The man was bleeding when he arrived.
Not heavily — just a steady drip from a gash above his brow, the kind that made your vision blur but didn't kill you. His coat was soaked, and one boot squished from where the sole had split in half.
Alex opened the door himself.
The smuggler leaned on the frame. "Still take visitors?"
Alex nodded and stepped aside. "You're early."
"Storm pushed my raft sideways. City guards took a share off the top." He limped in. "Bastards didn't find the real goods, though."
Alex locked the door behind him.
This wasn't their first meeting.
Kellan Marr, age unknown, profession: unregistered smuggler, occasional fence, and sometime informant for Silco's agents.He moved quietly, traded fairly, and stayed alive through bad luck by remembering people who helped him.
Alex was one of those people. He'd tipped Kellan off about a customs raid two weeks earlier — saved his entire cargo from being seized.
Tonight, the man had returned with something promised.A gift.
Something old. Something dangerous.
Kellan sat heavily at the table. Pulled a small wrapped bundle from under his coat. Unraveled it like it was a newborn.
Inside:A dagger.
But not just any blade.
It was short — no more than eight inches from hilt to point — but its surface shimmered in the candlelight. Not silver. Not steel. Something darker. Lighter. Alive.
Alex's breath caught.
Valyrian Steel.
He didn't need the system to tell him. The look of it, the way light refused to rest on the blade — it was unmistakable.
Kellan wiped blood from his face. "Took it off a pirate. Idiot didn't know what he had. Thought it was just 'decorative.'"
Alex didn't speak. He reached out — slowly — and touched the flat of the dagger's blade.
Passive Analysis – Object Detected
Name: Valyrian Steel Dagger – Dragonforged Class
Copyable Trait:
Dragon-Forged Edge (Level 0) → Grants user's weapon enhanced durability and penetration. → Can pierce magical defenses and undead materials. → Synergizes with Strength, Precision, and Fire-element traits.
Object Copy Limit: 1 per day
Object Storage Available: 100 ft³ (Storage Level 1)
Alex accepted instantly.
Copy Initiated – Dragon-Forged Edge (Level 0)
Daily Object Copy Limit Remaining: 0 / 1
Object Stored: Blueprint of "Dragon-Forged Edge" added to internal storage.
For a moment, his fingers tingled.
Then the sensation passed — and he knew.The trait was stored. It could now be applied to any blade he touched long enough to bind.
It wouldn't make the weapon indestructible. But it would make it bite — harder than any man-made steel ever could.
"You want the real thing too?" Kellan asked, eyes sharp.
Alex shook his head. "Keep it. Sell it. Just make sure no one connects it to me."
Kellan chuckled. "Didn't expect you to say that."
"I needed what's inside it," Alex said, "not the metal."
That made Kellan pause.
"You're one of those... special types, aren't you?"
Alex didn't blink. "I'm the type who survives."
Kellan nodded slowly. "Fair."
He stood, wrapped the dagger again, and tossed a small pouch of dried fruit onto the table. "For the dogs."
Then he was gone.
When the door closed, Alex sat down and opened the Archive.
New Trait Registered – Dragon-Forged Edge (Level 0)
Can apply magical edge to any compatible weapon (blade class).
Passive durability boost.
Allows penetration through low-grade magical armor or undead bone.
Duration: 10 minutes per use (Level 0)
Cooldown: 1 hour
Future levels unlock permanent enchantment for bonded weapon.
This wasn't just for killing.
This was warfare preparation.
He knew what was coming — the slow stirrings of undead threats in the north, the strange disappearances along the Essosi trade routes. Rumors of Wight-walkers. Shadows on the sea.
It was only a matter of time before political enemies weren't the only ones worth fearing.
And now, he had the first blade that could fight both kinds.
He made a mental note:
Train with it weekly.
Integrate it into his close-quarters kit.
Do not reveal it to Silco. Yet.
Some cards were better kept until the final hand.
Later that night, he took one of his cheap steel daggers, pressed his fingers to the edge, and focused.
Dragon-Forged Edge – Bound Temporarily
Duration: 10 minutes
Cooldown: 1 hour
The change wasn't visible. But when he tapped the blade against stone, it sliced clean — no edge dulling. No resistance.
He made five cuts in the wood beam beside his bed. The lines were straight. Too straight.
This was no ordinary trait.
It would change the outcome of any fight — even against men with armor, or things worse than men.
And once it reached Level 1?
He'd bind it permanently to a blade no one else could wield.
He slept light that night.
Not from fear — from anticipation.
One trait at a time, he was preparing himself not just to rule…
But to survive what others couldn't even imagine.
System Summary – Key Traits in Progress:
Brutal Strength (6/10)
Quick Bind (5/10)
Canine Command (4/10)
Beast Mind-Link (8/10)
Tactical Memory (2/10)
Scholar's Insight (2/10)
Dragon-Forged Edge (1/10)
He had physical power. Tactical recall. Mental processing. Remote surveillance. A beast army. A weapon that could kill magic.
And he hadn't even begun conquest yet.
Soon… Pentos would feel everything.