Volume 2 Chapter 36 Rune Magic
Alex gathered four people excluding Sandra, who had returned. He cleared his throat and said,
"Alright, this time I'll teach you all about the long-awaited different type of magic, 'Rune Magic'."
"Oooh!"
As I clapped enthusiastically, Alex waved his hand in a celebrity-like manner, saying, "Thank you, thank you."
"""..."""
Everyone except me seemed to dislike Alex. Poor Alex.
"Yeah, Wade is as cute as a student can be. The rest can just fall into the gutter."
Maybe it's not that bad for Alex.
"So, let's talk about Rune Magic. It's not just a convenient magic like your magic seal where you can just activate it and do whatever you want. It's a form of magic that requires proper study and understanding to grow occasionally."
As Alex spoke, he drew characters in the air.
Gradually, they began to emit a strange glow.
"Alright, let's start with the conclusion. Runes in Rune Magic are known as 'God's letters.' There's a different theory behind Transformation Magic being 'God's tattoos.'
Alex snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the runes in the air vanished.
"Basically, runes drawn in the air are very fragile. So, compared to other magic, they are vulnerable when activated. So, here's a question. What do you think is needed to reinforce these letters?"
Toxy was called upon and panicked.
"Um, um. Since they are letters... maybe parchment?"
"Close, very close. That's the correct answer, but you can get closer to the essence. Wade."
After thinking for a bit, I answered like this:
"Something to write with, right? In other words, as long as you can write the runes, it's good."
"That's right. Let's give Wade the Joy Rune."
Alex quickly drew a rune that looked a bit like a smiling face and sent it flying towards me. It hit me. I felt a little happy.
"Alright!"
"Wade-kun looks happy, so cute..."
"So, this lesson is very easy and fun."
Alex took out a sculpting knife for each person.
"You guys, carve runes on your equipments."
It is said that drawing runes in the air will bring about effects similar to magic seals once they take shape.
However, such a method is rarely used in Alex's hometown. The rune magic Alex uses is something that is prepared in advance.
"Equipments with carved runes can transform the wielder's magic power into magic just by touching the runes and enveloping the equipment."
Alex explains.
"In other words, it's enchantment. You guys might think magic is something you release from your hands, but that's only Transformation Magic. The rule is to embed runes in equipments."
And so, we were carving runes into our equipments.
"Here's the list. Put in your favorites. But only up to three. That's the 'rule' of Rune Magic."
As we walked behind Alex, listening to his words, we stared at the list.
"There are more runes than Transformation Magic attributes, so, it's a bit confusing, right..."
Ice said with a slightly troubled expression. "That's true," I said, crossing my arms.
Then, Clay raised his hand.
"What runes do you recommend?"
"It depends on the equipment and the direction you're aiming for. For example, if you want to increase the destructive power with your sledgehammer, Clay, you would use the runes 'strength,' 'crush,' 'enemy.'"
"I see..."
After quickly asking for recommendations, Clay started putting in the runes.
Meanwhile, I pondered upon hearing that.
"Hey Alex, are there grammar rules for runes, by any chance?"
"Hey, that's a sharp question. Yeah, basically when you carve runes into a equipment, the subject is yourself. So, you just need to think about 'what for,' 'how,' and 'what to do.' In that sense, if you want to boost your attack power, the rune at the end should definitely be the 'enemy' rune."
"I see... It's fun to think about having a theory."
I say in a good mood, "Right?" and Alex laughs.
"On the other hand, if you want to heal your allies, then the target should be the 'comrade' rune. Look, it's this one here."
Pointed at by a finger, Ice reacts. Indeed, as the name of ice magic is often compared to water magic, it seems that healing is also an important guideline within Ice.
"Is there something like strengthening oneself?"
Toxy asks Alex. "Of course there is," Alex replies.
"You first put the field you want to strengthen, then the 'strong' and 'oneself' runes. The field you want to strengthen is this row here."
"Thanks. By the way, are there any side effects or anything like that?"
"There's no such thing as side effects or crap with magic. At most, it just decreases your magic power a bit."
"Oh, haha... I guess that's true. I asked a weird question."
