The Runesmith

Chapter 635: Progress Updates.

“He seems to be doing better this time around.”

Roland murmured to himself as he looked over Bernir’s trial information. By now, he could roughly gauge how far a person had progressed in the trial. All he needed to do was compare the time dilation that occurred within the ascension space during the first attempt to the second one. Once he knew how much time had passed inside the trial, the rest was simple calculation.

“But that is probably not enough time.”

Even though the internal time had increased, it was not by much. Bernir, who had been sitting motionless in the chair, suddenly moved and his eyes snapped open.

“No! Get away from… huh?”

This awakening was far more intense than the last. After seeing some of the final images recorded from the trial, Roland understood why. The last moments showed disturbing scenes of people dying, and a few faces even looked familiar.

“Isn’t this one of the Union dwarves?”

He tilted his head in confusion but quickly turned back to the console to begin the process of saving Bernir’s memories. Thanks to this technology, each attempt became easier, and the tests showed that Bernir was retaining more memories each time.

“It’s fine. Just breathe, Bernir. You are back.”

“Ahh. It is you, Boss. What was that faceless creature?”

Bernir could recall a portion of what had happened. It seemed the trial had shifted into a management scenario. From what Roland could tell, Bernir had been tasked with crafting weapons for multiple people. It was not as simple as producing individual pieces of equipment. He had to run the entire smithy, purchase materials, and even manage other workers. It was a much trickier challenge for someone who had never truly held a leadership role.

‘With his current stats, he could probably learn a basic identification skill. I should buy him the skill book.’

After learning what the main trial required, Roland could finally plan which support skills would help Bernir the most. Identification was usually tied to classes with high intelligence, which made it unsuitable for craftsmen who focused on strength, dexterity and endurance. However, Bernir was level one hundred fifty and met the minimum requirements for the lesser version of the skill.

Even without a combat class, certain abilities like identification could still be learned by craftsmen, though they rarely did so because of the high cost. Identification in particular could be mimicked with simple runic magic, so there wasn’t really a point to it.

“Sorry, Boss. I failed again.”

“Do not worry about it. Most people fail their first three attempts, and many do not clear it until the eighth or even later.”

“Haaa…”

Bernir’s shoulders slumped forward, and he stood up from his seat. He was about to go away, but before he could, Roland grasped his good arm.

“Boss?”

“Here.”

“...”

The assistant’s eyes twitched as he was handed a pile of papers. He scanned them quickly. There were books about managing businesses and workers, as well as ones on how to perceive scammers and how to spot untrustworthy merchants. Ȓᴀ𐌽𝐎Ꞗȧ

“Just study these before you enter again, and do not worry. I will bring better ones for you later.”

“Th-there is more? How did you even know what the trial would be about, Boss?”

Roland could see the confusion in Bernir’s eyes, but he quickly explained.

“I had a hunch, but I did not want to overwhelm you with too much homework before you tried again. Do not worry. I will bring you more once you finish this. You need to be prepared for every possibility.”

Bernir’s head slumped as he heard he would have to read even more books, but Roland only shook his head and answered calmly.

“You will get through it.”

The two parted, and for the moment, Roland returned to his main room with Sebastian, surrounded by many glowing panels. Text streamed across several of them, the light reflecting off his focused gaze. No ordinary person would be able to absorb that much information, but in half a minute, he had already read all the reports his people had sent.

“Robert is doing well as the temporary leader. He has managed to clear out all the crime syndicates. The people in the city even gave him a nickname. Durendal the Just.”

He continued reading about his brother’s progress. Even though the city was cut off on one side, trade continued to flow through Albrook, and soon it would also move through the underground railway.

“The Union seems to be doing fine; I don’t really need to oversee them.”

Another report described the work the dwarves were doing. The railways were being laid at a steady pace, and the construction of a runic train was already underway. He did not need to involve himself because the dwarves considered train building an honorable task and worked overtime to complete it, even when the pay was meager.

“Arthur’s mother’s case is on hold for now.”

The test for creating runic eyesight was progressing quite well, but one problem remained. Aeloria, Arthur’s mother, was locked away in Isgard, which made it impossible for him to perform the proper tests that might help her regain her sight. Even if he managed to create a suitable device, he was certain that the Duke’s people would refuse to deliver it to her. She was guarded carefully in her little bird cage, and even well-intentioned gifts would not reach her.

