Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 62: Heavenroot Nectar

CH62 Heavenroot Nectar

***

Alex and Zora exchanged soft smiles.

It was clear they had so much to say to each other... yet neither knew where to begin.

Thankfully, those quiet, genuine smiles conveyed more than words ever could.

”Cough!”

Merlin cleared his throat, dragging the two out of their little world.

Zora jolted away from Alex, cheeks flushing faintly.

”I’m back, Master,” Alex said shamelessly, turning to Merlin.

The old man’s long beard twitched, but he simply gave a calm nod.

”It looks like you’ve undergone some interesting changes,” Merlin said, his aged gaze piercing through Alex as though seeing into his very soul.

Alex nodded. ”Indeed, Master.”

”Wait—Alex, your rank...?!” Zora’s eyes widened as she finally noticed it.

The mana pressure around him had dropped significantly.

”Are you injured?” she asked, voice laced with concern.

Only a serious internal injury could cause such a drastic reduction in mana pressure—or so she thought.

”There’s nothing wrong with me,” Alex replied. ”The drop in my rank is actually the result of a fortunate event.”

Zora raised a sceptical eyebrow.

”You completed them? Which one?” Merlin asked, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

”Both. I now have the Extreme Mana Capacity and Elemental Affinity Enhancement talents,” Alex revealed calmly.

He turned slightly to Zora and added, ”The increased capacity of my Mana Heart, along with the greater purity of my Astral Energy, are the reasons why my mana pressure and apparent rank dropped. But my actual mana reserves haven’t decreased.”

He took a moment to explain further, aware that the drop might still seem concerning.

”A mage’s rank is typically inferred by the mana pressure they exude—essentially a reflection of how full their Mana Heart is.”

He held up a hand and began to count off:

”Less than 30% filled is Early-stage.

30–60% is Mid-stage.

60–90% is Late-stage.

And anything above 90% is considered Peak-stage.”

He gestured toward his chest.

”Since my Mana Heart’s capacity has grown dramatically, my mana now fills less of it. That alone would’ve lowered my apparent rank from Peak to late-stage, even if my actual mana pool stayed the same.”

He added, ”And the increased purity of my mana—making it denser and more refined—means it takes up even less space. So my mana pressure dropped even further.”

”In truth,” he concluded, ”my strength hasn’t fallen. I just appear weaker. With some time in deep meditation, I could easily refill the Mana Heart and rise back up.”

Only then did Zora finally relax, the tension in her shoulders easing.

Merlin, satisfied, exhaled a breath of mana as he deconstructed the Subspace’s portal gate. Then, with a casual wave of his hand, he conjured a set of smooth stone seats from the earth.

”Let’s sit,” he said. ”I imagine you have a lot to tell us.”

”I do,” Alex nodded. ”A lot to tell... and a lot to show.”

The three took their seats, and Alex began recounting his journey within the Subspace.

Initially, he had planned to gloss over the minor details and skip straight to the highlights.

But Merlin wouldn’t allow it.

The old man insisted he speak in full detail—and kept interrupting at key moments to nitpick Alex’s choices or draw out the lessons from his experiences.

It was mildly annoying at first—especially since Alex had just gotten into his storytelling rhythm—but Merlin always added some profound food for thought. Slowly, Alex began appreciating the interruptions for the learning opportunities they were.

Because Alex was being so thorough, the storytelling took hours.

Eventually, Zora had to go prepare food and bring it out to them.

After finally tasting a hearty, home-cooked meal—so much better than the dried jerky and roasted game he’d been surviving on for three weeks—Alex’s mood visibly brightened.

At last, he arrived at the main part of his journey.

”...Waiting until the beasts were fully focused on fighting over the Class 3 beast cores, I slipped into the lair of the Overlord Sunscaled Serpent...”

Alex continued his tale, describing the process of locating the mysterious liquid—and more importantly, how he had recognised it.

”I remembered reading about Stalagmite Milk in a novel during my childhood... well, before I came to the Enclave. It was said to be a miracle liquid that dripped from stalagmites in caves near highly energy-dense areas, capable of tempering the body. That description stuck with me for years.”

He shrugged slightly.

”So when I arrived at the Enclave, I tried looking it up—searched through lists of miraculous substances and materials—but found nothing. I thought maybe it was fictional. Then, imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon the real thing.”

He sighed.

”Unfortunately, the stalagmite milk can’t be taken away from its point of origin. If I could have, I would’ve brought back a sample.”

”Master, do you know what this ’stalagmite milk’ actually is?” Alex asked, turning to Merlin.

The old man tugged thoughtfully at his beard.

”Your description... it sounds remarkably similar to Heavenroot Nectar.”

”Is it valuable?” Alex asked.

Merlin gave him a sidelong glance. ”In enough quantity, it can even temper the body of an Ancient Dragon. You tell me—what do you think?”

”...Right.” Alex chuckled sheepishly. ”Well, there wasn’t nearly that much. Certainly not enough for a dragon.”

Zora leaned forward. ”You said it tempered your physique?”

”Not just my physique,” Alex replied, shaking his head. ”It refined my mana vessels and tempered my Mana Heart by reinforcing my actual heart. It even affected my Mindspace by tempering my brain. And... my bloodlines—both of them—were pushed so close to awakening a True Name. All that remained was a final trigger.”

Merlin’s expression grew solemn. ”Then there’s no doubt. It was Heavenroot Nectar. That substance doesn’t just nourish—it elevates talent at the most intrinsic level. At the foundation of what you are.”

He paused, eyes narrowing slightly as he examined Alex with suspicion.

’Was I right about the hand of fate being involved?’ Merlin wondered. ’For him to stumble upon something even Epic-ranked mages would kill for... in a mere Class 3-limit Subspace? Impossible... or inevitable?’

***