While feeling a strange sense of discomfort from that exchange, I crossed my arms and pondered alone.
Becoming stronger... sounds good, but I can't quite grasp it. I've never felt a lack in my attack power itself.
As for defense, well, the arm injury this time felt more like my own fault, so I don't really feel lacking in that area. I have a sense of pride in winning one way or another.
I've never thought things were moving too fast for me to keep up. In the first place, I haven't really felt like something was missing in battles...
And then, at that moment, I realized there was something I slightly felt was lacking.
"Wade, have you decided?"
"Yeah, I have."
I grinned and, comparing it with a list, started inscribing runes.
So, the four of us were going to announce what the runes engraved on our equipments meant.
"Let's start with Ice."
"I, I, have made it a 'healing', 'comrade', 'body', for you...!"
As Ice said shyly, everyone cheered with "Oh~".
"That's nice. Ice, you really suit the healing type."
When I said that, Ice blushed. Everyone followed suit.
"Ice-chan, you're great! Let's heal everyone! ...Though you might overlap a bit with me."
"With Toxy-san?"
"Toxy is more about healing or medic stuff, so it's a bit different."
As Clay and I whispered to each other, we both received a stern look from Toxy. A gesture of surrender.
"Alright, next up is the popular Toxy."
"Alright! I'm 'Concentrate', 'Strong', 'Oneself'. Even though I'm a long-range archer, the higher the accuracy, the better!"
"It's great to excel in your field. You really give off that bow adventurer vibe."
When I praised Toxy, she blushed.
"Nihihi, that's right. Shooting various arrows from a distance, making sure to poison them for a sure hit."
"So I was checking for poison resistance, but is the wyvern okay?"
"Yeah, if it just wobbles a bit with a small amount, you just need to increase the concentration and quantity."
Toxy's casual remark made me a bit uneasy.
"Toxy-chan's poison... actually, it's quite amazing, isn't it?"
Boasting 'no problem' against a huge monster like a wyvern is truly remarkable.
I fully agree with the two whispering. I honestly think Toxy was a lucky find.
"Next, Clay."
"I'm 'power,' 'crush,' 'enemy.' I just want more attack power."
...What's with this insincerity. I won't point it out, but it feels fake.
"You're definitely writing something different, Clay..."
"It's so obvious, isn't it..."
"Yeah... I can't imagine Clay just wanting straightforward destructive power."
Everyone whispers together. Even though he can hear them, Clay just smiles. Clay is scary in moments like this...
"Finally, it's Wade. Show us what weird thing you picked."
"Stop it, Alex. Don't unnecessarily raise expectations."
I hesitated, but everyone was eagerly listening to Alex's words.
"What did Wade-kun choose...? Exciting...!"
"I wonder. Can't imagine. Whether it's power, sense, defense, nothing seems quite right. I feel like Wade-kun would choose something but also not choose it."
"Wade definitely didn't choose a good rune. I'm sure of it."
As my credibility gradually decreased, I raised my gauntlet and announced.
"'Trial,' 'Come,' 'Self.'"
""Wow.""
Clay and Toxy were taken aback.
"See, I told you. Definitely not good at all. It really wasn't good."
"No... it's the most fitting choice. What's the most lacking in battle? You must have thought it's 'enemy strength.' It's terrifying. What a battle maniac."
"..."
I squinted my eyes and watched the two of them blabbering away.
"Wow, Wade-kun is amazing as always...!"
And only Ice had sparkling eyes. So cute.
"So, the lesson on 'What is Rune Magic?' ends here. Good job, everyone."
""""Yes.""""
"The moment you guys realize it's useful, you become obedient... Well, whatever. So, starting tomorrow, we'll study copying runes. We'll do this every day, so be prepared for that."
""""Huh?""""
"Well then, I'm off to bed."
Alex waved his hand and disappeared into his room, which he had claimed for himself.
The rest of us were left in the living room, looking at each other.
""""...?""""
Spread out before us were numerous runes. There were so many, almost like kanji characters.
""""...""""
Wait, seriously? We have to memorize all of these starting tomorrow?
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)