Chapter 10.2 : Chaos Element
Adam’s POV
----------------------------------------
Eventually, the whole group turned their attention back to me, their gazes expectant. That’s when a brilliant idea popped into my head.
“Well,” I began with a sly grin, “if you don’t believe me, I’ll make one for you right now.”
That sparked a round of hesitant glances among them. Kastor, predictably, was the first to speak, his skepticism practically oozing out of him. “And how do we know you won’t just pull another Core node from your magical inventory?”
My grin widened. “Simple. You give me whatever materials you’ve got, and I’ll make a Core node out of it. But—” I raised a finger for dramatic effect, “if I succeed, the Core node is mine to keep.”
Kastor’s eyes narrowed, clearly weighing his options. To sweeten—or perhaps bait—the deal, I added, “If I fail, I’ll hand over two of my Core nodes. Deal?”
The twins exchanged a look, clearly intrigued, while Dona furrowed her brow in concern.
Have fun with Core nodes made out of dirt and stones if I lose, I thought, suppressing a chuckle.
Kastor’s lips curled into an evil smile, but before he could seal the deal, the leader stepped in. “Hey, cool it, both of you. Adam, there’s no need to prove yourself. We understand—”
But Kastor wasn’t having it. “Stay out of it,” he snapped, his voice dripping with disdain. “This is between me and him. My pride as an Alchemist is at stake.”
Pride, my foot, I thought as I caught the unmistakable gleam of greed in Kastor’s eyes. He wasn’t defending his craft—he was imagining all the Core nodes he could squeeze out of this situation.
Fine by me. I was more than ready to knock him down a peg.
Kastor extended his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, a bag materialized out of thin air. Without ceremony, he tossed it at my feet.
I picked it up, peered inside, and immediately heard Nove chime in with her usual encyclopedic precision. “Sylvan Whisperwood with silver rune-like patterns, two Nexus crystals in a four-sided diamond shape, and a Chaos Mushroom featuring dark purple and red dots.”
Kastor, never one to miss an opportunity to flex, added his own explanation. “That’s a piece of Sylvan Whisperwood—uncommon but not rare. Chaos Mushroom—fairly common in some regions and impossible to find in others. And, of course, Nexus crystals. A decent selection, wouldn’t you say?”
Before I could respond, Dona shot to her feet, her voice ringing out like a battle horn. “Kastor! Those are advanced materials, and you know it! Even you have trouble working with them. This is an unfair match!”
“Oh, please,” Kastor replied with a dismissive wave. “He accepted the challenge. That’s his problem now.”
He turned to me with a smirk. “Here’s the deal: make a Core node using those materials. It must grant the ability to influence your weapon and yourself. Stats and extra abilities? I don’t care about them.”
I glanced at the others. The twins were shaking their heads in disapproval, clearly siding with Dona. Meanwhile, the leader was engaged in a heated debate with Kastor about his unprofessional behavior, but their words faded into background noise as I focused on the task at hand.
Blocking out the drama, I discreetly covered my mouth with one hand and muttered, “Nove, can you make a Core node with these materials that matches Kastor’s demands?”
“Affirmative,” Nove responded. “However, without an alchemy circle, the resulting Core node cannot exceed a tier 2-star rating.”
“Can we make an alchemy circle now?”
“Impossible.”
“Alright, just use all the materials and make the best Core node you can.”
The materials vanished from the bag, disappearing into my inventory as Nove got to work. I sat down cross-legged, resting my chin on my hands as I waited for her to finish.
The group noticed my calm demeanor, their heated argument tapering off as their attention shifted to me.
“What’s he doing?” one of the twins whispered, curiosity laced in their voice.
Dona frowned but didn’t interrupt. Kastor crossed his arms, his expression a mix of skepticism and annoyance, as if waiting for me to admit defeat.
"Is he actually trying to make the Core node inside his Core Nexus?" Kastor sneered, his chuckle dripping with condescension. "What an idiot! Nobody succeeds using that method. The first step is always to make an Alchemical Circle."
“But you didn’t even give him the materials to make one!” Dona shot back, her voice sharp with anger. Her face was flushed, and it looked like she was just a few insults away from slapping the smugness off Kastor’s face.
I kept my cool, sitting cross-legged with my eyes closed, exuding an air of focus. No need to stoke the flames—Kastor’s arrogance was doing a fine job of that on its own. Dona and the leader were clearly irritated, their frustration simmering as they exchanged tense words with Kastor, but I remained silent, letting their argument mask the subtle alchemical workings within me.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
After about a minute, Nove’s voice chimed in my head.
“Apologies, Adam. While I initially estimated the creation of a tier 2-star Core node, the poor quality of the materials has limited me to a tier 1.5-star Core node.”
A game-like window popped up before me, listing the Core node's stats and abilities.
Chaos Runes Nexus Core (1.5/6 Star tier):
* Stats:
Strength (STR): -5
Intelligence (INT): -4
Wisdom (WIS): -5
* Special Attributes:
Chaotic: Due to the chaos element of the core, all abilities will have a random effect added to it.
* Special Abilities:
Basic Runes knowledge: Grants basic knowledge about enchanted runes. Such as,
1. Sul: Basic Rune of Support.
2. Del: Basic Rune of Disaster.
Runic Canopy: Allows the user to write Runes on any surface, whether living or non-living. Each will be affected.
Whoa. My eyes scanned the details in disbelief. This thing actually decreases my stats?
I frowned at the stat debuffs. Sure, I could tolerate a minor hit to INT and WIS, but Strength? With a base of 6 STR, I was practically hanging on by a thread already. No way I’d willingly use this.
Or so I thought.
