"It looks like after absorbing the magic power from horned basilisk, Annihilation has transformed," Alex said, feeling the change.
"I can sense that it's thrilled. I think the sword has truly become a 'holy weapon' now! This battle definitely wasn't in vain."
Alex glanced at Desolation, a smile of relief and joy spreading across his face. The fight against horned basilisk had been extremely tough.
The sheer power of the creature had completely overwhelmed him. The victory was less about his own strength and more about the clever strategy, plus support from Irene and Saul.
If their roles had been reversed, Alex was sure he would have been defeated multiple times. Years of comfort had clearly dulled this former duelist's fighting edge.
With a sigh, Alex pushed himself upright and slowly stepped forward to grip the hilt of Desolation's sword. The moment he touched it, a surge of energy burst from Desolation's body and flowed into Alex through the sword's handle.
"Hmm..."
The energy didn't hurt him; instead, it made him sigh with relief and comfort. It felt like soaking in a warm hot spring, his entire body warming and relaxing.
At the same time, Alex sensed the energy gathered from Desolation's body. Along with a great deal of magic power, there was also a pure life energy.
His body crackled with vitality, and all his injuries healed almost instantly, restoring him to full strength. He could even feel his body growing stronger, bit by bit, in every way.
His blood, lumen, and stamina limits were all slowly breaking through their previous extremes. This revitalizing surge continued for more than a minute, steadily reinforcing him from within.
At that moment, the few creatures nearby could only watch in silence, clearly unsure of what to make of the situation but sensing no danger. After a long pause of more than a minute, Alex finally let out a deep, satisfied breath.
Taking a moment to himself, he quietly assessed the effects of the power boost. Physically, he felt noticeably stronger; his speed, strength, and stamina had all improved by roughly 20%.
This increase translated to about a 10% rise in his overall magical power. On top of that, Alex's maximum lumen capacity had also grown.
A quick test revealed that his lumen now exceeded 1,000 points, reaching 1,083. He was confident that, among humans his age, no one else possessed such a high level of magical ability.
After evolving into a holy weapon, Voltbrand seemed to have undergone some other changes.
'Besides being able to absorb the enemy's magic power, it looks like it retains life force too, maybe even feeding excess energy back to me,' he thought.
Alex gently ran his finger along the spine of the sword and sighed softly.
"Voltbrand, Voltbrand, are you trying to force me to kill even more people?
At this rate, you might as well be called a magic weapon..."
Hearing Alex's muttering, the sword emitted a dissatisfied clang. It was almost as if it were complaining that it wasn't the one who inscribed the spell on itself, and that must be his fault.
Chuckling, Alex shook his head.
"Well, I suppose you're pretty well-tempered now."
With a flick, the sword transformed into a walking stick. He then turned to the others.
"Alright, even though hunting that horned basilisk had some twists and turns, we can consider the mission a success. Next, let's take stock of what we've got."
Suddenly, Alex wrinkled his nose and shot a suspicious glance at Thor and Irene.
"Hey, why does it smell like someone peed?
Which one of you left a mess this time?"
Thor and Irene quickly shook their heads in denial, but Shalltear, standing nearby, suddenly blushed furiously. She'd been so flustered she hadn't changed her pants.
Luckily, Alex didn't dwell on that and turned back to horned basilisk's corpse. After a quick search, he found that the interspatial bag stored on the creature hadn't been completely destroyed.
Carefully opening it, he emptied its contents. The body of a monster that had lived for hundreds of years was valuable for research, and the items inside the bag were worth noting.
There weren't many supplies, just a few bottles of elixirs and some everyday potions, but no Galleon at all. Alex wasn't surprised; this guy lived at home, so he probably didn't carry many supplies on him like Alex did.
The real treasure should be in the second basement of horned basilisk's mansion. Although the manor had been ransacked, the second basement remained untouched.
It seemed like there were plenty of treasures hidden inside.
"Let's go explore horned basilisk's treasure house," Alex said as he led a man and two birds toward the center of the valley.
But halfway there, he suddenly stopped and turned back.
"By the way, remember the word 'Snake Den'.
Without it, you won't be able to see the place."
As soon as Alex spoke the word, Shalltear and the others noticed a hidden foundation appearing in the valley's center. This spot had been protected by a Fidelity Curse before, making the interior invisible without the right password.
Alex's calm use of the word also meant that horned basilisk was truly dead; only then would those who knew the location automatically become the new Secret Keepers. With this information, Shalltear and the others finally got a clear view of the entire valley.
They hadn't expected such a large manor to be there. No wonder the battle between the two sides had been so fierce.
The whole house had been almost completely destroyed. Following Alex, the group jumped down into what used to be the basement.
The materials inside had been pulled upward by a gravitational spell to the entrance above. It didn't take sharp eyes to spot the metal door on the ground; it was too obvious.
Horned basilisk probably never intended anyone else to enter the basement, but he was cautious and had placed many protective spells around the entrance.
"I'll take some time to break the protective magic on this door," Alex said.
"Meanwhile, search around and see if you find anything valuable. I remember horned basilisk had a lot of Muggle artworks and some magical creatures."
After hearing that, Shalltear immediately nodded, grabbed her suitcase, and hurried off to find a place to change her pants. She didn't want to miss this opportunity.
After a while, Alex easily unlocked the magical seals on the entrance. Most of the protections were set on the sides, making his job a bit easier.
There weren't many traps, counterattacks, or other spells to worry about, so it didn't take long for Alex to get through them. Once the door was opened, he stepped inside without waiting for anyone else.
The treasure room on the second basement floor was brightly lit and looked just like a regular reception hall at first glance. The furniture and decorations were incredibly luxurious and elegant, but the walls were what really stood out.
They were covered with portraits. One large oil painting right at the end of the hall caught his attention.
"Who are you? Are you Goodwin's new avatar?" the wizard in the painting asked.