Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1895 Runesmithing

"Who here has a storage artifact?" Adam asked as he quickly began skinning the wolves. Michael and Kara joined him.

"I do," Genevieve said without hesitation.

"Very well." Adam nodded. "Store all the meat you can. We'll need it."

"Okay!"

He then turned to Darren and said with narrowed eyes, "You too."

The Paladin frowned. He did have a storage artifact, but he was unable to understand how Adam was so certain about it. He hadn't shown it to anyone or even hinted at possessing it.

Is he bluffing? He couldn't help but wonder.

Adam's voice turned slightly colder. "Pretend you don't have one?"

Darren gritted his teeth. In the end, he replied:

"…I do."

After taking what they needed, the team quickly fled the battlefield.

Fortunately, they had left on time. Only minutes after they'd left, several more wolves arrived near the giant gates, drawn by the smell of blood.

Wolves weren't the only creatures drawn by the commotion, however. There were other beings who called these woods their home.

And they were far more dangerous than wolves…

***

Several hours later, they found a cave nestled into the side of a low hill deep within the woods.

Its entrance sat slightly above ground level, offering a clear view of the surrounding forest. With only a single narrow entrance to defend, it was an ideal place to rest and weather the night.

Valerian, Genevieve, Michael, and Darren had already entered the cave. They laid down their weapons and supplies and crashed into the ground, completely spent from the battle and the subsequent hasty journey to this place.

Meanwhile, Adam worked diligently on carving runes on the ground and walls by the entrance. There were two sets: one to provide concealment, the other meant for defence.

Darren watched with a dark frown on his face as the raven-haired youth carved mysterious symbols on the ground with his mana. There were two things that he took note of.

First, Adam's mana was strange. It was pure, but radiated a subtly oppressive and tyrannical vibe. This was not all that concerning, for there were all types of mana natures out there.

Adam's mana didn't possess any evil attributes, however. It was just surprisingly heavy.

It was the second piece of observation that truly made Darren frown.

He's a Runesmith!

Runesmiths were a rare bunch. Rarer than Herbalists and Artificers, yet still more common than Navigators.

Darren knew that Adam was a Herbalist, for the latter had already disclosed that information to the party. But he didn't know that he was also a Runesmith.

A Magus, a Paladin, a Herbalist, and a Runesmith, Darren thought to himself, thunderstruck.

Just what the fuck is wrong with this guy!

He was actually truly astonished that Adam even had time to study so many disciplines. The art of Herbalism and Runesmithing wasn't something one could just gloss over and then join that profession.

No. It took years of study to formally become a Herbalist or a Runesmith. Even the Grade 1 level was something that could only be achieved by studying diligently for centuries.

Just how old is this man?! Darren was speechless.

His thoughts were interrupted when Michael's concerned voice echoed in the cave.

"Just where is she?" He couldn't help but ask. "Night is about to fall, and we don't know what kinds of creatures will prowl the lands."

"She's almost here," Adam said absentmindedly as he worked on the last of the runes.

Genevieve and Michael heaved a sigh of relief. They didn't question Adam about how he knew with such certainty. They simply took his words at face value.

And indeed, a few minutes later, a shadowy figure silently entered the cave.

"How is it?" Michael shot to his feet and quickly asked. "Did you find anything?"

Kara, slightly out of breath, shook her head. "No. We're good. No one's following us."

"Did you hide our tracks?" Genevieve asked solemnly.

The half-elf turned to her and smiled wryly.

"You should have a little more faith in me," she said. "I'm naturally well-versed in anti-reconnaissance."

Genevieve breathed out a sigh of relief. She offered an apologetic smile and said, "I'm sorry, I've just been a little on edge. I didn't mean to question your skills."

Kara smiled. "It's alright."

She turned to the raven-haired youth and asked, "How about it, Adam? Do you sense anyone nearby?"

In their journey, she found that Adam had astutely sharp senses and was more than capable of reconnaissance.

"…No," Adam said after a moment of deliberation.

The Sphere of Resonance didn't pick up on any beings in the vicinity, except for some rodents in the underbrush and a handful of ravens perched on trees.

Almost a minute later, he rose to his feet and dusted his hands. He exhaled a long, heavy sigh and said, "Alright, it's done!"

He weaved a set of hand seals and activated the runic formation. The symbols on the ground lit up. Following that, the cave entrance rippled. From the outside, it looked like the entrance, along with the cave, had simply vanished. Moments later, the defensive formation silently came to life.

"Oh, this is a boon, Adam!" Michael exclaimed. "If it wasn't for your runic formations, I don't know how we would have spent the night."

Genevieve conjured an unassuming-looking talisman from her storage artifact. "I brought this from our previous hideout. Just in case."

Adam's eyes flashed with a subtle light.

"Good thinking," he murmured.

Then he grabbed the talisman from Genevieve and hung it on the wall right beside the entrance.

"If our theory is correct and this thing indeed prevents monsters from entering, we should be safe," he said. "The runic formations are the safety net."

"Still, we should keep watch," Kara said, feeling slightly anxious.

The crimson moon appeared in the sky, and the world was soon engulfed in red.

"Naturally," Adam said solemnly as he turned and faced the ominous scene outside.

Everything was dyed red. For some reason, it felt like the entire world was against them.

"You guys rest. I'll keep the first watch," he said.

"Are you sure?" Genevieve asked.

Adam turned to her and smiled.

"Yes," he said gently. "My mind is alert, and my body isn't as exhausted. I'll be fine."

He then glanced at the others in the cave — even Darren — and said encouragingly:

"You all did well out there. Take this time to rest now."

Then he turned back toward the crimson world outside and began his vigil.

Valerian padded over and curled up comfortably on his lap.

Meanwhile, Genevieve found herself watching Adam's broad shoulders and solitary back for a long moment before finally looking away. She was exhausted, and once she settled into camp, sleep claimed her almost immediately.

Far away in the woods, a raven perched lazily on a branch, idly preening its feathers. After a while, it lifted its head and turned toward the cave.

Its eyes were the color of the moon.