Advent of the Three Calamities - Chapter 833: Runes [1]

Chapter 833: Runes [1]

“…..”

I sat in a daze, staring at Evelyn, at a loss.

She stared back at me, her head tilted curiously.

“What?”

I blinked before swallowing.

“You just…”

“Six out of ten. That is my rating.”

Evelyn repeated, her brows furrowing.

“You don’t agree?”

She almost looked as if she were threatening me.

I could only scratch the side of my face before shaking my head.

“No, I think you are right. You’re correct.”

I was merely saying this to appease her. My thoughts were more preoccupied with what I had just gone through.

’Was I successful? Did I establish a connection with the Source?’

I wasn’t able to remember much from the situation. In the last moments, my mind was blank. All I could recall was the numerous voices that I couldn’t make out and the strong sense of rejection that I felt from them.

It took everything from me in order to even get close to the Source.

In the end, I wasn’t even sure if I had managed to reach it.

“Let’s try this.”

Evelyn picked another pastry. This one looked to be filled with cream as her eyes glinted. She must’ve liked cream a lot.

Munch!

Taking a bite, her eyes lit up.

For a moment, it almost looked like she wanted to scorge the entire thing with one big bite, but as if recalling that I was present, she straightened her small back and started to eat it more ’elegantly’.

Nod. Nod.

With a couple of nods, she put the pastry down.

“Not bad.”

She said this whilst saliva dripped from the corner of her mouth and her eyes remained glued to the pastry.

“Yummier than the other pastry! It’s so soft, and the cream is super sweet. I liked how it felt in my mouth. I think this one is the best. Yes yes! I give it nine out of ten!”

Evelyn looked excited as she gave the final score.

I could only stare at her silently. Or more precisely, keeping my attention and focus on the thin white film around her body.

This time…

This time, I could see it better.

I could also feel the connection more strongly.

It was also through this observation that I came to realize something.

’Runes.’

Indeed, the white film wasn’t just a formless white hue. There was much more to it, and when I looked at it carefully, I could see the numerous runes that were contained within it.

There were a few runes that I was unfamiliar with, but there were also runes that I was more familiar with. They were runes that were used in most of the spells that I had learned, and while I hadn’t paid much attention to them, I had a rudimentary understanding of them.

’The Source is connected to the runes? No, it would be more accurate to say that the regular spells are somewhat connected to the Source. Perhaps… to some extent, spells are an extension of the Source. But more like a rudimentary extension.’

My thoughts began to shift as I gained a deeper understanding of the world.

’It’s not wrong to say that everyone has access to the Source. However, those who connect with it are different. They are the ones who are capable of using ’spells’ to another level. In this regard, I can think of the Source power as a more complex way of controlling mana. One that is a lot more powerful.’

The more I thought about the Source, the greater my understanding became.

If… The Source power was truly just a more complex spell mechanism, then in order for me to improve on it, I’d have to put more focus and attention on runes and how they worked.

’Yes, it has to be that!’

For the first time in a very long time, I started to see the light at the end of the very dark tunnel.

I finally had something to work with.

I—

“Why are you not answering?!”

A cold voice woke me out of my thoughts.

All of a sudden, I felt a biting cold pierce through my skin, and when I raised my head, a pair of dark eyes met my vision.

“Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? WHy? Why?”

[+1]

[+1]

A strong notification appeared simultaneously.

’I’m back?’

It took half a second for me to figure out what was going on, and the moment I did, it suddenly felt as though the very air was being squeezed out of my lungs.

’…Y-yes, I’m… definitely back.’

“Why did you do this to me? You’re the one who is responsible for everything. I need to kill you in order to make sure that it doesn’t happen. Yes, I need to kill you…!”

Evely’s eyes turned dark, and even more notifications rose in my vision.

I knew that she was moments away from completely awakening. Seeing this, the back of my mind tingled as I looked at her. If I didn’t act quickly, I knew that I was going to end up dying, and as such, without even thinking, I closed my eyes and tried to tap into the connection that I had formed with the Source.

Unlike before, I didn’t need to look for it.

I knew exactly where it was, and the moment I did, my eyes snapped open.

’This should work. It has to work.’

