Magic Runes

What is information?

Information consists of text, images, objects, and even sensations.

Information received through the senses is transmitted via nerves to the brain, forming memories!

In terms of memory, it can be divided into sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. They are like RAM and hard drives, controlling the storage of information through real-time physiological structural changes in the brain.

However, before information reaches the brain, most of it is filtered out. The remaining signals destined for the cerebral cortex are temporarily stored in the hippocampus, where they linger for anywhere from a few seconds to several weeks; this is short-term memory.

A portion of sensory data deemed highly important can be further transmitted by the hippocampus to the long-term memory area. The hippocampus plays a crucial role in the brain's long-term memory.

Located in the temporal lobe and closely connected to the limbic system, it is an important gateway to the world of emotions. The anterior part of the temporal lobe contains the regions responsible for short-term memory.

The so-called reticular formation is located between the brain and the spinal cord, responsible for maintaining wakefulness and attention, which is vital for active and passive learning as well as vivid recall.

Memory is an essential cornerstone of human intelligence. From the moment of birth, or even earlier, memory is constantly recording, categorizing, and managing even the most trivial information worth storing.

"If memory is stored in the brain, why can I still recall memories of my past life after transmigrating?"

Through repeated 'stimulation,' Borne slowly recalled some information from his past life.

As if a shackle had been unlocked, Borne discovered that his mental power was growing increasingly potent, and the memories of his past life were gradually recovering. Not only were they recovering, but even things he had almost forgotten were slowly coming back to him.

"If the carrier of memory is the brain, how could I remember information from a past life after transmigrating?"

"And if the carrier of information is the soul, why do some people lose parts of their memory or even suffer amnesia when their brains are struck?"

"Furthermore, what is the relationship between mental power and the soul? If mental power is stored in the brain, why does a stronger mental power lead to a better memory?"

It was so good that he could not only recall things from Blue Star, but they were even 'clearer' than before.

Yes, 'clear'!

He no longer felt that hazy sense of recollection; it was as if a film had been played from his brain. Although there were black screens, pixelated blurs, and other such parts, the areas that were intact were remembered with perfect clarity.

"Is this my 'cheat'?"

Borne mocked himself.

He reckoned he was the most pathetic transmigrator of all.

He had nothing; he had to rely entirely on himself.

The stronger the mental power, the higher the memory capacity.

With the development of mental power, his memory became stronger, even approaching the so-called 'photographic memory.'

At the level of a Count, one could even clearly remember the memories of their own birth.

Borne's recollection of his past life seemed to be just a regular phenomenon.

It was better that he didn't have an actual 'cheat'; if he did, Borne really wouldn't dare to use it.

Whether as a scientific researcher in his past life or as an Arcanist now, such a high-dimensional 'miracle' clearly had issues.

Being able to recall memories of a past life was the greatest 'cheat.' One must know that as a researcher, the amount of data Borne had browsed was massive.

That wasn't even counting Borne's other interest.

Reading!

Borne had a hobby: reading.

Papers, journals, classics from various countries, and so on.

Especially during his university years, he had borrowed almost every book in the library; otherwise, he wouldn't have had an understanding of DND.

He had maintained this habit after graduation, and he would subscribe to various latest journals from both home and abroad.

Perhaps for others, subscribing was more of a chore, but Borne genuinely read them. Even if the specialty and research direction were different, it didn't stop him from reading with great interest.

And now, accompanied by the 'recovery' of his memory, those books he had read were also slowly being 'recalled.'

However, most of the memories were still blurry, and due to the mismatch in expertise, some were not even fully understood.

Not understanding was one thing, but it didn't stop the memories of his past life from providing him with a wealth of 'inspiration.'

Supported by this 'inspiration,' his various spell experiments progressed rapidly. As the experiments provided feedback to himself, Borne's strength grew increasingly formidable, to the point where his mental power growth even surpassed his mana, unconsciously affecting those around him with every move he made.

This was a dissipation phenomenon caused by mental power growing too rapidly.

"...Alright, Boss, that is the situation of the Chamber for this month. According to your plan, there will be a major fluctuation in the market next week, and the Ioulaum Chamber of Commerce will be impacted..."

Although it wasn't the first time, Lehman still found it incredible.

To 'beat' oneself and yet become stronger in the process.

There was no one else who could pull off such an operation...

