Chapter 66: Supreme skill from hard work
Chapter 66: Supreme skill from hard work
Zatiel was in his laboratory and was deciding which runes will be the first he will sell to the Empire.
Since the objective was making vast amounts of wealth, he needs them to be those that can be used by most of the Rank 1 and 2 beings, with few restrictions for the user, and that was not present for the moment in the market.
“A.I. Chip, show me the most profitable runes in my memories and make sure that there is at least some notion of them appearing previously in the Magi World. Also, they need to be hard enough to push my abilities as a Rank 1 Runemaster to the limit.”
Zatiel knows that if he started to show some unheard runes, it would raise suspicion since technically, he had never left the world. Still, if they were mentioned in the history, even if it was just some words about them, he could just say that they were found in some ruins or ancient laboratories.
As for the difficulty part, he was going to try to achieve something as he works on these runes, and if they don’t present a challenge, it will not work.
[Bip… going through the runes in the database that fulfill host requests.
Search done…
Displaying runes:
Ecolocalization: High-Rank 1 rune. It allows the user to scan his surroundings by generating a high-frequency sound that will impact on the objects. This rune’s principal function is not the generation of the sound but the interpretation of intensity, time, and frequency according to the spatial position of the object that generates it. Its advantage over the use of the consciousness is that the possibility of the target detecting it is lesser, and the range is higher.
Hunters Mark: Middle-Rank 1 rune. It allows you to put a mark on a target without this one knowing. Your target must be within 10 meters from you to plant the mark. Once marked, you will know the target’s specific position as long they are less than 200 kilometers from you. If it is used on a Rank 2 being, the probability of the target detecting the runes is high due to the unique characteristics of their consciousness.
Magic Shield: Peak-Rank 1 rune. This rune must be charged before it can be used. The charging period takes around an hour for a Master-Rank 1 being and lasts a week. Once charged, this rune can release all the energy saved to generate an invisible barrier of magic force that can withstand between 80 and 100 degrees of damage. Due to the spontaneous and high degree of energy that runs through this rune when activated, it can be recharged post-use between 3 to 5 times before becoming obsolete.]
‘All of those runes will sell pretty well as their uses are plenty, especially the Magic Shield since it is practically another life. Since they will need to buy it more than one time, the profits of it will be very high.
As for the difficulty of these runes, it is high enough that even those genius rank 1 runemaster will find it challenging to create,’ Zatiel was satisfied with these runes. So he went to the podium and used it to buy the necessary material to create them, along with leather from powerful creatures.
The leather will be used to inscribe the runes. He will use special ones, making the decline in the efficiency diminish as much as possible.
Although in Erick’s ring, there were many magic crystals, since it was practically the wealth the Magus gathered during hundreds of years, once he ended up buying the materials, he was almost broke, as the amount he needed to train was immense.
Without wasting time, he heads to his laboratory and prepares to work. But Zatiel did not begin immediately, he meditated during an entire day before starting.
As always, the first part of rune creation was processing the material. Although this was a purely practical task and anyone could do it, it was essential. As the quality of the work will affect the result.
If the job is done mediocrely, you run the risk of creating something without even 50% of the real power. If it was made correctly, then the finished product could be even better than the optimal one described in the diagram.
Zatiel’s work was flawless like always, with excellent precision and never taking one second less or more than the time needed as he processed the material. After a batch of materials was finished, the inscribing began. With the chip’s help, he was able to generate even the smallest part of the runes with almost nanometric precision. His hand moved steady and without stopping even once until the work was done.
When he finished, what was left in front of him was a piece of beast skin with a beautiful glowing rune inscribed on it. It made those who see it feel that the natural energy of the world was dancing around it.
Without a moment of pause, he starts to work on the next rune, with the same amazing abilities. Once a rune was finished, he began immediately with the next one. Every time he did, it took him a little less time, and the finished work was a bit better than the previous one.
What Zatiel was doing was perfecting his abilities as a Rank 1 Runemaster. Since he didn’t have a pressing task and was able to get enough material in his hands for a long session of work, he could finally focus his entire mind on it and try and achieve the Kung Fu of Rank 1 runemaster.
Kung Fu was an ancient word that Zatiel had heard in his first life. It was incorrectly associated with some types of martial arts when, in reality, it was much more profound and covered all kinds of skills. Kung Fu means ‘supreme skill from hard work’. Anyone that has mastered something can have Kung Fu.
As Zatiel worked, the quote from a great sage came to his head.
“Practice. Preparation. Endless repetition. Until your mind is weary, and your bones ache. Until you’re too tired to sweat, too wasted to breathe. That is the way, the only way one acquires kung fu.”
He worked until his vision began to blur due to the exhaustion and his hands shaken, only then he stopped, but didn’t leave, as he just sits to meditate right where he was. After a couple of hours, when he was in peak condition, he took some food from his ring, and after eating it, he started to work again. His action could be resumed into three simple words; start, finish, repeat.
Sophia came from time to time to watch him. But seeing his concentration, she didn’t dare disturb him, waiting for him to meditate before removing the waste that his work created and letting him continue.
Zatiel’s objective was simple, he will achieve Kung Fu of Rank 1 Runemaster, making his path in the future a smooth and powerful one. As he continued, the days started to pass. However, he remained still, not moving from where he was, doing the same thing day after day. Each time he finished one rune, it was more impeccable than the previous one.
On the third day of work, Heinz came to his house to inform him that two members of the Empire had come to establish the business contract. Sophia received and took him to Zatiel. Seeing the focus he was displaying, Heinz did not disturb him and told Sophia to contact him when he finished.
As the runes accumulated, Zaitel reached a point where he entered a trance. His movement started to become automatic without even the need to think, just performing them. It became a natural reaction to his body, just like breathing.
It was on this, the ninth day, that he entered this state, and he achieved the Kung Fu of Rank 1 Runemaster. From this point on, every time he creates a rank 1 rune, the process will become so natural to him that it will be almost instinctive.
Zatiel was so focused on his work that he didn’t realize this and continued inscribing runes. It was only at the end of the tenth day when the materials were finished that he stopped and lay down in the ground to sleep.