"This is insane…"
Sakeer found himself reading and rereading the career information of the [Cursed Knight] multiple times.
It was powerful.
Just from the class description alone, he could feel the overwhelming strength of this profession.
He had always known that even among classes of the same tier, there were stronger and weaker ones.
But he hadn't expected the gap to be this massive.
He had always considered the [Magic Swordsman] class impressive, especially with its passive skill "Mana Infusion", which was useful in alchemy and scroll-making.
However—
Compared to "Cursed Total Resistance" and "Dark Elemental Resistance I."
It was… on a whole different level.
This was the real deal!
A true passive ability—one that completely negated curses and resisted dark-element attacks.
Not to mention—
The class skills automatically inflicted negative status effects on enemies.
As for the only downside, the so-called "No Rest" penalty—
Sakeer didn't find it concerning.
After all—
He didn't even have a decent piece of equipment to worry about losing durability in the first place.
Seated cross-legged on a soft bed, Sakeer focused his thoughts.
A dark mist of cursed energy emerged from his palm.
"So… this is the power of a curse?"
He studied the pulsating, eerie energy in his hand.
Compared to the energy Leinas had released, his own curse energy felt deeper, richer—
More potent with no instability.
Unlike Leinas, who had struggled to control it, Sakeer could feel the curse's energy flowing as smoothly as if it were an extension of his own body.
With a simple thought—
The black mist vanished, dissipating into the air as though it had never existed.
"Complete control."
He muttered to himself.
"It's easy to summon and just as easy to withdraw."
He instinctively reached up, touching his cheek.
His skin was unchanged.
"It's not like Leinas… My flesh isn't rotting."
Sakeer's gaze darkened.
"So if half of Leinas's face is permanently decayed… it's not just because of the [Cursed Knight] class."
He recalled what she had told him.
She had acquired the [Cursed Knight] class after an incident in her family's territory.
While clearing out monsters, she had been cursed by a special creature just before it died—
Leaving her permanently disfigured.
And somehow, that curse had granted her the high-level class of [Cursed Knight].
A special monster?
Sakeer's curiosity piqued.
Could it really be that simple?
Could a mere curse from an ordinary monster grant someone such a high-tier profession?
If Leinas had defeated it, then it couldn't have been too powerful.
Even now, her current strength was only at the "Orichalcum" level—a relatively mid-tier rank among adventurers.
So something wasn't adding up.
Sakeer took a deep breath.
"This… might require some deeper investigation."
Perhaps there was more to this than met the eye.
But for now—
His focus shifted.
He could finally deal with that magic item.
Sakeer's eyes gleamed.
He whispered under his breath—
"Mind of Undeath."
A faint magical glow surrounded him—
A barrier of willpower resistance.
Then, he reached forward, grasping at thin air—
And in an instant—
The Orb of Death materialized in his palm.
The moment it appeared—
"Human! What have you done?!"
A deep, menacing voice echoed in his mind.
"Where did you hide the Great Will of Death?!"
"This is not a cemetery! What is this place?!"
"Death is eternal! Only the dead can reach the ultimate destination of life!"
"Embrace death!"
"..."
"Do you seek power? Do you wish to be strong?"
A chaotic storm of voices flooded Sakeer's mind—
Like a swarm of bees buzzing relentlessly inside his skull.
Yet—
His expression remained unmoved.
He stared coldly at the Orb of Death, waiting.
Seconds passed.
But instead of diminishing, the noise grew louder.
Still no effect?
Sakeer frowned.
By all logic—
His [Cursed Knight] passive ability should have weakened the orb's influence.
And yet—
It remained unchanged.
Unless…
Sakeer's gaze sharpened.
He carefully reread the passive "No Rest."
A realization hit him.
"I see."
A surge of pitch-black energy erupted from his body—
Engulfing the Orb of Death.
Instantly—
The orb's surface glowed with a dark metallic sheen, as though reacting to the cursed energy.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
The consciousness within the orb screamed made a high-pitched, almost inhuman wail.
