Level Up Legacy
[Absorb: A Legacy rune that can use the life energy of the enemies you have slain to strengthen your body.] Arthur receives the power of creation and becomes a Runes Wordsmith, someone who wields the runes of the world. His legacy asks him of quests that are beyond his understanding, but he's willing to risk it all to leave weakness and poverty behind. He sets out on a journey in a world of superhumans, magical towers, demi-humans, and the legacy of a guardian who asks him to go against the world. Read his story of how he used runes and artifacts to defeat all those who wish him harm.
Level Up Legacy #Chapter 0 - Before You Read This Novel - Read Level Up Legacy Chapter 0 - Before You Read This Novel Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 0: Before You Read This Novel
Ads by Pubfuture
First of all, hello there. I'm honored that you decided to start reading this novel. It's a pleasure, even if you didn't stick until its end. I hope this would entertain as many people as possible.
Ads by Pubfuture
Let's get down to business. This is no spoiler of events, simply a few notes that I would edit regularly for new readers.
First of all is stating that English isn't my first language. I don't have an editor to help me so this is the best I could do by myself. I've edited the first volume by myself as much as I could and would be grateful to anyone who points out typos in writing or grammatical mistakes.
The second note is about the events. Some events might feel weird for you, but I promise to deliver reasons for them. Sometimes I write while forgetting that whoever reads this does not know why this event is happening. I do, so I tend to think it's okay. This is a trait that I both like and hate about my writing, and hopefully, it wouldn't cause my downfall from grace. Please give this novel a chance to flourish.
The third note is about the protagonist, Arthur. His starting point is as an average young man with some mysteries about his past. Please don't expect him to be a know-it-all, he's not. I hope you'll come to like him, but if you don't that's okay too. He'll grow into a character that you'll like, hopefully.
Extra note. Sometimes this website glitches when I paste things into it, leaving three black rhombuses with a question mark in the middle. Can you notify me if you ever see one so I can edit them? Would really be appreciated.
That would be all, I hope you enjoy your reading. Please support this novel.
Ads by Pubfuture
Report chapter Comments
"Your contract has been terminated."
The words felt foreign yet expected. They left a bitter taste in his mouth, making his voice crack and hollow. He saw it coming given the sheer number of new scavengers appearing, ones with dedicated abilities for the job. He didn't feel resentment nor a grudge, not toward his employers at least. For the world, however, he did.
"As stated explicitly in your contract, there is no reimbursement upon termination."
This was the second nail in the coffin. The bank's notice hanged around his neck, like a rope slowly strangling him. The rope grew a face, and it looked like his mother's face. It grew hands that were his brother's, the rope had a name, and it was life. His eighteen years of it were of little happiness, as those days long faded under the mountains of stress and worry.
Arthur Silvera had to grow up before he wanted to. His hands were callused beyond their age due to the labor he had to go through. The hammers of time left their marks on his young heart. He, however, was only one of many.
His phone lagged a little before he could use it again. He left his email inbox and decided to read some job websites to solve his predicament.
There were always jobs out there if one was willing to risk enough. After searching and weeding out jobs' notices, Arthur found one that he fulfilled its requirement.
"Porter Needed, Avarice Dungeon, High-Risk, High-Reward, Responsibility-Clearing Contract needs to be signed. Message me for further details."
Avarice dungeon was a new dungeon that had appeared only recently, and it had yet to be conquered. The job notice didn't state that the contract was for conquering the dungeon; that would be the job of those guilds.
It was for a group of warriors and mages needing a porter, someone to collect the items and materials, carrying their extra luggage, and making camp and cooking. Arthur worked as a porter before, but it was only when times were dire.
Furthermore, he worked in cleared dungeons only. This time, however, was much riskier since Avarice had yet to be conquered. It meant there could be unforeseen accidents.
"Hello, my name is Arthur Silvera, aged 18. I worked as a scavenger for four years, for the Lime Time agency. I'm not an awakener, but with enough experience to make up for it. I…"
Arthur typed his message for a long time and revised it several times before he sent it. He also sent his recommendation letter from Lime Time, which they kindly attached to his termination email, to further impress the employer.
He had high hopes because he read the comments, and they were all saying that the job was too risky. Of course, it wasn't that he was brave or reckless. He was in a far worse state called being desperate.
The night was long, and Arthur took several hours to research the Avarice dungeon. It was one of the fourth-generation dungeons that appeared after the federal union of Yalveran was established. The dungeon appeared after a merge happened half a year ago.
Since then, several syndicates have tried to conquer it, to no avail. The dungeon was stated to be the next stepping stone for humanity, encouraging warriors and mages to challenge it. After several causalities rising, it was found out that this dungeon was one of the Sins Dungeons, causing an uproar in the world.
"Ok. Tomorrow at 11 AM, table 36. The pay would be 50$ per hour."
The contrast of his long message and polite language with the reply was pathetic, but the response made him thrilled nonetheless. The thrill was soon replaced by fear.
Being a porter was on the list of the riskiest jobs for non-awakener, if not the top one. There were many preparations to do, but Arthur checked his bank account and sighed. He had to go empty-handed.
The next day at 10:45 AM, Arthur was in front of the dungeon's entrance. Every dungeon had a foyer for the warriors and mages to meet and hold strategic meetings before venturing the dungeon.
He walked to table 36, where he could see several people sitting around. They were five in total; three wore full armor while the other two wore robes. The three people wearing armor were two men and one woman, the latter wearing light armor.
The robes-wearing people were one cadaverous man and a petite woman. The group mainly looked in their twenties, while a warrior with a mace to his belt was middle-aged.
"H…Hello, I'm Arthur Silvera, the porter." Arthur gathered his courage and went forward, despite being intimidated. While also the weakest, being the youngest made his self-confidence hide deep inside, not daring to show itself.
The chatting ceased for a second, and everyone turned their eyes toward him, scrutinizing him. Being examined like that, Arthur fiddled with his right thumb nervously.
"Hi, I'm Alan, I talked to you yesterday." The mace warrior, known as Alan, came forward and shook his hand. The warm gesture of respect sent relief in Arthur's mind, and he exchanged some pleasantries.
However, the rest of the team showed little interest in him and resumed their chat over the monsters awaiting them inside, the latest weapons, and famous warriors and mages. The sole exception was the thin man wearing a robe, who smiled and nodded to him.
Arthur thought nothing of it as they were a league above him in status, so he sat in a seat not too far and not too close to the rest.
"As you all know, we're not going beyond the third layer today. I've run our combat power through a dungeon analyst app and it stated that we can manage, except for some difficult monsters we need to avoid. That doesn't mean that we can be relaxed, the Sins dungeons are always known to be, plus being high-risk, high-reward, for their irregularity."
Alan continued his briefing, and it lasted until noon. Despite this information being irrelevant, Arthur strained his ears, listening to them in case they proved useful in the future.
At noon, Alan ordered some lunch from the dungeon restaurant for the team to eat before setting out. Arthur ate very little since he was a non-awakener, thus having lower metabolism. There were no toilets in the dungeon, so he had to be careful about his needs.
The team had four members other than its leader, Alan, who Arthur judged to be a typical leader. From the conversations Arthur heard, he deduced the following.
First was the most eye-catching, flamboyant, and sociable person, Juan Keizer, the other male warrior beside Alan. He talked a lot, with a big chattering box in him besides his protruding belly. He was, however, rather tall, almost taller than Alan.
Standing next to the man dwarfed Arthur, who was 173 cm tall with a relatively thin frame. Despite being of a friendly demeanor, Juan didn't spare Arthur a glance and treated him like air.
The other character was the person who replied to Juan incessant chattering, the female warrior Beatrice Faure, a woman with prominent muscles and a frame larger than Arthur's, towering over him as well. She seemed familiar with Juan, and the two talked to each other comfortably, with Alan also sharing some words with them.
The person Arthur liked best was the thin and pale guy who talked with him a bit, although it was mostly idle talk. Nonetheless, Arthur felt grateful for the consideration he had shown.
From their conversations, Arthur found out that this young man, named Yuran Evel, had a rather uncommon yet infamous fighting style called Magic Gunman.
They fought using magic power weapons from afar, utilizing basic compressed mana to inflict damage. Seeing Yuran's gun, Arthur was awed by meeting a magic gunman for the first time.
The last person was the petite young woman, who appeared older than him but not by a lot. He didn't get to know her name since she hasn't said a word the whole time.
The group headed toward the dungeon's entrance as the clock rang midday, and Arthur felt tired just by watching the waves of people coming in and out. Many were wounded, some were dead.
Arthur wondered if he'd end up like the former or the latter, maybe neither of them. He can come back safe and sound, or he can never come back.
He shook his head as if that would shake the thoughts away. After confirming the identity of the explorers, a term for people venturing the other worlds, the security let them in.
Of course, Arthur had to sign a Responsibility Clearance Agreement, clearing the responsibility in case he died.
Going through the portal, the world twisted, and their vision bent before they found themselves in a large underground hall filled with explorers of every race and culture.
Being one of the Sins Dungeons, Avarice held a widespread reputation. It was even called 'The Dragon Gate' as one can leap over it and be a dragon among men, although most would fail. Arthur never saw himself as a man worthy of becoming a dragon, but he couldn't help himself but wish he was unique in some way.
Report chapter Comments
"Alright, everyone. Let's assume formation and tackle the first layer together. The first layer is filled with draconic lizards, so we'll have no problem clearing it in two hours. Let's opt for a better time so we can have more time for conquering the third layer."
Alan explained, and the group moved about. Arthur dashed toward the luggage, and he carried the two bags on his shoulders, and they almost cracked his back. They were heavy but not too heavy to make him fall or be unable to keep up with his group.
His position was the middle of the formation while the others each assumed their assigned position. Alan took the vanguard position with his mace and shield, Juan and Beatrice took the upper flanks both on each side, Yuran took the rear, and the petite woman, Alan finally saying her name to be Rosie, took Arthur's side at the middle.
"Advance!" Alan roared in an obvious attempt to lift their morales. The group followed behind and started heading toward the door of the first layer. It was a 10-meters tall door with engravings all around that caused one to be dizzy just by looking at them.
The door would open every ten minutes, and only five people can enter at a time. The reason porters didn't count in that number is that they usually have no magical energy; thus, the dungeon wouldn't reject their presence in the group. That was also why being a porter was a risky job, as one of its main qualifications was being mana-less and non-awakener.
"Hey, is it true that The White Fangs are challenging the boss today?" A conversation entered Arthur's ears and his ears perked.
The White Fangs were one of the best parties in the Union. They were warriors and mages who were, at minimum, Deme-rankers, making them an idolized party among the common masses.
Their white armor and glistering weapons only served as a PR material for both equipment enthusiasts and celebrity fans. However, that didn't mean the group lacked ability. It was on the opposite because they could back it up. The government chose to promote them to induce safety among the citizens.
"Yeah, I read about it on their official website. That's why I came here today, to get a glimpse of The White Fairy." Another person answered, and Arthur found himself even more intrigued. However, the duos drifted away, and he didn't get to hear anything more.
It seemed the rest of the group also heard, and they started to discuss it feverishly. Especially Juan as he talked about The White Fairy, a beauty and a powerhouse of the Union.
Since Arthur didn't notice, everyone was interested in the topic, even the usually quiet Rosie. However, only Yuran grew unusually quiet as if he was displeased about something. Arthur took note of that and kept his mouth shut about it.
The group's turn arrived and the door opened with a usual hiss of a snake before they entered. The architecture of the first layer greeted them. Bricks lined the walls, and pillars linked the ceiling and the ground.
The walls had many engravings and words of an unknown language that gave the place an aesthetic yet ominous ambiance. Patches of green mold molted the place, bespeaking of its age. The rest of the group wasn't as shocked as Arthur as this was the first time he entered one of the Sins Dungeons.
As the group advanced, Alan kept his shield leveled with his chin as he surveyed the surroundings. With a low voice, he signaled their scout, Yuran, to report if there was an enemy. Arthur learned that magic gunmen were more perceptive than others, and that's why they acted as scouts.
"Three draconic lizards, two o'clock." Reported Yuran.
The group took their stances and advanced toward two o'clock. As their view cleared of the giant central pillar, they saw a group of three draconic lizards feasting on an earth-rabbit. With his head signaling Juan and Beatrice, Alan and the others started surrounding the monsters. The first battle of today commenced shortly after.
His breathing came in heaves as if it would stop at any second. Arthur looked at the deep gash in his stomach, and he could see his internal organs through it. A Cerberus has clawed him, a monster resembling a hell-dog. His head spun as he lost too much blood.
He has realized why the pay was so good with few qualifications needed. The others would get a scratch at most from such a claw. He, however, was dying. He could hear the others talking as they surrounded him after they took care of the other Cerberuses.
"We should just leave him. The job was clear about such dangers." That was Juan's voice, and Arthur wanted to kill the bastard for spouting such things. He felt stupid that he ran here at a moment's notice due to his despair. He should have taken another loan from someone he knew.
"But…" Alan's voice was hesitant.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Surprise dyed Beatrice's voice. Arthur then felt someone getting closer, and he opened his eyes slowly. It was Yuran who held a flask in his hand that contained a red liquid. The liquid glowed magically as if it was alive.
"Are you really giving him such a high-tiered potion? To a porter?" Juan was now shouting at Yuran. The latter ignored him and opened the flask. He then proceeded to gently open Arthur's mouth and pour the potion in it.
Arthur felt like his body was burning. However, clarity was being brought back. After five minutes of resting, the wound was gone, and he was back to normal. He examined his body as if it was the first time he saw it. Even though the potion worked more effectively because he has not an awakener, he still found it wondrous.
"Are you okay?" Yuran came over and asked as the group was resting. He seemed genuinely worried about Arthur's wellbeing, something the latter failed to understand the reason for.
"Yes, I'm fine thanks to you. I… I almost died. I can never repay enough." Arthur's voice cracked as he escaped the clutches of death.
"Forget it. I did it because I felt like it was the right thing to do. That's all that matters to me. Furthermore, that potion was useless to me. Why did you take the risk of becoming a porter?"
Arthur proceeded to tell him how he used to work as a scavenger and how many scavenging abilities came to light lately, robbing him of his job. Yuran sighed and patted his shoulder in a warm gesture of consolation. Arthur felt a warm feeling at this unexpected friendliness, reminding him that there are good people in the world.
Since Yuran appeared to be older than him by at least five years, Arthur wondered if this was what it feels like to have an older brother. Someone who would look after him and save him. He then remembered his younger brother at home and how Arthur had neglected him due to work and worries.
He made a mental note to treat him better. As the group was drinking water and resting, a rumbling earthquake shook the ground and the whole dungeon.
"It seems to have started." Alan's face grew solemn as he stated. He was referring to the boss hunt happening at the sixth layer. The dungeon had seven layers in total, with the boss residing in the sixth.
The seventh layer had the gate to the other world and creatures venturing from there unrestrained by rank. Alan turned around and sent Yuran a questioning look, and the latter shook his head. This went unnoticed as the rest were too busy with the earthquake.
The group resumed their hunting, and they arrived at the third layer after another four hours. The third layer had a passageway-shaped structure allowing the group to ignore their rear defense. Therefore,? the group asked Arthur to stay at the back since it got dangerous. He gladly complied, and he stayed to rest at the back as the group fought against the beasts of the third layer, Earth Golems.
As they advanced, the group finally found their goal in the third layer, the Regeneration Golem. It was a mutated type of Earth Golem that had a regenerative function. Potion masters used its mana core to make regenerative potions, a medicine of higher grade than a healing potion.
It seemed that the group was aiming for this, and from how Alan treated Yuran, Arthur guessed the latter was the one in charge of this party hunt.
"Assume formation!" Alan roared as the giant Golem started dashing toward them. Each step sent shockwaves shaking the whole passageway, proving the enemy in front of them was no regular monster but the boss of this layer.
Although The White Fangs have already killed this monster before their party, it was a rule that the Sins Dungeon would recreate the monsters in each layer every hour. Meaning they couldn't outnumber the monsters to conquer this dungeon. However, their party didn't plan on clearing this dungeon but only harvesting the regenerative core.
Report chapter Comments
As the Golem came near, the warriors assumed formation, and Alan took the lead to repel the first incoming attack. The tall warrior looked like a midget compared to the Golem, and he stumbled back more than one step with the first strike.
With a loud shout, he activated his ability for the first time today, causing Arthur to almost forget to breathe. With blinding light, two more Alans appeared, although they were phantoms. With three of them now, they created a defense even the boss found it hard to break through.
The rest of the party didn't stand idle as they started using their abilities to defeat the Golem. With Alan blocking the attack on their behalf, they began damaging the Golem with their attacks.
With a roar of a beast, Juan grew in size, and his skin turned red. It was a berserk ability that allowed short-duration amplifications of physical stats. With his newfound strength, Juan used his claymore to inflict a deep wound on the Golem, although it regenerated almost instantly.
At the same time, Arthur saw something appear above the Golem. It was Beatrice with wings of light making her fly; she dived right at the Golem's head and stabbed it in the eye, causing a long gush to appear on its face. The Golem howled in agony as its face started regenerating.
With a streak of blue light, Yuran fired his gun, which was now as tall as he was with shining blue engraving. The mana bullet pierced the Golem in its injured head. The Golem now went berserk and howled as earth spikes appeared around it, attacking its aggressors.
As the spikes were too many to evade, the group braced themselves to take the hit. However, the damage and pain never came as holy light enveloped them, protecting them.
"Quick, attack!" Rosie, the one who has cased a protective spell on the team, shouted in a thunderous voice. The rest dashed toward the Golem, preparing for another round of fighting to wear it down. However, before they reached the Golem, another earthquake happened as cracks began to fill the passageway.
With a screech that almost made their ears bleed, the walls broke down, revealing a giant serpent head; with only the head revealed, it was as big as three Golems combined. Even the Regenerative Golem was terrified by the arrival of such a gigantic beast, and everyone's faces turned pale.
Arthur fell on his rear in horror as he saw what seemed to be the most frightening creature he ever witnessed. The beast's sheer size made him look like an ant in front of it, making him feel like only a single breath would obliterate him.
"Retreat! This is the dungeon's boss!" Alan howled with a face so terrified that it was as white as a piece of paper. Their fear was justified as each Sins Dungeon's boss was at a realm different from others, with only seven in the whole world.
Thankfully, white light followed after the serpent as five more figures appeared. Each one of them was adorned with white armor or white robes. Arthur was a non-awakener, but even he can feel the aura coming of these people, and it almost crushed him. It contended with that of the serpent, who howled with rage as it witnessed their arrival.
"Everyone, retreat, and leave this area." A girl with white hair stepped forward and said to Alan's group. From her hair and her clothes to even her eyelashes, everything about her was white. Everyone present knew her. She was The White Fairy.
Alan was too stupefied at the turn of the event that he stood there blankly. Yuran was the one who stepped forward and shouted for them to run away. As The White Fairy saw Yuran, her cool was shattered as she dazedly muttered something.
However, the serpent didn't give them time to retreat as it hissed and lunged itself forward, brushing the Regenerative Golem in the process and obliterating it. With the sheer pressure alone, the wall broke down, and cracks formed underneath Arthur as he was flung away and hit the wall.
He coughed blood and felt like his internals being crushed. As he opened his eyes, he got to see an armored man appear in front of the serpent and block its attack effortlessly.
The others were all flung away, but they ended up in a much sorry state than Arthur, who was very far away. Most of his group fainted, with only Yuran being an exception, although he was also severely injured.
Yuran collapsed shortly after, and the only person other than The White Fangs still conscious was Arthur, only because he was too weak to be close to the initial fight with the Golem.
'Should I run away? Alone?'
That was the single thought Arthur had. It was the most obvious question in the world, and he knew it was the right choice. He wasn't an awakener, and he didn't know these people very well. Another question appeared in his mind.
'How would I feel if I wake up tomorrow, after leaving someone who saved me to die? I would have died if it wasn't for him.'
It didn't feel right. Arthur knew he was being stupid. He knew this was futile, and he would most likely die. Arthur knew that very well. However, he also knew that sometimes we need to make the wrong choice. Yuran saved him. He might not have risked his life to save Arthur, but the latter would have died if not for the potion.
His legs found strength unknown to him. The air entered his lungs, burning them as he madly dashed toward Yuran. He jumped across the debris lying about and avoided the ones he couldn't jump. Even though he wasn't an awakener, he was still more robust than ordinary people.
As he saw The White Fairy and the rest engage in battle with the serpent, Arthur sprinted faster to get there. The air pressure coming from the action was enough to make him fall and hit the walls several times, but he was too far away for the pressure to make him faint yet.
As he neared the battle, he hid behind a giant rock and looked for a chance to retrieve Yuran and the rest. If a hit accidentally went their way, they would most likely die. Arthur wanted to get them away, even by a little from the battle. If he couldn't, then he would just get Yuran away.
The battle reached a stalemate as each side blocked their enemy's attacks. Arthur took this chance and dashed toward Yuran, reaching him in a few dashes, grabbing him, and starting to run again.
Luckily, Yuran was even lighter than Arthur. That was why Arthur was able to run as he carried Yuran in his arms. As they neared a boulder a bit far away from the battle, Arthur was about to put Yuran down before he heard a shout from behind.
"Watch out!"
Arthur turned around, and it appears that The White Fairy used her glistering katana and slashed the serpent's eye. The serpent howled and thrashed about with its tail. Unluckily, the tail drew an arc as it ripped the ceiling and headed toward Arthur.
Before he could react, the tail already slammed the ground a distance away from him. It slammed into the place of the unconscious group Arthur left behind. The ground broke down as Arthur and Yuran flew like a broken kite before slamming to the ground.
In a state of semi-consciousness, Arthur could feel the ground caving in underneath him. He started to feel like he was falling, and he opened his eyes. From the slits of blurry vision, he could see The White Fairy grabbing Yuran's arm as he fell into the darkness.
"Who are you?" Arthur asked. He couldn't help being curious about the identity of the only being he found after roaming the darkness. If his thoughts were right, he fell outside of the dungeon into the darkness.
He didn't know into what exactly, maybe the infinite space, but he fell somewhere dark, and he couldn't see anything inside except the black landscape. There were a black sky, a single moon, and a black ground. That was it. He wasn't able to see anything after he woke up. That is until he found a single man sitting in the darkness, closing his eyes.
The man looked ethereal yet human. Arthur felt like he can touch him and make him disappear forever, but he was too afraid to try. The man had black hair and white skin, with age lines decorating his face.
As Arthur asked the question, the man opened his eyes and looked at Arthur. His eyes were golden. With a smile, the man said one word.
"Hello."
"Um, hi." Arthur awkwardly greeted back. He couldn't say a greeting was what he expected at this point. The man was calm by Arthur's arrival, almost like he was expecting it.
"Why don't you take a seat?" The man gestured with his hand toward the place in front of him. Arthur paused for a second before walking there and sitting crossed-legged. As they sat facing each other, there was a brief silence. Arthur was about to repeat his question, but the man spoke before he had the chance.
"I am Jizo, the Scholar Guardian."
"Guardian? What's that?"
"Well, I guess too much time has passed for us to be remembered. Maybe we became a secret?" The man laughed audibly, and his laugh diffused the tension, although Arthur didn't understand what he meant.
"Long ago, there were nine guardians that ruled over the world and protected the human race."
Report chapter Comments
As he opened his eyes, Yuran could see he was in a hospital. It only took seconds for him to realize he survived the serpent. An almost silent snoring drew His attention. He turned around and saw the idolized White Fairy sleeping as she sat in a chair next to his bed.
"Fey…" He called out, and it worked like magic to wake her up as she immediately opened her eyes. Her eyes were blacker than the night sky, a contrast of her white eyelashes. She blinked before a smile crept to her face as she sweetly called out.
"You're awake, older brother."
Yuran's lips turned to a thin line as memories rushed back, bringing waves of nostalgia. He wanted to ask her to stop calling him that as he was unworthy but hesitated to do so after seeing her genuine smile. Instead, he chose to change the topic.
"What happened to the serpent?"
Fey began to retell the battle that took place a day prior. She didn't leave any details out, and Yuran's hands started to shiver as he clenched his fists. In the end, where they managed to wound the serpent, and it entered a berserk state, the story ended with their retreat.
However, Yuran didn't feel like that was necessary. Their loss was greater as he listened to how the young porter saved him from imminent death, sacrificing his life.
"One more time… It's still happening." His words were quick as he was stifling them before they choke him. Strength left his body as he laid back in bed. His nose felt ticklish as if tears threatened to get out, not that they did.
"I… I wanted to protect my older brother from the beginning. But, my ability, you know…" Fey grew frustrated as she felt like she was giving excuses after excuses. Yuran sighed and patted her on her wrist.
"No… It was my weakness, once again."
Arthur opened his eyes once more. His skin cooled at the touch of a slight breeze. The scent of wildflowers assaulted his nose. As the tree waved and danced, their shadows skimmed over his eyes, and the sun rays made him squint.
