As expected of an Elder-class monster—the energy crystal dropped from the Roc's carcass was a gold-grade energy crystal, the highest tier currently known to exist. A single piece alone was worth over a million baht.
The man in black, looking pleased, stowed the million-baht crystal into his dimensional inventory. Nawa recognized him: it was Singkhon, a rising C-rank player from the Earth-Tiger Guild—the very same man who had caused a scene at The Future Guild's press conference held at The One Association.
It seemed, however, that Singkhon didn't recognize Nawa. This was hardly surprising, as Nawa had merely been a bystander in the crowd back then—not even a player yet.
What puzzled Nawa was how someone who should have been behind bars was still walking around freely. Yet, recalling the exchange between the Ayara Unit and Singkhon—who appeared to be acquainted—his presence here perhaps wasn't so strange after all.
No matter how advanced technology becomes, the practice of using connections to circumvent the rules never truly disappears.
"Your archery skills are quite impressive. It's a pity your artifact is so subpar; using something like that against a monster of this caliber is practically suicide. If you intend to take on monsters like this, you need to get your hands on a premium-grade weapon—like this dagger of mine."
As he spoke, Singkhon reached down and picked up a dagger lying near the Roc's head.
It was this very dagger that had blown apart the giant bird's head just moments ago. At a casual glance, it might look like any ordinary short sword; however, a closer inspection reveals that blood cannot cling to its blade—and when it catches the light, it gleams with a brilliant, radiant shine.
The reason for this is that the short sword contains platinum—a rare mineral within "The Oneness." Beyond its gem-like luster, when alloyed with other metals or materials, it significantly enhances both their durability and strength. Most premium-grade artifacts incorporate this mineral.
Singkhon turned toward Nathee and his companions, his gaze cold as he remarked:
"As for you lot—possessing such fine gear, yet using it to hack away at rocks? You deserve to die."
Nathee struggled to push himself up, using his sword for support, and replied:
"Thank you."
Though Singkhon appeared rough and abrasive on the surface, he was, in truth, quite sharp. Observing the equipment and weaponry used by Nathee and his friends, he deduced that they were no ordinary players—and thus, he seized the moment to foster a sense of indebtedness.
Since this hunt had not been conducted through the formal party system, and because it was Singkhon who had dealt the killing blow to the Roc, he held a legitimate claim to the creature's flesh and the energy crystals harvested from it.
Singkhon, however, chose to take only the energy crystal, leaving the meat of the Roc to the group that had been attempting to hunt it.
Because of this, almost everyone present viewed Singkhon as a benefactor who had saved their lives. The only exception was Nawa, who saw him as nothing more than an opportunist—hardly someone to whom any gratitude was owed.
Nawa was quite confident that, even without Singkhon's intervention, he would have been able to handle the Roc himself.
Furthermore, Nawa did not consider Singkhon's decision to relinquish the Roc's meat to be an act of generosity. Since the Roc was a colossal monster, the quality of its meat—relative to its sheer volume—was little different from that of a common-grade monster.
Besides, it would have been impossible for any single person to transport all that meat; to Singkhon, the carcass was essentially just trash.
Even so, Nawa kept his thoughts to himself, as speaking up would only complicate matters unnecessarily. Moreover, what Singkhon had done was merely a business tactic—hardly a malicious act.
Although Nawa gained nothing tangible from risking his life to fight the Roc, the encounter was not entirely in vain. He managed to obtain information regarding Taiban Village and the healer Mandis, as the group hunting the Roc turned out to be players from that very village.
According to them, the healer Mandis had gone missing from the village several days prior. The village chief had organized a search party, and this group was among those who had accepted the chief's quest to track him down.
And three days ago, they had come across... They discovered Mandis's medicine-delivery wagon deep within the Phet Swamp, but there was no sign of Mandis or his guards. They surmised that the shipment might have been intercepted and looted, with the wagon subsequently abandoned in this area.
Given that the site was near a nest of Lizardmen, they could not afford to linger or expand their search. They decided to return to the village to report the outcome of their mission to the village chief.
On their way back, they encountered an injured Roc and attempted to hunt it—but as Nawa witnessed, the entire group barely escaped with their lives.
The injury to the Roc was highly suspicious; as a creature near the apex of the local food chain, what could have possibly wounded it so severely? However, Nawa had no interest in that mystery. His primary concern was the whereabouts of Mandis the apothecary, as the medicine he carried was essential for treating his father.
