CHAPTER 266 - Rune Technology - Enchanting Mechs

"Rune Technology Theory" is closely tied to "Rune Magic." 

However, mastering the "Rune Theory" is currently impossible for Li Lin. Even with the support of a system, he cannot fully comprehend every aspect of rune magic without investing an unpredictable amount of time.

Apart from demigods like Xerath, the only human proficient in rune magic is the Rune Mage, Ryze.

Li Lin admits he cannot compare to this archmage, who has lived for millennia, his lifespan endlessly extended by the power of the world runes.

After all, his primary profession is "Mechanic," while Ryze is a pure arcane mage who claims to have unraveled the mysteries of rune magic. Their understanding of magic is not on the same level.

Understanding rune marks is fundamental to studying "Rune Technology."

There are only five primary rune marks: Precision, Domination, Sorcery, Resolve, and Inspiration. These five primary runes can be disassembled and recombined into various different rune marks. Different combinations yield different effects.

For instance, the basic elemental enchantment functions—adding resistance to water, wind, lightning, fire, and earth—require the most runes from Resolve.

Pairing Resolve with Sorcery can grant resistance to water, wind, and lightning.

Pairing Resolve with Domination can grant resistance to fire and earth.

Random combinations might even reveal new magical effects not recorded by the system. These effects could be beneficial or extremely dangerous, capable of destroying half a city when energy is abundant.

This is one of the main reasons why Li Lin feels he cannot fully comprehend rune theory.

If a rune mark is inscribed on a small blue crystal or special metal, it becomes a unique magical amulet.

But the potential of rune technology goes beyond this. 

Ordinary mechanical devices can also be inscribed with rune marks, yielding effects far superior to merely relying on energy crystals, thus achieving scientific control over magic through Hextech.

In short, compared to Hextech, rune technology is true "Magitech."

Combining his existing knowledge, Li Lin thought deeply and eventually chose several rune magics suitable for his battle armor for experimentation.

One uses a combination of Precision, Domination, Resolve, and Inspiration, capable of repairing items by absorbing magical elements from the air or its own energy.

Another uses Precision, Domination, and Sorcery, enhancing the effects of energy weapons.

A third uses Precision, Sorcery, and Inspiration, capable of charging mechanical items by absorbing free magical elements from the air.

A fourth uses Resolve and Inspiration, enhancing the defensive capabilities of items.

Li Lin first recorded these four rune marks into his AI, then went to the workshop where his battle armor was being made.

Mastering the combinations of rune marks, enchanting an item is simple: continuously inscribe the rune marks on the item's surface using magic.

Even if Li Lin doesn't use his own mana, the mechanical arm powered by a Hextech energy crystal meets the requirement for "magical energy."

Just as Li Lin was about to control the mechanical arm to operate on the third-generation Infinite Armor, the AI's warning made him reconsider.

"Master, based on my calculations, the probability of successfully enchanting the first magic is 22%, and the probability of enchanting the second magic is only 3%..."

"Are you sure you want to enchant the Project Genesis: Infinite Third-Generation Armor directly? This could damage your armor."

Indeed, it's my first time enchanting. I should practice first.

Li Lin, excited by unlocking new technology, immediately calmed down.

"Thank you for the reminder, AI."

"Serving you is my duty."

Since it's not feasible to enchant the Infinite Armor directly for now...

Li Lin glanced around the "empty" workshop.

Earlier, to earn blue essence, he had sold all his aerial combat machinery to the Essence Store.

And the Dawn, which had accompanied him in Shurima, had been gifted for their cooperation.

"In that case..."

Li Lin thought for a moment, then reached out towards the materials in the room, activating his "Rapid Assembly" skill.

Mana surged like a flood, quickly consuming several hundred units.

Simultaneously, mechanical parts seemed to be lifted by countless invisible hands, rapidly assembling before him.

As mana continued to deplete rapidly, sweat beaded on Li Lin's forehead and temples.

