When I Tried Strengthening 【Rusted Sword】, It Evolved Into An Overpowered Magic Sword

Chapter 14 Immortal Great Shield

A gaunt face with a long, pointed nose.

Wearing a waist wrap made of hemp-like material, and a sharply pointed hat that covers the eyes.

“Keke!”

With a voice that resembled a mischievous child, the creature attacked us.

Raising its small fist, it leaped towards me.

“Be careful!”

I prepared to counter with my sword, but before I could, Dia stepped in front of me.

She held a large shield that resembled four open white petals and precisely blocked the attacks of the small creature with her shield.

With a sharp sound, the attacks of the small creature were completely nullified.

“Oh…”

Watching from behind, I unintentionally let out a voice of admiration.

In essence, direct attacks from monsters must be intercepted with sacred treasures. Just as ordinary weapons without sacred power cannot harm enchanted armor, regular armor cannot defend against attacks from enchantments. Like sheets of paper, armor and shields are easily penetrated.

Inevitably, defense is left to the body of the sword or the handle of the spear, and the areas that can be protected become extremely limited.

In comparison, it feels reassuring to block attacks with a shield artifact. Therefore, Dia standing in front with a large shield suddenly appears dependable.

“Kekekekeke!”

The small creature, undeterred by its attacks being blocked, clung to Dia’s shield. Then, it relentlessly pounded on the surface of the shield with a resounding noise.

Attacking the girl with an eerie laughter, its appearance is truly nothing short of madness.

“H-hiii!”

Dia clearly looked frightened, but she continued to hold the shield and block the attacks. Despite facing a monster, it seemed more like she was playing with a child. Is it not that strong of a monster?

Well, there’s no time to leisurely analyze the situation.

“Get away from Dia!”

Belatedly swinging my sword at the small creature, it quickly responded and moved away from the shield. I didn’t swing with full force since Dia was nearby and in danger, but even so, I should have attacked at quite a speed.

Dodging it at the last moment, the creature was indeed quite agile, just as it appeared.

“Keke!”

Once again, the creature raised its fist and lunged at me. Dia tried to intervene, but I gestured with my left hand to stop her. I could now use the Cursed Magic Sword without any issues, so there was no need for her to protect me like before. This time, I would counter the attack perfectly.

So, first, I decided to block the small creature’s straight punch with the Cursed Magic Sword.

Clang!

The creature’s fist thrust into the blade.

“Uooh!”

Surprisingly heavy, the attack caught me off guard. I had thought it would be lighter based on its appearance, but it was unexpectedly weighty. Despite its small size, a monster is still a monster. And to think Dia had been consistently blocking such heavy attacks. Truly befitting the owner of a shield artifact.

However, as the owner of a magic sword artifact, I couldn’t afford to lose.

“Haa!”

I forcefully swung the small creature clinging to my sword away with my “left fist”.

Thanks to the benefits of the Cursed Magic Sword, my strength had significantly increased. Unlike sacred treasures, it couldn’t inflict damage on enchanted armor, but it was more than capable of sending opponents flying and staggering.

As expected, the small creature, let out a groan and was sent flying backward, crashing into a large tree behind.

The impact of the collision with the tree momentarily froze its movements. Taking advantage of this opening, I quickly closed the distance.

“Take this!”

The creature was swift. I understood that very well from its movements just moments ago. So, in this brief moment of pause, I decided to determine the outcome.

I raised the Cursed Magic Sword to my left hip and, with all my might, slashed at the small creature.

“Ke…keke…”

Even though the creature was cut in two with a single blow, it still emitted a groan that sounded like laughter before vanishing into light particles.

Confident that I had successfully defeated it, I returned the Cursed Magic Sword to the Rusty Sword and sheathed it on my back.

The evolved state had been maintained for about two minutes. Although I didn’t feel an overwhelming fatigue, I wanted to remain vigilant, as exhaustion could hit suddenly if I let my guard down. It would be prudent to switch back to the Rusty Sword periodically to facilitate recovery.

“Phew, thanks, Dia”.

“Y-yes. Thank you.”

“It was a weird monster, wasn’t it? Any idea what it was just now?”

“I-I’m not sure…”

Having exchanged words of mutual appreciation, we both stared at the spot where the small creature had disappeared, tilting our heads. What could have been the purpose of the recent monster? While the wolf-like monster straightforwardly aimed to kill us, the small creature seemed to emanate a different intent.

Injuries seemed to be a secondary concern…

Ah, no, no, there was something else I wanted to tell Dia right now.

“By the way, Dia, that was impressive.”

“Huh?”

“The attacks from that monster earlier seemed completely ineffective. Despite being beaten up so badly.”

“U-um, thank you.”

Dia visibly blushed, hiding her face behind the shield. It seemed my straightforward praise embarrassed her.

Setting that aside, I continued while looking at the shield she held.

“Did the durability of your sacred treasue hold up? If it seems like it’s about to break, don’t push yourself and let me know. If an artifact gets destroyed within the area, it would be a major issue…”

We also had to consider going to the temple when necessary. Going back to the town, fixing the artifact at the temple, and returning to the Seven-Colored Forest would be challenging time-wise, but it was unavoidable for the sake of our lives.

“Well, even if the artifact breaks, I’ll protect Dia until we get back to town, so don’t worry…”

“Ah, no… If it’s about the durability of the artifact, I don’t think you need to worry.”

“Huh?”

Dia, peeking her face from behind the shield, said so with a composed expression. No need to worry about the durability? What made her say such a surprising statement with that nonchalant look?

“Since you told me about Rust-san’s sacred treasue, as a return favor… please take a look.”

Saying this, Dia extended the shield towards me. Did she want me to touch it and check its properties? Examining the status of an artifact was akin to exposing one’s inner self, and many people disliked being seen in such a vulnerable state. However, now I was being asked by a girl of similar age to look at her artifact’s status. So, without reservation…

With that in mind, I gently touched the shield, and checked its status.

Name: Immortal Great Shield

Rank: A

Level: 5

Attack Power: 0

Benefits: Strength +50, Durability +240, Agility +0, Magic Power +50, Vitality +220

Skill: [Immortality]

Durability: ∞/∞

“Huh…?”

Seeing the status of the shield, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes in surprise.