Chapter Fifteen: Bone-Corroding Blade
After Sister Luna left, Li Wen logged off to take care of his biological needs. Upon returning, he began to study the items he bought from Old Sem.
These materials mainly consisted of common natural ingredients like animal and plant tissues, along with some ores. Most of them did not contain Mana, with only a few, such as dried Mandrag, red Myrtle leaves, and Unicorn Toad venom glands, being common magic materials.
However, these were sufficient for Li Wen’s needs. Basic and lower-tier rituals prioritize versatility, allowing for the substitution of most materials.
Looking at these materials, Li Wen decided to enchant his weapon first.
The ritual of enchantment exists in various schools. In ancient times, humans wielded this skill when they applied paint or drew totems on shields and swords, hoping for protection and power to defeat their enemies.
A ritual called “Bone-Corroding Poison Blade” was very suitable for the current situation. It could imbue bladed weapons with a poison enchantment. The primary material required was Unicorn Toad venom glands, which, when mixed with Myrtle sap, could be synthesized and prepared.
The advantage of poison enchantment over simply applying poison directly was that the enchanted poison was more potent, acted faster, and was easier to carry. After the enchantment’s duration expired, the weapon itself would not be affected.
More importantly, the steps of this ritual were also very simple.
The only difficulty lay in the blending of the primary composite poison. Old Sem had provided a processed semi-finished product among the materials, so Li Wen only needed to perform a rough synthesis.
[Bone-Corroding Poison Blade (Calamity)]
[Knowledge-Ritual-Granting (Temporary)]
[Requires: 2 Mana, 1 oz of Composite Toxin, 1 Bladed Weapon]
[A sorcery used by the Wild Hunters of the Northern Territory, who beseeched the King of the Wild Hunt to imbue their swords and spears with potent poison that could easily corrode bone.]
[Grants the target weapon [+1 Sharpness][+1 Corrosive][+1 Potent Poison], the weapon is considered a powerful weapon of comparable tier, with a duration of 30 days.]
[Step 1: Prepare a smooth, flat surface of a certain size. Draw a cross-shaped ritual magic circle [Pre-Hunt Rite] on the surface using beast blood.]
[Step 2: At the top of the cross-shaped magic circle, offer prey as a sacrifice to appease the Wild Hunt; place the weapon to be enchanted in the center of the cross-shaped magic circle; place the composite toxin for the enchantment at the bottom of the cross-shaped magic circle; draw the symbolic pattern of the King of the Wild Hunt on the left side of the magic circle; place beast teeth, fur, and skulls on the right side to strengthen the connection (optional).]
[Step 3: Invoke the King of the Wild Hunt!]
Li Wen made up his mind instantly, mixed the two materials together, and then began drawing the ritual magic circle directly on the floor.
She had originally intended to use her own blood as the drawing material, but to her surprise, after slashing her finger with her short sword, the wound healed on its own in a short while.
This…
Li Wen looked at her status bar. The “Merged into Light” status would last for more than ten hours. She hadn’t expected that the “slow wound healing” mentioned in the status description would be so powerful.
There was no other way. Li Wen had to speed up the drawing process. Each time her wound healed, she would cut herself again. After repeating this several times, Li Wen finally managed to draw the “Pre-Hunt Rite” ritual magic circle completely.
Li Wen placed the short sword in the center of the ritual magic circle, the bottle containing the poison below it, fur on the right side, and the sacrifice area above. For the sacrifice, she placed a shriveled, one-eyed rat corpse, which was also one of the materials collected by Old Sem.
Finally, there was the symbolic pattern on the left side of the ritual. Li Wen drew a crown resembling a wolf’s head.
After all the work was completed, Li Wen closed her eyes, clasped her hands in prayer, and repeatedly recited the honored name of the King of the Wild Hunt and the hunting incantations of the Northern folk.
At some unknown repetition, Li Wen felt a chill run through her body, and the sound of howling wind and snow reached her ears.
She felt as if she had been transported into the ice and snow of the Northern Territory, where night was eternal, and the land was desolate and uninhabited, with only death and cold lasting forever. Noisy footsteps echoed around her. These footsteps were certainly not from humans or any known creatures in the mortal world. They were as ethereal as snow sprites, yet they crackled like flames as they stepped through the wind and snow.
Li Wen could clearly feel them approaching. She could even smell the scent of blood and death on them.
These were the hunting hounds of the King of the Wild Hunt. When the eternal winter night descended, they would patrol the mortal realm on behalf of the King of the Wild Hunt.
And now, they were observing Li Wen, seemingly contemplating whether this human before them could be considered food. However, after sensing the trace of Glor on Li Wen, the hounds quickly grew annoyed and disdainful, and they left in haste.
The ice and snow dissipated along with their departure.
Li Wen opened her eyes and shivered violently.
She glanced at her status bar. Her health had dropped to 67%, and a “Frostbite” status had appeared on her status bar, slowing her movement by 20% and reducing her health by 1% per minute for 5-10 minutes.
This was the power of the Calamity school. Even if the ritual was successful, it would inflict unpredictable damage on the ritual performer, which was unavoidable by anyone.
However, at the same time, the greater the cost, the greater the reward.
[Bone-Corroding Poison Sword (30 Days)]
[Weapon-Dagger-Extraordinary (Blue)]
[A bladed weapon crafted by a professional artisan, imbued with a terrifying potent poison that can corrode bone. Even a mere scratch is enough to be fatal.]
[Enchantment: Sharpness Lv1, Corrosive Lv1, Potent Poison Lv1.]
With this enchanted weapon, Li Wen had a fighting chance even against the mages of the Sun Cultivation Institute.
However, this alone was not enough to guarantee victory.
The activation time of the bone-corroding poison was too long, and her opponent was a mage who had already embarked on their path. Li Wen might not be able to hold on until the opponent succumbed to the poison.
Therefore, Li Wen needed something that could truly secure victory.
Li Wen shifted her attention to her status bar.
“Merged into Light,” this was a temporary status Li Wen obtained when she advanced to Supplicant. It allowed Li Wen’s wounds to heal slowly, and the effect was very significant. In just this short while, Li Wen’s health had already recovered to 68%, and this was after deducting the damage caused by frostbite.
The magic materials obtained from Old Sem were almost depleted. However, as an experienced Player, Li Wen knew very well that such a status with residual power derived from a ritual could also be consumed as a ritual material.
Exchanging a temporary HP buff for a ritual that could save her life at a critical moment.
Li Wen had already made her plans.
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