Chapter 84: Enlightenment
While deep in thought, Raven quietly reached for the spear, lay on the bed, and slipped into the Illusionary World.
It was the same grassland where the blue-skinned humanoid practiced its spearmanship with precision and ease. But this time, Raven noticed something different—the creature's movements held a profound clarity. With even the smallest step, he could predict its next action, his perception stretching each movement to a crawl.
He also noticed a faint aura forming along the edges of the spear.
"Aura, huh? I couldn't see it before. My 'Mind Eye' spell must've activated on its own," he mused. Summoning a spear out of thin air, Raven didn't try to imitate the humanoid exactly; instead, he applied his own understanding.
Taking a step forward, he gripped the spear and thrust ahead. His movements flowed into a routine—smooth, sweeping arcs left and right, each strike calculated and controlled. His steps carried him forward and back in fluid sequences, pivoting into each thrust. With every practiced lunge, his strikes became sharper, his connection to the spear deepening with each motion.
Gradually, Raven entered a focused state, refining his technique and correcting subtle flaws in his form.
'The reason I couldn't fully grasp this creature's movements must be our differences in perception,' he realized.
'Unlike humans, this being has a specialized sensory antenna that helps it master this unique spear technique.' Thanks to his 'Mind Eye' bloodline spell, Raven could bridge the sensory gap, filling in details he had previously missed.
His mind heightened as he moved the spear in a rhythmic dance, processing every subtle motion around him.
'Even though this is an illusion, I can see the swaying grass, tiny insects, even the ants scurrying on the ground. But I can't sense the air… It must be due to this whole illusion world within the spear.' Focusing on the blue-skinned figure, he observed ice shards forming around its spear and tried it out.
A chill pulsed from Raven's spear, manifesting faint ice shards that clung to the shaft. Although the shards were irregular and moved sluggishly, he could feel his control over them gradually strengthening.
With each practice strike, his mind sharpened, allowing him to fine-tune even the smallest mistakes. His grasp of the ice energy within the spear grew clearer. Though this spear was merely an illusionary replica, it held a power that felt strikingly real.
'The next step should be fusing basic aura into the ice shards and creating an attack skill called "Frozen Lance."' But Raven noticed that the little enlightenment he gained had ended and stopped his movement.
Then, he recollected all the things he had learned just now and started mastering them.
After some time, he left the Illusionary World, hurriedly took out the monocle, and checked the Frozen Ender weapon.
…
[Name: Frozen Ender (Sealed)]
Rank: Common
Experience Comprehension: 74%
Description: None
Unique Skills:
Rank-1: Frozen Lance (Unlocked)Requirement: User needs to master 'Basic Sword Aura' and 'Basic Spear Mastery'
…
"74%! A big leap indeed." But what shocked him most was a little change in his stats.
"I got a Low-rank Spear affinity!" A smile appeared on his face.
[It seems you had a good experience today. Congratulations, lad.]
"I still have a long way to go. By the way, how does my understanding of the spearmanship affect this spear?" He asked while looking at the experience comprehension section.
[A weapon like this shouldn't be a soulless one, lad. Even though it's sealed, it surely has its consciousness.] Zera said solemnly.
"Is it an intellectual artifact? How powerful is it? Arcane Fragment or even higher?" Raven's gaze sharpened.
[It must be a level similar to Arcane Apex Congitum rank in the peak state. But didn't you see its current rank? From its looks, this spear is sealing itself to the rank of the user's power level.]
"Haa, I should increase my strength to at least a Radiant Rank level sooner."
Raven suddenly thought of something, slowly stood up, and focused on the surroundings. In a blink, he perceived all the insects, flies, and even small reptiles hiding in the room. A moment later, his surroundings started to move at an incredibly slow speed.
"My thought process is more than five times that of a normal human." While thinking, he tried to move his hands according to his will. But to his shock, his body barely moved!
"As I thought, only my mind is acting faster. My physical body can't keep up with my thought process." A frown appeared on his forehead.
"Wait… Can I use my strength and agility potion to increase my stats and temporarily use this ability for battle?"
In truth, a basic rank strength potion, aka Common Rank Strength potion, could allow an Elite Walker's strength to reach the beginner Radiant Walker realm for a short time. An Uncommon Rank Strength potion could allow a Peak Stage Radiant Walker to exhibit the strength of a beginner Expert realm. But even if one consumed such a potion, they could only partially utilize its effect due to their lack of understanding of their body strength and low thinking process, resulting in reckless attacks.
