Chapter 105: Life bound weapon

Yorichi looked around the ruin, contemplating the enormous area they had yet to explore. Based on his estimates, if they could secure the entire ruin, they would probably become the richest players in the world, assuming Darklord was excluded from the equation.

"Are you sure?" he asked Noah, still finding it difficult to believe what he had just heard.

Noah nodded calmly. His cousins remained silent, not daring to question the decision. After all, it was Arthur’s order. To them, Arthur’s words were as absolute as the laws of heaven, leaving no room for doubt or disagreement.

"I’m sure. Arthur asked me to tell you that he expects payment in Arvian dollars, and the amount must be ten trillion. Not a single dollar less," Noah repeated calmly.

Yorichi felt as though a massive lump had lodged itself in his throat upon hearing the figure. Ten trillion Arvian dollars! Even for the country, that was an astronomical sum.

’Damn it! If you want to loot the place, just take the fucking ruin! What’s the point of pretending to be a saint and handing it over to us? It’s not as if we can force you to give it to us!’ Yorichi cursed furiously in his mind.

However, he knew the truth. The ruin’s actual value couldn’t be measured in real-world currency. Once fully explored, it could yield millions of Divine Gold, making it an opportunity that they simply couldn’t afford to lose.

"Um, I’ll need to consult the government before making such a decision. Could you give me some time to think about it?" Yorichi asked cautiously.

"Go ahead. We’re leaving now. Make sure the payment is delivered within four days," Noah replied before taking all the battle mechs with him.

Yorichi stared at him in disbelief. "You’re leaving just like that? Aren’t you worried that we’ll betray you?"

Noah smiled faintly. "If Arthur trusts you, we have no reason to doubt you. Besides, can you really afford to betray the Evergreen Guild?"

Although Noah maintained his usual amiable smile, his words sent a chill down Yorichi’s spine. Of course, they couldn’t afford to offend these monsters. The ten people standing before him were probably strong enough to flatten the entire Demon Slayer Guild, along with every player in their country.

And that was without even considering their leader, Darklord, the supreme tree that sheltered them all like a World Tree.

"Thank you for trusting us, Mr. Miller. We will definitely deliver the payment," Yorichi promised with a smile.

Noah nodded before leaving with his cousins.

Once they were gone, he immediately sent Arthur a message.

"Arthur, we’ve found the mechs. What should we do now?" Noah asked.

The reply arrived almost instantly.

"Take them to the shelter. Someone will collect them from there. Also, provide all the equipment necessary to rebuild the mechs. The required materials aren’t too difficult to obtain," Arthur replied.

He had been waiting for Noah’s report, and now that the mechs had finally been secured, he could begin preparing for what was to come.

He needed this particular mech more than anything else before the game merged with reality. Among the first batch of monsters that would appear after the merger was a Mythical-grade Supreme Monster at the Demigod level.

Although the creature wouldn’t directly attack humanity, Arthur had no idea why it behaved that way. What he did know was that the monster would become the central figure behind the world’s descent into nuclear radiation and the subsequent demonic events.

Every beast would obey its commands. Even after ten years, humanity would remain powerless against it, unable to kill the creature that had become the undisputed overlord of all monsters in the world.

It even possessed a title that struck fear into the hearts of countless survivors.

Venerable Xaltherion, the Five-Element Dragon!

Arthur intended to play that bastard to death this time. With the mech in his possession, he would have a fighting chance against the monster that had brought the world to its knees.

Of course, the mech needed to be repaired first. After that, he would have to get it into his hands and use his talent to evolve it to the Mythical grade before confronting that damned dragon.

"All right," Noah replied before ending the conversation.

Soon, he and his cousins left the ruin and headed toward the shelter. When they arrived at the ninth floor, they discovered that someone was already waiting for them.

Jiang Han was burly and middle-aged, with an imposing physique that immediately caught their attention. However, what truly shocked Noah and his cousins was the immense pressure radiating from him.

They could tell instinctively that this man was far stronger than Arthur himself.

But how was that possible? Arthur was the strongest player in Aethelgard!

Before Noah could dwell on the question, Arthur sent him a message containing Jiang Han’s information. The moment he read it, his eyes widened in disbelief.

This man was actually an Epic-grade Artifact Refiner, and he was an NPC!

