Chương 169

The sky high above the ocean was clear and freezing cold. Rudra sat cross-legged on Vritra's massive white back. The giant serpent glided smoothly through the clouds.

"Hey, Partner," Vritra's deep, telepathic voice echoed in Rudra's mind.

"Are we hunting another temple today?"

"Not yet," Rudra said.

"We cleared a couple of islands right after you joined us, but we still have fifteen temples left in this cluster. I need a pit stop before we smash the rest."

"Thank god," Kratos groaned. The half-gold lion was lying flat on his stomach, digging his claws into Vritra's white scales.

"If we fly anymore today, I'm going to throw up."

"You just hate flying," Rudra laughed.

"I am a ground animal," Kratos grumbled.

"The ground is safe. The ground doesn't move." Rudra ignored the complaining lion and looked down at his lap. Surviving Vritra's ultimate breath attack and smashing through another two temples had done a serious number on his equipment. His black trench coat was covered in scorch marks. But the real problem was his weapon. He pulled up the status window for Extortion. [Durability: 14 / 1, 200] The durability text was flashing a bright, angry red.

If it hit zero, the legendary staff would shatter into useless splinters.

"I really need to fix this," Rudra muttered. Normally, a player would just run to the nearest city, pay a blacksmith a few gold coins, and get their gear repaired. But Satisfy had a harsh penalty system. If an ordinary NPC blacksmith repaired an item using a hammer and anvil, the item's maximum durability would permanently decrease by one or two points. Do that fifty times, and a legendary weapon turns into a fragile twig.

"I'm not letting some random NPC hammer on my staff," Rudra said.

"There has to be a better way." He opened his new Deep Sage class window. He looked at the [Knowledge Creation] skill. He had five empty slots to invent entirely new concepts.

"Let's see if I can cheat the system," Rudra smiled. He activated [Legendary Sage's Eyes]. His vision shifted. He looked at Extortion. He could see the exact composition of the dark metal and bone. He saw the microscopic cracks spreading through the shaft. He triggered [Knowledge Creation]. He imagined using basic alchemy to gently melt the edges of those microscopic cracks and perfectly fuse them back together, seamlessly restoring the weapon without any physical stress. [2, 500 Enlightenment has been consumed.] [You are attempting to create a new Knowledge...] [Your Wisdom and high Intelligence are guiding the process.] A bright, unique purple light flashed in his hands. A small, tightly rolled scroll appeared. [You have successfully created the Unique-rated skill 'Alchemist's Repair'!] [Alchemist's Repair (Lv. 1)] [Rating: Unique] [Uses alchemy to seamlessly mend items. - Restores item durability to 100% without lowering the maximum durability limit. - Takes significantly less time than traditional blacksmithing. - Requires an Alchemy Repair Kit to perform -Resource Consumption: 1, 000 - 10, 000 Mana(depending on the rating of the item). Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. -Skill Cooldown: 1 hour] Rudra laughed. It worked perfectly. But before he could even celebrate, a second golden notification popped up right in front of his face. [The effect of 'Endless Learning' has triggered. You have acquired Unique Knowledge.] [All stats +5] [Wisdom +5] Rudra blinked.

He stared at the free stat points.

"Wait," Rudra said, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"I just triggered my own passive skill by reading the skill I just created? I can just farm myself for stats." He swiped the notifications away. He was in a great mood. Since he was on a winning streak, he decided to do a little synthesis. He opened his inventory. Sitting in his bags were 35 'Forgotten Skill Fragments' he had looted from Asterion's temples over the last few weeks. He pulled up the synthesis window. He dumped 25 fragments into the glowing slots. He didn't hesitate. He knew the math.

