Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 455 - 454- Who are you?

A few things Adrian had realized in these past few days—after experiencing the interference with the World Transfer twice now.

The Gods... the administrators of the world, were somehow helping Nytharos while also obstructing him at every turn.

From the memories he had received, it became clear that the books written about the pre-war era were not the full truth.

People once lived under constant fear of being targeted by the Divine Ones and their Apostles if they failed to perform the one task they existed for.

Worship.

And that was not normal.

That was slavery.

Adrian’s trust in the history books—and in the Gods themselves—began to waver the moment he witnessed those memories. And after the recent events, he was certain now. For some reason, those heavenly residents were interfering with him directly.

Why exactly, he still couldn’t tell.

But one thing was clear now.

His enemy was not just Nytharos.

---

[Host, you have been inside the Time Chamber for the past seven hours, and the host has been studying continuously without a break.]

The system’s sudden message pulled him out of his reading spree. Adrian looked up from the desk and let out a tired sigh.

"When I don’t study, you keep pestering me," he said, rubbing his temple. "And now that I am... well, don’t worry. I’m not overexerting myself."

Despite being stressed about Ariana and the academy, he had been taking proper rest thanks to Ruby and Annabelle. This wasn’t reckless obsession—just focus.

[The host has already reached the third step of the Fifth Thread. It is advised to keep things slow for now.]

Adrian hummed softly. "I will stop. But first, let’s go through one last trial for today."

Closing his diary, he turned toward the experiment doll.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed his palm against the doll’s head.

Instantly, the flow of its mana flooded his mind.

Exerting his own mana, Adrian took a few seconds to blend in—his presence seeping into the target’s body until he gained access to its internal system.

Resonating with a target’s mana used to be a struggle.

Now, it felt as natural as breathing.

Moving deeper, he traveled toward the hub—the core where mana was produced and information converged. Along the way, he was met by a different set of memories once again, one of the doll’s defining traits.

Every time, it was a different target.

With no one around, Adrian read through the major memories that had left deep scars on the vessel. He lingered only briefly, pushing past them as he delved further into its consciousness.

Toward the Gate.

The Gate was the point where the conscious mind met the unconscious. A place that, if disturbed or broken, could end a mage’s abilities to chant a spell—or worse, strip them of magic entirely.

Mana needed to circulate constantly within a body, flowing through mana nodes without conscious control. Damaging this state would disrupt that unconscious circulation.

And that disruption was fatal.

That was why the Fifth Thread was feared.

Many great Runesmiths never even dared to study it, lacking the courage to risk endangering another life.

But Adrian was not like them.

Because he had the freedom to damage his target without guilt, he never hesitated.

And so, he continued—again and again—attempting to establish the Fifth Thread.

Reaching deeper into the consciousness of the doll, he took a moment to recollect himself.

The vast ocean of mana, the place where the most concentrated form of mana is released was right before him.

Adrian had to just stop there for a second and marvelled at the sight before him.

Staying there for too long would break the connection.

To establish the fifth thread, he would need to attach the Gate to the armament. And not just a single thread, several of them so that they can withstand the concentration of mana.

With his eyes still closed, Adrian picked the dagger beside him.

Adrian had never attempted this, to establish a thread since this was the fourth stage in the binding.

Adrian had never attempted this—to establish a thread at this depth.

This was the fourth stage of binding, where mistakes were no longer correctable.

The Fifth Thread was not woven in a straight line.

First came anchoring.

Before even touching the Gate, Adrian had to stabilize the surrounding mana flow. The Gate was not isolated; it pulsed in rhythm with every node in the body. If he pulled too hard, the circulation would collapse inward. If he hesitated, the Gate would shut itself instinctively.

So he spread his mana outward instead—thin, almost transparent strands—latching onto the nearby nodes like braces. Not to control them. Just to hold them still.

Only when the fluctuations settled did he proceed.

Second came synchronization.

The Gate did not accept foreign mana. Any mismatch, even the slightest difference in rhythm, would cause violent rejection. Adrian slowed his breathing, adjusted his mana output, and let his pulse fall in line with the doll’s circulation.

One beat.

Two beats.

Then overlap.

Only when both flows moved as one did the Gate stop resisting his presence.

Third was thread shaping.

A Fifth Thread could not be forged as a single strand. The mana pressure here was too dense; a lone thread would snap instantly. Adrian divided his mana into multiple sub-threads, each thinner than hair, twisting them together while keeping their individual integrity intact.

Too tight, and they would fuse—losing flexibility.

Too loose, and the pressure would tear them apart.

It was balance, held entirely by instinct.

Only after that did he approach the Gate itself.

Not to pierce it.

But to attach.

Carefully. Slowly.

For a brief moment, Adrian believed he had succeeded.

But—

"Haah!"

A cold gasp tore from his throat as the connection was violently severed from his end.

The instant his presence brushed against the Gate, a shockwave ripped through his mind. Mana surged like a flood, far too dense, far too heavy to endure. His thoughts blurred as the pressure crushed down on his consciousness, forcing him out.

Adrian recoiled back in reality, sweat soaking his forehead. He remained seated, unmoving, as his heart thundered wildly against his ribs. It took several seconds before he even realized how fast he was breathing.

Clutching his chest, he asked in a strained voice, "Am I going to die?"

[No, Host. What you are experiencing is a sudden panic response. Your heart rate is elevated, but there is no fatal risk. If the Host remains seated and regulates breathing, the symptoms will subside.]

Adrian followed the instruction.

Slow breaths in. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Long breaths out.

It took nearly five minutes before the violent pounding in his chest finally eased. His muscles loosened, and the fog in his head slowly cleared.

"Haah... that’s not something I ever want to feel again," he muttered, lowering himself onto the wooden floor.

Staring at the ceiling, he let out a weak laugh.

Who would have thought that his very first contact with the Gate would end so badly?

[For optimal training efficiency, the internal structure of the training doll will remain unchanged. The Host will continue attempting to attach threads to the same Gate.]

That information might have sounded reassuring under normal circumstances.

Right now, it felt anything but.

Adrian inhaled deeply once more before asking, "What level of entity did I just assess?"

Different beings possessed different forms of Gates and consciousness. The older and stronger the existence, the harder it became to establish the Fifth Thread.

[The current training doll originates from a two-hundred-year-old existence. Its mana reserves exceed those of Host Annabelle.]

"..."

Adrian closed his eyes.

Damn... that was horrifying.

No wonder the backlash had been so brutal.

Exhaling another deep breath Adrian decided to leave the Time Chamber.

He had used most of his time in reading and experimenting. It was better he gave his mind some much needed rest.

"Transfer." He muttered before his vision shifted and Adrian was met by a familiar face lying there.

He was on his bed, Ariana beside him and Annabelle on the other side.

Ariana hadn’t woken up but her condition had been improving.

Annabelle was simply sleeping soundly.

And Adrian was in the middle.

He stared at Ariana with a soft smile on his face. All the fatigue seemed to have melted just at the sight of these two people.

It had been over a week since the ambush and the academy had been rebuilt in that time thanks to the Tower’s cooperation.

The news of the other academies’ invitation has been circulating in the high ups. Ruby told him that her father also informed her about it through a letter so it wouldn’t be long before the general masses also knew about it.

However, Adrian wasn’t worried about that. All he wanted was to see Ariana opening her eyes.

"How long are you going to make me wait?" He said, tucking a few hair strands behind her ear—only to flinch when her eyes slowly fluttered.

His heart started to beat faster when she slowly parted her eyelids and their eyes met.

But before he could have called her out, Ariana said something that made his mind numb.

"Who...are you?"