Chapter 161: Building an Army [2]

Edgar walked back inside the Fortress as the last traces of daylight disappeared behind the distant mountains.

The settlement had become much busier than before, with workers repairing damaged structures while soldiers carried supplies toward the outer walls.

Edgar ignored the noise and headed toward the warehouse.

He had been collecting various items ever since arriving in this world.

Most of them had simply been placed inside the warehouse without much thought.

There were weapons, strange materials, Nightmare Stones, old equipment, and countless objects whose purposes he still hadn’t discovered.

’I’ve been hoarding too much stuff.’

Since his first fight with the nightmares he gave gotten a lot of things from them.

Quite a few of the items he had were also shipped form the Soragon Bazaar.

’I really hope I can find something useful here.’

Edgar slowly walked between the shelves while inspecting the items.

Some of them were things he had collected from Yamhad were quite unique.

He walked around and looked through the old items he haven’t checked.

He stopped in front of a small wooden box.

The box itself looked completely ordinary, but Edgar remembered finding it inside one of the storage rooms beneath Yamhad.

He opened it and discovered a dark metallic sphere resting inside.

The sphere was about the size of his palm, and several extremely thin silver lines covered its surface.

Edgar picked it up.

The moment he touched it, he felt a strange pressure against his palm."...Gravity?"

He immediately became interested.

Edgar placed the sphere on the table and examined it more carefully.

A small inscription was carved beneath it.

⟨Gravitational Core⟩

A condensed magical device capable of generating a localized gravitational field.

Edgar’s eyes narrowed. ’This could be useful.’

He had been struggling with the gravity runes because they consumed too much energy and were difficult to control.

If this device could amplify or stabilize gravitational energy, it might solve several of the problems he had encountered.

Edgar placed the sphere into his storage.

’I’ll experiment with it later.’

He turned around and walked toward the warehouse entrance.

However, the moment he stepped outside, he noticed someone standing nearby.

An old man who had turned younger was waiting beside the wall.

His long hair moved slightly in the evening wind, while a wooden staff rested against his shoulder.

Oswald smiled when he noticed Edgar. "Young master."

The old man bowed his head respectfully.

Edgar nodded. "Uncle Oswald."

He looked at the old man’s face for a moment before asking, "Did something happen?"

Oswald shook his head. "Nothing happened."

He paused before smiling. "I simply felt that you might need some help."

Edgar couldn’t help but smile slightly. "You aren’t wrong."

Oswald looked toward the distant walls. "You have been running around this Fortress since the battle ended."

Edgar remained silent.

"You are repairing the walls, creating weapons, strengthening the Soul Guardians, and experimenting with strange magic." Oswald chuckled softly. "At this rate, you will collapse before the Nightmares have a chance to kill you."

Edgar laughed quietly. "I’ll be fine."

Oswald’s expression became slightly more serious. "Being strong does not mean you have to do everything yourself."

Edgar looked at him.

The old man continued walking beside him.

"A lord who personally handles every problem may appear impressive, but eventually he becomes the weakest point of his own Fortress."

Edgar’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You mean I should delegate?"

"That is one part of it." Oswald tapped his staff against the ground. "You should also learn which battles are worth fighting."

Edgar became thoughtful.

Oswald looked toward the soldiers repairing the walls. "During the last attack, you fought the enemy directly because you were the strongest person here."

He slowly shook his head. "But if you continue standing at the front every time, your enemies will eventually learn how to use that against you."

Edgar remained quiet.

The old man smiled. "Strength is not only about how hard you can strike."

He looked directly at Edgar.

"It is also about making your enemy fight the battle you want."

Those words remained in Edgar’s mind.

Edgar glanced toward the outer forest. ’Make the enemy fight the battle I want.’

That was exactly what he had been trying to accomplish with the gravity runes.

He wasn’t simply building defenses anymore. He was shaping the battlefield.

Oswald continued. "You have powerful soldiers, strange towers, weapons, and even an army of your own."

He pointed toward the Defence Tower of Souls. "Use them."

Edgar nodded slowly. "You’re right."

Oswald smiled. "I am glad to see you grow so beautifully."

Edgar laughed. "Don’t get too confident."

