Lesser Force Field

A few days later.

The real world.

"It worked!"

Karl opened his eyes, excitement written all over his face. He waved his arms wildly to vent his exhilaration.

After a period of trial and error, and with the help of the divine realm's power, he had successfully constructed the Spell Model for the Lesser Force Field in his Sea of Consciousness.

Unlike the Meditation Method,

constructing a Spell Model was extremely complicated. It was impossible to stop and ponder it carefully before every cast.

Once successfully constructed, however, it would stabilize and take shape. It could be brought into the real world and would not collapse just because he left the divine realm.

"I haven't even gotten started with the Meditation Method, yet I've already mastered a Zero-ring Witchcraft. I must be the first person ever to pull that off, right?"

Karl muttered to himself, then carefully activated the Spell Model in his Sea of Consciousness, following the instructions in the book.

Lesser Force Field!

"Hum..."

A silent tremor came from his Sea of Consciousness. An invisible field immediately spread from his body, covering an area about one and a half meters across.

It was a peculiar sensation.

For a moment, Karl was completely immersed in it. It took a long while for him to come back to his senses.

"Activating the Lesser Force Field continuously consumes mental strength. With what I have now, I can maintain it for no more than five or six minutes."

"And that's without any outside interference."

"As for its defensive power..."

Karl picked up a quill, dipped it in ink, and made a note on the paper:

"An ordinary person would find it difficult to break the field with bare hands. If they had a weapon, it could withstand three strikes."

"It's clearly much weaker than Miles's."

"Apparently, even with the same witchcraft and the same Spell Model, different people can produce different results."

When Miles used the Lesser Force Field, he could easily deflect a Knight Squire's attacks. He had even blocked most of Dina's strikes when she gave her all with her swordsmanship.

Karl was nowhere near his level.

Still, it was clear that Miles had his limits when using witchcraft. His force field had disappeared, leaving him vulnerable to the Wrist Dart that killed him.

"Casting witchcraft consumes mental strength. I can feel myself getting noticeably tired, so I suspect it's because I don't have enough mental strength."

After constructing a Zero-ring Witchcraft in his Sea of Consciousness, Karl had plenty of questions, on top of feeling excited and exhilarated.

He was already eager to visit the estate outside the city and ask about what came next.

"No need to rush."

He put down his pen and looked out the window at the moon.

"I'll go to the other world first."

The first day of the month was almost here, and it was Black City's monthly Safe Day. He couldn't afford to miss the opportunity.

"Creak..."

Karl opened the door and stepped out onto the gloomy street. He stretched his limbs and let out a long breath.

They said that skill bred courage.

He was nothing like the person he used to be.

Not only had he practiced the Poison Wolf Breathing Technique and become a Knight Squire, he had also learned a Zero-ring Witchcraft.

His strength had increased tremendously.

Even the oppression he felt from the gloomy, dreary Black City had eased.

Laka Market.

Karl stood at the entrance to the market in his black cloak, looking at the wooden frame assembled from logs.

Several corpses hung from it.

They had been brutally tortured before they died. Their bodies were covered in wounds, and the purple bruises stood out starkly.

The cold wind blew, carrying the stench of corpses.

Those hanging here had all broken Black City's taboos. Most had been people who tried to escape the city.

"Kolon..."

Karl lowered his head and murmured, his voice filled with emotion.

"I told you not to keep thinking about leaving Black City. Wouldn't it have been better to stay here and run your business in peace?"

"Look what happened to you."

Kolon was dead.

He was the man who had sold Karl the Poison Wolf Breathing Technique. The last time Karl had visited, Kolon had said he knew a way to escape Black City.

Now he was hanging from the wooden frame for all to see.

His eyes bulged, and his face was twisted in a grimace. It seemed his escape plan had failed after all.

"Ah!"

Karl sighed and walked into the market.

"Rat meat! Fresh rat meat, not rotten! Half a Black Stone for a liang!"

"Fine Calia Longswords! Sharp and lightweight, the best choice for killing those Undead Creatures..."

"Clean water! Filtered clean water, not a speck of impurity! One Black Stone gets you eight liters..."

The vendors' cries were as usual, unchanged by the corpses hanging from the wooden frame.

"Prices have gone up."

"Both meat and clean water cost more. Food must be harder to come by in winter."

Karl strolled through the market, stopping here and there to check the prices and pausing in front of stalls that caught his interest.

"What's this?"

He picked up a yellow lump that looked like dirt and asked curiously.

"Clay," the vendor explained.

"It contains mucus secreted by underground worms. You can eat it. One Black Stone gets you ten lumps."

"Food?" Karl frowned.

It was obviously just a clod of dirt.

"Of course." Seeing that he didn't believe him, the vendor licked the clay and handed it back.

"It tastes a little earthy, but you can swallow it. If you savor it, you can even taste a hint of sweetness. My clay is top quality, with plenty of mucus in it."

"If there isn't enough mucus, eating too much will block your gut. Plenty of people have eaten dirt and died."

Karl saw the saliva on the lump the vendor was holding out and quickly waved it away.

Eating dirt?

Had things really gotten that bad down here?

His thoughts turned, and he pointed at a pile of powder beside them.

"What's that?"

"Soul Powder." The vendor put away the clay and explained casually.

"When you kill an Undead Creature, you'll find this stuff near the corpse. It makes you feel energized after you eat it, and gives you a little extra strength. They say it's an essential ingredient in certain Secret Potions."

"Two Black Stones per portion."

"Oh!" Karl rubbed his chin.

"Would you be interested in some salted meat strips?"

"I would!"

The vendor's eyes lit up.

"Of course I would. If the meat strips are good quality, I can even give you a better price."

A moment later,

Karl carried a bundle and continued wandering through the market.

"Mister?"

A timid voice called out.

"Is that you, Mister?"

Karl turned at the sound and saw a raggedly dressed boy standing a short distance away, staring at him.

"It's you."

Karl thought for a moment before recalling the boy's name.

"Aya?"

Since Kolon had been planning to leave Black City, he had transferred his stall ahead of time. Aya was the one who had taken it over.

The girl looked like a boy, but was actually a girl.

"It really is you, Uncle Karl." Aya looked delighted.

"It's been so long since you came by. What are you looking to buy, Uncle? If I have it, I'll give you the best price."

Her enthusiasm made Karl feel a little awkward. He hadn't planned to visit Aya's stall in the first place.

"All right."

He sighed and walked over to the stall, casually looking through the goods.

"You don't have what I'm looking for."

"What are you looking for, Uncle?" Aya's eyes dimmed, but she quickly rallied.

"I'll have it ready for you next time."

"What I'm looking for..." Karl shook his head.

"There's nothing in particular."

"I... That's all right." Aya forced a smile, hiding her disappointment.

"I'll prepare more and better things. Next time you come to the market, you can stop by and have a look."

"I don't know when I'll be back." Karl stood up.

"We'll see."

"All right."

Aya nodded with difficulty.

"Take care, Uncle. You're always welcome at my stall."

Karl didn't answer.

Setting up a stall in the market also cost Black Stones. With business this poor, there was no telling whether Aya would still be here next time.

She probably wouldn't be.

She was just a young girl. There was no need to dwell on it.