Free Web NovelChapter 438: Two New Mythic Artifacts
The identified Wraith Cloak unfolded in Marcus’s hands. It was long and flowing, its black fabric seeming almost alive. Countless gray souls drifted across its surface like shadows trapped beneath dark water. Faint cries echoed from within the cloak as the wandering spirits twisted and moved through the fabric, creating an eerie, mist-like aura around it.
It looked dangerous. And, more importantly, it looked incredible.
Marcus immediately opened the item’s information panel.
—
Wraith Cloak
Mythic Artifact | Required Level: 50
Originally a luxurious celestial silk cloak that enhanced the wearer’s Charm and Luck, the cloak was lost while being transported through the third level of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb.
Over time, it became engulfed by the tomb’s death miasma and the resentment of countless wandering souls. The celestial silk gradually absorbed this energy, forming a massive cocoon. After a thousand years of corruption, the cloak emerged transformed into a completely different artifact.
The once-pure celestial silk had darkened into an ominous black, and its abilities had changed drastically, becoming the Mythic Artifact known as the Wraith Cloak.
A century ago, an ordinary Wailing Wandering Soul discovered the cloak hidden within the third level of the tomb and eventually became the king of its kind. However, its limited strength prevented it from unlocking the cloak’s full potential.
Effects:
- Agility +100
- Defense +50
- Dodge +30%
- Accuracy +30%
- Movement Speed +3
- Attack Speed +3
Additional Effects:
- Absorbs 50% of Dark-element damage freēwēbηovel.c૦m
- 50% chance to trigger Wraith’s Lament, confusing enemies and reducing all their attributes by 10%
Skills:
Drifting Loiter (Active)
Summons the power of the Wraith Cloak, allowing the user and all party members within three meters to float up to one meter above the ground and move freely. Dodge increases by 10%, and users gain 20% resistance to both physical and magical attacks.
Ceaseless Resentment (Passive Trigger)
20% chance to activate upon attacking an enemy. Once triggered, the target becomes marked by the cloak’s resentment and cannot escape the user’s pursuit regardless of movement speed. Lasts twenty seconds.
Even if the target uses teleportation during combat, there is a chance the user will follow them.
Wraith Shadow (Active)
Allows the user to instantly enter stealth during combat. Lasts three minutes.
Cooldown: 1 minute.
Stealth immediately ends if the user attacks or takes damage.
Celestial Demon Corruption (Passive)
The cloak originally granted +5 Luck and +5 Charm. After corruption, those effects were lost. Instead, killing enemies now increases item drop rates by 3%.
Additionally, when actively initiating player kills, there is a 3% chance to force the defeated target to lose an additional level. When killing players in self-defense, that chance increases to 15%, stacking with normal death penalties.
—
Marcus stared at the screen. Then he read it again. And then a third time.
"...This thing is ridiculous."
His heart was pounding. ’Was this really only a Mythic Artifact?’
The stats alone were already outrageous, but the skills were what truly pushed it into another category.
Ceaseless Resentment immediately became his favorite. An enemy couldn’t escape. Didn’t matter how fast they were. Didn’t matter if they tried to teleport.
For someone like Marcus, who specialized in overwhelming close-range combat, twenty seconds was more than enough time to turn a fight into a massacre.
Then there was Wraith Shadow. Combat stealth. Three full minutes.
And finally, Celestial Demon Corruption.
Marcus almost laughed when he saw it. Making other players lose levels? Whoever designed this thing clearly enjoyed causing suffering.
A powerful PvP effect was one thing. An effect that directly stole experience levels was something else entirely.
That wasn’t a weapon. That was a grudge made into equipment.
Inside, Marcus was already completely sold. ’Wraith Cloak, I think we’re going to get along very well.’
He desperately wanted to equip it immediately. The thought of floating through the air using Drifting Loiter, just like the Wailing Wandering Soul King, was incredibly tempting.
Even better, the cloak’s appearance perfectly matched his Corpse Demon equipment. The dark colors and ghostly aura fit together so naturally that it almost felt like they had been designed as a set.
Unfortunately, reality quickly ruined his mood
; level 50 required. He was still Level 49.
Marcus checked his experience bar.
Level 49, 67%.
’Close. Painfully close.’
At his current leveling speed, reaching Level 50 should only take another day or two. That somehow made the waiting even worse.
With considerable effort, he tore his attention away from the cloak. There was still one more Mythic Artifact to examine.
The Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Hoe.
Marcus handed the cloak over so Lily and the others could admire it before turning his focus toward the massive weapon.
The sight was immediately striking. One blade glowed with icy blue light. The other burned with deep crimson flames.
Water and fire energy flowed continuously across the weapon’s surface. The blue blade seemed to carry streams of liquid water, while flames danced along the red blade without consuming it.
More impressive still, the opposing elements didn’t clash. They intertwined. Blue and red energy spiraled around each other in perfect balance.
The enormous weapon stood even taller than Marcus himself, giving it an imposing presence that demanded attention. It looked less like a farming tool and more like the signature weapon of a legendary warrior.
Marcus couldn’t help grinning. ’If I walked through a city carrying this thing, half the server would probably stop and stare.’
He quickly opened the item’s information panel.
