Chapter 431: As Expected of Family
Enma's explanation finally let Steven understand how she had been able to pull even his plastic chair out of his inventory. If she herself was classified as a system-recognized "item," then his inventory was basically free real estate to her. Taking things out of it was only natural.
That said, the personality she had developed by skimming through the memory fragments lingering on the outskirts of his consciousness was… a bit too similar to his own.
In fact, because she had never experienced life as a human, she was even more unrestrained than Steven when it came to going completely off the rails.
Otherwise, there was no way she'd insist on staging such an indescribably chuuni introduction scene.
"Alright, talk. If you really are still my Yamato—and you genuinely consider yourself my item—then tell me about your current condition."
Steven glanced sideways at the girl beside him. Going back to sleep now would be a little too careless. Besides, when your weapon suddenly turns into a girl, it's probably worth checking in on her.
And the most efficient way to understand her situation was, of course, to ask her directly.
"I remain your most loyal possession, my master—and I take pride in that."
Enma's emerald-green slit pupils turned toward Steven. Her originally cool, crisp tone gained a hint of fervor, and the line she spoke was… dangerously easy to misunderstand.
That said, Steven didn't doubt her loyalty. The mental link between them made deception impossible, and when he'd asked her to revert to her weapon form earlier, she hadn't resisted in the slightest.
If anything, he sensed an eagerness—almost an impatience—to go cut something down. And she made no effort to hide it.
"I'll just ask one thing," Steven said calmly. "Can you reach the level I want?"
He didn't explain what that level was. He didn't need to.
Enma, whose consciousness was linked to his, understood instantly.
—and then shook her head.
"The law contained within that drop of blood was only enough to grant me life. If I am to awaken the original Yamato's power—the authority to sever all things—then this alone is far from sufficient."
She stated her condition plainly. She had crossed the boundary between object and life, yes—but the effect Steven desired was on an entirely different level.
"So, if you want me to separate the Seaborn component from that so-called 'daughter' of yours," Enma continued with a blink, "then you have two options. Either install some mods and grant me the necessary law directly…"
"Or," she added lightly, "you make me sharper. Sharp enough to surpass my limits—and reclaim that authority through sheer edge."
"Why don't you just tell me straight what kind of thing you need to level up? You know perfectly well whether I even have those mods."
Steven met Enma's gaze and sighed, stating the obvious. For a sword that had access to fragments of his past-life memories, there was no way she didn't know his mod inventory.
"Ah, but if I don't say it like that, how would this newborn get to see such an interesting expression on your face?"
Enma dabbed dramatically at the corner of her eye—where no tears existed—and explained with a teasing tone.
"You're calling yourself a newborn? You're an old fox—don't try to sell me those stories."
For the first time, Steven wondered if his own personality might be a bit too awful. Looking at Enma—whose temperament had been warped by absorbing his memories—he finally understood how his enemies must have felt when dealing with him.
"Ahem. Fine, I'll stop beating around the bush."
Sensing that Steven's patience was nearing its limit, Enma finally laid out the conditions plainly.
"If you want me to become sharper, it's simple—feed me materials. As long as what you give me is strong enough and plentiful enough, I can definitely break through my sharpness cap."
That requirement actually matched Steven's understanding of how sharpness worked. A blade's material was the foundation of its edge; upgrading via materials was the most straightforward path.
"So… what kind of materials are we talking about?" Steven rubbed his chin.
"Stuff like before? Things imbued with divine law?"
Enma began rattling off a list of materials as if she were reading a grocery receipt—each one painfully familiar to Steven.
"Obviously things like Originite Prime, Netherite, Terrasteel, Bedrock, Orichalcum, Dragonsteel, Red Matter— and then Infinity Ingots, Infinity Ingots, and more Infinity Ingots."
Steven nodded thoughtfully at the first few.
But the further she went, the darker his expression became.
And when she emphasized that final material—three times—he nearly wanted to pin her to the ground and demand she explain what kind of nonsense she was spouting.
Infinity Ingots?
Did she think he was the Holy Grail or something—just name it and it appears?!
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Most of the stuff that Enma told him came from Mods.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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