How on earth had Arthur managed to convince such a supreme entity to work for him?

Noah wisely decided not to ask any questions. Instead, he stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Senior, these are the mechs. Arthur asked you to repair the largest one first. Please let me know what materials you require, and I’ll arrange to have them delivered," Noah said respectfully.

Jiang Han glanced at the eight similar mechs before turning his attention to the enormous red-and-white mech. A brilliant gleam appeared in his eyes as he examined its imposing frame.

"Tell the Guild Master not to worry. I’ll make sure these mechs are repaired. I’ll prepare a list of the required materials shortly. For now, let me take a closer look at this beauty," Jiang Han said excitedly.

He had never worked on anything quite like these machines before. The opportunity to examine such extraordinary creations had stirred his enthusiasm, and he could hardly wait to begin.

Noah nodded and stepped aside, allowing the master to work.

Jiang Han immediately began inspecting the mechs, carefully examining their structures and noting down everything that required attention.

...

Two days later, Arthur sat atop a massive boulder with his eyes closed. Beneath it, the Shadow Panther lay lazily, seemingly enjoying the peaceful surroundings.

"The town is now under construction at full speed. Once I receive my weapon today, I’ll deploy the shelters outside and bring the merfolk in to help with the construction. The game will merge with reality in three days. The world needs to be prepared before then," Arthur muttered.

Today, Noer was supposed to bring him both his Lifebound Weapon and the spaceship. That was why Arthur had chosen to wait there, eagerly anticipating the old man’s arrival.

Suddenly, the air around him stopped moving.

Everything fell silent, as though the entire world had momentarily lost its ability to make a sound. Even the atmosphere seemed to freeze in place, creating an eerie stillness that spread across the surroundings.

Arthur immediately recognized the phenomenon. Knowing that Noer had arrived, he opened his eyes, unable to hide his excitement.

"Good morning, Senior!" Arthur greeted him with a smile.

The old man smiled in return.

"Good morning, Young Master. I’ve finished creating your Lifebound Weapon. Unfortunately, the laws of the lower realm restrict me to crafting weapons of the high level Mythical grade. I couldn’t create a Divine Artifact for you. Please forgive me for that," Noer said helplessly.

’Damn it! I thought this old man would bring me a low-grade Mythcal weapon at best! With my talent, there was a chance I could evolve it to the Divine grade. Even if that didn’t work, I could still turn it into a high-grade Mythical weapon.’, Arthur muttered slowly.

But Noer had actually brought him a high-grade Mythical weapon right from the beginning!

Didn’t that mean he could potentially obtain a Divine weapon today?

Arthur nearly burst into laughter at the thought, but he quickly suppressed his excitement. Maintaining a composed expression, he turned toward Noer with barely concealed anticipation.

"Please, Senior. Take it out. I want to see it," Arthur said eagerly.

Noer nodded and held out his hand, revealing the dark cube from his storage ring.

Boom!

The moment the cube appeared, the surrounding air began to distort under the immense pressure radiating from it. Space itself seemed to tremble, and the atmosphere grew heavy with an indescribable sense of oppression.

Arthur was just about to inspect the weapon’s properties when something unexpected happened.

A brilliant golden light suddenly burst from his body, illuminating the entire area. Within that radiance, the projection of another cube gradually materialized around him.

The moment the white cube appeared, Noer’s eyes widened in utter disbelief. His mind went completely blank, and his body trembled as he stared at the projection.

Thud!

The old man collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face as uncontrollable emotions overwhelmed him. For a moment, the mighty artifact refiner seemed to have lost all his composure, unable to believe what he was witnessing.

In the next instant, the white cube projection shot toward the dark cube in Noer’s hand before merging with it completely.

Arthur stood frozen in place, equally dumbfounded by the inexplicable development.

"What the hell? Is this the God-level artifact that got me killed and reincarnated? How is it here?" Arthur muttered, his mind filled with confusion.

He had never sensed the presence of this artifact within his body. Yet, somehow, it had suddenly appeared at the exact moment Noer revealed his creation.

While Arthur struggled to make sense of what had happened, Noer was muttering something entirely different.

"Master... You’ve truly chosen this Young Master. I’ve searched for you for such a long time."