Chapter 177 - The Deadliest Hopscotch Game EVER! (3)

Jon retrieved the paper with 'Grab' spell and sat on the ground thinking what should he do.

"So the enchantments on the Dwarven Centurions was part of the answer… But a Zero Gravity area is not easy to build with magic. Actually, it is impossible to negate all the gravitational force coming from the planet and then enchant a whole 40*50 meters area with no power source whatsoever… It is impossible even if you are Divayth Freaking Fyr."

Jon sat on the ground and started making the calculations again and again with every Aspect and Effect he knows of but they were all not possible by 'Mortal Means'.

"Technically, it is possible to make the Dwarven Centurions resist the Zero Gravity without enchantments! They are dead objects so there is no need to go through all the trouble as it won't affect them anyway because you CAN'T POSSIBLY CREATE SUCH A GRAVITY FREE ZONE WITH MAGIC! IT IS AGAINST THE NATURAL LAW SO THIS IS NOT A ZERO GRAVITY ROOM!"

At this part, Jon was absorbed in the mystery of the room and didn't even think about the cube anymore. He just sat there and began studying.

***

On the top floor of Tel Fyr, six Dark Elves were watching while nodding.

"It is true, it is against the natural law. He surely picked that up fast!"

"Fufu! Don't look down on my apprentice, Beyte. He is not even trying just yet."

"Said the one who fell on her knees just a minute ago and begged Lord Fyr to take him out."

"Alfe, leave me alone."

"I actually didn't think he would be able to kill the Bull Kagouti and even reach to the Puzzle Room, you have a good apprentice Nurina."

"Thank you, Delte. Sorry for worrying you."

"Excuse me, Lord Fyr. But how did he manage to reach the Puzzle Room? And what is that Cube he is aiming for?" Uupse asked the Elderly Dark Elf who was sitting on his chair and watching Jon.

"Hmmm… A dear and old friend of mine built this room with me so we can watch a few good challenges together. The Cube was something he worked on to be something similar to a masterpiece he created long ago. Alas, he passed away before we receive our first challenger." The man spoke in a normal tone that reflected some of his sadness.

The five ladies were shocked with the emotion Lord Divayth Fyr showed. The man who was mostly indifferent and expressionless was speaking softly.

"As for how he got there, he used the old big pipe. And the reason behind him targeting the Cube should be… fate!"

***

Back to Jon who was in the middle of a brainstorm.

He was sometimes writing and sometimes looking around like crazy while counting stuff and making things in order.

"So it is not a gravity spell as I said, it is simply a levitation spell. But that still doesn't make any sense. The Space negates all sorts of 'Waterwalking', 'Levitation', and 'Teleportation' spells. So how can it be possible that… Oh!"

Jon jumped up and looked around again.

"The Space! The answer is the Space!"

Jon was happy for some reason and he collected the tools he took out and put them back on his bag.

The answer he arrived for was that the Gravity Law in the room was not enchanted, it was the Space that was enchanted to make anything in the surrounding levitate including dead objects. The dormant Dwarven Centurions were all distractions. A facade to make the challenger not focus on the main issue. Levitation was applied onto space and the Dwarven Animunculi were all here to make it look like they are not flying around because of the 'Resist Gravity' effect. The truth was that they are stuck to the ground and are not going to move by all means.

The Dwarven Spiders were put behind the walls to make a background effect and distract from focusing on the main issue. The focus tends to flatter away when a lot of threats are around.

Even the Dwarven Spider that Jon met outside the room was there to give the illusion that they can come out easily so the challengers had to be wary all the time.

Now, none of that was even the main issue.

Jon had to find a way to navigate across the levitation area and avoid any of the traps that he didn't even find yet. Still, he had an idea where they are.

'In the space, just like the enchantment!'

Jon realized that the traps are not in this version of reality. They were applied on space and designed to be activated once space they are connected to gets messed with.

Jon spread his detection far and wide then retrieve it and focused it around his eyes. He then opened his eyes and activated his new version of detection, the 'Third Eye' or the 'Eye of the Mind'.

What he saw next was something out of a fairy tale. It was simply marvelous.

In the empty place in front of him, a lot of rune circle with all sizes and colors were filling the space.

It looked like a festival of magic that was about to be unleashed when a small thing is just to touch one of those.

They were all beautiful magic circles that were imprinted on the space but each and every one of them is deadly without a doubt. One wrong move and death is a certain thing. All these magic traps were all around the third section of the room filling of the space.

"Hehehe! Now that's what I call a trap."

Jon shook his head helplessly as he had no idea who to bypass that trap.

He was lost in its beauty and wonder to the point that he was just simply standing there doing nothing.

He knew that the moment he steps in there, he will be just moving around with no control over himself in a 'Zero Gravity Mimicking Levitation Space'.

"Or maybe… can it be another round of Hopscotch?"

Jon had this funny idea that seemed to be very unreal but when he thought about it, it actually became visible to him.

'I see, that rune and that rune… shut up! Can it be really done that way?'

Jon started making his calculations once again and detected the safest route to the Cube.

"Sigh! Here goes nothing."

Jon walked into the space and completely submitted himself to the Levitation force. Once he was in, there was no room for mistakes.

He calmed down and tried to reach clarity then opened his eyes and pushed himself slowly and very carefully towards a certain white magic circle in the space.

He kept flying slowly until he reached the circle. Once he put his hand on it, he felt like it had a matter and reassembled a platform in the middle of space.

"Genius!"

