Bab 363: -358- [ Azure Abyss ]
"Clang..."
A faint flow of light shimmered across the sword's blade, resonating deeply with everyone's emotions.
What appeared before the group was a sword that could leave anyone breathless and spellbound.
It was a sword entirely bathed in a profound sky blue, much like the S-class metal it was crafted from. It resembled a crystal, a gemstone, constructed as if from blue crystalline material, with the anvil visible on the back of the blade. It had a glass-like transparency that allowed one to see through the sword.
At first glance, the sword seemed to give off the impression that it could shatter with even the slightest touch, appearing incredibly fragile. However, within the sword's interior, countless streaks of light flowed like tiny meteors. Rather than fragility, it exuded an even stronger sense of mystery.
Combined with its deep, nearly transparent sky blue color, the sword's appearance was already at the pinnacle of beauty.
This was a sword so incredibly beautiful that it could be considered more of an artwork than a weapon. Those present were momentarily lost in its beauty, unable to find words to describe it.
Even the easygoing Lis, when looking at the sword that had materialized in her hands, couldn't help but express what everyone was thinking.
"Even if it can't be used for combat, its appearance alone would be enough for players who love beautiful things to spend a fortune on, wouldn't it?" Lis said hesitantly, echoing the sentiments of those around her.
"Rather, does anyone really have the heart to use this sword in battle?" Asuna chimed in, emphasizing just how stunning the sword's appearance was.
Even Rozen hadn't expected that the sword he had forged would turn out like this.
"No matter if it's Saichou, Hanachou, or this sword, it seems that I have a knack for attracting things that are beautiful," Rozen chuckled, and then, under the watchful eyes of Asuna and Lis, he approached, extending his hand to grasp the sword lying quietly on the anvil.
As soon as he gripped the hilt, Rozen immediately felt a significant weight.
"It seems that this sword demands high player attribute requirements."
Rozen's eyebrow raised slightly, pleasantly surprised.
You see, Rozen was now level 87, primarily investing in STR (Strength) for his attribute points. Both in terms of level and strength, he outclassed the other players in the clearing group. Even the tanks and meat shields who focused solely on STR (Strength) might not surpass Rozen in that attribute, given his significantly higher level compared to the current mainstream top players at level 70.
In this situation, the fact that this sword felt heavy in Rozen's hands indicated that it had high demands on the player's abilities. Most likely, for anyone else, wielding this sword in battle would be out of the question.
This realization made Rozen understand that the sword's performance was undoubtedly outstanding.
"After forging three hundred strikes, let me see what it's called."
In this world, the name of a weapon to some extent reflected its rarity, level, and performance.
For example, lower-level weapons were often given names like "Bronze Sword," "Iron Dagger," or "Golden Spear," which were very common. In contrast, weapons with names like "Elucidator" or "Lambent Light" were rare and undoubtedly of the highest level. In this world, there might be only one of them, and they couldn't be dropped or manufactured again.
Of course, whether it was a drop, quest reward, or crafted item, even though they had unique properties at very high levels, there were many weapons with similar performance. The only difference lay in their names and appearances. Therefore, in SAO, there were almost thousands of different types of confirmed weapons.
Now, what had been born into Lis's hands was a sword that had not yet appeared in records. It was unique, with only one in the whole world, and belonged to the category of high-performance, rare items.
Rozen tapped the sword's blade, bringing up a window to confirm its name.
"————'Azure Abyss.'"
As this name entered Rozen's eyes, he couldn't help but feel that it was perfectly fitting.
Wasn't it so?
For a sword of such deep, transparent, and beautiful sky-blue color, could there be a more suitable name?
As for its performance...
"It's... It's incredibly high!"
Asuna, who had come closer to observe, couldn't help but exclaim.
Lis, on the other hand, widened her eyes in disbelief.
"What's with these stats...!? They're definitely not something that should be attainable at this level...!?"
Lis exclaimed in astonishment.
That was indeed the case.
The performance parameters displayed on the information window were unbelievably high, to the point of being almost surreal.
If Kirito's "Elucidator" was a Maken that could only drop from a floor guardian boss on the 50th floor, then the performance of this "Azure Abyss" sword was beyond what could be found in SAO at the current level, which had only progressed to the 60th floor.
Just like Saichou and Hanachou, their potential had been tapped into early, allowing them to unleash formidable power against even the frontline floor boss.
This time, Rozen had entrusted Lis to forge a weapon based on his calculated material ratios and meticulous considerations. The resulting weapon's performance exceeded what could be found on the current floor.
Not to mention anything else, the astonishing enhancement count alone reached 80, surpassing Kirito's "Elucidator" by a whopping 30 levels.
If it could be maxed out in terms of enhancement, then not only would it be usable on the current frontline, but even up to 85th floor, its performance would likely still be enough to dominate all weapons used by players.
"Is this... really a weapon I forged?" Lis even began to doubt her own skills.
"...It seems there are many things in this world that I still don't know," Asuna remarked in silence, filled with such feelings.
Rozen tightly gripped the crystal sword named "Azure Abyss," a slight smile forming on his lips.
Then, he looked at Lis.
"I want to give this sword a try," Rozen said.
"A try?" Lis was left bewildered.
...
Aincrad, 60th Floor.
In a wilderness area on the 60th floor, a group of Minotaur mobs, their eyes red with rage, bellowed as they charged towards a player.
Facing this enraged herd of Minotaurs, Rozen, holding the crystal sword, didn't back down. He hadn't even summoned a familiar. Instead, he raised a cloud of dust as he charged straight into the herd.
The encounter began just seconds later.
Immediately, one-sided slaughter unfolded.
Rozen, who had charged into a group of Minotaurs much larger and taller than himself, resembled a war god. His crystal sword cut through the air, leaving behind graceful trails, slashing at the thick hides of the Minotaurs.
"Splurt!" "Splurt!" "Splurt!"
Accompanied by the sound of tearing flesh, the seemingly fragile crystal sword easily slashed through the thick Minotaur hides, producing a chorus of agonized roars.
In an instant, the Minotaurs' HP values decreased at an astonishing rate, and one by one, they froze into blue polygons, shattering into fragments.
Rozen continued to charge through the herd with a joyful expression.
Watching this scene, not to mention Lis, even Asuna was left in disbelief.
Before them was an irrational one-sided massacre.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone