Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 611: Future Possibilities

CH611 Future Possibilities

***

Once the fighting died down, Alex finally had the chance to properly assess his beast companions.

Senu, at first glance, didn’t appear to have undergone any major visible changes. At most, her size had increased slightly— but not enough to make a significant difference from before.

However, her mana told a completely different story.

Her Light, Darkness, and Space elemental mana were in the process of fusing into an entirely new elemental nature.

Alex wasn’t certain what this fusion would ultimately produce, but one thing was clear— her potential had risen dramatically.

He was confident that reaching Class 6 was now all but guaranteed. Even Class 7 was no longer out of reach.

Perhaps even Class 8...

With the right resources and opportunities, of course.

Something similar had occurred with Fen—only in his case, the fusion had already been completed, likely as a reward from the Anima trial.

His once snow-white fur had taken on a pale ash-like coating.

During the battle, Alex had observed that Fen could now wield both Ice and Fire in this new form. In addition, he had also gained access to some Nature-based abilities— albeit to a limited extent.

His life force had grown significantly stronger, and his presence had deepened.

Even the ’weight’ of Fen’s soul within their mental link had increased noticeably.

All signs pointed to a substantial enhancement in his innate talent.

And that alone brought Alex immense satisfaction.

Finally, there was Dread.

The Nightmare steed had grown even darker in hue, its frame taller, more muscular, and far more imposing— even by Nightmare standards.

It was no longer far from rivaling Jared’s Terror in sheer presence.

The dark flames that once burned constantly at its hooves could now be toggled at will.

Though, as of now, Alex didn’t fully understand the implications of that change.

All things considered, it was clear that whatever the Dragon Emperor’s phantom had bestowed upon them, it wasn’t a direct increase in strength...

But rather, a profound elevation in their potential.

And that was something Alex valued far more.

Of course, whether they would ultimately live up to that potential... that was an entirely different matter.

’As long as we’re alive,’ Alex thought, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, ’they’ll reach it... whether they like it or not.’

Dread, Fen, and Senu instinctively shuddered.

They glanced around, searching for the source of the sudden chill— but found nothing.

Exchanging confused looks, they eventually went their separate ways now that the battle had concluded.

Watching them, Alex could only sigh inwardly, lamenting his questionable conduct as a Beast Master while simultaneously appreciating his companions’... independence.

-

The Fortuna party moved swiftly, clearing the battlefield and piling the corpses into a single heap.

Without ceremony, Alex flicked a splinter of AetherKindle’s flame onto the pile, setting it ablaze.

The flame burned cleanly.

AetherKindle ensured that no contaminants—especially the berserk property—were released during the process.

As the group stood watching the fire consume the remains, Alex’s wives approached him.

”Your Rune-Tech seems stronger now,” Zora remarked with a playful smile. ”Look at you, overcasting left and right.”

”It’s mostly thanks to my Mana Capacity talent,” Alex replied. ”OmniRune wouldn’t be able to handle that level of casting without a sufficiently large reserve to support it.”

Eleanore tilted her head slightly.

”How did you restore your Rune-Tech?” she asked. ”Did you obtain the knowledge you needed from your last two trials?”

”No... not exactly,” Alex said.

He then proceeded to recount everything— from the end of his Heaven Secret trial to his discussion with One Heaven, and finally the creation of the spell that resolved his Rune-Tech limitations.

”What? You sacrificed your spellcasting?” Zora froze, then shot him a sharp glare. ”Alex Fury, we leave you alone for a few minutes and you go completely insane. Why can’t you ever make a normal decision?”

Her tone carried exasperation.

At this point, she didn’t even have the energy to properly scold him.

”This is a permanent solution,” Alex argued calmly. ”It resolves the fundamental flaw of my Class and Path.”

”And how many planes do you think you’re going to visit in your lifetime?” she shot back. ”Do you really think it’s worth giving up your spellcasting for that?”

”Yes,” Alex answered without hesitation.

”I’m not a conventional mage—I’m a Rune Master. My entire Class revolves around runes. Unless I die or somehow fail to return to Pangea, I will inevitably travel across multiple planes. And when I do, this same problem will arise again.”

He met her gaze steadily.

”And what if I arrive at a plane where I can’t access the knowledge needed to fix my Rune-Tech platform?”

He shook his head.

”Rather than gambling on solving the problem repeatedly, I’d rather eliminate it entirely with a universal solution.”

”Besides,” he added, ”as you’ve already seen— although I’ve given up my ability to cast spells, I can still cast them just as effectively... if not better.”

”But you’re relying on something external,” Zora countered. ”What happens if you’re in a situation where it can’t cast for you?”

”OmniRune isn’t external,” Alex replied evenly. ”It exists within my Mindspace. It is the truest representation of my power as a Rune Master.”

”And by that logic, I could say the same about conventional casting. There are environments and opponents that can suppress or disable spellcasting entirely— anti-mages exist for a reason.”

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

”In those situations, with the right upgrades, OmniRune might actually be the only way to bypass such restrictions.”

”Zora, this is my path,” Alex said solemnly. ”I intend to walk it to the very end. And from my perspective, sacrificing my spellcasting ability is an acceptable price if it ensures that my entire Rune-Tech platform remains functional— regardless of whatever plane or Heavenly law I find myself under.”

He paused briefly before continuing.

”Anyways, I was never an exceptional mage to begin with— just above average at best. Rune-Tech is what truly sets me apart. Giving up what I’m merely good at for what I excel at... is a fair trade.”

Zora stared at him silently, her gaze searching his expression as if trying to uncover something deeper.

”Besides, Zora,” Alex added, his tone steady, ”this might actually make it easier for me to deal with your bloodline issue— permanently.”

Eleanore’s eyes sharpened.

”What do you mean?” she asked.

”Since the spell allows me to comprehend the magical glyph systems of different planes,” Alex explained, ”and Zora’s Nirvana Markings are, in theory, a form of magical glyph... there’s a possibility I could obtain the knowledge needed to resolve it.”

He paused briefly before adding, more quietly,

”That is... if we find the right plane.”

Eleanore frowned slightly.

”What do you mean by the ’right plane’? Wouldn’t that be Pangea?”

Realisation dawned on Zora almost instantly.

”Oh... I see,” she murmured.

”My Nirvana Markings originate from my atavism —tracing my bloodline back to my ancestor... the progenitor of my family— the Ice Phoenix.”

She turned to Alex.

”Ice Phoenixes aren’t native to Pangea. So even if your theory is correct —that Nirvana Markings function as a form of magical glyph similar to runes— then they wouldn’t belong to Pangea’s system... but to another plane entirely.”

”Exactly,” Alex nodded. ”But if we can locate and travel to the Ice Phoenix’s plane... then it might be possible.”

The mood changed.

A flicker of excitement appeared among the women.

But almost immediately—

Alex raised a hand.

”Don’t get ahead of yourselves,” he cautioned.

”This is only a future possibility.”

”For now, I likely don’t have the capability to achieve that.”

”The spell scales the knowledge it grants according to my current level— which is roughly peak Tier III to early Tier IV.”

He looked at Zora.

”I suspect the Nirvana Markings require a much higher tier of understanding.”

”After all, they originate from an external plane... yet remain functional both in Pangea and here in Verdantis.”

His eyes narrowed slightly in thought.

”Considering that runes failed to function here —even though Pangea is arguably a stronger plane— it suggests that the origin plane of the Ice Phoenix or the magical glyph of the Nirvana marking itself may be on an entirely different level.

”I will need a higher level to get it to work.”

He exhaled.

”Still... this is a far clearer path than anything we’ve had before, and that alone makes it worth pursuing.”

”Do you understand my decision now?”

”Fine,” Zora sighed.

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand his reasoning.

She was simply worried that he was committing too deeply to a single path... too quickly.

’Then again... that’s exactly what it means to choose a class,’ she thought inwardly, letting out a quiet sigh.

Eleanore and Udara both released subtle breaths of relief as the tension dissipated before it could escalate further.

Seizing the moment, Eleanore spoke.

”With your Rune-Tech restored, does that mean you can now replicate the Interplanar formation needed to return us to Pangea?”

”Yes,” Alex nodded. ”OmniRune has already begun working on it. However, since the knowledge I acquired is currently limited to early Tier IV at best, the process isn’t as straightforward as I’d like.”

”I’ll need to personally step in at certain stages,” he continued. ”There are translation complexities that will require some creative workarounds.”

The formation embedded within the Interplanar Orb was, after all, a high-tier Grand Formation.

That was precisely why the orb existed in the first place—

To bypass the need for a high-tier Array Master to construct it.

Unfortunately, for Alex and his party, this also meant that OmniRune —currently limited to lower Tier IV Sigil knowledge— could not be fully trusted to autonomously translate and emulate the formation into a Rune-Tech-compatible equivalent.

There was a significant chance that certain components would fall outside its current processing capability.

After all, no matter how advanced OmniRune was, it could only operate within the limits of the data it possessed.

Which meant Alex would need to intervene— at times supervising... and at others, handling the more complex aspects himself.

Eleanore nodded, both understanding and reassured.

The metaphorical storm looming over them had lightened considerably.

”What is your plan for this plane now, Master?” Udara asked.

***