Runes Magic
"Double date?" Bruce looked at Deion with a questioning look.
"You remember Chelsey, the girl that I talked to last month?"
Bruce didn't remember the girl because Deion is a ladies' man at heart. He had several girlfriends during his time in the academy. Every time he broke up with them, it was due to one reason, commitment.
"You talk to millions of girls per month. I would blow my head if I had to remember every single one of them" Deion was quite popular among the ladies as he was very handsome, wealthy, and confident. His background is apparently an ancient family in the continent.
"Remember the brunette that you knocked out during the exam last year and I told you not to take her cards or storage ring?" Bruce then remembered who Deion was talking about.
"That's her? You knew her back then?"
"Of course, I'm the most handsome guy in the academy!" Deion started to strut his good looks again.
"Alright stop bragging. What about her?"
"She agreed to go on a date with me with a condition that I have to bring a date for her friend" Bruce could already see where this was heading.
"What kind of weird condition is that? If she likes you then she should just go out with you alone" Bruce felt something was fishy with the condition given out by Chelsey.
"No clue but she could be the one for me Bruce. You don't want me to let the one get away, do you?" Deion eyes teared up as he begged Bruce to go on the double date.
Unlike Deion, Bruce never showed much interest in the opposite sex during his time at the academy. Bruce only maintained a low-key presence and study whenever he could.
"Fine, but are you sure Lisa won't fall for my charms?" Bruce's narcissistic side leaked out.
"As long as you don't reveal your identity, no one will fall for your charms buddy" Deion chuckled at the outlandish statement. Though he had never seen Bruce's real face due to Bruce's constant need to maintain a façade.
"When is the date?" Bruce asked.
"Tomorrow afternoon at the shopping center"
"Alright, I'll be there"
Bruce said goodbye to Deion and walked to a training courtyard to practice something he had been learning, runes magic.
Runes are energy symbols that one can conjure based on one's proficiency in runes magic. The symbols follow the laws of the universe and perform an expected action. The application of rune magic is typically related to weapon.
Runes are often imbued on weapons to make them stronger. Runes can increase the output of one's input energy onto a weapon. Runes can also be used defensively to set up formations that block incoming attacks. Runes magic is one of the hardest specializations in the world due to its complexity.
Outside of cultivation, Bruce spent most of his time studying Runes magic. He also took classes in the academy taught by master of runes magic. Specialists in rune magic are also given an efficiency grade like cultivators.
The grades are novice, expert, master, grandmaster, and virtuoso. Legends have it that grandmaster of runes magic can conjure gargantuan runes in thin air and using them to destroy an entire continent.
Bruce is currently a novice in runes magic. He had hoped that he would advance quickly in runes magic to upgrade Light Piercer, but runes magic was much more complicated than he thought. A slight mistake when creating a rune would create an undesired effect.
Also, pursuing runes magic requires time and money. Only starting from the master level can Bruce conjure up runes in thin air. Before he reaches that point, he has to buy specialized profound paper to conjure runes.
"Alright, let's see if these runes work this time" Bruce placed down a few pieces of profound paper with runes inscribe on them. He stepped away and activated the runes with a click of his finger.
One rune created a fire fountain while the other shot out icicle shards to the sky.
"Looks like I still have ways to go..."
Bruce wanted the rune to shoot out a volcano of fire while other rune to freeze everything in the vicinity including the volcano fire.
From what Bruce gathered, the runes need to be carved by someone powerful enough to trigger the catastrophic effects. A weak person creating the correct rune symbol wouldn't do anything.
He cleaned everything up and headed out to the library. He wanted to spend more time researching about rune magic before the day ends. Bruce had thought of many ways to apply rune magic in combat. The only thing that's preventing him is his lack of proficiency in the craft.
While Bruce continued to study runes magic, a gorgeous figure sat on a luxurious bed reviewing intelligence information. She looked up when she heard someone knocking on her door.
"Who is it?" She asked.
"Princess, it's me Alain"
"Come in" Felicity stood up from her bed and started to brew a hot pot of tea for Alain.
"Excuse me princess" Alain walked into her chamber and bowed.
"No need for any formality. Go ahead and sit down" Felicity pointed at a chair opposite to her.
"Tell me, what has Bruce been up to in the Imperial Academy?" Felicity poured tea into a small cup and offered it to Alain. She noticed that Alain had black eyes but didn't point it out just yet.
"I've been monitoring him outside the academy over the years, but he hadn't left the academy at any given time" Alain accepted the tea and awkwardly drank it as he provided information about Bruce to Felicity.
"It's surprising that he hadn't left the Imperial Academy after all these years" Felicity frowned when she heard about Bruce's activity. She had thought that Bruce would leave the academy occasionally for missions to gain resources. Little did she know that he was already among the richest student in the academy.
"He did come out eventually to do a mission recently and that is why I've returned to you" Alain finished the tea and put the cup down gently.
"What happened?" Felicity asked.
"As soon as he left the Imperial Academy, I followed him only to get captured by someone" Alain lightly coughed as he recalled what happened.
"Who could capture you?" Felicity was extremely surprised to hear that Alain got captured. Alain is part of the royal guards of the royal family. His Divine Emperor cultivation alone is enough to thwart any threat.
Alain sighed when he saw Felicity's expression as he was surprised as well.
"Have you heard of John the Butcher?"
"No, who is that?" Felicity had never heard such a crude name before. What does a butcher have anything to do with Alain's capture?
"Maybe you've heard of his other title, Great Emperor Mortez"
"WHAT? Great Emperor Mortez?"
"One of the strongest legendary Great Emperors on the continent?"
Alain was just as shocked as Felicity was when he found out who captured him. Being in front of one of the strongest Great Emperors caused his mental state to deteriorate.
"Why did he capture you?" Felicity finally calmed down and stabilized her breathing.
"It seems like the kid has a great luck because Great Emperor Mortez is actually his teacher in the academy" Alain cursed his luck when he was tasked to spy on a student of a Great Emperor. All Great Emperors in the continent have extreme pride and do not take many students if any at all.
"He thought that I was an assassin from the Dark Forces who are trying to kill Bruce. I had to prove to him that I am a royal guard from the Winchester Empire tasked with protecting Bruce before he finally let me go"
"If he let you go then how did you get those black eyes" Felicity couldn't wait anymore and asked about the back eyes.
"It's because of those brats!" Alain began to recall what transpired that day.
A week earlier….
After Alain proved his innocence to Chef John, the two had a chat about Bruce while watching him in secret. As they were chatting, they overheard the conversation between Bruce and Deion.
"Bruce, what do you think the old man want us to do this time?" Deion asked Bruce thinking that Chef John was still at the academy.
"Well, he told us to go kill stage 3 profound beasts and harvest the eggs of the night eagle" Bruce answered.
"It's obviously not that easy. You know that devil likes to torture us for fun. There must be something wrong with this mission" Deion was not naïve as before. Every so called "lesson" from Chef John turned into a nightmare.
"Maybe he changed his ways and decided to be an actual teacher to us" Bruce joked.
"Haha good one, if that's the case then maybe he'll get married when we get back from the mission too." Deion also joined in the joke.
"Yeah, and tomorrow hell will freeze over too. Hahahahaha"
"YOU UNGRATEFUL BRATS!"
As the two idiots kept on joking at the expense of Chef John, he got extremely mad and accidentally punched Alain in the eyes. He didn't apologize but stared at Alain like a real demon. His stare implied that Alain needed to keep his mouth shut.
Felicity: "….."