Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

Frost’s weapons were far and few in between. Rarely did she get the chance to use a weapon outside of a firearm. Her bare fists and the Dream Shatterer were all she knew.

Lately, she had become much more proficient in using bladed weapons thanks to [Plasma Cutter]. But this was enough in her mind. It was another melee, and if she wanted to be cynical, then [Plasma Cutter] was just a persistent version of [Double Punch].

She had all the Skills, Arts, and Abilities in the world.

Weapons on the other hand…

Which is why I came up with these. I left it to Enoch and Joy to fiddle around with my weapons after the first pass. Given they’re still here means they passed Enoch’s tests.

An entire quarter of the table was dedicated to Frost’s personal weapons. She glided a hand to the first item, which was a single black handle with two prongs sticking out from the middle.

These prongs were hollow and used a mechanism to syphon liquid into the handle. Indeed, like the mechanism used in the Coat of Sanguine Prejudice to draw blood from her wrists, this also used her blood to function.

The prongs sunk into her palm, and red veins formed like cracks along the black handle. Once it was fully saturated with blood, the handle extended with a satisfying click, turning it into a quarter staff.

“I weaved intramuscular tissue with cartilage to help with the grip. Beneath it a piece of your fibula and humorous for structural integrity.” Enoch began describing the weapon like an art critic dissecting a masterpiece. “I can carry a litre of blood should it leave your possession. You’ll find a reservoir of powdered Caldera Industries Construction Blend.”

Frost flourished the quarterstaff, spinning it in a hand freely. She did not use momentum to turn it. Rather, she merely controlled the blood contained with in it. It suddenly froze in midair, and a long blade emerged from the tip, forming a scythe.

“Blood crystallization and powdered metal. Few materials compare to its tensile strength, not to mention its flexibility. I haven’t had fun swinging a weapon around as much as yours. My only critique are the prongs.”

Enoch showed her palms to Frost, revealing an array of welts and holes. Frost flicked her hair aside, casting Healing magic to heal her hands. Enoch gratefully bowed in response.

“Like a mini Patent.” Kissaria commented.

“That’s precisely the idea.” Frost smiled, marvelling at her weapon.

The blade was made from crystalized blood. Under the correct lighting, one could find a damascus steel pattern running along the surface of the crystalized liquid-blood metal. Caldera Industries’ Construction Blend was one of the strongest known materials, right next to Adamantium.

But there was one other material that surpassed this, although it was in incredibly limited supply. It was used in Caldera Industries’ Construction Blends, but nowhere near enough to grant an Ability.

“I was hoping Caldera Industries could provide raw Alpha Grade materials. The glass they used in the Ghost Site was very durable. I should’ve taken a bite now that I think about it. Hindsight is twenty, huh.”

“Gam?”

“Sorry, it’s a saying, since twenty-twenty vision is considered perfect vision on Earth.”

Frost changed the appearance of the weapon to a halberd, then to a mace, before shortening the length of the handle to create a one-sided blade.

Nav, now that we’re connected to a couple trillion neurons, you got anything on AlphaOM?

AlphaOM

< A Fallen Atelier preceding Caldera Industries. They were an Atelier that specialized in creating strongholds. The majority of Caldera Industries Fata Morgana (the Eyes and fortresses in the skies) are derived from AlphaOM. Little else is known about them outside of their Beta, Omega and Alpha-Grade materials which constitute Caldera Industries’ Construction Blend. There are nodes in Dwarhelven and the far north, and northeast that produce these materials naturally through remnants of AlphaOM’s technology. The Dragons notoriously use this material for their lairs >

Information was scarce. No doubt Nav would have more on AlphaOM if she needed something specific. But for now, she was more focused on the weapon in front of her. She twirled the blade between her fingers. Frost was not used to using one handed, or even twohanded weapons. Bladed weapons, blunt weapons… She was so used to using her fists that she didn’t even know if she was properly flourishing it.

“Malgam!?” Joy exclaimed, noticing Frost’s neck was in the middle of the blade’s trajectory. She reached out, hoping to help her, but to her surprise – the blade did not injure Frost.

“Hoh. I didn’t read that. But it makes sense.” Enoch folded her arms, impressed by the weapon’s flexibility.

