Aurelius marveled at the sight before him, the obsidian slab of material with a runic pattern etched into it. A pattern that he had created.
Snapping out of his reverie, Aurelius knew it was time to test the rune. Carefully extending his hand, he placed it on the rune, lightly touching the engraved pattern. As he had hoped, the rune instantly lit up upon contact, emanating a beautiful glow of mana that delighted his eyes and a soothing hum that reached his ears.
Aurelius could also feel the heat radiating from the fire rune, indicating that he had successfully crafted it for its intended purpose.
Based on the rate at which the rune was consuming mana and the amount of mana he had infused into it, Aurelius estimated that it could last for approximately 5 more years if left activated continuously. He had heard that some runes, in theory, could last indefinitely by drawing in the surrounding mana to sustain their energy expenditure. However, Aurelius had decided to start with simpler runes for his first attempt, foregoing the complexities involved in creating a self-sustaining rune. If he desired a longer-lasting rune, he could always infuse it with more mana, a process that was easier than the initial creation. Yet, Aurelius had to be cautious about the amount of mana he infused, as runes, especially lower-level ones, had limitations on the quantity of mana they could hold. If he exceeded this threshold, a mana backlash could occur. Currently, Aurelius' new rune was nearing the maximum threshold for mana infusion.
Withdrawing his hand from the rune, the faint glow of mana still lingered, the rune still activated. It would require Aurelius to touch the rune again if he wanted to deactivate it.
However, for now Aurelius stood back, observing the activated fire rune with a sense of accomplishment. The flickering glow and the gentle warmth emanating from it filled him with a sense of pride.
As he continued to gaze at the rune, Aurelius couldn't help but envision the boundless possibilities that lay ahead. With the successful creation of this basic fire rune, he felt a surge of confidence in his abilities to fashion other intricate symbols.
Throughout his research, Aurelius had encountered several captivating runes that piqued his interest. There were runes capable of summoning gusts of wind, constructing barriers, and even harnessing life magic to heal wounds with a mere touch. The realm of runecrafting proved astonishingly expansive, and these were undoubtedly among the runes he aspired to forge in the future. Additionally, he contemplated the prospect of forging his very own custom rune. Based on his creation of the fire rune, Aurelius was pretty certain that his mana and his Arcane Artificer class bestowed upon him the ability to create runes of any magical affinity. However, the lingering question was whether he could combine multiple magical affinities within a single rune. Could he, for instance, meld earth and wind into a unified symbol? And if so, what effect would it yield? Countless possibilities swirled through Aurelius' mind, beckoning him to delve deeper into the realm of rune crafting.
But even with all his excitement, Aurelius knew that he couldn't rush ahead without fully understanding the ramifications of his creations. He was aware of the risks involved in misusing runes or crafting them hastily. The balance of mana, the careful consideration of materials, and the intricate design of the pattern were all vital elements that determined the effectiveness and stability of a rune. And as he delved deeper into the realm of runecrafting, he would need to exercise even more caution and precision.
Lost in thought, Aurelius decided to document his progress and findings in his journal. He meticulously recorded the steps he had taken, the materials he had used, and the intricate details of the pattern etched into the fire rune. His journal would serve as both a guide for future reference and a personal testament to his growth.
With his work documented, Aurelius turned his attention back to the glowing fire rune. He gently pressed his hand against it once again, deactivating its magical properties. The glow faded, and the rune returned to its dormant state. Although the rune was deactivated, he could still sense its latent energy, waiting to be reawakened at his touch.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Aurelius closed his journal and carefully stored it alongside his collection of runecrafting tools. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Aurelius mentally clicked on the red notification that was blinking in the corner of his vision.
Uncommon rune forged. Essence Received: 300
Level Up! You have reached level 10. You have been granted 2 Attribute points for allocation.
That was a welcome surprise, Aurelius thought. He had considered the possibilities of him being able to gain experience from runecrafting, but it was nice to have those suspicions confirmed. It made the whole rune creation process even more rewarding.
Since he was in a secluded location, Aurelius decided to allocate his unassigned attribute points and essence right away.
Starting with his attribute points, Aurelius distributed one attribute point to both wisdom and intelligence. Given that runes required his mana and he had been neglecting those stats, Aurelius decided that it would probably be better to level them up sooner rather than later. With his decision settled, Aurelius shifted his attention to his unassigned essence.
With the recent acquisition of 300 essence, Aurelius found himself with an impressive total of 1455 unassigned essence. This amount was just enough to push his Blade Dancer class to level 10, a long sought-after goal. Excited at witnessing his first class reach double digits, Aurelius allocated nearly all of his remaining unassigned essence to the class, successfully leveling it up.
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Processing update: Class Evolution Initiated.
Congratulations. Your class,
Commencing class evolution sequence. Prepare for transition.
Countdown to evolution initiation:
3...
2...
1...
And just then, as if a dim fire, snuffed out by a gust of wind, Aurelius’ vision blinked out.
