《Chronicles of the Survivor》Chapter - 18
Advertisement
Chapter - 18
'He sure likes to get into his role...' (Rex)
Rex was pleased to meet one of his Guild members. He had worked hard for the Guild and in the process, he had found many other friends to help him to realize his goal. Their Guild had become famous in its own right but they had never tried to get into Guild competitions and had always been neutral.
'Well it's not like we didn't get into a Guild War....but...we did kinda decimate them.....*chuckle*, THAT was fun.' (Rex)
Rex kept walking down the various flights of stairs until he arrived at what he assumed to be the 'basement' of the library. In front of him was a massive room filled with various bookshelves arranged in an orderly manner. There were a few people milling about too.
'Clearly this place is less populated....and it seems the majority of these people are old or rich...' (Rex)
Rex got down to work. He started his search in the languages section. He didn't find any subject related to Runes there, so he surmised that it had a subject dedicated to itself.
'Actually....wasn't Nox supposed to guide me there? Don't tell me he's slacking off.....nah....no way....that guy would never slack off....Rohan on the other hand....haa...' (Rex)
While thinking such thoughts, Rex managed to locate the section on Runes. However, he ran into an unexpected problem.
'Is that....an Ork? No...he seems different...a hybrid? No....he's a halfling....never mind that. What's with this!? It's soo huge! How am I supposed to learn all that!?' (Rex)
"Oh? I'm sorry, I didn't see you over there young one. Am I obstructing your way?" (???)
"Ah...no. Not at all. Um...Mister...?" (Rex)
Advertisement
"Norval. Norval H'arr. I am an Ice Ork. I can see the question in your eyes." (Norval)
"Is that so? I did not mean to be rude. You simply looked....um...different..compared to the Orks I have seen on the street. My name is Rex. Rex Vagus." (Rex)
"I see. Well, Rex, are you here to learn about Runes?" (Norval)
"Yes....but.." (Rex)
"Surprised by the volume of information? Indeed, Runes have existed for a long, long time. And, therefore, the records on them is extensive. This library is one of ten throughout the continent that has some semblance of proper information on them. While the history of Runes may be vast, deciphering them is another thing." (Norval)
"I see. Then, what are you doing with all of this?" (Rex)
"Haha! I could ask the same of you. Well, I am an archeologist of sorts....a historian. My fascination lies with legends of the past....those Travelers that existed twenty millennia ago." (Norval)
"Is-is that so? Well, my field is of Enchanting. Could you help me?" (Rex)
"Enchanting? I am sorry, but, I cannot help you in this matter. It seems you will have to comb through these books to find what you seek. However, if it is translation you need help with, then I will gladly help." (Norval)
"Thank you. I'll just get a chair for myself." (Rex)
'Agh....and hard work commences...' (Rex)
Three hours later....
"*Yawn*" (Rex)
"Tired?" (Norval)
"I'm not sure...I feel like my head is stuffed with knowledge....but....I still don't understand a way to apply it." (Rex)
"Is that so? What did your master say?" (Norval)
"*Snort* 'Master' is hardly a term for him. No. He didn't give me the specifics. He simply told me to learn some Runes. However, he never specified which. Why are their so many different Runes?" (Rex)
Advertisement
"Ah! A good question. Runes are considered a, well, user specific language." (Norval)
"Huh?" (Rex)
"Well....for spellcasting, for instance, if you are a Rune Mage, or a Rune Warrior, like me, then, the usage of which Runes you use is up to you. The Runic language must not be the user's spoken tongue. Are you familiar with how magic skills or spells are made?" (Norval)
"No. Wait...is it....the image?" (Rex)
"Yes! The image and the proceeding action. You see? It means Mental Strength. Tell me, why, if spellcasting requires only the 'image', do Amateur or F-Rank Mages fail to do high ranking spells?" (Norval)
"Is it because of...umm...Mana Capacity?" (Rex)
"You and I both know that Mana Capacity can be overcome with External Mana Manipulation." (Norval)
"*Mumbles* So that's what it's called....." (Rex)
"Oh? It seems you're quite a talented spellcaster to be familiar with the phenomenon without being aware of it beforehand." (Norval)
"I simply felt it was natural." (Rex)
"Haha! Anyway, the correct answer is Mental Strength and Mana Affinity. Your Affinity and Mental Strength are integral to your control of a Mana type. Having a higher Affinity makes it easier. While Mental Strength does the same thing, the only difference is Mental Strength plays a more integral part in External Mana Manipulation. Do you understand?" (Norval)
Rex felt like he had just gained insight into something very important. From what he just learned, he could see the infinite possibilities of combining his magic into a combat style. It would mean that he would be able to manipulate Mana effortlessly once he had the highest affinity.
