The faces of the wolf-kin were lit in awe, tails swishing in exhilaration. Consumed by the excitement, a few couldn't resist the urge to name this weapon.
These folks believed that such an amazing weapon should have a name of its own.
"Name it, Kael! A weapon like that must bear a name!"
Kael glanced at the dagger before turning his gaze to Dorian, who stood with a quiet elegance at the edge of the crowd. The blacksmith's soot-stained hands were foiled, his rough face illuminated by the moonlight.
Kael's eyes asked the question without words, but Dorian only shook his head, a proud, almost fatherly smile tugging at his lips.
"It's not my hand that will wield it," Dorian said firmly. "The right to name it is yours, Kael."
How could he name it?
This wasn't right.
He hadn't crafted this dagger with his blood and sweat. It was Dorian who had crafted it. Hence, he should be the one to name it.
But now, Dorian himself wanted him to do the honor.
Kael felt burdened.
He stared at Dorian with a helpless gaze. But Dorian remained unmoved. He stared at Kael with conviction as if telling him to do the honor.
Helpless, he frowned as he averted his gaze from Dorian. Then his gaze fell upon the dagger he held. The dagger shimmered, the moonlight sliding across its sharp edges.
Just staring at the dagger reminded him of the night.
"Night-Fang," Kael whispered before speaking loud. "Night Fang"
Upon hearing the name, the others beamed with excitement.
"Night-Fang... That's a good name." Dorian commented, nodding his head in satisfaction.
The wolf-kin began to repeat the name again and again as if attempting to itch its name in history.
Kael, himself couldn't stop staring at the dagger he held. For some reason, he felt a kind of connection with this weapon he held.
While the others around celebrated the naming of the dagger, he stared at the dagger with longing eyes.
But in the midst of celebration, one pair of eyes did not share the joy. Instead, what reflected in it was annoyance.
Vorrack stood at the edge of the gathering, his gaze fixed upon the dagger. The moonlight revealed the faint scar above his right eye, but in his expression there was something darker— something sharp and covetous.
Though he said nothing, the way his jaw tightened betrayed it all.
Greed.
Even as the others rejoiced, his thoughts coiled like a serpent. He knew, if he possessed that dagger, he could change things.
He had seen something others had ignored.
That dagger... could change everything for him.
**** ****
Though Kael and others weren't aware of the potential of the dagger, the same couldn't be said about Ethan.
He had been observing this execution from his chamber.
Before him, the screen showed the details of the dagger Kael held.
[Night Fang]
[Grade: ???]
[Description: Forged from Netherveil Ore. Within it dwells a formless spirit, feeding on blood and death. With each kill, the spirit grows stronger, empowering the blade and whispering to the wielder. Grants enhanced sharpness and unnatural speed in combat. Evolves through accumulated kills and blood essence.]
[Drawback: The spirit hungers endlessly. The more it is fed, the more it seeks to devour the wielder's will. To wield Night Fang is to walk the edge between power and ruin.]
[Hidden abilities: locked]
Ethan frowned looking at the description of the dagger. He could tell from the description that this dagger wasn't just a tool but an artifact— cursed one of top of it.
"Just how did we stumble upon an artifact?" Ethan couldn't stop pondering.
There were two categories of tools in the game. The first one being normal tools and the second one being an artifact.
The normal tools didn't enhance the performance of the wielder. But artifacts were capable of enhancing the performance of the wielder. Even more, artifacts possessed unimaginable power that made it seem like a cheat item.
However, artifacts were rare to find.
Yet now, Ethan had stumbled upon one such artifact.
Now, one might wonder if such powerful weapon was in his possession then shouldn't he be elated about it?
Why would he be worried if he had found one such item?
But the real problem was that this artifact was a cursed one. Even artifacts were divided into two categories: blessed artifact and cursed artifacts.
The blessed artifacts didn't hamper the wielder. But the cursed one as the name suggests, it hampers the wielder.
With that said, Ethan didn't want to lose his apostle to some items.
Frustrated, Ethan scratched his head, "Just why? Why does it have to be a cursed one?"
For a while, he couldn't rid himself of the thought of having a cursed artifact. But then again, he recalled the event of class ascension.
Thinking about it, he consoled himself, "I hope it can be our trump card..."
He let out a deep sigh before slumping against the screen.
"For now, Kael should be able to handle the repercussions. From the looks of it, we still have time before it becomes a threat."
**** ****
While the scouting team took their time to return, the wolf-kin continued with their life. Though things had changed, the village didn't encounter disasters that threatened their peace.
The mining of the Netherveil Ore continued without pause.
Dorian, crafted new tools and weapons using the Netherveil Ore. However, the later weapons he crafted failed to become artifacts.
Due to the surge in the tools and weapons, the production of the village also soared.
With new tools, agriculture became easier. Even mining and other activities became much more easier.
Despite the wolf-kin possessing natural set of weapons being their innate claws, the young warriors were forced to train with the weapon to help them familiarize with it.
"Hup!"
"Hup!"
Outside in the training area, the young wolf-kin warriors were swinging their swords.
Meanwhile, inside the barrack, Kael was seated before a table, appearing somewhat distressed.
Just then Lina who had been helping in the barrack entered the room holding onto a steaming hot bowl. Upon entering the room, the first thing she noticed was the distressed look of Kael.
Usually, he'd notice her arrival even before she stepped inside the room.
But this time, however, he didn't even turn to look at her.