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Aurelius woke up on the floor, groaning as he felt a massive headache. Slowly, his memories started to return to him. He began to recognize the room around it, seeing it to be the same room he had forged his rune in, a small relief.
Sitting up, Aurelius hurriedly opened his status screen, wanting to see what changes had become of his class. But before he could do so, a new screen appeared in front of him.
Select your second ability for the class
Ability: Arcane Blade - Infuse the Blade Dancer's weapon with the user's mana, enhancing its effectiveness against magical barriers and targets. The infused blade also deals an additional (Intelligence + Wisdom)% of damage.
Warning! Incorrect mana infusion or flawed blade material may result in mana backlash.
Note: This ability cannot be upgraded.
Ability: Power Surge - At level 10, spend 100 mana to temporarily enhance your agility and strength, doubling your usual attributes for a duration equal to your Intelligence in seconds.
Note: Selecting this ability will also grant you the Mana Surge skill.
Ability: Chain Reaction - At level 10, each consecutive hit on a specific enemy within an (Agility)-second timeframe amplifies damage inflicted by (strength)% per hit.
Cooldown: 1 minute.
Note: The hits must be delivered using the same bladed weapon.
Note: Attacking any other enemies during this period will reset the ability.
Aurelius released a slow breath, his mind filled with uncertainty. Damn, he thought. Choosing one ability from this selection would be a difficult task. Each of these abilities had the potential to make Aurelius overwhelmingly powerful. When combined with his existing skills, they could transform him into a force of nature. For instance, if he managed to land a couple of hits with the chain reaction skill and then amplified it with his previous critical strike ability, Aurelius might be able to slay a dragon in a single strike.
This made Aurelius wonder if all of his class evolutions would be this significant. If that were the case, he could clearly see why there was such a stark contrast between a Chosen and an ordinary person.
Aurelius read through the abilities for the third time, hoping to find something that would help him narrow down his options. Unfortunately, he found nothing. With no starting point, he decided to evaluate the abilities one by one, weighing their pros and cons.
Immediately, Aurelius was drawn to the Arcane Blade option. It would provide him with an additional advantage against mages, which he believed would be crucial in the future. Moreover, considering his current intelligence and wisdom stats, it granted him a 37% increase in damage for every strike. Aurelius also speculated that there might be more benefits to the ability beyond what was strictly mentioned in the description. It was widely acknowledged that mana-infused objects, such as runes, surpassed regular materials. It was possible that the mana could enhance the durability of his blade and also make it sharper. Overall, Aurelius appreciated the versatility of this skill. Not only would it assist him in combating magic users, but it would also upgrade his arsenal.
However, there were concerns associated with this choice, as indicated in the warning and the note. Having recently created a rune, Aurelius was aware of the difficulty and danger involved in infusing mana into objects. Nevertheless, Aurelius was uncertain about the difficulty of infusing and maintaining mana within a sword. If he were momentarily distracted, could he lose control and trigger a mana explosion? Aurelius was certain that such an event would likely cost him a hand. Additionally, there was the issue of the ability being unable to upgrade, although that statement was somewhat misleading. The ability would indeed grow stronger as long as Aurelius improved his wisdom and intelligence stats. Even still, he simply couldn't determine if the inability to upgrade would have negative consequences in the future.
The next ability was equally remarkable. Aurelius already possessed strength and agility far superior to the average High-Elf. The ability’s boost, albeit temporary, would grant him unparalleled speed, which, when combined with his other abilities, could prove deadly against entire squads of enemy combatants. Moreover, selecting this ability would provide him with his first skill, which greatly intrigued him.
The presence of "none" under his skills tab had left Aurelius with unanswered questions for weeks. What were skills? How could he acquire them? This ability seemed to shed some light on the matter. Although he didn't know the exact effect of the skill, he could make an educated guess based on its name. The skill would likely speed up either his mana recovery or mana pool for a temporary amount of time.
The only downside to this ability was its high mana cost. Currently, activating the ability once would deplete half of his mana reserves, impeding his other combat techniques, particularly his teleportation skill.
Lastly, there was the Chain Reaction ability. The benefits of the ability were evident, there was no doubt about it. Under the right circumstances, Aurelius envisioned this ability becoming stupidly powerful. He also guessed that it was specifically designed for use against other Chosen. However, its greatest advantage also seemed to be its greatest weakness. While it would be overwhelmingly effective in specific situations, it lacked the versatility of the other abilities.
Realistically, as Aurelius's strength grew, he could easily overpower most ordinary fighters and mages in a one-on-one encounter without relying on this ability. Moreover, in group battles or situations where it wasn't a one-on-one fight, he wouldn't even have the opportunity to use the skill. Therefore, as he had mentioned earlier, Aurelius would probably only need to utilize it when facing other Chosen. The question boiled down to how frequently he would find himself in such situations, a matter he was uncertain about. Of course, there were other drawbacks, such as the ability's cooldown, but Aurelius didn't dwell too much on those concerns.
After nearly thirty minutes of intense contemplation, Aurelius reached a resolute decision.