“Damned right. Liquid blood-metal. Ain’t that a fuckin’ pain in the ass.” Kissaria knew how high-level combat worked in Elysia. Often than not, two or more individuals would repeatedly clash, perhaps for hours, to days on end depending on how powerful they were.

Frost’s weapon had the ability to negate clashes by simply phasing through objects. Normally, this would put the user at a disadvantage since they would also have to take a hit from the opposition.

However, what if the user’s fighting style revolved around being a living pincushion? Frost was no stranger to soaking up hits like a traditional RPG tank to deliver her own. Pairing this with her being a Healer and having up to ten seconds of [Precognition] meant that at worst, she’d be able to turn a deficit to an advantage.

And at best, she wouldn’t even be struck at all.

This weapon was called Amorphos – her newest Atelier Item.

< EFFECT: Once filled, the weapon may take a specific shape depending on the wielder’s Will. Ignores half of the target’s DEF stats. Can be used in conjunction with Progenitor Arts. The weapon may not hold a form for more than five minutes without destabilizing. It mimics the fear of the heart it was born from >

< ADDITIONAL EFFECT: Attacks may be used to damage the target’s MP pool rather than their HP. Deal 90% reduced damage. When a target’s HP reaches 0, gain the option to forcefully induce Corruption >

//////// < WARNING > ////////

< Corruption born using this method will permanently destroy the person’s Ego. They will become a formless husk, born from the shadow of the dying light of their Ego >

< ATELIER EFFECTS >

< The Amalgam: Reverberating Toll | Significantly increases its potency. ATT and MAG ATT stats are dramatically increased >

It was a jack of all trades but was not a master of any one form. It required Frost to constantly swap its form during combat, but that was not necessarily a bad thing. If anything, it made her unpredictable.

Furthermore, its ability to disrupt the target’s MP pool gave her new avenues to take down a tough opponent. That said, she moved on to the next few assortments of weaponry. They were not as extravagant as the first, but it did involve a strengthened version of the De Jure Sanguinis.

She plucked the weapon from its handle and raised it over her shoulder. With her other hand, she picked up a handgun carrying the same golden-black markings. The only difference De Jure Sanguinis had from its previous iteration was that it now had a white, scale-like plating embedded along the top of the weapon, resembling the back of a feathered dragon.

< EFFECT: De Jure Sanguinis’ ATT increases depending on the amount of blood used. It may be tuned to become stronger or weaker. Bullet may carry one chosen Skill of the shooter if applicable >

< HP CONVERSION RATIO: 10% HP per 100% Damage increase. HP will always remain at 1 when 100% conversion is used >

< ATELIER EFFECTS >

< The Amalgam: Reverberating Toll | Significantly increases its potency. ATT and MAG ATT stats are dramatically increased >

< CORRUPTED EFFECTS >

< Icon of Judgement: One Sin | If target you hit is the source of your prosecution, then deal up to 5x damage >

100,000,000 damage was nearly the maximum amount of damage De Jure Sanguinis could deliver if she expended all but 1% of her blood. It was an absurdly large number that did not even involve the use of [Amplification].

Yet, in the grand scheme of things, with Uriel possessing billions of HP, it was still miniscule in comparison.

As for the handgun, it wasn’t as powerful as De Jure Sanguinis, and quite frankly didn’t have a name, but it served as a quick weapon to dispatch distant enemies. It really didn’t have much use in her arsenal.

Frost just wanted a handgun for the sake of it.

The other weapon on the table was a contraption made of several rotating barrels, with thick tubes that had to be embedded into her body to function. Its size was well over five meters, and it contained seven rotating barrels, which were also connected to smaller rotating barrels at the tip.

This was, of course, a gatling gun.

< ATELIER EFFECTS >

< The Amalgam: Reverberating Toll | Significantly increases its potency. ATT and MAG ATT stats are dramatically increased >

“I’m guessing it won’t see this being used in urban environments.” Enoch commented half-jokingly, knowing that Frost was not foolish enough to use it in highly populated areas.

But the moment of thought Frost had caused a bead of sweat to drip down the side of her cheek.

“Amalgam?”

