Rune Formula

Ace's mental power was limited; he could not combine two Soul Runes into a spell model. It seemed that, in the short term, he would be unable to attempt a two-dimensional spell model composed of Soul Runes.

But he could not abandon Soul Runes either. He decided to test them one by one first, seeking higher-grade Mana Runes. Mana Runes enhanced mental power, so higher-grade ones would surely have better effects. A few days later, he successfully found a Soul Mana Rune.

The internal structure of the Soul Mana Rune was far more complex than the Mana Rune he had obtained from the jackal, yet many of their patterns were similar. It looked as though the Mana Rune was an inferior version of the Soul Mana Rune.

Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call runes visible to the naked eye secondary runes, or inferior runes, Ace thought.

The Soul Mana Rune's meditation effect was decent, but it could only last a few seconds. At his current stage, it was of no use.

Because his mental power was limited for the other Soul Runes, Ace decided to suspend his research on them and focus on the parts of three-dimensional rune structures that could be replicated into the Rune Tome.

The reason they could not be replicated into the Rune Tome might be that a Corrosive Jackal's body materials were insufficient to support Soul Runes, requiring materials similar to the Hallucinatory Eye. But this eyeball was crucial to the current Ace, and he could not risk damaging it in an experiment.

The three-dimensional rune structures invisible to the naked eye concealed the secret to becoming stronger. He had a premonition that if he could understand this rune structure, he would undergo a qualitative transformation.

About a month passed. In the scorching summer, Ace finally finished replicating all the runes visible to the naked eye within the Hallucinatory Eye and experimentally determined the meanings they conveyed.

There were fourteen secondary runes in total. Among them, the secondary Mana Rune overlapped with the one he had discovered earlier, but the angles, lengths, and proportions of its drawn lines differed.

After carefully comparing them, Ace found that the new secondary Mana Rune was more effective. This also confirmed that runes themselves were not immutable and could be modified. In the future, he would need to collect more runes of the same type and discover that type's optimal form of expression.

Ace discovered four secondary auxiliary Mana Runes, which respectively produced the four effects of Strengthened Absorption, Ordered Magic, Reduced Mana Consumption, and Reduced Spirit Consumption. He named this type of rune auxiliary basic runes.

Strengthened Absorption could greatly intensify the rhythm induced by Mana Runes, thereby drawing in more mana from the natural world.

Ordered Magic could arrange mana according to a certain pattern, turning it from a chaotic peasant rabble into a well-trained regular army. It was a transformation from quantity to quality, greatly enhancing mana's overall effect.

The effects of Reduced Mana Consumption and Reduced Spirit Consumption were simple and straightforward: they reduced the consumption of mana and mental power.

Besides the secondary basic auxiliary runes, Ace also discovered two secondary auxiliary tool runes, which he named auxiliary tool runes. They were Potent and Weaken.

They could respectively enhance or weaken a spell's effects.

All the remaining secondary runes were illusion-type: Fear Rune, Affection Rune, Disaffection Rune, Illusion Rune, Induction Rune, Calming Rune, and Mental Shock Rune.

His Rune Tome received a new cover, bearing the words "Secondary Runes." He also added different title pages for its contents, dividing them into four sections: basic runes, auxiliary basic runes, tool runes, and auxiliary tool runes.

For runes of repeated types, such as Mana Runes, he recorded them in forms like Mana #1 and Mana #2.

He combined over a hundred different spell models and discovered that auxiliary runes within a spell model could stack, but their effects suffered diminishing returns. Furthermore, the rate of reduction differed according to the compatibility of the rune combinations.

Basic runes and tool runes could not stack. Forcing them together would cause the rune structure to collapse.

After repeated experiments, Ace eliminated all flawed and duplicate-type combinations, retaining several secondary spell models with the best rune-combination effects. He called such combinations Rune Formulas.

To achieve the best results, one needed not only Rune Formulas, but also a sound composition for the spell model. The Rune Formula and compositional form together determined the effect of a planar spell model.

Potent Secondary Meditation Spell Model = Mana #2 + Calming + Strengthened Absorption *3 + Ordered Magic *2 + Reduced Mana Consumption + Reduced Spirit Consumption. Its composition placed Mana #2 at the absolute center, with the Calming Rune directly beneath it, while the auxiliary runes surrounded them in a fixed structure. Together, they formed a complex planar spell model, named the Potent Secondary Meditation Method.

This meditation spell model was remarkably effective. Compared with the original meditation method, its mental-power enhancement was nearly three times greater, its duration increased from half an hour to two hours, and its enhancement of mental perception was significant (the previous effect had been too weak for comparison).

Moreover, a new effect appeared. Ace discovered that the mana drawn in during meditation was excessive. After his mind absorbed its fill, there was still mana left over, and his body was passively "contaminated" by the excess mana, promoting the strengthening of his entire body.

Ace speculated that if this strengthening effect continued, his bodily functions might gradually come to resemble those of the divine-blooded, far surpassing the limits of mortals.

To Secondary Acid Splash, he added several Potent Runes to strengthen both the acid and the projection. He also added all four auxiliary basic runes. The overall structure became far more complex, and its effects became extremely powerful as well. Its corrosive effect greatly increased, while its splash range rose from seven or eight meters to nearly twenty meters.

Using the Projectile Rune as its core, he developed the Secondary Arrow Spell. It could be cast on multiple arrows at once, producing an effect similar to archery. Its effective attack range reached seventy or eighty meters; if cast on only a single arrow, its effective range could reach around two hundred meters.

He also developed seven illusion spells: Dizzying Spell, Losing Gaze, Panic Gaze, Beguile Creatures, Illusion Gaze, Calming Technique, and Aversion Spell. All were secondary spells.

Thus, the total number of Potent Secondary Spell cards in Ace's spellbook reached ten: one Potent Meditation Method card, two Potent Ranged Spell cards, and seven Potent Illusion Spell cards. His overall strength increased tremendously.

In particular, the secondary spell Beguile Creatures could be said to be the most practical spell at this stage.

When cast on humans, it could make the target believe Ace was their closest friend, allowing him to direct them to do things they did not strongly resent. If he wished to make them do something they strongly resented, his mental power needed to exceed theirs. It could also beguile any living creature, with the effect depending on its intelligence and mental power.

Ordinary people could scarcely resist it. He had not tested it on ordinary nobles or heroes, so its effects were unknown. From this spell onward, Ace possessed an ability that completely surpassed mortals. If he turned evil, he could almost toy with mortals as he pleased.

In his magic notes, Ace recorded and summarized this experiment on the Hallucinatory Eye. At the end, he wrote, "Heroes are powerful because of their bloodlines, while spellcasters will be powerful because of knowledge. With an objective and neutral spirit of research, I will kindle the torch of magic. The long night is black; I alone am the only light."

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