“But it still needs refinement to suit a noble lady. Something made of silver would probably be best.”

Roland did not know much about the trends followed by noblewomen, yet he could draw inspiration from the modern world. People there often wore ornate masks to masquerades, especially designs inspired by the Baroque period. This style did not seem to be known in this world, so perhaps it would allow Arthur’s mother to stand out and leave an impression.

“That blacksmith made it to the city, but his requests are being ignored. I hope he will not be in danger.”

The man he had saved was being watched by his own people, and the information that arrived suggested that his case was not being taken seriously. A report had been filed along with a request, but the guild was making the process difficult. They were considering sending someone to investigate, yet Roland knew that no evidence would be found. The man would be left in limbo.

“He will not be able to return to the dungeon easily. Not many people travel there, and most would rather avoid the burden of protecting a blacksmith who has very little to his name.”

The man seemed stuck for the time being and would have to wait for the examination to be completed. If his request was denied, he might try to earn enough money to join an expedition and hope that no one double crossed him on the way.

“Then there is the Institute and Julius.”

So much work was piling up that Roland was unsure where to begin. He wished he could focus solely on the dungeon, since his levels were increasing quickly. He did not need to return to the Institute any time soon, but his sister would be attending again. He did not plan to watch over her constantly, yet he needed to be certain she was safe.

He also had to prepare a proper creation for the event he had agreed to join. While the list of participating students was still uncertain, he could at least begin designing the golem that would represent him and the Institute. It would be larger than his previous models, and its operation would be based on a completely new idea.

“I wonder how people will react to this technology. Will they reject it or embrace it?”

Coming from the modern world, he often wondered how his inventions might change this one. His current project could alter the nature of warfare, although it might also prove too extravagant and costly. There was perhaps a reason no one had advanced the simple designs of traditional war golems.

Julius seemed to be the least important issue. Even if he arrived, it would not interrupt his dungeon progress. With the gate hidden inside it, he could always return to Albrook in a matter of minutes or hours, depending on how far he was.

“Now then, it should be ready…”

After confirming that his city was protected and that no spies were present, he started walking. This time, he took the elevator back up to his workshop and into the smelter area. When the door opened, he was met with blistering heat. The veil of mana shimmered around his partially armored frame and allowed him to enter. He focused his gaze on a crucible.

The crucible was not very large, but something inside it was bubbling. Runes covered its surface and produced an immense amount of heat, yet even that was barely enough to melt the mixture inside.

“It took an entire day of heating just to melt this amount. This might be a problem.”

Roland leaned closer to inspect the molten mass. The mixture resembled magma infused with darkened moonlight. When he gazed at it with his mana sense, he saw flickering lines of energy that glimmered in pale silver rather than blue.

“It finally dissolved. Good.”

He tapped the side of the crucible with his gauntlet-covered hand. The heat was terrifying, yet the veil of mana and the mithril of the gauntlet kept the flames at bay. The mixture flowed sluggishly, as if resisting gravity itself.

Beneath the crucible stood a thick metal frame used for casting. At its center rested a tapered mold shaped for a compact ingot, reinforced with runic lines carved into its surface. Even the mold required layered protection because abyssal star steel was notorious for burning through its container before it could fully form.

The pot began to tilt as he pushed on it. The molten mixture shifted slowly at first, then slid forward as the angle increased. The shimmering metallic mass spilled into the mold with a hiss that sounded like pressurized air escaping. Silver and blue sparks burst upward and scattered across the casting shield Roland had set in place.

“This is going to be harder to work with than mithril, but it is worth the improvement.”

He watched the ingot take shape almost immediately. Once the mixture settled inside the mold, its runes flashed to life, and the cooling sequence activated. Within ten seconds, the alloy solidified.

Roland picked up a large hammer from the side. The mithril head resembled a war pick more than a blacksmith’s tool. He brought it down with full force onto the newly formed ingot. As expected, it left no mark.

“Not even a scratch.”

He inspected the piece and found the ingot untouched, while the mithril hammer now bore a crack. The superiority of the new metal was obvious, and in time it would replace his current equipment.

“I am going to need a lot more of this.”

With a final nod, he shut down the smelter room. He had forged one ingot, but lacked enough material to produce another of equal size. The only real drawback compared to mithril was its weight, nearly three times heavier. Luckily, for someone like him, already above level two hundred, it felt no different from wearing ordinary clothing.

