Chapter 25: Overpowered Legacy Artifact. New Runes...

"Life is unpredictable"; it's a proven fact that nothing in life remains the same. The richest person today might become a beggar tomorrow, losing everything they had. Conversely, a beggar who lived on the streets today might become the king of a country tomorrow. 

"Fickle was the life everybody held dearest to them."

" Why was I talking about life, you say?"

It was because I had been that beggar(Mortal) who had been showered with riches(able to awaken) after living in the streets until a week ago. I was a mortal who lived without any plans for the future, living the life I had been granted with. But today I was someone who had been showered with everything that I would require to make myself powerful and live the life I wanted.

The legacy was the riches that were provided to me, a mortal beggar who didn't have any hope of being an awakened warrior after failing to awaken that day.

Looking at all the notifications flashing in front of me and sensing the strength and vitality in my body, I truly felt like a beggar who was made into a king.

And all of these had been possible because I had preserved, and lived with the past that hadn't been able to break my will to live... the will to become worth something in this world dominated by magic, and those that could harness it for their use.

I had fulfilled conditions that were, each harder than the previous ones; it felt like the legacy didn't want to reveal itself to the world because the requirements were just that absurd.

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Heart of Rune: The legacy artifact obtained by the host after slaying the 'Blood Mother' that had sealed it and utilized it for its own usage. This artifact has taken the shape of the heart and rooted itself in the host's body.

[Heart of Rune]

Artifact Type: Heart

Trait(s): [Eternal] [Purity] [Rune Mastery] [Elemental Affinity] [Arcane Knowledge]

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Body of Rune: The body recreated for the host by his legacy and his 'Heart of Rune'. It resonates with the legacy artifact enhancing the effects of 'Heart of Runes' in the process.

[Body of Rune]

Artifact Type: Physique

Trait(s): [Resonance] [Evolvable] [Armor of runes] 

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Both were overpowered and worked seamlessly with my legacy. 

In the case of 'Heart of Rune', It granted me with;

Eternal was just as it said, granting me an eternal lifespan. I would never succumb to the ravages of old age. Even life-threatening injuries would gradually heal given enough time. However, I had to remain vigilant and avoid being struck down in a single fatal blow. This gift of eternal life was a secret I had to guard closely, for even the mightiest adventurers who slay monsters can only prolong their lives for centuries before Time's relentless artacks takes its toll, corroding their very essence.

Purity bestowed upon me the extraordinary ability to purify anything and harness its essence according to my will. At present, I could only purify the mana within myself, as my strength had yet to reach its full potential to fully utilize this purifying effect.

Rune Mastery endowed me with unparalleled comprehension and inscription abilities, allowing me to decipher and inscribe any type of rune I desired. However, my mastery was currently limited by my strength, with the main runes aiding me in rune creation being of a rare rank only. The runes here are 'Rune of Insight' and 'Rune of Inscription'.

Elemental Affinity attuned me to the elemental forces, facilitating my mastery of chosen elements. Although I had only grasped the basics thus far, my potential to master more complex elemental powers was evident.

Arcane Knowledge, while somewhat enigmatic, elevated me to the status of a master in ancient arcane arts. It delved into the depths of magical practices long forgotten, granting me insights and skills that set me apart from conventional magic users.

These profound abilities were all granted to me by the 'Heart of Rune,' now an integral part of my being.

As for the effects bestowed by my 'Body of Rune':

Resonance was a remarkable trait that harmonized my 'Heart of Rune' and 'Body of Rune,' amplifying their effects when utilized in unison. This synergistic resonance heightened the potency of both artifacts, enhancing my overall capabilities.

Evolvable was a unique characteristic of my body, adapting and evolving in response to various challenges and stimuli. This innate adaptability ensured that I could thrive in diverse environments and confront ever-changing threats with resilience and agility.

And lastly, the Armor of Runes was a manifestation of my defensive prowess. I could materialize every inscribed rune on my body into protective armor, each imbued with distinct and potent abilities. This versatile armor not only shielded me from harm but also augmented my offensive capabilities when the need arose.

