"Aetherium & Voidbringer I"
Snake Calendar, Year 2025
12th Day of December, Friday Morning
Since dropping out of Unity College of System Studies, Accel had thrown himself fully into the path of an adventurer. He spent his days accepting quests, hunting monsters, and refining his combat skills. Every battle was an opportunity to push his limits, grow stronger, and prove that his past failures would not define him. Yet, his most intriguing challenge was not one he could solve through brute force—it was the mystery surrounding his newly acquired weapons, Aetherium & Voidbringer.
These twin blades were unlike anything he had ever encountered. The system had only provided their names and tier: Mythical Grade. No additional details on their origins, abilities, or requirements had been revealed. The inscriptions on the blades were in an unknown language, preventing him from accessing their full potential. Determined to unlock their secrets, Accel decided to study the ancient text.
The Struggle to Decipher the CCE Language
For two weeks straight, Accel devoted himself to understanding the inscriptions. He gathered every available book on lost languages, historical scripts, and System-era records that referenced the unknown dialect. The Archivist System assisted in storing and organizing the texts, but without a direct translation, it was like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing.
"Damn it! None of this makes sense!" Accel groaned, slamming a book shut. The symbols on the blades matched no known written script. Some characters resembled ancient System runes, but their meanings were distorted, fragmented. Hours of effort yielded only a handful of possible translations, and even those were vague.
His frustration grew as each day passed. He tested different decryption methods, cross-referencing ancient lexicons and relying on neural-assisted learning. His Neural Command Skill helped with information retention, but the complexity of the language made progress agonizingly slow.
He even attempted to copy the symbols by hand, hoping muscle memory would help engrain patterns in his mind. "Maybe if I write it out a thousand times, something will click..." But after filling several pages, exhaustion took hold, and he dozed off at his desk, his mind plagued by whispers of forgotten knowledge.
On the tenth day, a breakthrough occurred.
While sifting through an ancient System-era manuscript, Accel found an entry about the "Celestial Citadel Empire," abbreviated as CCE. His heart pounded as he read on. The Celestial Citadel Empire had existed long before recorded System history, a civilization so advanced that its knowledge was lost in the void of time. The language of the CCE had been preserved in fragments, but no complete translation existed.
"This... This is it!" Accel muttered, his excitement renewed. He compared the symbols from the book with those on Aetherium & Voidbringer. The patterns aligned—slightly distorted but unmistakable. With this discovery, he refocused his studies, using the manuscript as a partial reference. Every new word deciphered brought him closer to unraveling the weapons' secrets.
Unlocking the Weapons' Power
By the twelfth day, Accel had successfully translated enough of the inscriptions to trigger a System notification.
[Congratulations! You have unlocked the Celestial Citadel Empire Language (Basic Level).]
"Yes! Finally!" Accel clenched his fists in triumph. The frustration, the sleepless nights—it had all paid off. With his newfound knowledge, he activated Neural Command: Scan and analyze the swords once more.
For the first time, detailed information appeared before his eyes:
Right-Hand Equipment: Aetherium (Mythical Grade Tier) (Incomplete)
Damage Type: Long Range and AoE Damage
Weapon Damage: 10,000 (1st Seal)
Abilities:
Astral Projection - Briefly shifts the wielder into an ethereal plane, making them invulnerable and allowing them to pass through obstacles.
Celestial Beam - Fires a concentrated beam of starlight, dealing massive magic damage and piercing through multiple targets.
Special Trait: Deals 100% bonus damage against Dark, Evil, and Chaos-type enemies. Upon activating a sword skill, this effect lasts for 1 minute with a 1-hour cooldown.
Left-Hand Equipment: Voidbringer (Mythical Grade Tier) (Incomplete)
Damage Type: Long Range and AoE Damage
Weapon Damage: 10,000 (1st Seal)
Abilities:
Void Rift - Opens a temporary rift in space, pulling enemies towards it and dealing void damage.
Dimensional Slash - Slashes through the fabric of reality, creating a wave of void energy that damages and weakens enemies, reducing their defenses.
Special Trait: Deals 100% bonus damage against Light, Holy, and Divine-type enemies. Upon activating a sword skill, this effect lasts for 1 minute with a 1-hour cooldown.
The Cost of Power
Accel's eyes widened as he read the descriptions. "This... This is insane," he murmured. The damage output and abilities were beyond anything he had wielded before. But then he noticed the energy costs—and his excitement vanished.
Energy Consumption per Skill:
10,000 Energy for 25% power output 100,000 Energy for 100% power output
Accel's jaw tightened. "What the hell is this?" Even with his current energy reserves, he wouldn't last more than a few seconds at full power. The sheer consumption made the swords almost unusable in prolonged combat.
Sighing, he sheathed the blades and sat back. "So that's the catch. They're powerful, but using their skills is out of the question for now." However, as he reconsidered, a realization struck him—each sword still had an incredible base damage of 10,000, even without activating their abilities. "Wait... I don't actually need the abilities right now," he muttered. "If I can hunt efficiently using just their raw attack power, I can still make full use of them without draining my energy reserves." A smirk formed on his lips. Even without their abilities, these swords were still lethal weapons that could one-shot most monsters in his current rank. It wasn't the ideal situation, but it was an advantage he could use until he found a way to manage their energy costs.
A New Goal
The thrill of discovery reignited his determination. He wasn't just some student trapped in a nightmare anymore. He had left Unity College to forge his own path, and now he had a real purpose.
"If I can learn the CCE language in two weeks, then I can find a way to master these swords," he declared. "I'll become strong enough to wield them at full power. No shortcuts. No easy answers. Just raw effort."
With that resolve burning in his chest, Accel tightened his grip on the blades. This was just the beginning. He had uncovered a piece of the past—but now, he needed to prepare for what lay ahead.
The unknown awaited, and he was ready to face it.