Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 532 - 531- Change method

Freshly out of the bath, Adrian heard the question, "How are you feeling now?"

He gave a wry smile as he turned to the silver-haired woman. "I should be asking you that." Shaking his head, he added, "I might have gone a little too far."

Ariana chuckled. "You are overthinking." She lay back on the bed and continued, "I would have stopped you if I didn’t like something."

"Are you sure about that?" Adrian asked. "I believe you sometimes tolerate my... behavior because of your feelings."

Ariana let out a soft sigh. "Isn’t that what being in a relationship means? Tolerating a few things about each other? I am not the only one. I am sure there are things you do not like about me either."

Adrian groaned. "Even so, if there is something you do not like, please tell me. Sometimes I get carried away."

Ariana did not argue further. She nodded. "I understand." She knew what he felt guilty about, but truthfully, she did not mind at all. Still, to avoid circling the same conversation again, she simply agreed.

After a brief pause, as she watched him comb his smooth hair, she spoke again. "You are granted two days of leave starting tomorrow."

Adrian stared at her in shock. "What? But what about—"

"Instructor Grayson is back and in good enough condition to conduct the assessment. Professor Rose was insisting on replacing you, and Rylie even offered to take a double shift once they heard you nearly collapsed."

Adrian blinked in surprise. "Wait... how did you all find out about that?"

Ariana grinned. "Your student informed me. Do not tell her, though. She was quite worried about you."

Adrian sighed. "So Sylvie told you, huh? Well, she helped me back then." Shaking his head, he asked, "But are you sure you can manage without me?"

Ariana nodded. "Yes. You can use the time to create the artifact for Scarlette. And do not dare join Valor for training."

Adrian gave a wry smile. "I have not met him since that day. And do not worry, I am not a masochist who would torture himself both physically and mentally at the same time."

He knew exactly what kind of torment awaited him once he rejoined Valor’s training. Under the current circumstances, when he should be focusing on his studies, that would be an incredibly foolish decision.

Then, in a low voice, Ariana murmured, "There is something we need to talk about."

Adrian hummed lightly. "What is it? Tell me. I am free."

"No, you are not," Ariana replied softly. "Every minute is precious to you, is it not? So do not worry about this. Go on."

Adrian sensed the weight behind her words. Whatever it was, it mattered. It was close to her heart.

Still, he did not press her.

He simply nodded in understanding.

Leaning in, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and whispered, "Take care. I will be back in a moment."

And then, he vanished.

The next instant, he stepped into the Time Chamber and let out a long breath. "I am back, System."

He cracked his knuckles and waited for the usual response.

Silence.

He tilted his head. "System? Aren’t you happy to see me?"

[...The training doll is prepared and ready for use.]

The reply caught him off guard.

Why did it sound as if the System was sulking?

Adrian frowned slightly but chose not to question it. Experience had taught him that pressing further would only lead to deliberate silence.

Instead, he shifted his focus to the task at hand.

He accessed the server and saw that Scarlette had left a message.

[Things look a little better, thanks to your students.]

A faint smile tugged at his lips. He replied,

[I have made some progress. I cannot promise anything yet, but I will return soon.]

She was offline. So was everyone else.

Adrian closed the server window and turned toward the training grounds.

It was time to work.

He sat down before the training doll and drew in a slow breath.

He was still stuck at the phase of mana measurement.

To proceed, he needed to observe the movement of magic through the Gate and record its frequency in the form of a rune. That was the only viable approach.

He could not reduce it to mathematics. No number could truly define how much mana crossed the Gate each second or how much magic was supplied to the body in a single flow.

Mana was constant in presence, yet unique in pattern.

Unlike the human heart, which beats at an average of seventy-two times per minute, a Gate released mana at a rhythm entirely its own. No two individuals shared the same flow.

And just like the heart quickens under strain, the Gate was forced to channel more mana when the body demanded it.

That variability was the real challenge.

If he failed to account for those fluctuations, the subject could harm themselves while using the armament.

Which meant he had to record it precisely.

Not in numbers.

But in a rune capable of adapting to the living rhythm of the Gate.

As he slipped into the doll’s consciousness, pushing past its dull, fragmented memories and descending toward its Gate, Adrian paused.

He needed a moment to assess.

Inside this space, both he and the subject were exposed. If his control wavered even slightly, he could disturb the Gate’s natural rhythm and cause damage that would not easily heal.

Caution here was as vital as breathing.

He steadied himself.

Then he began.

His breathing grew shallow. Mana gathered around him like a thin veil, dense yet calm. His fingers tightened slightly around the small blade in his left hand, its edge resting lightly against his skin, a grounding anchor in case the flow spiraled beyond control.

The mana within the doll was thick.

And steady.

The supply was consistently high, almost pressurized.

He had yet to fully understand what a high baseline output truly implied. Was it a trait of strength? Did powerful individuals require a greater passive supply to sustain expanded mana nodes?

Perhaps the Gate compensated automatically for the capacity of the body.

It was a theory.

One he would need to verify by examining real subjects, not artificial constructs.

For now, he observed.

Listened.

And prepared to carve its rhythm into a rune.

His finger moved with precision.

An inverted ’U’ took shape upon the surface of the armament. The rune glowed faintly at first, a thin shimmer tracing its curve, and then the entire armament surged with mana in a single breath.

The charge was immediate.

Seamless.

This was only a prototype, yet even in its incomplete state, it was far more efficient and far less life-threatening than the unstable construct Clark had created.

There was no violent backlash. No erratic overflow.

Just controlled amplification.

If he were to release this into the market, he would never have to worry about finances again.

But that thought barely lingered.

Money was irrelevant right now.

Precision was not.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

He looked at the single rune on the armament and shook his head, "This isn’t working. Need to change my approach.’ And then, he tore the notes he had written from Avirin’s logs.

Fuck it, he would create his own method.