Weird Calamity

At Longwind Fortress, Lincon had just used his ability to grow a field of Sunlight Sunflowers.

During this time, notifications of rising reputation had constantly appeared before him.

By now, his reputation had accumulated to 998 points. He only needed the final 2 points to complete his main class quest.

"What exactly happened to make my reputation surge these past few days?"

Lincon had guessed that Zhang Rui was responsible. After all, he was the only person who had come here during this period.

But for a messenger to bring nearly a thousand reputation points was something he had never expected.

Their previous parting had been hurried, and they had not exchanged many words. He had thought the dozen or so reputation points Zhang Rui brought would be the limit, but unexpectedly, Zhang Rui had helped him reach the first quest objective even faster afterward.

[Reputation +1]

[Reputation +1]

In just those brief few minutes, his reputation had increased by another two points.

Lincon raised his head slightly, and a quest completion notification had already appeared on the panel.

[Quest Notice: Obtain 1000 Reputation Points (Completed)]

[Your name has become a symbol that many can no longer ignore. The sparks of civilization burn brightly, shining because of you.]

[You have received the quest reward: Junior Rune Industry Blueprint]

A phantom workshop appeared before Lincon's eyes.

The workshop was not large, yet it contained nearly every category of books, machinery, tools, and more. It was like the treasure vault of a scientist obsessed with science.

On an illusory tabletop before Lincon, several blueprints were covered in wondrous symbols that flickered faintly like stars.

[Junior Rune Industry Blueprint]

[Runes: Purification Blueprint]

[Can remove Dark Energy within a certain range and convert it into pure energy.]

[Runes: Infusion Blueprint]

[Can infuse external energy into basic items. After receiving external energy, the quality of the basic item will change.]

[Runes: Reinforcement Blueprint]

[Can grant items reinforcing properties, strengthening the characteristics they already possess.]

The words on the paper leaped up, forming azure Runes that flowed into his mind together.

In almost the blink of an eye, Lincon had grasped the functions of these Junior Rune Blueprints.

He hurried back to his little courtyard and took out a Shrine he had made long ago to use for an experiment.

He placed the Shrine on the table, then fetched an ink brush from before the old era and began drawing on it.

Following the memories in his mind, Lincon poured his mental power into the brush and drew a Purification Rune onto the Shrine.

His mental power transformed into countless azure points of light, as though supplying ink to the brush tip. With every stroke, the air seemed to tremble.

A few breaths later, the brush fell, and the Rune was complete. A strange phantom Rune flashed past.

There was clearly no visible change on the Shrine's surface, yet its entire aura had become utterly different.

If the original Shrine had merely been a Shrine, then the current one seemed to possess a divine presence. Gazing at it closely gave one an extremely sacred feeling, as though it could purify the soul.

Lincon also discovered that, while standing before the Shrine, the rotten stench in the air caused by Dark Erosion corrupting the soil was rapidly fading.

Before long, the air had been completely purified.

Lincon took another deep breath. The foul odor from before was completely gone, and it felt as though he had stepped into nature, his mouth and nose filled with freshness.

Next, Lincon used Shrines as experimental targets again, drawing a Reinforcement Rune and an Infusion Rune onto them respectively.

As the two phantom Runes flashed by, the Shrine bearing the Reinforcement Rune became much sturdier, and an unusual sheen appeared across its bluish-gray stone surface.

Lincon tried striking it with an iron hammer. The Shrine did not budge, as though he had struck an incomparably hard piece of sunken iron, numbing his arm from the impact.

The changes to the Shrine bearing the Infusion Rune were even more obvious.

Because Lincon had infused it with energy from a Dark Crystal, strange dark patterns appeared across the Shrine's surface.

When he lit the candle within, its flame no longer looked warm or bright. Instead, it glowed an eerie green, exuding wisps of mysterious aura.

Lincon suspected that if this Shrine appeared at night, not only would it fail to disperse darkness with light, it might instead attract the creatures lurking within the dark.

