Kaizen stood there amidst the slowly dissipating golden sparkles of the ascended boss, still trying desperately to catch his breath. His legs felt like jelly and his arms were screaming in pain.
Ding.
[Dungeon Boss Defeated!]
[Dungeon Liberated]
[Rewards Calculated]
[Attribute Points: +10]
Kaizen pumped his fist into the air like he had just won the championship finals. "That is it, baby! We are going to rank up so incredibly fast!"
But the real prizes, the actual loot he had climbed an entire mountain for, were lying on the cold stone floor exactly where Sir Cassiel had vanished into golden light.
A black katana that looked like it belonged in a museum behind bulletproof glass, and a white glowing stone that illuminated the slight darkness of the ruined room like a miniature captured star.
The katana was sheathed in a black lacquered scabbard with intricate gold filigree running along its entire length. It looked expensive enough to pay off his debt ten times over. It looked dangerous enough to cut through anything that dared to move.
But first, Kaizen went for the mysterious glowing stone.
He picked up the beautiful pebble very carefully, like it might explode if he dropped it. It was surprisingly warm to the touch, almost exactly like holding a cup of freshly brewed hot tea.
[Item: Sun Spirit Stone]
[Rank: C]
[Category: Magic Attribute Core (Light)]
[Description: A crystal formed from the purest condensed sunlight, said to be born from the Sun God's tear during the tragic fall of the Sun Temple. Contains an extremely refined Light attribute.]
[Effect: Grants Light Magic affinity when properly embedded into compatible equipment. Enhanced effectiveness against Demons, Undead, and Dark Races.]
[Additional Info: Resonates with Sun-aligned artifacts. Dormant spiritual residue detected.]
"This is so cool!" Kaizen actually squealed, his eyes turning into literal stars like an anime character. "All I have to do is embed this into my pan, and the Rusty Pan of Doom will evolve into the Rusty Pan of Holy Purification!"
It was way too cool to just ignore. He now had an actual Light-attributed object in his hands, which was absolutely vital for his long-term survival in this demon-infested world.
Demons were extremely common in this setting, and their one true weakness that they could not overcome was Light Magic. With this stone embedded in his equipment, he would not just be surviving by the skin of his teeth anymore. He would actually be hunting demons for profit.
'Well, I could also sell it for an absolutely hefty amount of crowns,' Kaizen thought while turning the glowing stone over in his palm, watching the light dance.
A C-Rank attribute core is incredibly pricey after all, especially Light magic cores specifically. Those things go for insane amounts of money on the black market because they are so rare.
But here was the thing. He actually did not need a separate light attribute core for himself right now. That was the entire point. That was exactly why he was seriously considering just selling it for the emergency cash.
It was because of the katana lying on the floor next to him.
Kaizen set the precious stone down carefully and picked up the legendary sword with both hands. It felt light, cold, and hummed with this low, menacing power that made all his arm hair stand straight up.
[Item: Saintsplitter]
[Rank: D]
[Category: Weapon (Katana)]
[Description: A cursed blade forged in the overwhelming despair of a fallen Saint. It remembers its glorious past as a Holy Greatsword, but it has fully embraced the darkness of grief and corruption.]
[Ability: Heavenflare Trigger - Upon unsheathing, unleashes a massive blinding flash of Holy Light that purifies the surrounding area and applies severe debuffs to all Dark and Demonic entities within range.]
It was specifically because of this built-in ability that he did not need the stone at all.
Kaizen's eyes sparkled with pure, unfiltered greed. He did a little victory dance right there in the middle of the ruined temple, spinning the scabbard around like a baton while humming a victory tune.
"Jackpot! Literal jackpot! I am rich!"
He strapped the katana to his waist on the opposite side from the Rusty Pan.
"Dual wielding!" Kaizen cackled like an absolute maniac, his voice echoing off the ruined walls. "D-Rank Pan in the left hand for defense and counterattacks. D-Rank Holy Katana in the right hand for offense and demon slaying. I am completely unstoppable! I am the meta! I am the actual protagonist now!"
This was not just a cool sword for show. It was literal access to Light Magic.
In the Academy, you could learn the six basic elemental magics and other streams of magic through years of dedicated study and practice. But Light? That was Church exclusive territory. That was Inquisitor-only access.
That was locked behind massive political barriers and religious gatekeeping that normal students could never break through. And now, Kaizen had a portable pocket-sized sun attached to his belt that he got from beating up a depressed five-thousand-year-old ghost with a frying pan.
"Let me see it," Kaizen whispered, his heart racing with pure excitement. "Let me see the holy glow."
He gripped the ornate hilt. It fit his hand absolutely perfectly, like it had been custom-made specifically for him.
He assumed what he thought was a cool samurai stance he had seen in anime.
"Baaaaankaaaaaaaai."