The ability this Core node offered was intriguing enough to make me reconsider. In essence, it allowed me to inscribe runes onto surfaces, granting various effects. The catch? The effects were randomized. While the unpredictability made me uneasy, the potential for chaos was… tempting.
I opened my eyes to find Kastor grinning like a hyena that had already declared victory.
“What’s wrong? Finally realized you’re out of your depth?” he taunted, his tone practically dripping with smug satisfaction.
“On the contrary, my dear friend,” I replied, letting a mischievous smile spread across my face. I extended my hand, and with a faint shimmer, a dark red bead adorned with a glowing silver rune materialized from my inventory.
The Core node was freshly crafted, radiating a faint heat that made steam curl from its surface. It stung my hand a little, but I held it steady. “I believe this makes me the winner of our little wager.”
Kastor’s grin vanished faster than a thief in the night. His eyes widened in disbelief, locking onto the glowing bead in my hand.
“T-that’s impossible…” he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.
The others turned their attention to me, their expressions ranging from shock to awe. I casually tossed the Core node to Kastor, who fumbled to catch it, his hands trembling as he examined it.
The look on his face was priceless—somewhere between disbelief and existential dread. “This… this can’t be real,” he muttered, his voice cracking.
Before he could dwell too long in his confusion, I stepped forward, snatched the Core node back from his slack grip, and told Nove to swap it with the Muck Worm Core node I had equipped.
The moment I equipped the Core node, I felt a strange sensation ripple through me. My strength drained ever so slightly, but in its place, a flood of knowledge about runes poured into my mind. The experience wasn’t unpleasant—just... weird. Like an itch deep inside my brain that I couldn’t scratch.
“Alright,” I began, addressing the group. “You said it has to influence both the weapon and myself, right? So, can I borrow a weapon since, you know, mine's gone?”
The leader gave me a nod, reaching into his inventory. He pulled out a battered iron sword—snapped in half and so dull it couldn’t even cut through a polite conversation. Without a word, he tossed it to me.
“Perfect,” I said, hefting the lightweight blade. Its sorry state actually made it easier to handle.
Using my finger, I carefully traced the rune Del onto the weapon.
“This rune symbolizes disaster,” I explained. “I don’t know if that means increased damage or some other effect. But hey, we’re about to find out.”
As soon as I finished the symbol, the rune began to glow—a brilliant silver that quickly shifted to an ominous red. A game-like window popped up in front of me, its words almost mocking:
Chaos Effect: Frostbite.
The blade instantly chilled, its dull gray metal turning an icy blue. Frost crept along its surface, and delicate white flakes began to form, shimmering as they fell. A frigid mist wafted around the weapon, and before I could react, the cold bit into my fingers. Yelping, I dropped the blade.
The sword hit the ground with a dull clang before shattering into frozen fragments. The grass around it froze solid, a thin layer of ice spreading outward like a creeping frost.
“What the hell?” I muttered, staring at the frosty remains. “The rune’s description said ‘disaster,’ not ‘instant freeze-ray.’ Is this what it means to have random effects?”
I turned back to the group, raising an eyebrow. “So... does that count as influencing the weapon?”
“Absolutely not,” Kastor snapped, his teeth grinding in frustration.
The leader stepped in, calm as ever. “Then he gets another try.” He reached into his inventory and tossed a dagger at me, the blade embedding itself into the ground at my feet.
Picking it up, I inspected the simple iron dagger. Alright, if Del’s all about bringing disaster, let’s see what happens when we try something more... supportive.
This time, I traced the rune Sul onto the weapon, hoping for a more controlled outcome.
Chaos Effect: Phantom.
A dark-purple, translucent dagger materialized next to my iron one, floating ominously. It mimicked my movements with a slight delay, like a shadow trying to catch up.
“Now this counts, right?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kastor’s jaw tightened, his teeth grinding audibly as he gave a reluctant nod. “Fine. It counts.”
“Great!” I grinned. “Now, for the grand finale.”
With a flourish, I turned my attention to my hand and carefully etched the support rune, Sul, onto my skin.
Chaos Effect: Plant of Rejuvenation.
Suddenly, a cluster of vines sprouted from my arm, wrapping snugly around it like a botanical boa constrictor. They pulsed a warm yellow glow every few seconds, radiating a soothing sensation that made me feel like I’d just stepped into a luxury spa.
“Looks like my theory was spot on,” I announced. “Runes trigger random effects based on their type. Disaster runes cause chaos, support runes give beneficial effects, and—well, you get the idea.”
I turned to Kastor, giving him my most triumphant smile. “And that means I’ve won the bet. The Core node stays with me.”
Kastor’s face twisted in disbelief. “…But… that’s impossible!” he spluttered, his voice trembling with frustration.
“Buddy, I just showed you it’s possible,” I replied, my tone dripping with faux sympathy.
“No!” he bellowed, his voice cracking. “It’s impossible!” His disbelief morphed into outright fury, his face turning as red as a cooked lobster. He looked like someone who had just been told gravity wasn’t real and refused to accept it.
Then, without warning, a blade appeared in his hand. My eyes widened as realization dawned: This guy’s really about to throw hands—with a 14-year-old!
“Hey, hey, hey! Let’s not do anything rash!” I said, raising my glowing, vine-covered arm in what I hoped looked like a gesture of peace. “We can talk this out like civilized adults—or, you know, one adult and a very capable teenager.”
But Kastor wasn’t hearing it. He let out an enraged scream that could rival a banshee’s, his blade gleaming menacingly as he charged at me like a freight train on a collision course.
Oh no, oh no, oh no!
WAIT! panic surging through me as I just remembered, MY STRENGTH IS DOWN BY FIVE POINTS RIGHT NOW!”