Ever since Borne crushed the entire Arcane Society three years ago, no one had bothered Lehman again, and Borne had officially reached the top.

However, doing so was not without its price.

Regardless of anything else, the Arcane Society was affiliated with the academy. Borne 'beating up' his fellow students in public was wrong, so he had to be dealt with.

But expulsion was definitely out of the question—who told him to have a backer (my grandfather, the Vice Dean)!

Thus, the first student to be held back a year at Giles Academy appeared.

The great name of Borne Ioulaum would leave a deep mark in the history of the academy.

Borne: (╬￣皿￣)凸

Held back a year, placed on academic probation for one year (forbidden from leaving campus), and fined five thousand credits.

Borne, who was originally a second-year student, had been turned back into a "freshman."

Although he bore the status of a "freshman," no one actually regarded him as one.

Giles Academy had entered the "Borne Ioulaum Era."

Exiting the underground laboratory, Lehman let out a sigh of relief, retracting the psychic energy that had been coating his body.

"The Boss is right; a contest of psychic power levels is no less intense than 'Meditation'!"

"But is psychic micro-carving really something a human can do?!"

He then recalled Borne's increasingly monstrous psychic power, gritted his teeth, and decided to start practicing it himself when he returned that night.

Mana Element Observer!

This thing was a rare treasure; it was said that in Nether, only the Dean and the Count possessed one.

Its function was somewhat similar to the microscopes of his past life, not only capable of magnifying things hundreds of times but also detecting the flow of mana.

This was the most precise experimental instrument Borne had ever seen. The luxurious laboratories in the Wizard Tower's experimental zone only contained petri dishes, standard beakers, and balances; the best equipment they had were alchemy benches of a higher grade.

The equipment in the underground laboratory Borne built himself was certainly more comprehensive than the public experimental zone.

It wasn't that Nether lacked cutting-edge devices, but rather that all such devices were in the hands of the "big shots"—the various family laboratories.

This was why Borne had to build his own laboratory; the public experimental zone could no longer satisfy his needs.

It had taken a great deal of effort for Borne to borrow it from the Count, and he had sacrificed a great deal of his "dignity" to do so.

This was a mana-mechanical device weighing eighty kilograms and standing half a person tall, its entire frame covered in various magic circles and runes.

[Still Mind]!

Borne's expression was blank, his eyes fixed intently on the lens tube. His hands hovered lightly on either side, his ten fingers trembling slightly. If one looked closely, they could see a ruby placed on the observer's stage, with two extremely fine silver needles appearing and disappearing around the gem—a visual effect caused by high-speed vibration.

As the silver needles vibrated at high speed, blue mana struck the interior of the ruby like a laser, altering the internal structural patterns of the gemstone.

Borne's hands were steady; despite the prolonged control, not a single mistake occurred.

Gemstone Micro-carving Technique was one of the essential prerequisites for crafting Ioun Stones.

That Borne could perform gemstone modification within three years was unimaginable to outsiders; there were many spellcasters who practiced for over a decade and were still just fumbling with stones.

One had to know that carving was not like learning magic; talent played a smaller role.

It required the coordination of eyes, heart, and brain, and a high degree of mental concentration. The key was that one's hands could not afford a single error; the slightest mistake would immediately render all previous efforts futile.

Not only did it require patience, but one's physical stamina also had to keep up. This prerequisite alone blocked ninety-nine percent of people, which was also why Ioun Stones were so rare.

Having practiced his Breathing Technique for many years, Borne's physical fitness was no less than that of an average low-tier combatant. His level 3 Monk status already allowed him to control every muscle in his body.

After reaching level 3 as a Monk, he naturally mastered a special ability.

It could clear away all kinds of negative emotions, making the brain clearer and more sensitive, and thoughts more focused!

Because Borne had not received a formal inheritance and was only relying on information from his past life to speculate, this should be the Monk skill [Still Mind].

"Qi" was a combination of life energy and psychic power, developing the body's potential. It felt somewhat like the cultivation methods in the novels of his past life—a feeling that once a certain realm was reached, supernatural abilities would naturally manifest.

[Still Mind] was not magic; it was more like a power of the mind, somewhat like psionics. As for whether it actually was, Borne wasn't entirely sure.

Under the effect of [Still Mind], Borne's spirit could remain in a state of high concentration indefinitely. Coupled with physical fitness not inferior to a combatant, he had mastered the gemstone micro-carving technique in just three years.

