Lyle stared at the mysterious scale that had shifted from jet-black to a pale gray. The cursed energy it once held had been completely devoured by him.
The oppressive aura that once filled the narrow stone crevice had now vanished without a trace.
"Two whole level-ups in one go… Just what kind of creature did this scale come from?"
With a lift of his hand, the giant scale floated up from the ground with surprising ease. Lyle's expression turned grave.
He gave it a few experimental swings. Despite the scale's thickness, it sliced through the air in silence, without even the faintest sound.
Curious, Lyle drew an iron sword from his inventory and struck the scale with all his might.
The impact rang out sharply—but the scale remained utterly unscathed. Instead, a dent had formed in the blade where it struck.
A material capable of storing such overwhelming cursed energy—and resisting its corrosion—had to be extraordinary.
What if I forged it into a weapon?
The idea flashed through his mind. This scale would make a terrifying weapon… assuming anyone in this world could even forge it.
More importantly, if the scale was the origin of the curse...
"Could the Cursed Knight class itself have originated from this scale—or more likely, from the creature it came from?" Lyle speculated aloud.
In this world, the only known Cursed Knight aside from Leinas was a figure from two centuries ago—one of the legendary Thirteen Heroes.
Lyle glanced at the human remains slumped against the wall.
Could this be that hero?
He examined the crevice again. Aside from the bones and the mysterious scale, there was nothing else here. No proof. No answers.
He stashed the scale into his inventory.
"I'll be taking this. Whoever you were… thanks for the gift," Lyle murmured respectfully.
The full picture was finally coming together.
The cursed energy in the scale had likely been leaking for years—probably since the forest gnome tribe began clearing out the poisonous monsters in this mountain valley.
Because the scale was buried deep within the stone crevice, the curse had been dispersing slowly.
Then, just a few years ago, a petrifying lizard dug into the wall—and released the curse in full.
If the curse hadn't leaked so much beforehand, Lyle figured he might've leveled the Cursed Knight class all the way to max in one go.
The Flame Archangel flapped its wings, carrying Lyle back out of the crevice and into the cavern.
Doken had finally regained consciousness. But having been closest to the scale's epicenter, his skin was now completely rotted.
Waves of searing pain crashed through him, but the madness in his eyes was gone. He was lucid again.
Struggling to sit up, he leaned against a rock.
"Cough… cough… Is it over? The curse?" he rasped weakly, voice barely audible.
For the first time in ages, his mind felt clear. The chaotic, restless energy in the air had vanished.
Above him, a soft light pierced the darkness.
The Flame Archangel descended. Lyle stepped into view.
"You alright, Doken?"
Landing beside him, Lyle frowned slightly at his condition. Doken was in a bad way—his body already half-corroded, much like the cursed monsters they'd fought earlier.
"What… caused this, Lord Warrior?" Doken looked up with glassy green eyes, clinging to the last threads of strength.
He had to know. What had destroyed his tribe?
"It was an undead creature, cursed and sealed deep inside the mountain wall," Lyle said gently after a pause. "A petrifying lizard must've accidentally broken the seal and released the curse."
That version of events, Lyle figured, would be easier for Doken to accept.
If he told him it all came from a mysterious scale with no known origin, Dogan might truly lose hope.
"As I feared… one of those wretched things," Doken whispered bitterly. "We forest gnomes exist to protect the jungle and the creatures within it…"
His voice trailed off. His expression grew hazy.
"In the end, it was a petrifying lizard's curse that doomed us..."
The echoes of his fading voice filled the cavern.
And finally, Lyle understood it all.
The forest gnomes had preserved a special magical ritual—one requiring mastery of the "Wild Transformation" ability.
By consuming the heart of a beast or monster, a gnome could gain its powers and even transform into it. But there was a cost: they could no longer take other forms—only that of the creature whose heart they devoured.
The strongest monster in the region? The petrifying lizard.
So naturally, young gnomes saw hunting one and eating its heart as the ultimate achievement.
Yet the ritual was controversial. Many in the tribe opposed it, believing such a practice went against their purpose.
Doken clearly wasn't among the conservatives. Through his own strength, he had captured and killed a petrifying lizard, completing the ritual.
His feat made waves in the tribe.
The monster's corpse was shared as food with friends and kin.
The tribe was wiped out almost overnight. Only one escaped. Doken had been repeating it over and over—they were cursed by the petrifying lizard.
Lyle couldn't judge them. But one thing stood out to him now: that ritual.
Back in their fight, he'd sensed something odd about Doken's strength.
He was a "Shaman" and could cast tier-two magic—meaning he was at least level 8 in spellcasting.
He was also a "Forest Priest," capable of transforming into a much larger petrifying lizard. That transformation implied a class level of at least 21.
But beyond his lizard form's brute strength, Doken wasn't especially powerful.
"Wild Transformation" itself had three tiers. The first tier allowed transformation into beasts of similar size. The second allowed slightly larger forms with limits. Only the third tier, achievable at around level 60, removed size restrictions entirely.
Yet the gnomes' ritual bypassed those limits completely.
"Pasha… is he alright?" Dogan turned his head slowly, looking at Lyle with hope.
Lyle nodded with a soft smile. "He's doing well."
In truth, Pasha had died long ago—killed by Leinas after he fell to madness from the curse.
But Lyle told this lie to bring Doken peace.
"Give him… this scroll." Dogan fumbled at his chest and pulled out a rolled piece of bark. "Tell him… he doesn't need to worry."
"I… will atone for my sins."
"Ancestors… please forgive Doken Stone-Lizard… this cursed name…"
Lyle stood in silence, staring at the gnome who had finally passed on. He gained no experience—but he felt the cursed energy within Dogan seep into him.
Given his current level as a Cursed Knight, it wasn't much. But still… it added to his strength.
The moon hung high in a sky full of stars.
Lyle buried Doken's body in a quiet, peaceful spot on the surface. Night had already fallen.
He stood at the grave, looking up at the sky, suddenly struck by how real this world felt.
"…Now's not the time to be sentimental," he muttered, exhaling and refocusing.
He opened his status screen, organizing the new information.
Innate Ability: [Player]
Basic: Genius (Warrior… Lv10)
Intermediate: Sword Saint Lv10
Advanced/Special: Magic Swordsman Lv1, Cursed Knight Lv3
- Complete Curse Resistance
- Dark Affinity Resistance (20%)
Warrior: Instant Reflex, Fourfold Slash, Quick Slash, Stealth, Track
Tier 1: Minor Heal, Magic Arrow, Odourless, Camouflage
Tier 2: Appraise Item, Mana Charge, Arcane Reading
Tier 3: Undying Will, Undead Arise
Tier 4: Heating, Angel Summon, Papercraft
Tier 5: Revive – Modified
Alchemy, Potion Brewing, Scroll Crafting, Mana Slash, Dark Wave, Shrink (2/day), Wild Transformation
Justice Alignment: 51 [Neutral]
Physical Attack: 173 (13%)
Physical Defense: 58 (4%)
Magic Attack: 58 (4%)
Magic Defense: 28 (2%)
Total Resistance: 150 (9%)
Special Attributes: 60 (5%)
(Author's Note: Attribute panel only updates when significant changes occur. Routine displays are minimized.)