The Orb of Death struggled, unleashing bursts of dark magic in an attempt to resist—
But—
It was futile.
Under the power of the curse, the black iron-like glow rapidly melted away—
Like snow dissolving under the summer sun.
Sakeer narrowed his eyes.
A single thought—
And his cursed energy vanished.
The erosion of the Orb of Death stopped immediately.
Sakeer stared at the orb in his hand.
"So that's how it is…"
He had just confirmed a crucial fact—
Cursed energy can overpower the will within the orb.
With more control, he could potentially purge it entirely—
Or perhaps…
Harness its power for himself.
Like the [Magic Swordsman], the passive traits of this class had undergone a significant transformation.
Sakeer ignored the sharp voice ringing in his head.
Instead, his mind buzzed with excitement.
He had carefully analyzed the passive effect "No Rest", noticing a crucial detail in its description—
"When the curse ability is released…"
That phrase was the key.
After a brief experiment, he confirmed his suspicion:
The negative trait only activated when using curse abilities.
If he didn't invoke the power of the curse, the debuff would not trigger.
This kind of mechanic—
It didn't exist in the game!
Sakeer suddenly recalled a figure from his past gaming knowledge—
Ulbert, one of the 41 Supremes of the Great Tomb.
Ulbert wielded a devastating magic-based class, [World Disaster], a profession specializing in annihilation magic.
That class carried a severe drawback—
A passive effect that doubled mana consumption.
In the game, this was an unalterable class trait.
But—
After the Bone King was transported to another world, he had discovered something interesting:
If Ulbert had also crossed into this world, he could have disabled that penalty at will.
"Mana Infusion: Curse!"
Sakeer's gaze fell upon the Orb of Death in his hand.
Using the passive ability of [Magic Swordsman], he channeled pure cursed energy into the orb—
Forcing it to absorb the power directly.
"Human!!"
A horrified scream erupted from within the orb.
"Who… who are you…?"
"Impossible… How can there be…"
"Something in this world… stronger than death!!"
The Orb of Death let out an agonized wail, its once-menacing aura crumbling under Sakeer's control.
By the time the first light of dawn crept through the windows—
Sakeer finally withdrew his cursed energy.
He studied the now dull, unassuming black stone in his palm and let out a breath.
"It's done."
Item Identification
Item: Magic Item, Special Craft, Orb of Death
Level: Advanced (30–40Lv)
Effect:Energy Gauge (0/280)
— Passive:
✅ Negative Energy Absorption: Absorbs negative energy to restore energy gauge.
— Active:
✅ Bone Dragon Summon: Consumes 100 energy.
…
Sakeer examined the newly identified Orb of Death.
The stats had changed drastically from before.
The energy gauge had dropped from 300 to 280.
More importantly—
Three of its four passive traits were completely erased, along with three active magic skills.
Although the item was still classified as "Advanced", in Sakeer's view, its effective tier had dropped by at least two levels.
"For a necromancer, this magic item's value has plummeted."
"But for me—"
Sakeer smirked.
"It's perfect."
Despite not having slept all night, Sakeer felt more energized than ever.
"Is it morning already?"
He turned toward the window, tucking the Orb of Death away before stretching and making his way downstairs.
Someone was even more impatient than he was.
As Sakeer stepped into the large living room on the first floor—
He found Leinas and Imina waiting for him.
The two women sat on opposite sides of a couch.
Leinas maintained a calm, polite smile, but her gaze was distant, distracted.
Imina, on the other hand, sat leaning back, arms crossed over her chest.
Every so often, she would shoot glances at Leinas, her amber eyes filled with wariness.
At the sound of Sakeer's footsteps, both women immediately turned to look at him.
Leinas was the first to react, rising quickly from the couch.
Her expression was a mix of hope and anxiety, as though she was both eager for an answer and dreading disappointment.
Before she could even speak—
Sakeer met her gaze and spoke first.
"Youhave two options."
His voice was calm, direct, absolute.