Chapter 168

Max took a deep breath as he studied the complex rune formation Colonel Delgado had asked him to replicate.

The real challenge wasn’t merely copying the design—it was making the damn thing work.

The formation consisted of multiple layers, each intricately connected to the others, making it far more complicated than the simple arrays Max had worked with before.

Max frowned in confusion as he tried to distinguish one layer from another. The overlapping formations made it difficult to tell where one began and the next ended.

" For this layered array, I’ll need a diagram of each individual layer before I can replicate it. Making this just by looking at the complete formation is practically impossible..."

The old man looked amused as he nodded.

"I was only showing you the final product. Of course, replicating it by simply looking at this would be difficult."

With a swipe across the high-tech holographic display, the complex formation vanished. In its place appeared a dozen separate rune arrays, each with a different shape.

Every array represented a single layer of the original formation—and some of them contained over a hundred individual runes, each intricately arranged within the design.

"Now, to ensure you can actually produce those A-grade potions, I’ll need you to create fully functional formations for all of them within eight hours of starting," Colonel Delgado said.

Zerena’s eyes widened in shock.

Even a single layer of those arrays looked incomprehensible to her.

"That’s impossible..." she muttered, her voice filled with disbelief.

She had seen Max create rune arrays before. His speed was impressive, but that was largely because he had studied those particular formations extensively and used them countless times. It was understandable that he could reproduce them within a dozen minutes or so.

However, those arrays were far simpler compared to the ones displayed before them.

These weren’t formations someone could casually memorize and recreate just because they had a decent understanding of runes.

And certainly not within eight hours.

The colonel wasn’t giving Max eight hours solely to construct the formations. That time limit included studying and understanding every layer before successfully making them functional.

Under those conditions, the task was practically impossible.

"It’s already difficult to believe that someone as young as him can produce A-grade potions, even if he’s using low-grade recipes," Colonel Delgado added.

Zerena opened her mouth to argue, but no rebuttal came to her.

For once, the old man’s skepticism wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

Meanwhile, Max continued studying the rune formations with a concentrated expression. After a moment, he nodded.

"I accept your terms. But, of course, I have a few of my own..."

He turned toward the amused-looking colonel, his expression growing serious.

"If I manage to create these overly complicated rune formations in under eight hours, I want to make sure what you witness here doesn’t reach anyone else’s ears. This stays between us."

The man looked even more amused as he nodded.

"I promise no one will learn about what happens here, aside from those already present."

He didn’t seem particularly interested in discussing the matter further. Instead, he gestured toward a nearby table.

"There’s mana ink available if you want to use it. Of course, if you prefer another method, that’s acceptable as well."

Max nodded, while Zerena still looked visibly worried.

"So, shall I start the timer?" Colonel Delgado asked.

"In a minute..." Zerena replied.

She leaned toward Max and whispered something into his ear. Max listened, then nodded with a confident smile.

Seeing that, Zerena let out a small sigh, some of the tension finally leaving her face.

"You can start the timer now," she said.

The colonel had already loaded a full eight-hour countdown onto another holographic display. With a nod, he started the timer.

"Well, good luck, Mr. Falkner. If you finish before the time limit, come find me in my office."

With that, he turned to leave the room.

Max understood the meaning behind those words perfectly. Unless he completed the rune formations within eight hours, the colonel had no intention of seeing him again.

"You should come with me, Mrs. Falkner. You wouldn’t want to distract your grandson, would you?" Delgado added, glancing toward Zerena.

Zerena nodded, understanding that the colonel wasn’t asking out of mere consideration.

He wanted her out of the room to ensure Max received no outside assistance while working on the formations.

Meanwhile, Max had already returned his attention to the rune arrays.

He spent several minutes studying each formation, gradually understanding that every one of them served a different purpose. However, once he considered how they were connected, he became convinced that the complete formation wasn’t designed for potion-making—not even remotely.

The output it produced was simply far too powerful.

