Chapter 156: A Runestone
Chapter 156: A Runestone
Leon soon reached home in a hurry.
"Brother, you’re back! Lunch is ready," Jenny said while arranging the dishes on the table when she saw Leon entering the house.
"Go ahead and eat without me, Jenny. I have something urgent to do." Without waiting for her reply, Leon rushed into his room.
Jenny stopped what she was doing and looked at Leon’s retreating figure before resuming her job.
The first thing Leon did was take a quick shower. His clothes were soaked with sweat after the gravity training and carried a faint, unpleasant odor.
A few minutes later, he made his way to the rooftop of the building.
"Let’s try flying first," he murmured.
Taking a deep breath, Leon focused on lifting his body. And first, nothing. But then, slowly, his feet started to leave the ground. But the very next moment, he lost his balance and pitched forward, landing face-first on the concrete.
Thud!
The fall barely hurt. Leon immediately got back to his feet.
"Again."
He again focused on lifting his body. This time, his feet successfully left the ground, but his body began tilting uncontrollably from side to side. He concentrated on his core and instinctively adjusted his posture. He shifted his weight, moved his arms and legs, and continuously corrected his balance whenever he started leaning too far in one direction.
Gradually, he became more efficient.
It felt as though gravity had simply ceased to exist for him. His body felt unbelievably light.
Soon, Leon was hovering steadily several feet above the rooftop.
Although his body still wobbled slightly from time to time, he quickly corrected himself each time he lost his balance.
Then, little by little, he began ascending into the sky.
Five meters.
Ten meters.
Fifteen meters.
The rooftop beneath him gradually shrank until the entire building began to look surprisingly small.
He continued ascending before finally coming to a stop about thirty meters above the rooftop of the three-story building — nearly forty meters above the ground.
"Damn..." Leon muttered, staring at the world below. "I can actually fly."
A grin spread across his face. "Now let’s see if I can move."
He leaned forward slightly while focusing on going forward. Immediately, his body began gliding forward through the air.
Then, all of a sudden, his concentration wavered.
His body lurched downward, and for a split second, he nearly plummeted toward the ground. Fortunately, Leon quickly regained control and steadied himself. Cold sweat formed across his forehead.
"That was close..." Taking a deep breath, he tried again. He kept his mind focused. Once he became comfortable with that, he practiced stopping in midair before accelerating again.
Afterward, he began changing directions.
Left.
Right.
Up.
Down.
The longer he practiced, the more natural it became.
His confidence grew. His hesitation disappeared. His control became smoother.
And with every passing minute, his speed increased.
Whoosh!
Whoooosh!
By the end of the hour, Leon was flying through the sky with remarkable ease. The smile on his face grew wider as the rushing wind brushed against his skin.
He continued enjoying the freedom of flight for another hour before finally slowing to a stop, calmly hovering high above the city.
"Now..." His eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Let’s try Telekinesis.
The claymore."
The moment the command left his mouth, the pitch-black claymore emerged from his system storage, its hilt settling firmly into his hand.
Leon slowly raised the sword before releasing his fingers one by one. The claymore remained suspended in midair.
"It’s really working..." His eyes lit up. "It’s just like controlling Raging Inferno’s Wings. Although this requires much more concentration and is a bit more exhausting... the feeling is surprisingly similar."
As he controlled with his mind, the massive sword shot through the air.
Whoosh!
It sliced left. Then right. Then arced gracefully through the sky, whistling sharply as Leon guided it with his mind alone.
Finally, Leon stopped and descended back onto the rooftop. He let out a satisfied breath.
"Both of these abilities are game-changing."
A smile spread across his face. "I’m really glad I took the gravity test. And it’s fortunate that the Hunter Association’s gravity chamber could reach 400 G. Otherwise, who knows when I would have achieved Null Gravity... or awakened these abilities."
His gaze shifted toward the system panel as the claymore disappeared back into the system storage.
"Now..."
He rubbed his hands together.
"Let’s see what my reward is.
System. Let’s try the Lucky Draw now."
[Sure, Host.]
The same colorful, circular board appeared in the system panel. Then...
It started to spin.
Leon watched it with anticipation. "I hope it’s something amazing like last time... and not another lollipop like the first draw."
Several seconds later, the wheel gradually slowed before finally coming to a stop.
Ding!
[Congratulations, Host.]
[You have obtained the Runestone of Ultimate Smithing.]
Leon blinked. "Ultimate Smithing?"
[Affirmative, Host.]
[Description: Contains the complete inheritance of Ultimate Smithing, including techniques for forging weapons and artifacts, shaping rare materials, and engraving runic lines ranging from Normal Grade to Mythic Grade.]
"Smithing?" Leon asked in surprise. "You mean forging weapons?"
[Affirmative, Host.]
"I was hoping for something that would directly increase my strength..." Leon muttered before smiling. "Still, smithing sounds pretty incredible. But what’s this about engraving runic lines?"
The system reacted instantly.
[The difference between an ordinary weapon or artifact and one possessing magical abilities lies in its runic lines.]
[Runic lines are classified into grades ranging from Normal Grade to Mythic Grade.]
[The higher the grade of the runic lines, the greater the weapon’s or artifact’s potential.]
[For instance, the Frost Monarch’s Blade’s ability to cut through illusions and its +150% damage are both the result of high-grade runic lines engraved upon it.]
Leon froze. "Are you saying I can forge weapons and artifacts like that?"
[Affirmative, Host.]
Leon stood there in stunned silence, unable to believe what he had just heard.
"Forging weapons and artifacts with magical abilities?" He whispered, struggling to believe it.
"Doesn’t that mean
I am
...
...
...
rich?