When I Tried Strengthening 【Rusted Sword】, It Evolved Into An Overpowered Magic Sword - Chapter 47

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

Chapter 47   Stolen goods warehouse

“The things stolen by the Snatch Thieves… right?”

Looking at the pile of junk, I roughly guessed as much. On our way here, we had seen old, discarded items scattered throughout the cave. These were likely stolen by the Snatch Thieves from humans.

So, it’s reasonable to assume that the dust-covered items lying here are stolen goods as well. This place, where all these items have accumulated, must be the Snatch Thieves’ “stolen goods storage” or something. They probably dump their stolen items here, but the disorderly manner in which they are piled makes it look like a garbage dump.

“Ugh, this is so dirty…”

Nevertheless, I had to dirty my hands and search through this stash. Since Gem’s artifact is supposed to be nearby, it’s probably buried somewhere in this pile of junk.

I don’t like dusty places, but having made a bold declaration to Dia and Gem, I couldn’t just give up. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any monsters around at the moment.

“…Guess I have no choice.”

With a sigh, I approached the double-edged mountain of stolen goods and began my search. Gem’s artifact was supposed to be a “long-bladed sword,” right?

From what I could see, the pile consisted mostly of clothes and everyday items, so a sword should stand out. I carefully sifted through the pile, looking for anything that matched the description.

“Hm?”

I heard a clinking sound from within the pile, clearly different from the other items—a solid, heavy sound. I followed the noise, sifting through the junk until I found a long, narrow object.

“Oh.”

Pulling it out, I found a shining “golden long sword.” The blade was long and somewhat thick. Compared to my [Rusted Sword], it was slightly longer, making it a slender, straight sword.

In any case, this long sword matched the description Gem had given of her artifact. So, this must be…

“Is this… Gem’s artifact?”

I found it surprisingly easily, which made me feel a bit deflated. I thought it would take longer, but I found it without getting too dirty. Moreover, Gem’s artifact was almost dust-free, unlike the other items. It shone with a vivid golden glow, and to me, it looked like a very high-quality artifact.

Gem said she wanted a cuter artifact, but I thought this long sword was very beautiful and quite fitting for a woman.

“At least, I found it, so…”

Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief…

The pile of stolen goods in front of me swayed with a noise. It must have been because I pulled out the long sword from within the pile. The pile lost its balance and collapsed spectacularly, causing the old items to scatter all over the place with a grand noise.

Should I clean this up? As I was considering this absentmindedly…

“Hm?”

I suddenly noticed something. It was where the pile of old stolen goods had been. Probably near where I pulled out the golden long sword. There was, astonishingly…

“…What?”

A bright “silver long sword,” with a long blade and a thick edge, was lying there. A second long sword. And again, it matched the description Gem had given me about her artifact.

I froze in place, staring at the two long swords.

“…Which one?”

A golden long sword and a silver long sword. They seemed to differ only in color. Both had a shiny luster, and their blade length and thickness appeared identical. Which one was Gem’s artifact?

Confused, I decided to check the properties of both artifacts.

Name: Sun Long Sword
Rank: A
Level: 20
Attack Power: 250
Bonus: Strength +220, Durability +200, Agility +210, Magic +220, Vitality +200
Magic: [Sun Flare]
Skill: [Sunbath]
Durability: 250/250

Name: Moonlight Long Sword
Rank: A
Level: 20
Attack Power: 250
Bonus: Strength +220, Durability +200, Agility +210, Magic +220, Vitality +200
Magic: [Moon Ray]
Skill: [Moonlight Bath]
Durability: 250/250

An A-rank artifact. Both swords had high average benefits and were powerful artifacts. Gem had received a powerful artifact and was currently on a journey to defeat demons, following the teachings of Gray Village. Hence, her artifact had high-performance properties, so I thought the stronger of the two would be Gem’s artifact, but…

I didn’t expect the properties to be nearly identical. I should have asked for the name of the artifact.

“…Well, whatever.”

For now, I had found two plausible artifacts, so I decided to take both back. If one of them wasn’t hers, I could return it to the guild without any problem. It’s almost certain that one of them is a stolen artifact like Gem’s. There’s also the possibility that neither is Gem’s, in which case I’ll just have to come back and search again.

With that resolved, I prepared to head back to Dia and Gem. Holding the two long swords, I started to leave the stolen goods vault.

…However, in that instant—

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“–!?”

A raspy female voice suddenly called out from behind me. At the same time, I felt a sharp pain in my back.

“Gah!”

Before I knew it, I was sent flying, crashing into the pile of stolen goods. I landed heavily on the ground, buried under the scattered stolen items.

…I had no idea what just happened. My back throbbed with pain as if it had been struck, and my head felt foggy. If I let my guard down, I might lose consciousness.

In such a state, I grimaced and managed to raise myself up slightly, looking at the spot where I had been standing moments ago. And there—

“Why the hell is a human like you here? We don’t allow anyone to enter,”

Standing there was a woman wielding a large club.

Though I called her a woman, she was not human.

In the dim light, it was hard to discern, but she had pale green skin, almost as if painted with watercolors, and large pointed ears. Her eerie yellow eyes glared menacingly at me.

To top it off, she casually held a bloodstained “large club” with her swollen right arm.

Well, to be precise, it was just reddened in spots, but it was still a sinister item.

There was no doubt in my mind that it was a relic that “they” possessed.

“A demon…!”

I belatedly realized the presence before me.

I hadn’t sensed her presence at all.

When I entered the stolen goods vault, I checked around for enemies, but where had she been all this time?

Could it be that she noticed my entry and hid somewhere?

“Tch. Just when I was enjoying my nap, you had to come crashing in making all that racket. Humans are such a nuisance.”

…So that’s why I didn’t sense her.

With Snatch Thieves, they actively attacked, making their presence easier to detect.

But in this demon’s case, she was asleep, so I couldn’t detect her beforehand.

The place was already dimly lit, and my view was obstructed by the piles of stolen goods.

I should have been more careful and vigilant.

“So? What are you doing here? This is my room. Everything in my room belongs to me. Don’t touch things without permission.”

“Damn it!”

From her tone just now, she was probably the “boss” of these demons, right?

It would be reasonable to assume she’s the mastermind who orders the Snatch Thieves to steal.

Because of her, many people have had their belongings stolen.

Snatch Thieves attack many people to steal items.

And many have lost their lives because of it.

I must stop this once and for all!

I immediately reached for the handle of my Rusted Sword on my back.

And with a loud clang, I unsheathed it.

I was ready to fight the demon before me with my artifact in hand.

— I will defeat her!

But…

“…Huh?”

Despite my strong determination to fight, the Rusted Sword did not evolve into the Cursed Magic Sword.

No, even before that…

I looked at the artifact in my right hand and couldn’t believe my eyes.

“W-why…”

Incredibly, the Rusted Sword I pulled from its sheath was… broken halfway through.

Name: Rusted Sword

Rank: F

Level: 10

Attack Power: 10

Benefit: Strength +0, Durability +0, Agility +0, Magic Power +0, Vitality +0

Skill: [Evolution]

Durability: 0/20