CCTnovel Chapter 159: Obtaining the Divine Weapon’s Fragment
Chapter 159: Obtaining the Divine Weapon’s Fragment
Damn, two titles at once!
Without wasting time, I immediately checked their details.
Serpent Slayer
Rank: Unique
A title granted to those who have slain a high-tier serpentine monster of mythic origin.
Grants +40 Strength, +35 Dexterity, and +20 Magic Power.Significantly increases damage dealt to serpent-type and petrification-type monsters.Serpent-type monsters experience instinctive fear and hesitation when facing you.Slightly increases resistance to gaze-based debuffs.Stonecurse Vanquisher
Rank: Epic
A title granted to those who destroyed a monster capable of instant petrification through direct confrontation
Nullifies physical and magical attacks by 50%. Significantly increases resistance to petrification and immobilization.Attacks deal bonus damage to enemies with hardened or reinforced bodies (stone, metal, chitin, etc.).Stonecurse Vanquisher was exactly one of those conditional titles that only appeared when extremely strict requirements were met. Had I not been the one to deliver the final blow—and had I not done it by clashing directly with its petrifying attack—it would have been impossible to acquire. This was why I had waited for the exact moment to strike, forcing a head-on confrontation to secure it.
What made the title even more unusual was that it provided no direct stat bonuses at all. And yet its effects were anything but inferior. Nullifying 50 percent of both physical and magical attacks was absurdly powerful. If someone like Boris held this title, he would become practically indestructible. As for me… this synergized perfectly with Uldrek the Blood Berserker’s power. With those combined, I could shrug off attacks that would annihilate most divine warriors.
All in all, this was a massive gain, but not the greatest one here. That honor belonged to the fragment of the divine weapon.
“Aw, shucks. There’s nothing that can be salvaged from the Medusa replica’s remains…” Tuilë complained, kicking a pile of shattered stone with a sulking look.
I shrugged. “It’s not a real living creature, so that makes sense.”
She puffed her cheeks in disappointment, but her mood turned 180 degrees as we turned our attention toward the central pedestal. The half-blade resting atop it gleamed untouched, without even a speck of dust on its surface. In this ancient, crumbling dungeon, it felt almost wrong in how perfectly preserved it was. More than that, it radiated a presence far older and more profound than anything else in the chamber.
We approached cautiously. Even damaged and sealed, the fragment radiated a pressure unlike any mortal artifact…
“Do you mind me taking the honor?” I inquired.
“Sure.”
“Of course.”
“Ha, I’m not one to use a weapon.”
“Go on.”
All four agreed without the slightest hesitation. It made sense. I was the one who had invited them here, the one who possessed the map piece, and, most importantly, the only one among us who used swords. In a place like this, claiming the divine fragment almost felt like fulfilling a role that had already been preordained.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped closer and touched the handle of the half-blade. There didn’t seem to be any trap around the pedestal like in the previous chamber. As my fingers brushed the relic, a faint ripple pulsed through my arm, as though the fragment had been waiting, dormant, for someone capable of awakening it.
As I lifted it from its resting place, golden motes drifted up from the surrounding air, spiraling briefly before fading like dust illuminated by sunlight.
Fragment: Sword of Great Alabaster
Grade: ???
Type: Divine Weapon’s Fragment
A severed portion of a divine weapon wielded by Amun, the Seraphic King of the Sun. Though its power has long faded, it retains the dormant essence of the original blade.
Can be restored if all fragments are reunited.Contains sealed knowledge of the original weapon’s combat techniques.Hidden functions can be unlocked once more fragments are gathered.Hmm… it’s literally unusable as a weapon in its current state.
Nevertheless, despite looking deceptively ordinary, it was still a divine armament forged for a being far beyond mortal understanding. This so-called Amun must have been an existence surpassing divine heroes—at the very least a demigod, perhaps something even greater. If all its pieces were ever reunited, the completed weapon would likely ascend beyond anything legendary-grade armaments could ever hope to achieve.
“It’s quite a fancy weapon, but it seems to be useless in its current state,” Boris commented.
Michelle leaned closer. “So… what can you do with it, exactly?”
“For now? Not much,” I said, though I couldn’t suppress a faint smile. “But once the rest of its pieces are found… this could become one of the strongest weapons in Divine Will.”
“Then it’s worth all the trouble,” said Lucian.
As it was now, it was nothing more than a fancy ornament, albeit one with immeasurable potential waiting to be unlocked. I fully intended to claim all of its remaining pieces, no matter how long it took. With that resolve in mind, I carefully stored the fragment in my inventory. Whatever I decided to do with it would come later.
Right now, what to do next was to—
Wait… I’ve placed the divine eggs in the last chamber… Boris and Michelle both know about their existence, and if they were to find them here… I’ve no idea how I would even begin to explain myself.
My brain quickly ran in overdrive, and I suggested to them casually, “Er, I think there may be more things hidden in this chamber. Why don’t we look around a bit?”
It wasn’t a completely baseless suggestion. There could very well be clues about the next fragment of the divine weapon hidden somewhere around here. The chances were low, but it wouldn’t hurt trying, and it would keep them occupied long enough for me to slip away unnoticed.
They agreed without questioning, and we split up to search the surrounding pillars and carvings. Once I was alone, I glanced toward the narrow passage that led deeper into the dungeon. I couldn’t risk walking there myself right away. So, without delay, I activated Echo Construct. My clone materialized beside me, solidifying from a shimmering haze into my exact form.