"Good. It seems you understood something. However, there are some 'Elements' in the world which are not capable of being externally manipulated. The Higher Elements are difficult, but not impossible. Take my 'Ice' for example. As you may have noticed I am paler than most Orks and have Runes tattooed on me. These Runes are something I have made for myself. However, there are some Elemental Halflings who are born into this world with their own Unique Runes. That is a different topic. As I was saying, Deviant Elements are not something that you can control externally. Internal Mana Manipulation is a requirement for controlling such powerful forces." (Norval)
"I see...." (Rex)
"Now then, it seems I have wandered off topic....where were we? Ah, yes. Runes, also, require visualization. An image, of sorts. A Rune user will need to understand what each letter means or denotes and visualize the meaning. Do you understand now? You don't need these Runes. You need your Runes." (Norval)
".......I see. Thank you. I've learned a lot. I will take my leave now." (Rex)
"Oh? Will you go back to your master now?" (Norval)
"Hmm? Yes. But before that, I think, I'll go do some hunting in the city outskirts." (Rex)
"*Chuckle* You seem eager to try something." (Norval)
"Yes, yes I am. Thank you, again. I hope we meet again, Norval H'arr." (Rex)
"Indeed. May fate be with you, Rex Vagus." (Norval)
Advertisement
Core Defect
In the 264 years since the Great Singularity Wars, the world has been irrevocably changed. Technologies like nanobots and rogue artificial intelligences have caused the planet's wildlife to evolve in dangerous and powerful ways, pushing humanity to the verge of extinction. However, the remaining survivors are not without ways to fight back. Nanotech can enhance humans just as well as beasts, but perhaps most surprisingly, humanity has found an unexpected ally: a group of human-neutral AIs called Daemons. Val is a 22-year old woman striving to become a User: a nano-empowered human paired with a Daemon that serves as society's final and most powerful line of defense. When a critical issue in her nanosystem's core seemingly leaves her unable to serve as a User, she's given a difficult choice: give up on her dreams or accept a potentially unstable AI, Noir, as her Daemon partner. Val and Noir are stronger together than they are apart, but can they survive long enough to unlock their potential? Can they find a place among the other pairings like them, shunned by society but essential to civilization's survival? If Users are humanity's last line of defense, welcome to the sacrificial first line: the Defects. Updates are currently once a week, aiming for the weekend. Chapters usually 2k-3k in length.
8 207Vanguard
Leon hid a grimace. He was no soldier, he chose this. At least in a way. He chose to risk his life for profit. He chose to fight in a war he had no real opinion of. Hell he even chose to join this assault. There was a bonus in it after all. The room shook.
8 223The Progress of Perfection
Kyle Hensworth is a self-proclaimed genius attending his second year at the Magic Academy of Vornn. Coming from a noble family practically overflowing with prodigies of all kinds; Kyle has a lot to prove. Because of this burden, everyone he encounters treats him with scorn and jealously. Tired of living in his families shadow, Kyle embarks on an adventure in an attempt to prove his worth through actions, instead of lineage. 'This adventure isn't anything like the story books...'
8 58Apostle of the Goddess
A disappointed man dreams of leaving the confines of Earth and living adventures in fantastic realms...Suddenly, his wish is granted... Albeit in a far different way from what he could have expected. An isekai genre story with a few elements from LitRPG. The overall tone will be jumping back and forth from light to dark. Expect a lot of references to anime, manga, games, etc.It is written in first-person view and will contain a side-story using a "real-life" character. Initially, the MC will be writing the story as a true journal, so the prologue and first chapters may appear a mess of things that already happened, journal entries, and afterthoughts. A few chapters in, it will change into a normal, first-person manner retelling of what happened (storywise the character "Records" what happened to him). This is a side project of mine, so I will be uploading a few chapters per month. Chapters may have a severe difference in length (albeit I will try to maintain them around 3k), but expect the overall monthly word count to be not less than 15k words.Author recommendation, if you intend to follow the story, read the new updates once a month (counting from the day the first chapter is uploaded). Content Warning: I do intend to include a few disturbing moments to emphasize the darkness of the human (and other beings) nature, so please consider that even though some chapters (especially the starting ones) are kinda like a comedy routine.
8 199He's my mate
Once apon a time... Wait, What!? This is not a fairy-tail. Let me start over
8 150A Study In Marriage (Johnlock) - Sequel to A Study in Love
Once the rings have been exchanged and the vows have been said, Sherlock and John are ready to settle down and get their fill of the domestic bliss that so often comes with marriage. Unfortunately, nothing is ever that simple for them... and they know the honeymoon period can't last forever. They'd promised each other "for better or for worse", but John had no idea just how bad 'worse' could be.
8 210