Asher looked at the text that appeared in front of him.
"So, I need to solve this," Asher studied the text, then he grabbed the book again.
He pored over many pages, noting every rune sequence, but he didn't understand their meaning yet.
Even Neyman had spent months on this research, yet he could not discern the true meaning of these runes.
Runes were a peculiar language that could manipulate mana just as hunters did.
Most people referred to it as the study of mana and considered runes the key to manipulating the mana, especially the elements.
"Roots, lines..." Asher kept deciphering multiple meanings of these words.
"Reverse," Asher noticed one keyword that stood out.
Runes were usually written from left to right, but he started reading them from right to left.
He changed the sequence, yet he felt the new sequence was still incorrect.
Each page of the book explained how these runes worked together. From that knowledge, Asher saw that the series of runes remained unstable.
He flipped the book upside down, and viewing those runes from this new perspective, Asher started memorizing the patterns.
"Now if I reverse them," Asher began to arrange those runes in reverse.
He kept rearranging the sequence in a way that satisfied both the 'reverse' and 'upside-down' criteria.
In front of him, strange runes formed a unique new sequence that was entirely different from the one mentioned on the penultimate page of the book.
Memorizing all he was seeing, Asher unsheathed his sword.
Next was the Ring Armor Artifact he had purchased at the auction.
"This rune won't require any extra mana, unlike in my previous life," Asher remarked, studying the new rune sequence.
In his previous life, Neyman had used an S Rank Mana Gem to forcefully etch these runes onto his sword. However, according to the book, after he had flipped it upside down, this rune didn't require much mana.
As Asher had observed in the Artifact information, his sword only needed unsealing runes. Thus, it shouldn't have required an S Rank Mana Gem. Neyman had misinterpreted these runes.
He had believed them to be runes that upgraded his sword, but in reality, they were only unsealing the artifact.
Asher donned the Ring Armor and descended to the ground.
Moving a bit away from the bookshelves, Asher examined the ring armor he was wearing.
-----------------------------
| Rune Encrypter |
| Rank | : A Rank Artifact
| Description | : Crafted by the one who bound his own masterpiece, within it lies the key to unleash the true potential of this sealed creation. Embedded in the piece are three black gems, each harboring the unique means to unlock the enchanting power concealed within.
| Limitations | :
1. The one who wears it and imprints his mana will be marked as the owner, and only that person could try to unseal the Runic Seals.
2. Each failed attempt will permanently destroy the gems.
-----------------------------
He looked at the small black gems present on this ring armor, and he feel the resonance between his blade and this ring armor.
Even though he hadn't started inscribing the runes on the blade, he could feel the energy coming out from the black gems.
In his memories, Asher remembered when the runes became unstable, he saw the all three of these black gems shattered and become dull.
He looked at the information of his sword once again.
-----------------------------
| Sword of Chaos |
| Rank | : D Rank Sword
| Description | : Crafted by a mysterious individual possessing extraordinary runic wisdom beyond human comprehension, this sword finds itself shackled by the very hands that brought it into existence. It yearns for its rightful owner to unshackle it.
| Abilities | : Increases sharpness in each strike by 15%
| Abilities | : Made by a metal that will not be harmed by attacks below SS Rank.
| Passive | : Grows to the peak of its owner's potential (Sealed to D Rank)
| Passive | : Locked, requires a key to unlock
| Passive | : Locked, requires a key to unlock
-----------------------------
"Let's try it," Asher resolved to apply the runes to his sword.
He had disregarded the second paragraph of the text, but he had an idea of what the text was referring to.
To confirm his suspicions, he first needed to attempt this new runic sequence and etch it onto his sword.
"Haah," Asher's crimson-red eyes focused on his sword.
His mana started to surge, but he was cautious not to harm any runes present in the restricted area. Even though he had already moved far from the book room, he remained vigilant.
Asher glanced at the book once more.
He raised his index finger, on which he was wearing the ring armor. Using the tip of the artifact, Asher began to inscribe the runes onto his sword.
After etching the first two runes, he noticed that the shining black gems required his mana to function.
Utilizing his own mana as fuel, Asher started carving on the sword he had wielded in numerous battles in his previous life.
Following the first two, he employed the next pair.
Inscribing them was consuming a lot of his mana, but he observed that the black gems were assisting him in forming the runes.
"So they embody the intent behind these runes," Asher mused as he inscribed the fourth one.
This meant that these black gems possessed the true key necessary to form these runes in the first place.
And utilizing them without the help of the Rune Encryptor implied that they would never function.
He heightened his concentration as the remaining runes were quite intricate, and making a single error could lead to failure.
But as Asher was etching the sixth rune, something unusual occurred: his ring armor began to morph, and he felt a small needle prick his index finger.
Blood started to drip from his finger as Asher completed the sixth rune.
However, Asher didn't halt; the next two runes were linked with the sixth rune, so stopping would disrupt the runic sequence.
Asher persisted in carving the runes onto his dull black blade, which began to emit a golden glow.
His blood started to seep into the runes, and Asher let it flow. He needed to complete a total of 16 runes, and he was only on the seventh one.
Drops of his blood continued to mingle with the runes, as the runes began to orbit the dull black blade.
The more runes he etched, the more they covered the blade, and by the time Asher was on the 13th rune, the whole blade was enveloped by them.
He had the final three runes left to inscribe. Asher began writing them, but his eyes remained focused on the blade.
'Last one,' Asher used his finger to draw the final rune.
When he completed it, the golden runes began to encase his sword.
"It didn't shatter this time," Asher noted, observing the runes that were swirling around his sword.
The runes began to fade, getting absorbed into the sword.
Asher's gaze fell on his sword again, and this time its appearance resembled what it had looked like in the past.
A long blade that shined darker than moonless nights, with a black hilt featuring small golden engravings.
[ Analyzing the artifact.... ]
Asher noted the system notification as he grasped his sword.
And he could sense a familiar sensation emanating from it.
There was a reason Asher was regarded as a highly dangerous individual in his previous life.
Part of the reason was this sword alone, a single S Rank sword that had clashed against those considered the Pillars of Humanity.
Asher noticed the unique ability that set his sword apart from others.
| Sword of Chaos |
| Abilities |: Absorbs the Aura of the Enemy and strengthens the Aura of the Owner of the Sword
"It's still the same," Asher remarked, studying this particular ability.
But he could discern the changes that had occurred when he utilized the correct Runic Sequence.
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