New Rune

Abel took out the Rune Card he had obtained from Knight Marshall's secret chamber today. According to Knight Marshall, this Rune Card's function was to repel enemies, and only the #4 Rune nef fit the description of this ability.

4# nef repels enemies, +30 defense against long-range attacks.

This was the first time Abel had seen Runes exist in this form. It was very similar to the Rune Stones in Diablo 2, but the Rune Stones in Diablo 2 only worked when socketed into equipment, whereas this Rune card had to be crushed to unleash its power. The two methods of use were completely different.

Abel picked up the Rune Card and studied it carefully. He didn't know what material it was made from; it seemed like stone but wasn't, like wood but wasn't. There was no one to ask, so he couldn't find out.

The Rune script on it was largely the same as in the dwarf's Magic Weapon Forging Book, but it lacked some Rune circuits and didn't have gems to activate it. He wondered what method was used to provide energy.

Originally, when forging weapons and crafting items, Abel had somewhat looked down on the technology of this world. Now, seeing the use of Runes again, coupled with the legend of wizards living for 300 years, all of this made Abel realize that the civilization of this world had developed in a different way.

In Abel's opinion, the smartest researchers in this world probably didn't bother researching equipment for ordinary people, let alone items to improve the daily lives of ordinary people.

Think about it, a lighter, which almost everyone on Earth has, could probably be conjured with a wave of a wizard's hand in this world. So why would they bother researching lighters? Even if they did, it would be for their own convenience. As he heard from Knight Marshall, wizards generally didn't concern themselves with ordinary people, and it was difficult for ordinary people to contact them.

In fact, what Abel didn't realize was that the Rune Card, which seemed unremarkable to him, was quite valuable even to apprentice wizards. The items used by wizards were all very expensive.

Abel slowly traced the Runes on the Rune Card onto the Parchment with his Rune Brush, carefully comparing every detail to ensure perfection.

The next morning, after his basic Knight training and breakfast, Abel entrusted Black Wind to the steward, Linsey, and headed to the temporary Blacksmith Shop.

Knight Marshall had decided to announce the end of the orc attack only after the Orc gathering time marked on the map had passed. Therefore, the Castle was filled with villagers, and the servants had been extremely busy these past few days preparing meals for so many people.

In this world, apart from the wealthy and nobles, most people ate only two meals a day. After paying heavy taxes on their land's produce, not much was left. As the lord, Knight Marshall also had to hand over a large amount of grain to the Duchy each year. Harvest City was, in fact, the granary of the Duchy.

As Abel walked through the square, people by the temporary tents kept bowing to him. Abel smiled and nodded at them, a gesture that led to rumors among the villagers that the lord's heir, Young Master Abel, was a kind, gentle, and caring person who looked after his people, filling them with hope for the future.

Entering his own workshop, Abel took out a forged Hundred Refinements Greatsword, which already had a groove made in its hilt.

Abel analyzed the ingredients for the four types of Rune Ink recorded in the Magic Weapon Forging Book. Most of the basic materials were the same, but the fire magic rune ink contained fire-attribute plants, while the ice magic rune ink contained some ice-attribute plants. The electric magic rune ink contained the blood of electric eels, and the poison magic rune ink contained the venom of a highly poisonous snake.

For the Rune that repelled enemies, Abel decided to keep the common basic materials from these four types of Rune Ink and remove the special attribute materials.

All the necessary materials were readily available. Master Bentham had collected various materials for many years. Especially after Abel successfully forged a magic weapon, Master Bentham had posted requests for various materials in the Mercenary Guild, which allowed for obtaining fresher ingredients.

This wasn't Abel's first time mixing Rune Ink, but this time there were no detailed instructions. He could only rely on his previous experience. Removing a few ingredients changed the balance during the mixing process. To successfully create the new Rune Ink, he had to find the new balance point for these materials.

One portion of Soul-Lost Grass, one portion of Bread Tree Fruit, 20 drops of Bitter Almond Oil, 12 drops of Holly Oil, 10 drops of Jungle Frog Blood, 8 drops of Rosemary, 12 drops of Eucalyptus, 5 drops of Lemon Essence, and Pure Water.

All the ingredients were taken out. For each ingredient added, Abel had to carefully consider the fusion time of the previous ingredients, the addition time of the next, and the intensity of the heat.

Determining the success or failure of the Rune Ink was simple. The recipes with wizardly properties in this world, such as the magic rune ink in Abel's hand, would emit a faint white light the moment they were successfully mixed. As long as the white light flashed, it meant the Rune Ink had been successfully prepared.

Through repeated experiments, Abel adopted a method commonly used by scientists in his previous life: recording. Abel used an hourglass to time himself and recorded the time for each step and relevant details in every experiment.

In the next experiment, he made slight changes based on the previous record. Abel was very patient. Although the Rune Ink was not successfully mixed within a day, Abel's mixing skill had improved significantly.

Seeing that the materials were only enough for one more day of experimentation, Abel found Steward Linsey and asked him to arrange for someone to retrieve some materials from the Mercenary Guild.

The mixing on the second day went more smoothly. On the 86th attempt according to Abel's experimental records, the Rune Ink flashed with a white light. Abel couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for those who had researched the four types of Rune Ink. His current attempt wasn't a completely new recipe; he had only removed some ingredients from an existing recipe, and he had the comparison of previous recipes and a scientific experimental method. It still took him 86 attempts to succeed. He couldn't imagine how much time it took those who used more ingredients and had no comparison for their recipes.

Looking at the Rune Ink in his hand, Abel was filled with a sense of accomplishment. If the experiment was successful, the value of the Rune Ink in his hand would be even higher than that of the four types of Rune Ink, because the Rune Ink he held was a Rune Ink without special attributes, making its application potentially broader.

Taking out his Rune Brush, Abel began to draw the Runes. He knew every stroke by heart. He released his spiritual power, and every detail of the Hundred Refinements Greatsword was magnified many times. The brush moved smoothly across the back of the sword. As for the missing Rune circuits that connected to gem energy in the original Rune, Abel added energy Rune circuits based on the four complete Rune diagrams.

Abel noticed that as he frequently used his spiritual power to write Runes and forge the Hundred Refinements Greatsword, his spiritual power had grown slightly. It was impossible for ordinary people to detect such a tiny growth in their spiritual power, but after finishing writing the Runes this time, Abel, who usually felt drained, still had a little spiritual power left.

This discovery excited Abel. He had been relying on his spiritual power, which he didn't know how he obtained, and he hadn't found any methods to train it. As he researched Runes, his spiritual power became increasingly insufficient.

This was especially true after Abel discovered that the Runes in his hand could be combined to form the Word of Power "Ancient's Oath." Since the Runes had to be drawn in one go, his spiritual power was insufficient to draw the three Runes that made up "Ancient's Oath." Now, there was finally a glimmer of hope.

Abel understood that he was only 13 years old, and his spiritual power should naturally grow with age. Furthermore, now that he had found a way to train his spiritual power, he was confident he could draw the Word of Power "Ancient's Oath."

For the choice of gem to place in the groove, Abel chose a diamond synthesized from three pieces of diamond. This gem, most beloved by ladies in this world, was a symbol of love and fidelity.

The reason Abel chose diamond was that it had no attributes and was the most neutral of all gems.