As he got up reflexively, he found himself in the middle of a forest, sleeping atop a patch of grass. There was a lake nearby that he could see in the distance behind the trees. Only now did he realize that Jizo has sent him to this place after he said he couldn't transport him back to the dungeon.
"I died…"
Or not. Arthur didn't know. The man said he pulled Arthur from the state of existence and non-existence. If the man didn't bring him to that place, then he would have died, obliterated by the laws of the universe.
The thing is, Arthur felt alive right now. He breathed, exhaled, and his heart was beating. He was here.
"Right, he said he would still help me if I helped him in his goal…." Arthur then remembered the last thing the man said before they parted ways. The man said he would give him the one thing he needed right now, a way to get stronger. He said he would give him his Legacy.
Different from abilities, who were one directional in their evolution process, legacies were much more complex. They contained the will of a person living in the past. That way, these wills provided abilities and skills to the person as they see fit.
That's why they held the name? 'Evolving Abilities' as they grew with the person himself. As Arthur willed it to, the Legacy was activated. A row of sentences appeared in front of him. Just like the legends, they were like he was playing a game and had a status window.
[Scholar Guardian's Legacy]
[Level: 1 (63%)]
[Strength: 14]
[Agility: 12]
[Stamina: 14]
[Perception: 10]
[Mana: 1/1]
[Abilities: Beginner Runes Wordsmith (0%), Useable Runes: 3]
[Skills: None]
Arthur dazedly looked at the words in front of him. The reality was beginning to merge with his dream-like mentality. This was real. He waved his hands, and the words parted ways as he passed through them.
It felt surreal. Arthur wasn't disbelieving what happened; he didn't believe it happened to him. He heard of Legacies before and how they worked. There were many types of legacies in the legends told on the internet.
However, most of them were historical figures of the past. Furthermore, they only gave skills and abilities without having anything to do with his body's different 'stats.'
As he looked at his ability, he was thrilled to see that he has awakened.
He has never heard of a 'Runes Wordsmith,' but it wasn't like he knew every ability in existence. As he willed the Legacy to explain the ability, several more rows appeared in front of him.
[Beginner Runes Wordsmith: A Runes Wordsmith can wield the ancient runes of the world, recreating it. However, restrained by being only a beginner level, the user can only imprint basic runes into things, people, or oneself.
Using magic can imprint the runes, and these would last for a minimum of 10 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes before they disappear.
Another way to imprint runes is by using a suitable medium where one could imprint a permanent rune, where its complexity would depend on the materials used.]
As he read through the explanations, Arthur had a feeling like Jizo was there to guide him. As if these words originated from that man sitting alone in the darkness. This feeling kept intensifying until Arthur willed the Legacy to disappear and decided to wash his body in the lake nearby first.
He made his way by looking around for any wild monsters. Although the city was safe, the same couldn't be said about the areas nearby.
As the lake reflected his face, Arthur was spooked by what he saw. His eyes have now turned golden. He then remembered Jizo's eyes, and he had started hyperventilating as a panic attack threatened to overtake him. However, he soon calmed down, and his upset stomach turned back to normal.
He was still Arthur. He was sure of it. It was only that Jizo's Legacy altered his appearance slightly. He can tell others that this change was brought by his ability, as this wasn't uncommon.
After he calmed down, he took a shower to clean himself and looked again at the lake. His face was still average-looking, with dark half-circles under his eyes. He looked a bit older than an average eighteen years old person.
His new appearance didn't differ by a lot, except his eyes now contained a certain gravitating charm as if they held wisdom within. He decided to accept this and start investigating his surroundings.
As he looked around, Arthur could see a vast mountain range bordering the lake from the other side. There were many canyons in between the mountains that acted as passageways of the mountain range. On his side of the lake was a forest that covered his vision. As he was looking around, he saw a patch of grassland that bordered the forest. He decided to head there and see if he can spot something to know where he is.
After he got there, Arthur's view cleared of the forest, and he could see the grassland in front of him. It was mostly empty except for the wild boars idling around. The only bad news is that these wild boars were a monster called man-eating boars, the Beras.
"Squeak!"
Arthur heard a squeak from his side and turned around to see a wild boar flaring its nose in his direction. He was momentarily stunned, but the Beras charged at him with its horns forward.
"Shit!"
Arthur threw himself toward the forest, and the Beras passed by. It then slammed into a tree trunk, causing it to break, but the tree was still intact. Arthur took the chance to escape toward the lakeside, where he woke up using the terrain to flee. Thankfully, it appeared the forest had too many obstacles for the Beras to move freely in. After a while of running, Arthur sat down as he sensed that he was alone.
"How… How would I survive if you send me here, Jizo?!" He kept panting and blaming his luck. He knew Jizo said that the teleportation would send a distance away, but he didn't think he would end up in a monster zone.
These zones were areas the Union didn't reach and treated them as hunting grounds.
It would be a difficult task for him to escape this area uninjured without being rescued. He sat down and rested as he thought about how to escape this place.
After some thought, he remembered the runes the Legacy said were available at his level. He started sending his will and communicating with the Legacy to show him the runes he could use. Words appeared in front of him.
Report chapter Comments
[Strength-I: Increase strength by 5]
[Agility-I: Increase agility by 5]
[Detection-I: Detect lifeforms in a 50-meter radius.]
As Arthur read them, he finally started to see hope. From what he knew, runes were symbols giving special effects using mana. Artifacts of the past had runes that gave them their unique functions.
For example, some weapons would burn with fire if injected with mana, and some would freeze what they touch. Some artifacts would cast barriers, and others would heal people in a given radius when used.
These were all achieved by runes engraved on the artifacts themselves. Scientists tried to replicate these runes, but they only succeeded in making artificial ones, as they only shared the mana path with genuine runes.
"Detect," Arthur muttered and willed the detection rune to activate. He felt something escaping his body and guessed it was the mana. A white symbol appeared above his palm, and it radiated a faint yellow glow.
It pulsed several times, and Arthur could feel invisible waves traveling from his hand to the surrounding. As they traveled, Arthur could strangely know what they encountered. The symbol kept pulsing, and Arthur could now perceive lifeforms in a 50-meters radius.
He ignored the ones deep underground and focused on his surroundings. Other than some lifeforms in the lake, the forest was mostly empty of monsters. There were some birds and bugs, but Arthur could perceive they were harmless.
With his radar-like new ability, Arthur began to walk through the forest. As he kept on walking hastily, he went deeper and deeper. At some point, he sensed a wolf in the woods, and he changed directions and kept going. This ability allowed him to travel for 10 minutes before the symbol dimmed and disappeared.
"Phew." Arthur sighed and stopped in his tracks. Luckily, the sun was still up, although there was an orange hue in the sky. He didn't have much time before night would set. He needed to get some food and shelter for the night.
As he looked around, he saw a tree with some fruits. Although they wouldn't fill his stomach, they would at least sustain him. He did think about hunting a rabbit or something, but he didn't know how to butcher it or even start a fire, given that he had the equipment for that which he didn't.
As he checked his mana while eating, he found that it was still 0/1. It appeared he can use one rune before it emptied. He waited for it to recover as he ate. After another 5 minutes, his mana was back. He didn't know if it didn't take long, only 15 minutes, because he ate or if it regenerated by itself.
He used the Detection-I rune again and continued on marching. He started heading toward a mountain in the distance, hoping to find an empty cave.
After three hours of looking around, Arthur finally managed to find an uninhabited cave. It was shallow and didn't offer any protection but a roof for the night. Before it was too dark, he broke some branches and twigs to make a weapon and a fire. He didn't know how to make the latter, and he sharpened a branch using the cave wall for the former.
The night took over the sky, and the darkness blanketed the world. The lack of sun brought a chill, and Arthur had to endure the cold. He finally succeeded in making some fire by rubbing some twigs against the branches. Light spread throughout the cave, illuminating its interior.
Arthur decided against sleeping for the night as he heard the howls of monsters in the forest. He kept dozing off and waking up to remember to use the Detection rune to know if a beast was nearby.
"Growl…"
His consciousness brought to reality by the sound of a low growl, Arthur sprung to his feet in terror. He has fallen asleep without knowing it, and an injured wolf was at the cave's entrance. Arthur picked his sharpened pole and readied himself for battle.
However, the wolf appeared too wounded to fight as it limped while keeping an eye on Arthur to the cave's wall. It inched slowly toward the fire and collapsed, breathing heavily.
Arthur relaxed his tensed body as he saw this. He then wondered if he should kill the wolf before it heals itself. As he looked at the wolf and his hand, he saw both of them were shaking. He wasn't ready to do this. Not now at least, and not toward an injured beast.
He decided to use Detection for now in case whatever injured the wolf was nearby. Luckily, nothing of that sort was near. He sighed in relief and slumped to the ground. It has been a close call. If something more threatening appeared, he wouldn't have the time to escape. Luckily, it was only an injured wolf this time.
The next day, Arthur descended the mountain to look for some prey. He knew he couldn't stay for long without getting the proper nourishment. He used his detection skills to find a rabbit hole and wait for them to show themselves.
As soon as one did, Arthur stabbed the rabbit, who continued to struggle as it was impaled in his pole. He closed his eyes as he heard the pitiful screams. He kept telling himself that he needed to harden his heart to survive.
The hunger replaced the guilt, which was short-lived. Using the Strength-I rune, he skinned the rabbit using his bare hands. It was grotesque but essential for his survival. He threw up one time before calming himself and heading back toward the cave.
As he sat by the fire, ready to cook the meat, the wolf whimpered as it smelled the food. It was too weak for Arthur to worry about as it couldn't even move. Its black fur has already dyed half red with dried-up blood. As he contemplated the matter, Arthur took a rabbit thigh and threw it toward the wolf.
"For our survival." Arthur started cooking his food. However, he later noticed that the meat he threw to the wolf was untouched as it was so weak that it couldn't even move to eat. Arthur sighed and stared at the wolf for a while.
"I just hope this won't come back to bite me… Quite literally, in fact." Arthur walked toward the wolf as a Strength-I rune appeared in his hand. He then placed his hand on the wolf and hurried away in case the wolf decided to jump on him.
However, nothing of that sort happened. As the wolf gained sudden strength, it was confused but didn't overthink about it. It stood up and went to the food and started eating. Then, a scene of one man and one wolf sharing a meal took place.
Arthur was energized after this meal, just enough to go out and explore the rest of the forest. On his way out, he saw that there were signs of battle and blood. He didn't know if they were human, but he guessed them to be judging by the wound inflicted on the wolf.
As he traced the signs of battles in the hope of finding some civilization, he finally met his first opponent. It was a horned snake with a girth half his and a length of 1.5-meters.
He didn't know if he could take it on, but he had particular hate for snakes and anything similar. Furthermore, he knew he couldn't keep going without killing any monsters.
Before he got noticed, Arthur waited for his mana to refill before he imprinted Agility-I on himself. He felt lighter and faster, just what he needed to fight this monster. He didn't have any time to waste as the rune lasted 10 minutes at best.
He dashed toward the horned snake that was too preoccupied munching on something to notice him in time. As he stabbed with his pole, he was able to inflict a deep injury on its face.
However, it wasn't enough to kill it. He sensed the snake was trying to jump him, so he evaded it in the nick of time. He then repeated his earlier endeavor until the snake fell to the ground, dead.
[First monster slain. Special rune obtained. Level 2 has been reached]
After the battle ended, Arthur saw rows appear in front of him. His guess was correct; the Legacy wanted him to grow stronger. He needed to be stronger to do what Jizo asked him to, so it only made sense that hunting would reward him.
He sat on the ground resting as he examined the new changes brought by the Legacy. As he willed it, his information appeared again, just like the first time.
[Scholar Guardian's Legacy]
[Level: 2 (3%)]
[Strength: 14]
[Agility: 12]
[Stamina: 14]
[Perception: 10]
[Mana: 1/1]
[Abilities: Beginner Runes Wordsmith (1%), Useable Runes: 4]
[Skills: None]
[Stats Points: 1]
There was a new row listing his Stats Points. It seemed he can use that to increase one of his stats. It was the first time Arthur heard of such a Legacy that allowed you to improve your strength, agility, stamina, etc.
He wanted to increase his mana right away as it was the most useful of them all to him currently. He then examined the new rune he got. To his surprised, it wasn't a basic tier rune.
[Absorb: A Legacy rune that can use the life energy of the enemies you have slain to strengthen yourself.]
Arthur was confused at first. Then he looked at the fallen horned snake and used the rune on it. As the rune glowed, it didn't need any mana, and it turned into a white glow that entered his body. Then another row appeared.
[Agility has been increased by 1.]
"So that's how it is! Hahaha!" Arthur laughed with excitement at his new rune. It seemed his Legacy was far more powerful than he imagined. However, his thrill was short-lived as he remembered what he needs to do.
"How am I supposed to fight the whole world?"
If there were hunting grounds, then there's a mercenary tavern. These people who gathered here were those who earned just enough money to live by selling beasts' parts. They would stay at the tavern that also served as a place for the mercenaries who would stay the night.
Most of them were neo-rank awakeners who couldn't advance and wanted to live a simple life as they earned enough to send home. Elise's Eyes pub was one such place as it established itself as the oasis of mountain range Rovero.
"Any new ones lately?" A bearded man asked the bartender with a gruff voice. He meant the mercenaries residing in the tavern. The bartender, a young man, nearing his thirties with a receding hairline, sighed and shook his head.
"This place is too low-tired for anyone to take permanent residency here." The bartender habitably wiped the cups as he said. He opened this tavern, hoping to live a stable life with his wife, Elise, but things weren't the best lately.
As the two were talking, the tavern door opened, and someone came in. They turned around and saw a young man who just left his teenage years walk with bloodstains all over him.
His eyes darted from one place to the other, scrutinizing the place. As he stared at the duo when they saw his wisdom-filled eyes, they couldn't help to be dazed. He broke the silence and headed toward the bartender.
"Hello Sir," Arthur respectfully greeted before he asked what bugged him the most, "May I know where we are?" The two men glanced at each other as they heard his question.
Not long afterward, Arthur learned he was just south of the city he lived in, Kera. It was a mountain range called Rovaro that Arthur learned about when he attended school. The bartender said that it took one day of walking east of here to get to the train station.
However, Arthur didn't have the money to buy a ticket.
"We can buy any beast materials. If you have any, I can even take you there on my mount. It would take an hour at most." The bartender offered.
Arthur searched his pockets and retrieved a small mana core he got from the horned snake he killed on his way here. As the bartender examined it, he nodded his head and said it should be enough for the ride and the ticket. He even offered a bath and a meal to Arthur free of charge.
After he washed, Arthur had to wait for the bartender to ready his mount, so he opened the laptop the bartender offered. It had an internet connection, so Arthur started reading some online articles about legacies.
After an hour of browsing through articles, theories, and some official documents by the Union, Arthur learned a lot about Legacies. Although they were widely treated as legends by the common folks due to their rarity, they still existed.
Some famous people were said to have legacies that allowed them to rise above the common masses. One of them was the White Fairy; someone Arthur met not long ago. He made a mental note to check on Yuran later on.
The generalized concept of Legacies was the following. Whenever a person wanted to pass away, they can create a legacy containing a part of their will. However, it needed to be strong enough to outlast his body and escape life and death.
That means not only powerful people had legacies. Sometimes scientists created legacies containing their will of discovering a certain thing or uncovering a mystery.
The Legacy user would then need to do whatever the Legacy owner wanted if they wanted to get what the owner had to offer. It was like a trade that transcended time and dimensions. You offer what you have accumulated from knowledge and power to someone; they do what you want in return.
That didn't mean Legacy users were mindless slaves. They can refuse to abide by the will of the legacy owner, and it would disappear until it finds someone else. Then the person who rejected the Legacy can train using normal means just like anyone else.
"You're ready?" The bartender, Joe, walked in and asked Arthur. The latter nodded and cleared his browsing history before standing up to leave. He then remembered the wolf at the cave.
Did it die? Arthur didn't kill it since he didn't see a need for it. He couldn't eat a wolf, and he didn't know killing monsters would make it stronger.
Arthur thought he should go back and kill it to get stronger, but he felt reluctant as the two shared a meal and were both trying to survive. He decided against it and walked toward Joe's mount.
This was the first time Arthur would ride a mount in his life. It was a giant wolf with a saddle on and a big scar across its face. Arthur would have been intimidated if not for the wolf licking Joe's feet as he rubbed its head. It was a pretty sight that lifted Arthur's spirits, and he laughed.
"Can I rub its fur too?"
After an hour followed by a train ride, Arthur found himself back home. By the time he got there, it was already nighttime. As he walked into his house, he found his weeping mother with his brother Oren hugging her with tears in his eyes.
"Mom? What's wrong?" Arthur asked, puzzled. As his mother heard his voice, her petite frame flinched as she turned and looked at him with shock. In front of her was a letter that was too crumpled. His brother Oren also turned toward him as he, too, looked at him with shock.
"My son… He's alive… He's…" His mom then jumped toward him and hugged him crying. As he heard his mother's words, he finally understood what happened. It seems Yuran contacted his family and told them he had died.
He didn't think this would happen and didn't prepare himself for it. That's why he didn't know what to do, letting his mother cry herself out as he patted her back, telling her he was still here.
After that episode ended, the three of them sat together and talked about what happened. Arthur didn't tell them about Jizo as that was too hard to believe and too shocking. He only said that he fell in the hole and found himself transported outside the dungeon.
Although it was uncommon and somewhat rare, it didn't defy common sense. His family bought it, and the rest of his lies went smoothly as he told them he awakened an amplification ability. It was a basic ability, but it was a recognized ability nonetheless, and that's why his family was thrilled to know that.
After her shock subsided, his mother slept soundly that night. Oren and Arthur sat down and talked for a while. It was weird that they spoke like this after all this time, but Arthur knew it was the first step.
"So, how's school?"
It was a simple question, yet Oren flinched and started to stutter. He was nervous and started mumbling.
"I'm not… I'm not going these days…"
Arthur was about to get angry, but he felt like his brother had more to say. As he waited patiently, his brother tried to voice his words and kept closing his mouth a short moment afterward.
"Are you being bullied?" Arthur asked directly as this possibility appeared in his head. If that was the case, he needs to take drastic actions. When Oren heard his question, he panicked and kept denying it before he stood and went to his room.
Arthur sighed and wondered what he should do. If he called the academy, they would try to go through official means, and he doubted the bullies would get more than a warning. Most of the students attending Oren's academy were awakeners' children.
"Maybe it's time I go back?" Arthur's mind had this new possibility. He left the academy long ago because it was too expensive for him. Now, he can make some money to enroll in the academy using his new ability.
This would give him the qualifications needed to join a syndicate or a guild, allowing access to new resources and information. This way, he could find the father he lost years ago.
Report chapter Comments
As he was getting ready to sleep, Arthur checked his email out of habit. He then found a transaction made to his bank account, the one he shared with his family. Confused, Arthur opened the email and found that a transaction has been made earlier today.
As he read the number transferred to his account, he was even more confused as it was 3000 dollars.
"Just what is this?"
Arthur tried to mull over it for a while before suspecting Yuran. He went and called Alan, but his phone was out of service. Arthur didn't know how to contact Yuran to give him the money. He saved Yuran's life to repay the debt of the gunman saving him.
He didn't want to be further indebted to him, nor anyone. As he had no contact information, he decided to leave it for now until he saw Yuran in the future.
"For now, I should just sleep."
Early the following day, Arthur awoke feeling more refreshed than ever. He slept for 11 hours straight since he didn't get much sleep the day prior. He took a bath and started using his phone after he got out. What he wanted to do today was simple. He has planned to register in the Union. He sent an application before starting to test his Legacy.
[Scholar Guardian's Legacy]
[Level: 2 (3%)]
[Strength: 14]
[Agility: 13]
[Stamina: 14]
[Perception: 10]
[Mana: 1/1]
[Abilities: Beginner Runes Wordsmith (1%), Useable Runes: 4]
[Skills: None]
[Stats Points: 1]
He still hasn't used his available stats point. Since yesterday, he thought about what direction to take, and he came out with an obvious answer. It was mana. The only reason he waited until now is in case adding points made him vulnerable in the process. As he asked the Legacy to increase his mana, a warm current spread in his body. His head ached a little, but it was bearable. Then, a few words appeared.
[Your mana has been increased by 1. Mana: 2/2]
It was easy, fast, and harmless. Furthermore, Arthur enjoyed the feeling of growing stronger. As his mana doubled, he felt even more refreshed and energized than earlier. As he was about to try the runes, his phone rang with a notification.
He received an email from the Union for a test to verify his license. As the Union gave awakeners special care, they scheduled him to take their tests this afternoon. He cleaned the house and wore his best clothes before heading out.
The Union's branch was downtown, so he needed to take a ride. He arrived at the station fifteen minutes later and paid for a runic train, although it was more expensive than a normal one. He boarded the train and sat down.
There were still two minutes before they set off, so Arthur opened some articles about the Union's tests. As he was reading, he heard the doors closing, so he powered off his phone. He looked through the window and saw a myriad of colors starting to appear as the runes on the train began to lit up one by one. He tried to study them, but they disappeared too quickly.
[Ability level is insufficient.]
Arthur was amazed as he read these words. It seems that he can try and study some runes, hopefully acquiring them. He made a mental note to go to the library later.
The next moment, he was at his destination.
He didn't know if it was teleportation or high-speed magic attraction, but this mechanism allowed everyone to travel from one place to the other instantaneously.
A bustling crowd greeted him after he left the station.
It was always like this downtown. Skyscraper's filled his view with their multicolored billboards and cloud-reaching architecture. Flying mounts like giant ravens, draconic eagles, and mystical serpents danced in-between, filling Arthur with awe.
Only then did he remember his dream as a kid of exploring everything. Now, however, it seemed he had too grand of a dream. With his Legacy, maybe, just maybe, he had a chance.
The Union also sent him the branch's location, so he didn't need directions. He tapped the link they sent and waited until it showed him the way. The test was at 3 PM, so he had three more hours left.
Walking there would probably take him half an hour, so he decided to spend some time at the arcade first before going there. He wasn't used to these kinds of expenditures, but he decided to treat himself to lessen his nervousness.
He wasn't worried about passing the test. He was sure that he would pass the first test. Unless the scanning arrays were broken, him being an awakener was undisputable. What worried him was his Legacy. He didn't know if the Union would register his ability as Rune Wordsmith or they would discover his Legacy. Either way, he felt like he couldn't trust the Union. Not after what happened to his father years ago.
The red neon sign of the arcade broke his train of thoughts. It was called Otherworldly Paradise, and it was a famous attraction of Kera city. He followed a group of students inside and imitated them by buying a credit card and charging it.
The last time he came here, they used cash, but he wasn't that ignorant about things like these. He took his card and found a virtual combat game called The Last Survivor. 'The test can't be worse than fighting someone, so let's play this one.'
He felt his head touch the seat's headrest, which had inscribed runes to allow his consciousness to enter the virtual game. He scanned his card with the machine by the armrest and felt the runes energy tickle the back of his head. On the screen in front of him, there was a countdown. Arthur rested his eyes and allowed his consciousness to be transported into the game.
Report chapter Comments
When he opened his eyes, he was standing on a headland by the sea, where seagulls flew and danced. On the other side of the headland stood an armored knight wearing the same armor as him. Arthur looked around in fascination as he realized the advancement of virtual gaming.
The game asked him to enter his nickname, and he chose a plain The Arthur before changing it to Golden Arthur. The latter came from an unknown desire to be recognized, and Arthur was reminded of Jizo once again residing within him.
"Warriors, choose your weapons!"
The game's narrator had a familiar voice, but Arthur couldn't remember who it belonged to. A famous warrior probably did the voice acting for the game. These days, awakeners found all sorts of ways to earn money. Arthur scanned the list of weapons and realized they were all close combat weapons, like swords, lances, sabers, or claymores. He mastered none of them.
However, while remembering his father teaching him some basic sword techniques when times were happy, he smiled nostalgically and chose a sword, and it appeared in front of him.
His opponent was waiting with a lance in hand already. It seemed he was a veteran at this game, given his lack of hesitation in choosing it. His nickname was Sier.
"Ready! Set! Fight!"
After the countdown was over, the fight began, and Sier charged forward. Although the armor looked heavy, it was weightless. They were fighting using their bodies but with different appearances. As the opponent drew near, Arthur realized that he was at a disadvantage. Their weapons had different ranges. Although the sword was easier to use, Arthur wasn't that good at it.
With a flawless stance, the opponent thrust his weapon toward Arthur's heart. The game would end once a vital part was struck three times by one of the players. Arthur panicked and tried to dodge to the left, but the attack pierced his shoulder nonetheless.
A stabbing pain was transmitted, although it was nothing compared to the real pain if this happened in reality. Arthur tried to slash his opponent, but the latter deflected it easily before stabbing again. The opponent didn't miss this time and pierced Arthur's heart, and he lost a single life.
