Chapter 34: Rune of Agility

One week after the stampede….

I looked at my new house with satisfaction. 

It was built in the pagoda style, with the ground floor serving as my training ground, the first floor as my bedroom, and the second floor as my kitchen. Enchanted walls surrounded the property on all four sides, adding to its mystical charm. A lush garden filled with greenery adorned the surroundings, with seasonal fruits dangling from the trees and birds making melodies in their branches. A serene pond containing various types of fishes, adding a touch of tranquility to the ambiance.

The entrance gate to my house was equipped with a mana register, allowing only registered individuals whose mana had been imprinted on it to pass through. This security measure ensured that unauthorized access would alert me if I were at home. Everything around me was lavish, decorated with several expensive decorative items.

"This is life."

Inside the training hall, every piece of equipment needed for an elite-ranked individual to train themselves was available. There were tools for measuring basic attributes, equipment to surpass bodily limits and enhance attributes, and an enchanted training room that quadrupled mana quantity when activated. This room was exclusively for rune inscription and comprehension, making it the most secure space on the property.

The first floor housed a living room, my bedroom, and a bathroom, all conveniently accessible from one another. Although the living room might seem unnecessary, it was there to accommodate any guests.

On the second floor, my kitchen was fully equipped with cooking essentials, allowing me to prepare meals for myself. A storage area stocked with supplies that could last over a month ensured I was well-prepared.

This property was provided to me by the lord, and constructed within a week of accepting his proposal to become an honorary protector of the town. It was akin to a fortress, providing me with both comfort and security in my new home.

I was excited to live here as this was the first property that had all the requirements that I required for my living. It was also something I had dreamed of owning while still a mortal without any power, making it a dream come true now I look at it from within the garden. 

"Was it the happiness after pain??"

I had no idea.

There were two more people besides me, marveling at the wonder of a property built for me. It was unlike any of the buildings in this town as I had helped in preparing the blueprint for this building. It was reminiscent of the town I had spent some time in while traveling here.

I had seen this building style in towns inhabited by beast folks who were actually more intelligent than humans in several cases, enriching my mind with the wonders of the world I was living in. They were friendly, compassionate, and fun people to be around with. The most intriguing point about them was they were loyal... too loyal if I have to say.

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About a week after residing in this building...

Inside the Enchanted training room…..

I was seated in the middle, absorbing the mana permeating in the air. My heart was also doing its job, slowly purifying the mana that my body was absorbing.

I felt like my 'Mana purity' was on the verge of breaking through the rank of transcendent after some time in the future, maybe a month or two. I was not satisfied with the speed of the progress but this stats wasn't within my control. So, I guess I was making considerable progress with the purification of mana.

I was meditating, slowly calming my mind. There were several stacks of paper beside me, each filled with scribbles of ' a single falcon wing ' that would be the outline of the rune I was going to inscribe on my being. I was first planning to inscribe the runes that would increase my basic attributes to the next level before doing anything.

It had already been six days after arriving at this property. I enjoyed these six days navigating the property and enjoying the beautiful garden outside while also giving a try to every piece of equipment in the training room. The ripe fruits had almost been gobbled by me leaving the trees empty without any fruits on them.

I planned to inscribe the 'Rune of Agility' because Agility was currently my lowest basic attribute. I aimed to enhance my physical strength, making myself comparable to monsters with nearly equal attributes while also leveraging my advantage as a human with access to various types of 'Aura' that I could utilize as I wished. It was the plan I had developed for my future becoming a truly unparalleled being in the same realm.

I had already comprehended the meaning of the rune, and the effects it granted to me. Keeping in mind that it would be a common rune, I opted for a simple outline without unnecessary complexity. As for where I planned to inscribe the rune, it would be at a significant location on my body, symbolizing its importance and meaning as a rune.

I had even marked the outline with a pen on my ankles to guide me while inscribing the rune using mana. This precaution was necessary because I didn't want to make any mistakes with the outline before imbuing the rune with its intended meaning and power. 

I didn't want the rune to turn into the "Rune of Immobility," which would immobilize me every time I activated it, once inscribed in my being. The thought of being permanently stuck with such a disadvantage was frustrating, as there would be no way to remove or change the rune's meaning once it was inscribed.

"There might be methods for correcting the errors, but I didn't know of any right now."

Hence I didn't want any mistakes to occur in today's Inscription process. 

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Three hours later...

Finally, I was ready to start with the process of etching the outline of my rune on my body. 

The first part of the rune creation, comprehension was already completed as the Trait belonging to the ' Heart of Runes' was showing its power right now. I had already contemplated the effect that this rune would provide me; I just needed to etch the perfect outline that could hold the meaning of my rune.

And now for the inscription part;

I evoked the mana within the environment and formed a pointed quill. This was the manifestation of the 'Rune of the inscription' that had already been etched on my being, Modifying its shape and size as my requirement which was something important because all the strokes in the 'Symbol' won't be the same. Some require razor-thin strokes while some require a bit thicker stroke as per the rune I was inscribing.

As for the rune I was working with, it comprised thin strokes that remained consistent throughout the symbol. It was a very simple symbol without any complex strokes, as I didn't need to imbue the meaning of a higher-ranked rune within it. This allowed me to create a straightforward and easy-to-work-with symbol.

Sizzle…..

The smell of burnt skin tickled my nose as I started creating the outline of the rune on my body. Mana was literally burning my skin and using it as a canvas to draw the outline of the rune I Was working with. 

" Was it painful??"

It was more ticklish than painful, which made it challenging for me to create the outline. However, I persevered, taking my time to ensure the symbol was drawn correctly. Despite the effort it took, I managed to endure until the runic symbol was etched on my body.

I was nearly drained of soul power by the time my symbol was created. It was a perfect replica of the one I had in mind. If I had attempted this before refining my soul while recreating my body, I would have surely failed the inscription process due to insufficient soul power to create rune outlines on my being.

"Why was I able to perfectly create a rune on equipment, you say??"

Because, the soul power I had was enough to create outlines on other objects like the 'Nightmare,' but inscribing the rune on my own being was more taxing and soul-consuming.

Firstly, I could inscribe the runic symbol imperfectly on objects like the 'Nightmare' without worrying about the outcome. Even the 'Rune of Confusion' was the result of such imperfection during the imbuing process. It might have negatively affected my being if I had made such mistakes initially due to my inexperience with runes, but it worked like a charm when the mistake was made on the equipment, saving my life several times by now.

The most crucial point was that I had to overclock my mind, trying to calm it down while inscribing the rune on my being. My mind would conjure up scary scenarios of what could happen if I were to make mistakes during the process. This forced me to calm my mind while inscribing, making the task take much longer than it should have and draining my soul power in the process.