According to the villagers from Taiban, they had found only the wreckage of the wagon, with no bodies in sight. This raised the possibility that Mandis might still be alive.
Apothecaries are exceptionally rare in The Oneness; even if the shipment had been raided, the perpetrators would hardly be foolish enough to kill an apothecary—an individual far more valuable than the goods themselves.
The challenge, however, lay in the difficulty of tracking Mandis down. The Phet Swamp, riddled with treacherous mud pits, made it nearly impossible to pick up any traces. For this reason, Nawa chose to head to Tai Ban village first, hoping to gather information or find some kind of lead that would make it easier for him to track down the healer Mandis.
Beyond gathering information about Mandis, Nawa needed to address a critical weakness in his combat capabilities before venturing into the Diamond Marsh. His previous encounters—first with the wolf pack leader and later with a Roc—had made him acutely aware of a major vulnerability: close-quarters combat.
Once an enemy managed to get within reach, Nawa found himself virtually defenseless, lacking both the proper weaponry and the skills required for melee fighting. Exploring the Diamond Marsh would likely lead to confrontations with Lizardmen—a sapient, humanoid species capable of wielding weapons.
To make matters worse, these creatures are formidable in close-quarters combat. Furthermore, the muddy terrain of the marsh restricts movement, further hindering one's ability to maneuver. If an enemy were to close the distance, the risk of Nawa being killed in an instant would be extremely high.
Consequently, Nawa had to resolve this issue before setting out for the Diamond Marsh. Regarding weaponry, he intended to acquire a high-quality sword—if a premium-grade blade proved unattainable, he would at least secure one of superior quality.
The more significant challenge, however, was the lack of skills for melee combat.
Currently, Nawa possessed only the "Air Blade" skill, which enhanced the sharpness of his weapon but provided no boosts to his other base statistics.
In close-quarters combat, base stats are crucial; no matter how sharp a weapon might be, without sufficient physical strength, it would be nearly impossible to maintain control of the blade during an exchange of blows. Without speed and precision, it is difficult to land a hit on a target.
Although Nawa could boost his base stats by consuming monster flesh, the process takes time—time that Nawa simply does not have. Every moment wasted makes tracking down Mandis exponentially more difficult.
Nawa asked Nathee about skills that could enhance his base stats, hoping there might be a way for him to train and improve. Nathee explained that most physical-enhancement skills fall under a category of psionic ability known as "Bio-control," which uses psionic energy to manipulate the life force—or "aura"—within one's own body.
To master this type of skill, one must first learn to use psionic energy to control the aura within. Nathee provided a detailed explanation of the training method, and Nawa attempted to follow it—yet he couldn't sense any aura or life force whatsoever.
This was to be expected; Nawa lacked any foundational experience in this specific branch of psionics. Such training requires significant time—it is not something that can be mastered in a day or two. For some, it can take months or even years.
Just as Nawa was about to give up, a sudden realization struck him. He leaped into the air, overcome with joy, as if he had just won the lottery.
"Haha! It was right under my nose the whole time! How could I be so foolish? It's such a simple thing—why didn't I think of it sooner?"
Nawa's boisterous laughter drew the surprised gazes of Nathee's companions.
"The gem that your older sister..."
"Leaving this guy behind—that's not related to some sort of brain issue, is it?" Mai asked, glancing at Nawa.
Current scientific understanding of the spacetime field is merely the tip of the iceberg compared to what Nawa knows.
He is well aware that our universe does not exist in a void; rather, it resides within something known as the spacetime field. Time, space, matter, and energy—all of these emerge from this field.
Modern scientists have discovered that the further one moves from the Earth, the faster time flows. Conversely, for an object moving at high speed, time flows more slowly compared to an object moving at a lower speed.
Building upon these foundational concepts, Nawa has conducted research that has advanced far beyond the grasp of contemporary scientists.
He has also discovered that the flow of time varies according to an object's temperature: time consistently flows more slowly in objects with lower temperatures than in those with higher temperatures.
Furthermore, regarding gravity—which modern science attributes to mass warping the spacetime field—the reality is actually the exact opposite: it is the warping of the spacetime field that gives rise to gravity.
Simply put, it is the potential difference in the flow of time between different regions of space that manifests as the phenomenon we call gravity.
The force exerted on an object acts in the direction from areas where time flows faster toward areas where it flows more slowly.
