“Open the doors!” Val commanded.

“Yes, Master Val.”

Richard removed the seals on the entrance of the Terrace of Darkness before pushing open the heavy doors.

Whoosh!

Immediately, a gust of eerie black wind rushed out, swarming around them like a swarm of spectral bats. Richard, along with the other guards, shivered as an innate fear surged from deep within their hearts.

However, despite being in the same shoes as them, Val remained undeterred and unyielding in the face of the corruptive force of the Terrace.

He fought it off with sheer will alone and confidently stepped into the gloomy environment of the terrace.

Immediately, a monotone system notification rang in his mind.

[Entering: Terrace of Darkness. Caution is advised due to high corruption levels.]

Val heard the warning from one ear and let it out of the other. He ignored it. After all, because of his Unfeeling Trait, he was immune to corruption. 𝓞𝒱𝓛xt.𝗇𝓔t

Inside the Terrace, it was as dark as the abyss. A normal person would be blinded the second they step foot inside this place, but that wasn’t the case for Val. Having the Nocturnal Vision Trait, his eyes immediately adjusted to the darkness.

Everything shrouded in darkness became clear to him.

As he ventured deeper into the Terrace of Darkness, he saw an assortment of cursed artifacts, some scattered on the ground, some displayed on dusty wooden shelves. Their tags showcased their ranks and effects.

Val didn’t even bother glancing at the artifacts that didn’t look like a weapon. The thing is, he wasn’t looking for just any artifact; he sought a weapon, preferably a sword.

Suddenly, a peculiar sight caught his eye.

He noticed a sword pulsing with dark energy. Its resting place was a small, isolated pedestal at the far end of the room. The force of corruption emanating from it was discernible, thick and heavy, strong enough to drive the mentally weak to insanity instantly.

Most interestingly, it lacked a tag!

This indicated that no one from the Whitemore family had managed to wield it, likely due to its immense corruptive force.

“This is certainly more than a rank 4 cursed artifact,” Val mused.

In the Whitemore Family, the majority of Bloodline Users could only handle rank-5 cursed weapons.

Joshua, the family head, had managed to control a rank-3 artifact.

Even Val’s elder brother had subdued a rank-3 weapon like his father before he ventured out of the stronghold to form a mercenary group with his companions, seeking expansion.

Val was determined not to be overshadowed by them. Not to mention, he had obtained this opportunity in exchange for two precious Blood Purifying Herbs. He was determined to make the best use of this opportunity and obtain this weapon that seems to be above rank-4 no matter what the cost.

His ambition blazed like a fire in his heart, urging him to step forward in his pursuit of power.

Approaching a cursed weapon that was literally leaking corruption was an impossible task for most individuals, but Val was far from ordinary. His unfeeling trait made him immune to the fear and pain that the force of corruption usually instilled in one’s heart and body!

Although the sword was trying to corrupt him, he remained unaffected.

Step by step, he approached the sword.

He reached out, his hand wrapping around the hilt, attempting to pull it free from the pedestal.

[Ding! Cursed Artifact submission in progress…]

[The Cursed Artifact has started to resist!]

The sword resisted, amplifying its output of corruption in response to his efforts to capture it.

It was doing its best to harm him, but to its dismay, Val remained unaffected, as unmoving as a mountain. It seemed like even if the sky crumbled apart and fell, he would still not be terrified. It seemed like nothing in this world could make him feel fear or pain!

“You’re coming with me!” Val declared with an air of authority. With a firm and powerful tug, he pulled the sword out of the pedestal. Simultaneously, the aura of corruption dissipated as if erased by an unseen hand.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have subdued the Cursed Artifact!]

The weapon, now subdued, rested in his grasp like a docile pet, its former defiance replaced by an air of belonging as if it had always been meant to be there.

The next step was establishing a bond with the subdued cursed artifact.

He knew that a bond between a bloodline user and a devil Knowing that a bond could be formed through a blood exchange, he pricked his finger, allowing a droplet of his blood to fall on the hilt of the sword.

[Connection Established. You have become the owner of the rank-3 Cursed Weapon called the Aquarius Sword.]

Immediately, a connection was formed between the two of them.

The Aquarius Sword enhanced his Strength and Reflexes enhanced by 4 and 2 points respectively. It was as if the weapon had become a part of Val!

Simultaneously, it transmitted a bunch of information directly into Val’s mind through the connection they shared.

It was due to this that he discovered a unique trait of the Aquarius Sword.

It held the ability to ingest liquids, only to expel them when it was full, expel them as concentrated, high-pressure arcs, potent enough to slice through steel as though it were mere sludge!

Val smiled triumphantly, “I have gained another strong trump card.”