Deus Didymus: Rend

Chapter Sixty-Two: The Duke of Hell

Kami knocked on Chulmoo's door, drawing the man to his front desk.

"This is Chulmoo, our newest party member," Kami gestured.

Behind him, Jinju and Sumin observed the small shop. They turned to the man, eyeing his clothing and the room behind him.

"This is your blacksmith?" Sumin trailed.

"I may be a level one artificer, but I can craft some pretty good stuff!" Chulmoo smiled.

The man extended his product to Kami with both hands, unsheathing the snow-white blade from its jet-black sheath. The straight, single-edged sword glistened like a mirror, reflecting Kami's crimson gaze back toward him.

A single rune laid engraved in the blade's base, prompting Chulmuu to gesture toward it.

"As with most low level boss materials, this weapon has one rune slot."

"Most?" Kami questioned.

"Ah..." Chulmoo trailed, "Since a lot of this stuff is random, you weren't exposed to this. All equipment made from boss drops have varying chances of rune slots taking form on them. The potential quantity varies per quality, but yeah. Yours has zero; as a tradeoff, it has a different property in its magic absorbing shtick."

Kami nodded as he sheathed the weapon. He extended it toward Jinju, earning an uneasy frown.

"Just take it," he mouthed. "And remember, carry it on your person."

Jinju sighed silently, attaching the sheath underneath her cloak. It rested comfortably on the back of her waist, remaining hidden to the rest of the world.

"Alright," Kami huffed, "Let's head toward the dungeon. I want to level you two up by the end of this month."

Sumin and Chulmoo's eyes widened. They turned to each other while Kami started toward the door--both radiating an excited smile.

Inside the dungeon, Kami oversaw Sumin and Chulmoo's training while Jinju delved deeper. He observed their bulky movements, gradually guiding the pair in refining their actions.

Neither of their classes focus on dealing damage or killing. Surely there's an alternative way for them to level up. Killing monsters might have lower yields for them.

Yeeun watched from afar, atop a hill, peering through a monocular with a gentle smile. "This feels familiar."

"You've met him before?" Percival asked.

"No, but something about watching him teach feels nostalgic--like watching a younger sibling do something he likes."

Genevieve dropped behind the two, kneeling with her head lowered. "My goddess, there are traces of the Shadowsong Syndicate here."

Yeeun lowered her monocular, turning toward the woman, "What did you find?"

"They're targeting an unusual party. The party we encountered a few days ago," Genevieve replied. "They seem to have recruited a level one since we last met them."

"The one I'm watching right now?"

Genevieve raised her head, peering toward Kami through the trees. "Yes."

An intrigued smile grew on Yeeun's face. She raised the telescope to her eye once more, "Will he be able to deal with a murder alone? Or, will the White Rabbit return to his side in time?"

Jinju repositioned the backpack straps atop her shoulders, grumbling to herself. She watched the passing adventurers' battles under the cover of her hood with a bitter frown.