Su Hao, his mind buzzing with excitement, immediately entered the Marbel space, his mind racing with possibilities. In this vast mental realm where thoughts became tangible, he began using [Cosmic Light] ability to simulate the structure of his new idea.
The intricate details of the runes danced before him, glowing softly in the darkness of the mindscape as he carefully analyzed their structure.
He started by projecting ten ‹Burst› runes in front of him, their shimmering forms spinning in the air. Each rune seemed simple on its own, but Su Hao was aware of their complexity. The key to his idea lay in synchronizing their activation. He examined them closely, paying attention to every line, curve, and endpoint.
"The secret to activating all the runes at once," Su Hao mused, "is not how fast they're drawn but when they're completed."
He leaned forward, his eyes narrowed as he studied the endpoints of each rune. "Each rune has a beginning and an end. If I can align their endpoints to converge simultaneously, they'll all activate at the same moment."
His idea was simple yet ingenious. Rather than having the runes drawn independently and hoping for precise timing, he planned to merge their activation points. If all the endpoints converged at one place, he could finish the entire structure with a single injection of blood Qi, triggering all the runes simultaneously.
The shape began to take form in his mind.
"A spherical structure!" Su Hao exclaimed, excitement bubbling in his voice.
He projected a transparent sphere into the air, its glass-like surface hovering before him. He imprinted the ‹Burst› runes evenly across the sphere's surface, spacing them out so they surrounded it completely.
Then, with careful precision, he disconnected the start and endpoints of each rune, ensuring they remained independent. After a moment of thought, he directed the final endpoints to converge at a single spot, right at the heart of the sphere. There, the endpoints floated, suspended like tiny beads of light, unattached yet perfectly aligned.
Su Hao grinned. The logic was flawless: once the blood Qi filled the pathways of the runes, they would remain in a standby state. A simple touch of blood Qi at the converged endpoints would trigger every rune simultaneously, resulting in an explosion of immense power.
He felt a surge of satisfaction but soon frowned. "Wait… the activation point is in the center of the sphere. How do I reach inside to activate it?"
His excitement dimmed as he considered the impracticality of sticking his hand into the middle of a volatile explosive rune-filled sphere to ignite it. Clearly, that wouldn't work. After a moment of contemplation, a new solution dawned on him.
"I'll create an external input point."
Su Hao added a small circular groove at the top of the sphere, connecting the input point on the surface to the central convergence point inside. With this design, blood Qi could flow through the groove and into the sphere, activating all the runes simultaneously from a safe distance. He then spread the starting points of the runes across the sphere's surface, forming tiny, circular indentations that resembled a beehive pattern. These would serve as the channels for injecting blood Qi.
The final structure was compact yet intricately designed. The runes, though packed tightly together, remained isolated, ready to unleash their destructive power once triggered. All that was needed was to touch the input point, inject blood Qi, and let the Qi flow to the center.
Su Hao couldn't help but smile at his cleverness. The bomb was almost complete. But just as he was about to mentally pat himself on the back, another realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.
"Wait a minute... there's no delay mechanism!" His eyes widened in alarm. "If I activate it by hand, I'll blow myself up with it. That's... not ideal."
He sighed and rubbed the back of his head, deep in thought. Activating it with his hand was obviously a terrible idea, and without some form of delayed activation, the whole plan would blow up—quite literally—in his face.
"So I need an delay mechanism," he murmured to himself, pacing in his mindspace. "Something that triggers the explosion but gives me time to get away..."
After a few moments of deep thought, inspiration struck again.
He envisioned two components within the bomb. The first was the sphere of ‹Burst› runes, serving as the core explosive. The second was a delayed activation mechanism. The key idea was simple: instead of triggering the explosion immediately, the detonation would be delayed by a mechanical sequence.
Su Hao designed an internal chamber that held a small, weighted ball suspended above a connection point between the runes. When primed with blood Qi, the ball would remain in place for a brief, adjustable delay. Once the delay expired, the ball would be released by gravity, dropping into place and completing the circuit between the start and end points of the runes, which would then trigger the explosion.
This method provided a clear solution: the ejection mechanism powered by blood Qi allowed Su Hao to set the bomb, escape, and ensure the explosion went off after the intended delay.
Su Hao immersed himself in the design, tweaking and refining it for hours until he was finally satisfied with the result. Every detail had been accounted for. The bomb was now a deadly weapon of precision and power.
"Let's give it a try!" Su Hao declared, excitement back in full force. He rubbed his hands together, mentally preparing for the next step. "Time to collect some Golden Threadworms!"
With a clear goal in mind and a new sense of purpose, Su Hao left the Marbel space, eager to bring his creation to life.
....
Ten days later, Su Hao stood in the wilderness, cradling a basketball-sized metal sphere in his hands. The smooth, polished surface glinted in the sunlight, and a mysterious smile played on his lips. His creation was finally ready for a real test.
He moved swiftly, finding a clear, rocky area far from any prying eyes. With a practiced motion, he placed his hand on the small input point etched into the sphere and began channeling his blood Qi into it. His pulse quickened as he felt the sphere absorb the energy, the delicate mechanism inside coming to life.
After a few tense seconds, there was a faint but unmistakable "click."
The mechanism was triggered.
Su Hao didn't hesitate. He dashed away, his feet kicking up loose gravel as he sprinted behind a large boulder, keeping one eye trained on the sphere in the distance.
Five seconds later—
"Boom∼!"
The ground shook as the sphere erupted in a deafening explosion, hurling rocks and dirt skyward. A shockwave swept through the area, and several jagged pebbles struck Su Hao's face, leaving sharp stings in their wake.
He flinched but quickly regained his composure, his heart pounding from both the adrenaline and the success of the test.
"It worked!" he exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face.