If one were to equalize the flow of time surrounding an object... Consequently, no gravitational force acts upon the object—which is precisely why Nawa's telekinetic power allows him to move objects as if Earth's gravity did not exist.
According to Newton's third law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In simpler terms, if you strike an object, a force is exerted on the object, while an equal force is simultaneously exerted back onto your fist.
This law holds true as long as one remains within the same spacetime field—but what happens if that spacetime field changes? Would Newton's law change along with it?
After finishing his meal, Nawa began to test his hypothesis. He raised one hand and channeled his telekinetic power, manipulating the spacetime field surrounding his palm.
In the universe, space is constantly expanding everywhere—though the rate is so infinitesimal that humans cannot perceive it. Nawa, however, is attempting to manipulate this, causing the space around his hands to expand at a slower rate than the surrounding area.
The atmosphere around his hands begins to warp, and moments later, this distorted space emits a soft, white glow—an aura resembling a cloud, gently enveloping his palms.
If Nawa's hypothesis is correct, the laws of physics—specifically Newton's Third Law—will shift within this space; the force of an action will no longer be equal to the force of its reaction.
Simply put, if he uses his hands to block an external force, the impact he receives will be dampened, while the counter-force exerted back will be amplified. Conversely, if he uses his hands to strike, the force delivered to the target will be significantly increased.
Nawa clenches his fist, and the white aura surrounding it flares with newfound brilliance. A split second later, he throws a punch toward a nearby boulder.
*BOOM!*A thunderous impact echoes out. A massive, spiderweb-like network of cracks erupts at the point of contact, and the boulder—roughly the size of a human—is sent flying several feet backward.
An instant later, a sound resonates within Nawa's mind, and a system window pops up.
*Ding!*
( New Skill )
( SpaceTime - Force — Utilizes telekinetic energy to slow the expansion of space within a localized area. ) This causes the spacetime field in that area to become elastic. Within this zone, the laws governing force are altered: external forces acting upon objects inside are dampened, while the corresponding reaction forces are amplified.
Conversely, if an object within this elastic spacetime field exerts force upon something outside of it, the force applied to the external target is intensified, while the reaction force experienced by the object itself is reduced.
(This region of elastic spacetime is known as a "Spacetime Force." Any object enveloped by a Spacetime Force gains enhanced physical offensive and defensive capabilities—the degree of which depends on the user's proficiency and the amount of mana consumed.)
(The rate of mana depletion is determined by the efficiency and scale of the Spacetime Force, as well as the duration for which it is maintained.)
Nawa read the text from the system window, an uncontrollable expression of delight spreading across his face. Not only did this confirm that his understanding of the spacetime field was correct, but the skill's potential far exceeded his initial expectations.
The destructive power he had just unleashed—achieved merely by slowing the expansion of the spacetime field around his fist—had already granted him such a massive boost in striking force. Nawa was confident that with further training, he could potentially increase his offensive power more than tenfold.
"Wait—did P'Nawa just use a power-enhancing skill?" Ploy exclaimed, her expression revealing her utter disbelief at what she was witnessing.
"Impossible," Nathee echoed, equally stunned. His expression revealed even greater disbelief than Ploy's. After all, even with his own foundation in "Biocontrol" psychokinesis, it had taken him nearly a month to master a D-rank augmentation skill—yet this person, whose foundation lay in "Telekinesis," had managed to master one in less than a day.
Nawa turned to smile at Nathee's group and said,
"This isn't exactly an augmentation skill—or rather, it's not an augmentation skill derived from aura. This power stems from using telekinesis to intervene in the spacetime field, altering the very nature of force itself."
Nathee and his friends didn't quite grasp what Nawa was talking about, but faced with what they were witnessing, they couldn't deny the truth: this man was not only a genius as a 'Player,' but likely a world-class scientific prodigy as well.
Afterward, Nawa stepped away to train with his newly acquired skill. After several hours of practice, he discovered that the limit for the power boost provided by his "Spacetime Force" skill was roughly tenfold.
To push it any further, he would need to slow the expansion of the spacetime field—bringing it almost to a complete standstill.
Achieving such a feat would require an immense amount of psychic energy—far more than even the power he once possessed back in the Himmapan Forest.
Furthermore, attempting it would carry a greater than 90% risk of tearing the spacetime field, potentially birthing a miniature black hole. And no matter how small, a black hole remains a truly terrifying phenomenon. It is ready to erase everything, and the first to be wiped out will surely be the very person who created it.