15. RUNE SMITHING
Arthur looked at the talents section of his status where he saw the talent
---------------
[RUNIC MIND (SSS)]
[EFFECTS:]
1. ABILITY TO COMPREHEND ANY RUNE OF SSS-RANK OR BELOW.
2. ABILITY TO CREATE COMPLETELY NEW RUNES THAT DO NOT EXIST.
3. ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND AND CREATE FORMATIONS AND ARRAYS BY COMBINING VARIOUS RUNES.
4. ABILITY TO ENGRAVE RUNES ONTO ANYTHING WITHIN THE PHYSICAL PLANE.
------------------
"rune smithing seems interesting" Arthur's lip's curled as he saw the talent description once again, just like last time he was amazed at the sheer absurdity of this talent.
Although he didn't have any knowledge of rune smithing so he had no idea about the whole picture about professions like rune smithing, blacksmithing, artifact master etc. He had only basic knowledge about everything and didn't know how the world worked.
"mm...where would those protagonists go for more information like this??"
as a thought came to his mind he picked himself up from his bed and walked out of his room towards the library. Yes, there was a library in this ducal palace a very large one at that.
As he walked to the library he was greeted by the guards as they bowed to him with respect, but under the their respectful gazes they were quiet surprised.
Arthur entered the library ignoring the curious gazes cast upon him, as soon as he entered they looked at each other astonished as whispered "since when did young master start taking studies seriously??"one spoke
"i doubt he is going to study there, you know he is famous for day dreaming all day in his room and rarely seen outside , maybe he is going to daydream in the library today since he got bored" the second one replied.
"yea maybe!!" the first one shrugged his shoulders
Arthur stepped into the library, his gaze sweeping over the vast expanse of bookshelves that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance. The scent of old parchment and polished wood filled the air, a faint but comforting smell that hinted at the wealth of knowledge housed within. The towering shelves were a testament to the meticulous effort of the ducal family in gathering centuries of wisdom, literature, and forgotten secrets.
Arthur let out a low whistle. "They really are an ancient family, huh? So much information... and I barely know where to start."
Despite his casual tone, there was a glint of determination in his eyes. The guards' dismissive whispers outside had reached his ears, but he paid them no mind. He was here to learn, and learn he would.
As his eyes swept over its vast interior. The sheer scale of the collection left him confused. However, his attention quickly shifted to the center of the library, where a glowing orb hovered atop an intricately carved pedestal.
The orb pulsed with a soft, inviting light, as if beckoning him closer. Arthur's curiosity was piqued. Without hesitation, he approached it, his footsteps echoing softly against the polished marble floor.
"This must be some kind of magical cataloging system," Arthur mused, noting the ornate runes etched into the pedestal.
He reached out, placing his hand against the smooth surface of the orb. Instantly, a surge of energy coursed through him, and his vision blurred. An ethereal voice resonated in his mind.
"Please select a category."
Information flooded his consciousness, an interface materializing on the orb with a list of options: History, Magic Theory, Combat Techniques, Alchemy, Runic Studies, Engineering, and many more. Each option shimmered with a faint glow and the list was almost endless.
"who is this?" Arthur was shocked to hear such a serene voice coming out of the orb he could not help but activate sight of genesis on the orb.
[SPIRIT OF THE LIBRARY]
[AN ANCIENT SPIRIT CAPTURED NOLAN FAMILY ANCESTORS]
[BOUND TO THE LIBRARY, GUIDES THE USER TO HIS CHOOSEN SECTION]
[STATUS - PASSIVELY CONSCIOUS ]
"so there was a spirit in this library, the world is truly filled with enigmatic creatures"
Arthur focused on the options labeled on the orb and choose Runic Studies, and the moment his choice was made, the world around him shifted. The orb glowed brighter, and he vanished from his previous position.
after he was gone a serene voice sounded in the hall that had earlier appeared in Arthur's mind.
"did that child see through me?
