Chapter:29-A lot of progress

Darkness. Endless and suffocating.

Edwin floated in a black void, his mind disoriented.

"Where am I?"

He tried to speak, but no words left his lips. Panic gripped him as he attempted to move, but his body refused to respond. It was as if he had become nothing more than a drifting thought.

The void stretched infinitely in all directions—no sky, no ground, no landmarks. Just blackness.

Then, like a ripple in a still pond, something shifted.

Slowly, he regained control over his limbs. The strange weightlessness made his movements sluggish, but he forced himself to move, paddling through the darkness as if swimming in an invisible ocean.

"This is… strange."

He floated forward, drawn by an inexplicable force. Then, as if the void itself had taken shape, something vast emerged from the darkness—a tree.

But this was no ordinary tree.

It towered beyond comprehension, its immense trunk resembling a mountain covered in thick, gnarled bark. Its canopy stretched so far that it seemed to merge with the heavens. Thousands of apple-like fruits hung from its branches, each one a deep crimson red, glistening as if soaked in fresh blood.

An overwhelming sensation filled him—hunger.

His body moved on its own, hand outstretched toward one of the fruits.

"That looks... delicious."

The moment his fingers brushed its surface, the fruit morphed. Its skin split apart, revealing a writhing black serpent, its fangs sinking into his flesh before he could react.

"Arghh!"

Pain lanced through his arm, venom burning through his veins. He jerked back, heart pounding—only to freeze as a monstrous eye opened before him.

A single, massive white pupil stared down, its size dwarfing even the Queen Mother Spider he had fought. The grotesque face surrounding it pulsed with writhing flesh, shifting and twisting like something unnatural.

Then—

Edwin's eyes snapped open.

His breathing was ragged as he sat up, his body drenched in cold sweat. Sunlight filtered through a window, casting soft rays across the modestly furnished room. A white sheet covered him, and the scent of herbs and medicine lingered in the air.

'What...what was that?'

[Rune has progressed in Rank.]

[Rune of Enhancement]

[Rank: Complex]

Edwin let out a shaky breath, trying to calm his pounding heart.

"Another nightmare..just like during my firsy quest."

'Were they connected?'

Shaking his head, he turned his gaze to his forearm. Where there had once been faint, simple markings, there was now an intricate tattoo-like pattern—thick,black, cracked lines spreading like thunder across his skin.

"Is this my rune, Elora?"

[Yes. Your rune has ranked up to Complex.]

Edwin frowned,he wasn't really a fan of this type of design,it stood out too much. "But the goblin's rune didn't look like this."

[The same rune can appear differently on different people.]

"I see..." He exhaled, still taking in the changes. "Where am I?"

[The Guild. Eliza brought you here after you collapsed. A merchant helped transport both of you.]

Edwin blinked. "Oh..."

Memories of the battle with the horned spider came rushing back—the poison, the cultist who pushed them in, the sheer agony of his body breaking down.

His jaw clenched. 'I made Eliza suffer for no reason... Those cultists were after me. She just got caught in the crossfire.'

As he reflected, a small movement caught his eye.

Perched on the window frame was a fuzzy creature—a tiny spirit fox. Its fur was a mix of gold and white, its red eyes watching him curiously. On its forehead, instead of a third eye, was a unique marking—an intricate fusion of an eye and an arrow. It's third eye must be closed.

"You're that baby fox!" Edwin exclaimed.

"Kuuu!" the fox let out a cute noise.

A soft chuckle escaped him as he reached out and gently patted the creature. It nuzzled into his palm, its warmth soothing his nerves.

"Ahh!,so soft...!" he says as he feels the softness of the the baby fox's fur.

The door suddenly creaked open.

Donovan stepped inside, his gaze settling on Edwin. "It seems you've recovered to a degree."

"I guess so," Edwin replied.

Donovan's eyes flickered to the spirit fox. "We found its parents' bodies in the cave you mentioned,we were able to give them somewhat of proper burial. Spirit foxes are rare, protected creatures. We believe The Scarlet Requiem is responsible—same as the ones who placed the black wolf there. They are creatures prized by the elves "

Edwin remained silent, his fingers absently stroking the fox. The tiny creature curled up on his lap, sleeping soundly.

'Prized by elves,huh?'

"What about Eliza?" he asked.

"She was injured but has recovered. You've been unconscious for two days."

"Two days?!"

Donovan nodded. "You were filled with poison. It's a miracle you survived."

"Yeah... makes sense," Edwin muttered, remembering how the spider's quills and venom-coated hairs had shredded his skin.

Donovan's gaze fell to Edwin's arm. "That mark... is it a rune?"

"Yeah. I think it's the Rune of Enhancement." Edwin said while looking at it.

Donovan examined it thoughtfully. "Given its size and complexity, it's likely in its second stage."

"Must be because of my fight with the spider," Edwin guessed. Well it wasn't a guess Elara literally told him.

Donovan then asked.

"Do you even know how runes work?"

"Not really. I read a lot of books growing uo,none of them were about runes. Most of them were about theology,foraging or Aura."

Donovan chuckled. "Not surprising. That kind of knowledge isn't widely available. But you know about Aura?"

"Everybody does,I was raised by a priest" he says.