What followed was the most pathetic scene in Arthur's recent life. He tried to make a counterattack, but his opponent left no room and riddled his body with wounds. He lost his second life in no time and had only one left while his opponent had three.
'Should I just quit?' Arthur hesitated but decided against it. He was already feeling pathetic, and quitting now would make it worst. In his mind, losing was okay too. However, he needed to land a good strike on his opponent's body before he loses.
Arthur tried to focus like the time he searched for even the tiniest bit of artifact in dungeons. He kept looking for a gap, a chance, or a distraction to land a proper strike. Suddenly, Arthur felt lighter and stronger. He panicked for a moment as this was the feeling of his runes activating, and it was draining his mana.
The opponent gave no time as he drew back his lance to strike his heart for the third time; Arthur slashed toward his opponents' neck. The increase in strength and speed startled the opponent and left a gap in his calculations. As this game reads your body's biometrics, it seemed that applying the runes had a similar effect like real life.
"K.O!"
[Sier has requested a rematch. Accept?]
Arthur declined and left the game. As he came to his senses, he found himself tired and sweating. He didn't feel it as he was in the game, but he did once he logged out. He checked his mana, and it was empty.
He felt quite tired as he drained his mana, but he was still stronger than usual as the runes remained active. It seems he could apply two runes at the same time now, with his mana reaching 2.
Arthur found a couch and laid down there to rest. He checked the time, and it was 1:02 PM. He still had some time to rest, so he set the alarm for an hour and slept. Although it was an arcade, it was usually quiet because most people were inside the virtual reality games.
An hour later, his favorite song woke him up. Groaning, Arthur decided to change it later because he realized he would only hate the song if it kept waking him up. Arthur walked to the reception to reclaim what's left in the credit card he bought.
He had one more hour before his test, so he was contemplating what to do until then. He was walking past the lounge when a man sitting alone spoke to him and he halted his steps.
"I see why you're called golden." The man chuckled, but his back was facing Arthur. The latter turned around and scrutinized the man checking if he was talking to him. Arthur didn't know how the man could see him, but it seems he was talking to him.
"Are you Sier?" Arthur guessed since his nickname was Golden Arthur. Although it was a game, he felt bad for using his ability as there was a no-ability rule in the arcade.
"I am. You can call me Si as well, that's what my friends call me anyway." The man raised his hand to his face, and Arthur could see the smoke rising. Since he was still at the man's back head, he realized the man was smoking a cigarette. His hair was curled up but tied in a ponytail, giving the man a stylish yet delinquent-like ambiance.
"I'm not your friend."
"Not yet, yes." Si turned around, and Arthur was finally able to see his face. He was a light brown-skinned man who looked in his mid-twenties. His yellowish-green eyes gave him an amiable yet sharp appearance. "Why don't you have a seat?" Si offered.
As he was thinking about turning him down, Arthur felt his head throb as he felt the Legacy telling him something. The pain was gone after a moment, and Arthur decided to sit down. He didn't trust this man nor the being residing within him, but Jizo's will seemed to want to meet this man.
"What is it that you want? An apology?" His voice rang apathetic in his ears, and so it did for Si. The latter grinned and handed Arthur a cigarette, but he shook his head. He was never a smoker.
"No, I don't care about the game. I'm simply interested in your ability." Si took a second to smoke and continued, "What guild do you work for?"
"I'm not working for any."
"Oh? That's rare."
"I guess." Arthur tried to keep his words short, as he didn't want to reveal his only recent awakening. "So, tell me, if it's not about the duel, then what?"
"Scouting." Si gave a thin smile as he lit another cigarette before tapping twice on the ashtray with the cigarette. "I'm looking for talented individuals."
Report chapter Comments
"In an arcade? Huh, that's novel." Arthur's sarcastic remark didn't affect Si at all. He continued talking like he was used to being doubted. "Not really. Games these years are different after virtual reality runes came into existence.
What's the difference between reality and virtual reality?" Si's voice was clear, as if he rehearsed his words already. "That's why I scout people in arcades and gaming tournaments for any promising rookies."
"Rookies?" Arthur furrowed his brows, showing a fa?ade of displeasure. Although it was true that he recently awakened, he didn't like that Si was analyzing him.
"Why would any awakener visit the arcade instead of a dungeon?" Si wiggled his thumb as he rotated the silver ring on his finger. Silence followed as Arthur stared at Si, and the latter stared back. After a while, Arthur sighed and dropped his head.
"Okay. Tell me what is it that you're recruiting me for."
"Oh, don't overestimate yourself. I still don't know you enough. However, have you done your Union's ability test yet?"
The Union's building was engineered by the first founder. Although current technology might look more sophisticated, no one can match the first founder's array system.
From the outside, the building seemed to be 600 square meters at best. It had thirty-three floors and ten basements as well. This was not even the headquarters. Furthermore, using arrays doubled the space inside each floor. One might wonder why would the Union need so much space.
In summary, the Union had its workforce that needed space to monitor and regulate the awakeners. They also had floors for artifacts transactions, monsters' carcasses dismemberments, training arrays, lounging, and even an academy.
However, most floors were for the Temple, a division that defended the public from disasters and criminal awakeners.
That was the reason Arthur was filled with awe by the magnificence of the skyscraper he witnessed. Runes glowed on its floors as flying mounts and private jets flew in and out of its ports. The security check was also controlled by runes, so there was only a small number of guards, although they looked elite.
After passing the front door, Arthur felt the disharmony of space as if he entered a less compressed area than before. What greeted him was a large hall where chandeliers laced with gems towered the crowd of people idly chatting or lining up in front of the reception desk.
He chose one of the shorter lines and waited for his turn, where an oval-faced receptionist greeted him with a thin smile.
"Welcome to the Union, how can I help you?"
"Hello. I have an appointment at three for an awakener test. Here's my batch number." Arthur showed her his shabby phone, being conscious about its bent edge and cracked screen. The receptionist read the number and placed her hand on a tablet.
There was no screen, but it seemed the receptionist was looking through some data as she kept looking around. After a short moment, she lifted her hand off the tablet and turned to Arthur.
"Welcome, Mr. Arthur Silvera. Your batch is waiting in testing area number 3, please take a left from there and keep heading straight. You won't miss it." It seemed she recognized him from the photo in his application as she didn't ask for an ID. Arthur thanked her before following her instructions.
After walking for a few minutes, Arthur entered a small hall with a Testing Area 3 label. He found it to be half full, so it was easy for him to find a place to sit. He couldn't see anyone too eye-catching as he looked around, but there was this one kid with glassed, gesturing with his hands as if he was holding a ball. Arthur guessed it probably had something to do with his ability.
As he was waiting, the clock struck three. The door slowly opened, and a middle-aged woman came in. Her high heels made a distinctive clank against the marble floor. She stood in front of the awaiting sitting crowd and held her hand up with her thumb touching the ring on her index finger.
Arthur could see some runes on the ring and realized it was a famous artifact that the awakeners used instead of phones and smartwatches.
"Welcome, everyone. The test will be conducted in a moment. Before that, my secretary will hand out forms for you to fill. You must fill the form with your personal information and your preferences." The woman continued to talk even as her secretary started distributing the forms.
"Your test results would be released in 24 hours along with your Awakener ID if you pass. Please read the clauses carefully before signing the contract so that you can have a better image of your privileges and your restrictions. Violations would be severely punished."
Arthur read the form he received. The first section required his personal information, contact information, ID number, and how he awakened. The second section was about how the applicant liked to be tested, whether he wanted to join the Union, and if he wanted to release his information to the public.
He remembered Si's advice about only taking the awakening test without evaluating his ability for confidentiality. This policy was implanted after an information leak scandal several years ago. He filled the form and only signed up for the awakening test.
He didn't want to deal with the aftermaths of people discovering his Legacy currently, as he was powerless. Therefore, for now, he decided to stay low-key until he can work his way up and grow stronger.
After handing the form, Arthur was sent to another room where a magic-resonance device detected the magical energy in his body. It was a magical feeling as Arthur felt his energy vibrate inside his body.
The awakening test was only that, and it didn't require any other tests. Arthur sensed some hostility from the secretary as she led him back to the reception hall, leaving the others behind for an evaluation test.
Although the Union would complete his ID, Arthur has turned down several privileges by withholding his ability. Since he did that, The Union would refrain from including him in teams and any future internships.
Leaving the Union's building, the worry was the furthest from Arthur's mind. He can always take the evaluation later and enjoy the privileges offered, but he needed some time to grow.
If the Union acknowledged his ability to be useful to the Union, Arthur doubted they would let him go so easily. He might have let go of his privileges, but he gained more freedom than others.
Report chapter Comments
After walking for half an hour in thoughts, Arthur found himself at the address Si gave him. Unlike what he expected, the address led to a Villa on one of Kera city's hills. Arthur could see most of the city from here, as well as the ocean lacing the horizon.
He wondered if he could enjoy this view one day from his own house. He then dismissed these thoughts and rang the Villa's bell. After a short while, a girl opened the door. She had a plain-looking face with shoulder-length curly brown hair. The first thing Arthur noticed about her was the distinct mole on the right side of her chin.
"How can I help you?" The girl asked, confused. Arthur took the paper Si wrote for him and handed it over, wordless.
The girl took it and frowned, making Arthur doubt if Si pranked him. Although it was more like a whisper, Arthur heard the girl call someone a shameless bastard.
"Follow me," The girl said and went inside. Arthur felt awkward for a second before he followed her. They walked through a hallway and a living room, but Arthur couldn't look closely at them as he tried to keep up.
They reached the backyard to see a pond with rocks surrounding it, and an old maple tree sat beside it. Beneath the tree was a large stone where a bald old man sat with his white beard swaying in the wind. He sat motionless under the tree and had his eyes closed.
"Gramps! The bastard Si sent someone!"
Arthur felt relieved when she mentioned Si's name, even if she cursed him. He looked at the old man who now had his eyes opened, unlike earlier, and felt a sudden pressure being emitted from him.
The old man was frowning, probably at his granddaughter's foul mouth, but regained his serene expression a moment later. He looked at Arthur for a moment and smiled.
"Come here, kid." The old man's voice was clear, although a bit weakened by age. It was hoarse yet firm as if he held conviction in every word. The girl gestured toward Arthur to go forth and went back inside.
Arthur ambled toward the maple tree and sat on the stone the old man gestured to. A wave of peacefulness swept over him, erasing his fatigue, and only then did Arthur notice the runes the stones held.
"How is Si?" The old man asked with a hint of wistfulness, seemingly reminiscing the past. Arthur tried to think of an answer, but he was at a loss. Seeing his hesitation, the old man sighed and nodded. "So, he sent you here just like the others. It seems he isn't that far from reaching his goal."
"What do you mean?" Arthur titled his head in puzzlement, as Si didn't tell him anything about this. The old man shook his head and continued.
"Si is gathering allies to make his group, people he could trust."
"How did he know he can trust me?" Arthur asked, feeling doubtful.
"His eyes, they're special. They can look into people's hearts. He probably liked what he saw in you."
"Then tell me why he sent me here. He said I needed to see you, to learn things from you, before anything else." Arthur asked as he remembered what Si has said in the arcade.
"In return for becoming Si's ally, I can help you with your mana. I can see you have just awakened. Most people would awaken when they're 14 or 15, but you're already past 18. Others have a head-start over you in terms of mana control, quantity, and even abilities. That's why you need to learn how to increase your mana and how to control it more efficiently." The old man smiled a little as he explained.
"How do I know I can trust you?" Arthur asked although he felt his Legacy's would agree. Although the Legacy was but a tool for him to grow, it also contained the will of one of the nine guardians. However, Arthur couldn't just say yes and let go of all his fears.
"Here's my card. You can look me up when you get back home." The old man handed his card over, and Arthur read it. A name and a number were written on it, along with the Villa's address. His name was Master Ronin.
Back at home, Arthur sat alone with his thoughts. Too many things were going on that he needed to plan first. He wasn't the most intelligent person around, and he knew many can take advantage of him. He didn't want to end up being used by others, and that's why he needed to research things for the next few days.
First was Master Ronin. As he looked him up, many photos of him and his achievements came up. Unknown to him before, Master Ronin was a renowned figure in the academic world. He was the ex-vice president of the Hall of Warriors, the ex-principal of Jarano College.
What interested Arthur was his latter position, as Jareno College was a floating city that acted as an international college for awakeners. It didn't only train students but was a research center for anything magic and dungeon-related.
After extensive research into it, Arthur's heart beat faster as he read about a department in this college. It was renowned worldwide for being one of the best in the past several years as it competed with institutes outside the federal union of Yalveran. It was the Runes Research Department.
As he researched further, his next goals started to align themselves in his head. To further improve his abilities, he needed to study runes. There was no place better than a world-renowned facility. Attending this college would help him in his career as an awakener.
He didn't know if he should only be a warrior clearing dungeons since he found his Runes Wordsmith ability to have several other fields like magic engineering, potions brewing, artifacts research, and others.
"Can I even take the college exam if I didn't finish high school?" Arthur highly doubted. That's where Master Ronin's role would come into play to help him out. As he researched further and further, Arthur felt his confidence and excitement grow. It seems it wouldn't be far that he travels beyond the gates and look for his father, the missing pillar of his family.
As waves of nostalgia rushed back in, Arthur felt his vision blur as tears streaked from his face. He remembered the days his father carried him and his brother on his broad shoulders as they went shopping for New Year's Eve, How his mother looked happy as they came back and raced to kiss her, How they admired his father as a hero who saved his city from a dungeon break. As the night slowly passed, muffled sobs leaked from a young man who carried too much on his shoulders.
"Sier, what did you see in him?" Under the moonlight and the gazes of endless constellations, Master Ronin's voice breached the silence of the night. It traveled slowly to the ears of the young man sitting in front of him, who had his eyes closed as he enjoyed the tea in his hand. Sier opened his eyes, and they reflected a serenity unbefitting of his age.
"I know what you saw, old man. That young man's fate."
"I told you to stop doing that." Master Ronin's brows furrowed as the uncomfortableness was genuine. The young man in front of him was someone he feared and cherished even though he was a lot weaker than himself. However, his ability was a peculiar one.
Sier shook his head and placed the cup on the rock in front of him. He met Master Ronin's eyes, and for the briefest moment, they turned bizarrely violet. The latter's body shook as his hand trembled, clearly losing his composure.
"You…"
"I don't have much time left until it happens. The ability is already activating on its own." Sier's voice was weak yet alienated. Master Ronin felt the familiarity of the boy he once raised and the unfamiliarity of something far more horrifying.
He wanted to say something but Sier's words didn't stop there. "These eyes… Whatever lies inside of them… It feared that young man."
"Then, are you going to ask him?"
"Well, it'll depend on how far he's willing to go for the truth." Sier smiled as he remembered the report that he received this morning. With it, he'll be able to gain a reliable ally and maybe even avoid a terrifying enemy.
"Is it another nightmare?" A woman he didn't know asked him after he opened his eyes crying. He looked around absent-minded, trying to figure out where he was. As he studied the woman further, her gentle appearance struck a chord in his heart. As she began to worry, he finally remembered the love of his life, Elisa.
"I don't know. It feels like… I was just crying about something." He looked around as he remembered his room. Their room. His wife, the one he married three years ago, Elisa. Someone he felt grateful just to be with. She was the only person who stayed by his side even after the death of his parents.
"Jizo, this has been happening a lot lately. Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Elisa asked, her hand trembling as she held him and whispered his name. He felt warmth rush in as he smiled and hugged her tightly.
"There's nothing wrong, darling. Everything is just fine. Lily is about to wake up, let's make some breakfast." Jizo stood up and got dressed. The two then started making breakfast before Elisa went over to Lily and woke her up.
"Good morning Papa!" Lily rushed and hugged him as she woke up. He could see she was still half asleep, so he carried her and washed her face. She struggled as she felt the cold water, but he didn't get angry, simply finding her too adorable with her puffed cheeks and twin-tails hairstyle.
As the three sat down and started eating, Jizo looked over the affair of his village. As it held no more than 300 houses, it wasn't that complicated to address, only some issues listed by the people he needed to resolve.
"Chief! Chief!"
The door flung open, and a man came rushing in. Elisa grabbed Lily and held her, frightened by the burst of an unknown person. Jizo stood up from his seat, displeased by the intrusion. However, as he saw the face of someone he knew being deathly pale, he knew something was wrong.
The man fell to the ground and pointed toward the door gasping to say something. Failing to say the words, the man's snot and tears began pouring out before he fainted. Jizo bolted toward the door as he stood there in the horror of what he saw in the distance.
A giant monster stood next to the mountain, with the mountain being half its height. It had black rocky skin as if it was a golem. Engraving of purple shined on its body as it emitted a pressure capable of crushing them.
"What in the Seven Guardians is this…" Jizo muttered as he witnessed the giant throwing his fist toward their village. He knew none would survive its fist. Jizo turned around and dashed toward Elise and Lily to protect them, but he was too late as the monster destroyed the whole village in seconds.
"HAAAA!" Arthur gasped for air as he woke up. His heart wanted to rip itself out of his chest as it was beating wildly. His eyes were wet with tears as it seems he was crying in his sleep.
The dream he just saw, where he was Jizo himself, made his heart shatter a million times. He knew what happened even if he didn't see it. He knew it by the aching in his heart. They died.
As he stood in front of the mirror and he saw himself, his eyes staring back at him. He felt like they contained loneliness and sadness beyond this world.
"Don't worry. History won't repeat itself." Arthur calmed down after he said those words. He breathed in and out as he realized that Jizo's emotions influenced him. What if he loved someone that much and still lost them?
After he decided what to do, Arthur went again to meet Master Ronin. He was surprised to meet Si there as well, as it looked like he has stayed the night over there. As the three ate breakfast after Arthur reluctantly agreeing, they went down to business.
"So why are you guys helping me?" Arthur was straightforward and concise. He didn't like to play games and wanted to hear what the other person wanted. If he felt like they were hiding something, he would pull out of this whole thing.
"First, let's tell you what we have to offer. Right now, you're a nobody. You're a rookie who has just awakened. Yet my ability can show me the potential people have." Si said after he finished his meal and wiped his mouth.
He then continued after standing up. "I was banished, forsaken, and treated like a monster by my family." He said as he gazed at the horizon. "I seek no pity, I only seek to take back what is rightfully mine." His eyes glowed, and Arthur realized this man held ambitions towering the skies.
For a brief moment, Arthur could also see it. The indomitable spirit Sier had. He stood proud and clear of what he is and what he wants.
"How am I to help you?" Arthur asked.
"Lend me your strength when the time comes. I won't ask you to throw yourself into a volcano. If you grow with the potential you have, I know you'll be someone capable of helping me with ease. At that time, I'll pay you back for your help.
What I," Si paused and looked toward Master Ronin, "What Master Ronin would offer is to earn your cooperation in the future. I would still pay you back for your help. That is after you grow." Si then turned silent.
As Arthur mulled over it, he couldn't see the harm it would bring him. As they discussed his end of the bargain, it was favorable. Master Ronin would teach him how to control and increase his mana. He would give him the foundations he missed establishing at an earlier age.
This way, he would be able to compete with others for Jerano College. In return, he would have to help Si after he grows stronger. Arthur knew it was only a matter of time before he did. Furthermore, Si said he would help Arthur to grow.
"Very well. You have my word." Arthur stood up and extended his hand. Si grinned widely and shook his hand. This simple scene was the first step leading to a world-shaking event.
Report chapter Comments
After Arthur returned home, he sent his application to the best academy in Kera city, Avalin. Oren also attended this academy, but he was a first-year where Arthur applied to be a senior year. Now, normally, no one can skip these many grades.
However, being an awakeners academy, they bent some rules for the awakeners. As the Union formally registered Arthur, he felt like he achieved the impossible. In a matter of a few hours, Arthur received his acceptance letter.
The academy administration transferred him to Senior Year Class-A, the best class in the academy. He wondered why he got the best class and then remembered that he also sent the recommendation letter of Master Ronin.
"Oh, I can start this Monday. It seems I have some free time to gain some experience and increase my strength." As Arthur read the acceptance email, he started formulating some plans. Because he spent the money Yuran sent on this month's loan, he needed to get some money to rebuy the gear his father left him.
Arthur slept that night and woke up the following day, making some breakfast. He was itching to use his Legacy since it has been several days since he used his ability and got stronger.
He then left the house and headed toward downtown, towards an address he last visited after his father went missing. The metro was crowded like usual, but Arthur had the time to waste, unlike yesterday.
It took a while until he arrived at the station near his destination and even more to get off. It was a commercial district where many guilds opened shops and auctions for weaponry and dungeons' supplies.
"Hah, I didn't think I would be back so soon." Arthur sighed as he looked at the sign of his father's old friend's shop. It sold used artifacts and weapons, so Arthur came to ask for help since he had no money to purchase his weapon. He didn't want to rely again on his father's friend, but he remembered the words he told him last time.
"I'll keep this until your father returns or you have a use for it yourself."
Arthur was too devastated to feel appreciative back then, but now gratitude filled his heart as he remembered the past. He pushed the door, and his ears rang with the bell's sound. The counter had a man polishing an artifact behind it who turned toward Arthur as he walked in.
Arthur could see the work these years have done to Cairon Tate, one of the few who helped him. His sideburns were now half grey, and he grew his beard. His hair was thinning a bit, but it grew long to cover for it. Cairon grinned as soon as he saw Arthur.
"Silvera!" His voice was happy, and Arthur felt even more nostalgic as Silvera was what Cairon called his father. He walked briskly toward the counter and shook Cairon's hand, and smiled.
"Mr. Tate, it's been a long time."
"It has indeed, why haven't you shown your face earlier?" Cairon's hand was calloused, and Arthur realized something horrifying. The hand he was shaking didn't feel complete.
"Mr. Cairon, this…" His voice trailed and cracked as he looked at the hand, missing two fingers and a big chunk of the palm from it. It had healed already, but it was indeed a blow to any person trading in artifacts and weapons.
"Ah this, yes. It has been a while since it happened, probably two years ago. A hellhound feasted on it after we were ambushed in a dungeon. No biggie though. I wanted to retire from that business for a while.
" Mr. Cairon waved his hand and tried to look unfazed. However, Arthur could feel the lingering bitterness. Usually, people could fool him, but his newfound intuition allowed him to read them better.
"What about you, brat? What have you been doing?" Mr. Cairon changed the subject seeing Arthur's saddened face, and the latter was happy to follow along.
"I've been artifact scavenging for the past few years. It wasn't much, but we had our ends meet."
"You rascal, you've been digging up dungeons without contacting me? You know I could use a scavenger!" Mr. Cairon pretended to be angry and laughed. He knew Arthur wouldn't rely on him even if he forcefully helped him.
"I would have come for you earlier if I needed to, but it was really alright. Now, however, I need what I sold you years earlier. Is it still here?" Arthur couldn't help but smile.
"You mean…" Mr. Cairon's eyes went wide, and he asked. Arthur nodded since he understood that he was asking if he awakened. "Hahaha!" The apron-wearing man came from behind the counter and hugged Arthur as he laughed heartily. "Congratulations! Your old man would have been proud!"
Arthur awkwardly hugged back, even though he felt happy. Cairon was there for him when his father went missing, as he bought his father's belongings for a suitable price. That was also the reason Arthur came back since Cairon promised to safe keep them until now.
The happy man's words were incoherent as he rushed toward the back of the store to get a metallic suitcase he placed in front of Arthur.
"I kept them maintained until now, as fresh as day one. Use them well, kiddo." Mr. Cairon slapped the suitcase with pride and started caressing it as if it was his child. It seems his youth memories with Arthur's father were flashing in his mind as Arthur could see a wistful expression. Mr. Cairon followed with a sentence that filled Arthur with pride and hope. "Your father is a good man."
After he got back home, Arthur walked and saw Oren in the bathroom standing. As he took a closer look, he found the latter putting some ice and disinfections on his face. He saw a purple bruise on his face that made his rage boil.
"Oren? What happened to you?" His brother flinched and wanted to run away, but Arthur grabbed him by the arm. Oren struggled and said that there was nothing wrong.
"Just let me see your face! Who did this to you?!" Arthur's voice was louder than he intended, and that served to aggravate Oren, who was trying to run away.
"This has nothing to do with you!"
Arthur paused as he heard Oren's words. He knew why his brother said that. Over the years, he assumed their father's role as he took care of his brother and mother. However, that has built a wall towering their brotherhood. Oren no longer wanted to rely on him in everything, probably fearing that he might increase the burden on Arthur.
Arthur grabbed Oren's hair and started to make a mess out of it. His brother was confused and started shouting to stop. As Arthur stopped, he looked at his brother in the eyes and said.
"It's not us against each other, Oren. It is us against the world, okay? If someone is hurting you, it's only right that I help you. I'll be attending Avalin Academy too. I'm going back to school since I want to go to college after my awakening. No matter what happens, I can't stand around idly as I see you struggling. So please, just… Rely on me."