He couldn't help but praise.

Jon then stepped on the circle and jumped pushed himself through the space towards the other one, and from it to the other the third and the fourth.

A minute later, Jon was floating in front of the Dwemer Cube.

"Hehe! Found you!"

Jon was feeling great but he had to be cautious of any hidden trap around the Cube.

The Cube was surrounded by a glass container and was locked with a key. The keyhole was protected with magic and could only be locked by a key.

"... Or our good old lockpicks."

Jon took out some lockpicks from his bach and isolated the magic in the keyhole from interfering with the picks. Luckily, it didn't require a certain key to open the lock as the lockpicks were already doing their charm and…

*tink*

The lock opened safely and Jon could open the display and stretch his hands in.

Of course, just like any cliche story, once Jon held the Cube in his hand, shit went down.

First, the 'Levitation' enchantment on the Space got disabled and all the traps on the Space also disappeared.

Jon who was floating fell on his face.

"Ouch… okay! I saw that one coming so I won't complain… no, I am complaining! Why are you guys moving?"

Jon looked around and saw a horde of Dwarven Animunculi swarming from left and right. All the Dwarven Spiders and the Dwarven Spheres, that he assumed won't be moving, all came towards him at once.

*TINK* *FEEEEEEHHHH*

*TINK TINK TINK*

*STOMP STOMP*

Jon heard a more unpleasant sound behind him and lo and behold the three Dwarven Centurion that just came back to life.

"So you guys were to come out when the cube is taken? Tsk, how dirty!"

Jon already collected the prize and was in no mood to stay. The third section's traps were all removed but the 'No Teleportation, No Levitation' rules were still applied.

More to that, on higher platforms, some new faces entered the scene. A total of ten Dwarven Ballistas came out and aimed their big bolts at Jon.

"Perfect! I guess, it is time for me to go."

Jon started walking slowly while smiling to the Dwarven Spiders and Spheres around him. He then broke into running towards the second section.

All sorts of projectiles were shot at him yet he reacted faster and increased his speed to the limit. With, only a few meters away from the second section, Jon got ready to take the show to an end.

"Ladies, this is the day you'll always remember as the day you almost caught Captain Jon Dare. WULD NAH KEST!"

***

All I can remember next was causing a big explosion after going through the second section with the 'Whirlwind Sprint' Shout and the shockwave sent me flying through the first section.

I then landed outside it and used the 'Teleportation Scroll' to return back to the Onyx Hall.

The ones received me were Nurina, the Fyr sisters and an elderly Dark Elf with silver hair that I directly recognized as Lord Divayth Fyr.

"Apprentice Jonhild Firemane pays his respect to Great Grandmaster."

I mimicked some of these wuxia novels when an apprentice greats a great master. Divayth Fyr is the greatest master after all.

"Haha! Divayth Freaking Fyr accepts your respect."

Oh boy! He must have heard it.

I felt like being struck by lightning but it seemed Lord Fyr took it as a joke.

"Sigh… Heroes! They get luckier every century." Lord Fyr sighed and spoke with a smile. "This Cube, why did you choose it?"

Lord Fyr asked me a question I was really trying to figure out an answer for. I can't possibly say that a creepy incorporeal entity that dwells inside me had the gave me a hint.

"A creepy incorporeal entity that dwells inside me had the gave me a hint."

"Ahaha! Amazing, you have one of those." Lord Fyr laughed it off, "By the way, that Cube was made by my dearest friend so I will lend it to you, whoever of us dies first then the cube will belong to the living one."

Oh! It seems the Cube is really precious and holds a sentimental value for Lord Fyr. I wanted to return it back but I really went through some crazy troubles to get my hands on it.

"Deal!"

"Good then. I hope to see you once you have grown into the best promise of yourself. Until then." Lord Fyr said and turned away.

I was holding myself not to blush the whole time.

This is Lord Fyr. I don't want to sound like a pervert but when he patted my shoulder just a while ago, I vowed to not ever let anything touch it again. I am considering removing it and keeping it in a museum.

Once he turned around and left, Beyte and Uupse followed him and I got introduced to Delte who arrived just a while ago.

After that, Nurina took me to the side.

"Brat! Do you know what did you just take?"

She was speaking and beams of joy were shooting from her eyes.

"Nope, I just felt it is the best thing in there."

"Damn, you are so lucky. Listen closely, the place you went in was an old Dwemer Ruin that got 'relocated' under Tel Fyr by Lord Fyr and a close friend of his."

"Aha! I see, so that friend is the expert in the Dwemer artifacts."

"I am glad you noticed."

"Hey, was it Yagrum Bagarn?"

"No, it is not. I doubt that he would want to do anything related to Lord Fyr's personal sport."

Not Yagrum Bagarn, the last living Dwemer? Then who was it?

"The room you was in is called the 'Puzzle Room'. It was created by the efforts of Lord Fyr and his venerable friend and you just beat it and took its most important treasure. You brat has beaten the work of Dungeon Master who is specialized in Magic and a Puzzle Master who is specialized in Dwemer Technology."

I gulped a mouthful of saliva.

"Damn!"

I clearly realized what I just did.

"Who is Lord Fyr's friend? And what is that artifact?"

Nurina sighed and calmed down then said some words that I doubt my sanity afterward.

"The friend is Sotha-Sil and the artifact is the 'Haven Cube'."

[AN: the Haven Cube is inspired by the mod 'Haven Bag by Haishao. Just an immersive and lore-friendly version of it.]