Chapter 400 - 399: Polishing Knife

Chapter 400: Chapter 399: Polishing Knife

Last time, she got a D-level longsword from that Blue Rune Box. Now, from this red one... ’Could this knife be another low-grade freebie?’

[Polishing Knife (C-level)]

[Description: A strangely shaped knife. Its hilt is forged from an interwoven blend of warm Sinking Heart Wood and Mithril, making it warm to the touch. The true marvel lies in its blade—a mass of grayish-white mist confined by an invisible force field. This mist can be mentally directed by the user to perform extremely precise carving and polishing on any non-living matter it touches. It is especially suitable for fine-tuning and repairing runes, energy circuits, or intricate structures.]

[Usage Restriction: Can only be used on blueprints, scrolls, rune items, or non-living objects with complex energy structures.]

[Cooldown: None]

[Note: The sharpest blade is sometimes not for cutting, but for granting the imperfect a chance at perfection.]

A C-level item.

And based on the description, it was much better than she had imagined.

This thing seemed somewhat similar to the Hand of Spirits, except one was a single-use item, and the other was a tool that could be used long-term.

Thinking of this, Seraphina Sinclair felt a little sad again.

’How can my luck be so up and down?’

When it came to monsters, she could encounter a heavily injured Storm Dragon and even manage to kill it with a bit of dumb luck.

But when it was time to open boxes, her luck would just vanish.

’I’m a Rune Master, so why do I keep getting items for an Engraving Master?’

’Why couldn’t it have given me a new rune pen? The one I’m using now is still the starter item I got with the Stone Tablet.’

’My skills have been upgraded twice already, but I’m still using a starter item.’

Seraphina Sinclair sighed. Clinging to a final shred of hope, she went to ask the waiter about the item’s specific uses. The answer was more or less what she had expected.

For an Engraving Master, this knife was a pretty good tool.

But not only was she not an Engraving Master, she didn’t even know any.

’What if I tried selling it openly on the regional channel...’

’Hey, that could actually work.’

If you weren’t an Engraving Master, this item would be useless.

But if you *were* an Engraving Master, you’d probably spend any amount of Black Fog Coins to buy it.

Besides, items whose details could be posted in the regional channel had to be in a survivor’s possession. As long as Seraphina Sinclair posted it, she wasn’t afraid that no one would take the bait.

Unfortunately, it was late at night, and not many people were awake. Even if she posted the message now, the probability of finding an Engraving Master was low. She’d have to wait until morning.

Just as this thought emerged, Seraphina Sinclair remembered there was a dungeon tomorrow.

She lowered her head and couldn’t help but sigh.

’There’s so much to do, but I have so little time.’

Tonight was a good opportunity. She couldn’t return to her mobile cabin, and resting here wasn’t safe either. She might as well take the time to think about what else she needed to do.

Seraphina Sinclair found a patch of ground that had been worn flat by the wind, sat down cross-legged, and closed her eyes. Her thoughts had only been wandering for a moment when she remembered something she had almost forgotten again.

The card she had won at the auction—the last piece of the puzzle for the F-level monsters in her Atlas...

Seraphina Sinclair took out the card.

[Zuge the Proliferator (F-level)]

[Description: A nonexistent monster. Its essence is more akin to a living virus that has gained temporary consciousness, driven by the instinct for endless parasitism. Its appearance will not be described in detail here. This is a rare entry and cannot be unlocked by killing the monster through conventional means!]

’This is it.’

Seraphina Sinclair found the missing page for F-level monsters in her Black Mist World Atlas. After she chose to use the card, the item between her fingers immediately transformed into a faint glimmer of light and merged into the Atlas page open before her.

On the previously blank page, complex lines and colors rapidly bled and swirled, sketching out a... truly indescribable form.

It was hard to say exactly what it was, but the moment Seraphina Sinclair saw its appearance clearly, she understood why the description didn’t elaborate on its looks.

It was nauseating.

Utterly nauseating.

But then again...

Seraphina Sinclair rubbed her stomach. ’Why do I suddenly feel a little hungry?’

A glance at the time on her system panel made her realize why. She hadn’t eaten dinner or a late-night snack, and it was already four in the morning. Feeling hungry was the most normal thing in the world.

Seraphina Sinclair rubbed her stomach again, forcing her attention back to the Atlas.

’Now... I’ve collected all the F-level monsters. So, where’s the reward?’

Seraphina Sinclair began to search, almost in a panic. This whole "collection" and "lighting up the Atlas" thing couldn’t possibly be just for satisfying some personal quirk, could it?

’I’m not some kind of collector!’

’I only care about the reward! The reward!’

Flipping past the first F-level page, she returned to the Black Mist World Atlas’s table of contents. Under the "Monsters" category, Seraphina Sinclair finally found where to claim her prize.

The moment she saw the three words "Available to Claim," Seraphina Sinclair’s pounding heart finally settled back into her chest.

She took a deep breath and muttered, "Maybe I was a bit too demanding just now. The reward... it has to be something good."

Nearby, the waiter, who was still shuttling back and forth with preservation materials, twitched its ears. After determining this had nothing to do with it, it continued its task.

There was no helping it. The Dragon Corpse was simply too massive and the waiter too small. Its repeated trips were like trying to bail out the ocean with a thimble.

Seraphina Sinclair held her breath, her finger trembling almost imperceptibly as she tapped the "Available to Claim" icon, which pulsed with a soft glow.

The instant she touched it, several notification windows popped up before her eyes.

As expected, the very first one was whether to make a server-wide announcement.

’I’ve already disturbed everyone once tonight. If I do it again...’

The thought had barely surfaced before it was crushed by the mischievous streak in Seraphina Sinclair’s bones. Without hesitation—

[You have selected "Yes." A server-wide announcement will now be made!]

The moment the system notification faded, the pitch-black night sky seemed to be torn open by an invisible giant’s hand. A magnificent and cold server-wide announcement, like rolling thunder, once again swept across the entire Black Mist World:

[Congratulations to survivor "Blacktiger Ford" for being the first to complete the "Black Mist World Atlas - F-level Monsters" collection! You have received the milestone achievement "A Glimpse of the Whole Picture" and are awarded the title "Monster Collector"!]

[May all other survivors be inspired by this achievement to explore diligently and forge ahead!]

The announcement played three times in a row. In the dead of the early morning, the emotionless broadcast was particularly jarring, loud enough to drag every survivor from deep sleep back to cruel reality.