Chapter 643: What Was Inside the Treasure Chest
Tauro decided to destroy the crystallized object that had been on the verge of becoming a Dungeon Core within the pseudo-dungeon.
He pulled a war hammer from [Magic Storage], raised it high, and brought it crashing down.
The pseudo-Dungeon Core shattered with surprising ease.
Then, the ground beneath it began to swell up.
“Oh! Is this one of those rewards you get when you destroy a Dungeon Core?”
Brushing away the dirt, Tauro found exactly what he expected—a treasure chest.
Without hesitation, he opened it.
Inside was a single small sword.
“A shortsword? I was kind of hoping for a regular sword by now… Maybe because it’s only a pseudo-core, the reward rank is lower?”
Tauro muttered to himself, then picked it up.
At that moment, the Voice of the World echoed in his mind.
“Confirmed: one activation condition for Special Skill [&%$#] has been fulfilled—<Obtain a Lost Legendary Sword>. Skill acquired: [Technique Restoration]. Confirming Tauro Giro Sugar… confirmed.
—Would you like to perform [Technique Restoration]?”
“Huh? What does ‘Technique Restoration’ mean?”
Tauro instinctively asked aloud.
“???”
Aeris and the others tilted their heads at his sudden question.
“Would you like to perform [Technique Restoration]?”
The Voice of the World repeated the question.
“Umm… sure?”
“Initiating [Technique Restoration]… Please wait…
—Restoration complete.
The incomplete Holy Knight-exclusive sword technique ‘Holy Light Wave Blade’ has been restored and converted into a Tauro Giro Sugar-exclusive technique: ‘True Wave Blade.’”
“…Wait, it just turned it into a kind of lame personal sword-technique name…?”
Tauro couldn’t help but comment.
But the Voice of the World had already fallen silent after fulfilling its role.
“So, Tauro… did you just hear the Voice of the World?”
Aeris asked, having guessed from his muttering.
“Yeah, sorry, that’s right… but it’s kind of complicated. Where should I start—”
Tauro then explained everything that had just happened.
“—As expected of you, Tauro-sama! A personal sword technique just for you? I’ve never heard of such a thing!”
Zion praised him enthusiastically.
“Hm… Even in the long history of the dragonfolk, I’ve never heard of such a thing either. Tauro, why not try using it?”
Ragune urged with interest.
“Yeah, we won’t know until you test it,” Aeris added.
“…Alright, let’s give it a try. I’ll aim at that rock.”
Tauro took Modified Shortsword Tauro from [Magic Storage], aimed at a large boulder in front of him, and shouted:
“True Wave Blade!”
An invisible slash shot forward vertically—and split the massive rock clean in two.
At the same time, he felt a significant drain on his magic power.
“Whoa!”
Aeris, the others, and even the gatekeeper elf cheered in amazement.
“…Considering the amount of magic used, it might not be that practical.”
Tauro muttered, seeming slightly unsatisfied despite the sharpness.
Then he used [True Eye] to appraise the newly obtained shortsword.
Small Demon Sword: “Soul Crusher”
- A magic sword exclusive to Tauro Giro Sugar, unknown in legend.
- Amplifies and strengthens non-elemental sword techniques.
- Grows stronger alongside its wielder.
- As its name suggests, it crushes and absorbs souls to gain power.
“…So it’s a weapon only I can use… It amplifies non-elemental techniques? Then that means…”
Just in case, Tauro drank another magic-recovery potion, then drew “Soul Crusher” from its sheath.
He poured magic into the blade, pointed it at the large rock that had just been split vertically, muttered, “True Wave Blade…!” and swung horizontally this time.
The same invisible slash cleaved the already split boulder again—this time horizontally.
“Ooooh…”
The others reacted with lighter amazement, having already seen its power.
But Tauro himself stared intently at the blade.
“…This is truly a great sword…”
“From what I can see, using that sword reduces your magic consumption a bit, doesn’t it?”
Ragune observed.
“Yeah. It also feels slightly faster to activate, and there’s almost no recovery time afterward. It’s really usable. And since it grows with me, like the Bow of Artemis, it could become a trump card… Though the name ‘Soul Crusher’ is a bit concerning.”
Tauro gave a wry smile.
“That’s a dangerous-sounding name. You might want to avoid using it against people,” Aeris advised.
“Yeah… According to [True Eye], it absorbs souls to gain power. It really is a proper demon sword…”
“Tauro-sama, please make sure you never accidentally cut yourself with that sword!”
Zion shuddered at the thought.
“Any weapon with ‘demon’ in its name tends to come with risks. The Troll Emperor’s magic sword will need careful handling too,” Ragune added, recalling past incidents.
“Yeah, but I’m planning to give that one to Seth, so it’s fine. More importantly, I want to prioritize repairs right now.”
With that, Tauro took Garo and Eve from [Magic Storage].
Using spare mysterious dungeon material, he began repairing the damage they had sustained in the battle against the Troll Emperor with [Creation Magic] right there on the spot.