Rune crafting

The third floor of the Sinux Magic Tower was simple, like the rest of the floors. It lacked the beautiful crystals and picturesque scenes found in other places, reflecting the pragmatic design approach of the tower.

The floor consisted of neat shelves filled with boxes of various sizes. Some of the boxes emitted natural energies, indicating the presence of precious items.

At the center of the floor, before the shelves, stood a podium with a crystal sphere. Flanking the podium were two lion-like statues similar to those on the first floor. A 2-meter metallic humanoid figure stood in front of it.

As Zatiel arrived on the floor, he couldn't help but notice the statues around the podium, particularly the humanoid one.

"With my current abilities, I may not be able to defeat a rank 1 Magus, but I can still escape with my life. However, I sense that the metallic golem could overpower me. This level of security is expected, considering the valuable items stored here," Zatiel thought, aware of the potential danger.

Approaching the podium, the statue's eyes lit up, and the humanoid figure spoke in a robotic voice.

"Apprentice Zatiel, use the podium sphere to browse the available materials. Currently, you can only access rank 0 and rank 1 materials," the statue conveyed before its eyes shut down.

Zatiel observed the statue for a moment before placing his hand on the sphere.

Instantly, five rows appeared in his mind. The first row displayed "Rank 0," while the last row displayed "Rank 4." Only the options for rank 0 and rank 1 were illuminated, while the others remained grayed out.

Curious about the options for Rank 2, Zatiel attempted to access them but received a message stating, "Rank and accumulative merit points insufficient."

"It seems I don't have enough rank and merit points to access higher-ranked materials. No matter, even if I could access them, their prices would likely be beyond my current means," Zatiel realized, acknowledging the limitations.

Rather than manually searching through the list for the items he needed, he decided to rely on the chip for assistance.

"Chip, scan the list and search for the materials required for rune crafting. Also, find diagrams for rank 0 runes and present them to me," Zatiel instructed the chip.

The chip promptly responded with its robotic voice, relaying the results to Zatiel's consciousness.

[Bip... Scanning items and searching for the materials and runes. Done. Equipment for rune crafting costs 740 magic crystals. Displaying a list of available rank 0 rune diagrams.]

A list of rank 0 rune diagrams appeared in Zatiel's mind. Although he possessed some diagrams from other sources, he decided to use only the ones obtained from the tower to avoid unnecessary attention.

After reviewing the diagrams, he selected two for which he already had the necessary materials to craft.

Once he made his choices, Zatiel used the crystal to make the payment. In an instant, the boxes autonomously moved and landed at his feet.

Without wasting any time, Zatiel collected the boxes and proceeded directly to his house on the second floor. He intended to utilize the experiment room there to begin crafting the runes.

Upon reaching his destination, he organized the equipment and extracted the materials required to craft the runes from his spatial sack.

The first rune Zatiel planned to craft was called "Secondary Consciousness." It was a rank 0 rune that enabled the creation of a parallel consciousness. Although the second consciousness had limited cognitive abilities, it still proved useful. For instance, it allowed individuals to maintain constant surveillance of their surroundings while their primary consciousness focused on other tasks, such as engaging an enemy.

Crafting the rune required numerous materials, with the brain of harpies being the most crucial component.

Material processing played a significant role in rune crafting, typically demanding considerable time and effort. However, Zatiel swiftly and seamlessly handled each stage, progressing from one step to the next without pause. Notably, none of the materials suffered even the slightest decline in quality, underscoring his remarkable proficiency. The chip's constant assessment of the materials and its timely alerts regarding potential errors also contributed to his success.

Upon completing the material preparation, Zatiel charged the materials into the rune pencil and selected a piece of magical creature skin for inscription.

While rank 0 runes didn't require exceptional crafting abilities, they necessitated absolute precision. Each rune had to be written in the correct order, without a single mistake, or else all prior efforts would be in vain.

Having already memorized the diagram thanks to the chip, Zatiel commenced crafting the rune. He deftly wielded the pencil, meticulously inscribing every line of the rune in the proper sequence. His movements were fluid and uninterrupted, his eyes focused as he maneuvered the pencil with precision.

As the work progressed, Zatiel gradually grew fatigued. Crafting runes consumed mental capacity and energy reserves, and the particular rank 0 rune he was crafting proved demanding even for someone of his abilities.

Finally, when he completed the task, a beautifully inscribed rune adorned the skin, pulsing with periodic bursts of energy.

"Excellent, its effect surpasses the description in the diagram," Zatiel assessed his work with a satisfied smile.

While the diagrams provided a baseline for the runes, the skill and craftsmanship of the inscriber played a crucial role in determining their efficacy.

After finishing the rune, Zatiel retired to bed. Although meditation could aid in recharging his energy, sleep remained a necessity for him. Additionally, sleep offered more substantial benefits for recovery.

...

Meanwhile, Ezequiel was in his own house, poring over the information stored in a crystal. As he studied, his brows furrowed in consternation.

The crystal had been provided to him during his initial lesson on magical equipment crafting. The course was taught by a Rank 1 Magus named Ruben, who distributed crystals containing essential information to all the apprentices. Ruben emphasized the importance of memorizing the information and gaining a basic understanding of the principles taught. According to the Magus, failure to do so would render their presence in the class a waste of his time.

"Master was right. Magical equipment crafting is undeniably complex, but it is not something that can defeat me," Ezequiel affirmed with determination, his eyes fixed on the crystal as he continued his research.