“Why are you—”

I lifted my hand, and a magic circle flared to life before me. As a sharp sting shot through my eye, the world around me began to slow, every motion dragging into stillness.

I was never one to pay close attention to spells and their structure.

While I did understand them, my main focus had always been Emotive Magic. But despite my lack of knowledge, I still had some understanding.

Spells were divided into five categories: Beginner, intermediate, advanced, superior, and perfected.

Each spell had a different number of runes.

Beginner — 12 Runes

Intermediate — 18 Runes

Advanced — 24 Runes

Superior — 30 Runes

Perfected — 40 Runes

A spell contained three rings, with each layer defining a part of the spell’s nature; the Outer Ring shaping its structure, the Middle Ring dictating its function, and the Inner Ring establishing its identity.

Each layer held its own significance, inscribed with distinct types of Runes. There were three in total: Flow Runes, Proprietary Runes, and Modulation Runes.

These were the main components that made up a spell.

At least, this was how things used to be.

But now…?

’There’s a fourth type.’

Source Runes? Outer Runes? I didn’t know what the name for those types of Runes was, but I suddenly started to get a better understanding of the system.

’…I finally realized how my spells were being upgraded.’

Looking carefully at the spell in my hand, I could see the presence of a couple of Runes I hadn’t been able to see in the past.

These Runes were inconspicuous, but I now knew that they were the main reason why the spells had been able to upgrade in the past.

This meant that…

’So long as I get a better grasp of the Runes, I can upgrade all the spells myself. Maybe… There’s even a chance I might be able to upgrade them to a level beyond Perfected.’

The thought made my heart race, but I knew that I couldn’t waste any more time.

The spell in my hand readied in a matter of moments, and with my mind fully concentrated, I began to inscribe a new rune within the Inner Ring. The process was quick. In fact, the entire sequence of events was extremely quick.

Because of my lack of mastery of this matter, I could only force whatever I knew into the spell.

I had no choice.

This was all that I could muster in the little time I had.

Raising my head to look at Evelyn, my eyes started to sting even further, the mana inside of my body sapping as the entire world slowed down even further.

But—

“…..!”

I noticed rather quickly that Evelyn was starting to move quickly within this slowed-down state as her head turned to stare at the magic circle in my hand, her dark eyes flickering for a moment before she turned her attention back to me.

The spell squirmed, several white hands emerging from around Evelyn as they tried to embrace her from all directions.

She stood motionless, staring at me with her dark eyes.

Ba… Thump! Ba… Thump!

[+1]

[+1]

The beat of my heart.

The continuous notifications.

The slowed-down world.

In that moment, it felt as though Evelyn and I were the only people existing in this world.

I stared at her as she stared at me.

The white hands shot out rapidly, closing in on her at speeds that the naked eye couldn’t follow.

But even that…

Wasn’t enough.

Evelyn’s eyes darkened even further, the notifications finally coming to a stop.

Then—

Swooooooosh!

The hands were swept away, and a deep darkness enveloped the surroundings.

It was a darkness that I was familiar with.

One that made every hair on my body stand on end.

But it was too late.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

The world began to shake.

A terrifying pressure took over the surroundings, forcing me to my knees.

I struggled to breathe as the air ripped apart.

A figure, if it could even be called that, stood behind the narrow crack in the air, its gaze fixed directly on me.

I tried to focus, to make sense of what I was seeing, but the harder I stared, the more my mind recoiled. My eyes registered something there, yet my brain refused to process the shape. It was as if the sight itself slipped through my thoughts, impossible to grasp, impossible to understand.

It was trying to make its way into the world.

’Shit…’

I knew then that there was nothing that I could do.

That the moment it stepped into this world, regardless of what I did, I’d be unable to escape its influence.

And thus, with a bitter smile, I pressed my hand against my temple, and—

Xiu!

Killed myself.

“Why?”

A voice shook me out of the darkness that had taken over my vision.

A familiar environment greeted my sight. Followed by a powerful burn that nearly left me breathless.

“Haa.. Haa…”

Taking a couple of deep breaths, I wiped the sweat from the side of my face.

’I… failed ’

Lifting my head to look at Evelyn and seeing the numerous notifications that were appearing in my vision, my heart sank.

’I can do this, right?’