of the Boundless.
There, the librarian Jorge was reading, just like when they first met.
Without looking up from his book, he spoke.
“You’ve come at just the right time. Ainzhar was looking for you. Go see him.”
Taesan nodded.
As Jorge was about to ignore him and continue reading, he suddenly looked up.
His gaze was directed at Bardray.
Jorge furrowed his brow.
“A hero?”
[Hello, Jorge.]
“...Ego Sword? No, no, that’s not it.”
His bewilderment slowly subsided.
“Reborn as a sword, huh? With Kosrun around, it’s not impossible. But death wouldn’t allow it... with the power of the one holding you, it’s no surprise.”
Jorge quickly grasped the answer.
His interest faded from his eyes.
“Well, congratulations. I hope you don’t regret that choice.”
[Don’t worry about that.]
[Hello?]
Akasha quietly asked.
[Who are you? You feel strangely familiar.]
“...You.”
Jorge’s voice held surprise.
“Who are you?”
[I’m the possession of my master.]
“No. I don’t see anything from you. Who exactly...?”
“You don’t know the librarian of the God of Knowledge?”
It made sense considering everyone had forgotten. Taesan explained briefly.
“...Did such an transcendent exist? I don’t know.”
“If you knew, you wouldn’t have said it was forgotten in the first place.”
“It’s worth looking into.”
Taesan went to find Ainzhar. When he arrived at the 24th secret room, Ainzhar was waiting by the entrance.
“Ah! Taesan!”
Ainzhar, smiling broadly, ran toward him.
“You’ve come! My savior! Hahaha!”
“You seem pretty happy.”
“Of course! You’ve heard, right? My goddess, Revineff, has regained her consciousness!”
The corrupted Revineff had lost consciousness.
Ainzhar had said that once the goddess awoke, they would discuss everything, and Taesan had agreed.
Now, Revineff had regained her consciousness.
“Do you want to meet her?”
“Yes.”
Taesan nodded. Ainzhar smiled even more and hurried toward the secret room.
“My goddess! A precious guest has arrived!”
The door swung open.
Inside was Revineff.
[You have met the fallen goddess, Revineff.]
“Oh.”
A soft voice echoed.
Her face was incredibly serene, bringing peace just by looking at her.
The blackness that had tainted her chest had completely disappeared.
The goddess had been fully cleansed. Taesan knelt.
“Congratulations, Lady Revineff.”
“It’s all thanks to you.”
Revineff shook her head.
“And there’s no need to treat me with such formality. I’m no longer a goddess.”
Revineff raised her hand. It was incredibly white, flawless skin.
But there was no longer any sense of divinity emanating from her.
Revineff had fallen. She was now a mortal being.
