Chapter 19: Verdant Punisher

  On a distant mountaintop, Sage continued to watch the battle between Nitaan and the Emerald-fur bear. Seeing Nitaan use Spinny Electromagnetic Drill Drill Spear, he burst into laughter.

  "Ho ho! Interesting! Truly interesting!" Sage laughed gleefully.

  "Making the iron spear spin with electromagnetic force from a lightning-type artifact, while simultaneously manipulating his own Word of Power to maximize the rotation, creates an attack capable of killing even an Engraver."

  Sage's eyes turned dark gray. The image of Spinny Electromagnetic Drill Drill Spear replayed before him. With a single glance, he understood how it works perfectly.

  "A truly remarkable young sprout." Sage grinned.

  "But his naming sense is…."

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  Spinny Electromagnetic Drill Drill Spear

  This was the attack that Nitaan had prepared to finish off the Emerald-fur bear. Nitaan understood that his weakness was lack of offensive capability.

  The better the enemy's defense, the lesser his chance of winning. In a fight like this, he could only rely on his weapon. If it isn’t enough, he truly has no means to kill his opponent.

  Therefore, he devised Spinny Electromagnetic Drill Drill Spear specifically to compensate for this weakness.

  Attacking a weak point, such as striking the knife hilt again, was a good option. He would be happy if it could end the fight. However, if that attack failed, he also had this move prepared.

  It's undeniable that most of his plans had failed miserably. Most of it comes from the fact that Emerald-fur bear was a 4-word Learner. Especially with how it has teleporting power.

  Overall, the plan was still considered successful, trapping the Emerald-fur bear. Nitan and Kiita pincer the bear, seeking an opportunity to repeatedly strike the knife hilt embedded in its left eye. When that failed, they took advantage of the bear's momentary lapse in concentration to strike with Spinny Electromagnetic Drill Drill Spear.

  He created Spinny Electromagnetic Drill Drill Spear after seeing a waterwheel on the river outside the town. Water could manipulate the wheel, generating energy that could be used for many purposes. What if he could manipulate his throwing weapon to generate even more power?

  This initial idea led to the spear being rotated using Gravity and controlled with Link, but it wasn’t enough. To reach a destructive power he wants and stable enough so he can wield, only Gravity and Link were far from enough.

  By using Purple Cloud Scorpion’s tail tip, he was able to intensify the rotation by transforming the iron spear into a massive magnet through the direct injection of electrical energy into it.

  To prevent the electrical current from harming him, he had to attach the lightning source, the tail of the Purple Cloud Scorpion, to electrically insulating leather gloves.

  During practices, the spear rotated only slightly since his control of Gravity was not yet perfected. When it spun rapidly enough, he couldn't control it either.

  For several days, Nitaan had been busy practicing this technique. He needed to determine how much electrical power to channel into the spear. Where to Link so that the spear is symmetrical, in addition to channeling the electricity. The hardest part is to balance the spear between his two hands.

  Gravity initiated the rotation of the spear while simultaneously maintaining its balance.

  Link held the spear steady while channeling the electricity into it.

  The electricity from the Purple Cloud Scorpion's tail transformed the spear into an electromagnetic field, accelerating its rotation to maximum speed.

  Once it reached its maximum rotation, simultaneously switching polarity to create a push force, launching the spear like a bullet with his two hands as a barrel.

  While incredibly powerful and destructive, it also had significant drawbacks. The amount of spiritual energy required for this technique was immense. Nitaan had to use both of his Words of Power to their absolute limit. He also had to control the Purple Cloud Scorpion's tail, not to mention that this attack required several seconds of preparation, making it difficult to find such a weakness in a real battle.

  This surprise attack was practically yelled, 'I'm preparing a big move!' by the crackling electrical currents and the bright light generated by the spinning motion. At his current level, Fade wasn’t strong enough to conceal all that commotion.

  And most importantly, this attack was incredibly expensive!

  The high-quality iron spears used as projectiles in this attack were irreparably destroyed after just one shot, and these expensive spears were incredibly pricey! The previous one alone cost over 2000 Gaia!

  "What a waste of money!" Nitaan muttered, panting.

  "Woof!"

  Nitaan! Nitaan! Are you alright?!

  Kiita rushed over, catching the exhausted Nitaan as he stumbled along. Feeling Kiita's soft fur and broad back, Nitaan sighed and collapsed, weary.

