“Huu…”

Dan sighed softly as he stepped into his room within the Male Dormitory of the Imperial Magus Academy.

The dorm was a multi-story building made of stone and adorned with intricate carvings that further added a sense of grandeur to the place. Lanterns made from luminous stones hung along the walls, casting a soft glow that never dims, even at night. Large windows with arched frames dotted the whole structure, allowing glimpses of the world-class gardens that surrounded the compound.

Once inside the dormitory, the first thing in sight was a spacious common hall with high ceilings supported by sturdy pillars. A chandelier, imbued with luminescent crystals—more expensive than the common luminous stones—hovered mid-air, its glow adjusting with the time of day. A grand staircase spiraled upward to the upper floors, where the students' rooms were located. The dorm’s furniture, from chairs to couches, were crafted with reinforced wood, offering comfort that adapts to the person sitting.

Most importantly, they offered incredible durability, so despite existing for hundreds of years, most of the structures within the dorm only required mild refurbishing rather than replacement.

‘Glad to see not much has changed…’ Were Dan’s thoughts when he first entered the dorm, quickly making his way to the room assigned to him.

He didn’t encounter anyone on his way upstairs, though that wasn’t a surprise to him.

‘Everyone in the upper classes are still having lecturers right now, and if they’re not in class, they’re in the Library.’

Of course, there were bound to be a few exceptions, especially on the first day, but those ones would rather be holed up in their room rather than loiter about in the common hall.

‘There should be a staff present—like the Dorm Master and security officials—but they’re most likely having their Staff Orientation in the Staff Building right next door, so I guess it all adds up.’ Dan thought to himself.

He preferred things this way, since he finally had a moment of silence and solitude after so long.

“At long last…”

Words escaped his lips as he entered his room.

Each room in the Academy dormitory was practically identical, though there were certain students that were privy to exceptions. The door was made from reinforced wood, inscribed with personal runes for both security and easy identification of the inhabitant.

‘Everyone has their unique Magia Signature, the same way each individual has a unique fingerprint. My door only reacts to my signature, and probably that of the Dorm Master… for security purposes.’

Upon stepping inside, Dan took in a deep breath and absorbed the ambiance of his new abode. The interior felt larger than its exterior suggested, though he knew this was simply his imagination.

There was no mainstream Spell or Rune sophisticated enough to expand the limited space of a particular building. If such a thing existed, it would definitely be hoarded and used for higher purposes, rather than in student dormitories.

‘That doesn’t mean they spared any expense in the rooms here, though…’ Dan’s thoughts trailed as he looked around himself. ‘This place is even better than I remember.’

The walls were made of polished stone, glowing softly with a dull hue that made it clear that the whole place was reinforced with Magia. The same way the furniture was tampered with to preserve its integrity, so also was the whole building.

‘I can tell that this place has been through some remodeling, but it’s still the same structure I used when I was an Apprentice here.’

Dan walked to the large window in his room that offered a view of the Academy grounds and looked outside for a moment. He nodded slowly before returning his attention to everything else occupying his residence.

In the center, there was a simple bed, with a hard mattress that promised a not-so-pleasant sleeping experience.

‘Haha! Looks like the tradition continues.’ Dan nearly laughed aloud. ‘Students are encouraged to get very minimal sleep, so the beds are intentionally made like this so we don’t oversleep.’

Besides, once the Semester really started getting into full throttle, most students wouldn’t be spending a lot of their nights in their rooms.

Even if they did, it wouldn’t be on their beds.

‘It’ll be there…’ Dan looked to the far side of his room where a study desk, along with the chair stood.

Unlike the bed, more care seemed to be given to the desk and chair. It was made of rich, dark wood. As one would expect, they were also enchanted, but not only to help their durability and appearance.

‘A anti-sleep Rune has been inscribed into the wood, so even if you’re exhausted you won’t be able to sleep while studying.’ He smiled, rubbing his hand on the desk surface. ‘The library is also chock-full of this effect as well. How very considerate…’

There was also a reading lamp on the desk, using small luminescent crystals as its light source.

To the left of the desk was a small bookshelf. Other than a few scrolls, as well as a book, it was practically empty.

‘One of the scrolls has the full timetable of the Academy, while the others contain stuff like a general map of the campus grounds, the rules of the dorm, general rules of the Academy, as well as a list of the students in the dormitory.’ Dan already knew these things, but he checked each scroll to make sure he was correct.

He was.

‘As for the book, it’s basically like an Encyclopedia of the Academy. It has information on places here—though everything provided here is only restricted to general information that students may have access to.’

Things like the landmarks within the Academy, their location and necessary information, were outlined there. It had a list of the staff—from the Academy Head to the Senior Lecturers, down to the Junior Lecturers. Everything that a student needed to know about the Academy was listed in the considerably large book.

