Pendant Upgrade

In the heart of the wilderness, the night was a biting cold. The roaring bonfire, despite its fervor, failed to fend off the frosty air. Inside the tent, however, a warm and snug ambiance prevailed — inviting enough to induce drowsiness and lure one into the plush comfort of the queen-sized bed for a long, restful slumber.

Leylin patiently waited, observing Ivy's silhouette quivering as she timidly entered the tent. Her nervousness was palpable, her hands gripping her skirt tightly, revealing her alabaster ankles. Her sapphire eyes were a canvas of conflicting emotions — a blend of anticipation and apprehension.

Yet, it seemed as though she was being puppeteered, advancing towards Leylin, one hesitant step at a time.

"Don't worry... Taking a sample is a simple process, and it won't harm you," Leylin assured her. "Roll up your sleeve."

Upon hearing Leylin's words, Ivy paused for a moment before complying, unveiling her porcelain arms.

"There will be a slight sting, but there's no need to fear." Leylin produced a large needle-like instrument from behind him, his voice gentle, aiming to soothe the young girl.

Regrettably, the sight of the needle only intensified her trembling. Holding her arm steady with one hand, Leylin inserted the needle into the exposed vein on her arm.

Ivy's face contorted in pain as the needle penetrated her vein. It looked as though she was on the verge of tears, yet she bravely held them back. Leylin paid no mind to her discomfort as he worked in a detached an efficient manner.

Once he had drawn sufficient blood from Ivy, Leylin escorted the young girl back to her own tent.

'Naive little girl. She should be grateful I haven't strapped her to any machines yet...' Leylin mused, examining the needle in his hand.

Regardless, Leylin was indifferent to the girl's fate. His work was his top priority. Of course, he would prefer to return the girl to her family's friend, claim the reward, and bolster his reputation in the Light Magi territory.

'Aralis, initiate the experiment and ready the holographic microscope…'

After a few moments of contemplation, Leylin snapped back to reality, his expression turning grave. His nimble hands began to navigate his various instruments and workstations with the grace of butterflies fluttering among flowers.

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The following morning, Leylin scrutinized a pink liquid within the vulcanized tube, his expression grave.

'Aralis, analyze this component.' A crimson light emanated from Leylin's eyes, illuminating the test-tube.

[I've detected traces of an ancient creature's bloodline in this blood extract. The Pala Night Hawk. Regrettably, I am unable to purify it any further, Doctor.] Aralis concluded her analysis, casting a shadow over Leylin's countenance.

Ivy bore the vestiges of an ancient lineage, the Pala Night Hawk bloodline. Unfortunately, the inheritance of this bloodline ceased with her. The remnants had dwindled to the bare minimum, and only a faint aura could be extracted from her blood, which had limited applications.

'Given this concentration, even if Ivy were drained of every drop of blood, it wouldn't suffice to purify even a single droplet of the ancient bloodline,' Leylin concluded sternly.

Yet, he didn't feel a sense of disappointment. Not every experiment was destined for success. However, without attempting, there would be no chance of success at all. This was a lesson he had learned in his past life.

'Furthermore,' Leylin mused, 'this bloodline, carrying a hint of the ancient creature's aura, combined with some fragments of magic artifacts I acquired during the Bloodbath, could assist in modifying my Fallen Star Pendant.'

The Fallen Star Pendant, a low-grade magic artifact, had been useful during his acolyte days. Now, however, it held little value for Leylin. Aralis had been tasked with exploring the potential for upgrading the Fallen Star Pendant, and it appeared that the efforts were beginning to bear fruit.

As a Warlock, Leylin realized that if he could incorporate some power of the bloodlines into the other ingredients needed for the upgrade, it would undoubtedly enhance the potential of the pendant.

'Aralis, set up a subtask: calculate the feasibility of integrating Ivy's bloodline into the Fallen Star Pendant.' Leylin instructed.

[Objective established, categorized as a subtask under the mission of upgrading the Fallen Star Pendant,] Aralis responded promptly.

Despite his inability to purify the ancient bloodline, Leylin had procured an ingredient that could augment the upgrade of the Fallen Star Pendant. This perceived gain buoyed his spirits.

The following morning, he even greeted Ivy at breakfast, a rarity for him. This unexpected gesture left the young girl bewildered. Observing her reaction, Leylin couldn't help but feel a bit remorseful about sparing her life. After all, he was a murderer at heart.

After breakfast, Leylin resumed the journey with Ivy. During a stopover at a town, he purchased a horse carriage, alleviating Ivy's hardship of having to walk the entire way.

His motivation wasn't altruism, though. Ivy provided him with blood daily, and although Leylin concocted potions to fully replenish her blood and nutrients, her pallor and lack of energy suggested a deteriorating mental state.