The old man chuckled as they continued walking.

Their conversation eventually brought them to the Defence Tower of Souls.

The enormous skeletal structure was surrounded by newly created Soul Guardians.

Edgar stopped.

There were far more Guardians than before.

Some possessed the bodies of ordinary humans, while others had been created from the massive Nightmare corpses.

Several were almost as large as houses.

Edgar opened the Soul Network and examined them one by one.

’Commander... Commander... Elite...’

His eyes continued moving across the Guardians and he stopped.

One enormous creature stood near the back of the group.

Its body was covered in thick black armor-like flesh, while several long spikes protruded from its shoulders.

Edgar checked its status.

---

⟨Soul Guardian⟩

Rank: Commander

Inherited Talent: Super shock.

Ability: Absorbs shock energy from surrounding areas to increase physical strength and defensive power.

---

Edgar’s eyes widened.

’Another inherited talent.’

He looked toward the Guardian with interest.

The creature seemed perfectly still, but Edgar could feel its immense strength through the Soul Network.

It was already powerful.

And if the gravity runes worked as intended, this Guardian could potentially become even stronger while fighting inside them.

’That’s convenient.’

Edgar continued examining the other Guardians.

Many of them were considerably stronger than the ordinary Soul Guardians he had created before.

The Nightmare Giants alone would make a huge difference during the next battle.

Instead of hundreds of weak soldiers, he now possessed creatures capable of directly fighting the stronger Nightmares.

Edgar nodded.

"Good." He turned toward the Guardians. "Continue protecting the Fortress."

The Soul Guardians lowered their heads simultaneously.

Edgar then walked outside.

---

The fog was about to disappear by the time Edgar reached the first gravity rune.

The six enormous circles were spread around the Fortress, their markings hidden beneath the dirt.

Edgar took the Gravitational Core from his storage and placed it beside the first rune.

He carefully connected several thin lines from the core to the magical symbols.

Then he placed a Green Nightmare Stone inside the circle. ’Let’s see if this makes a difference.’

Edgar completed the first connection.

The rune immediately activated.

The air above it trembled and the pressure was noticeably stronger than before.

Edgar smiled. "It works."

He spent the next several hours modifying each of the six circles.

The Gravitational Core helped stabilize the runes, allowing them to maintain their structure without consuming as much energy.

Edgar also adjusted the positions of several symbols so the gravitational fields could overlap without interfering with one another.

By the time he finished, the six circles were ready.

Edgar returned in the center of the Fortress and looked toward the darkness surrounding them.

’Now we just need to see how effective they are.’

He didn’t have to wait long.

---

The Eternal Night arrived again.

The sky suddenly became clear as darkness took over everything.

The entire world seemed to fall silent.

The workers returned to their homes.

Soldiers took their positions along the walls.

The Storm Ballista stood ready beside the Watch Towers, its enormous frame reflecting the pale light of the Unbroken Fire.

Edgar stood at the highest point of the Fortress Wall.

The wind moved through his hair as he stared toward the forest.

Behind him, several powerful Soul Guardians stood silently.

The Nightmare Giants remained near the gates while the six gravity runes waited beneath the earth.

Everything was ready.

Edgar slowly clenched his hand.

’Come.’

He had no idea whether the Nightmare King would send another army tonight.

But after everything that had happened, he knew one thing.

The next battle wouldn’t be like the previous one.

This time, he had prepared the battlefield specifically for them.

Edgar continued staring into the darkness.

Minutes passed.

Then an unfamiliar sensation suddenly entered the Soul Network.

Edgar’s eyes narrowed.

Something was approaching.

Far beyond the forest, several faint red lights appeared between the trees.

Then another.

And another.

Dozens of crimson eyes slowly emerged from the darkness.

Edgar’s expression became serious.

The Nightmare army had returned.

But this time, something was different.

The creatures weren’t rushing toward the Fortress.

They were standing completely still.

As if they were waiting for something.

Edgar stared into the forest.

’What are they waiting for?’

A low rumbling sound suddenly spread through the darkness.

The ground beneath the Fortress began trembling.

Edgar’s eyes widened.

The Nightmares weren’t coming from the forest.

Something was approaching from beneath them.