Reincarnated as a step-dad in a fantasy world-Chapter 371: Daggers

"Gods... these are beautiful," Alex murmured absentmindedly, his gaze fixed on the treasure Maya had just unveiled.

Contrary to what Maya had implied earlier, the treasure wasn't a single item. Instead, it was a pair of intricately crafted daggers that instantly captivated the attention of everyone in the room.

The two daggers were perfectly identical. Each had a pitch-black handle adorned with subtle runic engravings that shimmered faintly under the auction lights. The blades themselves were double-curved—first near the base and once more near the tip—giving them a serpentine elegance.Their surface gleamed with a dark, menacing purple hue.

What made them even more unique was the fact that they were bound together—linked by a thin, black chain that connected the pommels. It was clear these weapons had been designed to be wielded in tandem.

"Beautiful..." Maya commented, her own eyes shining with awe. For a moment, she completely forgot that she was supposed to auction the daggers and simply stared at them in silence. Realizing her slip, she quickly coughed in embarrassment and added, "Sorry for the distraction... it's just that—I'm sure you'll all agree with me—they are absolutely stunning."

She couldn't see it, but her words resonated across the auction grounds. In the privacy of their booths, several guests nodded silently in agreement.

"These daggers are a set, meaning that to fully benefit from their capabilities, they need to be used together, which is why they're being sold as one item rather than separately," Maya began, her voice steady once more. "Unlike the weapon we auctioned this morning, which was crafted using the core of a monster, these daggers are not man-made. They are an artifact discovered in the depths of a high-grade dungeon. And together, they possess the power of a grade seven combat artifact!" she announced.

Although she couldn't see their reactions, Maya was certain that the revelation had stunned the crowd. A grade seven combat artifact was no ordinary find—its power rivaled that of a weapon forged using the core of a level seven monster.

In terms of raw capability, this placed the daggers among the most coveted treasures one could hope to find.

Combat artifacts and weapons forged from monster essence are fundamentally different in nature, yet they can be equally powerful depending on their origin and structure.

First, it's important to clarify that unlike conventional weapons—which are crafted by humans or other intelligent races—artifacts are not made. At least, there is no known evidence that artifacts are created by people. To this day, every artifact discovered has come from within dungeons, and their creators remain a complete mystery. What is known, however, is that artifacts operate on their own power scale, graded according to the quality of the mana crystals used in their composition.

As a reminder, mana crystals are condensed, crystallized forms of ambient mana. They appear naturally in environments saturated with mana, and their quality depends on both the purity of that mana and the length of time over which it has accumulated. Much like beast cores, mana crystals can be used to increase one's mana pool and accelerate their growth. But unlike beast cores, their application goes far beyond mere consumption for strength.

A mana crystal—regardless of its grade—is immensely valuable and notoriously difficult to obtain on the open market. Furthermore, since their absorption isn't restricted by level compatibility the way beast cores are, they are in high demand among the wealthy and influential.

Anyway, to summarize, the fact that the daggers Maya was auctioning were a grade seven artifact, that meant that at the very least, mana crystals of grade seven were used and probably even higher than that, and while they don't have the same lethality as a weapon created using the essence of a level 7 beast core, the fact that they are made of several mana crystals is a huge boon in and of itself, as it meant that the artifact had a much larger mana reserve than a level 7 weapon with a beast essence—and this reserve could be used to empower the artifact or its skills... if it had any skill, that is.

For the matter, weapons created with the essence of a monster sometimes also possess a skill of their own. The difference between the skill of an artifact and one coming from the essence of a beast was that the skills of artifacts were broader. These skills could be anything from making an artifact heavier, lighter, making it shine, making it sharper, etc...

Meanwhile, the skill coming from a weapon forged of the essence of a beast or monster always is one skill the beast or monster in question possessed when it was alive, and often these skills had something beastial about them.

"I am certain that all of you honorable guests are aware of the importance, rarity, and have a rough idea of the capabilities of such an artifact, so I won't waste time on these and will continue with the rest of the description of this... masterpiece," Maya declared with a composed smile, her voice rising with barely contained enthusiasm as she gestured once again to the daggers gleaming under the spotlight.

'So it does indeed have skills if there is a rest to speak about,' Alex thought, feeling a little excited.

"For reasons of confidentiality, I can't share the details of the skills this artifact possesses, but what I can tell you is that this artifact has two skills," Maya shared. "Not only that, but this artifact possesses something that makes it far more valuable than just having two skills or being a grade seven artifact—and that is the fact that this artifact allows one to have control over the darkness element!" she exclaimed, nearly shouting the last part out.

"The darkness element is one of the rarest abilities ever known to humanity—even rarer than the light element—and just by holding this artifact, you can gain the power to wield this mysterious element!" Maya announced, her voice echoing through the auction hall, captivating everyone's attention.

What Maya wasn't telling them—by advice of Frieda and the elders—was that it wasn't just anybody who could gain the power to wield the darkness element just by holding the daggers. It was only if you had a decent affinity with the element that you could control it, and even then, the amount of control you would have over it was abyssal compared to someone who naturally wielded it.

Even if she had mentioned it though, that wouldn't have changed the amount of excitement those present were feeling right now.

"The darkness element...," Earl Drickon murmured with an almost possessed intensity, "I have to get this artifact no matter the price!!"

The Earl wasn't the only one having this exact same thought, though. In another booth not far from his, Alex could be seen staring at the two daggers on display with the same obsessed expression—except his gaze seemed even more consumed by desire, than that of the Earl himself.

Beside his greed, there was another reason for Alex wanting to get his hands on this artifact no matter the cost, and that reason was:

[Abilities: Phantom Veil; Darkness ]

One of his wives, Anna, had the darkness element as her second ability, but she herself was unaware of this fact.

He didn't know how it was possible, but before Alex mentioned it, she didn't even have a clue that she possessed an ability that allowed her to control the darkness element.

Something like this was practically unheard of, as the use of one's ability is supposed to be instinctive. It made no sense that she was completely oblivious to the existence of another power slumbering within her — especially one as rare and significant as the darkness element. Because of this, Alex had been searching for a way to help her recover the memory or instinct necessary to awaken and control this ability. If successful, it would significantly bolster her strength moving forward.

Now, hearing that the artifact before him had the power to grant control over the darkness ability, his interest in the daggers had surged. He felt a strong urge to acquire them—if not for himself, then at least for the chance they might help his wife recall how to wield her forgotten power.

'Besides, she fights using daggers, so these are perfect for her,' Alex thought with a smile. 'I'm sure she's going to love them.'

"Now that I went through a brief summary of the artifact's capabilities," Maya said, letting her voice echo with confidence and poise, "it's time to begin the auction for this extraordinary item!"