Damn it, I was hoping I'd be able to keep Desecrator under wraps, guess that was wishful thinking on my part.
"Fine...the Greater Demon I fought during my final exam, she used a thorny whip, she said it was a special weapon from the world the Monsters come from, called Personalis Arma, and that there are only ten in existence.
It tranformed into a rod after she died, and when I picked it up, it tranformed into this," I remarked, as I drew Desecrator out of Treasury.
There's no way to convincingly explain how I took over ownership of the weapon from her without, you know, telling the truth, so it'll be easier if I say I took it after she died.
"Oh, a weapon from the world of the Monsters? There have been cases of Hunters claiming weapons wielded by Monsters after defeating them, some of those weapons even had special abilities that we can't replicate with the weapons we manufacture, but I've never heard of a weapon that transforms to suit the wielder. Does yours have any special abilities?"
"Yeah, when I cut a target, it transfers stamina and Mana from the target to me, and I can draw it to my hand from a distance by chanting the word Return," I replied, deciding to hide
"Yes, the report mentioned that second one, and it also mentioned that you barely got tired even by the end of the raid. Those are useful abilities. May I take a closer look at it?" She asked me, peering at the blade in fascination.
"I mean, I don't mind, but you can't hold it. As in, you physically can't, no one but me can. Here, try it," I replied, as I held it by the end of the blade before holding the handle out towards her.
She reached out curiously, starting to grab onto the handle, before her eyes widened in surprise as a repelling force pushed her hand away.
"I've never heard of a weapon rejecting someone before...how exactly does it work?"
"Well, the Greater Demon said that these weapons transform to suit their wielder, and only the wielder can hold it."
"I see...you said you picked it up after the Demon died, right? Which means, these Personalis Arma weapons can only switch wielders if the current one dies...so, if we come across any Monsters that wield one, someone can get a weapon that perfectly suits them if the Monster is killed.
Hm, while that's valuable information, we'll have to keep it a secret for now, until you're much stronger...we don't want any unsavory Hunters coming after you to try and steal your weapon by killing you, after all," She pointed out with a wry smile.
"Thanks, I appreciate that. Also, uh...taking these weapons is pretty risky. I felt like my brain was being overwhelmed by a flood of incomprehensible info, there was this oppressive and impossibly complex Mana current flowing into me.
I really thought I was going to die.
The only reason I survived was because of a certain ability that only I possess, so if anyone else tries to claim one of these weapons, they'll probably die," I informed her.
It feels a bit risky saying that much, but I don't want someone to end up dying because I kept quiet.
"Hm, I see, I'll keep that in mind," She nodded thoughtfully.
Good to know, could turn out to be useful in the future. And since it's not a certainty, I'll keep it to myself for now.
"Alright, I think that's everything worth saying about this topic, so ready to move on?"
"Yes, I've been particularly interested about this last one, the power boost you used at the end of the raid. What can you tell me about it?" She inquired eagerly.
"Well, I call it Enrage, it boosts me physically by around fifty percent, I think? But it puts me in a state of intense hyper-aggression, I had basically no impulse control and couldn't think straight.
I'd never used it before because it costs a ton of Mana to activate and puts a heavy strain on my body, and while I did know that it would make me more aggressive, I seriously underestimated how intense it would be. It's pretty much the definition of a blind rage," I recalled with a sigh.
"Hm, interesting...it sounds similar to the Magic of an Arcane Hunter from another Sanctuary who retired about ten years ago, she named her Class Berserker.
Her Magic put her in a highly aggressive state, but a few years before she retired, she suddenly discovered a way to control it," Mused Charlotte thoughtfully.
Yeah, the state I was in while using Enrage would definitely fit the definition of a Berserker. And if this retired Hunter was able to control her Magic, assuming it works similarly to Enrage, then maybe...
"Another Sanctuary, huh? Don't suppose there's any way you could get me in contact with her and ask her for some advice?" I inquired hopefully.
"Actually, she's an old friend of mine, and she's someone I consider trustworthy. She's the Director of the Hunters Academy in Sanctuary Alpha, so she's pretty busy, but I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks, I appreciate that. On another note, this might be a tall ask, but is there any place where I could use Enrage on a regular basis to practice trying to stay calm while in that state? Somewhere I couldn't break out of or hurt anyone," I remarked with a wry smile.
"Hm, that's a good idea...it would be a shame to let a power-up that gives you a fifty percent boost go to waste, and it might be possible that you would be able to maintain your senses in that state the more you use it and get used to it.
Since this was your first time using it and you weren't expecting it to be as intense as it was, it likely shocked your senses and overwhelmed you before you even had a chance to resist. But next time you use it, you'll have a much better idea of what to expect.
And with each subsequent time you use it, your understanding of it will steadily grow, and eventually, that could lead to you being in full control while in that state. At the very least, it's worth a shot. I'll see what I can do," She replied with a smile.
It really might be possible...when I was in that state, I did have a brief moment of lucidity when you reminded me to use Drain on the Ogre.
Yeah, my bad...but maybe I'll be less rude if I manage to stay in control. So, this is definitely worth a shot, don't you think?
<...>
Heh, sorry about this. Also, you've been sounding a lot more human lately. There's a lot more emotion to you these days.
Yeah, pretty sure. Guess I'm not the only one improving, huh? This is pretty cool, I look forward to seeing how the both of us continue to grow.