‘I’ll have to go through it very soon… just to refresh my memory of this place and also to see any new changes that have been made.’

Dan had spent most of his past life in this place, so he knew the Imperial Academy like the back of his hand. Of course, now that he had to account for all the new variables that could have popped up after a hundred years, he wasn’t so confident in his knowledge.

Still… it all felt so familiar.

‘These documents have Runes inscribed on them for tracking and also preservation, so they can’t be stolen or destroyed through normal means.’ He left the bookshelf and looked ahead. ‘There’s also a wardrobe on the opposite side, just as I remember.’

The Academy already provided clothes—both the uniforms and casual wear—for the students, so there was no need for shopping. There was also no need for a fireplace, since the whole room offered constant warmth thanks to the Rune inscribed on its very structure.

‘During the hot season, it also cools down considerably… so the Rune is quite sophisticated.’

There were a few other things in the room—like a mirror that hung on one of the walls. It had its natural use, but there was also another unique function it had.

‘You can use this mirror to communicate with a fellow member of the dormitory. Since all the mirrors are linked, as long as I have someone infuse his Magia Signature into the Mirror, I can sync with their Mirror and call them.’

Of course, he would also have to infuse his Magia into the person’s Mirror, allowing a two-way line between both parties.

‘I remember when I first learned of the function of the mirror from the Academy Encyclopedia and I thought I could use it to talk to girls late at night.’ A small smile formed on his face. ‘I can still picture the disappointment when I discovered it only worked for people in the same dormitory.’

Back then, he was merely in his First Year, so he hadn’t realized how his wishes were too optimistic. Once the Imperial Academy dealt with him enough, he forgot all about those perverted thoughts and faced his academics.

‘Many students will probably have nefarious intentions with this mirror communication, since it shares both visual and auditory information. However, once they realize it can only be used with fellow boys, I’m sure their morale will plummet.’

Dan recognized there would still be a few that found the mirror useful regardless—even for their perverted intents—but the allure of such would wear off pretty quickly.

After all, the Academy was no place to goof around.

‘At first, many will use the mirror to communicate with friends and waste a lot of time on idle chatter. However, given enough time, such mundane activities will lessen drastically.’ Dan nodded slowly.

A lot of students wouldn’t have time for such things after a few months of staying here.

This would prevent them from learning of the true reason why such a tool existed, causing most students not to ever use the Mirror to its full potential.

‘The true purpose of the Mirror is for students to study together. Sure, it's limited only to a two-way line, and communication doesn’t extend beyond the dormitory, but even that is plenty enough.’

Having a study partner could really make or break a student’s academics, and this tool was here to assist in the former.

‘That’s pretty much it.’ Dan was practically done with his mini-tour.

There was also a bathroom, which he had already checked out, and everything seemed decent.

Needless to say, he was satisfied with his quarters. Compared to the residence of his father’s friend, this place was at least ten times cleaner and overall better.

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It was also conducive for the life of a student.

“Most importantly, it’s perfect for the next phase of my plans…” Dan smiled as he spoke, walking to his hard and sturdy bed.

Once he sat on it, quickly taking a meditative pose, he went into deep introspection.

‘I couldn’t do anything about my knowledge on Runes and their application since I arrived in this world due to constant interference.’

The first time he gained consciousness in Dan’s body, he had to take the Imperial Academy Entrance Exams. After that, he had to figure out what kind of place he was in and pretty much understand what was happening. Then, he stayed with his father’s friend—an overly friendly man who didn’t seem to understand the concept of privacy.

Then, after everything, he had to return to the Imperial Academy as a student, attending the Assembly and Orientation. If he was to continue his day as most students would, he would have gone to the library rather than his dormitory.

But, Dan had postponed all of that since he couldn’t keep delaying his prospects any longer.

‘I now have a good place, private and secure, to properly begin implementing what I learned in my past life.’ He inhaled sharply and smiled. ‘This is what I’ve been waiting for!’

Right now, as Dan Nilrem, he had very little Magia in his body, and his talent for the Mage Arts was pretty low. However, talent wasn’t everything when it came to the actual study and practice of Mage Arts—especially in Runecraft.

‘Knowledge and experience are far more important, and I have an ample sum of that.’

He was an Instructor for several years and also the Department Head of Runecrafting, so his knowledge in the field was extensive. However, none of those compared to what he learned in the fifteen years he spent as an Adventurer.

‘After those fifteen years doing nothing but expanding my horizons and seeking out the true depths of Runecraft, I reached enlightenment.’

Specifically, he learned three major things, all of which were breakthroughs at the time.

‘And… it’s time to start putting them to use.’

Mage Arts are fundamentally divided into two: Spellcasting and Runecrafting.

