Chapter 20

Being called by Master Jack, Shi Feng was slightly surprised.

"Young man, would you be willing to let me take a look at this sword?" Master Jack looked at Shi Feng, his eyes filled with intense longing, and his tone, which had been indifferent, now sounded somewhat humble.

"This..." Shi Feng hadn't expected such a prestigious forging master to make such a request, and he was somewhat at a loss.

But upon reflection, it made sense.

The value of a magical weapon was self-evident, let alone a famous sword crafted by a renowned blacksmith. Such a sword was the lifelong pursuit of every forging master, and it was natural for them to want to see it.

Seeing Shi Feng's hesitation, Master Jack added, "Don't worry, I'll only need a moment, and I won't look for free. You can ask for anything you want."

Hearing this, Shi Feng was overjoyed.

This was a forging master!

Any equipment he crafted would be at least of Black Iron grade, or even Mithril grade, and the request was just to look at the sword.

Without hesitation, Shi Feng agreed and handed the Abyssal Blade to Master Jack.

NPCs couldn't take items from players, so he wasn't worried about Master Jack taking the Abyssal Blade. He could look at it as much as he wanted, and in return, Shi Feng could ask for a Mithril-grade one-handed sword, which would allow him to fully unleash the power of a swordsman.

Master Jack held the Abyssal Blade, which looked like a simple stick, praising its craftsmanship and marveling at its power. After more than ten minutes, he reluctantly returned it to Shi Feng.

"Young man, this is a fine sword with immense power, but the curse on it is extremely evil. The more you try to harness its power, the stronger the curse becomes, eventually plunging the wielder into an endless abyss. Your strength is not enough to control this sword, and you could easily be consumed by the curse," Master Jack said earnestly.

Shi Feng naturally knew this, which was why he had hesitated for so long before finally binding the Abyssal Blade.

"Master Jack, is there any way to weaken the curse?" Shi Feng asked.

Although he knew some methods to weaken it, he currently lacked the ability to do so.

"Young man, you should know that this sword was crafted by the renowned blacksmith Olysis, and there is only one in the entire Divine Realm. Only thirty-five other swords can match it. To give these famous swords unparalleled power, countless terrifying beings were slain, and their power was sealed within the swords by the blacksmiths. Without immense strength, it's impossible to suppress it," Master Jack said with great reverence, then smiled, "However, there is a way to weaken the curse."

"Please, what is it?" Shi Feng asked eagerly.

"To suppress such powerful force, you need another powerful force. The power sealed in the sword is a curse, and to weaken it, you need immense luck," Master Jack sighed. "In the Divine Continent, there are stones that gather the good fortune of the Divine Realm, known as Lucky Stones. With a Lucky Stone, you can counteract the curse. Although these stones can be found anywhere in the continent, very few people have ever obtained one. I've never seen one myself. Finding one is extremely difficult. If you can find one, I can help you weaken the curse on the sword."

Seeing Shi Feng's stunned expression, Master Jack shook his head and comforted him, "Young man, you should know that Lucky Stones are extremely rare. It's normal not to find one. There's no need to be so disheartened. Those who find Lucky Stones are blessed by the heavens, and we can't compare."

"Master Jack, is this the stone?" Shi Feng took out a dark green Starlight Stone from his backpack and smiled.

"Yes, this is a Lucky Stone..." Master Jack glanced at the dark green Starlight Stone, nodded, and then froze, looking at Shi Feng as if he were a monster.

Shi Feng shrugged, indicating it was no big deal.

He had been stunned because Master Jack could use a Lucky Stone to suppress the Abyssal Blade. In the Star Moon Kingdom, there were many forging masters, but very few could use a Lucky Stone to suppress the curse of a magical weapon, perhaps only a handful. He hadn't expected Master Jack to be one of them.

"Master Jack, can you weaken the curse now?" Shi Feng asked hopefully.

After a while, Master Jack regained his composure and said calmly, "Sure, no problem. It'll take about half an hour."

Blackie, standing nearby, clutched his stomach, trying not to laugh, but Master Jack's shocked expression was too much, so he ran into the forest to laugh out loud.

Half an hour later, Shi Feng took back the Abyssal Blade and noticed some changes in its description.

A famous sword crafted by the renowned blacksmith Olysis using the fang of the Black Dragon King as material, it is one of the thirty-six famous swords in the Divine Realm, ranked thirty-first. However, this sword is cursed by the Black Dragon King. While it grants the wielder astonishing power, it also periodically backfires. After being modified by Master Jack and incorporating the Starlight Stone, the backfire has been significantly reduced. If the wielder cannot suppress the backfire, they will be cursed by the Black Dragon King, causing all attributes to permanently decrease by 50%, and the sword cannot be dropped or traded.

Seeing this description, Shi Feng felt much more at ease, at least for the short term, the backfire wouldn't be too strong.

