The Monster Hunter's Encyclopedia materialized in my hands with a weight that felt more like a weapon than a book. The cover—black leather stamped with silver fangs—thrummed faintly, as if alive.
I flipped it open, and the pages rippled, rearranging themselves until a random early page snapped into focus:
━━━◇◆◇━━━
VOIDSPAWN WORM
"A fracture in reality given teeth."
Habitat: Dimensional rifts, unstable spatial zones...
Threat Level: ★★★★☆ (Elite)
Strenghts:
- Spatial leaping
- Tunneling
- etc...
Weaknesses:
- Spatial destabilization
- Sonic frequencies
Bondable: NO
NOTES: "The specimen you encountered was juvenile. Adults exceed 100 meters."
━━━◇◆◇━━━
My fingers tightened on the page.
Juvenile. That thing had nearly killed the students.
I turned to another entry—the Frostfang from the town attack. It had similar detailed information with its picture. The pages continued with the other lesser rank or Alpha beasts I encountered.
Honestly, this was a huge cheat item.
Like, knowing an enemy's weaknesses beforehand could turn the tide of any battle. Preparation was half the victory, after all.
And this book allowed me to see both the weaknesses and strengths of any monster I came in contact with.
But it certainly had its limits.
Flipping through pages mid-combat wasn't exactly practical, and some entries were frustratingly vague. Still, for travel? For planning ahead? It was an invaluable asset.
As I mused over its uses, a thought flickered—what about Virion?
The book shimmered violently in response, pages whirling before snapping open to an entry that made my blood freeze.
━━━◇◆◇━━━
PRIMORDIAL SERPENT (???)
"A myth that walks like a man, and scowls like a storm"
Habitat: REDACTED
Threat Level: ★★★★★+ (The plus was scribbled in jagged script, as if added as an afterthought.)
Weaknesses: UNKNOWN
Bondable: ???
NOTES: "You already know this one. Just try not to disappoint him."
━━━◇◆◇━━━
A dry chuckle escaped me.
Even the System treated Virion like a force of nature.
"Hehe."
With a final chuckle at the System's obvious respect(fear) of Virion, I closed the encyclopedia and willed it back into my inventory. The weight of it lingered in my palm for a moment, as if reluctant to leave.
My attention returned to the previous event window, scrolling down to the last reward—the one I hadn't inspected yet.
━━━◇◆◇━━━
[Twilight Fang & Dawn Thorn]
"Forged from the fangs of a Void Panther and the talons of a Solar Hawk—though their true potential lies dormant."
Tier: Awakened*
Description:
Twin daggers, one black as abyssal ink, the other pale as morning frost. Their edges shimmer faintly—Fang with a whisper of void, Thorn with a flicker of trapped sunlight.
Effects:
- Twilight Fang (Left): Cuts leave behind faint traces of void mist, slightly slowing movement for 3 seconds.
- Dawn Thorn (Right): Every third strike emits a weak solar pulse, briefly dazzling the target.
- Dusk Rend (Set Bonus): Landing both blades within 1 second creates a small energy ripple, dealing minor bonus damage.
Soulbound:
"Bound to Amaniel von Luthaire. Will grow with their wielder."
Notes:
"They are but shadows of what they could become. Feed them battles, and they may yet awaken."
━━━◇◆◇━━━
Another OP item!
I clenched my fists, phantom weight of the twin daggers lingering in my palms.
Twilight Fang & Dawn Thorn.
Even their names thrummed with potential.
A bitter chuckle escaped me.
Borrowed ones from Zephyr had saved me during the attack—now I finally had my own.
And not just any weapons—soulbound, growth-type, with effects that already outclassed standard awakened-tier gear. I couldn't stop imagining how powerful they could be at their peak.
Could I cut space with them? Or slice through anything?
More importantly... should I try them out?!
But I forced my hands to relax.
Taking them out now would be reckless. Virion's domain was littered with relics, but even he'd raise an eyebrow if I started waving around relic after relic from the System.
Soon, I promised myself. No, in the next fight, I'll use them!
Closing both the info and event windows, I turned to the next scenario—"The Moment Light Fades". The title alone coiled like ice in my gut.
I focused, and the System unfurled its verdict.
━━━◇◆◇━━━
SCENARIO: "THE MOMENT LIGHT FADES"
STATUS: COMPLETED (HIDDEN OBJECTIVE)
"Some flames were meant to gutter out. But you stole the wind that would snuff them."
▸ REWARDS:
- ["Emberlily Essence"] (Can cure a fatal/old injury)
- ["Shared Burden"] - "Pain is lighter when divided."
- 50 Scenario Points
- Title Earned: [The One Who Took the Fall]
- Achievement Unlocked: [The Unwritten Epilogue]
━━━◇◆◇━━
My eyes darted across the scenario summary, searching for any clue about my unstable Loci. Again—nothing. Just another completed mission with cryptic praise.
With a frustrated sigh, I turned to the rewards.
The Emberlily Essence shimmered in my mental inventory—a single-use vial of crimson liquid that could apparently "mend even death's touch." Definitely worth saving for emergencies.
The achievement was without an effect or reward this time.
While the title [The One Who Took the Fall] came with an unexpected bonus:
"For bearing what should have broken others." - Reward: [Shared Burden] Level Up
Now that was interesting.
I focused on the skill, and its updated description unfolded:
━━━◇◆◇━━
[Shared Burden - Active] (Lv. 2)
"The weight you carry need not be yours alone."
Effect 1: Shared Pain/Damage
- Form a one-way or two-way aura connection with a target within close proximity (max range: 10 meters).
- While linked, you can voluntarily absorb a portion of their physical pain or damage (up to 30% mitigation). Alternatively, you may distribute your own pain/damage to them.
Warning: Excessive shared damage may destabilize both parties.
Effect 2: Empathic Resonance
- If the target's favorability toward you is ★★ or higher, you may temporarily sync emotions with them.
- Duration: 5 minutes.
- Cooldown: 1 hour.
Note: Strong emotions may linger or cause unintended feedback loops. Use with caution.
Upgrade Conditions:
- Share critical damage (below 10% HP) 3 times.
- Achieve ★★★★ favorability with a linked target of ★★ or below favorability.
━━━◇◆◇━━
My fingers hovered over the skill description, tracing each line as if committing it to muscle memory.
Shared Burden.
A slow grin spread across my face.
This... this can also be a game changer.
The first effect alone—damage redistribution—was monstrously versatile. I could:
- Tank hits for allies
- Dump pain onto enemies
- Even split damage with willing targets
And the second effect? Empathic Resonance?
It can also play a big role in the right situations, and when used correctly.
With many ideas in my mind, I closed the unnecessary windows and willed the last scenario:
[A SWORD WITHOUT REST]