Chapter 195 195: Information Extraction (Last)



At the same time, another realization struck him.

He could create the Defensive Rune himself by simply memorizing its design.

Wizardry was just like that. It had never demanded a deep level of comprehension about a subject to work.

While spending time with Oliver, Val was enlightened about this simple truth. Not to mention, it wasn't a conclusion he came on his own without any evidence. It was backed by facts. After all, Oliver who didn't know the gravitational force of this world shouldn't be able to use anti-gravity wizardry as he didn't know he was experiencing 1g while standing still on the surface of the world and needed to exert a certain amount of soul power to break free from the gravitational pull, but he did it anyway based on something as simple as "Feeling."

Basically, to use any kind of wizardry, it was sufficient as long as one knew what to visualize.

A deeper understanding, however, makes it more powerful!

'There is just one problem.'

The rune's design was so intricate and complex that it couldn't be memorized with just a few glances.

Maybe a few months would be needed to memorize a part of it, meaning visualizing a crystal-clear image of the rune was simply impossible for a wizard who had just come across it.

However, Val had an ace up his sleeve - his innate technique, the Soul Archive.

Using this skill, he created a memory of the rune etched into the stone, and it was stored in his soul. As a result, his soul power decreased by a substantial 300 points.

'My hypothesis turned out to be true.'

He confirmed it didn't matter how he used this power, each use would cost 300 units of soul power. He could duplicate everything he knows along with his bloodlines, even then it would cost the same.

'And now that I have a memory a crystal-clear image of the rune stored in my soul which I can access at any time, I can abuse the wizardry system to establish myself as a runesmith.'

As this thought crossed his mind, a genuine expression made its way onto his face. His thin lips stretched back, widening into a smile. The onlookers wondered why the Devil God was grinning from ear to ear.

Just what had made him so happy?

Noticing the gaze of the variants, Val decided to perform a trick that would seem no less than a miracle in their eyes in order to further strengthen his image as a God in their mind, which in turn would make it easier for him to extract more knowledge from them.

"Look at this," he said.

The eyes of everyone present focused on this.

He called upon the memory stored in his soul. The newly created memory rushed to the forefront of his brain.

A vivid picture of the defensive rune appeared in his mind.

Immediately, he used wizardry.

A burst of soul energy streamed from his palm, imprinting a flawless replica of the rune onto the ground.n0VELusB.C0m

"W-what?!"

The variants stared in disbelief. Their expressions varied from awe to shock, with a few dropping their jaws.

"I've tried to grasp and reproduce the runes for ages, but never succeeded!" exclaimed one.

"Our chief worked on comprehending the runes for years, but even he couldn't recreate them, yet he did so after a glance. Unbelievable!" another voiced, shaking his head in amazement.

Dris, gazing at Val with renewed respect, murmured, "Perhaps it comes easily to him because he's a devil god. A Devil God... Is truly incomprehensible."

Val internally smirked at the ridiculous sight.

'These foolish creatures... How can they think of succeeding in a task that requires wizardry when they aren't even wizards?'

'They failed because they aren't wizards.'

'While I succeeded because I am a wizard. My innate technique just made it easier.'

'There is no other reason behind my success.'

"Where did you pick up this language? The last thing I remember before my long slumber was that I was the only one who spoke this tongue in the Forest of Dread. But I had learned it from distant lands before settling down in the forest and had passed it down to its inhabitants. So how did it traverse all the way to this region?" Val asked after a moment.

"Years ago, during a hunt, we stumbled upon a group of humans. For us, humans are a delicacy, and our Sorcerer particularly enjoys munching down on their flesh. We attacked them as soon as they saw them. As we appear invisible to the naked eye, killing the group of humans was effortless, akin to swatting a fly to death. After we brought their corpses, the Sorccerre rummaged through their belonging, finding a lot of useful things, including a diary. After years of meticulous decoding, he eventually cracked the language and introduced it to us, simplifying our means of communication," Dris answered.

A brief flicker of astonishment crossed Val's features before he asked, "Before this, how did you convey messages or express yourselves?"

Dris replied, "We used hand signs."

Every tribe of intelligent species would eventually devise its own mode of communication. The variants had opted for hand signs. Even if it appeared primal, it was a significant accomplishment for they had achieved what many species struggled to establish before their eventual demise. Though he really had to wonder how the Sword Weilders of Eclipse communicated using hand signs with their sword-like appendages.

Val asked, "Where is the diary now?"

Dris replied, "The Sorcerer usually keeps it on him. You might find it if you search his remains."

After standing up, Val turned his gaze to the corpse of the Sorcerer. With his heavenly eye still active, a single glance was all he needed to discover that the diary was on him. He used wizardry to pick it up. The diary floated out of the clothes of the dead Sorcerer and landed in his hand before he swiftly skimmed through its pages. As a result, his eyes widened in shock and disbelief at the information it contained.