Aurelius finally arrived at the library. It was nearly 2 in the afternoon by the time he reached his destination. After enduring a grueling fitness session, Aurelius headed to his Global History class. Although he typically found the subject fascinating, concentrating became challenging after the workout. Despite allocating almost 20 points to both his strength and endurance, he was well aware that he would feel the strain in his legs throughout the remainder of the day.
After completing both of his classes, Aurelius swiftly devoured his lunch in the cafeteria, then promptly made a beeline for the library entrance, where he presently stood.
Upon entering, Aurelius greeted the librarian sitting at the front desk with a wave.
"Hello, Aurelius. Do you need any assistance today?" the librarian asked.
"I'm fine," Aurelius replied, partially fibbing. "Thanks for offering, but I think I'll head to one of the private rooms on the third floor to study."
The librarian smiled knowingly. "Sounds like a plan. Let me know if you need anything."
"Will do," Aurelius responded, making his way toward the stairwell.
Aurelius ascended the stairs to the third floor of the library, his anticipation growing with each step. Today marked a significant milestone for him – the creation of his first rune. In preparation for this moment Aurelius had spent hours studying and preparing, carefully selecting the materials and deciding which rune he intended to bring to life.
Entering the private room he had chosen, Aurelius closely shut and locked the door arranging his tools on the table before him. Making sure no one could unexpectedly enter the room, Aurelius got to work.
The first material Aurelius got out was a piece of obsidian. For Aurelius, the process of selecting which rune to create and what material to use was surprisingly difficult. Naturally, Aurelius wanted to start out with a simple common-level rune, something that would be a good introduction for Aurelius into rune making. Aurelius had wanted to make a simple fire rune that would emit a low amount of heat from the desired area, which, in this case, was the rune itself.
However, Aurelius wanted to preserve his created rune for future use, allowing him to review and conduct experiments on it. While this may not appear to be a significant challenge, Aurelius faced an issue: he did not wish to carry around a rune that constantly emitted heat and posed a safety hazard. Consequently, he needed to incorporate a mechanism into the rune that would enable him to activate and deactivate it at will.
This is where touch activation came into play. As the name implies, it would allow Aurelius to switch the rune on or off simply by touching it. However, incorporating this additional component into the rune would increase the difficulty of its creation and elevate it to the uncommon level.
While it was an uncommon-level rune, Aurelius should technically be a master at creating rare-level runes, much less uncommon, if his Arcane Artificer ability was to be believed. In the end, Aurelius had decided that he would create the uncommon-level fire rune and his problem became deciding what material to use.
Although it was possible to create the fire rune using basic materials like stone, they were not the most compatible, and there was a slight chance that the infusion of mana might not be successful, resulting in a backfire of mana. While low-level runes generally did not encounter such issues, higher-level runes posed a greater risk due to the significant amount of mana being infused. Taking his characteristic caution into account, Aurelius decided not to take the risk
That is where the obsidian came in. Obsidian was known to be one of the best materials for fire magic compatibility. Obsidian had a high melting point, making it capable of withstanding intense heat which was crucial to dealing with fire mana. And while Obsidian had a high melting point, it was also a poor conductor of heat, which would help prevent the fire mana from having unnecessary side effects.
It had been surprisingly easy for Aurelius to find obsidian. When he had first decided on using obsidian he had thought he would need to go out to some market within the capital city. However, vendors with the academy’s north quad and entertainment sector seemed to have all sorts of minerals and materials on sale.
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The next item Aurelius had pulled from his bag were his clamps. Gently, he placed the obsidian down, clamping it onto the table, making sure it wouldn’t move during the rune creation process.
Afterwards, Aurelius took out his notebook and flipped to the page showing the rune he intended to create. For the previous couple of days, Aurelius had continuously been drawing the rune in his book, making sure he was familiar with the pattern and the motions needed to create it.
Finally, Aurelius pulled out the last piece from his bag, his carving tool. Aurelius held the carving tool in his hand, its diamond-tipped edge glinting under the soft light of the room. As he prepared to carve the rune into the obsidian, he sensed a subtle energy flowing through the tool. This wasn't just any ordinary carving tool—it was built for the purpose of crafting runes.