"Purification Shrine, Reinforced Shrine, and a Shrine infused with a Dark Crystal should be called a Dark Shrine. Of the three Runes, the Infusion Rune is the most versatile and controllable. It can change according to the energy infused. I wonder whether these three Runes can form a composite Rune set?"

With that thought, Lincon began experimenting on the spot.

He tried drawing a Reinforcement Rune onto the Purification Shrine, but the moment he made the first stroke, the Reinforcement Rune immediately collapsed and could not remain on the Purification Shrine at all.

Lincon frowned. "No, two types of Runes cannot remain on the same item at once. Or perhaps something that connects the two Runes is missing, which is why they repel each other."

Although he knew the methods and effects of drawing Runes, putting them to practical use was another matter entirely.

Lincon continued studying the Runes, and soon the daytime had passed.

Darkness blotted out the sky and spread like a swarm of locusts.

Yet when those vermin came into contact with the Purification Shrine Lincon had placed outside, their advance noticeably faltered.

Whoosh—

The bright candle flame swayed in the breeze. Under its dim glow, something invisible seemed about to enter the courtyard, only to get burned and abruptly stop.

It watched Lincon's courtyard from outside. At last, its gaze settled on the Purification Shrine standing at the entrance.

Within the Shrine, a serene-faced divine statue gazed at the quietly burning flame in its palm. Like a seed, the flame emitted light that purified all Dark Energy around it.

"Screech, screech..."

A teeth-grating sound rang out from the darkness.

The walking strange creature did not leave. Instead, it manipulated the drifting black mist around it and continuously launched an assault on the courtyard.

Buzz...

Within the courtyard, the buds of the Sunlight Sunflowers suddenly brightened, gradually giving off a gentle glow.

The light was not intense, but it illuminated the petals like little golden lanterns.

The glow of over a dozen Sunlight Sunflowers gathered together, lighting up the courtyard.

The strange creature outside the courtyard also revealed itself at this moment.

It was a corpse with a rotting face and pale, hollow eyes.

It stood silently outside, black energy swirling around its body. Its upper and lower rows of teeth were clenched tightly together, producing that teeth-grating sound.

Everywhere it passed, it left behind a row of rotten, stinking footprints. The nearby soil and vegetation were almost instantly corroded, releasing a foul stench.

"Sizzle, sizzle..."

At that moment, the entire courtyard seemed to possess an invisible barrier. It collided with the black mist, producing a searing, boiling sound.

Suddenly, the barrier could no longer withstand the assault of darkness and abruptly dimmed.

The strange creature stepped into the courtyard.

As it advanced, the nearby Sunlight Sunflowers visibly weakened.

Their light gradually dimmed, and their sun-facing buds drooped, as though this little light was completely incapable of resisting the darkness brought by the strange creature.

"It's being suppressed!"

Inside the house, Lincon had long noticed the disturbance. Through the connection between the panel and the Shrine, he observed the situation outside.

He was somewhat surprised by the Purification Shrine's power. He had not expected it to be able to block even a Weird Calamity.

But what alarmed him even more was the Weird Calamity that had suddenly appeared in his courtyard tonight.

Weird Calamities were few in number, but they were far more powerful than Anomaly Calamities of the same rank.

Moreover, the one that had appeared in his courtyard tonight was not the lowest E-Rank Weird Calamity, but a D-Rank Weird Calamity capable of controlling black mist.

The last time he encountered a D-Rank Weird Calamity in the wilderness, he had nearly lost half his life escaping. This time, it had directly blocked his door. Even if he wanted to run, he could not.

Fortunately, the Purification Shrine was still resisting. The Rune on it seemed ready to leap out, bursting with intense radiance at that moment.

"I can't keep waiting inside to die. The Purification Rune's energy is being depleted. Once the Purification Shrine collapses, it will definitely rush into the house immediately."

Lincon took a deep breath and opened the door himself.

He had never fought a Weird Calamity before. Whenever he spotted one from afar, he immediately turned around and left.

But today, there was no retreat. He had to risk his life.

Lincon held a lantern in his left hand and summoned the Shadow Sword in his right. He slowly stepped over the threshold and raised his head toward the terrifying Wraith in the courtyard.