Master Of Astral Summoner
Chapter 52: Curse object

Chapter 52: Curse object

Suddenly, the red glow intensified. Delicate engravings appeared across the stone’s surface, forming a strange, intricate pattern that left Shaan completely speechless.

"Oh my God, what is this...."

In an instant, the light surged into his body. A wave of warmth spread through him, and for a moment, he could feel it flowing into every part of him. The sensation only lasted a few seconds before the glow slowly faded away on its own.

[Congratulations, you found the Ironblood Rune]

’Strange, I have no idea what this thing is. Maybe I should try looking at the explanation of this thing.’

[Ironblood Rune – A type of rune that doubles the user’s defense capabilities. However, it also increases the user’s insanity level by 5%.]

Hmm... interesting. I didn’t expect it to have that kind of effect, Shaan thought as he stroked his chin.

[Shaan, what’s wrong?] said Robin Hood curiously. [Have you found anything out?]

"Yes, I found this strange thing called the Ironblood rune." Shaan scratched his head. "Robin Hood, do you know anything like this?"

[No. Daemon like me doesn’t understand things like that.] Robin Hood shook his head. [But from what we know, artifacts like that come from the Dark Realm. They carry mysterious powers that only certain people, especially Daemonists, can sense or activate.]

"Oh... alright. Maybe I’ll ask Nalira and Chelsie about this. One of them might know something about it."

Shaan picked up his pace and quickly made his way back to the gathering spot. When he arrived, he saw Nalira and Chelsie already busy with their tasks. Nalira was arranging the firewood she had collected, while Chelsie was transferring water into a container to heat it.

"Hey, Shaan." Chelsie waved her hand. " Have you managed to find any fruit to eat?"

"Yes. Luckily, I’ve got it," Shaan said in an enthusiastic tone. "I’m sure you guys will like what I found."

While waiting for the water to heat, Shaan pulled out the fruit he had gathered. The moment he laid them out, Chelsie and Nalira went silent, clearly surprised. The fruit looked far better than they had expected.

"Wow, Shaan... I didn’t know you were such a skilled fruit picker," Chelsie said, clearly impressed.

"Haha, it’s all thanks to Robin Hood’s help, Chelsie," Shaan clarified. "He used his arrows to knock them all with ease."

Nalira stroked her chin. "Interesting. Robin Hood is indeed a reliable daemon."

"Oh, it looks like the water is already boiling." Chelsie quickly took out her Aqua Purga bottle and poured a few drops into the water. "Here you go, the water is already ready to drink."

"Great, looks like everything’s ready. Time to eat."

The moment Shaan bit into the fruit, a sweet and slightly tangy flavor burst inside his mouth. Honestly, the first thing that came to his mind was how much it reminded him of grapes—except the Red Moon Berry tasted much sweeter than any grape he’d ever had.

"Good thing we found this fruit before we got seriously hungry," Chelsie said with a satisfied smile. "Uhm... thank you, Shaan, for working so hard to find it."

"Don’t mention it. I should thank you both, too—for gathering the firewood and water," Shaan replied as he glanced at Nalira and Chelsie. "You two are amazing. I think the three of us make a pretty great team."

"Uhm... th-that’s nothing..." Chelsie quickly hid her blushing face behind her hair.

"...Thank you." Nalira gave a small nod. "I appreciate the compliment."

"Oh, right. There’s something I want to ask you both." Shaan pulled out an object he had gotten from his pocket. Do you know what it is?"

"Wait, this... this. " Chelsie took the stone from Shaan’s hand, trying to get a better look at it." Yes, I’m pretty sure this is a rune. A type of curse object because only runes have strange carvings like this on their surface."

"Curse object?"

"Uhm... yeah. Curse objects are mystical items that, as far as I know, can only be found in the Dark Realm," Chelsie explained. "They boost the user’s power, but each one works differently. Rune is one type of curse object."

"...That’s right. Runes are stone-shaped curse objects that hold special power and can also increase the power of a daemonist directly," Nalira added to Chelsie’s explanation. "So, curse objects are like power boosts for Daemonists."

Chelsie nodded in agreement. "What Nalira said is true. But as the name suggests, cursed objects also carry curses. The side effects vary depending on the object itself. The stronger the curse object, the more dangerous the side effects become for the Daemonist who uses it."

"That’s why cursed objects are like double-edged swords," Nalira continued. "They can give you incredible power, but they also carry serious risks." She looked at Shaan, her eyes narrowing slightly. "So... how exactly did you get your hands on something like this, Shaan?"

"While walking back from picking fruit, I accidentally stepped on this thing. I then decided to pick it up and, strangely, red light was immediately seen flowing from my body."

"...Interesting," Nalira said, rubbing her chin. "It looks like the Rune’s power has already fused with you. You should be able to use it now."

"Fused with the Rune’s power?" Shaan frowned. "B-but how? I didn’t do anything to activate or bind with it."

"Uhmmm... Curse objects such as Runes and Artefacts will automatically fuse when one comes into contact with them. However, types like Ritual Artefact and Ancient relic require their method," Chelsie uttered.

"What Chelsie and I just told you is probably written clearly in the book you’ve been reading, Shaan," Nalira added.

"Well... I guess I haven’t gotten to that part yet," Shaan replied, scratching the back of his head. "That book’s massive, and honestly, when we get back to the human world, I should highlight everything related to cursed objects."

Chelsie nodded. "Yeah, you’re right. That book is seriously dense and drains your brain."

"So, how do you activate the power of the runes?"

Focus and calm down. Just like when summoning a Daemon for the first time."

"Alright, I get it. Nalira."

"Uhmm... unfortunately, the rune power effect itself is only valid for a single use and will affect your insanity level," Chelsie pointed out, extending Nalira’s words. "So, make sure to use the rune power appropriately and don’t let it destroy you."