Aurelius had obtained the tool from his introductory rune class teacher, who raised an eyebrow when Aurelius asked for the rune carving tool. The professor, aware that Aurelius was not a mage, questioned why he needed the tool. Aurelius fabricated a lie, explaining that he wanted to gain a better understanding of rune creation and intended to study the carving tool. This explanation seemed to satisfy the rune professor, who even permitted Aurelius to keep the tool due to his curiosity, as the professor had an abundance of them.
When wielded by a skilled practitioner, the carving tool acted as a conduit, enabling the infusion of mana from the practitioner into the material. In Aurelius' case, the rune carving tool would allow him to bring mana into the obsidian and awaken the rune.
Aurelius took a deep breath, preparing himself for the task ahead. He reviewed his notebook and examined the rune once more. From this point onward, there was no turning back, and he found himself navigating unexplored territory. Despite having read numerous books on rune creation, none of them addressed the unique predicament Aurelius faced. They outlined the process of channeling specific elemental mana, both from one's reserves and from the surrounding environment. The problem was that Aurelius did not possess a particular type of mana—there was no fire-attributed mana he could draw upon. Aurelius had to assume that his own mana would serve as a sufficient substitute and hope that the process would still function. Taking another deep breath, Aurelius initiated the process.
As Aurelius pressed the diamond tip against the obsidian, a faint tingle coursed through his fingertips. It was as if the carving tool was attuned to the mana within him, amplifying his connection to the rune. The moment the tool made contact with the surface, a gentle shimmer of energy spread through the obsidian, reacting to the presence of Aurelius' mana.
As Aurelius pressed down, Aurelius could feel the mana working through the rune carving tool. It helped him carve into the tool as easily as a knife through butter.
Aurelius felt a subtle pull at the core of his being, a familiar sensation that signaled the consumption of mana. Anticipating this, he quickly brought up his status screen, confirming the gradual decline of his mana reserves at a rate of 2 per second. However, thanks to his mana regeneration ability, his mana was replenishing almost as fast as it was being expended. Satisfied with the reassurance provided by his status screen, Aurelius closed it and refocused his attention on the rune before him.
With each precise stroke, the carving tool etched the intricate lines and curves of the rune into the obsidian, creating a pattern that represented the desired magical effect. As Aurelius infused his mana into the carving tool, the engraved lines seemed to come alive, faintly glowing with a soft, pulsating light.
As Aurelius worked, he experienced an uncanny sensation of a guiding presence, as if an invisible hand watched over him, directing his every move in crafting the rune. He attributed this enchanting presence to the help of his Arcane Artificer class. He no longer relied on glancing at the rune sketches in his notebook; instead, he surrendered himself to the influence of his Arcane Artificer class and his innate instincts, allowing them to steer his actions in the rune's creation.
The mana, now intertwined with the carved markings, permeated the obsidian, merging with its inherent properties. The obsidian eagerly absorbed the infused mana. It formed a harmonious bond with the rune, becoming the vessel through which the magical effect would manifest.
Suddenly, Aurelius felt a subtle shift in the air, a tingling sensation that hinted at the awakening of the rune's magic. The carved lines on the obsidian seemed to shimmer with an inner radiance, as if they held a dormant power waiting to be unleashed. The fusion of the carving tool, Aurelius' mana, and the obsidian had breathed life into the rune, transforming it from mere markings into a conduit for magical energy.
As Aurelius completed the final strokes of the rune, he stepped back to admire his creation. The obsidian now bore a vibrant, glowing symbol that represented the elemental essence of fire. The infused mana within the rune pulsed with a steady rhythm, ready to be harnessed and released upon activation.
With utmost care, Aurelius gently placed the carving tool on the table, smiling slightly from a mix of excitement and reverence. In this moment, he realized the significance of what he had just accomplished. He had taken his very first step into the world of rune creation: he had forged his first rune.