He slowly pulled the cursed blade out of its black sheath.
Shinnnng.
A blinding light of yellow flashed across the room for over 4 seconds, before dimming down. It was absolutely magnificent. It was light magic. If there was a horde of demon's here, he could have purified them all.
Coming to the metal, it was darker than vantablack, actively drinking in all the ambient light around it like a miniature black hole. But running down the spine was this beautiful flowing mural of gold streaks that illuminated the entire ruined room with a warm, comforting glow.
It was edgy. It was holy. It was the single coolest thing he had ever held in his entire life.
"So cool," Kaizen breathed, completely mesmerized by the reflection of his own grinning face in the polished blade. "The quest was absolutely worth it. Every single step. Every lung failure on the mountain. Every moment I genuinely thought I was going to die. Completely worth it."
He was about to swing it dramatically, to test the weight and balance and see how it felt in motion, when the air suddenly buzzed violently.
BZZZT.
It was not the sword making that sound. It was inside his head.
A bright red system window popped up aggressively, overlaying the beautiful katana like a warning sign at a construction site.
Kaizen's excited smile froze completely on his face.
'Another reward? A bonus item? Some kind of hidden achievement for beating the boss with therapy?'
He read the glowing red text.
[Nonstandard Weapon Authority (NWA): Activated]
[Scanning Equipped Item...]
[Alert: Item 'Saintsplitter' is a Registered Standard Weapon Class]
[User Class [NPC] cannot equip Standard Weapons]
"What?!" Kaizen shouted at the floating interface. "What do you mean I cannot equip it? I am literally holding it in my hands right now!"
[Logic Error Detected]
[Attempting to Resolve Conflict...]
[Solution: Downgrading Quality]
[Solution: Editing Item Properties to match User Class Restrictions]
"Wait!" Kaizen screamed, trying desperately to sheathe the sword before the system could finish whatever horrible thing it was doing. "Stop! Do not touch the code! It is absolutely perfect the way it is!"
[Editing Complete]
The beautiful black steel rippled like disturbed water. The shining gold filigree dulled from brilliant shine to flat matte finish. The menacing aura that had been radiating from the blade evaporated like steam.
The physical sword did not change shape at all, but it suddenly felt noticeably lighter in his hand. Like a very expensive replica. Like a prop sword from a theater production. But then it illuminated again with that same golden glow, like nothing had changed.
[New Item Information]
[Item: Saintsplitter]
[Rank: D → F]
[Description: A sword that looks really cool and impressive, but has the actual cutting power of a rusty butter knife.]
"No!" Kaizen dropped to his knees on the cold stone floor. "No no no! My D-Rank damage! My DPS! My entire build strategy!"
He looked at the Ability section with desperate, fading hope. Surely the magic ability was still intact, right? Surely the system had not completely gutted the most important part?
[Ability: Heavenflare Trigger → Holy Flash]
[Effect: Upon unsheathing the weapon, releases an intense burst of radiant light that floods the surrounding area, temporarily blinding all who witness it. Can also function as a powerful light source in dark areas.]
Kaizen stared at the updated text in complete disbelief.
"Holy Flash?"
He looked at the epic katana trembling in his hands. He channeled his pathetic mana into it.
Flicker.
The blade did not unleash a blinding holy purification that would burn away the sins of the corrupted world. It did not apply debuffs to demons or cleanse corruption from the land.
He sheathed the katana frantically, his arms shaking with frustration. Then he unsheathed it again quickly.
A brilliant, dazzling white-yellow light illuminated the entire area for a brief moment. It was bright. It was annoying. It made him squint and see spots.
It was a flashbang grenade.
He quickly sheathed it back before he went completely blind.
Silence filled the temple.
More painful silence.
"..."
"..."
"This is complete ass!"
Kaizen screamed at the top of his lungs, shaking the glowing stick at the heavens like he was personally cursing the gods themselves.
"I hiked an entire freezing mountain for a glorified flashlight?! A melee flashlight?!"
He collapsed dramatically onto his back, staring up at the cracked ceiling, clutching the F-Rank glowing sword to his chest like a child holding a broken toy.
"I hate this system," Kaizen whispered to nobody in particular. "I hate my class. I hate everything about this entire situation."
But then, he paused mid-despair.
He looked at the Rusty Pan still strapped to his other hip. It was B+ Rank now. Powerful enough to send a D-Rank boss flying across a room like a baseball.
He looked at the Saintsplitter in his hands. F-Rank. Completely useless for actually killing anything, but bright as hell and really cool-looking.
"Trash items become Godly weapons," Kaizen realized slowly, a single tear rolling down his dirty cheek. "And Godly items become literal trash."
He clicked his tongue in pure frustration.
"The universe hates me specifically."
He sat up and looked at both items.
"At least I will not trip and break my neck on the way down the mountain in the pitch-black darkness."