Not that Leylin cared. He would be fine delivering a comatose or mentally broken Ivy to the Canyon. He was merely taking appropiate measures to safeguard his most prized ingredient at the moment, which was of course Ivy's blood.

With the acquisition of the horse carriage, Leylin's life became even more relaxed. He traveled during the day, and at night, he continued to extract blood from Ivy, conducting numerous tests and experiments to distill the essence of the Pala Night Hawk bloodline for the enhancement of the Fallen Star Pendant.

"Dawn's Peak," Leylin began, pointing to a towering mountain whose summit was lost amongst the clouds. "Given our current pace, we should reach the Great Canyon Margaret by tomorrow." He spoke to Ivy, who was trailing behind him.

Ivy gazed at the looming landmark, her knees drawn up to her chest in silence. Her eyelids drooped, concealing whether her quietude stemmed from fear of the unknown future or gratitude towards her rescuer.

Leylin contemplated his plans. 'The ingredients I've gathered are now sufficient. Tonight, I will upgrade the Fallen Star Pendant. It's crucial to be prepared for any potential mishaps in the Canyon.'

He had been controlling the journey's pace, ensuring he could gather enough blood just in time for their arrival at the Great Canyon Margaret.

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As midnight fell, the surroundings were shrouded in darkness, punctuated by the occasional chirping of insects and distant howls of wolves.

Inside a tent next to the horse carriage, Ivy was in a deep slumber. Her eyelids twitched incessantly, hinting at a possible nightmare plaguing her dreams.

Observing her, Leylin felt a wave of mild disgust, akin to watching a pig wallow in its own filth. He then retreated to the horse carriage.

'Aralis, initiate the experiment simulation,' Leylin commanded, casting an illuminating spell that bathed the interior of the carriage in light. Several wooden boxes were arranged on a flat platform, displaying various apparatus.

At the center was a silver-grey cross adorned with jewel fragments - the original form of the Fallen Star Pendant. Since advancing to a Rank 1 Warlock, Leylin had seldom used it.

The Fallen Star Pendant's physical and magical defenses were effective up to 20 degrees. Any Rank 1 spell cast by an official Magus, not an acolyte, would typically surpass these limits.

Therefore, Leylin was considering ways to enhance the Fallen Star Pendant's capabilities, hoping it could once again serve a practical purpose for him.

[Experiment simulation complete. Expected success rate: 87.9%] Aralis reported dutifully.

Currently, Aralis could simulate most of the experiment and predict the success rate. This meant that as long as Leylin followed her instructions, he could achieve the indicated success rate.

Compared to other magicians who painstakingly gathered ingredients without knowing their success rate, Aralis's capabilities could save Leylin a significant amount of resources and time. This feature could even be utilized during an advancement.

If her predicted success rate was too low, Leylin could postpone the advancement and accumulate more resources before attempting a breakthrough. This approach was far more efficient than other magicians who blindly attempted to advance and risked suffering a backlash.

'Firstly, I need to separate the ingredients from the base magic artifacts,' Leylin thought, examining the items on the platform.

During the events of the Bloodbath in the secret plane, Leylin had come into possession of a fragmented dagger and a severed silver arm. These were his war trophies from the defeated Saurun and Biol. Despite the passage of time, the arm retained its metallic sheen, effectively masking its true nature as a human limb.

Leylin mused, 'Silver-Claw Saurun, in his uncouth manner, had fused his magical artifact with his own arm. Despite his crude methods, they will serve my purposes adequately.'

With a determined gaze, Leylin lifted the silver arm and positioned it within a golden laboratory funnel, igniting a fire beneath it. A swirling golden flame danced within the funnel, painting it a vibrant shade of red.

As the heat radiated from the arm, Leylin, noticing the change, began to methodically drip a blue fluid onto it. The fluid instantly transformed into a red hue upon contact, spreading across the entirety of the arm and causing the temperature to spike once more.

With unwavering focus, Leylin positioned a transparent beaker beneath the funnel. Silver droplets began to trickle down, gradually filling up half the beaker. In a swift motion, Leylin's right hand collected a mixture of powder and gems, tossing them into the beaker, while his left hand stirred the concoction with a metal wire.

Upon their entry into the beaker, the powder and gems dissolved instantly, causing the silver liquid to become turbid. After about a dozen minutes, the contents of the beaker separated into two distinct layers: a flesh-colored liquid floated on top, while a layer of pure silver settled at the bottom.

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After a period of intense focus, Leylin surveyed the array of ingredients before him, his face alight with anticipation.

The previously mentioned dagger and silver arm had transformed into two lustrous blocks of black and grey metal. The Fallen Star Pendant, meanwhile, was now immersed in a beaker half-filled with pink, orchid-scented blood.