His words finally reached his brother as tears glistened in his eyes, and he started nodding. The two sat down and started talking about the cause of it all. As he started telling the story, Arthur's face got weirder and weirder. This… was not what he expected.
As Arthur watched over his brother, he could now see where this all started. Unlike his average looks, his brother was on the cuter side of the spectrum. He had curly brown hair that he got from their mother, and he had his father's green eyes. With his still childish face, he could see where the problem all started.
"So… All of this started because you rejected a girl?" Arthur almost laughed out loud. He didn't know where to begin as this wasn't the reason he expected. In summary, there was a girl from an influential family that likes Oren and his diligent personality.
His father made sure to raise the two properly as both of them had one characteristic unbefitting of their age, hardworking. That's why this girl liked his brother, plus his appearance. Furthermore, this girl was powerful… One of the most powerful in their year.
"Yeah, so after I rejected her because I knew I wasn't worth it, she said okay and went home. The next day she was absent. Then her brother came over, he is a third-year and said something along the lines," Oren tried to mimic her brother and put a serious expression, "I'll never allow someone to make my sister cry! Or something like that…"
"And that's when the bullying started?" Arthur started laughing as he couldn't help it. Although he wanted to teach this guy a lesson, he still found the whole thing befitting of being called... tough love.
Report chapter Comments
"Well… I wouldn't call it bullying. He just vents his anger by beating me up." Oren scratched his face innocently. Arthur didn't know how to tell his brother this was the definition of bullying.
"Okay. I'll talk to this dude after I get into the academy. For now, keep away from him. Oh, and… Do you like this girl? Excluding whether you're worthy or not." Arthur asked and waited for his brother to answer. All he got, however, was a red face.
Later, as he was back in his room, Arthur placed the suitcase on his desk. It had the gear his father left him. With a click, the suitcase opened, revealing old equipment and a nostalgic past. A grey hard-leathered armor greeted him, and a sword with several scratches, bespeaking of its age. It was what Arthur's father, Seref, left behind for Arthur to use.
These were his first equipment, and they held many memories, making Arthur feel proud of having them. Although his father had no use for them after getting stronger and conquering stronger dungeons, he still held onto this equipment as he had bought them with blood and tears. It was his father's dream for Arthur to use these once he awakened, and now his father wasn't here to be proud.
The Furlair dungeon was an ancient one, as it was one of the first to open since three hundred years ago. However, it was never fully cleared as the Dungeon was only the periphery of a far more dangerous mountain range beyond the gates.
According to the union, the mountain range held calamity-grade monsters that they didn't dare to provoke. That's why no one ever conquered Furlair, and monsters kept pouring in from beyond the gate.
However, as it was a low-ranked dungeon, its monsters were mostly unranked. They were round beasts with full-body fur and sharp claws, hence the name Furlair. Their body was weak, and that allowed neo-rankers to hunt them as a safe beginner monster.
Arthur was no different, as his father also started here. A single monster was worth 100 Yalveran dollars; he needed to hunt ten by the end of the week to pay the bank.
"ID?" The guard's tone was monotonous, evidence of the times he asked this question. Arthur showed him the Union's ID, and he was allowed entry without further questions. What laid beyond the giant metal gate was a massive cave with many pathways leading somewhere.
The cave's ceiling was probably 20 meters high, and that was incomparable to its area. Arthur looked around in amazement, and his behavior and probably his eyes drew clear attention.
There were no monsters around, so he chose a less crowded pathway and went deeper inside. The path diverged into more trails, and they further divided into several more, and some merged with the original pathway.
It was easy to get lost, so Arthur tried his best to remember the route he took. Thankfully, he started seeing signs leading back to the entrance and some dangerous places he needed to watch out for. After a while, he finally found an empty pathway with no sign indicating anything abnormal.
Arthur's nose pricked at the smell of manure, notifying him that the monsters weren't far. He kept heading inside until he started hearing screeches and clanking, making him stick his back against a wall. He then slowly advanced and peeked in a pathway.
His eyes caught the sight of three small fur balls moving about and jumping as they feasted on a one-meter worm. Two of them were further away, and they were the ones screeching at each other while the third was closer to Arthur, quietly nibbling away the carcass.
Picking up a rock from the ground, the nervous young awakener aimed at the monster closest to him. With newly heightened senses, his arm arched and darted across the air, releasing the rock from his grasp.
The projectile tore across the air and landed squarely on the body of the distracted monster, enough to draw its attention and ire. It screeched a few times, but the other two were too busy arguing that they missed their friend's behavior. The now irritated monster traipsed toward the location where Arthur was hiding.
Arthur knew he couldn't take three of them at the same time, not yet at least. That's why he hid in another pathway as he waited for the monster to emerge. The monster didn't disappoint, and it came as expected, only to be confused by the empty path. Arthur waited for it to turn his head before he struck it with another rock, luring it closer to himself.
The monster drew near, and Arthur tightened his grip around the handle of an already unsheathed sword. His heart quickened, and he directed his energy toward the sword, hoping the ore didn't break over time. The sword lit with a faint glow, and the monster seemed to notice the change in the air. However, Arthur didn't allow it to fall back and leaped forward as he slashed at the beast.
"the nauseating feeling of cutting through flesh traveled up his arm, making him feel sick, but he held strong. Blood splashed the ground, and a pained screech echoed through the pathway, the latter making Arthur realize he had little time.
The monster's survival instinct seemed to kick in as he leaped toward Arthur with a wounded abdomen, trying to hack his leg. Arthur jumped backward after a short pause he took after his first strike, a mistake on his part.
The monster missed, but it leaped again toward Arthur, who could now see the other two coming from the other pathway. Arthur decided to strike at the incoming monster's claw, parrying it successfully before taking a step forward and raising his arms to strike again.
As his strike descended, the monster finally died. The other two came running over, so he kicked the body of the one he had slain over one of the incoming two.
[Strength-I] and [Agility-I] were activated as Arthur imprinted them on his body before he dashed forward. His body found new strength as he felt lighter and faster, full of power.
As one of them stumbled and was pushed back, Arthur attacked the other one with a horizontal slash that ended its life. He then jumped out of the attack range of the last one before stabbing with his sword forward. His technique was flimsy, but he had enough stats to make it up. He had slain the last monster effectively.
[You have leveled up. New Rune Acquired: Protection -I.]
Arthur breathed in and out as he was exhausted in both mana and stamina. He laid on the ground and checked the surrounding before he activated his Legacy Rune, Absorb.
[Your agility has been increased by 1.]
[Your agility has been increased by 1.]
[Your agility has been increased by 1.]
It seems that what he absorbs depends on the monster's best forte. That is being agility for the Fur monsters. Arthur was glad he picked this one as it was different from the Sins Dungeon.
First, it was an open field dungeon, so it had no lairs. Second, it was mostly unranked monsters that Arthur could take on. And third, the boss hasn't been killed yet to avoid a far stronger monster emerging from the gate. So it was sufficient that they keep on clearing the minions for now, as that would keep the monsters on track and avoid a dungeon break.
As he looked at his new Stats, Arthur could feel himself becoming stronger. He added the point he got from leveling up to Mana straight away as it would allow him to cast more runes.
[Scholar Guardian's Legacy]
[Level: 3 (0%)]
[Strength: 14]
[Agility: 16]
[Stamina: 14]
[Perception: 10]
[Mana: 1/3]
[Abilities: Beginner Runes Wordsmith (1%), Useable Runes: 5]
[Skills: None]
[Stats Points: 0]
[Protection-I: This rune would protect you from physical attacks for 5 seconds. Applies defense that equals your strength stat. Mana Cost: 10% of your Strength stat.]
His last rune was a very useful one, as it allows him to deal damage without being harmed for 5 seconds. He doubted any unranked monster would have a strength greater than 14.
However, he could only use this once with another basic rune or twice without using another one. It seems this would cost more as he would be immune to attacks lower than his strength stat. So, in theory, the stronger he is, the stronger his defense can be with this rune.
If he became the strongest person in the world, then he can cast this rune, and no harm would befall him. However, the stronger he is, the more this rune would cost in terms of mana.
As Arthur mulled over it, he found this rune to be highly balanced. He would give up what equals 10% of his strength stat in mana to gain protection equaling his strength stat. For example, if he had 100 strength points, he would use 10 mana points to gain immunity against attacks of the same level. Only physical attacks, of course.
Arthur began to hop in his place to test his new agility. His reflexes were faster, and so was the movement he made. If strength was how hard your strike is, then agility would be how fast it will be delivered.
After his mana refilled after 15 minutes, he was ready to hunt again. He still hasn't learned any techniques to replenish his mana, so he had to wait for it to do so naturally.
Report chapter Comments
After replenishing his mana, Arthur kept hunting in the same pattern. He hunted seven more furred monsters, and that made him level up once and gave him only 5 points of agility. Counting the three he hunted earlier, he hunted ten monsters this day. After absorbing the eighth, however, the monsters stopped giving him any agility points.
It seems he has already absorbed the essence of these monsters, and he needed to hunt others if he wanted to keep getting stronger. With his credit balance increasing $900 for selling 9 mana cores, Arthur's stats looked like this.
[Scholar Guardian's Legacy]
[Level: 4 (22%)]
[Strength: 15]
[Agility: 21]
[Stamina: 14]
[Perception: 10]
[Mana: 4/4]
[Abilities: Beginner Runes Wordsmith (2%), Useable Runes: 5]
[Skills: None]
[Stats Points: 0]
The weird thing is that his strength increased after he went through the process of hunting and resting. He realized that he could get stronger without relying on his legacy. As for his agility, it has broken past the 20 points mark, and Arthur could feel like the world moved a fraction slower than before. Well, he was the one being able to move faster than before.
Arthur kept one mana core because he wanted to try the other part of his ability, permanent runes. He wanted to use the mana core as a medium of energy. He was excited at the prospect of increasing his stats permanently and rushed back home to test it.
His first day at the academy was tomorrow, and he wanted to improve his stats in case he faced any problems. After all, he would be meeting people who awakened since they were 15. They had three full years to learn how to control their ability or their mana.
As he got home, Arthur went to his room after an early dinner and decided to use the rest of the night reading his curriculum and experimenting with his ability. As he closed the door, he grabbed the mana core from his pocket and sat on the bed.
He then used his ability to imprint a [Strength-I] rune, but he stopped before he did that. If his hunch was correct, he needed to fuse the rune with the mana core.
As he Grabbed the core with his right hand, a faint red rune symbol appeared on his left. Arthur moved his hands as they neared, combining the two. With the vibration of both the rune and the core, the rune started moving as if it came to life and began fusing with the core before breaking down and starting to circulate the core. The core then turned ethereal as if it has abandoned its physical form in return for something greater.
[Permanent Rune: Strength-I has been created. Increases Strength stat by 5. Cannot be used on the same person more than once.]
Arthur was thrilled at his success as he thought he would fail. He knew the mana core from an unranked monster was of very little purity, almost being an ordinary crystal. However, it appears that since this was a basic rune, that was enough for it to turn into a permanent rune.
Arthur hesitated no longer as he slammed the rune into his chest as he felt the power rush through him. He opened his stats and saw that his strength was now 20 as well. As the feeling coursed through him, filling with power almost a third of what he originally had, he felt almost invincible.
However, the feeling then faded as he started getting used to it. He calmed down and remembered he was still only a fish in the vast ocean.
[Strength has increased by 5.]
After he mediated and got used to his new strength, he started trying something else. Would a permanent and temporary rune conflict with each other? As he created the [Strength-I] rune using mana, his strength rose to 25 before returning to normal ten minutes later. This time, Arthur didn't feel the excitement. Only a heavy sense of responsibility.
"Why did you give this strength to me, Jizo?" He said, looking at the mirror.
The milk tasted sweeter than usual. Amelia frowned as she looked at the milk pack she was drinking. It was her favorite strawberry yogurt, and she drank it more than once per day. Yet today, the taste was a bit different, not that she hated a change in routine.
"You'll burn a hole in it if you keep staring like that." A voice tried to break her focus, but she didn't even listen.
A hand grabbed the milk she was holding and lifted. A redhead boy with blue eyes was examining the milk to see if there was anything noteworthy. Amelia tried to take the milk back, but he easily evaded her hand.
"What do you want, Markus?" Amelia's tone was cold, but that's how she was raised. She subconsciously took her parents' demeanor as she grew up to be another ice-expression person. That's the name people called her family, the Icy Family. None of them were capable of showing emotions even if they feel them.
Knowing her personality quite well, Markus handed her the milk as he finally got her attention before saying. "I heard we'd be receiving a new student today. A transfer at this time directly placed to A-Class, what kind of student did we get?" Markus's eyes easily told his anticipation as he usually found the routine their academy lived to be boring.
"I don't know nor do I care. If he has the ability, it doesn't matter. If he doesn't have it, then he just used his connections and that's a bigger reason that it doesn't matter." Amelia's logic made Markus speechless as he looked for an answer. It was then that a student came in shouting.
"There's a fight near the school gate!" The class was surprised, then confused. Another student who was sitting down answered. "So? Fights are a common thing. We're not middle schoolers anymore." The rest of the class had the same thoughts.
"I know! But the person fighting is wearing the sash for A-Class, but he's not someone we know!" As soon as these words left his mouth, the class stood up and went to the windows. As Markus was the first to dash to the windows, he was able to see two figures surrounded by people. One of the figures wore a blue sash on his uniform, meaning that he was the infamous transfer student.
He couldn't hear them, so he activated his ability, and his ears elongated as his irises dilated. He was soon able to listen to what was going on. He also recognized the person facing the transfer student, someone he knew from B-Class, Isaac, known him as a low-level bully.
"How about we both walk away? I don't want any problems on my first day here." The transfer student said, and only then did Markus see one more detail. It was someone sitting on the ground behind the transfer student. A thin C-Class student with glasses having a nosebleed.
"I never saw you here before, you must be new here? Do you have no idea who I am? Just because you're A-Class…" Isaac said as he was reading the lines of a manga villain.
Markus laughed audibly, and the others looked at him with confusion. It seems the transfer student was also amazed at this as he looked around to make sure that no one was pranking him.
"Really? Are you a six-years-old? Let's just drop this dude. You were the one who started it."
Markus was starting to like this guy more by the second. He was level-headed and mature, unlike most kids here. However, Isaac boiled with rage and activated his ability, and dashed forward. His skin turned red and hardened as he struck with his fist.
The transfer student was taken aback by the sudden attack. It seems he wasn't expecting the opponent to suddenly use his ability. However, Markus could see that he regained his calm and sent a fist to meet the first of Isaac. It was then that a white glow flashed over the transfer student's skin that only Markus could see, thanks to his ability. The two fists met as the forces canceled each other. Isaac rebounded, and the transfer student sent a kick to his ankle, knocking him down. The transfer student then picked up the C-Class student and fled the scene.
Report chapter Comments
"I had no idea you attended this place, Noah," Arthur said as he looked at his old friend from middle school. He was coming to the academy when he saw someone shoving his hands into the pockets of another student and taking his wallet.
Arthur was about to ignore it as that was common, and he wouldn't be the hero who stands up for everyone at his own expense. He then saw the student's face and realized he was his old friend from middle school.
"I… I never thought I'd see you today, and here on top of that. Your sash… You're A-Class? Did you awaken a powerful ability?" Noah was still stunned by the turn of events that took place just earlier.
Isaac, the person who always took his money, clashed with his old best friend from middle school, who he hasn't seen for years. Everything was surreal, and even more, Arthur looked different.
Arthur laughed as he said he got here by connections. As he saw Noah staring at his eyes, he realized they were the most significant change that happened to him and proceeded to tell Noah that it resulted from his ability.
"Are you sure you don't need to go to the infirmary?" Arthur asked with worry as he saw Noah wipe the blood off his nose. It seems Isaac had hit him as he was trying to take his money. Noah shook his head and stood up.
"Let me show you around. It's the least I could do for not asking about you all these years." Noah extended his hand, and Arthur took it.
"Don't say that. We both had a lot on our plate." Arthur shook his head, and the two people headed toward the classrooms as they were chatting. After agreeing to meet at the arcade later, the two split up, and Arthur headed toward his class.
As he walked in, Arthur got the class's attention toward him as they began to scrutinize him. Arthur expected this with his unusual circumstances. He found an empty seat and headed there.
"Is this seat taken?" Arthur asked a red-headed guy sitting next to the empty seat.
"Oh, it is. You can sit here with no problem." The student glanced at the seat and replied. As the students didn't bring anything with them, as most classes were recorded online with notes, they didn't need to get anything such as books or notes.
They can just go back home and find everything they need on the website. Furthermore, not many awakeners cared about studying as they did for power assessments.
"Thanks, I'm Arthur." Arthur sat down and kept chatting with him. He found this student to be easygoing and had a good personality.
"I'm Markus. Usually, people say my eyes' color is weird. Yours are on another level… Is that natural?" Markus seemed to be the straightforward blunt type as he asked Arthur a personal question from the start. However, Arthur gave the excuse he gave to others without being offended. The two kept chatting until Arthur felt a person stand beside him.
"That's my seat." It was a blonde female student with ponytail hair. She had black eyes and a cold expression that Arthur could swear that it made the room chillier.
"It is? I thought…" Arthur was confused and turned to Markus, who was trying to hold back his laughter.
He didn't understand what was so funny, and he apologized before moving to another seat. It seemed this girl wasn't picking on him, but Markus playing a prank on the new transfer student.
"Why did you do that?" Amelia sat down with her new strawberry milk as she asked Markus.
"I just wanted to piss him off a bit, but it seems I failed. It seems he's a lot more mature than most students here." Markus shook his head as if he just analyzed Arthur's personality.
"…You're more childish than most students here." Amelia said after being speechless for a short moment. She then glanced at Arthur, who was now sitting in the seat behind her, looking through the window.
"Most of you here are aiming to get into Jerano College. Some might have other goals to achieve. Nonetheless, all of that would need your dedication and hard work. Every year, Jerano accepts only 200 students per batch.
They want the elite of the elite. That's why even you, A-Class, are not enough in their eyes. Except, of course, to some of you." The female teacher who introduced herself as Miss Rachel explained as she surveyed the students.
Her gaze lingered for a second on a student sitting at the back who got here by the recommendation of an influential figure, Master Ronin. She wouldn't have known this if not for her father being the principal of this academy.
"As I am your homeroom teacher, I'll be the one guiding you in your college admission process. For today, we'll be having a theory class followed by a training session, and ending with free time for the clubs."
After she explained the schedule for today, as well as introducing Arthur to the rest, Miss Rachel left the room, and some students came over to talk to Arthur, although most kept their distance.
"I'm sorry for earlier, brother. It was a harmless prank." Markus said as he turned to Arthur. The latter smiled and said it was fine. Markus pointed toward Amelia and continued. "This one here is Amelia, known as Ice Milk. You can probably see why she's always drinking milk and is cold all the time!"
Amelia shot him a glare before ignoring the two. Arthur kept chatting with Markus as the latter started introducing the rest of the class. To his surprise, Markus was the top student in the class in theory. The top student in power, however, was Amelia. These two were childhood friends, and Arthur found it amazing that they kept their friendliness even while ranking at the top of the school.
"So, brother, can you tell me why you transferred with only one semester left before the national exams?" Markus finally spilled the beans as he was dying of curiosity. If every person had a major flaw, then Markus's was that he was a curious person since he was little. This made him almost die several times, but Amelia was always there to save the day.
"Well, I'm planning to attend Jerano College, and I figured it would be a lot easier to apply as a graduate than applying directly to the college." Arthur had nothing to hide as he told the two of his plans. As he said that, the two's eyes flashed as even Amelia turned and looked at Arthur. Even though Jerano was everyone's goal, Arthur spoke like he was confident.
They were right. Arthur had confidence in his growth rate. He knew he could become a full-fledged neo-ranker before the start of their exams and might even be able to advance further than that.
Right now, Arthur has awakened, but he was unranked in terms of strength. His body has just awakened, and even if he was able to grow through his legacy, others still had a head-start over him. He wasn't too worried, as he could use his ability to strengthen himself further.
As their theory class began, Arthur remembered why he hated school. No matter how much interest he had, the bombardment of information made him bored. However, he held until the end, and he learned a lot from just one day.
Their class for today was history as they explained how the kingdoms of Yalen, Vernia, and Anerk made a union three hundred years ago, creating the Yalveran Federal Union.
The three kingdoms each had equal governance over the people, and these people can choose the union's president through elections. They had banded together to fight against the appearance of monsters and dungeons.
There were also details about who was a popular figure in the past, the dates, conflicts, etc. As the class ended, Arthur couldn't wait for their training session as he wanted to grow stronger by the minutes. They headed toward the gym, where there were many machines they could train with or compete against each other.
However, their training session was mostly about their fighting skills. There were many capsules where students would lie down to connect to the virtual reality to learn how to fight in different styles.
[Unable to learn the runes.]
Arthur got this message as he tried studying the runes in the capsule, but they were too complicated for the current him. With a sigh, he logged in and started his training for the day.
"Welcome." A virtual teacher stood in front of him. "What do you want to learn?" A list then appeared about all the combat styles he can learn. It ranged from swordsmanship to basic training. Arthur took his time thinking. His father once taught him basic swordsmanship. However, he felt that his ability didn't suit such a style.
Although the runes he could use right now were basic, only strengthening him at best, he knew he could learn more, and they would increase with time. He imagined himself casting multiple runes that charged at his opponent with deadly fire or freezing storm, maybe turn the whole sea upside down.
However, now was not the time for that. His fighting style can change later, but he needs to become stronger now. Arthur chose swordsmanship, and the training began.
Report chapter Comments
After their training ended, Arthur went back to class. It was now their free time, usually used for clubs.
"Hey, Arthur! Need help with choosing a club?" Markus walked over and leaned on Arthur's seat. As the latter was just mulling over it, he welcomed an introduction.
"I'm not even sure I'll be attending a club though…"
"You should if you want to get into Jerano. There's extra credit for people with extracurricular activities. Especially for famous clubs like Virtual Fighting, Abilities Evolution, and Dungeons Science. These are the ones that are selling like hotcakes. There are also Martial Arts Club, Mana Research Club, and Skills Club."
Although Markus was a bit too chatty, unlike his friend Amelia, he was still a great help. Arthur quietly listened as he flipped through the introductions of these clubs in the guideline he found in the classroom. There were so many clubs out there that Arthur didn't know how many hobbies people had.
As he was considering what club to join, he came across a small introduction of a club that caught his eye. It was called The Ancient Runes Club. As he started reading the introduction and activities more avidly, Markus peeked his head to see what he was reading.
"Oh, that club. I heard it was the lowest of the seven clubs."
"Seven clubs?"
"Yeah, clubs that were first founded when the school started. Six I already told you about, and this one here is the seventh. These clubs are accredited by Jerano so joining them gives you credit if you applied for their related scholarship." Arthur's eyes gleamed as he heard this.
Every year, Jerano would host an examination for students from all over the Yalveran Union. This examination would mostly be about testing the student's abilities, and fighting capabilities as that was the most sought-after examination.
However, special scholarships gave you an advantage over other students if you took this exam. This was their way of recruiting talented students that weren't so good at fighting.
"I think I'll check this one out."
"What?" Markus was speechless. It sounded obvious that Arthur should join one of the more popular clubs as that would give him more advantages in applying.
As Arthur decided on his club, he went toward the clubroom on the third floor. As he looked through them, he found out that this club was further to the back, unlike the rest. He walked through the hallways until he reached a classroom at the corner of the floor before he knocked. After three knocks, a lazy voice told him to come in.
"Welcome, how may I help you?" The person inside was a male student who had huge black bags under his eyes. He sounded tired but remained his polite attitude.
"I'm here to join the club. Is it closed for today?"
"Oh… OH? Do you want to join? Come in! Come in! How come you're only joining now?" The student suddenly grew enthusiastic as he introduced Arthur to a seat and started pouring tea.
Arthur wasn't a particular fan of tea, but he felt like he couldn't say no. As he drank the tea, he felt relaxed as the aroma spread in his mouth.
"I see that you like it. We grew these tea leaves using runes."
"What?" Arthur was suddenly amazed. It felt as if his bubble just burst as he heard that he was not the only one using runes.
"We drew the rune path on the container and made these tea leaves enriched with mana. It's an old technique but we struggled to make it work. Cost us most of our budget for the materials." As the student saw Arthur's interest in his words, he felt proud and kept explaining. He felt their new member was an excellent addition to their club.
"Drew the rune path? Does that give similar effects to the original runes?" Arthur asked, confused.
"What? Of course not!" The student was stunned. He then continued, "Since ancient times, runes were considered the language of creation and magic. Even now, people thought of skills as the products of runes. They're a series of complex runes that would activate once supplied with mana.
However, to be able to use ancient runes, the person has to connect to the origin of the world. That's what many ancient scriptures said. The method to establish such a connection is said to be lost." The student entered a full-lecture mode as he grabbed a pen and a whiteboard to demonstrate.