With his spirit highly concentrated, sweat flowing past the corners of his eyes did not affect him in the slightest.

The entire process lasted nearly five hours before Borne finally let out a soft breath, exiting the state of [Still Mind]. Although his eyes were bloodshot, the excitement at the corners of his eyes could not be concealed.

He immediately took the gemstone out of the machine and placed it under the light orb to inspect it carefully.

Afterward, he walked to a box on the side, opened it, and took out several marked gemstones to compare them repeatedly.

The box was piled high with gemstones of various sizes, and without exception, these were all failed products.

Holding the gemstone up to the light orb, one could clearly see the dense, intricate geometric figures and runes filling the interior.

"It's a success!"

Different from the runes of normal Ioun Stones, the runes Borne carved inside the gemstone were denser, more complex, yet not chaotic.

Borne slowly rubbed his eyes, then took out some dry rations to replenish his energy.

He made the dry rations himself; the cafeteria opened and closed at set times, and if one missed the window, they had to find their own way to get food.

In the years since he arrived, Borne hadn't eaten in the academy cafeteria more than a few times; the experience was terrible.

Cooking for himself was too time-consuming, and ordinary dry rations were inedible—lacking nutrition and tasting awful—especially since he was still in a growth phase.

Helpless, Borne could only make a batch of dry rations every so often to keep on hand. Although the taste was poor, they were nutritionally balanced, allowing him to hold on when entering important experimental stages, and he would occasionally go out to treat himself to a real meal.

[Identify]

Casting Identify on himself, a familiar panel appeared in his mind.

Name: Borne Ioulaum

Race: Netherese Human

Class: Wizard 7 / Arcanist 3 / Monk 3

Level: 9

Base Attributes: Strength 2.7, Dexterity 2.5, Constitution 2.3, Intelligence 9, Wisdom 1.3, Charisma 8

Knowledge: Diplomacy +16, Disguise +25 (+10 when performing), Arcana +23, Architecture and Engineering +81, Dungeoneering +21, Geography +32, History of Toril +88, Nature +23, Nobility and Royalty +29, Religion +18, Planes +31, Abyss and Purgatory +24, Ioun Stones +70, Biology +40, Physics (Electrical, Electronic) +88, Engraving +101, Advanced Mathematics +107

Languages: Netherese Noble Language, Common, Elvish

Martial Arts: Cross Sword Technique (Mastery), Monk Breathing Technique (Proficient) (Initiate, Proficient, Mastery, Expert, Master, Grandmaster)

Abilities: Shorthand +15 (Concentration +10), Evasion, Fast Movement, Still Mind

Feats: Quicken Spell, Mobile Spellcasting, Silent Spell

Arcane Spells: 0-level: Light Orb, Mage Hand 1st-level: Identify (Rune), Shocking Flash 2nd-level: Misty Step 3rd-level: Fireball Spell Slots: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th level...

Identify is a miraculous skill, especially after Borne acquired it from a Nether Scroll, where it transformed into a magical rune.

When a magical formula turns into a rune, it signifies that the magic has been mastered to a certain degree. For instance, Borne has played around with Mage Hand in all sorts of ways, yet it has not yet transformed into a magical rune.

After Identify became a rune, Borne also gained the ability to edit the information he acquires.

Borne then proceeded to expand his personal information panel; after adding knowledge, levels, and base attributes, the corresponding information would display automatically.

The source of this information is based on the knowledge he possesses and does not exceed Borne's own learning.

In fact, as Borne's knowledge deepens, the information becomes even richer.

Take flour, for example.

At the beginning, under Identify, the information obtained was: 'Flour made from Komugi.'

As Borne learned that it had been milled seven days ago, the information changed to: 'Flour made from Komugi, milled 7 days ago.'

The more he understands, the more comprehensive the information becomes. Even details Borne might have overlooked in the future will still appear once identified.

This applies not only to information but also to knowledge. Initially, his Engraving knowledge was only 2 or 3 points, but as Borne's engraving technique improved, it reached 101 points.

However, the higher the points, the harder it is to increase them. Just like today, successfully engraving a ruby only added 1 point.

As his Engraving technique broke through 100, Borne seemed to realize that beyond one hundred, there should be another level of existence.

And unexpectedly, the highest value of all was Advanced Mathematics.