These two fields are very different in applications and principles, and they are both incredibly complex, which is the prime reason no Mage could achieve complete mastery over them in a lifetime.

‘The main difference between the two is that Spells are used by evoking spoken words, while Runes are manifested by utilizing written words—well, more like symbols.’

In essence, Spellcasting involved utilizing spoken words to make incantations and control the flow of the Magia expended for the generation of an effect. Runecraft, on the other hand, had to do with inscribing on viable surfaces to control the flow of the same energy in order also to achieve the same effect.

This was a fundamental knowledge of Mage Arts, and pretty much everyone who aspired to be a Mage already knew this fact.

‘There are certain caveats and rules, but this is the basic rundown.’ Dan thought to himself, glad to see that all the knowledge of his past life flowed seamlessly into the underdeveloped mind of his new body.

He also had a fair amount of knowledge on Spellcasting, since studying a bit of the other spectrum a little for reference would be useful for growth in Runecrafting. Of course, he had no in-depth knowledge in the field—especially when it came to practice—but Dan was confident in the basics, at the very least.

‘I did choose Spellcasting as my Major during my first year, after all. I also had a lot of colleagues who were Spellcasters in my past life.’ He smiled. ‘I probably knew more about Spellcasting than the average Runecrafter.’

That aside, his current priority lay in Runecrafting, so he set the former aside.

“The three things I learned at the final moments of my past life… they’re sure to come in handy in this new one.” Raising his hand in the air, his finger glowed with white light—the color of base Magia.

Swiftly moving his hands, he made fast strokes in mid-air… almost as if he were writing something.

A second later, this proved to be true.

Dan had inscribed a basic array of symbols in the air, all of which were glowing with dim white light. These symbols were Runes, and each one meant something. Two rune symbols that were placed beside each other meant something completely different, and three meant an entirely different thing as well.

This made the study of Runes to be extremely complex, difficult, and most importantly… slow.

No one would expect a student like Dan to be able to easily understand the Rune he just inscribed in the air, not to even mention perform the Inscription itself.

“Looks like it works.” Dan smiled to himself as he looked at the three runic symbols. ‘Good.’

This was one of the first things he learned as an enlightened Runecrafter—the ability to Inscribe Runes on any surface.

‘I think I’ll call it Universal Rune Inscription.’ He nearly chuckled as he thought of the name, rubbing his chin slowly.

Just as the name implied, Dan could Inscribe any Rune on any surface of his choice.

This wasn’t the case with other Runecrafters.

‘Runes can only be inscribed on viable surfaces. Viable surfaces can simply be defined as inanimate and tangible materials.’

For a surface to be considered usable for Runes, it had to be without life, as well as solid enough to be Inscribed on. The ground, for example, or even the surface of water, could be used for Rune Inscriptions—though the latter was exponentially more difficult due to how unstable the surface was.

Hence, for Runecrafters, the stability of the surface was their utmost priority.

This was why most of them used scrolls or items such as weapons or accessories as their surfaces. In practical combat, they also had to get their hands dirty and use the ground beneath them.

‘Despite the many ways it can be applied, Runecrafting is still limited in this way… but not for me.’ Dan’s grin grew wider as he looked at the glowing symbols right in front of him. ‘With Universal Rune Inscription, I can use anything as a viable surface—animate and intangible alike.’

Plants and Animals were animate, so Runes couldn’t be used on them. Rather than using it on trees, they could only inscribe it on the wood obtained from trees. Most importantly, they couldn’t be inscribed on humans.

‘The reason this can’t be done is because of the erratic Magia flow that exists in living things.’

Every living entity had its unique Magia Signature, and so that Magia often clashed with Runes applied on their surfaces, usually overwriting and distorting the symbols written on them by Mages.

Even if a Mage attempted to use a Rune on himself, his unique Magia Signature would reject the Rune and overwrite it, since the symbols would try to adjust and change the Magia flow into something else.

In an attempt to correct this imbalance, the Rune would be affected considerably.

‘Adverse or unwanted effects could occur if a Mage goes ahead to Inscribe Runes on themselves.’ Experiments had been done in the past regarding this issue, and those who stubbornly chose to find a way were either killed, disabled, or injured greatly as a direct consequence.

The same thing could be said for using it on animals and plants.

Pretty much all experiments involving them led to death or other unpredictable erratic effects on the test subjects.

‘Stabilizing Magia on the body of a living creature is considered impossible, the same way it’s considered impossible to Inscribe on an intangible surface.’

However, Dan’s Universal Rune Inscription was proof that it wasn’t impossible.

‘Well, it still sort of is.’ He smiled to himself. ‘I merely circumvented the rules a little.’

What he did to solve the Intangibility problem was to use the same principle involved in making Magia Sensitive Papers. By draining the surface area of any Magia flow, one could actually cause a viable surface to form.