"For example, if a person was to draw a rune without connecting to the origin, it would be called a mana path. Most artificial artifacts are made using mana paths. These paths show effects similar to runes but at a higher cost of mana but much lower efficiency.
If an artifact had a rune that controlled the sea, then the same rune would only create a pool if made artificially. If artificial runes were the same as the original, then artifacts would be worthless."
"That makes sense. Then what about runes that are one-time use? Would they disappear if they are used? What happens to the weapon afterward?" Arthur asked. He always knew that artifacts had a version of permanent runes. However, he didn't know enough about this field to know what temporary runes did.
"Well," The student then paused and grinned. "That, my friend, is why Runes Cards were created."
"Is Ori already in the clubroom?" Jia asked the petite girl next to him. The two walked together in the hallway, making a stark contrast. He was tall, athletic with flamboyant blonde hair, and the girl was meek, quiet, and doll-like. To his question, the girl nodded and kept reading her book.
Jia had to move the girl left and right to get her out of other students' way. She was so absorbed with her book that she didn't pay attention to anything else, except Jia occasionally.
The two reached their clubroom where a sign said Ancient Runes Club, a place not many people came to. Their usually quiet clubroom was noisy for some reason, and Arthur saw the confusion on Jia's face. If he had to describe the atmosphere in his club, it would be the word 'dead.'
"Why can't we use the air as a medium to imprint runes?" This question was thrown as soon as the two opened the door. The two came to a halt as this was the question bugging the Runes Research society.
"We just can't. To imprint runes, we need a medium and a material for the mana path. Air can't be the medium for the runes as you couldn't draw a mana path, to begin with." Jia and Ellen walked in as they saw Ori explaining things to another student.
They could see Ori's red face of excitement as he discussed possibilities upon possibilities. The weird part was that the student threw a question after the other without pause, and each one of them attacked a fundamental aspect of artificial runes.
"Ori? Who's this?" Jia asked as the two took a seat at the table. It was only then that Ori finally calmed down and introduced Arthur to the two.
"He's our newest member, Arthur Silvera. He's an A-Class student, so Ellen should have already met him." The three turned toward the petite girl who kept reading without reacting.
"She probably didn't even notice they had a transfer student," Jia said to which the rest of them laughed. After getting over with the introduction, another heated discussion began where Arthur learned a lot about his new profession. In the end, they agreed to meet at the weekend.
"We'll be going to Green Golems Dungeon. It's a neo rank dungeon but we'll only hunt on the outer layer. The goal of this to decipher the runes moving the Golems there. We'll try to replicate the runes there to make our own Golem."
This was this year's project. It was making a Golem that would fight with you. They would also use a tool to imprint runes resonating with the Golem's runes to create a remote control device. As they discussed the time and place, Arthur left the place more excited than ever.
Report chapter Comments
"The first thing you need to learn about mana replenishing is how to breathe. Breathing is your gateway to the world around you. With each breath, you get enough oxygen from the surrounding air to live.
Why not mana?" Master Ronin took the chance to demonstrate. He took a deep breath, and Arthur could feel the creation of pressure. Master Ronin then exhaled, and he released blue air from his mouth.
"The color you see is due to mana. The key is to keep that mana inside, condense it, and assimilate it into being yours. Mana is attracted to more mana. That means with your current mana, you could attract lesser amounts of mana with your breath. At the start, it could be negligible.
However, as you go further down the path, you could replenish your mana in a matter of seconds. Remember that just breathing is not enough, you need to use your mana to attract the mana outside your body." Master Ronin concluded his lesson and left Arthur to do his training.
Left alone, Arthur began practicing the mana replenishing technique. As he tried to get the mana inside his body, he failed on the first try. The second, then the third. After ten times, he decided to think about Master Ronin's words one more time.
As he remembered Master Ronin's last words, he started rotating his mana inside his body. He wanted to create an attraction force for the mana outside his body.
[Lesser-Mana Breathing Skill has been acquired. Current level: F (0%)]
The message his legacy showed proved he was on the right path. He didn't care if it was a lesser technique as long as it proved useful for him. He kept practicing until he got a better hang of it.
After the lesson ended, Arthur went home after a long day. He went to Master Ronin's house straight after school, so he was exhausted by now. After he got into the house, he saw his family eating dinner.
"Welcome back, how was the academy?" His mother, Sarah, asked.
"It was fine. I joined a club and it was fun." Arthur began to tell his day while keeping the fighting out. As the three started eating and talking, Arthur enjoyed a warm atmosphere for the first time in a while. Their mother finished and went on her night shift. Only Oren and Arthur remained, and the latter proceeded to ask.
"Why didn't you call me today?"
"Oh, he didn't show up today. I don't know why. Brother, be careful, he's a lot stronger than most students."
"Don't worry, I'm not planning on overdoing it."
As the two talked a bit more, each went to their room to sleep. Arthur practiced the Mana replenishing a bit more before heading to sleep.
The sun was high in the sky as their day at the academy just ended. Arthur decided to skip his club as he had more pressing issues to solve. That was money, plus getting stronger.
He wore his leather armor and carried his sword before setting out toward Furlair's dungeon. As he was familiar with the dungeon now, he planned on hunting other monsters since he wouldn't absorb the fur monsters anymore.
Although it was called Furlair, it had several other monsters, although they made the smaller population of the dungeon. However, he would have to go deeper in to find them.
He wasn't too worried, though, as he would first hunt a fur monster to use its core for a permanent agility rune.
After he got into the dungeon, Arthur showed his ID and got inside. He then started looking around for a tunnel that was less populated. There was a tunnel with only a group beginning to head inside. As he looked at the group, he felt a sense of familiarity.
They all wore black robes adorned with silver engravings. Some of them held swords others were unarmed, but all of them wore hoods covering their face. The group went inside, and Arthur instinctively followed behind them. As he entered the tunnel after them, they were gone.
Although weirded out by the sequence of events, Arthur kept going deeper into the tunnel. As if to welcome him, a fur monster bounced from another tunnel on the sideway.
It seems to have starved as it rushed toward Arthur with bloodlust. Too bad Arthur was calm as he activated the [Protection-I] rune and deflected the attack effortlessly. He then went ahead to slash the monster ending its life.
As he picked up the core, Arthur headed to an isolated tunnel and started making the permanent rune for agility. After another enhancement, It rose to 26.
[Agility has increased by 5.]
He could also use the temporary rune to get his agility to 31. As he ventured further into the dungeon, Arthur hunted as his mind had several thoughts. He wondered what would happen if he wanted to make a permanent rune of the other runes. He had Detection, Absorb, and Protection. That's when his thoughts shifted to another place. Skills.
Logically speaking, if he created a permanent rune out of Detection, he would develop skills similar to the rune itself. He would probably still have to use mana to use the detection skill. He didn't know if the mana cost would be the same or if it would decrease. However, it wouldn't hurt to try. After all, he could create skills using runes, and maybe he could sell them to others.
After taking down another fur monster, he brought its core to fuse it with a detection rune. Unexpectedly, he received a failure message.
[Materials used are insufficient. Other materials or a higher level of ability are needed.]
"I see." Arthur nodded in understanding. It seems using an unranked mana core isn't enough for this. Increasing his stats was one thing, but creating skills was another. After all, They were expensive and only dropped from ranked monsters. It seems to create the skills he would need a core of a ranked monster.
As he pocketed the core, Arthur looked around. He was now deeper into the tunnel he entered. Other monsters lived in the side-tunnels, so he picked one and started using his [Detection-I] rune.
As he went deeper inside, Arthur began sensing the surroundings to be empty of any monsters. He went out of the side-tunnel and headed into another one. As he kept using the rune and replenishing his mana, he realized there was something wrong.
There were no more monsters in the deeper parts of the dungeon. Logically there should be more, but now there was none. He started looking around until his skill detected some lifeforms.
As he started inching toward their location, Arthur could feel the lifeforms beginning to fade. Soon, all the signs of life disappeared from his senses. He peered through the tunnel and saw the group he saw earlier. They were standing in front of a massive door with several goblins lying dead.
As the group inched closer toward the door, they went inside, and the door closed behind them. Arthur walked hesitantly and inspected the surrounding. He looked at the five goblins on the ground and used his legacy.
[The Legacy user did not slay the monster, unable to absorb.]
He expected this as the rune clearly stated that he had to slay the monsters to absorb their essence. As Arthur looked at the door, the runes on the door felt familiar to him. In his eyes, each rune was distinct from the other he reached out his hand and touched the door. The runes began to glow as a voice appeared in his head before he disappeared from the dungeon.
[Guardians' Bloodline has been detected. The first trial of the Holy Crown shall begin.]
Report chapter Comments
In the villa where Master Ronin lived, the old man woke up from his sleep having a vision. He saw a golden crown in his dream and a celestial giant wearing it. It was his ability, Prophecy, activating on its own. As he woke up with a pale face, his granddaughter Melania rushed toward him as she heard his screams earlier.
"Gramps, what's wrong? Is it another vision?" She asked with worry as she gave him some water. Master Ronin nodded and drank the water to ease the lump he felt in his throat.
"Call Sier." He said after calming down. After three rings, Sier answered the phone, and Master Ronin was finally able to say something.
"It has begun."
"… Was the earlier prophecy true? Is he related to the Guardians?"
"Yes."
After a brief silence, the two ended the call. Melania helped her grandfather to walk to the garden as he sat down on the runic stone. As he gazed into the water, a fragile voice left his lips.
"Arthur Silvera… Just who are you?" Master Ronin's thoughts were chaotic.
Waking up, Arthur found himself in an ancient room. As he checked his body, he wasn't hurt. After looking around, nothing greeted him but walls of yellow bricks. He stood up and started inspecting the room.
"Where is this? The voice said this was a trial?"
As he neared a wall, the wall split up and revealed a door. Arthur peered through the door, and all he could see was a hallway leading to another room.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
There was no answer. Arthur decided he couldn't keep staying here, so he started going into the hallway. As soon as he took the first step, he felt a pressure crushing him, making him want to retreat. As soon as the thought of going back crossed his mind, Arthur felt his body fly as it collided to the wall behind him. The air left his lungs as he slumped to the ground.
[Your willpower needs to be tested to take the first trial of The Holy Crown.]
"Willpower? Test? You should've said so earlier!" Arthur breathed as he rested for a short moment before standing up. He stood up and asked another question.
"What is The Holy Crown?" Arthur asked, but there was no answer. It seems his curiosity got the best of him as he landed himself in a sticky situation. He shouldn't have touched that door, nor should he have followed that group.
As Arthur sat down thinking about things, he went through his Legacy to find a solution, but there was none. After a while of thinking, he decided to try the test again as he took another step through the hallway.
As he felt the pressure, Arthur now knew this was merely a test. He didn't plan on going backward. Advancing another step, and the pressure doubled. He was still able to go forward. The hallway had merely eight more steps to go.
After another step, the pressure on his body doubled again. It was now four times the original pressure. Arthur felt his body sinking as he felt his muscles ache. After another step, his legs started to tremble. He groaned and took another step forward, the pressure doubling again as he felt like he might die at this rate. He wondered if he should go back.
Immediately after having this thought, a force sent him flying in the air again as he collided into the wall behind, even harder than before. Blood leaked from his mouth as he fell toward the ground. His body ached everywhere as damage even reached his internal organs.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Arthur said as he looked at the hallway, now looking like miles long for him.
It has been three hours since Arthur started resting. Magically, his body was mostly healed. Arthur attributed this to the effects of mana and that his wounds weren't that grave. As he sat down in the room, he started calculating his odds of success.
If each step doubled the pressure, This means the pressure would be 512 times the pressure on the first step. He didn't think he would be able to make it.
Although it was a rough estimate, as the pressure he felt wasn't measured by a device but only estimated by Arthur himself, he guessed it was about that range. As he sat there in silence, Arthur tried to think of a way out. With his lips becoming a straight line, he stared at the hallway as he began to mull over it.
"…What does pressure have to do with willpower?" Arthur mused to himself. He found it weird that physical pressure equated to willpower, but he could find a better way of testing it. As his thoughts reached here, his eyes gleamed. How was the pressure applied to his body?
He inched closer to the hallway and looked around the walls and its ceiling without stepping in. As he looked around, his golden eyes seemed to peer into the essence of things as he found multiple runes inscribed on the walls. If his conjunction was correct, these runes were the things that applied pressure on him.
Arthur Laid on the ground as he kept staring at the rune of the first step. His eyes were unwavering as he kept studying the rune and its edges, curves, and the mana it radiated. He knew he didn't have the willpower to advance through this stage without outside help, but he had the Ability to cheat his way through. To his ecstasy, a message appeared from his Legacy.
[Force-I: Applies force in a one-meter radius at a specified target. The force is proportional to the mana used. (1%)]
"Yes!!!" Arthur shouted with joy. If he can learn this rune, he can half the force pushing on him from the ceiling if he directed it upward. As he calmed himself down and started to learn the rune, the percentage started increasing.
Hazel's eyes squinted as she tried peering through the snowstorm. Her robe fluttered and danced as she advanced to the unknown. She needed to find shelter from the cold or to leave this area of frost to survive. As she looked at the shining tower in the distance, she felt her trembling heart steel itself with determination.
"The Holy Crown…" The thing desired by every person of the seven families. She needed to obtain it to wield the power it held to rule over the seven families. For that, however, she needed to survive this first. As she was a part of a branch family, with little bloodline in their veins, she needed to start at the periphery of the dungeon.
Her mana was seeping away from her body as she used it to endure the cold. Luckily, she could see greenery in the distance. It was the end of the frost area and the beginning of a forest. She steeled her heart as she moved forward.
With each step, her mana decreased. With each step, her body ached. With determination to rise above those who humiliated her and her mother. She wanted to earn the power to live as she sees fit. As her thoughts wandered, she was distracted and found herself closer to the end of the frost area.
"Finally," With hope in her eyes, Hazel ran toward the greenery. However, as she drew near, her heart trembled. As she came to a stop, Hazel finally saw what laid in front of her. There was a forest, but she was on the top of a snowy cliff. If she wanted to reach the forest, she needed to go down.
Her legs had no more energy as she fell to her knees with tears in her eyes. She had no mana left, and her body couldn't move anymore. With frustration building in her throat, she screamed on top of her lungs.
"Why!!!"
Her shout reverberated through the cliff. As if the heavens answered her question with disdain, the cliff began cracking, and the snow began to shift toward the forest. As she felt the change, she tried to run away, but her body betrayed her.
'I'm sorry, mother.' Her thoughts drifted to the fragile figure in her memories. She accepted her death with tears in her eyes.
Report chapter Comments
Hazel opened her eyes to the sound of sizzling meat. Even with her consciousness barely awake, her body was honest as her stomach growled. As if scared by the rumbling of a beast, the young man in front of her was startled. The two stared at each and Hazel took the time to study him.
He was an average-looking young man with dark hair and golden eyes. If not for his eyes, he would have been someone you can pick from anywhere in the street. As she stared into his eyes, Hazel knew he was someone special. What she couldn't understand was the fact that he wore a primitive-grade armor.
"Pfft." A muffled laugh escaped his lips after he heard her stomach. Hazel deeply blushed as she sat up in a hurry.
"Where am I?" She asked in a fluster, but she already knew the answer. What puzzled her more was the answer of the young man in front of her.
"I don't know? I hoped you would tell me. I was hunting when I saw you in the river. You're the only person I found after I arrived here, so I needed some answers."
"Arrived here? You mean The Holy Crown's trial?" Hazel asked, dazed. How could someone be here without knowing this?
"That! The voice also said this but I didn't understand what he meant."
Hazel looked in a daze as if she just woke up. She had so many questions to ask, but her stomach rumbled again. The young man in front of her smiled this time as he offered her some meat to eat.
After a lengthy talk, Arthur finally knew where he was. The person he saved, Hazel, answered his questions as detailed as she could. He rescued her since she was his only hope of knowing where he was, but he realized she was a good person.
She kept being polite as she answered his questions and thanked him multiple times for saving her and giving her food. Arthur dismissed it as he saw the answers that she gave him to be more valuable than some effort and food.
In summary, he got himself into a shit of a situation. This was some sort of trial between the most powerful families in the world. Doors leading here appeared worldwide, and young people from these families would have to go through them to get here.
This was the first trial of a lengthy trial that lasted five years. There would be a similar trial every once in a while to reach a final champion, someone who would hold the 'holy crown.'
As long as he survived this, he would be able to escape this area. However, to leave, he needed an insignia that he would get by clearing this trial.
"Then what about those who don't?" Arthur asked, bewildered. As she heard this, Hazel's face grew a shade darker.
"They need to remain here until they're able to clear this trial. If the trial comes to an end, they would die with this trial."
"Then what if they stay here until the second trial begins?" Arthur knew this place had what it takes to live. There was plenty of food, water, and natural shelters.
"That's not possible. The moment you enter this trial, time stops in the outside world."
"Doesn't that mean that everyone would clear it eventually?" Arthur asked as he found this to be an extremely easy trial. He could level up and pass this trial.
"That's impossible. There is a limited number of insignias for each trial. Only a half could pass. Furthermore…" Hazel's words stretched for a moment. Before she could continue, a roar shook the forest, and the two people sitting facing each other.
As Arthur realized how terrifying such a monster was just by the roar it made, Hazel's words continued in his ears.
"Monsters like that are common. Furthermore, there's something far more terrifying. As there is a limited number of insignia given every round, you need to watch out for other humans. To leave this place early and escape the monsters here, they would kill others for a better chance."
"Each round?" Arthur asked with confusion.
"There are seven rounds before the world collapses."
On the other side of the trial area, mana bullets rained through the trees and struck a giant rhino in the eye as it howled. The rhino charged toward the sharpshooter that positioned himself on top of a tree far away.
As it wasn't aware of the person hiding behind the tree, it fell to the ambush of the two people and was soon dead on the ground.
"Good work, Fey. I still think you're better off without me." Yuran put away his gun as he turned toward the gorgeous young woman who was busy taking away the rhino's mana core. As she heard this, she pouted and started pointing fingers at him.
"I told you to stop saying that! Without your help, I wouldn't be here anyway!" Fey was unlike her usual self around Yuran. She acted like a spoiled kid making the latter chuckle and drop the subject. He then turned his gaze toward the tower in the distance.
"The Holy Crown…" His lips muttered unconsciously. The name was always like a dream for him as he knew he wasn't powerful enough to obtain it. But, the question of what if lingered in his mind.
"Someone is here." His head snapped as he warned Fey about the incoming group of people. Soon, a group appeared in front of them. They wore black robes adorned with silver engravings that Yuran couldn't recognize.
"What family are you from?" Fey's eyes turned cold as she couldn't recognize the group from any of the seven families. There were five of them in the group with different statures. One person holding a black greatsword stepped forward and pointed the weapon at them.
"You don't need to know that. What you need to know is that you won't be leaving this place." The man under the hood growled at them with a thick accent before the group attacked the two.
Arthur started with amazement as three ghosts surrounded Hazel facing the almighty bear. He couldn't have expected such an out-of-the-ordinary ability from such a sweet person. He knew they weren't human ghosts as they looked nothing like it.
Her ability allowed her to summon ethereal beings from other dimensions. The restriction was the time of their summoning and their strength. They only inflected magical attacks with zero physical damage.
Against lower-tiered monsters like this Steelfur Bear, it was more than enough. As the bear thrashed and clawed the surrounding ghosts, his attacks went through them as they used their weapons to strike the bear. The stuck part would turn into a blackish color, and the bear continued to howl in agony.
As it figured out that he couldn't harm these things, he went after Hazel as she was the nearest to him. Unfortunately, Hazel seemed prepared as she agilely avoided his attacks. The bear kept missing and getting attacked until it fell to the ground helpless. The ghosts disappeared, and only Hazel was left with a pale face.
"That's an awesome ability!" Arthur looked at the primitive-grade bear that was quickly turning a black color. He then saw a core leaving the bear's body and floating on top of it. He wondered if he could use this core to create a permanent rune, but he was too embarrassed to ask for it.
"Not really, it drains a lot of mana and the creatures could be harmed by magic. I would be weak against a mage that used an elemental spell or a gunman with mana bullets." Hazel shook her head and went to grab the mana core. Arthur felt grateful that she trusted him enough to tell him this.
He couldn't deny that they built an instinctive trust as he saved her life, and she told him about everything happening here. The duo then returned to a shelter they made, a hidden cave not seen by the inattentive eyes.
The night drew near, ending Arthur's first day in this place. As they created some fire to make food, the two chatted idly. As they finished their meal and decided to take turns to guard the cave, Arthur asked for a favor he had in his mind.
"Can you help me hunt primitive monsters?"
Report chapter Comments
The next day, at the base of the tower centering the trial grounds, was a lone swordsman. He carried an apathetic expression as he looked at the tower towering the sky and earth. The familiar texture of his sword's handle had roughened along with his palms as he grew up from a nameless child.
Now he stood atop this generation's ability users with his sole ability, Divine Sense, and his sword. These two made up for each other, making him one of the few people worthy of being called the Seven Prodigies.
The door in front of him was the first step toward ascending the heavens. The Holy Crown was his.
"Are you going to conquer the tower by staring at it?" A crisp voice interrupted his thoughts. From the trees to his back came out a girl wearing gauntlets and no armor. The only thing covering her body was sportswear. The steel covered her hands and wrists, and each one had a mana core of different colors.
"You're late for someone with such a big mouth." Snapped Yurirl at the newcomer. The latter snorted as she surveyed the surrounding.
"That white bitch isn't here yet?"
"As foul as ever, Jenny." Yurirl turned around as he started heading toward the tower's door. From behind him, Jenny looked at his back before following right in. The two entered the tower as lights began shining on top of it. The first round has just started.
As he touched her forehead, he felt her skin to be smoldering. This was the result of mana deprivation. After overworking herself in the earlier battle, Fey now laid unconscious in front of him. Why did he need protection all the time?
As he thought of this, the image of a young man came up in his mind. It hasn't been a week since they met, yet he was already moving on. Did he deserve this? For a mere high-tier healing potion, the young man saved his life back. He wondered if this was fate or just a curse he carried around.
"Brother Yu…" Fey's body trembled as if she had a nightmare. Yuran reached out his hand as blue light radiated from his fingers. As the light touched her, her frowning face eased up as she entered a deep slumber.
"Who are those people?" Yuran's sight drifted toward the cave's entrance. The people who attacked him were ones he didn't recognize to be any of the seven families. If his thoughts were correct, they could only be the traitor's descendants.
"If that is true, then this Holy Crown Trial will be the last." Yuran began to brace himself for whatever is to come. Their ancestors have foreseen this. They called it the beginning of the end. Yet now, these teaching were treated as legends. But if… Just if… If they were true, then the world would change.
"So, you want to finish off the monsters?" Hazel asked, confused.
"You see, it's a part of my training. I want to gain experience by slaying monsters with your help." Arthur tried to come up with a suitable excuse.
As she looked at him long and hard, Hazel then briefly nodded as she resigned. "Sure, why not? You saved me once and this is the least I could do. I'll make sure that you get the final blow as I support you from the back."
With this, the two ventured into the forest. It didn't take long before the first monster arrived. It was an ape that was as tall as Arthur himself. As the two stared at each other, the ape began to bare its fangs. Unlike usual apes, this one had claws like those of a wolf.
From Arthur's point of view, he could see the nostrils of the ape flaring up. The ape's stature slightly bent, and it sprinted forward. Arthur used the three runes he had, barrier, strength, and agility, as he met the claws of the primitive grade monster with his sword.
When the two collided, sparks flew everywhere, and Arthur felt like he was hit by a car; this pushed his body back several meters as his boots left trials in the ground. The ape also staggered backward a bit, but not as Arthur did. This was the difference in their strength.
Arthur saw something fly above the ape, and he lifted his head. There was a ghost who started attacking the ape as well, allowing Arthur to catch his breath. As he calmed down, Arthur sprinted forward again to the ape who was busy trying to claw the ghost.
With whatever strength he had, he slashed his sword at the ape's Achilles heel. All this only left was a shallow wound that didn't bring the ape down. It turned around and struck its claws at Arthur, who was ready to parry it again.
"Careful, it's using poison!" Hazel's warning was barely in time for Arthur to leap backward as corroding poison splashed on the ground. It made a sizzling sound as toxic fumes rose into the air. It seems this battle would be more challenging than he imagined.
Arthur and Hazel's teamwork couldn't be said to be flawless, but it was sufficient to take down the ape. Although Hazel's ghost did most of the work, Arthur did well in taking the ape's attention from the summoner.
After several exchanges, Arthur finally managed to cut its Achilles Heel, and the ape dropped to the ground. Arthur didn't falter as he went forward and struck his sword at the ape's withered neck. As the ghost has also consumed the monster's strength, Arthur successfully dealt the finishing blow.
[You have leveled up.]
The ape's mana core rose in the air as Arthur grabbed it and tossed it toward Hazel. As she held the core with a questioning look, Arthur answered her unspoken question.
