The underground city's false sky was still dark, shrouded in a faint haze of glowing plants. Above the ruins of an ancient temple, ravaged by time, Ghol'mir had been reduced to ashes. The smell of burning metal and damp earth lingered.
Verchiel stood amidst the swirling dust. His hair was disheveled, his robes torn in several places, and blood slowly trickled from his temples. But his eyes—those eyes—were calm, even cold. Unlike a 13-year-old who had just fought a Level 32 creature.
Lynne stared at him, her lips slightly parted. "...You... you really aren't an ordinary child, are you?"
Verchiel didn't answer immediately. He glanced back, making sure there were no other strange presences around the ruins. His hand slowly opened, revealing a shard of glowing crystal. The third fragment.
> [Fragment Signature Weapon Acquired – 3/7]
The crystal pulsed gently, as if recognizing its master. Within it, reflected the image of a giant, incomplete spear—still broken into seven pieces, but its power was slowly returning.
A Glimpse of the Past: Light at the Celestial Blacksmith
As Verchiel's fingers touched the fragment, his vision blurred. His consciousness was transported back in time—to the world before death.
There, the sky shone golden. Thousands of stars hung like celestial lanterns. And in the center stood a large forge, enveloped in a blue flame that would not burn.
"The last of the Celestial Blacksmiths... El'dur," Verchiel murmured in his mind.
He saw his former self—with a mature body, wings of light, and divine power. Verchiel had given El'dur his own inner light.
> "Make me a weapon... not to kill, but to protect," he had said.
El'dur looked at him sadly. "You know, if you bind your soul to this weapon... then when you fall, your weapon will shatter."
> "If that is the price to pay... I accept."
Return to the Underground City
Verchiel snapped out of the memory, his breathing heavy. His hand still clutched the fragment, but his heart was beating faster than usual.
Lynne, who had been watching him closely, swallowed.
"Verchiel… just now… your face changed," she said quietly.
Verchiel narrowed his eyes. "Don't look too much. You'll get burned, you know."
"Heh—I just thought you were starting to behave, you brat."
She sat down on the rubble, took a cloth from her pocket, and began wiping the blood from Verchiel's cheek. "But despite your rude mouth, I still want to know."
Lynne stared at the fragment. "What is it?"
Verchiel was silent for a moment. He couldn't answer carelessly. But he also knew… sooner or later, someone would find out.
"…It's part of a weapon," he said finally. "My weapon."
Lynne narrowed her eyes. "You said you were a nobody. But that creature called you a 'possessor of a sacred weapon.' You even activated a skill I've never seen before."
"...And you still think I'm just a kid?"
Lynne laughed softly. "Honestly, no."
She looked at Verchiel with a serious expression. "You have the look of... someone who's been dead."
Verchiel glanced at her. "...Good guess."
The Third Fragment: The Key to the True Self
That night, in a small inn on the outskirts of the Old District, Verchiel sat cross-legged on a stone bed. Before him, three Signature Weapon fragments floated slowly, vibrating as if trying to unite—but remained separated by an invisible law.
> [Signature Weapon Fragment: 3/7 Collected]
> [Active Resonance Fragment – Partially Sealed Power Unlocked]
Light enveloped Verchiel's body. A divine aura faintly emanated. The system appeared with a flash of white light.
> [Hidden System Update Unlocked]
Pure Light Lv. 1 → Lv. 2
All light-based skills strengthened by 15%
New skill available after the fourth fragment is found
Verchiel clenched his fists. "Come on... quickly collect them all."
Lynne and Suspicion
Meanwhile, Lynne couldn't sleep in the next room. She was still thinking about Verchiel's expression, that cold gaze, and the power the boy had displayed.
"That damned brat... isn't human. Or is he even human?"
She opened the small window and looked out at the artificial sky of the underground city. A soft glimmer of light could be seen in the distance, as if the world was preparing to welcome something greater.
"If he's a god... then what I saw... was just the surface?
Next Plan: Fragment Four
The next day, Verchiel walked with Lynne to the underground information center. In a city like this, every dangerous location had a note—especially one that radiated an aura of ancient magic.
"Where are you going?" Lynne asked.
"To a place where no light can enter," Verchiel replied.
"…Sounds fun."
"Not for you."
They arrived in front of an old building marked "Ancient Artifacts Commission - Forbidden Division." The guards at the front eyed them suspiciously.
"Tickets, status, and—oh. A kid?" one of the guards hissed. "This place isn't for playing hide-and-seek."
Verchiel muttered as he passed. "Damn, this human likes to look down on short people…"
"…WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
Verchiel held up his fake license from the Academy. "Light magic research student. Want to take a look inside? Is there a problem?"
The guard froze for a moment, then fell silent, letting them pass.
Information Fragment Four: The Prison of Light
In an old document room filled with dust and oil lamps, Verchiel studied ancient maps.
"Here," he said, pointing to a spot on the map of the underground city. "The ruins of Valestera Prison."
Lynne raised an eyebrow. "Prison?"
"A place where beings of light were imprisoned thousands of years ago. Including… part of my weapon."
Lynne stared at Verchiel with an expression almost horrified. "Does your weapon… possess consciousness?"
Verchiel didn't answer. But his eyes said yes.
---
One More Step into Darkness
At the end of the day, Verchiel stood at the edge of the underground city, gazing into the darkness of the ancient valley deep beneath the Forbidden District.
He took a deep breath. His body felt light—but not from rest. It was from the system, from the light, from the three fragments now pulsating as one.
> [Your Level Has Increased]
[Level 19 → Level 20]
> [New Skill Slot Unlocked – Signature Weapon Skill Requirement: 3/7 Fragments]
> [New Skill Will Unlock In Next Chapter]
"Soon," she whispered. "You will be whole again... Lux Solis."
---
Verchiel Status:
Level: 20
Signature Weapon Fragment: 3/7
Active Skill:
Light Step
Prism Veil
Supreme Light Fragment II: Dawn Call (Active + Passive)
P
Light Lance (Lux Lance)
Passive Skill:
Pure Light Lv. 2 (All light skills are strengthened by 15%)