"But if I consume both Agility potion and Strength potion and use my 'Mind Eye' ability, I can become a true Radiant Rank Walker for a short period." Raven felt like he had created a new trump card skill!
"It's theoretically possible. Although the recoil after consuming two potions will be much harsher, it's worth a try."
"I'll call this trump card skill 'Limit Breaker.'"
[Tch, it's an overly used name. And for your information, this isn't even a skill but a combination of your spell and alchemy. Still, this will shock the enemy and catch them off guard.] Zera said, but Raven didn't even listen to her.
Instead, he took the bundle of newspapers and the diaries from the inventory and placed them on the floor.
"Zera, can you tell me more about the dream world? What I saw in the dream world is 30 years into the future. But is it possible to travel there and come back? Or is it some dream made of large illusion?"
[No one knows the answer, lad. But the more you stay in the dream world, the higher the chance of you getting lost and disappearing forever. That's why most dream walkers return to the real world before the dream ends.]
"What is the maximum time one should stay in the dream world?" Raven asked.
[Based on the time difference between two worlds. But if we go by the physical world time, you shouldn't stay in the dream world for more than 10 hours unless you have a treasure like Dream House. Although the dream world won't disappear in a blink, it will change in the form of a natural disaster and disappear altogether. Also, you might encounter dreamers from the real world, so be careful of what you say before them.]
Raven nodded in understanding.
"I have to ask you another thing. Is it possible to pull someone into the dream world and communicate?"
[It's the opposite. You can't force someone to enter the dream world you are in. But entering a person's dream world is possible using some dream ritual.]
"How do I even know when they go to sleep?" Raven couldn't help but ask.
[That's for you to find out. If you plan on making a big scene in the capital, I advise you to do it after ranking up.]
"Radiant Warlock, huh?" Raven knew he was still an Acolyte Warlock and had little strength to face big powerhouses.
"I can't afford to lose my family member. I'll take the risk." He clenched his fist and slowly glanced at the newspapers and diaries.
"Thanks to the 'Fortuitous Finder' spell, I obtained useful information about the future. Although it won't help me now, it will be useful soon."
First, he took the newspapers and arranged them in order by date. Then, he took a notebook and started writing down important events from all 30 newspapers. Raven didn't sleep for a moment until early morning, recording major incidents while crossing out unwanted information.
"It all started with the death of the emperor, huh?" Raven wrote a whole chapter about Emperor Ian's death.
"Emperor Ian's death – Date: 1452 Year, January 12th. Assassinated while visiting the Vega Empire for political talks. Suspects: Remnants of Viser Kingdom, Wizard Alliance, Celestia Empire. Guard duty: Royal Knight Captain Sid Gravenstone (Dead), Vice-Captain Beckham Raynor (Missing), Tucker Thornevale (Dead). Other influential victims: Ninth Prince Jett, Third Concubine Jasmine, Minister of Health Kairo, etc."
"Black Undead: Deadly curse-type disease spreading via air. Origin: Unknown. Symptoms: High fever, blisters on face/body, blood vomiting, gradual loss of six senses. Progression: 3 days to turn humans into wild undead. Suspects: Raynor Family, Remnants of Viser Kingdom. Cure: Johnathan's vaccine potion, with Nightblood Moss as main ingredient."
"Wizard Alliance's Declaration of Democratic Rule: Prime Minister Gavin assumes emperor's role as substitute following Supreme Court's suggestion."
"Death of Empress Elise Sillalus Jorvot – Date: 1452 Rune Era, 3rd February."
"Death of Sixth Serpent Nash caused public concern…"
"Sudden disappearance of 100,000 people from Blackwater City…"
"Black Undead spreads to Glassy Rock…"
"Death of Eleventh Princess…"
Raven slowly pieced together the Empire's turmoil.
'After the Emperor's death, some people targeted the royal family non-stop… Many noble families didn't support the Royals, creating opportunities for the Wizard Alliance to take over the capital…'
Raven continued writing and finished reading news up to February 14th.
'From the gathered information, I confirmed two catastrophic disasters before the Black Undead. First, the great war between the Empire and Viser Kingdom, which led to Viser Kingdom's defeat. Second, a massive famine killed millions. Both incidents reduced 30% of the Zenith Empire's population. And Black Undead could be considered the worst disaster.'
