The Gamer's POV

Chapter 335: Three of Three

Name: [Dolo’s Whisper]

Nature: [Cursed Weapon]

Description: [The Dolo’s Whisper was created by the character Ji-hoon using the Ultimate skill: Forge.]

Insight: [This cursed weapon’s true danger is silent, subtle, and completely invades the minds of everyone before they even realize it.]

Restriction 1: [It requires a vast amount of energy to use.]

Restriction 2: [Because of the powerful nature of the curse, it can only be used once per owner.]

Restriction 3: [This cursed weapon can only have three owners before its curse breaks, rendering the weapon permanently inert.]

Owners: [2/3]

First Owner: [Ji-hoon]

Second Owner: [Lee Lim]

Third Owner: [...|]

’What the ’byss?’

Cedric arched a brow as he looked down from the screen to the weapon.

’I was so happy when I got this overpowered shit. But now I’m seeing it can only be used once?’

He exhaled a frustrated breath and after running his fingers through his damp hair to push it out of his eyes, he slowly went back to read the insight again.

’I’m guessing the stronger the cursed weapon Ji-hoon created, the more restrictions he had to put on it. If not for the restrictions, the guy would have probably been a total menace with the kind of cursed weapons he could create.’

Cedric sighed.

At that moment, he couldn’t help but wonder just how many cursed items he would have been able to gain had he fought the boy. His inventory would have probably been filled with enough loot to make him the most envied man alive.

Cedric looked away from the screen, reached down, and grabbed the middle hilt of the weapon. He tried to lift it, but it wouldn’t budge.

’Hm...?’

He was still pondering what to do when a spark of blue energy shot out from the blade, stinging him and causing him to immediately retract his hand.

’What was that?’

When he lifted his gaze to the screen in hopes of an answer, he could see a change on the display:

Owners: [3/3]

First Owner: [Ji-hoon]

Second Owner: [Lee Lim]

Third Owner: [Cedric Martini]

’...’

He looked down, and tried to lift the blade again. This time, the weapon left the ground effortlessly, feeling completely weightless in his grip. Also, a large, black box manifested itself beside him, and swung open to reveal a custom, velvet-lined slot perfectly shaped to house the blade.

Cedric stood up and waved the blade, slashing it through the air a few times to get a feel for it, before finally turning and pointing the blade at Aika, who was still seated on the ground observing him quietly.

"Dodge it," he said with a pleasant smile as he raised the heavy weapon over his shoulder like a baseball bat.

Aika paled and her eyes went wide as saucers. "Hey. I am genuinely going to end your bloodline if you throw that at me."

But Cedric’s grin only widened even further as he swung his upper body back, preparing for a full javelin launch.

"Hey, hey, hey, HEY!"

Before Aika could even scramble away, Cedric threw his body forward with a theatrical grunt. Aika yelped, flinched, and squeezed her eyes shut.

For a terrifying second, her entire life story flashed before her eyes. When she heard Cedric break into a breathless laugh, she cautiously cracked one eye open. The massive weapon was still firmly in his grip because he had completely feinted the throw.

She exhaled a breath she didn’t even know she was holding, clutching her racing heart. And then her expression curdled into pure murderous intent as she yelled, "I’ll kill you, you absolute son of a bitch!"

Cedric scrambled backward as she lunged at him like a feral cat. "Calm down, calm down, I was just checking your reflexes!"

The space dissolved into complete chaos again.

***

Sometime later, Cedric found himself sitting in the dining room as he waited for breakfast. He was slumped forward in his chair, and one hand held a bag of ice that he pressed to the side of his head and then lower down to his jaw.

He had a now permanent frown on his face. Opposite him, Aika was humming a cheerful little tune while sipping her tea, looking entirely pleased with herself.

He shot her a look and grumbled, "You didn’t have to aim for the face, you know."

Aika paused. Her eyes flicked from the cup in her hands to his face, then she set the tea down and arched a brow. "Do you want me over at that side of the table?"

Cedric raised his hand in alarm, "No... no, stay!"

"Tsk." She raised her cup and continued drinking.

Meanwhile, there was an older man, who stood not too far behind Cedric. He was tall and meticulously dressed, with white hair, a neatly trimmed white beard, and sharp red eyes.

He alternated gazes between Cedric’s pained face and Aika’s smug expression, then stepped forward with a perfectly practiced bow. "Do you need anything else, sir?"

Cedric shook his head and waved the bag of ice. "No, thank you, Arthur."

Arthur bowed and walked out of the dining room.

That older gentleman, with the impeccable posture, who went by the name Arthur was apparently the butler of this house.

Cedric had come to learn that this multi-story residence also had a few live-in staff who ensured the townhouse ran seamlessly. Arthur took charge of managing the entire place. He was also the man responsible for hiring the few staff members in the house.

Arthur was introduced by Alicia to Aika as someone that could be trusted with the property and their needs.

After evaluating the needs of the household, he hired a man named Gideon, a talented cook in his late thirties with brown hair and brown eyes, to be the chef. And then, he hired a small team of three maids who took care of the other chores in the house.

At the moment, a young lady with strawberry blonde hair that had been tied up in a bun rolled the food cart into the room, then began transferring the dishes onto the table with practiced care.

This petite maid was young Nina.

She arranged the morning spread, which consisted of fluffy scrambled eggs, thick slices of toasted bread, sizzling strips of bacon, and a large bowl of fresh fruit.

’Good Lord...’ After eating just meat for months, Cedric felt like a feral caveman who had suddenly been granted citizenship in the modern world. His mouth watered instantly at the sight of actual, honest-to-god variety, and he completely forgot about his sore jaw for a moment.

The moment the maid bowed and turned away, he waited until she cleared the room and the door was closed. Then he dug in with his bare hands, etiquette be damned!

In between mouthfuls, he looked up at Aika who was calmly reading through some novel, then asked, "Where is Athena? I’m definitely sure I can feel her somewhere in this city." His expression dulled a little, "And I think she’s hurt."