"Can fuse weapons to gain more forms."
Now, this is interesting.
Rod took out his "Execution" revolver from his personal space.
He placed the two items together.
The moment the ice-blue greatsword touched the revolver, it was as if molten metal was being poured in, frantically flowing into the Execution.
Moments later, the greatsword in Rod's hand had completely disappeared.
In its place, the revolver now had intricate, ghostly blue patterns etched along its surface.
Rod gently spun the revolver's cylinder.
Bang!
A bullet emitting a chilling frost shot out.
When the bullet struck the wall, a deadly layer of ice spread instantly.
"Is this like enchanting the gun?" Rod muttered under his breath.
While maintaining the revolver's original power, it had now gained the unique force of the "Sigh of the Dead," greatly amplifying its lethality against souls.
Rod separated the revolver and the Sigh of the Dead.
Though the revolver's power increased when they were fused, it limited his combat style.
After all, the Sigh of the Dead could only maintain one form of combat at a time.
Moreover, many of the magical traits of the Sigh of the Dead, such as soul devouring and undead enslavement, could only be activated in close combat when slashing the opponent.
Thus, the magical item was still more suited to being used as a cold weapon.
When attached to a firearm, it merely added some extra flair, not utilizing even a tenth of its power.
"It might be worth trying to fuse it with more cold weapons."
Rod rubbed his chin. A weapon that could freely switch between different forms could be extremely useful in adapting to various complex combat scenarios.
It had great development potential.
After storing away the greatsword, Rod turned his attention to another item.
The [Book of Black Magic].
In an ancient era, humans, gods, and various powerful magical creatures coexisted.
Everything was peaceful, with the gods protecting humanity, and the races living in harmony.
That is, until one day, when the gods mysteriously vanished.
Wars, long brewing between the races, erupted.
At that time, humans were the lowest beings in the world, treated as mere food for countless powerful magical creatures.
Until the birth of magic, which gave humans the power to contend with magical beings.
Though the current magical world is blurry on the boundaries of magic, in that ancient era, magic was divided into two types: black magic and white magic.
White magic focused on healing and protection, while black magic was feared for its curses, killing, and destruction.
Augustus, one of the most famous black magicians in history, was known as one of the founding fathers of black magic.
He, a mere mortal, stood on equal footing with powerful demigods and magical beasts.
The Book of Black Magic was Augustus's lifetime compilation of his understanding of black magic.
There were three volumes, and Rod had inherited the first volume.
Rod absorbed the intricate and profound knowledge in his mind.
If the magic book he obtained from the witch was merely an introduction to the magical world, then this Book of Black Magic had opened the gates to that world for him.
Black magic, necromancy, alchemy, potion-making, curse magic, barrier magic...
It was like an encyclopedia of the magical world.
Though this was only the first volume, with no particularly powerful spells recorded, it was enough to keep him busy for quite a while.
"Quite a haul," Rod muttered softly to himself. A powerful magical artifact and the complete inheritance of black magic—these were far more valuable than a mere pile of gold coins.
Leaving the cave, Rod approached the mountain of copper coins piled outside.
Leaving such a treasure here wasn't in his nature.
But collecting it all didn't seem particularly useful either.
So...
"Sacrifice!"
In an instant, the mountain of copper coins and copperware vanished.
A finely crafted bronze basin appeared on the ground.
"A basin?"
Rod blinked in surprise and cast a spell.
Identification, a basic spell that could reveal an item's origins, materials, and effects.
Though basic, this spell was quite practical.
However, it could only be used on ordinary items and low-level magical artifacts. If used on something too powerful, it would only yield incomplete information.
After casting the spell, Rod learned the function of the bronze basin.
The Bronze Treasure Basin could continuously absorb magical energy to produce copper coins and finely crafted copper items.
Additionally, every so often, it would generate a special magical mineral that could be used to forge magical equipment.
A special mineral for crafting magical equipment—that's not bad at all.
There was alchemical knowledge in the Book of Black Magic, after all.
Having sacrificed the copper mountain, Rod turned his gaze toward the large dog lying on the ground.
Though obedient, the dog didn't seem to serve any real purpose for him.
So, waste not, want not.
"Sacrifice!"
Rod placed his hand on the dog's head.
As the sacrificial power activated, he immediately sensed a wave of resistance and struggle.
The once docile dog now bared its teeth in a savage snarl.
Hmm?
This thing has its own consciousness?
Rod frowned. He had thought the dog was just some special alchemical creature.
But alchemical creatures were supposed to be completely obedient to their creator or user.