Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

Summoning Element Runes had their own unique appeal.

The simple fact that they served as loyal assistants, unconditionally carrying out one’s commands, was enough to help a person overcome hardships.

Their versatile functions were also a refreshing discovery.

A Wind Eagle that could perform reconnaissance and also provide suppressive fire from the air.

A Fire Element spirit that was immune to a significant amount of physical damage.

The shadow summons from the Dark Element Runes were also unique. According to several Rune Masters, the creatures they each summoned from the Netherworld Realm varied, ranging from Shadow Hounds and Ghost Shadow Wolves to Shadow Crows.

It was a bit like opening a blind box.

In terms of Rune Level, some people unlocked a contract slot upon leveling up, allowing them to summon a second Dark Element creature. Others, meanwhile, caused their summons to transform and eventually evolve.

’I see.’

With this official information, Su Chen gained a completely new understanding of his own shadow summoning Rune.

’To be honest, I’m tempted by the Wind Eagle Summoning. I really want an aerial reconnaissance unit, but considering the complicated combination of Wind, Thunder, and Water Elements it requires, I can only push it down my priority list.’

’The control skills are also pretty refreshing.’

There were soft controls and hard controls.

Water + Earth + Wood = Slow Skill

Light + Wind + Earth = Blind

Wood + Wood + Water = Entangle

As the names suggested, their effects were pretty much self-explanatory.

As for Entangle, it was a Fixed Hard Control. Its only drawback was its short casting range, a flaw that had to be improved by leveling up.

’This is somewhat redundant for me. I can already one-shot monsters at close to medium range, so what’s the point of a hard control skill?’

Additionally, quite a few defensive Runes were also revealed.

Earth + Earth + Earth = Earth Armor.

The effects of the Core Rune promoted by the members from the university of science and technology last night were also revealed. The Earth Armor surrounded the user’s body like a suit of plate mail. However, it was affected by the user’s own carry weight and halved their movement speed, turning them into a slow, armor-stacking turtle.

Wood + Metal + Earth = Thorn Armor; Thunder + Light + Fire = Lightning Shield.

The former reflected damage.

The latter produced a paralyzing electrical effect in the immediate vicinity. It was worth noting that this Rune had no friendly-fire toggle; besides the user, any nearby target outside the shield would get shocked.

If a teammate’s positioning was even slightly off, they’d be in for a full course of shock therapy.

It was a build for people who didn’t want any friends.

’The Water Mirror Refraction Rune wasn’t revealed, though.’

After looking into it, Su Chen noted that among the first version of publicly released Rune Formulas, the Water Mirror Refraction Rune and the Shadow Jumping Skill were missing.

’It’s simple enough when you think about it.’

Rune Formulas like three Fire Elements for a Flame Burst or three Dark Elements for a shadow summon—these single-element combinations—were by far the most common.

They were simple, direct, and hassle-free.

Combinations of three different Elements, like the Shadow Jumping Skill which required both Light and Dark Elements, were indeed exceedingly rare.

Given the need for repeated verification and confirmation, such rare formulas might not even make it into the second public release.

’Furthermore, there’s no such thing as the ”strongest” Rune. It all depends on the user’s understanding and affinity.’

’The Flame Burst Rune is so effective in my hands simply because of my throwing technique.’

’The Jingzhe Rune is so exceptional because it leverages my physical conditioning. Plus, since the Elements are nourishing my body, its effectiveness will predictably rise in tandem.’

’Without these crucial factors, the Rune’s effectiveness would be severely diminished.’

...

”Don’t mess with the Jingzhe Rune. Seriously, it made me sick.”

In a large hall within the base shelter, dozens of bamboo mats and bedsheets were spread across the marble floor.

The only breeze came from an industrial fan nearby, while the gasoline generator beside it kept DRONING.

A shirtless young man was complaining bitterly. ”The effect is like using a real Sianwistan, you know, like bullet time. But the side effects are insane. Damn it, use it just once after a full meal, and I guarantee you’ll puke your guts out.”

The crowd listening to the broadcast was skeptical.

Everyone there felt the Jingzhe Rune’s components weren’t complex. There was certainly no shortage of Thunder and Wood Elements around the daytime campsite, so they figured they could gather what they needed quickly.

”Maybe it’s just ’cause you’re a squishy college kid in terrible shape,” someone retorted. ”Looking at that build of yours, I doubt you could even run three kilometers.”

Some people, however, weren’t deterred.

The archers, in particular, immediately recognized how perfectly the Jingzhe effect would suit them, improving their accuracy and feel under a state of extraordinary focus.

”Hey, everyone, don’t just pick whatever looks cool for yourselves!” someone said. ”You’ve all played MOBAs, right? Or at the very least, some old-school MMOs? You get the classic warrior-mage-priest trinity, don’t you?”

On the other side of the room, a small group had launched into a heated discussion.

Several of them had been on night watch, fighting almost until dawn, and had only gone to sleep at 5 a.m. But they had all been woken up for this major announcement.

”He’s right. We should have separate Warriors, Priests, and Mages. The first batch of Rune Formulas alone is enough for us to define our duties.”

Everyone was in deep agreement on this point.

In fact, they felt they should assign these roles with some urgency.

After announcing the first batch of 35 Rune Formulas, the official broadcast had specifically emphasized two concepts: Element affinity and the Magic Slots limitation.

The concept of affinity was already widely known, but the broadcast extended it with a new idea: this hidden stat also seemed to affect an individual’s casting effectiveness and damage output.

However, according to feedback from frontline personnel, its effect on damage was less significant than that of Rune Level.

The Magic Slots were a greater cause for concern, especially given the real-world limitation of Feng Yuanjie being unable to absorb a fifth Rune. This made everyone a bit anxious.

”If everyone just picks whatever is fun for them and ignores the team’s needs, we might not get a chance to fix our composition later on.”

”We should decide right now. Whoever wants to main defensive Runes can be our Warrior tank. Whoever wants to be our Support Element healer, we’ll all pitch in to help them level up their healing Runes as fast as possible.”

However, someone objected. ”Let’s not be so rigid. To be blunt, even with a Lv. 4 defensive Rune, do you really think you could withstand a single swipe from a giant bear? Get real, will you?”

”It’s hard to say,” another person argued. ”Maybe we just haven’t built up our Magic systems properly yet. The broadcast mentioned paying attention to synergies between Runes. If you combo Earth Armor with a Barrier Rune, I’m sure it’d be a completely different story.”

A debate broke out between the two.

The Barrier Rune they were talking about could harden the user’s skin, doubling both their Defense Power and the strength of their shields.

Paired with the Earth Armor Rune, it would indeed be formidable. The synergy might truly create an impenetrable defense.

But one thing was certain.

Reality, after all, was not an online game. Asking a Warrior to stand on the front lines and tank a giant bear taller than a building—setting aside whether it was even possible or if the healer could keep up—the psychological pressure alone would be crushing.

If you died, there were no revival tokens to start over.

Just then, the official broadcast, which was still playing, mentioned another important detail.

Among the Elemental Essences discovered so far, a total of ten types of Elements had been identified: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Ice, Wind, Thunder, Light, and Dark.

If three of these Elements were selected in a specific order, with repetition allowed, there would be exactly 1,000 possible Rune Formulas.

In other words, exactly 1,000 different Rune effects.