Aura is the power that all Paladins,high ranking Knights and Soldiers have to know.

It is one of the three powers of the world.

Aura.

Mana.

Runes.

Straightening his back, he began explaining.

"There are five types of runes."

"[Rune of Enhancement]

[Rune of Transformation]

[Rune of Formation]

[Rune of Manipulation]

[Rune of Self]"

"Rune of Enhancement] is the most common—it strengthens the body. Simple, but effective." He pulled down his collar slightly, revealing dark, crack-like markings spreading from his back to his neck. "Mine is at the fourth stage."

Edwin's eyes widened. Fourth stage?! That means...

'Legendary!'

Donovan continued, "I also have two more: [Rune of Transformation] and [Rune of Formation]."

"Are runes unique to a person?"

"Not exactly. The [Rune of Enhancement] is common, but the others vary.Though I suppose the [Rune of Formation] is also common to a point. It allows one to form objects out of Aura. You can only use it if you have Aura. One person's transformation might turn them into a werewolf, while another might become water."

"And [Rune of Manipulation]?"

"It allows someone to control something—similar to elemental magic. Very rare."

Edwin leaned forward. "That's four. What's the last one?"

Donovan's face grew serious. "The rarest of them all—the [Rune of Self]. Unlike the others, it grants unique, personal abilities. No two are the same atleast fully."

Edwin absorbed the information carefully. "Are people born with runes?"

"Some are. Just like how some are born with mana manipulation—'Mana Borns.' Those born with runes are called 'Rune Borns.'"

"As you most likely know Mana is ridiculously rare,if there are even more than 50 mana users in a country they are deemed as being blessed by the gods,most countries don't even have 10.Our country of Dravokia has 30. The only exception to that rule is Orlin. Almost their entire fighting force has Mana."

"That is a ridiculous thing to imagine...."

"Well they don't have Aura in their country so....somewhat evens out(not really)."

After a moment of thought, Edwin changed the topic. "About the horned spider—did you find anything?"

Donovan's expression darkened. "When we sent another team into the cave, there was nothing. Not a single spider."

Edwin sat up. "What?! But they were there!"

"I believe you. But it seems The Scarlet Requiem relocated them before we could act."

"Did Eliza mention the man who pushed us in?"

"Yes. She said his cloak had the repeating symbol of an eight diamond symbol surrounding a larger one. That makes him a high-ranking member."

Edwin swallowed. That meant trouble.

"How did you awaken your rune?" Donovan suddenly asked.

Panic flashed through Edwin. Should I tell him I extracted it?

[No. Tell him you awakened it while fighting the goblin outside Liana's cave.]

"I awakened it during a fight with a goblin outside the cave Liana was trapped in."

Donovan nodded. "Liana mentioned that one. We actually think he was an experiment of The Scarlet Requiem."

Edwin stiffened. "Well... he was pretty strong. And he had a rune."

"What?"

Edwin cursed internally. 'Shit!'

"Uh... he had the Rune of Enhancement—on his sword."

Donovan's expression grew grim. "Etching runes onto weapons... that's unheard of." He abruptly stood.

"I need to report this. If The Scarlet Requiem is artificially granting runes, that's a crime against the gods themselves."

As he left, Edwin exhaled deeply, slumping against the bed.

The small fox yawned, curling tighter on his lap.

"Why do I feel like I just dug myself into several graves?"

[.....]

"Great. Just great."

He looked down at the fox,it looking up.

[Want to name it?]

"....Ruby..." he blurted out gently. He didn't know why but that name suited it. Maybe because of it's eyes.

[Name registered as Ruby]

"Kyuuu!" the fox squealed.

[Have you thought of a name for the sword?]

He hold out his hand.

Blue sparkles envelop it as the form of the black sword comes to light.

He holds it. Ruby looks at it as well,seemingly interested.

"Grim." he says.

[Name registered as Grim]

He put it back in his inventory and openes it there the icon of the sword was and when his mind drifted to thoughts of the sword the icon popped up with the words for [Grim] under it.

There were other icons too.

One popped up.

[Elite Horned Spider's Horn:Very Sturdy and rigid,very valuable as it can be fused with other weapons to make them stronger]

Another icon popped up.

[Blood of the Horned Spider-4X:Four vials of the blood of horned spiders. Can fetch decent value and be used as a mild to medium intensity poison]

Another Icon popped up.

[Blood of an Elite Horned Spider:Very valuable. Can be used for potions and other items]

Edwin was in a daze while looking at them.

Ruby also looked up confused at Edwin blanly staring at at the air.

"What are these?" he asked Elora

[These are your Rewards from completing the quest]

[Since the monster was very strong you have been given these]

"Wow....will I be given these types of rewards for fighting any and all special monsters?"

[Yes]

[Not only monsters but completing quests in general]

Edwin thought for a while before he said.

"Show status"

[Strength: 21]

[Speed: 23]

[Durability:23]

[Sense: 19]

[Health: 2500/2500]

[Rune of Enhancement: Complex]

[Title: Bane of Wolves]

[You have twenty points left]

'Twenty?,I guess that is a good amount for the difficulty of the quest. The rewards are also good.'

"Guess you aren't that much of a curse after all." he says with a snicker.

[Quite hurtful]

End of Chapter