It had been nearly 5 weeks since Aurelius had forged his first rune.
Since then, Aurelius had set into a routine. Most days, after his classes he would either head towards the colosseum and participate in a Tournament of Elites round or go to the library and forge a rune. That way, he would always be improving his skills and gaining essence, two things crucial to his rapid development.
Currently, Aurelius was standing once again in one of the library’s study rooms, prepared to make another rune. This was actually a momentous occasion for Aurelius, because following this rune creation Aurelius would be able to level up both his Arcane Artificer class to level 10 and his Chronomage class to level 10, a huge milestone for him.
Over the past couple of weeks, Aurelius had devoted a significant amount of time to the study of runes and their effects. This dedication not only improved his understanding of how runes worked but also provided him with valuable experience and essence. Early on, Aurelius had determined that forging a common rune would yield 100 essence, an uncommon rune 300 essence, and a rare rune 500 essence. Through his efforts, Aurelius had successfully created a total of 16 runes, comprising 3 rare, 4 uncommon, and 9 common ones, which had granted him a total of 3,000 essence.
Combining this essence with his Tournament of Elite wins, he had accumulated an impressive 8,500 essence since he evolved his Blade Dancer class or since he created his first rune.
Using the accumulated essence, he leveled both his Chronomage and Arcane Artificer classes to level 9. He had also leveled his Blade Dancer class to level 12, though it was currently not his main focus, as its evolved ability couldn't be further upgraded. Surprisingly, even after leveling the Blade Dancer class twice, the critical strike chance remained at 20%. Aurelius realized that evolving a class meant sacrificing the ability to improve the primary skill, a pattern he presumed would apply to his other classes as well.
However, this was especially concerning for his Arcane Artificer class. Right now, his primary ability only granted him the ability to forge rare level runes. Unless leveling the class to level 10 somehow granted him the ability to forge mythical or even legendary tier runes, Aurelius worried he might be stuck with using only rare level runes and below. Aurelius didn't know if that was actually how it worked, but there was only one way to find out.
Besides the classes he had level up, he had been saving his unassigned essence so that he could evolve both his Chronomage and Arcane Artificer class at the same time, something he had been planning on doing today. Right now, Aurelius had 2,110 unassigned essence. Once he forged a rare rune, he would have a total of 2,610 essence. This would be enough to level up both of his classes, as each class required 1,180 essence for an upgrade, totaling 2,360 essence for both classes.
So far, he had been happy with the essence he had received, but he knew that he needed more, he needed to level quicker. Once he evolved both of his abilities, Aurelius would start grinding in the Tournament of Elites, holding little back. While Aurelius already felt confident in his defense capabilities, after evolving both classes, he believed he could survive nearly any situation.
Refocusing back on the situation at hand, Aurelius took crystal out of his bag, the material he would use for this rune. The crystal had a hint of fire attribute within it, working well with what Aurelius had in mind.
He was planning on creating a version of a mana bomb.
Aurelius had seen multiple variations and descriptions of mana bombs within some of the texts that he had studied. In theory, the design was simple. You create a rune within an object, and once activated, the mana contained within the rune would explode outwards. The difficulty for Aurelius, however, was with the other small variables.
Aurelius wanted to make sure that the bomb wouldn’t explode accidentally. To address this problem Aurelius had a time activation sequence, where, once pressure-activated, the rune would flash for 20 seconds before it exploded.
Aurelius still knew that a pressured activated bomb was likely a really dumb idea and an explosion waiting to happen. However, right now he had no better option. Hopefully, the time activation would give him some time to prepare if worse came to worse. Aurelius also wasn't planning on holding onto the bomb for long and would likely throw it in some ditch later to test its effectiveness anyways.
He laid the fire-attribute crystal on the study table, gently touching its smooth surface. Taking his clamps out and clamping it down on the table, Aurelius brought out his diamond-tipped rune carving tool as well, preparing to channel magic through it.
Aurelius fingers danced over its edges as he channeled his mana into it, forming the necessary intricate patterns and symbols to infuse the explosive mana within. He had to be cautious; even the slightest mistake in the runic inscriptions could lead to disastrous consequences.
With steady hands, Aurelius began to etch the intricate runes into the crystal's core. Each stroke of his carving tool was deliberate, as he focused his mind on the calculations and incantations required to create a stable mana bomb. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and he was aware of the increasing pressure to get this right.
Time seemed to stretch as the room's silence was only broken by the sound of his carving tool gently tapping the crystal. Time passed, and the intricate design finally took shape. The crystal now glowed with a pulsating energy, its fire-attribute aura intensifying as it absorbed the mana.
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Aurelius felt a sense of accomplishment tinged with trepidation. This was uncharted territory, and he knew the risks involved. A mana bomb gone wrong could potentially lead to his expulsion from the academy.