Potion-making required precise control and a carefully regulated flow of mana. This formation, on the other hand, seemed built to unleash power rather than manage it delicately.

This rune formation was meant for something else entirely—and it certainly wasn’t designed to create anything.

Thanks to his ability to understand runes after seeing them just once, Max quickly identified the purpose of most of the symbols.

They were primarily focused on gathering mana and channeling it at an incredibly rapid speed.

Whatever this formation was meant to accomplish, it clearly wasn’t some delicate process like potion-making.

But Max didn’t particularly care what the formation was meant for.

Complicated? Unnecessarily difficult? A complete pain in the ass to recreate?

None of that mattered.

Zerena had already told him to use as many System Points as necessary. They could earn more later—plenty more, if he wanted.

And how could Max possibly refuse?

He would only be spending a bunch of made-up points, after all.

The thought made him grin widely.

Good thing he’d told Zerena about the System.

Of course, almost everything he’d explained about it had been a lie. The only truth was that he really did possess a System, and it genuinely rewarded him with quests and points.

As for how those points worked, where they came from, and what limits they had?

That entire explanation had been pure bullshit.

Max zoomed in on one particular layer of the formation and began studying it in greater detail.

Meanwhile, in another room, Colonel Delgado and Zerena sat with cups of tea, watching him through the holographic display.

Zerena looked increasingly worried.

The colonel, however, appeared rather impressed.

"Even if he fails to recreate the formation, he’s certainly a genius, Mrs. Falkner," he remarked.

Zerena looked confused, prompting the colonel to explain what had impressed him.

"That’s a layered formation, just as the boy pointed out. But unlike constructing a building, where you start from the foundation and work your way up, this formation begins from the middle layer."

He pointed toward the section Max was currently studying.

"And that boy identified the central layer remarkably quickly."

Zerena looked impressed as well. Despite her extensive knowledge of magic, she had never encountered a formation of this size before.

She felt a little embarrassed admitting that, especially since she was technically a mage herself—though, admittedly, more in title than practice.

"Still, what exactly is that formation? I’ve never seen anything so massive before."

"Usually, formations are only a few feet across—two or three at most. But this one covers an entire room."

"It’s a spell," the colonel explained. "Mages who haven’t advanced far enough often refer to spells as formations because it makes them easier to conceptualize. In reality, formations are something quite different—and considerably more complicated."

Zerena still looked confused.

She had heard of spells, of course. Most of the ones she’d encountered were small, flashy techniques. Warrior-mages used them frequently, but she had never imagined that a single spell could be this enormous.

"Lower-ranked mages generally call them arrays," Delgado added.

Despite Zerena’s obvious eagerness to learn more, the colonel offered no further explanation. He simply continued sipping his tea while watching Max study the formation.

Once Max finished examining the central layer, he moved on to the others, studying them one by one.

The process was becoming increasingly frustrating.

He wanted to start constructing the formation already, but the problem was that he couldn’t simply complete one layer before moving on to the next.

These layers had to be built and connected simultaneously.

Even while working on the first layer, he would need to create certain sections, link them to corresponding runes in the middle layer, and then continue expanding outward—connecting everything rune by rune as he progressed.

It was a tedious, complicated process.

And Max was beginning to hate the fact that he couldn’t just skip straight to the fun part.

Alas, Max had no choice but to endure it.

After spending roughly an hour studying the layers, he finally began constructing the runes.

He didn’t reach for the mana ink.

Instead, he started forming them with his own mana.

That immediately surprised the colonel, who was still watching from the other room.

Not only had Max begun far earlier than Delgado expected, but he was also relying entirely on his personal mana reserves.

It wasn’t necessarily more difficult than using mana ink. The real difference was the resource involved.

Mana ink was an external supply that could be replenished relatively quickly. Once the ink ran out, all one had to do was refill the container.

Using one’s own mana, however, required a considerable amount of personal reserves.

And Delgado seriously doubted that a mage who had only recently formed their first mana ring would possess enough mana to construct a formation of this scale.