20 – Runes, My Beloved

20 – Runes, My Beloved

[Base Strength: 2 -> 3]

[Body: 5 -> 6]

[{Newcomer} Introductory (4)] is Complete!]

Objective: Have all Base Body Sub-Attributes be above 2.

Reward: 1 Lesser Elixir of Regeneration - Rank 0

Claim reward now?

Yes / NoFiind updated novels at novelhall.com

***

“Finally.” Mia huffed and puffed, flopping over to her back and breathing heavily. She’d been doing pushups and situps for the better part of two hours and she was sick of both. That didn’t go away even as the newly enhanced Body stat flooded her aching muscles with renewed energy. Nor did she feel like getting up from the carpet, she was feeling just fine down there.

She hit ‘Yes’, and out of nowhere a pinky-sized vial topped off with a cord fell on her stomach. Mia raised it to eye level with a shaky hand, then stared at it suspiciously.

‘Elixir of Regeneration’ was a pretentious name. Mia expected some crazy colours, maybe some glitters and perhaps even physics-defying self-moving liquid.

“Why does it look like regular water?” Mia grumbled, squinting harder and she just maybe saw a glint of something more in the liquid for but a single moment. Then it was gone and Mia wondered whether her exhausted mind was just playing tricks on her.

***

[{Newcomer} Introductory (4)] is Complete!]

Objective: Use a Skill to practical effect. COMPLETEDBonus Objective: Use a Skill to defeat a foe. COMPLETED

Reward: a System Generated Book of your choosing.

Bonus Reward: Rewards are doubled! User can choose one regular book and one Runic Lexicon from the list.

Claim reward now?

Yes / No

***

Mia grinned through the exhaustion. Mark had mentioned Quests flip-flopped between being annoying and arbitrary at the start. Though based on his previous request for a monster core, Mia suspected actually completing the Questchain would require her to do some serious monster hunting.

The obvious conclusion would be that the last quest would be to clear out all Rifts nearby or something similar.

Mia wasn’t sure how she was going to accomplish that. Or if she even wanted to, if that really became a quest objective at one point.

Don’t dwell on it. One thing at a time. Mia chastised herself, then hit the mental ‘Yes’ button.

***

[Compiling ...

[Available books:

Basic BestiaryDelver’s HandbookOf Rifts, and DungeonsOn Mana and MagicElements, Affinities and AttunementAdvanced, Fused and Higher ElementsElements, the Foundations of our RealityThe History of the HalvyrGenealogy: the most prominent Fae BloodlinesConstellations, the Mightiest of the Great OnesGreat Ones: The ArchonFirst Steps of ArcanismThe Principle of DualityOn the Arcane Element and its ApplicationsIntroduction to Water MagicIntroduction to Earth MagicNovice Grade Runic Lexicon: Arcane / Rudimentary AbjurationNovice Grade Runic Lexicon: Arcane / AlchemyNovice Grade Runic Lexicon: Arcane / KinetomancyNovice Grade Runic Lexicon: Arcane / ThermomancyNovice Grade Runic Lexicon: Arcane / Rudimentary AlterationNovice Grade Runic Lexicon: Arcane / Rudimentary SummoningNovice Grade Runic Lexicon: Arcane / Rudimentary ConjurationNovice Grade Runic Lexicon: Arcane / Rudimentary IllusionNovice Grade Runic Lexicon: Arcane / Rudimentary WardingNovice Grade Runic Lexicon: Arcane / Rudimentary Disruption

[Choose one regular book and one Runic Lexicon]

***

“That’s a long list,” Mia murmured, going glassy-eyed halfway through the list. A bunch of strangely named books got added in, things she assumed were some manner of history book perhaps?

Two new books on Elements, a delving handbook, a lexicon for Fae bloodlines, a bunch of useless history books — that she was nonetheless aching to read since they were tied to her new species — and even two new runic lexicons: disruption and warding.

Sadly, no matter how tempting most of the books looked, Mia already had her choice of a regular book chosen. She needed practical knowledge, like, yesterday. Or the day before that.

Selected: [First Steps of Arcanism]

Now for the extra, a runic lexicon. She had no idea how useful one of those would be. Would it be as easy as somehow slurping up a rune from a page and having it appear in her runic model, or would she have to carefully shape the rune out of her own mana?

Open the Lexicon.Find a Rune you want to assimilate into your runic-model.Optional: If you don’t have a runic-model: 1. What are you doing selecting a runic lexicon? 2. You just wasted a system reward. Congratulations.Now, since this is a real Runic Lexicon, all you have to do is place an appendage with open-ended energy channels atop the selected rune, then suck.Sucking: Imagine inhaling the rune from the parchment through your appendage.Since the Lexicon is made of extremely mana-active parchment and the runes are written in mana-infused ink by the equivalent of a Master Enchanter just for this purpose, inhaling the rune should be nearly effortless.Try keeping your energy channels barren for the process, as some mana types can negatively affect the rune while it is not yet protected by your elemental runic-model. Such are: Light mana, Chaos mana, Fire mana, potent Arcane mana and Darkness mana.When the rune reaches your mana pool, will your runic-model to ‘open up’. As in, become receptive to assimilating a new rune. It should handle the rest from there on its own.Never attempt to incorporate a rune into your runic model that is of a different element to your runic-model. Doing so may cause the implosion of the runic-model and the fracturing of your mana pool. Alternatively, It could also cause it to be unable to be upgraded to the next Grade. Which kills your career as a mage just as much. Though it is fixable, unlike the loss of your mana pool.)Mana pool fracturing is lethal in 99.999% of recorded cases across 98 billion recorded cases. Be careful with what you put in your runic-model.Don’t rush to assimilate as many runes as possible in one sitting.Your runic-model needs rest to fully assimilate the rune and incorporate it into its construct.Don’t use any spells using the new rune — or, preferably, any spells at all — while your runic-model is in the process of incorporating a new rune.You will feel your runic-model working in your mana pool if you have your Sensitivity above 5 points. Meaning, you will also feel it when it finishes up and returns to its regular resting state. Only then, is a rune fully incorporated.Repeat. If you have a Spelltome Skill, new spells should appear in it once all needed runes have been fully incorporated.