  Nitaan was in a terrible state. His face was pale from spiritual energy deficiency. Bruises covered his body from the impact of the swarm of sharp needles, and numerous minor wounds arose from close-quarters combat with the Emerald-fur bear.

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  Nitaan wasn't just drained of his spiritual energy. His mind was also severely exhausted. In his battle with the Emerald-fur bear, he couldn't afford to be careless for even a moment.

  "I'm alright, Kiita. What about you? Are you injured?" Nitaan, feeling better after a short rest, replied.

  "Woof!"

  Kiita fine!

  Kiita wasn't lying. Neither his body nor his mind was injured. There wasn't even a bruise. His breathing was steady, showing no signs of fatigue. The impact from the needles hadn't even left a mark. His beautiful black fur still gleamed. Only a few traces of dirt and dust remained as evidence of their life-threatening battle.

  "Good boy," Nitaan smiled, reaching out to scratch Kiita's chin. Its tail wagged happily.

  "Alright, let's go see our prize."

  The Emerald-fur bear’s body is useful. Its thick fur could be used for protection gear, and its fangs and claws could be melted down and mixed with iron to make various sharp weapons, but its meat was too tough for cooking.

  Nitaan had heard that the liver and bile of the Emerald-fur bear were highly nutritious foods, so he was trying to find those organs.

  Even though only some parts of the Emerald-fur bear could be sold, the advantage was that the various parts fetched very high prices.

  "Tonight let's have a bear hotpot," Nitaan smiled.

  "Woof!"

  Hot pot! Hot pot! Kiita's mouth watered.

  While Nitaan was skinning and butchering the Emerald-fur bear, he noticed a faint light.

  Several lights slowly emanated from the Emerald-fur bear's body. These lights rose into the sky, but before they could ascend to the beyond, they were pulled back down as if being held back by something. The light swirled around the Emerald-fur bear's body with all its might. After a while, the light surrendered, gradually flowing down into the knife still embedded in the bear's left eye.

  The light coalesced into a small beam. When that light shone upon the knife, the handle glowed softly. A single letter slowly appeared on the handle, as if carved out of thin air. The blade began to change color, from a rusty white to an emerald green.

  As the letter began to appear, Nitaan couldn't understand its meaning until the light faded. Only then could he decipher its significance. The letter was completely carved.

  Power Gathering.

  After the letter was fully carved, Nitaan observed the knife again and found that the blade was now a dull emerald color.

  Nitaan raised his eyebrows in confusion. His mind raced, recalling information he had learned in the past, trying to connect the events before him to what he knew. Soon, a faint smile appeared on Nitaan's face with a sense of relief.

  Could it be an Engraved artifact? the kind when the owner of the Word of Power dies, and the object they've carried for a long time or is strongly connected to becomes an artifact engraved with the owner's Word of Power?

  Nitaan pulled the knife deeply embedded in the Emerald-fur bear's skull, dividing his remaining small amount of spiritual power into the short knife. A number of pieces of information suddenly appeared in his mind:

  The wielder can directly charge spiritual energy into the knife. The amount of power channeled will not exceed the wielder's energy limit.

  Once charged, when attacking, the short knife will release the charged spiritual energy at the target in the form of an explosion.

  The intensity depends on the amount of spiritual energy charged.

  If the power is not used, Word of Power will dissipate in two years. If used, the usable time will be shorter.

  It really is an Engraved artifact! Nitaan thought happily. And an attack-type word at that. It perfectly compensates for his weaknesses.

  While Nitaan was happily thinking and trying to charge spiritual energy into the knife, a familiar, furious roar echoed in his mind. The roar of the Emerald-fur bear slammed into Nitaan's consciousness. At the same moment, that roar was restrained by a knife. The roar easily pulled back into the blade, unable to escape.

  Nitaan's face paled. Suddenly, another set of information appeared in his mind.

  If not used, this knife must take a life every week. If used, one life must be taken on the day the power is used.

  If no life is taken, the knife will slowly absorb the surrounding energy and randomly unleash its own power.

  Nitaan frowned.

  So the lingering spirit and hatred of the Emerald-fur bear were also embedded in the Word of Power. That's why there are these limitations. If I don't follow it, I might get blown up by this knife at any moment? That's quite harsh but manageable.

  Even after dying, that damn thing still acts like a problematic bear. Nitaan grumbled.

  It's an Engraved artifact with malicious intent, so it has negative side effects. However, these are relatively easy to manage. While it seems troublesome, it's not that difficult. Just buying a chicken or a fish should be enough. Nitaan muttered, thinking about how to use it and maximize its benefits.