He hurried back to the site of the explosion, his boots crunching over the disturbed earth. A massive crater, about four meters (13.12 feet) in diameter, marred the landscape where the sphere had been. Su Hao crouched at the edge of the pit, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
This wasn't just any explosion—its force was far beyond a conventional grenade. The blast's power was comparable to an attack from a Grandmaster. But Su Hao wasn't content. He could make it stronger.
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he began to mentally pick apart the design.
"There's still a lot of unused space inside the sphere. If I can increase the number of ‹Burst› runes from ten to fifty, the output should multiply. And if I reinforce the shell with a ‹Hardening› rune, the explosion will be even more devastating."
The sphere had held up well, but the metal casing wasn't as strong as it could be. A weak shell would limit the full potential of the explosion. He envisioned adding layers of steel balls inside the next version to increase lethality, making it more than just a high-powered blast—a shredding, deadly force.
....
Ten more days passed, and Su Hao emerged from his cave with an even larger metal sphere, twice the size of the first.
He cradled it with both hands, his eyes bright with anticipation. The surface of the sphere was darker, gleaming with reinforced metal, etched with intricate runes that pulsed faintly in the light.
He carefully activated the mechanism and then sprinted away, diving behind a large rock, his heart racing in sync with the ticking countdown.
This time, he had given himself a ten-second delay—plenty of time to reach safety.
"Boom∼!!"
The explosion tore through the air with a force that dwarfed the first. The ground shook violently, sending shockwaves rippling through the earth.
The deafening roar left Su Hao's ears ringing, and for a moment, his heart skipped a beat as the sheer magnitude of the explosion registered in his mind.
"Holy crap! That's insane!" he gasped, staring at the colossal crater before him. It was easily ten meters (32.8 feet) wide, a gaping wound in the earth.
Su Hao approached the edge cautiously, still feeling the aftershocks vibrating beneath his feet. This explosion wasn't just powerful—it was on a scale beyond most Grandmasters.
He grinned at the realization. If a Grandmaster were caught off guard by this bomb, even in full armor, they wouldn't stand a chance. But if they saw it coming, they could still dodge or defend against it.
That wasn't enough for Su Hao. He wanted something unstoppable—something that could wipe out a Group of threats with absolute certainty.
"Alright," he muttered to himself, "time to up the ante. Let's see what happens with a hundred ‹Burst› runes."
But just as he was about to delve deeper into his experiments, he ran into a problem—he had run out of materials. Su Hao sighed, knowing what came next.
"I'll need to head to the nearest town to restock."
He glanced at his sleek winged armor, now hanging by the cave entrance. The armor was far too conspicuous. He couldn't risk being seen in it. The King's forces were still hunting for the "Traveler," and a sighting of someone wearing advanced armor like his would raise too many questions.
So, Su Hao decided to fly to the outskirts of the nearest town, stash his armor in a hidden spot, and enter in disguise.
As he soared high above the trees, his wings cutting through the air with silent precision, the distant town came into view. But something caught his eye—a plume of thick smoke rising from the town's center.
"Huh? What's that?" he murmured, narrowing his eyes.
Su Hao slowed his descent, switching to silent flight mode. He hovered above the clouds, peeking through a gap in the sky to get a better view. The smoke appeared to be coming from the town square, but from this altitude, he couldn't see clearly.
Frustrated by the limitation, he made a mental note: He needed a telescope. Runes should be able to solve that issue. Su Hao made a mental note to study this once he got back.
For now, though, he had a choice—descend lower and risk being seen, or remain cautious.
"If I'm spotted, I'll just fly away," he decided.
If he was spotted, so be it. Who could do anything to him? Worst case, he could always fly away.
With that, Su Hao silently lowered his altitude, hovering at around 700 meters, enough to make out the scene in the square below.
In the center of town, a bonfire blazed fiercely, surrounded by a silent, grim crowd of townspeople. Town guards stood watch, throwing books into the fire—his books.
The town guards were throwing book after book into the fire.
Su Hao's heart sank as he saw copies of ≤The Path of the Warrior≥ and ≤Comprehensive Guide to the Worlds of Runes≥ being fed into the flames, turning to ash.
Stunned, Su Hao flew further from town, landing quietly in a nearby forest. He stashed his armor and changed into a simple disguise before making his way back to the town square on foot.
Once there, he gathering information from the townsfolk. He learned the grim truth: both ≤The Path of the Warrior≥ and ≤Comprehensive Guide to the Worlds of Runes≥ had been declared banned books.
Possession of the books was now punishable by death, and a reward of one gold crown was offered for anyone who turned them in.
This had caused widespread panic. People were surrendering their books, desperate to avoid punishment. The King's enforcers had already made examples of a few unfortunate souls, and the fear was palpable.
Su Hao clenched his fists as he watched the flames consume his work. His books had once been symbols of hope, of a new path forward for those who wished to break free from the oppressive system. Now, they were being used to tighten the regime's control, twisted into a tool to instill fear.
This was not Su Hao's intention.
Silently, he turned and left the square, his heart heavy. He gathered the materials he needed and returned to his cave, but the fire that burned inside him now was more intense than ever.
He needed to confirm whether all human towns had banned ≤The Path of the Warrior≥ and ≤Comprehensive Guide to the Worlds of Runes≥.
His wings spread wide as he soared into the sky once more, visiting town after town.
Everywhere he went, it was the same—burning books, silenced voices, and crushed dreams.
It was clear that all his efforts had now become tools for the powerful to maintain their grip on the world.
What he had done had ended up far from what he intended.
In other words, relying on his own strength alone, he couldn't change this world.
The only ones who could change this world were its people.
Without a rising tide of awareness, without the will of the masses, his efforts would be in vain.
The thought crystallized in his mind: the people were the real Masters in this world. It was time to give them the strength to rise.