‘Magia flows everywhere and in everything, which makes it a never-ending flux of Magia. The reason Rune Inscriptions don’t work on intangible surfaces is that there is no solid foundation that will hold the Magia. For example, in the air… there is no stable foundation to keep the Runes intact, so they automatically fall apart.’

With Magia in a never-ending flux, that much was to be expected.

‘Even if you manage to stabilize the surrounding Magia, without a solid surface, you run into the trouble of diffusion—that is, the Magia in the Rune bleeding into the surrounding Magia and vice versa.’

It would ultimately cause everything to get muddled up.

However, by using his method of draining the immediate environment of its surrounding Magia, he made the air sensitive to any Magia Imprint, which would remain imprinted on its surface due to how sensitive it now was.

Hence, he would be able to inscribe Magia even in mid-air.

‘Experiments on this have been done so many times in the past, but no one could ever arrive at this solution.’ Dan knew there was a possibility that this could have changed in this modern era, but he had yet to see a sign of such.

‘Runecrafting would improve by leaps and bounds if that were to happen.’

There was a high likelihood that such a breakthrough was yet to be made, though, and that was because of the unique reason why Dan was able to reach such a height.

‘It has to do with another thing I learned in those fifteen years…’ His thoughts flowed as he looked at the first symbol among the series of three runic symbols in the air.

That symbol in particular glowed brighter than the other two, and Dan knew why instantly.

‘Runic Shorthand.’

After his many years dedicated to nothing but the study and practice of Runecraft, he had learned to abridge Runes into single symbols. And so, what would normally take a few complex symbols to accomplish could be reached by a single one.

‘This makes Runecrafting exponentially faster. In fact, at my current speed, I can rival a Spellcaster on the same level as me.’

Such a thing didn’t seem very amazing until one realized that the main drawback of Runecraft was its inferior speed compared to Spellcasting. It was the main reason many people considered it impractical and instead resorted to Spellcasting.

‘In fact, Spellcasting was invented because Runes were so slow and considered archaic.’

And, to be honest, it made perfect sense.

While Runes had their uses, no one could deny that chanting a Spell was much faster than Inscribing a Rune just the same way speaking was much faster than writing.

‘But… with Runic Shorthand, I have bridged that gap in speed.’

The reason that tied into his Universal Rune Inscription lay in the fact that he had to use a Rune to drain the Magia in the surrounding surface that he was inscribing on, so by using Shorthand as his first symbol, he could swiftly achieve this.

‘Most Runes would disappear before being activated if they are inscribed in the air, and that’s because of speed. Without a solid foundation, the whole thing would break apart very quickly, so no one can successfully inscribe one—not even the most basic kind—in mid-air.’

But, Runic Shorthand solved that problem.

‘With the short time it takes to inscribe and activate it, I can actually drain a small portion of Magia in the air and use the resulting viable surface to inscribe any other Rune that I want to.’ He smiled as he proudly looked at what he had achieved.

Naturally, this tied into the last thing he learned as a Runecrafter at the pinnacle of his field.

‘Rune Linguistics!’

Dan now had the ability to decipher the meaning of most Runes at a single glance, almost like it was a second language.

To most Runecrafters, such a thing would be considered absurd.

Runes were symbols that didn’t mean anything in linguistic terms. They were simply random permutations and combinations that achieved varying results depending on how they were inscribed, channeled, or based on their synergy with other symbols.

A Runecrafter’s job was to learn the function of each Rune Symbol and how it related to other Symbols in the Runic Catalog.

It was impossible to learn it like a language.

‘There have been exceptional Runecrafters who have managed to discover new Rune Symbols and have also been able to Graft many Runes together to create effects that were yet to be seen before… but even they admit that it’s more due to calculations and luck rather than an understanding of Runes as a language.’

But, Dan was once again the exception to this. By studying nothing but Runes and practically digesting every single combination that could be possible under the Runic Catalog, he was able to internalize it and create his own rune-based language.

‘Analysis, Translation, and complete comprehension of Runes… I have reached that threshold.’

He even went beyond the Runes in the Catalog and created more combinations—every possible kind—on his own, so he had a much wider understanding than anyone else in his time.

‘It’s possible that Runecraft has stagnated in this era, so not too many Runes have been discovered. But, even if there are new ones that I do not know about, it won’t be difficult to add it to my vocabulary and infuse it into the Rune Linguistics.’ He smiled, confident in his ability to achieve that at the very least.

‘I really hope there’s worthwhile knowledge to consume here regarding Runes.’

At this point, he was licking his lips greedily.

Most people would be satisfied upon reaching the stage he had gotten to, but Dan wasn’t in the slightest. As long as there was something he didn’t know, he was desperate to learn it as quickly as possible.

That was what it meant to be a Mage—at least to him.