Zayne raised his head and looked toward the auction stage at the final three headline items.
A blade, a piece of light armor, and a bracelet. All three were rare grade equipment and the final lots of the auction.
"Mr. Ward, you should bid on the armor for Francis. I do not need it." Zayne shook his head. Setting aside his immortal body, one of his Forbidden Spells, Savage Death Rewind, already negated fatal damage. Wearing defensive gear would be redundant.
"Francis already has one. If you do not want the armor, then do you want the bracelet?" Blake asked, puzzled.
"Not that either, Mr. Ward. I want the blade." Zayne's eyes locked onto the weapon on display.
"A blade?" Blake was confused, and even Francis could not help asking. "Boss, you are a Forbidden Spellcaster. What do you need a blade for?"
"I have a Forbidden Spell that requires a blade to use." Zayne did not explain further to the Ward father and son.
When he reached level 10 in the novice dungeon, he unlocked his first Forbidden Spell that required a weapon. Its name was Sacrificial Blade Technique.
[Forbidden Spell Sacrificial Blade Technique: Each strike consumes one year of the Forbidden Spellcaster's lifespan. Every strike deals twice the damage of the previous one. Stacks up to ninety nine layers.]
Only Zayne knew how terrifying this Forbidden Spell truly was.
His Strength was not high, only 180 points. But if he activated Infernal Overdrive first and stacked Sacrificial Blade Technique to the ninety ninth layer, the damage would reach a staggering 78,556,386,698,182,040.
And that number applied to every single strike. One swing was enough to cleave heaven and earth.
With his immortal body, Zayne did not have to worry about running out of lifespan.
No casting time. No skill wind up. No recovery delay. Every normal attack could unleash devastating damage. If he had been given two cheap cleavers back in the novice dungeon, he could have slaughtered every monster inside by hand.
The only drawback of this skill was that it required a blade. Ordinary blades could not withstand the power of Sacrificial Blade Technique. Zayne had tested it before with a kitchen knife. It snapped after just two swings.
"I see…" Blake did not understand why a Forbidden Spellcaster would want a blade, but he respected Zayne's choice.
Blake did not bid on the armor or the bracelet. The armor went to another major figure from Old Shipyard Port, while the rare bracelet was taken by Astrachior. When the blade finally came up, Blake went all in.
Despite Dano raising the price, Blake ultimately secured the rare blade for 28 million.
[Starfall Skytrace]
[Grade Rare]
[Attribute Strength plus 300 points customizable]
[Skill Stellar Radiance]
[Stellar Radiance: Under starlight, the Strength bonus of Starfall Skytrace continuously increases, up to a maximum of 100 percent.]
Starfall Skytrace lay quietly before Zayne. The blade was about three feet long, its surface flowing with deep starlight like a galaxy poured into steel. Intricate patterns covered the blade, each line seeming to hold the mysteries of the cosmos. The spine was thick and heavy, while the edge was razor sharp, radiating lethal intent.
When Zayne wrapped his hand around the hilt, the starlight brightened as if answering his touch. The reflected glow along the edge resembled a falling meteor, carving a radiant scar across the air. In that moment, Starfall Skytrace seemed to resonate with the universe itself, releasing a chilling aura.
"Excellent blade." Delight filled Zayne's eyes. Coming to this auction had been absolutely worth it.
He had gone from having nothing to wielding a full set of six pieces of equipment. His combat power had more than doubled.
Even though he was still only level 16, with six pieces of gear supporting him, Zayne was confident he could dominate anyone below level 20.
If he fought without restraint and ignored the risk of exposing his immortality, he would even dare to clash head on with a level 30 Transcendent.
After Starfall Skytrace, the final item of the auction, was claimed by Blake, the grand auction gala officially came to an end amid auctioneer Xyla's sweet smile.
As he left, Dano turned back coldly and drew a finger across his throat at Blake before striding away.
Blake narrowed his eyes. The feud between him and Dano was now irreconcilable. He would have to prepare in advance.
"Francis, take Zayne back first. I still have some matters to handle," Blake said.
"Yes, Dad." Francis answered obediently. Outside, he acted like a spoiled heir, but in front of Blake, he did not dare show the slightest disrespect. He knew exactly how strict his father was.
"Let's go, Boss." Francis waved to Zayne, who quickly followed. Although Zayne had been calculating the Ward family all along, he still understood the basic principle of repaying kindness.
The Ward father and son had been extremely generous to him. In return, he would not hold back. With this set of equipment, he was confident he could rapidly help Francis reach level 10 or even higher once they left the city. The monsters outside the city were stronger, but they also provided far more experience and could even drop materials, skills, or equipment.
Watching Zayne leave, Nia snorted coldly, her eyes filled with disgust.
"I really do not understand what the Ward family sees in that coward. They even spent that much money buying equipment for him."
Ward Group had spent nearly 100 million tonight on equipment alone. Even for them, that was no small expense.
Seeing Zayne, someone she despised, benefit so greatly made Nia feel miserable.
At that moment, Ivy received a call. Her expression quickly turned strange.
"Nia, there is news about the Shadowcaster you have been investigating. But it is not good news."
"What? There is news about Shadowcaster? Where is he? Tell me now." Hearing news about the man in her heart, Nia immediately forgot about Zayne and grabbed Ivy's arm.
"The Investigation Bureau reported that a farm within Old Shipyard Port was burned down. Dozens died in the flames. Hellfire residue was found at the scene. It is suspected to be the work of the Shadowcaster you described. They want you to assist with the investigation." Ivy watched Nia's expression carefully as she spoke.
"Shadowcaster killed people? Why?" Confusion filled Nia's eyes. "Impossible. If he were a murderer, he would never have saved me back then. Ivy, take me to the scene."