Fusing 25 fragments together guaranteed a Legendary-rated skill book every single time. He hit the combine button. The fragments dissolved into blinding white light. They swirled together, compressing into a thick, ancient-looking skill book bound in pale grey leather. [You have successfully synthesized 25 fragments!] [You have acquired the Legendary skill book: 'Spell Store'.] Rudra grabbed the book and checked the details. [Spell Store (Lv. 1)] [Rating: Legendary] [A lost combat art created by the ancient Zen Race. - Allows the user to store a single known spell inside their body or weapon. - Upon physical contact with a target, the stored spell is instantly triggered. - The released spell deals 50% of its normal magic effect, but it completely bypasses the target's magic defense. - Resource Consumption: Varies based on the stored spell. - Skill Cooldown: 10 Minutes.] Rudra read the description twice. It was absolutely perfect for him.

He didn't want to stand in the back and cast spells like a normal wizard. He liked close-quarters combat. With this skill, he could store a massive, explosive magic spell directly into his staff. When he bashed an enemy over the head, the spell would explode at point-blank range, completely ignoring their magic armor. He tapped the book, instantly learning it thanks to his [Boundless Scholar] passive. A rush of new, complex knowledge flooded his mind.

He perfectly understood how to pause a spell's activation and tether it to a physical object. [The effect of 'Endless Learning' has triggered. You have acquired Legendary Knowledge.] [All stats +15] [Wisdom +10] But as the golden light faded into his chest, Rudra's smile slowly vanished.

"Hey, Vritra," Rudra called out telepathically.

"Have you ever heard of the Zen Race?" Vritra tilted its massive head back slightly. The Zen Race? Vritra's voice echoed, sounding surprised. That is a very old name, Partner. They vanished long before I hatched. They were wiped out during one of the past world destructions.

"Were they strong?" Rudra asked. They were an anomaly, Vritra explained. They were not naturally powerful like angels or demons. But they were deeply respected by all ancient beings. In every single generation, without fail, the Zen Race produced someone like you who has pushed his weapon to their limit.

"A Saint?" Rudra asked. Yes. They constantly birthed mortals who reached the absolute pinnacle of their chosen weapon. Rudra frowned. He looked out at the passing clouds. He thought about the skills he had received from Asterion's fragments over the last few months. When he needed mobility, the fragments gave him [Abyssal Step]. When he needed a massive stat boost to survive tough fights, he got [Mana Heart]. When he needed a way to fight heavy hitters, he got [Atlas's Rebound].

And now, right after getting a massive mana pool, he got a perfectly tailored Legendary skill from a race famous for producing Weapon Saints. It was way too perfect. Asterion, the God of the Ocean, wasn't just handing out random loot for clearing the temples. The god was actively manipulating the reward pool.

"Asterion is coveting me," Rudra whispered, narrowing his eyes. Gods in Satisfy didn't hand out massive favors for free. Asterion was actively grooming him, piecing together the exact tools Rudra needed to become the perfect, unstoppable weapon. Rudra didn't know what Asterion wanted from him yet, but he knew the bill would eventually come due.

"Well, whatever he wants, I'll deal with it when it happens," Rudra sighed, shaking his head.

"Vritra, find us an island with a town. I need to buy some tools." Understood. An hour later, Vritra spotted a medium-sized island near the neutral zone. It had a bustling port town, a few stone watchtowers, and a busy market. To avoid causing a massive panic, Vritra landed on a secluded rocky beach a few miles away from the town.

"You two stay here and stay out of sight," Rudra told Vritra and Kratos.

"I'm just going to run into town, buy a portable alchemy kit so I can fix my staff, and come right back."

"Bring snacks," Kratos yawned, curling up against Vritra's warm white scales. Rudra walked down the dirt path into the port town. The streets smelled like baked fish, sea salt, and cheap ale. It was a normal, lively NPC village. Players rarely came out this far into the ocean. He wandered through the crowded market until he heard the familiar, rhythmic clang, clang, clang of a blacksmith's hammer. He followed the noise down a narrow cobblestone alley. He found a small, open-air smithy.

Thick grey smoke poured out of the stone chimney.