Free Web NovelChapter 12: Grass-slugs
The price to upgrade the [Beast Trap] was five Nightmare Stones.
For Edgar, who had a decent reserve of stones, it wasn’t much. He decided to upgrade three of the ⟨Beast Trap⟩s.
Placing the fifteen Nightmare Stones and the traps before him, Edgar willed his system.
The Nightmare Stones levitated in the air and broke down, white liquid sweeping out of the cracks.
Simultaneously, three options appeared in front of Edgar.
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1⟩ Increase the size of the Trap and add a simple spike.
2⟩ Enhance the power.
3⟩ Enhance the durability.
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Edgar rubbed his chin and looked at the three options.
Right now, what he needed was more Nightmare Stones and more flexibility.
’And taking the Trap in and out of the darkness is also a problem.’
Edgar didn’t know when a powerful Nightmare would just grab the trap and yank him into the darkness.
’I need to make it automatic...’
After debating inwardly, Edgar decided to go with the first option for all three ⟨Beast Trap⟩s.
The white liquid swept into the traps, molding and changing the structure.
A layer of extra steel was added, increasing the length and width.
After a few seconds, the Level 2 ⟨Beast Trap⟩s were complete.
Edgar picked one of them up and began to examine it.
The size of the thing was twice as big as before with a spike in the middle that activated when pressure was put on it.
The cage-like structure had two different entrances on both sides.
After thinking for a moment, an idea popped into his head.
He quickly walked out and found Andrew sitting alone close to the ’Unbroken Fire’.
"Andrew!" Edgar called. "Follow me."
The young boy didn’t question him and quickly followed.
Edgar made him dig a big hole outside the fire range while he collected some sturdy wood.
Once three holes were dug out, Edgar used the wood to create a strong structure inside each hole.
He placed the ⟨Beast Trap⟩ in the middle at a slightly tilted angle.
His plan was simple, once a Nightmare entered inside, it would inevitably trigger the spike and kill it.
Once dead, the body would roll down into the hole, resetting the trap once again.
This solved two of Edgar’s problems effectively.
Edgar rubbed his shoulder and walked back inside the fortress.
He looked back and smiled at Andrew. "You really have good stamina."
Andrew bashfully replied. "I used to plow the fields that our father rented." freewebnoveℓ.com
"You couldn’t afford a bull or any other animals?" Edgar asked, tilting his head. "Are they really that expensive?"
"They are." Andrew nodded his head. "Normal animals that don’t have any tendency to kill humans are really expensive."
Edgar nodded his head and thought about the normal animals. They all must remain close to the ’Unbroken Fire’ to survive.
’Maybe having a farm in the fortress isn’t a bad idea.’
Edgar decided to look into the things that he needed to make an animal farm.
His urge to visit the Soragon Bazaar grew even more.
Once done with his work, Edgar decided to sleep for optimum condition at night.
Lying on the hard bed, Edgar looked blankly at the ceiling.
’I wonder if I could create items from the old world here....’
The possibility of crafting them was really high and given his background as an engineering student, it would help him a lot.
’But I would need to invent a lot of items, especially gears...’
Edgar wished to bring electricity back into this world but the current him could only be wishful.
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Edgar woke up when there was an hour left before the Eternal Night.
He walked out of his house and looked at the ’Unbroken Fire’ where Oswald sat, lost in his own thoughts.
Edgar walked towards him and smiled. "What are you thinking, uncle?"
Oswald looked up at him and bowed his head. "It’s nothing, young master..." He let out a tired sigh. "Just reminiscing about my old past."
He remained silent for a long while before he said. "I wish I had married and had a daughter or son." He looked down. "Then perhaps, you would have a good maid or butler instead of my old bones." ƒreewebɳovel.com
"Don’t think too much about it." Edgar replied, patting his back. "I am fine on my own."
"You don’t have to always be alone." Oswald said earnestly. "If master was here, he would have made you marry and extend your bloodline."
"..."
Edgar’s lips twitched, he sighed and walked away.
It wasn’t that he was against marrying but in his current situation it was just a pipe dream.
’It’s already a miracle that I haven’t died yet.’
Edgar let out a self-deprecating smile. ’Besides, to get married I need a girl.’
He threw the random thoughts into the back of his mind and focused on the task at hand.
The ⟨Watch Tower⟩ that he mimicked would only last for today, his firepower would once again dwindle down.
’I need to gather more Nightmare Stones....’
He grumbled inwardly and found Viera. After having his fill, Edgar checked his traps one last time.
Before long, the dull grey-black fog began to fade away.
The Eternal Night engulfed everything around them once again.
The newly enhanced fortress made everything within the 20-meter range visible.
As time passed, the beam light of the ⟨Watch Tower⟩ got triggered instantly.
The beams of light left behind trails as they hit the Nightmares.
Edgar saw the Nightmares from the illumination created by the bombardment of beams.
They were blackish green in colour with long cylindrical-shaped bodies and small heads.
They had slug-like lower bodies that made them slow on their feet but their numbers were nothing to scoff at.
Edgar frowned as a thought crossed his mind. ’Grass-slugs? At least a hundred of them...’
Grass-slug wasn’t their official name but Edgar found it fitting as they looked like a mixture of a grasshopper and a slug.
When the fear of the unknown subsided, Edgar let his lips curl up. ’This is going to be easy.’