—
Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Hoe
Mythic Artifact | Required Level: 50
In his later years, a master blacksmith discovered the Mythic-grade material Ice-Kun Mythic Stone within the Nine-Kun Ice Mountains of northern Dreamland Continent.
He later unearthed Fire-Ge Mythic Stone from the Celestial Fire Lava Cave in the west.
Combined with his family’s treasured Water-Fire Flame Crystal, he attempted to fuse the opposing powers of Water and Fire to forge a Divine Artifact.
The blacksmith loved mining and chose to forge the weapon in the form of a hoe.
Unfortunately, despite possessing extraordinary mining skills, his forging ability was insufficient. Even with three Mythic-grade materials, he succeeded only in creating a low-grade Mythic Artifact.
Unwilling to accept failure, he spent years searching for a way to improve the weapon.
Eventually, he witnessed a battle between a Flood Heavenly Dragon and a Blazing Rage Dragon inside Dragon God Canyon.
Driven by obsession, he rushed into the battle and activated his family’s secret technique, Life’s Tempering, hoping to use the dragons’ overwhelming power to elevate the weapon into a Divine Artifact.
The attempt failed.
The blacksmith survived only ten seconds beneath the dragons’ attacks before being completely annihilated.
However, those ten seconds were enough to alter the weapon forever.
The dragons’ auras fused into the hoe, transforming it from a low-grade Mythic Artifact into a high-grade Mythic Artifact: the Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Hoe.
—
Marcus stared at the description. Then sighed.
"So many incredible materials." He shook his head. "And he still couldn’t make a Divine Artifact."
The man had possessed rare resources, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and two dragons practically doing part of the work for him.
Yet he still failed.
Marcus couldn’t decide whether to feel sorry for him or be frustrated on his behalf. Still, one lesson stood out. Talent mattered. Skill mattered. And trying to skip the necessary preparation usually ended badly.
The blacksmith’s story was a perfect example.
Marcus continued reading.
—
After the blacksmith’s death, the weapon remained lost within Dragon God Canyon until it was eventually discovered by a thousand-year Corpse Demon and brought back to Dreamland Continent.
The weapon consisted of two separate components.
The Ice Hoe, forged from Ice-Kun Mythic Stone and infused with the aura of the Flood Heavenly Dragon.
The Fire Hoe, forged from Fire-Ge Mythic Stone and infused with the aura of the Blazing Rage Dragon.
Thanks to the Water-Fire Flame Crystal, the two weapons could combine into a single two-handed weapon or separate into dual one-handed weapons.
Effects:
- Two-Handed Attack: 800
- One-Handed Attack: 550
- Heavy Strike +20%
- Critical Hit +10%
- Lethal Strike +5%
Additional Effects:
- Strength +50
- Constitution +30
- Agility +20
- Focus +10
- Knockback Chance +10%
- Stun Chance +10%
- 20% chance to trigger Water Slow, reducing enemy movement and attack speed by 20%
- 20% chance to trigger Fire Burn, dealing continuous damage
Skills:
Dual Elements (Active)
Releases the Water and Fire dragon auras stored within the weapon. Water Aura increases Defense by 10%. Fire Aura burns enemies within one meter, dealing 50 damage per second.
Whirlwind Slash (Active)
Spin while wielding the Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Hoe, releasing a powerful Water-Fire attack. Hits all enemies within six meters.
Damage increased by 30%. Additional 20% chance to stun. Deals an extra 300 Water damage and 300 Fire damage.
Ice-Fire Dragon Breath (Active)
Summons a Water Dragon and a Fire Dragon from the weapon. Both dragons attack all enemies within ten meters.
Each dragon deals damage equal to at least three times the user’s normal attack.
Cooldown: 1 hour.
Mining (Active)
Increases mining yield by 10%. Increases mining speed by 40%. Increases Mining skill experience gain by 20%.
—
Marcus finished reading. Then quietly looked at the weapon. Then looked again.
The attack value alone was absurd. He had originally planned to use the Mist-Tear Spear of Purity after reaching Level 50.
Now that plan was dead.
The Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Hoe had nearly two hundred more attack power. There wasn’t even a comparison.
And Whirlwind Slash? A six-meter area attack with bonus damage, elemental damage, and a stun chance. Most Warriors would happily trade several skills for something like that.
Combined with Marcus’s existing abilities, his damage output would become downright unreasonable. This weapon had been designed for one purpose; killing things, fast.
The mining bonus was almost funny at that point. As if the weapon’s creator had suddenly remembered halfway through the process that it was technically supposed to be a hoe.
Marcus lifted the weapon and admired it. Blue and red light flowed along the blades. The enormous size made it impossible to ignore.
It was flashy. Aggressive. Completely lacking in subtlety. The kind of weapon that announced its owner’s arrival before he even spoke.
After a moment, Marcus reached a decision. The Mist-Tear Spear of Purity would remain his backup weapon.
When he needed to stay low-key, he’d use the spear.
When he wanted maximum combat power, or simply wanted everyone around him to know he had arrived, he’d pull out the Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Hoe.
A grin slowly spread across his face. Then he started laughing.
Not because he had a clever plan, and not because he had outsmarted anyone. Simply because getting an absurdly powerful weapon felt good.
Sometimes there really wasn’t a deeper reason than that.