"Keliesiding Guraweier Alongsuo…" Leylin intoned an incantation, slicing his finger and allowing a drop of dark red blood to fall into the beaker. Upon contact, the blood triggered an immediate chemical reaction.

Pink vapors began to rise as the blood started to bubble. Strands of red liquid ascended, coating the Fallen Star Pendant and altering its original silver-grey hue to a deep red.

Once the blood in the beaker had fully evaporated, the Fallen Star Pendant had transformed into a dark red cross.

'Excellent. The next step is to modify the rune inscription,' Leylin thought, his expression becoming intensely serious. This was the pivotal stage in upgrading the Fallen Star Pendant.

[Modifying the Fallen Star Pendant's rune inscription, enhancing illusory runes for compatibility with its control.] Aralis's voice echoed at that moment.

A flash of red light crossed Leylin's eyes, and numerous transparent patterns materialized on the surface of the Fallen Star Pendant.

His next task was to make modifications according to these transparent patterns. With Aralis's assistance during the inscription process, there was no room for error.

Using tweezers, Leylin carefully lifted the Fallen Star Pendant and placed it on a white cloth. He then selected a sturdy inscription pen with one of his dark tendrils, typically used for precision tasks, and began to delicately etch onto the cross's surface.

At this moment, his tendril was as steady as a steel sculpture, devoid of any tremors. This demanded immense concentration and stamina, consuming significant time and energy.

As time wore on, beads of sweat began to form on Leylin's forehead.

[The modification of the Fallen Star Pendant's runes has been completed. Newly added are reinforced runes, energy dissipation runes, extension runes…] As Aralis reported, a satisfied smile spread across Leylin's face.

Without delay, he reached for another inscription pen lying nearby. It was equally sturdy and featured grooves along its body.

'Now, it's time to fill in these carvings.'

Leylin ignited two beakers and began to melt the raw materials he had previously separated from the magic artifacts. The beakers now held only liquids. Following a specific ratio, Leylin combined the two liquids.

He manipulated the grooves on the pen, revealing a cavity for pouring liquid. He promptly filled the pen with the concentrated silvery-black liquid. Delicate runes began to shimmer around the inscription pen, casting a mesmerizing glow.

With a satisfied expression, Leylin pressed the pen nib against the previously carved inscription tracks, repeating the process. This time, however, the pen left a trail of silvery black liquid, filling every crevice of the inscription. Upon completing the final stroke, Leylin evaluated the fully transformed cross and nodded approvingly.

Leylin then uttered two words in the ancient Byron language.

A cylindrical beam of gray light started to radiate from the cross. Silver threads of light moved along the rune inscriptions that Leylin had previously carved. As the silvery gray rays continued to merge, they brightened and eventually enveloped the Fallen Star Pendant.

When the rays completely dissipated, the Fallen Star Pendant had undergone a total transformation. It retained only the cross shape but was more substantial than before. Its color had shifted from silvery black to a dark red hue.

The surface was adorned with numerous intricate rune inscriptions, causing the original gem fragments to be hidden beneath. Leylin then picked up the dark red Fallen Star Pendant, noting its increased weight.

[The upgrade of the Fallen Star Pendant to a middle-grade magic artifact has been successful! Current Physical Defense: 24 degrees of damage. Magic Defense: 25 degrees of damage.] Aralis announced, delivering the good news to Leylin.

'The physical defense has increased from 13 to 24, and the magic defense from 15 to 25. Quite impressive,' Leylin acknowledged.

This range nearly surpassed the defense of the Kemoyin's Scales. It was almost like acquiring an additional innate defensive spell. Naturally, Leylin was pleased. However, he was also aware that many other magic artifacts possessed superior innate spells. He would undoubtedly require further power and defense enhancements in the future.

As for the Fallen Star Pendant, unless he discovered more valuable materials for its upgrade, it would be challenging to enhance its defensive features to meet Leylin's standards. Therefore, in the long run, focusing on his own innate spells was more reliable.

'In the South Coast, acolytes utilize low-grade magic artifacts. Rank 1 Magi employ middle-grade magic artifacts and occasionally low-grade ones. Only the extraordinarily powerful Rank 2 Magi have the ability to acquire high-grade magic artifacts…'

Leylin suddenly recalled a passage he had read from the Book of the Giant Serpent. Although the era of the Great Magus Serholm was somewhat remote, the overall power distribution and culture throughout the South Coast appeared to have undergone minimal changes.

Now that the Fallen Star Pendant had been upgraded to a middle-grade magic artifact, it was once again beneficial for Leylin as a Rank 1 Warlock. This naturally put him in high spirits.