  After resting for a while until his spiritual energy returned, Nitaan charged energy into the short knife again. He wanted to test its functionality to learn how to use it effectively in combat.

  After a moment, Nitaan stopped charging energy into the knife and sighed softly.

  It takes a considerable amount of time to charge up. Charging up while fighting would be very distracting, so it's a weapon that requires prior preparation.

  Nitaan gripped the knife tightly, grabbed Kiita's mole's hide cloak, and draped it over himself. He turned the knife upside down and lightly poked it into the ground.

  Nothing happened.

  This time, Nitaan tried jabbing it into the ground with more force.

  Boom!

  A deafening explosion echoed as the blade struck the ground. All the power surged outwards, creating a large crater. The explosion had no effect on Nitaan, even though he was not far from the center of the blast.

  Powerful… I didn't charge up much, but it's as strong as that bear's amplified attack. The explosion doesn't affect the wielder at all? That means I can use it for close-range attacks without worrying about the blast. Nitaan thought.

  It only explodes when the wielder applies a certain amount of force. There's no need to worry about an explosion while it's in its sheath.

  Another minute passed, and Nitaan tried charging up the power again. This time, he aimed at a nearby tree and threw the knife.

  When the knife struck the tree, another explosion occurred, creating a terrifying crater.

  It could be used for long-range attacks, but its power would be diminished compared to close-range attacks. This meant that the best use would be to fully charge it before the fight, use other weapons during the battle, and only use this knife for close-range attacks when the opportunity arose. Nitaan summarized his thoughts. He didn't want to use something he didn't fully understand.

  "Kiita, you've got a new weapon." Nitaan smiled, turning to look at Kiita and holding up the dull emerald green knife.

  He himself could still use Spinny Electromagnetic Drill Drill Spear, but Kiita lacked a truly lethal weapon. Furthermore, Kiita's surprise knife attack would be difficult to react to. Therefore, Kiita was naturally more suited to this knife than him.

  He could also switch to using it himself if the opportunity arose.

  "Now you might be able to assassinate Engraver without relying on poison! What an amazing dog!” Nitaan laughed.

  Nitaan wasn't overestimating Kiita in the slightest. If he charged it to the brim and launched a surprise attack, Kiita could easily kill any Engraver who doesn’t have exceptional defensive capabilities.

  "Ruff!"

  Amazing Kiita! Amazing Kiita!

  "You can name it. From now on, this will be your trusty weapon." Nitaan handed Kiita a green knife. Kiita took the knife and placed it on the ground. Seeing the beautiful, dull emerald green blade, Kiita wagged its tail happily.

  Kiita lowered its head in thought. It crouched on the ground, gazing at its reflection in the blade.

  "Shall I help you? Maybe… Emerald-fur bear Explosion Knife, Green boom Knife, or Boom Boom Knife?" Nitaan began reciting his ideas.

  Kiita was a dog. It couldn't show its emotions as clearly as a human. But Kiita's expression at this moment could be briefly described with ‘the hell you say?’.

  Kiita placed the knife behind him, turning away as if he no longer wanted Nitaan's opinion. Nitaan shrugged, muttering I thought those were cool.

  After a while, Kiita's ears perked up, his tail wagging faster. He turned back, still holding the knife.

  "Woof!"

  Verdant Punisher!

  Kiita proudly held the Vibrant Punisher in his mouth. Although Nitaan thought it was an old-fashioned name, seeing Kiita's happy expression and wagging tail, he couldn't help but smile.

  "From now on, I'll charge it with my energy. Since you can't infuse spiritual energy yourself," Nitaan said.

  Kiita tilted his head in confusion, as if he didn't understand what Nitaan was talking about.

  "That's not surprising. You're just an ordinary animal, not a devil beast. How could you possess Words of Power or spiritual energy?" Nitaan laughed.

  Kiita continued to tilt his head, still puzzled.

  "By the way, have you been eating anything special, Kiita? How come your body is so strong? And you have so much strength. I even thought you were the best devil." Nitaan suddenly thought of Kiita's physical capabilities.

  Many times, Kiita had displayed physical prowess that was almost superior to Learner devil beasts. Even in the fight with the Emerald-fur bear just now, Kiita was able to fight directly to a certain extent.

  "Do you want to know the reason?" A hoarse voice sounded from behind Nitaan, so close it was like the source was directly behind him.