Shi Feng put away the Abyssal Blade and suddenly noticed that Lonely Snow had sent him many messages, all asking why he hadn't arrived yet and how long it would take to reach the Silent Forest.

"Blackie, let's go to the dungeon," Shi Feng replied, saying he would be there soon.

Due to the Abyssal Blade, he had forgotten about the agreed time, making Lonely Snow wait for over half an hour. However, he planned to make up for it in the Silent Forest.

"Great, I was just worried about not having a chance to show off my new spells," Blackie said happily.

When Shi Feng and Blackie arrived at the dungeon entrance of the Silent Forest, the place was already crowded with level 2 players, many of whom were forming groups to enter the dungeon.

"Silent Forest group forming, need a high-damage dealer, level 4 looking for level 2."

"Silent Forest efficiency team, only need one strong healer, guaranteed to pass."

Shi Feng shook his head slightly and walked towards Lonely Snow, who was waving. In the previous life, the Silent Forest had been a bottleneck for a long time, and it wasn't until most players reached level 5 that it was cleared.

"Big brother, you're finally here. My friends have been waiting anxiously. Let's hurry up," Lonely Snow said, visibly anxious as Shi Feng walked over slowly.

Lonely Snow then led Shi Feng to the group gathering area.

"Lonely, is this the expert you mentioned? I thought he would be some kind of superhuman, but he looks pretty ordinary," the male priest, Silent Summer Night, sneered, seeing Shi Feng in beginner gear with a simple stick as a weapon, which looked like trash.

"Brother Silent, how can you say that about 'Expert'? He's a prestigious beta tester, surely he has 'outstanding abilities,' or how could he dare to black out all the equipment of swordsmen and spellcasters?" the shield warrior, Fight to the End, said coldly.

The two had been annoyed with Shi Feng from the start, as he had blacked out the plate armor and spellcaster equipment, which would have made their efforts in vain. If not for the leader wanting to see what Shi Feng was like, they would have formed a group and entered the dungeon long ago. Now, seeing Shi Feng's poor equipment, they took the opportunity to criticize him, hoping to make him back off.

Lonely Snow wanted to argue, but Shi Feng's equipment left him no room to do so, and he remained silent.

"Alright, let's form the group. Many people are already entering the Silent Forest. If we don't hurry, we might miss the chance for the first kill," the leader, the handsome male ranger Sky Net, interrupted.

Blackie wanted to retort, but Shi Feng stopped him, not taking the two's mockery seriously. After all, they had waited for over half an hour, so it was only fair to let them say a few words.

Just as the group was formed, the shield warrior angrily said, "Damn, this noob is only level 1. He's just here to scam equipment."

"Boss, the Silent Forest is a level 2 dungeon. Bringing a level 1 newbie is just asking for a wipe," the priest, Silent Summer Night, said to the ranger, Sky Net, expressing his dissatisfaction.

Seeing Shi Feng's level, Lonely Snow was also surprised.

Many players had already reached level 2, and a beta tester not even reaching level 2 was hard to believe.

The leader, Sky Net, looked at Shi Feng, his initial hope now gone, and said coldly, "Did you die once before?"

"No," Shi Feng shook his head, "But level 1 is enough to enter the Silent Forest."

"Then you can leave. We don't need a 'expert' like you. I hope you understand," Sky Net said, frowning.

"Boss, there must be a misunderstanding. Why don't we give it a try?" Lonely Snow tried to explain.

"Give it a try?" the priest, Silent Summer Night, sneered, "Who will be responsible if he dies? You should know that even dying in a dungeon results in experience loss, 10% to be exact. Can this noob afford that loss?"

"Silent, don't be hard on Lonely," the ranger, Sky Net, said, "Lonely, I know you're protecting this swordsman, but I have to be responsible for the team. I only form groups with experienced players, not newbies. You have two choices: either join us in the dungeon or leave the group with them."

"I'll leave the group," Shi Feng didn't want to embarrass Lonely Snow and left, "Blackie, let's form another group and enter the dungeon."

"Sure," Blackie grinned and immediately left the group.

"Hmph, the 'expert's' identity has been exposed. Knowing he can't scam equipment, he left on his own. He has some self-awareness," the shield warrior sneered, "Lonely, you're too naive. Only you would be fooled by such a noob. In the future, follow Boss Sky Net and gain more experience."

Lonely Snow's face turned pale, but he didn't think he had misjudged Shi Feng. Shi Feng was definitely an expert.

"Boss Sky Net, I'm sorry," Lonely Snow also left the group, deciding to follow Shi Feng and see if his judgment was correct.

"You!" The ranger, Sky Net, was stunned, not expecting Lonely Snow to be so decisive. If not for his good skills, he would have kicked him out long ago.

The priest, Silent Summer Night, looked at Lonely Snow and sneered, "Lonely, don't regret this choice. When we clear the Silent Forest and get top-tier equipment, you'll regret it for ten years, twenty years, for not following Boss Sky Net."