“Back to work, I suppose…”

Now that he had a clear goal, there were more things to gain than just levels. He ventured into another room that resembled a large storage facility. It was filled with a single type of weapon, runic torpedoes.

“I think this should be enough.”

Hundreds of his newest creations stood before him. He had considered several other methods for dealing with the sea serpents, such as flooding the water with electricity to shock them to death. Unfortunately, shooting lightning at the surface caused the energy to scatter, and casting it underwater was not much better. The lakes were simply too large for that kind of attack to inflict enough damage at once. The torpedoes and the lure were still his best option for making progress, and the leftover body parts were more than enough to make up for the material losses.

After filling all of his available spatial storage with ammunition, he was ready to leave. He returned to the teleportation chamber and waited for Agni to finish eating. Once the wolf was satisfied, the two of them headed back toward the depths of the dungeon.

A blue shimmer radiated from the teleportation gate and grew brighter as they stepped into it. Agni had been unusually cheerful lately, with his tail spinning in excitement whenever Roland mentioned returning to the dungeon.

“Woof.”

“Stop squirming, or I will put you on a diet.”

“Worf?”

Agni snorted as Roland gave him a gentle push through the opening. His oversized puppy seemed to have grown a bit since the last trip. The change was not as dramatic as the growth he had seen in the plant lesser dragons, yet it was noticeable. With each increase in level, Agni became larger. He could only hope that his next evolution would not make him so big that he would be forced to leave him at home.

Once they reached the surface, the fake moonlight greeted them again. As before, he chose to make his move during the later hours, when the forest grew quieter and more dangerous. Adventurers from the stronghold had begun snooping around these parts, although for now, they ignored the lakes. Even though he had caused a few tremors, the dungeon restored itself before anyone noticed any damage to the water.

He had learned from his earlier mistake and prepared several countermeasures to contain the shockwaves, measures that should prevent them from reaching the adventurer base as they had before. With that in place, he set out toward his next destination. It was another lake not far from the last one he had visited, and it was even larger, so he expected better loot.

This time, instead of entering the lake immediately, he began to prepare. From his spatial runes he retrieved several poles about two meters long. Each one was covered in runes and fitted with a square device at the top, which held a small dish that looked similar to a miniature satellite receiver. With his enhanced strength, he drove the poles into the ground as he moved quickly around the lake.

It was not the most efficient method, but with the help of a few humanoid golems, he finished the task in about half an hour. Once everything was in place, he took down the piranha-like fish that guarded the surface and then slipped into the dark water. As before, he set the lure in the center of the lake and waited for the sea serpents to gather around it before unleashing the torpedoes.

His torpedoes flew forward and collided with the mass of lesser dragons. As before, the multiple blasts created a massive shockwave. This time, however, the devices he had placed around the lake activated.

A shimmering dome of pale blue light rose from the lake’s perimeter. The runic poles vibrated and linked to one another through invisible threads of mana. The shockwave surged outward, struck the barrier, and dispersed. Deep within the ground the same process occurred. The pressure shifted and, instead of erupting outward, the force folded back into the lake.

‘Good, the energy is being contained.’

Some cracks formed in the lakebed and the surrounding ground, but they were nowhere near as severe as the last time. At most, the disturbance would feel like a small tremor and would not reach the adventurers’ base. They would remain unaware of his illegal fishing operation.

Below him, dozens of serpentine bodies writhed and convulsed, torn apart before they even understood what was happening. The lure continued to release the bait Rastix had created for him, and it seemed even more potent now. The creatures lost their minds as soon as they drank the tainted water. He found it fascinating that combining several scientific fields could produce such results.

He released twelve torpedoes at once. Their explosions merged into a single thunderous pulse strong enough to distort the water around him. The barrier buckled again but held, and moments later, the system informed him that he had leveled up again.

"Area clear. Now let us see."

With every sea serpent dead, he dived deeper toward the parts where they had been slumbering. He summoned a burst of light and searched for any sign of what he desired.

"There."

It did not take long for him to find another ore vein he had been seeking, and as he had expected, it was larger than the first. All that remained was to pack up and repeat the process. Before the night ended, he could probably visit another lake and gather everything he needed long before the adventurers realized he had ever been here.