“Sorry, I was just thinking the pros and cons of using this in Emvita. I’m not limited to distance, and there’s not really a curvature to have the bullets whiz over heads so… Hmm…”

“What, you made that to tear an entire city apart?” Kissaria also said jokingly.

Once again, Frost didn’t consider this as a joke.

In fact, the reason why this was created in the first place was precisely for this. She wanted a weapon to leave a place in ruins without having to resort to weapons of mass destruction, such as deploying a dispensable Red Giant, or leveling a city using one of Inflow Direct’s canisters.

She wanted to have the ability to do this on her own, without invoking any other power or Skill. Flexibility, so to speak. Of course, she wasn’t going to use it on a whim…

… But there was one Empire that has proven to be difficult to keep in check without resorting to violence.

That was, of course, the Larin Empire.

* * *

With Frost’s weapons completed, she finally moved to the final weapon which belonged to none other than Jury. They were a pair of white daggers that had a floral, golden pattern inscribed in their handles. The blades were forty-five centimeters long and didn’t appear to have any anomalous effects.

That was until Jury clasped one in her corroded hand and noticed some of the dark spots disappearing to reveal supple skin beneath.

“It’s your Atelier Item. At first, I was shocked that your heart desired a weapon. But looking at it now… I guess it makes sense, huh?” Frost gently cupped Jury’s hand and brushed a thumb on the small patch of dark skin – Jury’s non-corroded skin – and softly smiled.

Jury’s eyes widened. She was not prepared for this. She was not even aware of what her blueprint was either. And while she had Skills that let her temporarily alleviate her left hand’s Qliphoth Corrosion, it was not enough to expose the softness of her skin.

< EFFECT: Temporarily reverses the effects of Qliphoth Corrosion as long as it is wielded by the user. Deal 3x damage against Impuritas. All attacks against Corrupted are Critical Strikes (10x Damage). Damage to Puritas entities heals the target for the same amount of damage they would have received. If used on a recently Qliphoth Corroded target, it can be used to cut off the Corrosion before it takes root or spreads >

< ATELIER EFFECTS >

< The Amalgam: Reverberating Toll | Significantly increases its potency. ATT and MAG ATT stats are dramatically increased >

Jury brought her hand close to her face, and her eyes watered when she noticed the texture of her hand. She saw the small grooves that made up her fingerprints, and at the tip of one of her fingers she saw a pink nail.

“… Is it permanent…?”

“Not… Exactly. Sorry.”

“Mmn. You don’t… have to apologize. This is enough for me, right now. Ahaha… I don’t have to use my claws anymore. I-I had this dream where you were going to make me a giant gravity hammer. I’m so glad I was wrong.”

Frost cleared her throat with a hand to hide the face she made.

Nav… Did you tell her I was going to make a hammer?

“I’m the same one who convinced you not to as well.”

Just as Frost was about to respond, she was smothered by Jury’s arms. Her body trembled, and she felt something damp seeping into her shoulder. Gently, she stroked Jury’s back and rocked her side to side.

“You don’t have to thank me. It’s what your heart wanted anyway.”

“Thank you, Frost…”

“Geez… I don’t want to see you cry.”

“But I can’t help it! This entire time… This whole time I thought I was the only one h-hoping to help you, but you were also – also…!”

Her whimper turned into sobs. As much as Frost wanted to refute her, it was best to simply hold Jury and let her cry her heart out. Jury had lived all her life afflicted by a curse she never asked for. Frost deeply empathized with her, because she too lived with something she could not help.

Never again could she eat like a normal person.

Never could she enjoy the texture of food.

And she could never dare to kiss Jury without the fear of accidentally biting her.

“… Frost.”

“Mhm?”

“… I have something for you too. Do you have time?”

“Yes. We have lots of time. What do you need?”

“Can I cook for you one last time before we leave?”

“Of course.”

“Then… please stay here and let me show you what I’ve been working on for the last fifty days.”

Jury pulled back, wiped her face with the back of her arm, and then, she plucked the box containing Frost’s gift with her tail. It rattled. It didn’t chime like jewels, nor was it very heavy, like a weapon.

She gently placed it into Frost’s hands.

“Please don’t open it until I’m done making dinner.”