My Cool Weapon

…

In his panic, he asked her, "Why is it so hard to weave the Rune? I only tried the easiest…"

"Don't bother," she replied with a hint of exasperation. "It takes countless years before even the first human managed to grasp it. But don't worry. With me here, the time will be cut short. At least in half."

"Oh," he said, feeling a mix of relief and confusion.

After a short and brief full minute of explanation, teaching, and guidance from the mysterious lady inside Arion's mind, he finally stepped outside the dorm. He was planning to destroy the core of this invisible cage that people in the past had ominously dubbed as…

The Cage of the Void.

Classic! It sounded like a bad theme park ride that nobody wanted to go on.

He also needed to be quick because, according to the lady in his mind, this cage would sacrifice all the people inside to become a source for the one behind all of this: the Primeval of the Void.

Nihilith, The Void Serpent.

The enemy of all living beings across the 13th realms.

And the source of great tragedy and disaster that was running amok in the world.

"Great," he muttered to himself. "Just what I needed in my life – a giant, cosmic snake god trying to ruin the world. Can't a guy just get a coffee without the universe collapsing?"

…

Hiding behind a building, he spotted a creature of shadow known as a Void Spawn. It was crawling on the ground with half of its leg gone, resembling an oversized tiger that had seen better days.

"Wow, that's one way to lose weight," he muttered to himself, trying to lighten the mood.

Slowly moving forward while ducking slightly, he clenched tightly onto a baseball bat he had found in the dormitory. The Void Spawn was still crawling, its back facing him, blissfully unaware of his approach. This was thanks to the rune the lady had created in his soul space: {Silence}.

"You ready?" she asked, her voice echoing in his mind like a motivational coach.

"Yes," he replied, feeling a mix of excitement and dread.

Then, the lady created a rune {Strength} that applied to him, along with {Harden} for his baseball bat.

Mustered his courage, he took off running without making a sound, lifting his bat high.

Upon reaching the beast's side, which had finally sensed his presence, he swung with all the strength he could muster.

*Bang!*

His bat hit the mark, and the tiger's head dented inward with a satisfying crunch. No sound resounded, thanks to the silent spell, but blood splattered everywhere, smearing his white shirt and face.

"Great, now I look like I just came from a horror movie," he thought, wiping some blood off his cheek.

The lady had already informed him that the Void Spawn was a creature seized by a Void Shadow. There was a crystal on its head, and if he crushed it, the connection with the shadow and the creature's life would be severed. Of course, this meant the creature would die, but that was a small price to pay for freedom, right?

Then came the problem. As the creature lay on the ground, a shadow began to rise from the tiger's corpse. It looked like black smoke with erratic movements, almost like it was trying to dance but had two left feet.

Inside his mind, he saw countless threads creating a complicated pattern that shaped into a bizarre, golden orb. The orb then cracked and shattered like a mirror or glass, and Arion recognized it from the information given to him: a forbidden rune spell called {Devour}.

In reality, the shadow writhed in the air, almost taking the shape of a tall, regular humanoid creature. It then found itself sucked into his body, consumed like spaghetti by a mouth full of fangs that manifested from his chest to his abdomen.

"Yum, shadow spaghetti!" he thought, trying to keep his mind off the horror of the situation.

It screeched without leaving a single sound, still trapped in the vicinity of his silent spell. After a few seconds at most, the trace was gone.

What was left was the creature of the tiger, its head dented but still in pristine, supple flesh condition.

"Guess I won't be getting a refund for this shirt," he sighed, looking down at the blood splatters.

A second later, realization dawned upon him. "Wait a minute… this shirt isn't even mine!"

Then he found himself sighing in relief.

…

Arion looked closely at the dead creature that had initially been shrouded in shadow. It struck him as odd to see an animal that resembled any tiger from Ra'ma, but this one was far too large.

"This is a tiger from Hal'dion," the lady explained, noticing Arion's curiosity. "So apparently, they seem to also be under attack."

"Hal'dion?" Arion asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Seems they don't teach any of you humans about the names of the other realms, huh? Hal'dion is also called the Third Realm, third inhabitable Planet, or whatever sounds good to you," she replied.

"Oh, so it had a name," Arion said, feeling a bit sheepish.

Before he could gather his thoughts or ask any more questions, tendrils of shadow that had previously absorbed into him began to emerge. They slithered around the baseball bat he was holding, wrapping around it until it was completely engulfed.

Arion blinked, wondering where the void shadow had gone, as he had already inspected himself thoroughly. Now, the clear explanation was right in front of him, and he couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and confusion.

"I think this is enough for you to use as a weapon for now," the lady said, her tone brisk. "After we find a better one and a more potent void essence, we might be able to create a soul-forged armament."

Arion stared at the stick in his hands, now covered in swirling shadows, and felt a rush of exhilaration, like a child who had just discovered candy. "Oh, this is really cool!" he exclaimed, swinging it around with glee.

He swung it left and right, marveling at how light it felt. It was as if the weapon was helping him swing it faster and harder, fitting perfectly in his grasp as if it were made just for him.