With the initial preparations complete, he moved to the second part of his plan. He needed a precise mechanism to trigger the explosion once infused with mana. He sketched out a delicate system of pressure-sensitive runes connected to a temporal lock, ensuring the bomb would only activate when and where he intended.
As the final piece of the puzzle fell into place, he took a step back and admired his creation. The fire-attribute crystal now housed an infernal potential, waiting for the moment when it would be unleashed.
Aurelius’ hand approached the rune cautiously. Aurelius could feel the rune's stability and felt confident that the rune wouldn’t explode unexpectedly. Carefully picking up the crystal, Aurelius made sure that he didn’t press the rune activation sequence.
Letting out a breath of relief, Aurelius took a step back looking at the crystal. Then he turned his attention to the blinking notification in the corner of his vision, what he was really excited about.
Rare rune forged. Essence Received: 500
There it was, the essence Aurelius had needed. Walking around back to the front of the room, Aurelius made sure the door was securely locked before beginning the evolution process.
He looked at his status screen, deciding to evolve his Arcane Artificer class first. Excited with what was to come, Aurelius allocated 1180 of his total 2,610 unassigned essence to his Arcane Artificer class, leveling it up to level 10. As was the case the last time Aurelius had evolved a class, a new screen popped up before him.
Processing update: Class Evolution Initiated.
Congratulations. Your class,
Commencing class evolution sequence. Prepare for transition.
Countdown to evolution initiation:
3...
2...
1...
Aurelius passed out.
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Slowly waking up, even Aurelius’ headache couldn’t dissuade his excitement. He hurriedly looked through the new screen in front of him, describing his new ability choices.
Select your second ability for the class
Ability: Tattoo Artist - Inscribe runes onto parts of your body, giving parts of your body the rune’s effects. At level 10, you can inscribe one rune onto both of your feet.
Warning: Improper rune inscription or rune destruction may trigger a mana backlash or explosion.
Note: Active Runes on the user’s body will drain a constant flow of mana.
Ability: Arcane Sight (Passive) - See the way mana moves through enchantments, runes, and objects. Makes it easier to both detect magical objects and to create them.
Note: This ability cannot be upgraded.
Note: This ability is passive, it will always be active.
Ability: Arcane Clone - Create a clone of yourself to fight alongside you. The Clone spawns with the same attributes as the user. The Clone and its weapons are made out of pure mana, and are impervious to physical attacks. At level 10, the clone costs 200 mana and lasts for 10 seconds.
Cooldown: 1 Hour
Note: The Clone will not be able to use the user’s spells or magic
Aurelius let out a sigh, reminded of the last time he had to make a similar decision. It didn’t seem to be any easier this time either. Aurelius went down the list of skills, once again weighing the pros and cons.
The Tattoo Artist was a really interesting and unique ability. Aurelius’ mind raced with the different possibilities and he could see the potential applications for it in the future. For example, if he managed to put a force enhancing rune on one of his feet, then kicked someone, the extra damage could be potentially lethal. Or even better yet, putting a speed enhancing or wind rune on his feet, allowing him to run even faster. Those were just a few of the possible ways Aurelius could use the ability. If the leveled version of the ability allowed him to use any part of the body, Aurelius could think of many, many more.
However, the problem with having too many active runes, was the potential for them to backfire and the mana draw that would come with it. Aurelius would need to expand his mana pool and get more comfortable with his mana control if he wanted to have many runes on his body active at one time.
On the other hand, the Arcane Sight ability was undeniably valuable. Being able to see the flow of mana through enchantments and runes would provide him with a profound advantage in deciphering magical artifacts and detecting hidden spells. It would enhance his overall understanding of magical constructs and potentially grant him insights into crafting more potent runes and magical devices. Furthermore, as a passive ability, it would always be active, requiring no additional mana or effort to use. The only problem was that Aurelius wasn’t sure how useful it would be in the long run compared to the other abilities, especially in life and death battles.
Then there was the Arcane Clone, a power he had never seen or heard of before. The prospect of creating an identical magical duplicate of himself, even if it couldn't use his spells or magic, was intriguing. Having a clone that could fight alongside him, even if only for a brief time, could turn the tide in difficult battles. It could provide a crucial distraction, confuse his enemies, or even execute well-timed maneuvers to catch opponents off guard. The Clone's immunity to physical attacks was also a major advantage. Nevertheless, the skill was prohibitively expensive at its current state, requiring nearly all of his mana. It would make it harder for Aurelius to use other skills like Arcane Blade or his teleportation skill.
Aurelius weighed the options carefully. The Tattoo Artist offered an array of potential upgrades and versatility, but it also carried risks, especially with multiple active runes draining his mana. Arcane Sight would passively augment his magical expertise and understanding, which would be good for rune forging, but less so for combat. Meanwhile, Arcane Clone offered a tactical advantage and a powerful ally for a limited duration.
After much deliberation, Aurelius made his decision.