With a deep sigh, he stored the newspapers and diaries and took out the silver bow and arrow. Then, he touched the monocle and activated it.
…
[Name: Starchaser]
Type: Weapon
Rank: Rare
Description: The bow is made from cold star metal by a renowned Dawn Goblin Blacksmith from the Grimsmoke World. It is highly durable and imbued with the blessing of the Wind.
Main Ability: Multi Arrow – Allows the user to cast multiple arrows and attack the opponent's vitals randomly.
Additional Effect: 3.5% chance to cast 'Damage Boost' Rune skill (Rank-1 Damage boost: 200%).
Restriction: Rank 1 to Rank 4 (Damage boost effect decreases as user's rank increases.)
Unused Cold Star Arrow: 21
…
"I thought it was an uncommon weapon but didn't expect it to be rare!" Raven knew even an Uncommon Weapon would sell for 10,000 gold coins.
"Its worth shouldn't be less than 50,000 gold coins!" He estimated, having never seen a rare rank weapon sold at auction.
"I can lend this weapon to Jacob or Felicity."
[That's more like giving away for free, lad. Rune Skill transcends ranks and can be used by any rank walker. Jacob and Felicity may be talented, but they're unsuitable to wield this weapon. Only give it if you sign a long-term contract.]
"They seem trustable, though." Raven muttered.
[Human greed has no end, lad. If an Expert Rank Archer gets this artifact, they can kill even a Mystic realm Walker using the 'Damage Boost' skill. In my eyes, this is more like an Epic rank artifact. If your mercenaries knew its true worth, loyalty might vanish.]
"But I already signed a contract with them, though?"
[Put that contract paper in the dustbin. A royal seal means nothing. Filing a case could take years. What if they leave the Empire? Remember, Zenith Empire isn't the only nation on Ivory Island.]
Zera's words made Raven ponder deeply.
[If you plan to share your secrets, you must create Magic Contracts. Using the authority of a higher being, secrets remain within your grasp. Even personal information can't leak. You'll learn more about these contracts from my owners' memory books.]
"That's how Wizards monopolize spell models and techniques?"
[Even high-rank noble families use Magic Contracts to protect their core secrets. If you plan to create a Knight Squad, have the new recruits sign contracts. Also, search for hidden treasures to strengthen your squad in the future.]
Raven nodded solemnly and decided to rest for three hours.
…
After a short rest, Raven woke up and prepared for departure.
Raven, Jacob, Selene, and Stephine left the Glory Wine Inn around 7:30 A.M., boarding a carriage to the Railway Station.
By 8:40 P.M., they reached the station and boarded the train to Red Ember City. The journey was smooth. Over the next two days, Raven spent most of his time in the memory library and the Frozen Ender's Illusionary World, increasing his Rune mastery and Spearmanship.
…
Red Ember City – September 19th, Year 1420, Rune Era – 5:30 A.M.
A steam-engine train arrived from the east, entering the Royal Railway Station through the eastern gate. Steam hissed as it halted, billowing around the bustling platform. Raven, Jacob, Selene, and Stephine stepped out, scanning the crowd. Many travelers in formal attire hurried past, carrying papers and luggage, voices clashing over the clamor of metal and wheels.
They followed the crowd, left the station, and rented a carriage to the West Borough.
"This city looks much livelier than Bloodstone City," Raven muttered, peeking through the curtain gap.
Red Ember City buzzed with energy—streets packed with carriages, vendors, and people rushing to work or shop. Tall buildings lined the cobblestone roads, magic lamps casting faint light through the fog, giving the city a mysterious feel.
The Joy River ran through the center, bridges like Blackarts and Ember Bridge always busy. Factories poured smoke into the sky, darkening the city.
After 30 minutes, the carriage reached the West Borough. Unlike the industrial area, this district was clear, luxurious mansions and theaters lining the streets.
"West Borough is divided into twelve streets… Inns in Druid Lane are cheaper," Selene explained.
"Graden Street, Crown Tavern. I want to stay there," Raven said with a smile.
Selene's face froze. High-class inns in Garden Street were expensive.
"A single day's rent will cost more than five gold coins, My Lord!"
Raven took out a leather pouch, poured over fifty gold coins, and gave it to Jacob.
"Book the best ones."
Jacob hesitated but realized he was just a hired mercenary. He hurriedly opened the carriage door and directed the coachman toward Garden Street.