Chapter 20. Rune Warrior
After throwing away the seventy-sixth Rune Practice Board, a notification finally appeared on Fulan’s panel.
[Through long practice, you have discovered some tricks in Runology. Runology proficiency increased.]
[Runology (Beginner) (0/100)]
At the same time, another prompt appeared.
[Detected that related skills meet the conditions to form a new profession.
Profession: Rune Warrior (Half Star)
Description: A profession that applies runes in combat. During battle, runes can be inscribed at any time, delivering attacks that enemies cannot resist.
Requirements:
Breathing Method (Mastered)
Runology (Mastered)
Win ten battles using runes during combat.]
Oh! A new profession.
Although it was not the Enchanter profession she had originally wanted, this Rune Warrior clearly seemed far better than being an enchanter.
First of all, it was the only profession she had seen so far that could trigger a profession prompt.
Moreover, it was a combat profession.
The professions she had previously pursued were mostly support professions. In theory, they did not provide much combat power.
They mainly improved attributes, which was why she had been interested in them.
But this new profession might significantly increase her combat ability.
After the excitement subsided, she began thinking about how to meet the conditions so she could obtain the Rune Warrior profession as soon as possible.
The Breathing Method requirement was already satisfied.
Runology could simply be trained over time.
The real difficulty lay in the final condition: winning ten battles using runes during combat.
The wording itself was somewhat unclear.
Did it mean she only needed to use runes during battle?
Or did it require that the rune be used to defeat the opponent in the final blow?
Fulan leaned toward aiming for the latter condition first. While attempting that, she could observe whether the former interpretation also counted. If it did, she would adjust accordingly.
However, even using runes during battle was not easy.
Based on the knowledge that had appeared in her mind after leveling up Runology, runes could be condensed in the air using mental power.
Once the mental energy enveloping the rune was released, the rune’s effect would activate against the enemy.
But the problem lay precisely there.
Even if she tried to do it now, the fastest she could draw a rune would still take more than a second.
The preparation time was far too long.
So perhaps she needed to raise Runology to the Mastered level first before attempting to use runes in combat?
Filled with renewed determination, Fulan picked up another Rune Practice Board, eager to raise her proficiency as quickly as possible.
---
After using the eighty-ninth Rune Practice Board, Fulan finally could not sit still anymore.
Damn it, there was not even a single point of proficiency gained.
She began to suspect that her method might be wrong.
Previously, even when she failed to refine a potion, she would still gain a little proficiency. Why was there not even the slightest increase now?
Moreover, whenever her Runology proficiency increased before, it had always happened when she successfully drew a rune for the first time.
That meant she needed to try another method.
“Bring me a few weapons. I want to test something. I will pay for the materials.”
Hall hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
The girl in front of him was the strangest person he had ever met.
Not only did she seem to have money to burn, she treated this craft—which required slow and careful work—as if it were some urgent life-or-death matter.
When drawing runes, stability was the most important principle.
Everyone carefully traced each rune step by step to ensure no mistakes occurred.
But this girl treated Rune Practice Boards as if they cost nothing. She would rapidly draw a rune, and whether it succeeded or failed, she immediately moved on to the next one.
Hall felt that she was simply playing around.
Sometimes when customers brought weapons for enchantment, there would not be a second opportunity to carve a rune.
If the original rune was drawn incorrectly, there would rarely be space to add another.
Items capable of erasing runes were extremely expensive and rarely used in this profession.
However, something astonishing happened.
After an unknown number of attempts, Fulan’s rune accuracy suddenly became one hundred percent.
She never made another mistake, and her speed did not decrease either.
Hall returned carrying a pile of dusty weapons. Several of them were even slightly rusted.
He said awkwardly,
“These are items from our inventory. We keep them for beginners to practice on. You can try drawing runes on them, though even if you succeed, the final quality might not be very good.”
These were practice items they frequently purchased cheaply from the market.
They were essentially defective goods. Each weapon had some flaw, though they could still serve as surfaces for rune engraving.
However, after carving the runes, the weapons might malfunction for various reasons.
For example, the internal structure might be unstable and break during combat.
Or the rune might only work on one side of the blade.
Fulan picked up a longsword that had a visible crack. She selected a section that had no fractures and began drawing with mental power.
This time she intended to test a rune called “Impact.”
Its effect allowed a weapon to release a shock when striking an enemy’s armor. If used properly, it could disrupt the enemy’s balance, allowing the user to follow up with another attack.
It seemed that reaching the Beginner level in Runology truly had its advantages.
Her attempt succeeded immediately, and the speed was so fast that Hall barely had time to react.
Was that already finished?
Hall felt a deep sense of disbelief.
Back then, he had ruined seven weapons before finally succeeding once. Could this kind of intense practice actually be effective?
Regardless of his thoughts, Hall maintained his professional attitude. He stepped forward and raised his armored bracer.
“You can test it by striking here.”
Fulan did not hesitate.
She pressed the sword against Hall’s bracer and activated the rune.
This time she did not use much strength. The movement was gentle, and under normal circumstances it should not have caused any noticeable impact on someone as large as Hall.
Yet under the effect of the Impact rune, Hall’s body sank slightly downward, and the force throughout his body shifted toward the point of contact.
“Hoo.”
Hall let out a long breath and said,
“That is quite good. Runes do not function very strongly on this type of metal. Your rune engraving is already fully qualified.”
Hall could not help but feel a little envious.
She had successfully engraved runes on a weapon on her very first day. It had taken him an entire month to achieve the same result.
He then said,
“Try it again. We need to test the stability of the rune.”
Fulan tested it several more times.
Embarrassingly, the rune only activated once more during the final attempt.
“That is how defective weapons behave. You can never be sure what part of the weapon is causing the issue.”
Hall explained.
After using up the remaining weapons, Fulan walked directly toward the door.
Hall followed her outside. Considering that Fulan had spent sixty-eight silver coins today, he spoke with exceptional courtesy.
“Miss, when will you come again? I can prepare in advance.”
“No need,” Fulan replied.
“I have already learned it.”