Gruntar always took pride in his work—but this was different.
This was the first ti I’d ever seen him speak with such open confidence, almost excitent, about sothing he’d made.
The way Furion adjusted itself to fit my hand perfectly was impressive, sure.
The tal shifted subtly, the inner lining tightening just enough to feel like an extension of my own skin.
But that alone couldn’t explain his reaction.
"Try activating it properly," Gruntar said, eyes fixed on the gauntlet with unmistakable anticipation.
I nodded and slowly infused mana into Furion.
At once, a strange sensation rose from my palm—warm, heavy, like sothing stirring from a deep sleep.
The flow of mana felt different from usual, as if it were being guided instead of rely released.
And yet...
"...?"
Nothing happened.
No glow.
No surge.
No reaction at all.
The gauntlet remained completely still, as if it were nothing more than an ordinary piece of tal.
Silence filled the workshop.
I tried again, increasing the amount of mana just slightly.
Still nothing.
"...Gruntar?"
I lifted my hand and turned it over, inspecting Furion closely.
The runes were there. The craftsmanship was flawless.
But it refused to respond.
"What’s wrong with this thing?" I muttered.
For a brief mont, an unpleasant thought crossed my mind.
Could it be... defective?
I glanced at Gruntar, half-expecting him to panic—or at least look a little worried.
Instead, he slamd a hand against his forehead.
"You idiot! You’re supposed to use magnetic force, not mana!"
"Ah...!"
Right.
Now that he ntioned it, he had said Furion’s engine was built on magnetic principles.
An engine powered by magnetic force.
Which ant, naturally, that the key to activating Furion wasn’t raw mana—it was my ability to imbue magnetic force itself.
Gruntar grabbed my wrist and shoved it closer to the chanism embedded in Furion.
"Magnetic force goes here, and mana gets inserted there," he said, pointing rapidly at two different sections. "Don’t mix them up again."
"H-Here?" I asked, squinting.
"Yes. There. Exactly there."
I leaned in and examined the structure more carefully.
At the center was a circular device etched with unfamiliar runes and interlocking grooves, its design oddly elegant despite how chanical it looked. It wasn’t magic in the traditional sense, nor was it purely machinery—it was sothing in between.
’Vermut would lose his mind if he saw this,’ I thought absently.
Carefully, I infused magnetic force into the device on the back of my hand.
For a mont—
Nothing happened.
Then—
Whirrrrr.
The circular chanism suddenly spun to life, rotating faster and faster as a deep vibration traveled up my arm. The sound was loud, sharp, and unmistakably alive.
At the sa ti, Furion began to glow.
"Whoa..." I muttered.
Whoom. Whoom. Clank.
Heavy internal components shifted, locking into place with a series of chanical clicks. The weight on my arm subtly redistributed, as if the device were adjusting itself to fit better.
"Good," Gruntar muttered, eyes shining. "Now add mana. Slowly."
I did as told, carefully feeding mana into the secondary channel.
The reaction was imdiate.
Light surged through the grooves etched into Furion’s surface, lines of pale blue and gold weaving together like veins. The tal rippled, not lting but reforming, reshaping itself with deliberate precision.
Small apertures opened along the previously smooth palm—tiny holes arranged in a precise pattern.
"...Those weren’t there before," I said.
Additionally, strange devices unfolded along my five fingers and wrapped around my forearm, clicking softly as they locked into place.
...What is all this?
I turned my arm from side to side, staring at the unfamiliar chanisms in disbelief.
"What is this?"
"That," Gruntar replied calmly, "is the core functionality of Furion."
The core...?
As I continued examining the devices with open curiosity, Gruntar’s voice reached again, steady and confident.
"Furion’s abilities are broadly divided into two categories. The first is its use of magnetic force."
"But I already use magnetic force," I said reflexively. "I can push and pull tal just fine."
Gruntar shook his head. "What you’ve been doing until now is crude—barely scratching the surface. Furion doesn’t simply push or pull. It allows magnetic force to be shaped, layered, and applied with precision."
"...In more diverse ways?"
"Exactly. Try activating it."
I hesitated for a mont, then followed his instructions.
I focused my mana and let it flow into Furion.
Imdiately, my fingertips glowed with a faint blue light. The devices attached to my fingers humd softly, responding as if they were alive.
"Oh...?"
The sensation was completely different from before.
Instead of mana dispersing outward, it felt guided—compressed, refined, and redirected through specific channels. Like water flowing through carefully carved grooves rather than spilling freely across the ground.
I felt it—the mont sothing invisible brushed against my senses.
This feeling...
I didn’t need anyone to explain it. Instinctively, I knew what it was.
Slowly, I extended my left hand. Furion wrapped snugly around my wrist, its surface faintly warm, as if responding to my intent. I pointed my finger toward a hamr lying several steps away on the floor.
For a brief mont, nothing happened.
Then—
The hamr trembled.
And rose into the air.
"...Whoa."
It hovered unsteadily at first, swaying like it was testing its balance. But as I focused, it stabilized, floating exactly where I wanted it to. I moved my finger slightly to the side, and the hamr followed, gliding through the air as if it were weightless.
It responded perfectly.
Up. Down. Left. Right.
"It’s... moving exactly how I imagine it," I muttered.
It felt unreal—like using superpowers straight out of a movie. Telekinesis. Sothing I’d never even dread would be possible in real life. And yet here it was, obeying my will as naturally as moving my own arm.
"I never thought this would actually work..."
"You’re adapting faster than expected," Gruntar said, his deep voice tinged with approval. "And that’s only the most basic application."
I turned to him, eyes practically sparkling. "There’s more?"
"Of course," he replied calmly. "For example, you can spread the force outward and form an invisible magnetic shield."
"...A shield?"
"Yes. By constantly repelling external forces. Blunt attacks, projectiles, even certain types of magic can be deflected if your control is precise enough."
"That’s insane," I breathed. "So I could block attacks without even holding a shield?"
Gruntar nodded. "Though it won’t be easy at first. Maintaining a stable field requires focus and practice. Lose concentration, and the shield collapses."
Practice?
That wasn’t a problem at all.
If training was all it took, I could do that endlessly. Just this one ability alone already more than justified Furion’s reputation as a top-tier artifact.
Still...
"There were two abilities, right?" I asked, unable to hide my excitent. "What’s the other one?"
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