"I told you, I'm only doing this for the experience." Arthur nodded toward Hazel, who shrugged off and pocketed the core. Arthur could have used it to create some permanent runes, but he didn't like the feeling of being indebted toward someone.
"Okay, we should hunt some lunch." Hazel turned around and was about to leave when Arthur shouted from behind her back.
"You go on ahead, I'll be right there after I harvest the monster's claws. They could be useful." Hazel didn't turn her back as she kept going forward and waved.
Now all alone, Arthur was finally able to do what he wanted to do. After checking that there was no one around, he activated his legacy rune and began getting stronger. This would be the first primitive monster he absorbed, and he had some expectations toward it.
[Absorbing primitive-grade essence.]
[Strength has increased by 1.]
[Strength has increased by 1.]
[Strength has increased by 1.]
[Poison Strike Skill has been acquired.]
"A skill?" Arthur's mouth turned oval. He knew that some ranked monsters dropped skills, but this one didn't. That means that his legacy rune was able to absorb the skills of the slain monster. That would be too powerful.
As he opened his legacy menu, new numbers greeted him. This was his progress over the past two days.
[Scholar Guardian's Legacy]
[Level: 5 (33%)]
[Strength: 23]
[Agility: 26]
[Stamina: 14]
[Perception: 10]
[Mana: 4/4]
[Abilities: Beginner Runes Wordsmith (4%), Useable Runes: 6]
[Skills: Lesser-Mana Breathing Skill (F), Poison Strike (F)]
[Stats Points: 1]
It seems taking down that primitive monster with his current stats was too much of an achievement as it allowed him to level up. He now had one more stat point he could use on his mana stats. When his strength was 20, he could cast a barrier that would cost him two mana units and then cast the buffs he had. Now, however, he needed to increase his mana as his strength now became 23. With the buff, it would become 28, but Arthur always made sure that he would cast the barrier before the strength rune.
Now, his mana rose to 5. He would be able to cast the barrier rune with no worries.
"Who are you?" A guff voice came from behind him. As he turned around, Arthur saw a hooded person with a black robe and silver engravings.
Report chapter Comments
'Isn't he a part of the group that I saw earlier?' Arthur thought to himself. The man in the robe waited calmly for Arthur to answer.
"You… are not someone from the seven families." The man under the hood stared with amazement. He then continued, "What's your name?"
"… Arthur Silvera." Arthur didn't plan on giving out his name, but the indescribable familiar feeling he had urged him to. He looked for any changes in the man's demeanor, and to his surprise, the man began to laugh.
"I see, I see, the clocks of fate are turning." Arthur could now see the man's mouth from under the hood. It had a wide grin. The man was about to say something more when a roar resounded from the tower in the distance.
As Arthur looked at the tower, he could see that it was shining brightly. However, as soon as the light dimmed, Arthur's instincts tingled for him to run away.
"Arthur! We need to run!" Hazel was back again, and her face was pale. The roar earlier was of no primitive beast, and it wasn't something they could take care of in their current situation. As Arthur turned to look at the man for one last time, the man was already gone.
Hazel and Arthur ran far away from the tower as they tried to create some distance. As their stamina was decreasing, the sound of the monster was getting further and further away. They reached a mountain range when they collapsed and started to collect their breath.
"We can't stay alone," Hazel said after a lot of thoughts. Arthur looked at her, unable to figure out what she meant.
"Hazel O'Keril?" A voice from above interrupted their conversation. As Arthur looked upward, he saw a group of people on the trees. They held bows and staffs with most of their bows aimed at them.
Hazel's body flinched as she heard this voice. She turned around, and her eyes visibly shook when she saw the man standing on the tree with a purple robe on. He had a delicate complexion fairer than most girls Arthur knew. As Arthur looked at him, he saw some similarities between Hazel and him.
"Jin. What are you doing here?" Hazel scowled with unhidden displeasure. It seems the two knew each other.
"The Holy Crown, of course. What, you thought you were the only one who was going to participate? A summoner like you?" Jin's words were as venomous as they could get a contrast to his kind appearance. The group started laughing, and Hazel clutched her hands tightly.
"You're still a part of the family, so come along. And who's this?" Jin turned toward Arthur with apparent uninterest.
"Someone from a lower family. I brought him along." Hazel lied with a straight face, and Arthur decided to shut his mouth for now. Jin nodded, and the group began traveling toward the mountain range.
"Just follow along. It's safer if we join them." Hazel whispered toward Arthur, and the latter nodded. As they followed behind the group, they left the forest and entered a valley. In the valley was a camp set up by a lake. The place reminded Arthur of the place he was thrown to after he met Jizo.
As they neared the camp, everyone started to head toward their tent. Only Hazel and Arthur kept following Jin toward the biggest tent in the middle of the camp. As they neared, Jin stopped and turned toward the two.
"I'll probably be able to get a place for you in the camp, but don't you misunderstand. I'm not doing this out of affection, but simply because the elders asked me to help any family member I meet."
With these words, Jin entered the tent. Arthur wondered who asked him for an explanation, but he simply shrugged. It felt like Jin didn't want to look like he took care of Hazel.
The two followed after Jin and what greeted them was a round table with several maps laying around. The two sat at two empty chairs and waited until Jin returned with someone else.
The newcomer was a young man with a battle armor on. He looked dignified with his stern face on and tall stature. Arthur didn't feel like this person was arrogant, but he wasn't easy to deal with because of his serious personality.
"You can stay here since Jin knows you. Each person needs to contribute one primitive mana core per day to rest here. Food and tents would be provided by the camp. Of course, safety is included. Until the end of the seventh round, we'll hunt monsters together. Follow Jin to your tents."
The young man who appeared to be the camp's leader left them at that, and the two had to follow Jin outside. Jin then began to introduce the camp's leader starting with his name. Erin Voldor, a genius battle berserker that was one of the few people worthy of being called geniuses in their generation. Other camps in the trial ground used the same methods. The plan was that each person decided their fate.
"This here is your tent, bring one primitive mana core to me every day," Jin said to Arthur while pointing to a small tent that was barely big enough for him to sleep. Arthur didn't complain and simply nodded before he entered the tent. Hazel and Jin soon drifted away from his sight.
As Arthur was left alone, he let out a long sigh. The last two days were far too overwhelming for him. First, he got into some competition over an Artifact he didn't know the use of. All Hazel told him that it would allow him to grow stronger by a large margin. Every ability user of their generation sought this artifact.
The thing is, Arthur didn't see himself as a part of their generation. Each person of them seemed to be a powerful awakener that he could only see in the media. Despite him not seeing Erin Voldor before, Arthur had read his name on many sights. All the big guilds and syndicates fought to bring him to their side after graduating from Jerano College. Arthur was just a nameless character that chanced upon a door in a dungeon. Somehow, he ended biting more than he can chew as the door sent him here. Whether Arthur survives was unknown to him, but this was a chance to grow stronger. He remembered what Hazel told him when they met.
"Time stopped in the outside world."
It was his opportunity to grow stronger than anyone. In other people's cases, time stopping had little significance if they had no time to train due to the dangers looming in here. However, with his legacy, he can grow through these dangers. He could become strong and explore the mysteries of the world. Most importantly, he could find out what happened to his father.
"Are you asleep?" Hazel's voice came from outside the tent. Arthur got out and was mesmerized by Hazel's figure as she has taken off her robe to wear some lighter clothes. He blushed a little but cleared his thoughts.
"No, I was just thinking. What's wrong?" Arthur got up hastily and asked.
"Let's grab lunch and meet the others."
Arthur failed to realize the difference in their lives again. The rest of the camp was a mixture of every ethnicity, race, language, and gender. The stronger groups sat down together as well as people with their own families. Hazel and Arthur sat down alone, away from the hustle and bustle as they quietly ate their lunch. There was a lot of laughter from here and there as these young men and women drank alcohol and ate their fills. Many embraced each other, signifying their relationship with each other.
"Wow, they sure are lively." Arthur couldn't help but comment. Hazel simply laughed and agreed. As the two were chit-chatting, Jin walked over to them and shot Hazel a glare.
"Why are you not sitting with our family?" He questioned, not forgetting to shot Arthur a deadly glare. Arthur now began to suspect that Jin had something else but disdain toward Hazel, something that could be more… youthful.
"He's my teammate, I can't just leave him," Hazel responded, warming Arthur's heart.
"I got you here because you are a part of the family, now act like it." Jin's displeasure was evident as he made his point, and Hazel found herself at a loss of words. She knew she held less power than Jin in both ability and connections, so she didn't know what to do.
"You can go, I'll be returning to my tent now." Arthur waved his hand with a smile, and Hazel simply nodded. The two then walked off again, and Arthur remained alone.
As he ate his meat and looked at the festive lunch, he felt like he was looking at a painting. He saw Erin Voldor sitting with a girl next to him. Arthur felt like he had seen the girl before as he was sure she was also a famous, powerful awakener. If she weren't famous for her strength, then she would be famous for her beauty. As he was looking at them, he was startled when the girl looked back at him. Arthur felt like she smiled as she met his eyes, making him stand up in a hurry. He sought no trouble with Erin as the latter was trying to court this girl.
Arthur walked away with a thought in his mind. This was not his world; these were not his people. He was thrown here simply out of coincidence, or maybe it was fate. Which of these two was the case, he didn't know just yet. What he did know was that someday, he too could stand amid his friends and people, with enough power to fend for them.
As his thoughts reached here, he remembered what Jizo asked him to do. Arthur walked away, and for some reason, the shadows looked longer.
'It's time to level up.'
Report chapter Comments
A figure leaped from one tree to the other as it surveyed the surrounding. It was a monster called the Arcula, a humanoid monster with an ape-like stature but sharp teeth like those of a shark.
Its most problematic aspect was its agility and its color-changing fur, making it blend with the surrounding. With sneak attacks and above the average intelligence, it was a primitive monster that many didn't want to bother with hunting.
As it went through the forest, its nose smelled the scent of meat. It turned its eyes toward a tree that had a piece of meat hanging down. It looked at the ground below, and it could see that there laid a trap.
Thick bushes covered the patch of grass, making it all too obvious for a creature of its intelligence. However, it didn't care as it planned to snatch the meat while it leaped from tree to tree.
With the plan set, the monster started its action as it blended into the surrounding. Although only its color changed, the forest was an excellent place to hide. From one tree to the other, it found itself right before the dangling meat.
With a mighty jump with its legs on a branch parallel to the meat, it was able to snatch the bait successfully.
As it was about to rejoice, it felt a force coming from above it. As it was mid-air, the monster couldn't resist, and it fell right into the trap.
"What? A monster fell into the trap? I didn't see anything…" Arthur was hiding in the bushes as he was stunned by the turn of events. He was waiting for a monster to try and grab the meat to fall into the pit he dug.
As the mana core, he attempted to fuse with the barrier skill but failed to stay with him; he made a permanent rune of the latest rune he got.
[Force-II: Applies great force in a one-meter radius at a specified target. The force is proportional to the mana supplied.]
This was the rune that made him pass the willpower test. After he studied the Force-I rune, he found that it wasn't enough to pass the test. That's why he tried studying the next rune and was able to learn it because they were the same.
The Force-II rune applied a greater force than the Force-I rune for the same amount of mana supplied. Although Arthur could have used the Force-I rune for the same amount of force, it would have been a terrible investment. The Force-II rune was a lot cost-efficient.
As if this was the better version of the rune, the previous rune disappeared from his Legacy menu. However, Arthur could still use the previous version of the rune as a sub-rune from the current one. If he wished, he could imprint Force-I instead.
That's why Arthur made this trap. He waited for a full hour before he saw something fall from the sky. Making the pit took most of his noon as he needed to make it stronger than usual because of the rune.
He used a piece of fabric he got at the camp and nailed it to the ground. He was sure the rune and the monster's weight would make the fabric collapse, thus trapping the beast.
With his sword in hand, Arthur dashed toward the pit as he heard the howls of the monster. As he took a look, he saw a green fur monster sprawled on the ground. The force of the fall had injured it, and it seems it didn't have a strong body to begin with.
With his sword, Arthur slashed the air in front of him. As a dark green liquid escaped from his sword, sizzling noises accompanied the howls of the beast below. This was the skill he got from the other primitive grade monster, Poison Strike. He slashed another time, and the howls grew louder before being replaced by heavy panting.
The monster was heavily wounded but not dead. Arthur started his breathing technique, and he refilled one point of mana. He was now able to slash on more time as the strike cost him two mana points.
The monster banged on the floor in agony as the poison corroded its skin and entered its body. Although this was an F-Rank skill that wouldn't even hurt monsters of a higher grade, it was more than enough for a primitive grade monster like this one.
As defense wasn't its strong fort, the poison proved incredibly effective against it. Usually, it would have fled, but the problem laid with the rune applying force on it. As soon as he tried to crawl out, the poison came.
Arthur decided that the monster was weak enough for him to kill. He looked down and saw it panting on the floor with its back toward the pit's hole. Arthur gathered his courage and jumped down as he directed the sword toward its neck.
As he was under the rune's area, Arthur felt a strong force pushing him downward, increasing the lethality of his strike. With these factors, he managed to slay the monster.
[You have leveled up. Stamina-I rune had been gained.]
Arthur felt the adrenaline rush in his body as he shouted, standing on top of the slain monster. After he calmed down, he used his legacy to absorb the monster's essence.
[Perception has increased by 1.]
[Perception has increased by 1.]
Arthur was sad that he didn't get other stats as he thought they were more useful, but his mind changed as he felt his sight becoming clearer and his hearing turning sharper. He was able to sense the change in surrounding more easily. However, the joy didn't end here. As the monster's core floated up, Arthur saw one more stone accompanying it. It was a skill.
[Camouflage (F): decrease other's perception of the host by 5 points.]
As Arthur activated the skill, he felt his presence grow fainter. The sounds he made while he walked also grew quieter. It seems this skill didn't affect others but reduced the visual and auditory information he made.
"That's an interesting way of hunting." A voice coming from behind him interrupted his thoughts. As Arthur turned around in a hurry, he found the girl from earlier inspecting the trap he made. He could see her figure from inside the hole, and he rushed outside after grabbing the mana core.
"Did you follow me?" Arthur scanned the surroundings looking for any other person. There was none.
The girl kept her eyes on the branch that Arthur imprinted the rune on. He wasn't too worried as only experts can differentiate real runes and artificial ones. The girl's black hair flattered through the winds revealing her neck. A scent drifted toward Arthur that made his body turn hotter. The girl then looked at him with her green eyes studying him.
"I didn't know there was a runes master among this generation," She lightly walked toward Arthur, who watched her every movement. As the distance between them grew shorter, Arthur knew something was wrong. An emotion that he couldn't control was taking over his body. It was lust.
His breathing grew heavier as his skin turned red. As he watched the girl get closer, he felt his heart race faster. Her fair skin and charming eyes drew him, making him lose the ability to think straight.
"I see that you're not that bad yourself," The girl was now in front of him, and she held his chin with her finger. As the ringing alarms in Arthur's mind grew louder, he felt his body losing balance as he crashed to the ground. Before he could lift himself, a dagger was placed on his neck.
"Who are you?" The girl's gentle appearance disappeared as she coldly stared at Arthur. As he felt his head turn clearer, the lust from earlier disappeared as well. It seems he fell for the ability of this girl.
"You know who I am, I follow Haz..."
"That's a lie. I know you're not someone from the seven families nor are you among the current generation. Others might turn a blind eye to the teachings of the elders, but I don't. The command was clear. Kill any strangers."
Arthur now felt dread for the first time. From her tone, he knew killing was easy for her. How could someone of their age be so accepting of such a concept?
"I…" Arthur tried to cook a story he could slip away with, but he didn't know what to say. That this was all an accident? That he simply ended up here? He felt the dagger dig deeper into his skin as blood began to leak out.
As his mind raced to come up with a solution, a white figure suddenly appeared above the girl. Arthur couldn't feel anything before the girl let go of him and turned to block the strike the white figure made. As the dagger and sword collided, the girl was flung away from him, and the white figure descended.
"You…"
As Arthur heard the familiar voice, he looked toward the person who just saved him. It was the White Fairy looking at him with shock.
Report chapter Comments
"Fey… What do you think you're doing?" The girl shouted at Fey before Arthur could answer. It seems the two knew each other, and Fey decided to withhold any further questions.
"This person is with us." A voice answered instead of Fey as a person walked over from the forest. As Arthur looked at the thin pale man and he remembered how he got this legacy. Yuran looked as sickly as ever, yet just as kind as he stood in front of Arthur. It seems the girl regained her calm after she saw his entrance.
"I see, so it was true. The fairy and the cripple, what a duo." The girl spat out as she looked at Arthur and continued. "Someone else also said he was with them, but that's a lie. I know every person who's going to participate in the trials. He's not one of them!"
As the tension grew between both sides, Yuran sighed as he shook his head.
"He's like me."
This one sentence seemed to shut the girl up. Her eyes shook as she turned pale.
"Impossible! There shouldn't be another survivor!"
Arthur's felt the whole scene was chaotic as he didn't understand anything that was going on. As he got up, he decided to stay quiet and simply stare at the girl hoping the bluff would work.
"It was impossible too in my case, but I survived." Yuran's voice was sad and desolate. Arthur found it hard to believe that he was the same kind and cheerful person he met a while ago.
After a lengthy silence, the girl found herself unable to say anything. As the tension grew between the two sides, Fey finally opened her mouth, diffusing the whole thing.
"It's not like you can beat me anyway."
"So, how come you're alive?"
That was the first question Arthur received after he, Yuran, and Fey left. The one asking was Fey, as she was more shocked than happy.
"I fell out of the dungeon at that time. I even ended up in the wilderness, barely making it back."
"Oh…" As dungeons were thought of as separate spaces from the normal plane, they couldn't refute this explanation as people didn't know much about the laws governing them.
"I'm just glad you're alive." Yuran cut as he held Arthur by the shoulder and squeezed. His smile was of genuine relief, and Arthur felt touched, although awkward at the same time.
"Then why are you here?"
Fey was the one asking. Faced with her direct questioning, Arthur found himself unable to explain it adequately. In the end, he tried to state the simple truth.
"I fell here by accident…"
"You sure fall a lot."
After also inquiring about his eyes and telling them that it had something with his awakening, the two didn't ask anymore as they were on good terms and didn't want to dig any deeper into it.
As they made their way to their hideout, the three kept chatting idly. Arthur took the chance to ask about the money Yuran sent, and the latter apologized that it was too little compared to saving his life. He said that he was… currently in a dire financial state, too.
Arthur found it hard to reject his goodwill, so he left it at that for now and made a mental note to give it back in the future. The three finally reached the cave the two used in the meantime, and Arthur decided to rest here for the night.
Even though He left Hazel at the camp, she was with her family and over-caring Jin. Arthur felt safer to stay here as he knew the characters of these two to some extent.
The night drew near as the three sat around the campfire talking. After meeting a familiar person here, Arthur found some relief from his loneliness. He decided to ask Yuran about the situation he landed himself in.
"It seems you fell here by accident without knowing everything." Yuran's eyes held complex emotions as he looked at Arthur. The latter felt like Yuran was not looking at him but reminiscing the past. Yuran continued, "The Holy Crown is a symbol more than an Artifact. There are Seven Families hidden from the world, although it's like a shared secret between the powerful. Many Guilds followed one of these families that have what we call a bloodline."
With a brief pause, Yuran gave Arthur a bowl of grilled meat and continued.
"These families are like trees having many branches, the further the ties to the main family the lesser the bloodline the person holds. The founders left clues about three artifacts the families should obtain, one of them being the Holy Crown. Every thirty years, the gates for the trials of the Holy Crown begins. Each time, they last for five years with some time between each trial. Yet until now, not one person was able to obtain the Holy Crown."
"Huh?!" Arthur almost shouted with shock. The trials were one thing, but not one person being able to get the Holy Crown was another. He simply thought the crown gave abilities to whoever gets it; now, it seemed like an impossible dream.
"Why would anyone participate in these trials then?" Arthur asked, confused. He knew death was not uncommon given the dangers of the first trial.
"Even though the crown is a symbol, it's also a powerful artifact. It's a miracle. The reason why many people still participate in the trials happening all over the world is simple." Yuran paused as he looked at Arthur in the eyes.
"Whoever wins the crown shall be granted the Legacy of Kings, becoming the one true ruler of the new world."
What Arthur just heard sounded nonsensical. True ruler? Legacy of Kings? Why would people risk their lives for such things? Why can't they just obtain happiness?
Arthur then remembered his father. His father was a simple and honest man. That's what Arthur always knew about him.
Yet, in the end, the world didn't care for the disappearance of his father. The guild he worked for covered it, the government simply shrugging the responsibility off, and the whole world seemingly moving forward uncaring.
As Arthur's thoughts reached here, he almost laughed at himself. What happiness was he looking for? The stabbing pain he felt when his father was gone returned. He had to shoulder everything for years, not experiencing friendships nor love in his youth, simply working for the pockets of the rich. He has long forgotten the desire to have fun or experience new things in life. He was robbed of that privilege.
Rage felt like a burning flame in his chest. He felt injustice, and he felt betrayed. He knew none of this would have happened if not for the world being this way.
"What's wrong with your eyes?" Yuran's voice interrupted Arthur's hysterical state. As he heard the question, he finally managed to calm down. He looked at the reflections of his eyes in his sword; they were glowing. This rage was not his. It was a part of Jizo's rage against the world.
The next day, the trio started hunting like usual. Arthur decided to think about what he learned last night after he survives this. Yuran and Fey were far stronger than Arthur, as even a bullet from Yuran was enough to defeat him. As Arthur was still unranked, merely approaching the ranks of neo-awakeners, it was a reasonable gap.
As for Fey… it was better to ignore the gap between Arthur and her. She was an invincible foe for the current Arthur. That's why Arthur told the two to hunt on their own for today, as he remained alone in the cave.
After yesterday's near-death experience, he realized he might die here. Until now, he remained on the periphery of the forest, not daring to venture closer to the tower, where monsters appeared in doves, and higher rank monsters were common.
However, he needed to grow stronger in the fastest way possible to get out of here.
Arthur held the mana core he gained from the Arcula he killed yesterday. At first, he thought about creating a skill through it. However, Creating a skill for himself was useless at the moment. He could use his ability to get a similar effect. That's why he thought about using the core for something else.
He could use this to make a permanent rune for Stamina-I, the new rune he got yesterday. It was pretty useful as Arthur read it.
[Stamina-I: Increases your stamina by 5 points. Works against fatigue.]
Since it increased his stamina for a short while, it could work as an energy potion or the like. However, there was an idea in Arthur's head that would prove far more helpful.
[Absorb: A Legacy rune that can use the life energy of the enemies you have slain to strengthen himself.]
The mana core was the manifestation of life energy that the monsters dropped. Although he could gain stats from the corpse of the enemy, he never got mana. That's why Arthur decided to use his legacy rune to absorb the mana core.
As he used the rune on the core, cracks began to appear on its surface, and it broke down after a few seconds, and a new message appeared.
[Mana stat has been increased by 1.]
[Mana stat has been increased by 1.]
[Mana stat has been increased by 1.]
"Jackpot…"
Arthur didn't feel the usual excitement, only a strong determination to advance for now. He opened his legacy and spent the point he got from leveling up on mana stats. In the blink of an eye, he has grown by so much.
[Scholar Guardian's Legacy]
[Level: 6 (11%)]
[Strength: 23]
[Agility: 26]
[Stamina: 14]
[Perception: 12]
[Mana: 8/8]
[Abilities: Beginner Runes Wordsmith (6%), Useable Runes: 7]
[Skills: Lesser-Mana Breathing Skill (F), Poison Strike (F), Camouflage (F)]
With the amount of mana he had now, he could imprint all of the runes he had for a short time. He now had the barrier rune, the detection rune, the absorb rune, the force rune, and the three enhancement runes, including strength, agility, and stamina. Although they were all basic runes, Arthur felt their versatility. If he could learn every rune out there… Arthur imagined he could do whatever he wanted.
However, the artifacts were expensive. That's why even if Arthur could grow powerful by learning runes, he needed the money to study the artifact. Furthermore, he was also limited by his ability, although he hoped it would evolve after reaching 100 percent.
"It's time that I hunt for real." Arthur held his sword as he left the cave. He didn't know what changed exactly, but he was now more eager to grow stronger.
"Thank you for your help!" Arthur thanked them sincerely after Fey and Yuran returned. The two were confused at the sudden ominous gratitude. As they expected, Arthur continued. "But this will be our farewell! I know the current me would only hinder you two. That's why I'll be hunting on my own from now on."
"Arthur…" Yuran's voice trailed as he was about to try persuading him, but Arthur shook his head. As the former saw this, he smiled bitterly and nodded. "Our meeting might have been short, but it was good to see you, Arthur. I'll never forget what you've done for me. I pray for your safety." Yuran held his fist up and Arthur's fist-bumped him.
