Chapter 122: Gravity Rune [2]
Edgar slowly sat back down on the sofa.
The parchment rested in his palm as he turned it over again and again beneath the light of the oil lamp.
A small smile slowly spread across his face. "...Gravity."
Even saying the word aloud felt surreal, like something that was no longer out of reach.
Back on Earth, gravity had always been something people simply accepted.
It was a constant, invisible concept that was everywhere.
And now he held something capable of manipulating it in the palm of his hand.
Edgar leaned against the sofa while gently tossing the parchment into the air before catching it again.
His thoughts immediately began racing with ideas that would be impossible on Earth.
’A gravity trap... Nah, how about a weapon that becomes heavier the moment it hits its target? Or perhaps arrows that become impossible to block...’
He continued thinking from different angles about how he could use gravity.
’What about transportation? I can increase the speed by reducing the weight of cargo or increasing pressure inside machinery...’
The possibilities continued multiplying in his mind, and every new idea gave birth to another.
A genuine excitement slowly appeared on Edgar’s face. "This is insane..."
He had never imagined that one of the ancient elven runes would grant something this extraordinary.
His fingers unconsciously tapped against the armrest, but his excitement gradually cooled.
Edgar took a slow breath before forcing himself to calm down.
"...No." He shook his head. "I’m getting ahead of myself."
One by one, the flaws became obvious.
First, he had absolutely no control over the rune’s output.
Once activated, the gravity simply increased until the stored energy ran out.
Without adjusting those things, there was no point in using it.
Second, he wasn’t manipulating gravity itself but was merely activating a fixed effect left behind inside the rune.
There was a huge difference.
And finally, the thing that would be the biggest hurdle--
Edgar looked toward his chest. "...The energy consumption."
Compared to the strengthening rune, the gravity rune consumed several times more Solar Energy.
He doubted he could activate many of them before exhausting himself.
"...Definitely not practical yet."
Still, a new idea quietly formed inside his mind.
"What if..."
He looked toward the Sword-Club resting against the nearby wall.
"...No." His gaze slowly drifted toward his own fist instead. "Then what about armor?"
If the rune were engraved onto gauntlets, then activated only at the moment of impact, every punch could carry several times its normal weight.
Even without perfect control, the destructive power would become terrifying.
A smile slowly returned. "I’ll have to experiment."
Just then, a familiar sensation spread through his mind.
The Soul Network pulled on his consciousness, requesting his attention.
"...Hm, did something happen?"
Edgar immediately closed his eyes as his consciousness followed the connection.
...
The world reappeared before Edgar in unfamiliar territory.
Unlike before, everything around him looked completely different.
"Again..." Edgar let out a helpless sigh.
The Headless Soul Knight, just as its name suggested, had no head.
Seeing through its vision always felt uncomfortable.
Without a head, there wasn’t a normal field of view.
Instead, everything around him appeared simultaneously.
Almost as though he were seeing in every direction at once.
It wasn’t painful anymore, but Edgar still hadn’t become accustomed to it.
"...I’ll never understand how you function."
He quietly ignored the strange perspective before examining the surroundings.
Towering cliffs surrounded him from every direction.
Ancient pine trees clung stubbornly to the rocky mountainsides.
Cold winds howled endlessly through the narrow valleys.
"...Norwood Mountains."
The Headless Soul Knight had already reached its destination.
Edgar had originally sent it here only to search for the glowing Sornja Flowers.
Yet the Commander Guardian had stopped moving.
"...Why?" Edgar mumbled, and the Commander gave him the answer.
The skeletal horse slowly walked between enormous stone pillars naturally formed by the mountains.
Several minutes later, the landscape suddenly opened.
"....."
Edgar unconsciously widened his eyes.
Hidden deep within the mountains was an enormous valley untouched by time.
Crystal-clear streams flowed gently through lush green grass.
Countless colorful flowers bloomed across the valley floor.
Several waterfalls descended from towering cliffs, filling the entire place with soft mist.
The atmosphere felt strangely peaceful.
It was like a place that could be used for meditation.
Compared to the bleak world outside, this place seemed almost unreal. "...Beautiful."
Even Edgar couldn’t help murmuring the word.
He slowly guided the Headless Soul Knight farther inside.
Ancient stone pathways emerged beneath patches of moss.
Broken pillars stood scattered throughout the valley.
Some had already collapsed so long ago that trees had grown over them.
Yet others still stood proudly despite countless centuries.
The Commander Guardian quietly followed the road.
Eventually, a temple appeared in his line of sight.
Its enormous stone structure had partially collapsed with age.
Vines covered much of its outer walls, yet it still radiated an indescribable majesty.
"...An elven temple?" Edgar mumbled to himself as he quietly observed every detail.
The architecture matched the murals inside the cave almost perfectly.
Almost as though the building had grown together with the mountain.
The Headless Soul Knight slowly crossed the cracked courtyard.
Broken stone benches surrounded a circular platform.
Several ancient braziers stood silently around it, but none seemed to have been lit for countless years.
Edgar continued looking around with growing curiosity.
Until his vision finally settled upon the center of the temple.
A massive statue stood there that towered nearly fifteen metres into the air.
At first glance, the statue looked completely human.
Long robes flowed naturally around its body, and its posture was graceful.
One hand rested over its chest, and the other reached gently toward the sky.
But what made Edgar completely lose his composure was the face on the statue.
"...What?"
His pupils slowly contracted.
Because the statue didn’t have the delicate ears of an elf, nor the appearance of any human.
The statue possessed two elegant horns growing from its forehead.
And behind its back...
Stone wings stretched outward, large enough to cover the entire shrine.