"Let's go to the next place," the lady said, her voice cutting through his moment of joy.

"Alright!" Arion replied, still buzzing with excitement.

As they journeyed toward the center of the invisible closure, Arion found himself in a fight with numerous Void Spawns. A giant bat-like creature swooped down, nearly taking a bite out of him. Luckily, the lady was quick on her feet, creating a translucent shield that deflected the creature's attack.

Arion, feeling a surge of adrenaline, ran toward the wall of the academy building, using it as a springboard to jump high into the air. With a newfound sense of confidence, he activated the rune {Propel} twice with each step – with the help of the lady of course – and discovered he could stride through the air, almost flying.

He reached the flying bat and smashed it to the ground with a triumphant crash. The execution was a bit shaky, resembling a toddler's first attempt at riding a bike, but hey, wasn't the result what mattered? He felt incredibly cool in that moment, like a superhero who had just saved the day.

*Bang!*

The loud commotion echoed around him as Arion realized beforehand already, that the rune {Silence} couldn't be used indefinitely; otherwise, he risked injuring himself – or worse, being torn to shreds.

It was like a video game cooldown, and he could only use it twice in a row before his body protested.

Despite being a newbie with no real practice in body strengthening or magic arts, he felt stronger in terms of physique and agility. The lady had told him he was slightly stronger than a mortal, with a weird capability for magic and a bit more overall capacity than the Weavers.

After smashing the bat creature into the ground, he attempted to land gracefully. Alas, his grand plan fell apart as he stumbled and rolled on the ground, coming to a stop just inches away from the bleeding lower half of a human. He guessed it belonged to a student who had been attacked – fortunate enough to be alive, yet unfortunate enough to be left half-eaten.

"Urrghhh," he groaned, his senses returning as the urge to throw up hit him like a freight train. He quickly stabilized himself, trying to shake off the nausea.

"Well, that's one way to make an entrance," the lady quipped. "Next time, maybe try not to roll into the buffet line."

Arion shot a glare inside his mind, half-amused and half-horrified. "I'll keep that in mind for my next dramatic landing!" he replied, trying to regain his composure as quickly as possible.

After all, he was known as the best in terms of being stoic in the academy.

No corpse had ever made him flinch. No sh*t had left him reeling from disgust. It was because he recognized himself as a great actor. 'Yep, that's me, Arion...'

Raising himself, Arion swiftly tried to distance himself from the corpse while shuddering.

Approaching the Void Spawn that was still alive and screeching, he quickly put an end to the malicious, yet poor creature.

After devouring the Void Shadow, he briskly ran from his current location, hiding from plain sight.

The original plan had actually been for him to go straight to the center, while occasionally using the rune {Soul Sense} to know the location of the enemy and maneuver around it.

It was a pity that the bat and other Void Spawns managed to find him when the {Silence} rune still wasn't ready to be used. Luckily for him, most of them were alone, scouting for any victim that might become a threat to the ongoing rite.

…

(Author's Note:

+ Apologies for the length. You may skip it if desired.

+ Shera was the name of the lady)

- {Devour}: Picture this: Shera, with a mischievous grin, decides to play energy vampire. She zaps the life force right out of her targets like they're a juice box at a picnic! With every sip of essence, she feels stronger, like she just downed a double espresso.

But wait, there's more! She takes this collected energy and crafts a Soulforged Weapon for Arion. It's not just any weapon; it's like giving him a magical power-up! Suddenly, Arion's swinging around like he's in a video game, and his enemies are left wondering if they should have just stayed home.

- {Propel}: Ever wish you could just launch yourself across the room without the hassle of walking? Well, this Rune is your new best friend! With a flick of the wrist, you're zooming forward like a superhero on a caffeine rush.

Need to escape a sticky situation?

No problem!

You're outta there faster than a cat when it hears a vacuum.

And if you're feeling extra fancy, you can even defy gravity for a hot second, making you look like you just stepped out of an action movie. Talk about a dramatic exit!

- {Soul Sense}: Imagine having a superpower that lets you read the room like a pro. With this Rune, you're not just sensing emotions; you're practically a walking mood ring!

You can feel the tension in the air, detect hidden beings, and even know when someone's about to spill their secrets. It's like having a sixth sense of social situations, making you the ultimate party planner or the best at dodging awkward conversations. Enemies? They're no match for your emotional radar!

- {Silence}: Ever wanted to turn down the volume on life? This Rune does just that! Shera creates a bubble of silence so thick; that you could hear a pin drop – if pins made noise, that is. It's the ultimate stealth mode! Sneaking around undetected?

Check!

Stopping enemies from yelling battle plans?

Double check!

And at its peak, it's like hitting the mute button on all magical chatter, except for Rune Spells.

So, while everyone else is trying to shout spells, you're just chilling in your soundproof dome, plotting your next move like a true mastermind.

And there you have it! Runes that not only pack a punch but also bring a smile to your face!

...

The explanations for {Strength} and {Harden} will be provided in the next chapter.

...