After saying goodbye to Fey as well, Arthur left the cave. He would have liked their protection, but he couldn't slow the two down. He knew they were fighting stronger monsters, maybe even aiming at the tower. Arthur couldn't leave this place yet, so they would have to wait for him. He didn't like being a dead weight, so he decided to venture out alone.
As he entered the forest, Arthur inhaled fresh air. Three runes appeared, and two disappeared into his body. They enhanced His agility and stamina, and Arthur held the detection rune in his hand as he felt the surrounding.
Zigzagging through high-tier monsters and monster packs, Arthur hunted the unranked monsters he found. As he kept on hunting and absorbing, his stats began to rise before staggering again.
After a short while, his stats stopped increasing from killing unranked monsters. It seems the more powerful he grew, the more powerful monsters he needed to kill to get stronger.
After a while, most of his stats except for mana increased by two or three points. He decided to end the day here as he started heading toward the camp where Hazel stayed. He wanted to say goodbye before he started hunting along the periphery of the forest for primitive monsters.
The night was fast on stealing the light of day, and Arthur moved to infiltrate the camp. He used his camouflage skill, and his presence grew fainter and slightly merged with the darkness of the night.
As he already knew the general direction of Hazel's tent, he headed there and hid between the trees, looking for her. Several young people were patrolling, but they weren't that vigilant as monsters couldn't be stealthy.
After a while, Arthur spotted Hazel by the lakeside sitting as she caressed the water's surface. Arthur circled through the forest and approached her location.
As he started walking toward her, she heard his footsteps and turned around. With the bit of light coming from the moon, her eyes seemed black as she looked at him. Her brown hair slide over her shoulder as she turned her head. Thankfully, she wasn't startled by him approaching her like this.
"Arthur? Where have you been?" Hazel was stunned for a second before rushing over. She stopped right in front of him, and her scent entered his nostrils. Although they were in the wild all the time they spent together, she always smelled nice.
"I fought with the girl who always sat next to Erin Voldor. I met a friend who helped me escape her. That's why I couldn't come back to the camp after that." Arthur explained what happened as briefly as he could.
"Oh… Layla was always the overcautious type. I never really liked her since she felt two-faced. I'm glad you're okay." Hazel sighed in relief with her hand on her chest.
Arthur wondered how he got so lucky that he started meeting genuinely nice people. Unfortunately, they belonged to a different world than his.
"I need to leave the camp. I can't stay here with here suspecting me for who I am."
His declaration seems to have saddened Hazel, who has suddenly looked down. After a short silence, she nodded.
"Then I'm coming with you. You're the person who saved my life when I needed saving, it's only right that I do the same."
"Don't make me regret coming here," Arthur shook his head. "I just wanted to say goodbye. I know it's a lot safer here. That's why we came here in the first place. Furthermore, what would Jin say if you ditch your family and run away with me? What would happen after the trial ends?"
Hazel looked even gloomier than before. She looked frustrated. She protested again, but Arthur turned her down. He knew he could survive better alone now. He also didn't want to be restrained in his hunting methods because of hiding his ability.
After a long protestation from Hazel, she finally accepted his decision. She then pocketed her pouch and took out a mana core.
"This is what we hunted together. Please take it. And…" She placed it in his palm and squeezed on his hand, holding the core with both her hands. Her voice trailed, and she continued. "Please be safe, Arthur."
Arthur felt an unfamiliar emotion rise inside him. He felt the warmth of her hands and how small they were in comparison to his. He also felt the warmth of someone caring about his wellbeing. As blood rushed to his head, he did something he didn't think he'd do in his life. His heart thumped loudly with nervousness as his head approached hers.
He could see that Hazel was even more surprised than he was, as her eyes and eyelashes trembled. However, she didn't take a step back. She simply waited for him. As she looked at him, memories started rushing over from the deepest parts of him. The gates of hell in his heart opened as negative emotions rushed in.
No matter what happened and no matter how much he changed, he was still the weakling digging through dirt for some money. He was insecure. His fear of being rejected made him stop. He couldn't take that last step.
"I wish you safety as well." Arthur left after he said these words.
Report chapter Comments
Walking in the forest, Arthur experienced the feeling of being on his own again. As he surveyed the surrounding using his rune, he found no monsters nearby. All alone in the forest, he crouched down and put his hands on his head.
"Why did I do that?"
He felt embarrassed about what just happened. He was barely eighteen and never got to kiss a girl before. That's why he was impulsive this time. Furthermore, he wished he didn't run away after leaning forward like that.
'This is not the time.' Arthur shook his head and stood up. He needed to get stronger and fast. Primitive creatures were no longer a threat to him as long as they weren't in a group. This meant he could hunt freely here while being careful.
After absorbing the mana core Hazel gave him, his mana rose by another two points. With his hunt from earlier, his stats now looked like this.
[Scholar Guardian's Legacy]
[Level: 6 (56%)]
[Strength: 26]
[Agility: 28]
[Stamina: 22]
[Perception: 14]
[Mana: 9/10]
[Abilities: Beginner Runes Wordsmith (6%), Useable Runes: 7]
[Skills: Lesser-Mana Breathing Skill (F), Poison Strike (F), Camouflage (F)]
Using a mana core that he got from an unranked monster, he raised his stamina to 22 earlier. The stats he lacked now were only perception and mana. However, he didn't have any means to raise them right now. Although he tried absorbing mana cores from unranked monsters, they weren't enough to give him any boost in stats.
He knew that getting stronger was not instantaneous; he also felt quite fortunate. Most of these awakeners would awaken at an early age. They would then spend their time getting stronger or have evolved their abilities. As Arthur's ability was linked directly to his knowledge of runes, he currently had no means to train his ability.
He needed to rely on his legacy to gain more runes. It seems they were given randomly, or maybe there was a pattern he didn't know yet. He knew that leveling up was more about runes than about stats, although the bonus stat was quite helpful as well. However, as his stats got higher, the bonus stats point proved less useful.
As Arthur kept walking in the forest and thinking about this and that, he heard a wolf pack howling in the distance. As he was sure he couldn't handle them, he decided to sleep on top of a tree tonight. Although it was out in the open, he doubted he could find a place that was monsters-safe in this trial grounds.
Arthur climbed a tree and laid down on a thick branch. Luckily, the trees in this area were all gigantic, and there was enough room for him not to fall, as long as he doesn't move, that is.
As the moonlight shined down, Arthur hugged his sword as he listened to the forest breathing. The howls of the wolves in the distance got nearer. They were still a distance away, so Arthur wasn't too worried about it. He looked in their direction and could see the wolf's pack running in a certain direction.
In the lead was a giant wolf that was quite intimidating. As they were a distance away, Arthur couldn't see how it looked very clearly. However, the sheer size of the creature proved that it was not your average joe monster.
The wolves disappeared from his sight, and only their howls remained in his ears. He felt pretty sleepy after such a long day, and he wanted to sleep. However, as he was about to sleep, the earth trembled, and many leaves in the forest fell. Arthur opened his eyes as he heard the mighty howl of a wolf along with the sound of battle. It seems the wolf's pack was fighting. After a short moment, the forest resumed its quietness, and Arthur finally fell asleep.
Early the next day, Arthur woke up to the sounds of birds chippering away. He stretched after a good night of sleep before standing up and surveying the forest. As the light of day illuminated the darkness he saw yesterday, he marveled at the beauty of nature. Breathing fresh air, Arthur felt more adventurous than ever. He wanted to explore.
Since his body was stronger than before, almost triple his previous strength, he was entering the realm of superhumans. With a powerful jump, he leaped from one branch to the other. He felt like a ninja as he traveled through the forest.
He saw all kinds of monster packs as he traveled, but he didn't engage them. First, he plucked out some fruit to have his breakfast as he enjoyed the scenery and the wildlife in the forest. There were many species of monsters that he didn't know about since he was uneducated.
Some lived in swamps having humanoid figures and crocodile jaws, while others were winged, resembling legends of the wyvern. Luckily, he used his camouflage skill and the trees to stay hidden.
Arthur descended on the ground and used his Detection rune to look for nearby monsters. Strangely, he picked multiple strong life forces from underground. As he looked below, he didn't see anything odd. Furthermore, these life forces were approximately thirty meters underground. They moved in what seems to be underground tunnels.
"Are these underground monsters?" Arthur wondered. Judging by the lifeforce, most of them were primitive monsters. As he started following the tunnels, he saw they diverged several times. He looked around for anything resembling an opening and found a close mountain. If there were a cave or an entrance, it would be there.
His guess was correct as he noticed more tunnels when he neared the mountain's steep end. He then began climbing and looking through the terrain for an entrance and found one after half an hour of looking and using the detection rune.
"Is this a monsters' nest?" Arthur wondered as he looked inside the cave. It was dark and damp and seemingly going downward forever. After some thought, he felt this would be a good opportunity for him.
He wouldn't need to worry about the monsters that descended from the tower with each round, and he would be able to hunt effectively. Even though his stats won't increase after absorbing some of these species, he wouldn't mind gaining some mana cores to absorb.
With resolution steeling his mind, he descended the cave while keeping the Detection rune active. Although he could make the outlines with his increased perception, he still needed the rune to avoid being ambushed or meeting powerful foes.
As he sensed in a 50 meters radius, Arthur found some primitive monsters close by. They were in a tunnel on the left. As he approached the tunnel's entrance, he had his back against the wall as he surveyed the surrounding. The monsters were giant with ants' bodies and humanoid heads like those of goblins.
On the monster's head, there was a gem embedded in its forehead. It seemed to be a mana core and was glowing red. Arthur had never seen such a monster before, so he grew hesitant if he should stay.
Judging by the monster's lifeforce, it seemed to be only a primitive tier. These monsters worked in groups as some opened up new tunnels while others moved the rocks away. Those that opened the tunnels had a red gem in their forehead, while the agile ones clearing the way had a blue gem.
What fascinated Arthur was the way they dug through the cave. They impaled their legs into the wall, and mana rose from their red cores. The soil in that wall would loosen and fall off. The blue-gem monster would then harden it before picking it away. It seems that these two worked together to break down the soil and solidify it, thus digging effectively.
It seems to be an innate skill of the monster, as they could change the soil's structure using mana. After much thought, Arthur decided to start his hunt. These monsters looked like they were only for digging, so they were not that much of a threat.
Arthur waited for one of the blue-gem monsters to move away from the rest before he lured it. They worked in pairs of red and blue, and others were digging other tunnels. As Arthur threw a rock near the monster, it turned its humanoid and ugly face toward where the rock landed. Arthur kept luring it into his place, and it kept coming closer.
After it was finally within striking range, Arthur slashed at its neck from his hiding spot. The monster was frightened and tried to defend, but Arthur's attack took it by surprise and inflicted a deep wound on its neck. However, it wasn't dead yet as it started screeching and dodging his attacks.
The red-gem monster noticed the commotion and was heading his way. The blue-gem monster used the mandibles protruding from its neck and impaled them to the ground. The soil began to gather and harden at a visible rate, and the monster threw it at Arthur. It seemed this was their means of fighting.
Arthur couldn't dodge due to the narrow space and struck the soil – now a rock – with his sword. It felt like he was striking against steel, but he was able to fend it off. Arthur had no time to waste and used his Force-II rune to restrain the blue-gem monster against the wall.
Since he used a higher-tier rune, his mana drained drastically. After more rounds of fighting and his protection rune breaking, he finally killed the monster.
Arthur readied himself for the red-gem monster as it arrived just as he finished off its friend. He was in for another battle.
Report chapter Comments
With the end of each round, the trial summons a new monster to its grounds. A round ends when someone clears the tower in the middle. On top of the grand structure, a single giant bell exists. Whoever rings this bell would gain the insignia of the conquer, signifying their achievement in the tower.
There were other types of insignias, each type having a different requirement to be obtained. The Conqueror's Insignia was only one of many; whoever conquered the tower gained this one.
The monster summoned is unleashed into the trial grounds when a round ends. Whoever slays this monster would be bestowed with the insignia of the slayer. This was also to prevent people from hiding in the trial grounds forever. It would be better to escape the powerful monsters than to conquer the tower or gain other insignias.
Different actions provided different insignias, each having its differences. However, the one you get on the first round would usually determine your path in the later trials.
They were five floors in total in the tower, but each one looked like a different world. On the first floor, Yurirl found himself in a circular arena. Armored knights rushed out of the door, and they started to encircle them.
Yurirl wasn't fazed in the slightest as he believed his conviction would break through everything. He wondered if Jenny was alright but slightly chuckled as he remembered her fighting style. It was her specialty to fight for large battles like this one.
A knight approached him, and Yurirl's Divine Sense showed its powers. He studied the approaching enemy in slow motion as red spots appeared along with the knight's armor.
They were the weak seams made in the blacksmithing process. Mana surged from his blade as he slashed toward the red spot. With the mana he honed until now, he was able to slash down the knight effortlessly.
Another one attacked, the same happened again. This process repeated itself until all of the knights were down. Yurirl breathed mana in and out to replenish his body. Although it didn't take a toll on him, he still wanted to challenge the next floor with optimum conditions.
As he ascended to the second floor, he arrived at a flower field. As he didn't expect such scenery on this floor, this sight dazed him for a second. However, he regained his calm and started plodding through the field of grass and flowers.
He trampled over many flowers, leaving a path of destruction in his footsteps. He finally reached the tree in the middle where a single figure had their back towards him.
"Is that who you became, Yurirl?" The figure turned around. Yurirl's body was visibly shaking as he saw who it was. A girl with a one-piece sky-blue dress stood in front of him. Her eyebrows were curved, giving her a gentle appearance along with her oval face. Her gentle face, however, was adorned with a sad expression.
"You… How come you're here? No, no! This is fake! You're dead!" Yurirl took a step back, and his foot stepped on something. As he looked down, it was a hand stained with blood. His gaze followed the trail he just took. Corpses filled his way, and there was so much blood that it was hard to see the ground.
"This is what you've done." The girl was next to him.
"No! I did it for you!" Yurirl let go of his sword as he grabbed the girl by the shoulders. She winced in pain, and he had to let her go. Then blood dyed her sky-blue dress.
"That's what you did to me. Believing everything was for my sake, you killed all those people. What about what I want?" She took a step forward. She reached out her hands, placing them around his neck.
"Did you do it for me, or was it simply to get me back by your side?" The girl whispered as she tightened her grip around his neck. Yurirl couldn't breathe, nor could he see through his tears. But he knew one thing, that these words were true. This, however, was not her.
His Divine Ability refused to work. Yurirl used his mana to shake her off and grabbed his sword again. With the handle back in his hand, his conviction was back.
He slashed at the person he loved the most and tore her apart. This was the part of the path he chose, the path of the conqueror. Everything he did was to reach the goal he had in mind.
As the scenery disappeared, what remained was a desolate brick floor. There were no flowers, no greenery, nothing but a stairway to the next floor. Yurirl looked around; this was what he chose; this was all that is left. That's why he needed the holy crown.
With a poison strike, Arthur finished off the other monster. His mana was now empty, and he needed to rest. However, before that, Arthur needed to absorb the essence of these two monsters. He walked over and absorbed that of the red-gem monster.
[Strength has increased by 1.]
[Strength has increased by 1.]
It seems he could hunt these monsters for a while as they still gave him two stats points. Arthur enjoyed the feeling of getting stronger as the sword felt slightly lighter in his hand. He then walked over to the other monster and absorbed its essence. However, he was surprised that it didn't give him a Strength point.
[Agility has increased by 1.]
[Agility has increased by 1.]
It seems their essence was different depending on their task. That meant that he could hunt more as each monster gave him a different essence, in theory. However, he still needed to make sure.
Arthur picked up the mana cores and absorbed one of them while he pocketed the other, which he wanted to use later to research his permutant runes.
[Mana has increased by 1.]
[Mana has increased by 1.]
He read the messages that appeared in front of him as he felt new strength enter his body. He enjoyed the feeling of growing stronger after every battle. Arthur resumed his hunt after resting for a while and refilling his mana, hunting several other monsters.
The number of stats dwindled after the first two monsters becoming only one point per monster, but it was still okay. Arthur hunted until it was late at night before he walked out of the underground cave. He needed to search for some prey to eat before finding a place to sleep.
The next morning, Arthur woke up in the underground cave. He had moved some rocks from here and there to block the dead-end where he hunted the first two monsters. Even though the monsters could break them down, the obstacles serve as an alarm too.
As he got up and dusted himself, he missed the bed he took for granted dearly. It has been several days since the last time he took a shower, and he made a mental note to swim in the stream when he gets out of here. But for now, he needed to get stronger.
[Scholar Guardian's Legacy]
[Level: 6 (56%)]
[Strength: 31]
[Agility: 33]
[Stamina: 22]
[Perception: 14]
[Mana: 18/18]
[Abilities: Beginner Runes Wordsmith (7%), Useable Runes: 7]
[Skills: Lesser-Mana Breathing Skill (F), Poison Strike (F), Camouflage (F)]
Two of his stats have shot through 30, and with his runes, he was well over 35. This change was so drastic that Arthur felt like a different person. He wondered if his body could handle so much strengthening in a short amount of time, but he wasn't too worried as he felt great.
Before he started hunting again, he sat down to try some things. Right now, he had three runes that he didn't use to make a permanent rune. Those were [Protection-I, [Detection-I, and lastly [Absorb]. He took out his core and tried to fuse it with his Legacy rune, but it didn't work.
Furthermore, the legacy told him that he wasn't able to make permanent rune from Legacy runes. It was as he expected, and that left him with two more options.
He had left three mana cores to try these runes, and now he had an extra one. He then fused the Protection-I rune with one of the cores, and he got a new message.
[Active rune has been inscribed. A Skill has been created: Barrier (F)]
Arthur felt his blood coursing through his veins as adrenal rushed. He was so excited by this discovery and the unlimited potential it brought. He held into the semi-ethereal rune as he tried to fuse it into his own body. Unexpectedly, his body rejected it.
[Rune has already been learned.]
That's when it clicked in his head. Skills were a manifestation of runes. The two had similar effects but a very fundamental difference. If skills were a program, then the runes were the code that created this program. He always thought of runes as new powers he obtained, but he was wrong.
These were the alphabets of creation.
The difference between skills and runes was the same if Arthur used the same analogy of a program and a code. Everyone could use a program; they can have its benefits without the need to understand how it worked. The skills were the same. No one knew how a gesture of hand brought down lightning.
Arthur had an epiphany at that moment. He wasn't a fighter, king, or conqueror and wasn't walking the path of supremacy and power; he was walking the path of creation. The legacy he obtained wasn't meant to make him simply a powerful person that could destroy the world if they wished. It was to make him… someone who could recreate the world.
Report chapter Comments
After realizing such a significant thing, Arthur questioned if he was worthy. He always wondered if someone else fell into that space where Jizo was, would they be in his stead? Would they be better, help others, or have higher ambitions? He didn't know, nor did it matter.
He was the one holding the legacy now. What he did was up to him, and he could always think about the complicated stuff Jizo told him later when the time came.
Since he couldn't fuse the rune into his body, he decided to fuse it into his leathered armor. Although it was low-level, Arthur looked at the new artifact he created with a complicated gaze. It was… too easy. He shook his head and decided not to mull over it. He decided to experiment with one more thing before he started hunting.
Arthur used two mana cores to create a permanent rune of [Force-II, and as he expected, the rune was more powerful than last time. If he kept adding materials, he would probably reach the boundaries of [Force-III].
Just like earlier, Arthur couldn't use the rune on himself. Thus, he decided to use it on his sword. With its sharp edge as the origin, Arthur directed the rune's force forward. That way, he could activate the rune by supplying mana into the sword and achieve a greater strike than usual.
With his new gear, Arthur felt more confident than before in his hunting. He decided to head deeper into the tunnels if the monsters stopped giving him stats points.
With his new gear, hunting became far easier than before. He used his Protection-I rune when he was attacked and used the Force-II rune to attack the monsters. This way, his strength almost doubled.
The power of his strike was the same, but the impact was a lot more if he struck with the rune. If he used Poison Strike too…
Making the Force-II rune on his sword proved to be a sage choice. When he used Poison Strike before, monsters could dodge the corroding poison since it was so slow. However, with Force-II rune acting as some sort of 'water gun', his Poison Strike became more like a poison bullet.
After killing the third pair of monsters for the day, Arthur no longer received any points. No matter how much he absorbed, he still gained nothing. He decided to hunt deeper for other species of the goblin ants to get more stats points.
As he was heading deeper, he avoided the monsters he came across. He didn't want to waste time with them as they weren't valuable to him anymore except for their mana cores. He would get back for them later after he hunts the other species, though.
After a while, Arthur detected a new lifeforce in his detection rune. It was more powerful than the previous monsters, but not that much different. He peered into the tunnel the monster was in and saw a giant goblin ant, almost double the size of the two previous species. Its shells also looked harder, and it had two scythes-like front legs that looked like weapons.
As he was examining the monster, it suddenly turned in his direction. Its eyes looked at his location, and Arthur noticed a violet gem in its forehead.
"Kekekeke!" With a screech-like scream, the monster darted toward Arthur's location. Arthur had no idea how it managed to sense him, but he retreated and positioned himself in front of the tunnel and waited.
When the monster showed its head, Arthur began firing the accelerated poison strikes. Three of the four bullets-like strikes struck their target and one missed.
The monster screeched even loudly but continued to rush forward. Arthur was sure of it now; the monster's scythe-like legs and its shell were proof this species specialized in combat.
Arthur wasn't afraid, and he clenched his sword hard as he supplied even more mana to the rune on it. Using a Protection rune on himself and activating the one on his armor created a double barrier, with each one of them having the same amount as his strength. He was confident.
From the corner of his right eye, Arthur saw something fly toward him. He wasn't fast enough to dodge it, and a rock smashed into his face. The strike canceled one of his barriers and threw him off balance.
The monster was close to him, using this chance as a gap. With one of its scythes, he slashed toward Arthur, who had his body unestablished by the last attack. He tried to block the strike with his sword, but another flying rock deflected his blade.
The scythes slashed him from his left shoulder to his right loin. This ruined his armor, and his barrier was useless against this strike.
It was only then that Arthur saw that mana covered the scythe. The mana added to the destructiveness of the leg by leaps and bounds, and Arthur's armor couldn't handle it.
As he felt his upper body get warmer from the outside and colder from the inside, Arthur realized he messed up. He has lost so much blood that his head was spinning.
The monster slashed again, giving Arthur no time to retreat. As he saw the slash come his way, Arthur's shivered at the thought of death. Until just a moment ago, confidence filled his heart.
He thought he was the chosen powerful. How laughably wrong he was. His overconfidence would cost him his life. He should have retreated the moment the monster sensed him.
Arthur's back was now against the wall due to the first rock that had struck him. He should have realized this monster also had skills related to the soils. From what he saw, it seems this one could manipulate earth.
He wished he had observed the monster earlier before he got himself into this fight. As he saw the slash coming, Arthur created another protection rune hoping to save himself.
However, before the strike reached him, Arthur felt sudden emptiness behind his back. He then felt his body fall backward and could see the monster missing. He slid in what seemed to be a tunnel as he watched the hole that he fell from close up, preventing the monster from chasing him.
Arthur tried to stop his falling, but he was too weak to do so. After a few seconds, he felt himself crash into the ground as his wound oozed more blood. It hurt like hell now that his adrenaline was wearing off.
"You're half dead, boy." Arthur felt a voice from behind him, and he hurriedly turned his head. Although he was bleeding, he couldn't rest just yet before knowing where he had fallen.
As he turned around, Arthur saw a wall with a man's head coming out from it. It was the head of an old man with grey hair and beard. The old man was looking at him with his eyes lifeless, seemingly dead.
"Who are you?" Arthur asked, his voice weaker than he expected. It seems the monster injured him badly. However, he couldn't focus on recovering while he didn't know if he was safe or not.
"I'm the one who saved you, boy." The old man's lips moved, but his eyes were still lifeless. His voice was husky, as if the old man hasn't drunk anything for a while. He continued, "Before you know who I am, why not express your gratitude as you rest?"
Report chapter Comments
The first trial for the holy ground was never easy. However, these young men and women decided to strive for their fate. Many have fallen already, but many more kept battling for glory and riches.
In the south of the trial grounds was the group of Erin Voldor, a mighty army of awakeners that worked together to pass this trial. Their families were allies for many years; that's why this team shared a good bond between them. Individual selfishness was unquestionably common, but they worked in a competitive environment under Erin's leadership.
A duo that headed toward the east looking for a specific person also had rumors flying around them. They were named the fairy and the cripple. From what the tales have gathered, they were looking for someone who would gain the rare Saint insignia. Although no one was able to yet, they were talking to the candidates for some reason.
The northern area was mainly a forbidden one due to the people residing in it. Everyone feared that area because inhabitants of that area tamed a powerful monsters' army.
They were advancing toward the central tower, preparing for a major scheme of taming the high-tier monsters the trial summoned at the end of each round.
