Chapter 35: Finally Done with the rune

After meditating for more than three hours, I was ready to imbue the meaning of agility into the symbol.

" What does agility mean?"

Agility, to me, meant speed.

It represented speed akin to a falcon's graceful flight and deadly swiftness. I envisioned my body becoming as nimble as a falcon, possessing extreme speed to traverse long distances in a single stride. This speed would create distorted images, confusing my enemies and giving me an edge despite any weaknesses in other attributes.

I aimed to become a formidable force, instilling fear in those who dared to oppose me. The symbol I had etched into my being depicted this meaning through a single wing, inspired by the majestic falcon swiftly diving from the sky, seizing its prey with its sharp talons, and soaring high again.

This was the understanding of the rune I had comprehended.

Imbuing the rune was also a taxing job, mainly because it was a painful process. Although the pain I felt was way less than the times I underwent to acquire the rune from the legacy, it was still painful. This pain caused another problem during the imbuing process because my mind wasn't able to concentrate properly on the task at hand, making it a time-consuming process.

I was required to imbue the meaning into the runic symbol with the help of my mana, slowly engraving the meaning and the effects this particular rune was supposed to grant me. This process was arduous, as my whole concentration was supposed to be on the imbuing process to engrave the correct meaning with the required effect in the rune. Soul power was required while etching the meaning of the rune, making this process even harder with the limited amount of soul power I had.

A single minuscule error, and my rune would become something even I couldn't fathom.

My refined will helped me with this process as I was nearly on the verge of making mistakes several times, but sheer determination and willpower helped me do the job without any errors.

After about fifteen minutes of continuously imbuing the understanding, the process of inscription was finally completed with my rune flashing in a hue of silver two times before finally disappearing, ready to activate when needed.

As soon as the process of imbuing the meaning was completed, I could feel my body becoming light, as if it had been hollowed from within to grant me exceptional speed. My whole body was embraced with a silvery glow, making me look like a transcendent being who had already transcended mortality and attained godhood.

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[Rune of Agility(Common)]

Description: Embodies the essence of swift and nimble movement, granting the bearer enhanced speed, reflexes, and dexterity. Infused with the grace and precision of a falcon's wing, this rune symbolizes the ability to move with fluidity and grace, evading attacks, and performing agile maneuvers effortlessly.

Effect:  Augments the speed, reflexes, and dexterity, encapsulating the essence of nimble and swift movements enabling the bearer to move with unparalleled agility, swiftly evading attacks, reacting with lightning-fast reflexes, and performing intricate maneuvers with precision. Increases the ran of Agility by one entire rank.

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The rune was as I had envisioned, granting me with unparalleled speed while also making me nimble. It was going to be a great addition to my arsenal of runes. It provided me with the speed that even I couldn't fathom and the story it will unfold in the future.

My stats were once again increased, granting me greater power. The speed with which I could now work had been elevated by an entire rank, making every basic attribute equivalent to that of a peak transcendent-ranked warrior. Defense was lagging behind by a single sub-rank which will be dealt with another rune I was going to inscribe on myself after some time.

I tried running with this rune activated.

Woosh….

Bang….

It wasn't a great start, as I had a close, face-to-wall interaction with the walls of the training room due to my inexperience with the increased speed granted by the rune. Kissing the ground was normal with such great speed with my mind that wasn't able to process anything happening within my body.

"Why didn't I have a hard time controlling the 'Rune of Strength' when it was inscribed on me?"

[It had been slowly acclimatized as the user got used to the strength.]

No wonder I didn't have a hard time controlling my strength when it was first inscribed. The legacy had somewhat sealed my strength, unsealing the increased strength as my proficiency with the rune increased.

As for the speed I gained by myself, it wasn't moderated by my legacy, resulting in my mind and body being unable to properly control the sudden increase in speed.

This was new to me.

I had thought that the increased attributes didn't require me to acclimatize because the legacy had been sealing and slowly helping me by releasing sealed attributes as I got familiar with them. However, since I hadn't increased my attributes by pushing my body to its limits, the sudden rise in power was something I had no control over, making it hard for me to work with such increased attributes. This would likely be the case for any rune I inscribed on myself in the future.

It was frustrating, but it was far better than having to deal with the pain every time a new rune was inscribed on my being. I had to train to control my body from now on.

"New mission in the box."

With that in mind, it was now time to train with a new longsword I had purchased from the guild. It was sharper, more durable, and of higher quality than the previous one, capable of killing a Tier-3 monster easily if I could deliver a deadly blow while imbuing it with the aura as the guild master did. 

Even its name had been changed from Enchanted weapon to Aura weapon denominating the strength required to handle this weapon.

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Aura Equipment

Equipment Type: Longsword

Rank: Uncommon

Trait: Can be imbued with aura to strengthen it.

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Aura weapons, like enchanted ones, were specifically made with materials that could easily be imbued with the aura of any warrior utilizing it. These weapons were designed to handle the aura from elite-ranked warriors. They were constructed with even more precious materials to ensure they could handle the intensity and power of the aura without being damaged or degraded.

As a result, they couldn't be purchased with normal currency like enchanted ones. They cost contribution points to acquire, even for the lowest "common" ranked 'Aura equipment' from the guild. The one I had gotten required around five hundred contribution points, making me take a deep breath to get accustomed to the cost of the weapon.

Although I was granted this weapon for only three hundred contribution points, it still amounted to a considerable sum if converted into currency. Additionally, I had bought this blade on credit, with one hundred contribution points still left to be paid.

"Riches definitely come and go fast if you are an adventurer."

I spent the whole day practicing with the blade, getting used to swinging the weapon with my left hand. It was harder than it looked as my left hand wasn't dominant and was slightly weaker than my right one.

Even lifting it properly was somewhat difficult as I had to exert more effort to stop my hands from shaking. My slashes were erratic and lacked the fluidity and force needed to slice through the target. My stance was off, making it feel like I was a novice just given a sword, and that sword felt as heavy as a boulder. It nearly grazed me several times with its sharp edges, leaving several small cuts on my fingers within a minute of using the blade.

" Another problem to take care of."

As I thought about it, I began to get the feel of wielding the blade with my left hand. It wasn't like using a kitchen knife, with which I could be careless when chopping the vegetables. The sword in my hand was a true killing weapon, capable of chopping my entire hands if I was careless enough.

So, I decided to practice with a wooden blade that I had acquired from the guild. It had the same length as my longsword but lacked the weight, making it easier to handle. 'Nightmare' floated beside me, its runes activated, giving it a mysterious aura amplified by the combined energies of the two runes.

 I could now control it with soul power for about thirty seconds after refining my soul alongside my body when I obtained the legacy artifact. 'Nightmare' had also become more refined and sharper with each passing day, transforming into a true Nightmare for anyone who crossed my path.

My proficiency with the 'Rune of Strength' had increased, granting me versatility in utilizing the rune during battles. Other runes were also slowly increasing in proficiency, much to my satisfaction. As the days passed, I became more attuned to these runes. They no longer felt like external sources of energy; rather, they were becoming a part of my being, my strength, if you will.

" These were my source of strength after all."

Having increased proficiency even in the most useless rune for battle was important as it would help me in another field, one way or another.