After reveling in the descriptions of both the 'Heart of Rune' and 'Body of Rune' and enjoying the moment for a while, it was time to examine the new rune I had acquired during the recreation of my body. This rune, imbued with the green aura of life that enveloped me while integrating the 'Heart of Rune' into my being, was now the focus of my attention. 

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[Rune of vitality(uncommon)]

Description: Grants the user enhanced physical endurance, resilience, and vitality. It imbues the user with increased stamina, allowing them to sustain physical exertion for longer periods without fatigue. This rune also enhances the body's natural healing processes, granting faster recovery from injuries and reducing the effects of fatigue and exhaustion. 

Effects: Enhanced physical endurance, resilience, and vitality. It imbues the user with increased stamina, allowing them to sustain physical exertion for longer periods without fatigue. It also grants the user with accelerated natural healing. Increases the rank of vitality by two entire ranks.

[Rune of Blood(Rare)]

Description: Grants the user with an affinity towards Blood magic, making them masters at working with blood. This rune also enhances users' control over their body through the blood flowing throughout their body, granting them the ability to burst with utmost strength(go berserk) when needed. 

Effects: Allows the user to tap into the enigmatic force that is present in every creature. They can manipulate blood, absorb vitality, practice blood magic, and empower themselves through blood-related abilities. Increases the Rank of every attribute except soul power by one rank when they enter the berserk state. The user can manipulate the blood flowing through the veins of opponents one rank higher than themselves, although the efficacy decreases against stronger opponents.

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"What the freak??? "

"Why did I have a rune that looked and worked so ominously inscribed on me?"

"Won't I be deemed a heretic if somebody saw the description on this rune??"

I couldn't help but curse out loud because the 'Rune of Vitality' was something I had been prepared for. It was somewhat like the Rune of Strength, straightforward in that it increased my vitality by two ranks. Although it had been downgraded to an 'Uncommon' ranked rune, the boost it provided to my vitality granted me the ability to master my own combat art, 'The Chaotic Art,' as I no longer needed to fear getting injured while battling my enemies in a chaotic manner.

If I had to say something, I was basically an unkillable cockroach that would haunt my enemies with the help of ' Eternal' provided by 'Heart of Rune' and 'Accelerated natural healing ' from 'Rune of Vitality'. These two abilities working in tandem would make me unkillable even by elite-ranked warriors. And the town I was living in had one such warrior making me basically a top-ranked warrior in terms of vitality and ability to survive.

But the problem lay with the 'Rune of Blood' that had manifested as my body was recreated using the crimson miasma formed from the blood of the monsters I had killed in the cathedral. The cathedral itself had been destroyed to provide the legacy artifact with enough mana to reconstruct my body.

Now I think about it, I should have been ready for such a rune as my whole body had been infused with bloody miasma during its recreation. Having a rune manifested related to bloody miasma was something that was guaranteed since my legacy worked in that way.

"Well, I can't deny its power though."

I mean, it granted me with the power to control blood flowing through every living creature. And the ability to manipulate blood flowing through the veins of my enemies that were one ranked higher than me made me able to kill anyone that was a 'Transcendent' ranked warrior without even coming in front of them, It was overpowered as hell. But, the catch with this ability was, that I must see the blood of that given warrior. 

As for absorbing vitality, I could now absorb the vitality(healing me in the process) from the injuries I had been able to deal with my opponents. Even a drop of blood on that opponent's wound gave me the ability to steal their vitality, draining them out of their life force and killing them in the process. I could even stop the blood from clotting, killing them due to excessive blood loss.

''Didn't I become more of an Assassin suitable for swiftly killing my opponents without even letting them know about their imminent Death?''

Yeah, I could do that but I didn't need to be swift, I just had to make them bleed. Even a single drop of blood that I could see on their being and belonged to them would grant me with ability to kill them, albeit slowly while torturing them if I wanted to. 

If I had this rune inscribed on me while I was killing those people in Lumia, my revenge would have been accomplished in mere days rather than a decade.

"Just thinking about the terror it would have created in the whole town sends shivers down my body."