The west was the most bizarre as a part of the land was dyed black. The high-tier monster that had appeared at the beginning of the first round has been slain. What was more bizarre is that this black land would kill or harm whoever stepped on it.
Those who've seen the battle were shivering at the sight of a single man taking down a three-headed lion by himself. The destruction of this land has witnessed looked like it would last forever.
This space was not the only one to exist as other grounds for the first trial took place elsewhere. However, the result of this trial ground was the most anticipated because of the characters participating. Major powers clashed in a mini-war in this trial as each tried to strive for supremacy over the others.
In the midst of all of this chaos and ambitions, hidden deep underground in a room with no exits, a wounded, unrelated person opened his eyes.
His wounded body felt better, but the wound would still hurt if he moved. Arthur was reminded again of his failure and – almost – death. His legacy had fed him so much confidence that he started to rely on it entirely, thinking of himself as the chosen one who wouldn't perish.
This failure has reminded him of the following simple fact. Legacies could be lost, and they would bind to other Legacy users.
As he tried to sit up, the old man that had saved him turned his head in Arthur's direction. The wound hurt like hell, but he needed to drink water. Arthur opened the container at his waist and gulped two times before closing it; water was essential right now.
He couldn't drink to his heart content. He then looked at the person who saved him, and despite not knowing his motives, he opened his mouth to thank him.
"Thank you for saving me." Arthur's voice was still hoarse due to his thirst, and it hurt his throat to speak. The old man looked at him and nodded before opening his mouth as well.
"My name is Solomon."
"Mine is Arthur."
"Arthur… If you're grateful, then help me."
'I knew there was something. No free lunch in this world, and that's how I like it. No debts and no guilts.' Arthur thought to himself and nodded.
"What do you want? For me to get you out of that wall? I'm not the best for the job, you see." Arthur felt his throat drying, and he had problems speaking, so he took another mouthful of water.
"No… the rest of my body has long since died. I'm beyond saving. The reason I'm still half-alive is that I'm absorbing the mana in the soil."
"…How long have you been here?" Arthur asked, intrigued. Solomon looked at him in silence like he was making a rough estimate.
"Probably… A hundred years or so." The answer shocked Arthur to his core. A hundred years living here? He didn't know if he can remain sane, staying alone in the same place while being tied to a wall. Arthur didn't know how to ask him or what to ask him exactly. All he wanted to know was how did he last this long. As if reading his mind, Solomon answered.
"I'm still here because there's someone I need to save. Or… something I need to kill." As Arthur looked at Solomon, he realized why his eyes seemed so lifeless. This man was dead. He had no sense of self anymore, merely a single desire that had kept him hanging to life. As long as he fulfilled it, he would be gone.
"What is it that you need me to do?"
"… Thank you. All this time, I guided the goblin ants to dig these tunnels to alter the teleportation circle that exists underground."
"You guided the ants?"
"Yes… not directly, of course. I influenced their queen's mind to give commands."
"Okay. I won't ask how, but what do you mean by a teleportation circle?"
"… It's a mana path created using these tunnels and their mana-rich soil. This circle's job is to guide the teleportation happening in this trial. It would bring you here as well as summoning the queen to the trial grounds above, after the end of the sixth round.
It would be the final peak-high-tier monster on these grounds, called the Dark Queen." Solomon seems to have used too much of his strength to say this as he started panting. However, he continued nonetheless, and Arthur kept listening.
"The monster is cursed, making it go berserk if it ever faces the sun. When it does, there's little hope of stopping it. After each trial, it starts gathering its lifeforce again, in order not to die after it is summoned in the next trial.
That's why… If you attack the monster before it's summoned, there's a much higher chance of killing it. It won't have the time to recover its wounds, and it won't be berserk underground." He was coughing now, dark liquid coming out. It seems his time was slowly approaching.
"Please… kill the monster, rescue it from the endless cycle of suffering, use its mana core to activate the teleportation circle to escape this trial grounds. I made it so that the circle would activate one last time before breaking down.
Everyone would be teleported back to their starting place and this world would disappear forever. No one can stop the monster after it's summoned…"
"You want me to throw my life away?! There's no way I can kill a peak-high-tier monster!" Arthur shouted in a reflex, and he felt like his wounds were reopening. Solomon was coughing, but that didn't mean Arthur would feel sympathetic enough to help him do such a risky business.
"Please, I'll help you. We have been imprisoned in this place for far too long. I tried to defy the world and create a forbidden artifact, but I have failed. Now, all of us suffer here.
Every thirty years, monsters are summoned from the outside world. They are then trapped here until they kill or get killed, what fate is this? Please, I beg you, don't let the person I love suffer any longer. Kill the queen…"
Solomon started puking uncontrollably for a while. Arthur looked with a struggling expression toward a man breathing his last. After a long while, Arthur sighed.
'A debt must be paid.'
"I'll only kill it if I feel like I can. If I see myself getting killed, then I would leave this place." Arthur said after a long while. That was the best he could promise. Solomon stopped vomiting as he breathed roughly and nodded.
"That's more than enough. I know you can do it. This weapon can help you do it." Solomon's mana seeped into the walls, and they started to glow. Arthur saw a single weapon appear under Solomon's head by a meter. It was a single golden dagger radiating holy light. Arthur's gaze went from the blade to Solomon's face.
"Why me? Why do you trust me?"
"Because…" Solomon's voice trailed as it got weaker. With paused in between, he said his last words. "Because… you… look… like… him…" He stopped talking after saying the final word. Arthur's chest tightened for some reason.
He realized it was the first time he saw someone die up close, listening to their last words. He couldn't understand who he meant, but Arthur picked up the dagger and fastened it to his leather belt.
As he looked around, he saw a door had appeared leading upward. Arthur could see the light coming from the end, and he realized it took him to the outside world.
Report chapter Comments
The sun stung his eyes as he was just underground. As he looked around, Arthur saw that he came out beside a stream in the middle of the forest. His stomach hurt because of his hunger and the deep wound.
Every step he walked, he felt like he was being slashed again. He needed to rest and heal for now before returning to the underground tunnels for the queen. He didn't know if he could take her out, but he would if he could. Being entrusted by someone's effort of a hundred years felt burdening, but he could always leave it at that.
After cleaning his wound and body in the stream, Arthur headed aimlessly into the forest. He kept away from the central areas and kept looking for prey to hunt.
However, Arthur was too weak to hunt, and he had to use Strength and Stamina runes to keep himself going. After a while of walking, Arthur reached a grass field where he could see many creatures wondering. As he got closer, he felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
'Aren't those… the same boar-eating monsters I saw after I met Jizo?" They were called the Beras, and Arthur remembers how one tried to attack him after being teleported out of Avarice.
His mind was in chaos as he felt confused by the sense of familiarity he was experiencing. Using his Camouflage skill, he traveled along the forest's periphery and the beginning of the grass field without being seen by the Beras.
Arthur checked each tree until he finally made his conclusion. His body shook as he saw the familiar tree the Beras broke when it attacked him. His world was spinning as he couldn't understand what was going on.
However, he needed further proof. Using his memories, he reentered the forest and traced his steps from what seemed like ages ago, only it was a couple of days at most.
Arthur walked as his sense of déjà vu grew stronger with each moment. After a while of walking, he found himself in front of the familiar cave. It was where he stayed when he was teleported out of Avarice.
However, it was much more desolate now. Plants and skeletons of different animals and monsters filled its inside. He could see bite marks on them like something was chewing on them.
"What… is this? Are the trial grounds the future of the real world? Or is it only this place that has been teleported…"
Arthur's head was dizzy from both shock and blood loss. He staggered and fell on his butt as fever took over him. He was too weak to understand what was going on, and he soon fell into unconsciousness.
After an unknown amount of time, Arthur felt a cold sensation envelope his chest and face. Although it had a cooling effect, it also woke him up. As his senses returned, he felt like someone was wiping his face with a wet blanket. As he slowly opened his eyes, Arthur was greeted by a giant tongue coming his way.
"What… UGH!" Arthur struggled as his face was licked by the massive tongue, saliva now covering it. As he snapped his eyes open, all he could see was a giant nose. Arthur's gaze slowly turned upward toward the giant creature in front of him. With eyes almost as big as his head, a giant wolf was looking at him with intelligence.
"AAAAH!" After a moment of dizziness, Arthur screamed as he crawled himself backward until his back was against the cave's wall. However, his scream didn't cause any reaction from the wolf as he looked at him with interest.
As Arthur's breather grew heavier, the adrenaline made him forget his pain as he looked at the giant creature in front of him. The monster's body and black fur now filled the cave. It could barely fit the wolf inside of its space, highlighting how gigantic the wolf was.
The giant wolf looked at Arthur for a second before turning around and darting outside the cave. Arthur breathed in relief as he felt fortunate to be left without being eaten, and he decided to leave as soon as possible.
As he gathered his strength and stood up, Arthur felt his wound didn't hurt that much anymore. He attributed this to the adrenaline and started walking toward the entrance.
A gust of wind blew Arthur's black hair into disarray as his eyes squinted. After the wind passed, he opened them to see the wolf standing outside the cave with a rabbit dangling from the corner of its giant maw. The wolf placed the rabbit on the rocky ground of the mountain, and it took a deep breath.
The next scene amazed Arthur more than made him afraid. The wolf blew its breath on the dead rabbit, and then flames came out of its mouth instead of air. The fire lasted for a while as Arthur heard the sound of sizzling meat, making him gulp.
He was too hungry to be afraid. After a few moments, the wolf stopped breathing flames, and it cooked the rabbit. Although it was on the ground, Arthur had no regard for hygiene at the moment. He also had his water that he could use to clean the dirtied parts.
As he looked at the wolf and back at the rabbit, he saw the wolf looking at him and pointing with its paw toward the rabbit. Arthur was confused, but he understood that it was offering him food.
With hunger overtaking him, Arthur took out his water and cleaned the roasted rabbit before starting to 'wolf' the rabbit down. A familiar scene took place where a wounded man ate while a wolf stared at him.
Arthur realized what was happening after he regained his strength by eating. Due to fear and hunger earlier, he couldn't piece the clues together to understand the situation. Now, however, he understood the reality that seemed more like a fantasy.
Although hidden underneath the wolf's silky fur, Arthur could see that it had a scar similar to the one he saw back at that time. If the landscape was the same as the one that he visited before, nothing is denying this could be the same wolf he shared a meal with at that time.
However, this conclusion was even more confusing as Arthur looked at the wolf sleeping in front of him. Its body took most of the cave's space, leaving Arthur only a small space for his sleep. After his realization earlier, Arthur knew the wolf wouldn't hurt him. If it had the intention, it wouldn't feed Arthur as it did.
'Is this the future, or is this a small piece of land taken from the real world?' Arthur wondered, but he had no way of knowing. His wound was half-closed now, with the wolf's saliva acting as some sort of healing ointment. However, he was still too weak to hunt.
For the next few days, all Arthur did was sleep, eat the food the wolf brought, and take care of nature's calls. His body was healing rapidly, and after three days since he met the wolf, his wound was fully healed.
Although there was a massive scar on his front torso now, Arthur had no problem moving around and fighting. This was all due to the healing effects the wolf's saliva had.
Today was the day he was going out of the cave. He needed to check one more thing he thought about before leaving. As he left the cave, the wolf followed after Arthur. The latter kept walking forward as he sensed the wolf behind him.
Arthur stopped and looked at the wolf, who simply looked back. After a brief moment of silence, Arthur finally revealed his thoughts shyly.
"Can you give me a ride?"
The skies flashed in front of his eyes so did the forest. The air struck him hard, but he used the protection rune to negate the impact he felt. After he did that, the ride was more exciting than scary.
It lasted for several minutes, and they arrived at their destination. Arthur felt slightly disappointed as he wanted to ride on the wolf's back more, but he had a more serious issue on hand.
With a dilapidated appearance, a sign said that Elise's Eyes Pub was in front of him. He was back in the same place. Furthermore, the pub laid at the edge of the trial ground. What was behind it was merely a dark wall resembling the end of the world.
Report chapter Comments
Arthur wondered if he should knock on the door, but the place was too ruined to be inhabited. The windows were broken, and vegetation covered most of it. The contrast of what he had seen only a week ago and what he saw now gave him a feeling of melancholy. It was the feeling you get when you realize how much time can change things, for better or worse.
The door creaked as Arthur opened it, and he heard the familiar ring of the bell. As he looked inside, he confirmed that no one lived there. Dust filled the place, and there were some bird's leftovers littering the tables, probably ones who entered through the broken windows.
Arthur walked to the counter that fronted the dining hall, and his finger slide over it, making a line through the dust. Bottles of liquor and alcohol were safely bolted to the wall behind the counter, and Arthur found most of them to be unharmed.
As he wasn't a drinker, he left them at that and went toward the door next to the counter. As he got inside, he found himself in a kitchen. Most of the stored food has rotted by now, and even the canned food was expired.
As he opened the faucet, some water came out, but it was yellow. After emptying what the pipes had left, the water stopped. Arthur expected this and sighed before leaving the kitchen, as the smell of rotten food was unbearable. He headed upstairs and found two doors in a hallway. One of them was a bathroom, and the other one was a bedroom.
Arthur entered the bedroom and found a king-sized bed with a wardrobe inside and a storage room to its side. As he studied the bedroom, Arthur found that most things were here.
Portraits, books, laptops, and other personal items were placed around the room. It felt heartbreaking that Joe didn't leave this place because he wanted to, but it was abandoned. He wondered what happened here.
As Arthur went into the storage room, he found it filled with armors and weapons. Most of them, just like his sword and armor, were of primitive grade. He didn't find anything of higher quality, but he made a mental note to use some useable armor as previous battels ruined his armor.
Arthur left the pub for now, and he found the wolf still there, waiting for him. This sight reminded him of Joe's mount that was also a wolf, only a much smaller one. He walked toward the wolf, and he patted its fur.
After all that happened, he trusted the wolf now. He knew animals weren't that intelligent that they could plot against you, and the wolf had more than one chance to kill him.
"Do you want to stay with me?" Arthur asked, not expecting an answer. The wolf looked at him for a while before he licked his hand with its giant tongue. Arthur laughed at this and shook his hand to get rid of the saliva.
He didn't know if the wolf was agreeing, but he doubted it would leave his side any time soon. As he looked at the pub, Arthur found his next resting place.
Arthur spent the rest of the day cleaning the pub. First, he got rid of the rotten food in the kitchen. He then tended the tables of any bird leftovers. He found some transparent plastic sheets in the kitchen and nailed them to the windows, closing them but still allowing light inside. He then started wiping every nook and cranny of the pub to get rid of the dust.
By the end of it, it was still one of the worse pubs to live in. However, it was a lot better than living in caves and whatsoever. He then took down the bell hanging by the door and started making an artifact.
He used a primitive mana core to have the bell imprinted with the Detection-I rune. As he made it, he also tried to think of the condition: anytime a new lifeforce of primitive or above rank enters the detection range, this bell would ring.
It seems his ability was a lot more flexible than he thought, as he applied the conditions to the bell. Arthur felt excited by this as this meant he could make the artifacts work in specific requirements.
He hung the bell in the middle of the house and looked at it with pride. As he was thinking of testing it, the rune glowed, and the bell rang in front of his eyes. Arthur was stunned before he ran to the door. A giant wolf with a rabbit in its maw was sitting in front of the pub.
Arthur laughed at this as the wolf never brought anything but a rabbit, and he wondered if it thought Arthur only ate rabbits because of the first time they ate together.
After finding some skewers and two iron poles for the skewers to be placed upon, he took them out and had the rabbit skewered after cleaning it and skinning it. Although he never gutted or skinned a rabbit before, it was similar to a chicken, and he worked his way around it. Arthur looked with expectation at the wolf, who yawned and blew at the rabbit, roasting it.
The following five days were uneventful, except for Arthur's strength rising. After he changed his armor and used runes to strengthen it, he started his hunt again with the help of the giant wolf.
After much thoughts, Arthur decided to call the wolf Kira. It was the name of a character he once read about in a comic, and it sounded cool. There wasn't any deeper meaning to it, but Arthur thought that most names weren't those of a deeper meaning.
Kira and Arthur started their adventure of hunting primitive monsters of all kinds. As the forest Arthur lived next to was filled with unranked monsters, he had to go a bit deeper to find the primitive monsters. However, with Kira's speed, all he needed was a few minutes to get there.
The first time they tried to hunt together, Kira killed the monsters with one blow. In Arthur's rough estimates, Kira was a peak-mid-tier monster, something he couldn't even hope of defeating. Having it around was much safer than Arthur hunting on his own.
However, since it was much stronger than these monsters, Arthur had it simply watch as he took care of these hunters. For five days, Arthur's stats changed a lot.
[Scholar Guardian's Legacy]
[Level: 9 (35%)]
[Strength: 41]
[Agility: 45]
[Stamina: 33]
[Perception: 26]
[Mana: 30/30]
[Abilities: Beginner Runes Wordsmith (7%), Useable Runes: 7]
[Skills: Lesser-Mana Breathing Skill (F), Poison Strike (F), Camouflage (F)]
However, his luck was not that good as he didn't gain any new skills. Although he hunted some monsters with skills, they didn't give him any. Arthur thought that this was due to his bad luck, or he needed to hunt more monsters of the same kind.
Now that his mana was 30, he felt that his runes were too few. He was depressed by the idea that his growth was not as fast as it used to be. Although it was a lot faster than ordinary people, he was still weaker than neo-rankers.
He was trying to leap from being a normal person to an awakener in less than two weeks as he wanted to have the same starting line as others.
From his estimates, being a full-fledged neo-ranker would mean he would have a stat of 50 or above, with the others having a small gap from that. However, that was just what he knew. He couldn't be sure if his guess were wrong, as he has never done a power assessment.
His legacy has stopped giving him runes. He realized that each time he gained a rune was either by direct knowledge or by achieving something new.
The first three runes were when he first got the legacy, the legacy rune was when he first killed a monster, the protection rune was after his first time hunting in a dungeon, and he learned the force rune by himself, and the final stamina rune was when he first killed a primitive monster alone.
From what he learned about Legacies, they had the wills of their owners. That means they could reward him as the legacy's owner saw fit, and that explained the irregularity of the pattern he received runes.
Nonetheless, Arthur's strength increased tremendously. However, the feeling that his body was reaching its limits struck him. His strength was rapidly growing, and he felt like his potential was getting squeezed out by force, making it more difficult for him to get used to this new sensation of power.
Today, he decided to rest and try some new things. He still had a vivid memory of when he got attacked by the monster in the underground tunnel. Although its lifeforce was similar to others, it knew how to utilize mana to strengthen itself. Arthur wanted to try just that.
He took his shirt off, revealing the scar that has now covered his chest, and he sat down outside the pub. Kira was just by his side, sleeping on the ground. Arthur looked at his new friend with a smile before he tried sensing his mana for the first time.
Report chapter Comments
Arthur always considered his mana to be supplied from elsewhere. He was under the impression that he was borrowing it from the outside, just like a game. This misconception was because of his Legacy, as it felt like this strength was not his own. However, he realized how faulty his understanding was. He kept using mana as a currency while it was a part of his body, drastically reducing its efficiency.
There was another way to use mana other than abilities or skills, and that was enhancing. Mana is a type of energy that has appeared alongside the first dungeons in the world, and that's why many of its properties were a mystery. However, it was believed that each person had a body and the lifeforce that moved it. After much research, this life force was a type of mana as well.
In theory, mana can even resurrect the dead if they haven't been lost for a long time. However, that remained in theory as no one was ever able to replace life forces with mana. There seemed to be a link between a person's lifeforce, mana, and the person himself. Once that link has been lost, the mana would leave the body.
Since lifeforce was a type of mana, that meant everyone had mana. That was, in fact, inaccurate. Mana was the name given to the energy a person could add to their body, on top of their lifeforce. That's why non-awakeners were called as such because they had no awareness of mana, even if their lifeforce was mana as well.
The common knowledge about abilities was the same. Even if Arthur was uneducated, he would still use other methods to increase his knowledge. One such method was the internet, allowing him to access information with public-access.
If mana was the energy of the world, then people were the filtering gates mana would go through. As each person was unique in their way, their body would manifest mana differently. Some people would control flames when they tried using mana, others would have their body's functions amplified, turn a person invisible, and even communicating with other dimensions like summoners. Abilities were versatile and unique for each person, usually inherited but mutations could occur with a child having a different ability than his parents.
Then came the raw use of mana, as weapons and other tools were normal unless they were artifacts or magical tools, a person had to use their mana to enhance his weapon or coat his body. This was invented by a powerful person whose ability was unsuitable for battle or industry a hundred years ago. The person was able to control mana so efficiently that he could contend with powerful ability users.
It was then that mana control and usage was spread among the public since it gave people with non-combat abilities the hope of being able to hunt and defend themselves in this chaotic world. Arthur wanted to learn the basics by himself, and that was the main task on today's agenda.
As he closed his eyes, he tried to sense the mana inside of his body. As it has reached 30 by now, it was hard to not notice its existence even if he tried. Like a gentle flame in his body, the mana moved and flickered inside of his abdomen. The mana was linked to his lifeforce, greatly enhancing it. That was why awakened people lived longer than others while looking a lot more youthful.
Using the link that he imagined in his mind, Arthur urged the mana to different parts of his body. As if pulling a boat while swimming, he felt like his mana was met with resistance. It was his lack of control over his mana, as well as the weakness of the link his body had. Because this link was unused for almost all of his life, Arthur had a weak control of it. If he was more knowledgeable, he'd have a better grasp of how to use this link and what it was called. However, he was simply a person who has just recently awakened. He didn't have the time to have proper education about mana or abilities, reling on himself to learn things throughout his jobs.
Arthur felt mentally tired after trying to move the mana to different parts of his body. Although it was a gentle energy, harmonizing with nature itself, Arthur had no control over it. If others could pull their mana as they wished like pulling a rope, then Arthur felt like he had a thin thread. As soon as he tried to tug on that thread too hard, the link would scatter and his mana wouldn't move. He'd have to concentrate again for him to use it.
For his next goal, Arthur decided to kill the violet-gem goblin ant. To achieve that, he would have to learn the proper use of mana, even at a beginner level. There were no shortcuts around this that he knew, nor did he have skills regarding mana control. He'd have to exercise daily to strengthen his link. As he was tired right now, he decided to rest.
Opening his eyes, Arthur found that it was pre-noon. As he still had some time before lunch, he wanted to test a few more things. He closed his eyes and sensed his mana as he tried activating his camouflage skill. He felt a portion of his mana leave his body and envelop it. This time, Arthur felt his mana leave his body through somewhere else from his 'consciousness.' If his mana was the target of his link, and his awareness being the origin of the link, then the skills were an intermediate between his awareness and his mana. If Arthur had to visualize it, then his skills were like gates that filtered mana. His awareness gave commands to these gates and they would drain mana and produce and manifest that mana into the world.
Arthur did another experiment with his runes. He used the Strength-I rune while he focused on his mana. Unlike before when he tried pulling mana directly, there were route-like pathways that his mana could travel in and the rune would be manifested this way.
All of this was novel to Arthur as he never studied them, but he found the difference simply fascinating. Why would these three things have different ways to manifest? What was the difference between abilities and skills, other than the former being simply instinctive? He felt that they were linked somehow, but one was simply 'artificially' made and one being inborn with the person.
There was a reason that abilities were a lot more preferred than skills. First was mana usage. Skills used more mana. For example, his F rank Poison strike used 2/30 of his mana. However, his strength amplification used 1/30. The same could be said about his Protection-I, which had an evolving feature along with his strength, as it would simply drain 10/100 of his strength in terms of mana. These runes were versatile but they were also cost-efficient, and Arthur attributed this to the 'pathways' his body had that could manifest his ability.
He had spent hours simply trying to get a better grasp of his mana that he even forgot his hunger. Arthur stood up and brought out a primitive creature he hunted yesterday, bled, skinned, and skewered for today's meals. It was one of a boar that had horns radiating electricity. The funny thing is that because of this ability, it looked like a furball with all of its fur standing erect. Arthur decided to start eating monsters of primitive grade because he thought their meat would be more enriched with mana.
As he watched Kira grilling the meat, Arthur felt affectionate toward his new friend. If it wasn't for it, Arthur would have faced a lot of inconvenience and danger. Even more, he would have probably starved.
As he watched the flames cooking the meat away, Arthur remembered what Solomon told him. Everything here was summoned from elsewhere, and maybe that's why he met Kira again. What exactly happened that had led them to be summoned here? It was only a few days between his meeting of young Kira and the trial. However, since time here was frozen, he had no way of explaining things right now. Maybe this was a portion of the future or maybe Kira got here a lot of time before he did, he didn't know.
Arthur studied the scars on Kira's body as he imagined the blood and death it had to walk through to survive. Did it deserve this? Solomon's words rang again in his head.
'Every thirty years, monsters are summoned from the outside world. They are then trapped here until they kill or get killed, what fate is this?'
Report chapter Comments