Chapter 46: The Sigh of the Dead

At the end of the dim corridor, in front of the bronze door, Rod glanced at the two giant doors on the side and then at the narrow door in front of him.

After a moment of contemplation, he decided to play it safe. Who knows what kind of creatures might be lurking behind the door? Better to be cautious.

Creak!

With a gentle push, the heavy bronze door opened automatically. A faint light illuminated the dim treasure room.

A massive mountain of copper coins came into Rod's view, towering beyond sight. The mountain was made up of countless copper coins and finely crafted copper items.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Rod couldn't help but gasp in awe, his face reflecting sheer astonishment.

A billion cold, hard currency in a bank account was nothing compared to seeing a billion in cash laid out before you. The shock was simply on a whole different level. And now, the impact he felt was no less than seeing ten billion stacked in a room.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Rod's gaze shifted to the dog sitting atop the mountain of copper coins. Its eyes were as big as teacups, staring at him intensely.

Ignoring the dog, Rod circled halfway around the mountain of copper coins, arriving at the back. A dark passageway stretched out, leading to an unknown destination.

"Just as I thought!"

This was exactly what he had been searching for.

Without hesitation, Rod stepped into the hidden passage. He walked until he reached the end, where a one-meter-high altar stood before him.

An ice-blue greatsword was embedded in the altar.

Just as he was about to approach, an invisible barrier stopped him in his tracks.

"A barrier?"

Rod frowned. The witch's magical book had detailed various fundamental magical concepts, including barriers.

Barriers were functional shields formed by manipulating surrounding magical energy through special magical runes and tools. They had immense defensive power and could also deal substantial damage.

There were typically three ways to bypass a barrier: find a flaw and break it, use overwhelming force to destroy it, or meet the specific requirements to pass through it.

After a brief assessment, Rod realized that he didn't have the strength to forcibly break through this barrier. So, the first two options were out.

Normally, the only way to enter a barrier was to meet the conditions set by it. However, Rod had another method up his sleeve.

Slowly, Rod stretched out his hand, a deep glow emanating from his palm.

Sacrifice!

Since conventional methods wouldn't work, it was time to cheat a little.

His ability to sacrifice theoretically allowed him to sacrifice anything—provided the target couldn't resist.

Could a barrier resist? Clearly not.

Therefore, no matter how powerful the barrier was, it was just a decoration to him.

Of course, sacrificing a barrier had a prerequisite: he had to touch its physical form. If the barrier had no tangible substance, he wouldn't be able to do anything.

In an instant, the seemingly impenetrable barrier disappeared before his eyes.

As feedback, all the knowledge regarding the principles and effects of the barrier flooded into Rod's mind. In a matter of moments, his understanding of barriers reached an advanced level—a pleasant surprise.

"Under 30 years old, possessing advanced mental power of a high-level mage, proficient in necromancy..."

The creator of this barrier was truly a tough individual, coming up with such strict conditions. It was likely that only a handful of people in the entire fairy tale world could meet these criteria.

Finding a high-level mage under 30 was already a rarity, and those proficient in necromancy were even fewer. Necromancy was a branch of black magic, and few mages practiced it because it involved dealing with corpses and the like. Necromancers, who were seen as defiling souls and life, were the eternal enemies of the church. Once discovered, they were relentlessly hunted by knights of the church.

This was all recorded in the witch's magic book. After centuries of persecution by the church, there were only a handful of necromancers left in the world.

"This sword looks pretty cool," Rod muttered as he eyed the greatsword embedded in the altar. He pulled it out without hesitation.

As soon as the sword was drawn, a flood of information sealed within the sword poured into his mind.

"The first volume of the Book of Black Magic, the Sigh of the Dead..."

Murmuring softly, Rod looked down at the greatsword in his hand.

The sword's forger was Augustus, the progenitor of black magic, one of the most powerful black mages in history.

The greatsword's name was The Sigh of the Dead. According to the information in Rod's mind, the sword was a powerful magical artifact containing immense strength. It could fuse with various weapons, freely transforming into different forms. Additionally, it could deal tangible damage to souls, spirits, and other incorporeal entities.

Since the sword was forged with the power of countless souls, it carried a frost energy capable of eroding souls. Enemies struck by the sword would fall into a deathly silence under the effects of the frost energy. After death, their souls would be devoured by the sword and enslaved, becoming part of the sword's spirits, fighting for whoever wielded it.

In short, this was a magical weapon with limitless potential. The more it killed and the more souls it devoured, the stronger it would become.