I Have a Task Log

Chapter 297: Chapter 296: The Awakened Armament

He raised his head. The Light cast on his Chest Armor bloomed with a pale glow, barely illuminating his surroundings.

Dust and smoke swirled around him in the light. Through the haze, Colin could see they had fallen into a hall of a similar scale to the Bone Repository Hall above, but this place was empty save for a few thick, clustered pillars...

"Colin! Sword up!"

Ale’s voice came from overhead, and Colin reflexively raised the Giant Sword in his hand.

WHOOSH!

A barbed chain tore through the blood-tinted haze, carrying a foul stench as it lashed against the blade of his Giant Sword.

A numbing jolt shot through Colin’s hand. The blade was knocked aside, and a sharp pain lanced through his twisted wrist.

His fingers were forced open, and the Giant Sword was sent flying from his grasp.

As the haze dissipated, the heavily wounded Chain Demon stood three meters away, staring intently at him.

The chains coiled around its body danced in the air like tentacles. The Demon itself was wreathed in blood-red flames, resembling a block of burning charcoal.

’Was that some kind of contract it just burned?’ Colin wondered as he drew his Hand Half Sword and entered his Sword Dance stance. ’Has it used up all the Soul Energy it gathered in the Mortal World? There’s no other way to explain this.’

"Run!" Ale’s voice rang out again.

A moment later, a golden Flaming Arrow exploded against the Chain Demon’s chest, but it appeared to have no effect.

Seizing the opportunity, Colin brandished his Hand Half Sword, continuously parrying the lashing chains as he retreated step by step, trying to create distance between them.

’Should I use the Smoke Bomb now?’

’No, I’d better not.’

If Colin had doubted the Chain Demon’s intentions before, he was now willing to swear that it was preparing an extremely troublesome Array.

It was either for summoning a High-Tier Demon or for some other, greater conspiracy.

’The demons had clearly been prepared when he and his party arrived. Even the stupidest among them should have realized this was an organized extermination. It would be unwise to keep investing their own resources at this point—unless it was on the order of a High-Tier Demon.’

’If it really is preparing a Summoning Array... then this Smoke Bomb is my last resort.’

CLANG!

The chain lashed out again, and Colin gripped his Hand Half Sword, struggling to parry the blow.

However, blocking a chain with a blade was no easy feat. Even as he parried the chain’s midsection, its tip, momentum unspent, whipped around his sword and struck him on the back with a resonant clang.

Colin desperately held on to his Hand Half Sword to avoid being disarmed.

He took advantage of the enhanced coordination and Speed from his Sword Dance to flee, but in his weakened state, he could only maintain a distance just far enough to prevent the Chain Demon from binding him, leaving him vulnerable to its lashes.

’Taking a one-sided beating like this is definitely not a good plan.’

’But if I don’t use the Bomb, what can I rely on to win? Even getting in close, it’ll be difficult to deal with that wounded Chain Demon.’

Colin endured the pain, carefully considering his options.

His companions were scattered amidst the piles of rubble throughout the hall. Not a single one had managed to get back to their feet.

If Kase hadn’t stepped up to block the gale, the situation would surely have been far worse.

Ale’s Flaming Arrows continuously struck the Chain Demon.

But due to the Demon’s terrifying resistance to Flame, the attacks had minimal effect.

While Colin was still weighing his options, the Chain Demon raised its remaining arm high.

The two chains on its body snapped together. With terrifying force, they rapidly intertwined, coiling into a single thick, braided cable before lashing toward Colin as a white blur.

Colin raised his Hand Half Sword to block.

As he blocked, he could clearly see the chain scrape a shower of sparks from his blade before it curved out of his vision and lashed his other shoulder.

Excruciating pain, like an electric shock, shot through his entire body.

All strength fled Colin’s right arm. The Hand Half Sword in his hand drooped, and a warm stream of blood flowed from the cuff of his Armed Clothing, seeping down his arm and onto the hilt.

In that instant, Colin’s heart skipped a beat.

Then, his heart began to pound, pumping blood to every corner of his body. In an instant, he felt as if he had limitless strength, his previous weakness swept away.

Just then, a faint blue light shone from behind the Chain Demon.

In the shadows, Orelia’s face was illuminated by the blue light.

As the blue light pulsed, Colin felt a tingling sensation in his shoulder, and some of his strength returned.

’That must be Healing Truth,’ he thought. ’That Magic has a longer range than the Healing Technique, but it’s less effective.’

Colin glanced down at his arm.

His bleeding arm was already mostly healed—swinging his sword would be no problem, at least... Just as he was about to make a desperate gamble, an idea flashed through his mind like lightning.

’Wait, is there something off about this Hand Half Sword’s Panel?’

With a jolt, Colin hurriedly looked at the weapon in his hand.

The weapon, maintained by a Dwarf and looking quite Ordinary, was now emitting a faint red glow.

The blood that had just splattered onto the sword slithered and coiled across the blade like tiny snakes before finally settling, dyeing the sharp edge a deep crimson. A transparent, shimmering Force Field could be faintly seen swirling around the blade.

Colin stared at the Panel for the weapon in his hand.

[Burning Blood / Uncommon Magic Weapon]

[Damage: 3.5-10.5]

[Versatile: Damage is 3.5-12.5 when used with two hands.]

[Heroic Legacy: This weapon has a +1 bonus to Damage and hit.]

[Blood-Soaked Determination: The user coats the blade with their blood, consuming 1-6 Life Value. On the next attack, this sword deals an additional 2-12 points of Force Field Damage, and for the next minute, its Damage and hit bonus is increased to +2. Once per day.]

["Old Guy, take the villagers and go first! I’ll catch up!" —Davin, son of Veteran John]

In that instant, Colin suddenly recalled what Donkexes had once said about Magic Equipment.

—"The last kind is equipment that comes into being naturally. It’s the rarest and most powerful type. Such equipment is born from the hands of heroes; in essence, it’s the crystallization of some intense emotion and cannot be artificially created."

’Good thing I decided to keep this sword,’ Colin thought.

’That veteran from Dragon’s Fang Castle really did me a huge favor!’

Up ahead, having just cast her Divine Art, Orelia raised her Kite Shield and charged at the Demon, which had its back to her.

CLANG!

With another clang of metal on metal, Orelia was sent flying by a chain before she could even get close to the Chain Demon.

The Tiefling slammed hard onto the ground, her weapon clattering away.