The skill’s current level was enough to let the construct persist for quite a while as long as it didn’t move unnecessarily. I ordered it to remain visible and continue pretending to “search” the chamber while I handled the real objective deeper inside.
Subsequently, I slipped into the passage beyond the archway without any of them noticing. Just as I remembered, the sloping corridor curved downward. Eventually, it opened into the small, pristine chamber hidden at the dungeon’s deepest point. The walls were smooth and engraved with spiraling runes that converged toward the emblem etched at the center. Faint streams of light filtered through old cracks above, illuminating the basin where mana gathered naturally.
And atop that basin were the two eggs I had left behind. I walked closer and realized that one of the eggs, the black one, was now nothing more than an empty shell, and the being inside had long since come out.
“It seems that one of them has already hatched,” I muttered.
But there was no creature in sight. The room was completely intact; no claw marks, no signs of panic, nothing suggesting a newborn beast had thrashed about. If anything, the pristine state of the chamber made it feel as though the absence was an intentional act of scheming.
“…Strange. Where is it?”
A sudden shiver crept down my spine as I sensed movement behind me. I turned sharply just in time for a small black blur to launch toward my face. My grip tightened on my spear, ready to strike, but the instant the shape landed on my shoulder, all sense of hostility vanished. Instead, something warm and unbelievably soft nestled against my cheek, letting out a tiny mrrr.
I blinked in surprise as I discovered that it was a kitten. A very small, very fluffy kitten with midnight-black fur that glinted faintly like smoky embers. It had gold-red pupils, and through the soft fur on its head peeked both a pair of pointed ears and two tiny horn nubs. Its tail flicked lazily from side to side. Each gentle purr caused a subtle ripple in the ambient mana, as though even its comfort could disturb the air around it.
[Infernal Bakeneko Kit – Lv.20]
A newly hatched demon-cat spirit born from concentrated mana. Despite its adorable appearance, it’s extremely cunning and can instinctively shapeshift into other small forms, though its transformations are limited in duration and stability at this stage. Once it matures, it will gain stronger illusion, shadow, and transformation abilities, eventually evolving into a Nekomata. This creature is known for forming an unbreakable bond with the first being it sees upon hatching.
Ah, so it’s a demon-cat spirit. The myths from my world described Bakeneko as shapeshifters and omens of strange fortune. This one, however, was clearly a rarer hellborn variant.
“You’re the one that hatched?” I whispered.
The kitten meowed smugly and rubbed its tiny head beneath my jaw. Its body was unbelievably warm, like holding a living ember wrapped in fur. Instead of claws, I felt the gentle press of soft pads. It wasn’t hostile at all. In fact, it behaved like I was its parent.
I smiled and extended a hand. The demon cat sniffed my fingers once, then licked them before curling its tail around my neck as if claiming me.
“All right. How about I name you… Ember?”
The kitten meowed in immediate acceptance.
Moments later, a faint red-gold mana rippled outward from its small body, wrapping around me.
You have established a Master-Servant Contract with [Infernal Bakeneko Kit, Ember].
You have acquired a skill: [Soullink Resonance Lv.1].
You have earned a new title: Tamer of Hellborn.
Your Mind has increased by 5.
Your Magic Power has increased by 10.
You have met the hidden criteria to obtain the [Beast Tamer] class.
Would you like to change your class?
[Yes/No]
Of course not.
Beast Tamer was just a unique class and was trash compared to Paradox Incarnate. Sure, it could evolve into “Monster Tamer” or even “Myth Tamer,” and its pet-based skills had their own charm… yet ultimately, it was a niche class with limited synergy for me. Trading away the most versatile and reality-bending class in Divine Will for beast buffs would be idiotic.
You have rejected the class.
The little creature purred louder in response, as if pleased by my decision to be its master. Ember hopped on my arm and nestled against my chest as the final threads of the contract wove themselves into place.
“One down… one more to go,” I murmured.
Because, beside the broken shell, the second egg had begun to crack, with radiant light spilling through the fissures. Something holy was awakening now… a counterpart to the hellborn creature already curled against my chest. Yet, both were destined to be mine.
While waiting for it to hatch completely, I glanced at the new skill and title I had obtained:
[Soullink Resonance Lv.1]
Rank: Rare
Type: Passive/Active Hybrid
Creates a spiritual channel between the user and their tamed beast. Allows shared perception for a short duration, boosts the beast’s stats when ordered into direct combat, and lets the user lend a portion of their mana for temporary skill enhancement. Higher levels deepen the bond and enable stronger cooperative abilities.
Tamer of Hellborn
Rank: Unique
A title granted to those who form a binding contract with a hellborn creature through mutual recognition.
Increases affinity with demonic, infernal, and corrupted beast species.Grants +10% effectiveness to beast-related skills.Greatly increases resistance to fear, mental disorder, and corruption-based effects.Hellborn-type creatures will instinctively treat you as a higher authority.I nodded in satisfaction. This wasn’t a bad haul at all.
Soon, the second egg split fully with a soft crackling sound, and a gentle radiance bloomed outward. From within the shell emerged a white creature—so pure and so ethereal—that I unconsciously froze in place, completely caught off guard by its appearance.