Erick bent over, hands on his knees, to catch his breath. As the taste of blood and earth filled his mouth, he felt great euphoria from the combat. He had been close to death several times, but in a matter of minutes, he had massacred five beasts that even a trained squad could not easily subdue.
Slowly, he straightened up and looked at the sword. The blade had not lost its shine. Despite the rapid cuts, the deflection of the daggers, and the final impact against bone and thick skin, the edge remained impeccable, resplendent, as if it had never touched flesh. The glow it emitted was a constant reminder of its Divine quality.
*Sword POV*
The sword felt Erick's firm grip, and it felt happy somehow, as if this was its rightful place—a thought that frightened it. Immediately after, it felt the sensation of penetrating flesh along with tendons and so on.
"Gross, gross, gross!" the sword mentally screamed.
The sword felt every impact. While its edge showed no signs of damage and the sword's shine sharpened with the blood, the sensation of piercing skin, muscles, and tendons, along with the breaking of bone, was a feeling that scared it. The warm blood of the monsters reminded it of its past life, where it died due to acid.
But soon, that was replaced by a feeling of joy. With the second, third, and fourth kills, the nausea was replaced by something more playful. The sword felt like this was what it was made for.
After processing the combat, the status window appeared:
[Master-Sword synergy currently level 8; lives currently taken 4]
[Skill unlocked: Bloodlust (Level 1)]
"Wait! Only 4, you stingy system? What about the golem in the cave?" the sword asked, no longer caring about the lives taken.
[Beings with a soul are counted as living beings]
"That makes sense to me," the sword said, thoughtfully.
"Wait! Doesn't that bring me closer and closer to becoming the world-destroying sword?" the sword asked the system with increasing panic.
[.]
"Answer me, damn system!" the sword shouted.
It was then that the fight between Erick and the beasts came to an end. As Erick pulled the dagger from his muscle and bled, something inside the sword told it what to do.
Instinctively activating Bloodlust in Erick, helping him withstand blood loss along with a great increase in speed, Erick became a flash of light that illuminated the area.
And then silence. The last cut had been the most spectacular of all, and the sword felt the burst of power in that small fraction of a second.
"Damn! How do I do that again?" the sword exclaimed, feeling how its shine had rivaled that of a star in that moment. But deep down, it felt it could do more, as if that was only a taste of its real power.
"Incredible!" Erick exclaimed.
"Yes, I am incredible!" the sword replied, even though it knew Erick couldn't hear it.
The sword felt Erick lift it and look at it with total concentration. Erick directed his gaze to the sword's blade and closed his eyes as a form of meditation. It was then that a breeze was felt throughout the forest, a breeze with a single direction.
The breeze covered from the tip of the blade to the pommel and, in a burst, the breeze covered the sword from eyes alien to it, completely hiding it.
[Master-Sword synergy unlock: Passive Skill Concealment (Level 1)]
Erick, opening his eyes slowly, realized that the bright, blinding blade had disappeared, but deep inside, he knew the sword was still there.
"Perfect, I won't look like a lighthouse on the high seas anymore," Erick exclaimed as he turned his head south.
Somehow, his sense of orientation was improved, something he attributed to the sword. To the south was his village, and in it, his vengeance.
This was the journey of Erick and his sword.
This was the story of the sword's first user.
"Achoo!" Erick sneezed, remembering he was still shirtless.
"Come on, system! I'm sure there's something I can do to stop him from putting on a shirt... I mean, to keep him from getting sick!" the sword said, though it wasn't sure how it could get tongue-tied if it didn't even have vocal cords.
[Master-Sword synergy is not sufficient for passive improvements; it is recommended to improve the current user's Bloodline]
"How does that work, system! Teach me!" the sword exclaimed joyfully.
[I don't know]
"You sh*t system! Why are you complicating my journey?" the sword yelled at the system.
[This system refuses to help perverts]
"What do you mean perverts?!" the sword cried out in anger.
[.]
"Answer me, you damn system!" the sword continued to shout, only to feel the continuous silence.
And without realizing it, Erick had already started walking down the path to the south, shirtless, but luckily he had pants and an invisible sword.
"A great combination for driving away thieves and monsters," said no one ever.
But with a clear objective in mind, the young warrior advanced.