I still have three stat points. Mia narrowed her eyes as she worked over what she wanted. She just got a runic lexicon, and using it would probably be made easier with some extra Control based on the brochure’s description.

But I’ll be getting new spells once I’m done assimilating all the new runes into my runic model. Probably complex, head-ache-inducing spells that I’m going to need every bit of Manifestation and Will to cast.

Her Manifestation was at nine (5 Base and 4 Gained) while her Will stood at a measly four (3 Base and 1 Gained). It’s time I upped that sorry-looking Will stat a bit. I already have three Base points in it, so it won’t be as much of a waste. Plus, it’s an investment for the future. Plus, plus, more willpower can’t ever hurt with the world going to shit.

Feeling satisfied with her decision, Mia threw all three of her remaining points into Will.

[Will: 4 -> 7]

[Free Attribute Points: 3 -> 0]

[Mind: 7 -> 8]

Mia shuddered as a tingly sensation rushed over the inside of her skull. Her entire head felt all tingly, as if her brain was having goosebumps and they spread over its surroundings. How had she missed this when the stat went from six to seven just a minute earlier? Was she so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice?

Probably. I can get lost in thought and walk into walls and trees, why not miss some tingling in my brain? Mia reasoned, though it was dubious at best. Maybe it was just the aftereffect of a Main Attribute jumping two entire points in quick succession.

I’ll have to be more careful with dumping so many points into a single Main Stat. What if a third point into Mind would have melted my brain?

The shudder that followed that thought had nothing to do with the creepy sensation still buzzing about in her skull. Mia got far too close to killing herself far too many times in just two days for her liking, and she didn’t even know how many times random chance might have saved her. Like the time when the barricaded wall held out against an iron-feathered bird, or something of the like.

Mia took a deep breath, held it in and counted to four before she let it out in a huff. Well, what was done, was done. She was alive, and she had to work to keep it that way for as long as possible. Especially if she was going to head outside the building at one point.

I have to stop lazing about. Time to learn some new runes and get myself a nice little meat shield ... is it still called a meat shield if it’s made out of mana? Mana shield ... nope, that sounds like a spell. Meat shield it is.

Hugging her new books to her chest, Mia swung her legs back over her head, then back down. The momentum carried her torso off the ground and a moment later, she was up on her feet, having done a kick-up so perfect even her grumpy PE teacher from high school couldn’t have found a single mistake in it.

I’ll have to get back into athletics. My body is so much lighter and agile, I could be doing flips and stuff so damned easily and get hurt much less with my reduced weight. If I somehow managed to get some kinetic ward in the future that bailed me out whenever I landed badly, I wouldn’t even have to care about getting hurt.

Filing away that idea, Mia hopped over to her bed with a grin. She settled in the middle, pulling her legs into a lotus pose and feeling even more giddy as she felt how easy it was to settle into the straining position.

Mia could do it before, as a human, stretching every day was part of her routine and she was quite flexible, but her knees just didn’t like bending that way. Now though, with her Flexibility almost doubled, it wouldn’t have been a stretch to say she felt comfortable sitting like that. It was great, and once again drove home just how much potential there was in going balls-to-the-walls with advancing in this System that seemingly took over their world and turned human civilization on its head.

She was just Rank 0 after all, a measly Level 6 User. Ranks went up to 5, as far as she knew, but maybe they went much further. All her knowledge came from little nuggets of ‘common sense’ information referenced in the books she’s read and in System notifications.

Runes. Lexicon. Stop daydreaming, stupid. Mia slapped herself on the cheeks, maybe a bit harder than she was supposed to as they now stung like a bitch. Nonetheless, the smile never left her lips as she flipped open the small Runic Lexicon.

The Lexicon itself looked like a palm-sized notebook with a hardcover, its front only had some runic script on it that Mia was not familiar with on a purplish pink background. The pages though, oh those were just beautiful.

The parchment looked as if it was made of liquid silver and the runes written on them glowed with an unmistakably magical light, glittering with the pink energy Mia came to know as arcane mana. It flowed, at parts of the rune quickly and chaotically, while other segments of it were crystalline and seemed entirely solid.

The runes had a depth to them, if that was even impossible, since they fit on a two-dimensional parchment. Still, Mia almost reached out to touch the pretty rune taking up the first page of the Lexicon before she caught herself.

Her fingers had open-ended energy channels in them, what if she accidentally sucked up the rune before she was ready?

Tearing her eyes away from the rune itself, Mia finally noticed a flowing script at the bottom of the page, written in English explaining the properties of the rune above.

***

‘Name: Phomnel

Grade: Novice / Grade 0

Runic Language: Imperial Standard

Element: Arcane

Function: Most commonly used as a part of simple mana batteries for corporeal arcane constructs.’

***

“Yesss.” Mia clutched the notebook strongly, holding onto it as if her life depended on it even as the excitement sent shivers down her hands and sent her fingers into a trembling craze. This is exactly what I needed. If the first rune is used in making mana batteries for corporeal arcane constructs, that means I’m just about sure to get a magical meat shield by the time I have all those glittery runes in me.