Chapter 114: The Birth of an Unholy Masterpiece [Part 2] (Magic Castle Bonus)

Chapter 114. The Birth of an Unholy Masterpiece [Part 2] (Magic Castle Bonus)

I carefully positioned it within a secondary containment formation.

[Abyssal Eye]

The crystal’s internal structure became visible through layers of magical perception. Dense corruption. Interconnected crystalline pathways. Enormous concentrations of unstable energy. Even extracting a microscopic portion would require precision.

I didn’t need a fragment large enough to enchant a sword.

I needed dust. Perhaps a few grains. Just enough to observe how its energy behaved when separated from the main crystal.

Yes, I might have been crazy. But I wasn’t suicidal. There was a difference.

I lifted my other hand.

[Abyssal Darkness Manipulation]

Darkness condensed above my palm, twisting into a tiny circular cutting tool.

Its edge became thinner. Sharper. Denser. Until it resembled a miniature diamond cutter, complete with microscopic teeth formed from compressed Abyssal Darkness.

I rotated my fingers.

The cutter began spinning. Slowly at first. Then faster. And faster. Until its edges blurred into a dark ring. A high-speed magical cutting wheel.

I adjusted its position beside the crystal and created another containment formation directly around the cutting area. This one was much smaller. Its purpose was simple. Trap every particle released during the extraction. I wasn’t about to let Dark Lord corruption float freely through my study like ordinary household dust.

Imagine the servants finding that during cleaning.

"My lord, we discovered something strange beneath your desk."

"Ah, yes. Please don’t touch that. It might mutate you into a dungeon boss."

Definitely not.

I carefully lowered the cutter. The moment its edge touched the crystal, resistance surged through the formation. The crystal fought back. Its surface hardened under the pressure, and a wave of corruption slammed against the containment field.

The twelve outer formations flickered.

I narrowed my eyes. "Now, now. Don’t be difficult." I increased the cutter’s rotational speed. A sharp metallic whine filled the study.

The tiny cutting wheel pressed harder against the crystal, its Abyssal edge grinding against a substance that should have been nearly impossible to damage.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then...

A microscopic particle separated.

The containment formation immediately captured it.

Another followed.

Then a third.

I stopped the cutter.

Three grains and some dust. That was all.

Three tiny fragments of the Maledict Sovereign Crystal, each barely larger than coarse sand. And yet...

The instant they separated from the main crystal, their energy signatures changed.

The original containment structure no longer recognized them as part of its sealed target.

Corruption surged outward.

The three grains glowed crimson.

I felt the pressure immediately. It felt similar to what had hit me in my previous life.

Damn! Even this much?

I quickly tightened the secondary formation, isolating each grain within its own tiny containment field. The pressure subsided. Not completely. But enough.

My lips slowly curved. I hadn’t even begun the actual experiment, and the material was already exceeding my expectations.

A twisted grin spread across my face. "Now we’re talking."

With a flick of my wrist, I returned the main Maledict Sovereign Crystal to my Dimensional Storage Ring. The three grains remained suspended within their individual seals.

I studied them for another moment before turning toward the gold pendant. My heart began beating faster from excitement. The familiar, intoxicating excitement of standing before an experiment that might completely overturn an established magical theory.

This was why I’d become a researcher. Why I’d spent countless nights studying phenomena everyone else dismissed as impossible. Why even death hadn’t managed to cure my obsession with discovering something new.

And now? I had an SSS-rank source of corruption, an advanced artifact-creation skill, and a rather personal grudge against an organization that believed its sacred treasures were untouchable.

What a delightful combination.

I positioned the pendant beneath the suspended grains.

My smile deepened. "All right. Let’s make something interesting."

I raised my hand.

[Arcane Artifact Creation]

The moment the skill activated, intricate magical formations unfolded around the golden accessory, surrounding it with dozens of interlocking rings. The three grains of Maledict Sovereign Crystal remained suspended above the metal, each imprisoned within its own containment field.

And just like that, my morning turned into another personal appointment with hell.

Yesterday, I’d spent eight hours enchanting sixty-eight accessories until my brain practically melted.

Today, I was attempting something considerably more complicated.

The difference? Yesterday’s suffering had been caused by repetition. Today’s suffering was caused by precision.

I needed to reproduce the Holy Relic’s amplifier as accurately as possible, including its internal mana pathways, energy circulation, and amplification mechanisms. Unfortunately, the original artifact was an SSS-rank masterpiece, while my current materials consisted of a golden accessory and three grains of corrupted crystal.

My fingers moved continuously, adjusting the formations as I reshaped the metal’s internal structure. Golden threads of mana appeared beneath its surface, forming circuits so thin that even ordinary magical perception would struggle to identify them.