Interesting" the voice chuckled before silence took it's place
A soft hum filled the air as Arthur felt himself being transported. A moment later, he found himself standing in a new section of the library—this one located on the third floor.
The room was different from the rest of the library. Unlike the ground floor's open and airy design, this space was cloaked in a quiet and enclosed atmosphere. Shelves carved from dark wood lined the walls, filled with books with various patterns that seemed to hum faintly with mana.
"Convenient," Arthur muttered, impressed by the teleportation system. "No need to climb endless stairs. Why didn't anyone tell me about this sooner?"
He stepped forward, his eyes scanning the titles on the spines of the books. They ranged from beginner texts like Foundations of Rune Crafting to more advanced works like Runic Arrays and Their Complexities. But he decided to start with something simpler.
Grabbing a stack of books, Arthur moved to a nearby reading table, where a soft golden light illuminated the table. The chair, padded with luxurious cushions, was surprisingly comfortable.
Placing the books in a neat stack, Arthur opened the first one, Foundations of Rune Crafting.
The book was quite thick for beginners about 1000 pages or so. there were two sections in the book. First about the theory and significance of rune making and also about the professions of rune master. The second section was about various symbols of rune language and their basic effects and also some basic runes.
Arthur started with the theory section, and it took him about three hours to complete the relatively small section. His intelligence was quite low, and his talent only helped in rune-related knowledge but not in the general knowledge related to the field, so it was understandable.
A lot of his doubts were cleared in this section as he came to know that a Runesmith or Rune Master was not a type of awakened class. In fact, every mainline profession, like blacksmith, artifact master, healer, merchant, soldier, knight, etc., were not classes that people awakened.
As he read further, he came to know that classes didn't really give a person the ability of a profession made by humans. Since classes were a gift of nature, they provided more growth in something niche.
For example, Lord of Fire was a class that gave resistance to and control of fire. The native of that class could become a fire-swordsman who used a fire-laced sword or a fire-mage who used fire solely for combat. The native could also choose to be a blacksmith or any profession where fire would help.
Reading about this, he came to an understanding about the Abyssal-Soul-Slaver class possessed by Sebastian, which gave specialized mastery over soul-related skills and specifically the aspect of enslaving the soul of the person.
"It's all about choices," Arthur muttered, leaning forward. "Classes give you the means to grow, but they don't force you into a mold."
Rune smithing generally dealt with various aspects but the main were comprehension of the runes and good mana control to inscribe those runes. the surface which you inscribe the runes on will decide the amount of mana control required to do the job
Carving a rune into special inscription sheets might be simple, but engraving it onto complex materials like mithril required extraordinary control. The book elaborated on the magical attributes influencing mana control:
magic capacity, intelligence, and perception. Each attribute played a unique role—capacity dictated how much mana could be channeled at once, intelligence affected efficiency and conceptual understanding, and perception allowed for fine-tuned accuracy.
The only thing a person could not control was comprehensive power. If a person had a talent related to intelligence and comprehension, they were qualified to become a runesmith. It was as simple as that. Not everyone had a talent or class that gave them high comprehension. That was why rune smithing remained a rare profession among people, and that was also the reason why runesmiths were highly valued.
The runes also had grades mainly depending on the complexity and mana control needed. They were graded in the same way as classes, from F to SSS rank.
Runesmiths were graded based on the rank of runes they could inscribe, from Grade 1, which could only inscribe F-ranked runes, to the legendary Grade 9, who could inscribe SSS-ranked runes. Achieving even Grade 3, which required mastery of D-ranked runes, was considered a monumental feat. The text noted that few runesmiths ever advanced beyond Grade 5 due to the immense talent and resources required.
"Theoretically, I'm qualified," Arthur muttered, glancing at his status. His RUNIC MIND talent made him uniquely suited to understanding and creating runes. The real challenge would be turning that knowledge into practical skill, since he didn't know if the pitiful amount of mana with the value of 2 could support his rune making. And since he couldn't level up for now, he had no way of increasing his mana.
Still he decided to try first