“Hey, Aldo. I heard something during a drinking session… You know that vagrant-looking guy who punched you?”
During a break at work, the foreman casually brought up the topic. Aldo didn’t remember being punched, so he had no recollection of who might have done it.
“Yeah. I don’t remember much about it, though,” Aldo replied.
“Well, here’s the thing… The guards who caught that vagrant let something slip. That guy… he didn’t have a Mana Vessel in his soul.”
“What?”
In this world, souls are something that all its inhabitants inherently possess. Except for Aldo, who was an anomaly. A lack of a Mana Vessel in a soul typically meant it had been destroyed due to some external influence—precisely the kind of phenomenon Aldo had been searching for.
“Is that true?!”
“Huh? Yeah… why’re you so worked up about it?”
The foreman was puzzled by Aldo’s uncharacteristic enthusiasm. He had only intended it as light conversation.
“That vagrant… he was from the C District of the slums.”
“C District…”
The slums where Aldo lived were officially divided into three sections:
- The relatively safe A District, which barely qualified as a slum.
- The crime-ridden B District, which fit the description of a slum properly.
- The worst of all, the C District.
Aldo lived in the A District, but even there, it was too dangerous to let his daughter, Iris, play outside alone. C District was a far more perilous place.
“And apparently, that vagrant testified that he had purchased something from the D District.”
“D District? What’s this something?!”
D District was an unofficial term for the most dangerous part of C District. Often called the “Danger Zone,” it was infamous for illicit dealings in illegal weapons and drugs.
“Something… it was a weapon imbued with a malevolent spirit.”
“A weapon imbued with a malevolent spirit!”
Aldo’s interest was piqued. The very thing he had been seeking was closer than he had imagined—in the D District of the slums.
“Thank you for sharing this, foreman.”
“Uh, sure… glad if it helps, Aldo.”
The foreman hadn’t meant to assist Aldo, just fill some idle time with chatter. Yet, the information turned out to be invaluable to Aldo.
“Iris, I’m stepping out for a bit,” Aldo said one day on his day off.
“Take me with you!”
Normally, Aldo spent his days off with Iris. But this time, he couldn’t.
“No. I might be going somewhere dangerous.”
“Dangerous? Are you going to be okay, Dad?”
Iris tilted her head in concern. Aldo gently patted her shoulder and pulled her close.
“I’ll be fine. I promise I’ll come back.”
Aldo’s words, meant to reassure, instead unsettled Iris further. Ignoring her growing unease, Aldo made his way to the depths of the slums—the C District.
C District was filled with thugs who eyed Aldo’s relatively neat appearance with predatory grins. Their gazes, like those of hunters stalking prey, kept Aldo on edge as he advanced cautiously.
“Oops, sorry!”
A boy bumped into Aldo while passing by. Aldo immediately grabbed the boy’s shoulder.
“Hold it. Who apologizes before bumping into someone? Now, return my wallet.”
“Tch…”
The boy struggled free and fled with the wallet in hand. Aldo didn’t give chase—it was empty.
In dangerous areas, Aldo always carried an empty wallet as bait. Muggers typically grabbed the wallet and fled without checking its contents. This trick bought him time to escape. Unfortunately, it hadn’t deterred pickpockets. Shaking his head at C District’s lawlessness, Aldo continued toward the D District’s market.
The market appeared ordinary at first glance, but uttering the right password to the shopkeepers granted access to illicit goods.
“Looking for something specific?” a burly, tattooed shopkeeper asked, arms crossed.
“I’ve come to buy tulip bulbs. Will that message reach the right ears?”
“Ah… the bulbs are out, but I’ve got seeds instead,” the shopkeeper replied, gesturing toward a passage behind him.
Aldo followed the passage, eventually entering a dimly lit room filled with various weapons.
“Welcome. This is the Malevolent Spirit Weapon Emporium.”
While such weapons weren’t outright banned, some were illegally modified to amplify their destructive power, capable of shattering a Mana Vessel. Aldo inspected the displayed weapons, feeling their malice but finding them lacking.
“You’ve got a sharp eye, sir,” the shopkeeper said as Aldo reached for another sword.
“No, this still isn’t enough,” Aldo muttered, reaching for a blade next to it.
“Wait! You can’t touch that one! It’s not for sale!”
“Not for sale?”
“Yeah. That sword was crafted by an old man named Rudolf in C District. They say anyone who wields it has their personality destroyed.”
“Interesting. Can I meet this Rudolf?”
“Sure, but it’ll cost you for the introduction letter.”
Aldo paid the fee, obtained the letter, and made his way to Rudolf’s home. When the elderly craftsman opened the door, his wrinkled face twisted with disdain.
“What do you want?”
“I’ve got this letter,” Aldo said, handing it over.
“Come in,” Rudolf replied after reading it.
In Rudolf’s workshop, the old man explained, “I’m a weaponsmith. If someone wants a sword, I make it. But my weapons… they’re the most dangerous you’ll ever find.”
Aldo understood. Rudolf refused to diminish the destructive essence of Malevolent Spirit Weapons, instead enhancing their full potential.
“I need you to make me a sword. Here’s the material.”
Aldo handed over a bone he had found in a dungeon, heavily imbued with malevolent energy.
“Interesting… Come back tomorrow. I’ll forge you the strongest, most wicked blade.”
The next day, Aldo returned to a beaming Rudolf.
“It’s finished. Behold, the Blade of the Gale!”
Aldo held the sword and immediately felt its overwhelming power coursing through him.
“This… it’s incredible.”
“You’re not affected?” Rudolf asked, astonished.
“For some reason, I don’t have a Mana Vessel,” Aldo explained.
“Fascinating… You’re quite the anomaly. Well, my work is done. How you use it is up to you.”
Aldo swallowed hard. He couldn’t wait to delve into the dungeon and unleash the sword’s power.