One mistake could ruin everything. Too much energy, and the material would collapse. Too little, and the amplifier wouldn’t function. And if I accidentally allowed the corruption to interact with the unfinished circuits? Well, I preferred my study without an additional entrance to the Abyss.

I continued working. Slowly. Carefully.

At one point, I spent several minutes correcting a single mana pathway because its curvature was slightly different from the original amplifier’s design. Slightly. As in, almost impossible to notice. But almost wasn’t good enough. Not when I intended to fool the Light Temple’s most sensitive sacred artifact.

Eventually, the golden framework stabilized.

I exhaled. Now came the dangerous part.

The three grains.

I guided them into separate compartments within the accessory, positioning them along the primary circulation pathways. Each grain immediately reacted to the surrounding magical structure, releasing dark crimson energy that threatened to overwhelm the delicate circuits.

I tightened the containment formations. Then adjusted the pathways. And tightened them again.

Honestly, this thing was more temperamental than a noblewoman discovering that someone had worn the same dress to her birthday banquet. But I persisted. And gradually, the corrupted energy began circulating through the golden structure. Instead of collecting Light Mana, the amplifier drew upon the corruption stored within its core. Instead of strengthening purity, it amplified corrupted energy. And instead of releasing that energy immediately, the outer seals kept everything contained until the artifact was deliberately activated.

I completed the final formation.

A faint crimson pulse traveled through the golden framework before disappearing completely.

The artifact became still.

A system notification appeared.

[Arcane Artifact Creation Successful]

[Artifact: Hollow Halo Amplifier]

[Rank: SS]

[Primary Function: Corruption Amplification]

[Secondary Function: Inverted Mana Circulation]

[Sealed State: Active]

[Corrupted Energy Leakage: 0%]

[Warning: Seal integrity must be maintained.]

I examined the result through Abyssal Eye.

The internal structure was almost identical to my theoretical model of the Holy Relic’s amplifier. There were differences, naturally. Without examining the original artifact directly, I couldn’t reproduce every hidden mechanism.

As long as the seals remained intact, the amplifier behaved like an ordinary piece of enchanted metal. Its corruption was isolated, just as the Maledict Sovereign Crystal’s power remained contained inside my Dimensional Storage Ring. However, once activated, it would amplify corrupted energy rather than Light Mana.

One down.

I leaned back and stretched my aching fingers. Then my gaze shifted toward the tiny particles remaining inside the containment formation.

Dust.

Most of the material I’d extracted had been used to create the amplifier, but several microscopic particles remained suspended within the sealed workspace.

Normally, I’d have collected them for future research.

But another idea had already begun forming.

I opened a drawer and retrieved a small container.

Inside was a translucent medicinal balm, there was barely enough remaining to cover the bottom of the container. I could use this.

I placed the container inside a smaller formation and examined the suspended dust. The corners of my mouth slowly lifted. This was going to be a lovely trap.

Unlike the amplifier, which required a complicated internal structure, this experiment would focus on the balm’s ability to carry and distribute magical energy. Its original formula was designed to absorb mana and release it. I merely needed to change what kind of mana it preferred. And what happened when it encountered that energy.

I activated my next skill.

[Arcane Potion Crafting]

The remaining crystal dust descended into the balm, disappearing beneath its translucent surface.

Immediately, the mixture began reacting.

Tiny crimson veins spread through the substance before fading as the potion-crafting formations stabilized the ingredients.

I adjusted the balance carefully, preventing the corruption from overwhelming the medicinal base. A substance capable of enhancing Dark Mana and corrupted energy while remaining inconspicuous until exposed to the appropriate magical conditions.

My smile widened.

Honestly, I was beginning to understand why history remembered Rey Valen as a terrifying madman.

Research was simply more entertaining when the results could make arrogant people question their life choices.

The mixture finally settled.

[Arcane Potion Crafting Successful]

[Item: Umbral Bloom Balm]

[Primary Effect: Dark Energy Amplification]

[Secondary Effect: Corrupted Mana Resonance]

[Appearance: Translucent]

[Current State: Stabilized]

I lifted the container and examined it beneath the lamplight. Still translucent. It looked almost exactly like an ordinary medicinal balm. Excellent. That was all I needed.

I carefully secured the balm, checked the amplifier’s seals one final time, and stored both creations inside separate compartments of my Dimensional Storage Ring. Then I dismissed the containment formations.

The study returned to normal.

I glanced toward the door, remembering that my wives were probably wondering whether I’d finally learned to behave like a responsible adult.

Well...

Not quite.

But I was making progress.

Now, I only needed two more things.

A pair of bracelets enchanted with Light Mana and a pair of white gloves.