The excessive consumption of mana caused mild physical discomfort: dizziness, nausea, and a feeling of emptiness akin to severe exhaustion.

Finally, when over four thousand units of mana were consumed within seconds, an ordinary-quality third-generation Infinite Armor appeared before Li Lin.

Li Lin exhaled, relieved, as he took the handkerchief handed to him by the AI-controlled mechanical arm, wiping the sweat from his forehead and face.

To be honest, even experienced mages would struggle with such a significant drain on their mana. Typically, when a large amount of mana is needed, mages use magical artifacts to construct a magic circle, drawing power directly from nature. Only because Li Lin's body had been fortified could he manage this feat without significant issues.

"While the rapid assembly skill is indeed useful, the mana consumption for building a set of third-generation armor is excessive. I haven't invested much into this skill; it's only at level 5."

He sighed, realizing that using rapid assembly to practice with third-generation armor wasn't viable. He decided to use the Storm model for his experiments.

As he pondered, Li Lin drank a vial of Shimmer to replenish his energy. He then instructed the AI to secure the armor on a stand and began enchanting it. 

With the energy crystal activated, several mechanical arms under the AI's control performed preliminary tests. Once completed, Li Lin selected an arm initially designed for laser welding, removed its laser head, and swiftly modified it to purely output energy.

Given that this was his first time enchanting, he prudently decided against attempting multiple enchantments simultaneously. Donning his protective gear, Li Lin focused on the armor's chest, where the Hextech core was installed. He aimed to enchant the armor with a rune that could automatically draw magic from the air to power itself. 

This type of rune magic was already applied to energy crystals and was something he was relatively familiar with. Connecting the armor to a power source, he exposed the core slot in its chest. Taking a deep breath, he carefully guided the mechanical arm towards the armor.

With a thought, the mechanical device extracted energy from the crystal. Pure blue-white energy flowed through the mechanical conduit, and the arm's nozzle released it. The instant it touched the core slot, Li Lin directed the mechanical arm, leaving blue-white marks on the core's slot. Soon, the first half of the rune, representing Sorcery, was successfully inscribed.

Li Lin wasted no time in inscribing the second half, representing Inspiration, beside it. The first few runes went smoothly, but disaster struck with the third-to-last rune. The Precision and Inspiration runes clashed, causing a small explosion that damaged the armor's core slot, halting the enchantment process.

Li Lin sighed heavily, removing his goggles. "AI, have you analyzed the cause of the failure?"

"Based on my calculations, the probability of a random accident is 12.76%, rune incompatibility is 3.4%, using energy for enchanting failure is 43.5%, and incorrect power output is 79.89%."

"I suggest adjusting the power output within the 79%-93% range."

Li Lin nodded, dismissing the probability of energy enchantment failure. If energy couldn't be used for enchanting, the first rune would have failed to inscribe. Using his mana, he employed "Mechanical Repair" to fix the armor and resumed his attempts. After multiple failures, adjusting the power output, he finally succeeded with the third-to-last rune. 

However, he lost count of his failures on the last two runes. Eventually, the armor, assembled using "Rapid Assembly," became irreparably damaged.

By dawn, after wasting four or five new Storm robots, Li Lin finally enchanted one with the "self-charging" rune magic. Exhausted, he felt thoroughly drained for the first time since his body's enhancement.

The self-charging magic was quite useful. Simply inscribed on the core, it was sufficient to sustain the Storm robot's flight. However, it wasn't enough to power its energy weapons. According to the AI's calculations, replacing certain materials of the Storm robot with natural magical conductors and covering it in "self-charging" runes could replace three energy crystals.

Yet, this would drastically increase the cost of making a Storm robot due to the high price of magical materials. Currently, Li Lin's mastery of "self-charging" was a basic application of arcane technology. His success rate with more advanced rune enchantments was practically zero.

He had to master the basics before advancing. Glancing at the clock, he saw there was still some time before dawn. He drank another vial of Shimmer to refresh himself. "Let's try the defensive enhancement magic next."

(End of Chapter)

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