As the silver towers in Solara begin to fade from my line of sight, I take my new dagger out of item storage and begin twirling it through my fingers again.
It looks like it should be made of heavy metal or dense stone like obsidian, but this long blade can't be more than 100 grams. It's made of a foreign substance I've never felt before in high quantity.
With too many questions begging to be answered, I activate my Demonic Energy Manipulation skill and the world around me flashes black and white. The rising golden hills of sand in the desert turn white in my vision, and the only darkness in the landscape is the shadows from the sun.
I'm starting to get used to the switch.
However, the blade in my hand now glows with a dim purple hue.
"This is new..."
It's barely visible, but from the contrast of the bright sand below me and the lack of color in my vision otherwise, I'm sure it's there. It's the exact same color as the wisps of matter that dissolve off Dungeon Walker portals I used to make when it was a base-level skill.
I take a deep breath, then allow a full unit of Demonic Energy to flow from my core into the blade through my fingertips.
It feels natural to do so.
Once in contact with my energy, the dagger starts to glow light purple closer to the sharp edge of the blade. Its intensity and luminosity increase but the shade of purple hue darkens as more energy seeps into it.
The denser the energy is packed the closer to the base color of a jet-black blade the weapon returns to.
I take a few more steps forward while examining the dagger further. The outer glow now has taken a somewhat physical rippling form. Light wisps of dark purple energy float around the weapon. Trace amounts of the excess refined Demonic Energy dissolve into the air.
Out of curiosity, I feed it more.
Another unit flows from my core into the blade and the purple hue darkness again. Thicker wisps with the consistency of candle smoke form around the black weapon and it only temps me to give it more power to test its limits. One unit at a time, I continue sending refined cool energy from my body to the blade.
It hits 5 units, and the dark aura around it nearly covers my hand it's so thick.
While the matter still rests in the blade, it feels like the energy is still connected to me.
It feels powerful, but at the same moment, I have nothing to compare it to. It isn't similar to when I imbue my bonded blades with mana at all. Instead of energy being ready to expel at a moment's notice like my fire or pure mana attacks, this one is just powering up the weapon itself.
I can feel the black dagger being saturated, but that's about it. There is no extra control or immediate buffs gained, I've just created a stronger blade.
Wisps of black energy continue to surround the weapon. The more that's in the blade the faster its residue dissolves into the atmosphere.
I give it a test swing through the air.
The motion is quick and silent, leaving a thin trail of dark purple energy behind it.
Sporting a grin, I swing it again.
It leaves another streak of black and purple cloud-like residue across my vision as if I'm peering into the night sky through the desert sand.
The trails of energy disappear into the air, and I whisper under my breath.
"The Midnight Dagger. That's what I'll call this blade."
I continue to get a feel for my new weapon while admiring the sleek, stealthy, and dangerous aesthetic.
With every slash I conduct, the power within the blade is expelled little by little. After about 2 dozen movements, all 5 units have completely dissolved into the air. It's devoid of energy just like the moment I picked it up for the first time.
The weapon uses up Demonic Energy while in its base resting state, and a significant amount more when moved around at high speeds by the user.
I'm much more comfortable wielding my new weapon, but I still have to try it out on a monster to see how it really works.
With a satisfied sigh, I reactivate my mana sense and place the dagger in my item storage to continue the long walk back to the Abyss.
It does not take long before the black void comes into view and the vacant town lays silent below me in the valley. With an All-Seeing Eye scan along with enemy detection, I confirm there's nothing out of the ordinary in the town itself.
However, the white dome up on the hill shows an interesting reading that was not present yesterday.
There's a weak pulse of grey energy coming from the top of the observatory every 10 to 20 seconds. Without my perception, it'd be invisible, but I can see clearly that the mana-based energy wave is pointed straight at the Abyss.
Surprisingly, as it makes contact with the black void, it glides right through and fades away out of my detection range but creates no yellow sparks or hint of reaction with the darkness.
Despite the odd new sonar-like energy reading, there aren't any people nearby. It's tempting to peek inside and find out for myself what's really going on, but if by chance there's surveillance in the area I don't want to ruin my chances of meeting the Boss and his Craftsman tomorrow.
I grit my teeth and turn away.
The information is noted. I'll re-assess the situation in time. If there's no one home, I'm better off not knocking at the door.
Taking a hard left, I begin my walk along the Abyss just like I had the day before. Activating Demonic Vision and pulling out The Midnight Dagger, I patiently wait for a wolf to appear from the black fog.
After no more than 500 meters of travel away from the abandoned town, the first pair of red glowing eyes stare at me from within the dark border. It growls and tightens its jaw while digging its sharp claws into the sand, but doesn't budge from about 7 meters deep in the Abyss.
I take a step closer, channeling 5 full units of Demonic Energy into my sword just like when I tested it out earlier.
With every step closer that I take, the wolf's growl sounds louder and deeper. Its crimson eyes shine brighter through the darkness and the creature stands its ground.
Other than the two occasions where the wolves jumped out of the void to attack me, this is the closest I've gotten to one of these monsters. More importantly, this is the closest I've ever been to the Abyss itself.
With blade in hand, and confidence coursing through my veins I continue to draw near.
The hot sand beneath my feet crunches with every step, and my eardrums echo with the monster's deep growls.
I take a final step close enough to the swirling wall of darkness to the point where reaching out a hand would allow me to touch the barrier.
The wolf finally snaps and lets out a battle roar while jumping forward.
I do the same, plunging dagger-first into the Abyss.
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