Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 619: Chains of Unyielding II

619 Ray Mistero

*****

CH619 Chains of Unyielding II

***

Click!

”Exactly.” Alex snapped his fingers. ”That’s a good way to put it.”

He continued,

”In practice, the Rune Tattoo will suppress your strength down to roughly the Intermediate rank.”

”But when you release the stored energy... you’ll have the potential to one-shot a Veteran rank opponent.”

Mogal stared at the projected Rune Tattoo.

He was... tempted.

But at the same time, It felt slightly underwhelming.

Almost instinctively, he shook his head.

He was about to voice his thoughts—

But Alex spoke first.

”However, that’s only a side effect,” Alex said calmly. ”As I mentioned, the true purpose of this Rune Tattoo lies in its suppression.”

Mogal frowned.

”Please, explain.”

Alex nodded.

”From what I’ve observed of your tempering method... Life Essence isn’t produced solely through physical exertion.”

”There’s also a mental component.”

”Or more precisely—Willpower.”

Mogal nodded in agreement.

”The method strains not just the body, but the mind as well.”

”To extract Life Essence, one must continue pushing beyond exhaustion. This requires immense will.”

”The Rune Tattoo amplifies that burden,” Alex cut in.

Mogal’s eyes narrowed slightly.

”As I said, the Chains of Unyielding restrict your output to roughly thirty percent. But that doesn’t mean your body itself becomes weaker.”

He tapped lightly on the projection again.

”Think of it this way— your body still possesses its full strength. The tattoo simply prevents you from accessing more than thirty percent of it.”

Alex leaned forward slightly.

”Under normal circumstances, now that you’ve reached the Elite rank, you would need significantly more effort to push your body to its limit.”

”To reach the threshold where your willpower forces out Life Essence.”

He paused.

”But with the Chains of Unyielding... you’ll reach that threshold much faster. It forces your body to hit its limits sooner.”

”That is the Chain aspect of its name.”

Mogal’s expression grew more focused.

Alex continued.

”In addition, the tattoo includes a mental component. It intensifies your perception of exhaustion.”

”You will feel the strain more acutely. Which means pushing past it will require even greater willpower.”

He met Mogal’s gaze directly.

”Not just strong will... But a will that is—”

”Unyielding,” Mogal finished.

”Exactly,” Alex nodded.

A brief silence followed.

Then—

”But that’s not all.”

”The Chains of Unyielding has one more effect.”

”The Rune Tattoo is able to suppress your body’s output the way I described because it is directly embedded into your energy circulation system,” Alex explained.

”It doesn’t just sit on your body—it interacts with it, giving it influence over your energy flow. This is key.

”Not only does it enforce the suppression of your output, it also grants the tattoo a degree of control over how your energy circulates.”

”And because of that, I was able to implement what I consider its most important function.”

Mogal’s focus sharpened.

”The Chains of Unyielding can systematically target individual parts of your body for enhancement— down to the level of individual muscle fibres.”

Mogal’s eyes widened slightly.

”That means it can ensure uniform development across your entire physique— based on your overall growth.”

Alex paused briefly.

”No matter how rigorous training is, there will always be inconsistencies. Even within the same muscle group, some fibres will develop more than others.”

”For ordinary people, that doesn’t matter much. But for someone like you—someone who walks the path of physical perfection, it becomes a flaw.”

”Perhaps even a fatal weakness.”

Mogal remained silent, but his expression grew more serious.

”With this function,” Alex continued, ”the Chains of Unyielding eliminates that flaw.”

”It ensures balanced, harmonious development across all muscle groups.”

Alex’s gaze deepened slightly.

’That’s not even its greatest effect.’ He thought.

What he didn’t say aloud, was that this function quietly embedded something far more profound.

The foundation of Heavenly Venerable’s Heaven–Earth–Man philosophy.

By accepting the Chains of Unyielding, Mogal was effectively granting the tattoo access to all of his internal systems—

His Internal Energy, his Will, his Intent... All of it.

And through that access, the Rune Tattoo would continuously temper his body.

Refining not just his muscles, but the flesh surrounding them.

A complete, integrated evolution.

’At the very least, this should push his physique to the stage of ”Bearing the Burden of Man,”’ Alex thought. ’which is equivalent to the Crimson and Bronze glow stages in Heavenly Venerable’s physique tempering system.’

’As for the later stages—the Weight of Earth and the Will of Heaven— there’s still need for improvements in the design.’

’Future upgrades, or additional Rune Tattoos to expand to set, can be introduced.’

Alex exhaled quietly.

He chose not to voice these thoughts.

His explanation was already bordering on overwhelming.

Better to let Mogal experience the results himself, and understand them in time.

”So,” Alex said, looking between them, ”what do you think?”

”Are you willing to bear the burden of these Rune Tattoos?”

”Burdens?” Mogal shook his head. ”They’re gifts, leader.”

”I gladly accept.”

”As do I,” Kavakan added without hesitation.

”Excellent.” Alex smiled.

”Time is of the essence. We’ll begin immediately.”

He gestured towards a familiar setup— a specialised tattoo chair he had retrieved from the Sanctuary space.

The necessary materials were already laid out neatly beside it, along with one particularly noticeable item.

A gag.

Mogal and Kavakan slowly turned back to Alex, their expressions turning strange.

Alex shrugged casually.

”You’re free not to use it.”

Then, his lips curved into a dark, amused smile.

”But trust me... you’re going to want it.”

”The process is going to be extremely painful. And that’s me putting it lightly.”

The issue lay with one of the Verdantian materials required for the Rune Tattoo ink.

It reacted poorly with the anaesthetic Eleanore had developed for the procedure.

While alternatives existed, they were both rare and prohibitively expensive.

Not worth the cost.

’Besides... they’re grown men,’ Alex thought, a faintly wicked smile forming.

’They can handle a little pain.’

—

For the next few days, groans of agony echoed throughout the mansion.

More than once, the other residents felt chills run down their spines at the sound.

—

When it was finally over, Mogal and Kavakan emerged bearing their new tattoos— both striking and intimidating.

One of the advantages brought by integrating Sigil nature into Rune-Tech was the ability to define the aesthetic form of Rune Tattoos after their functional design was complete.

OmniRune handled the translation, converting complex runic formations into the intended visual forms.

For Kavakan—

The Mark of Slaughter manifested as a massive tiger head tattoo sprawled across his entire back—occupying his two largest rune slots.

For Mogal—

The Chains of Unyielding took the form of traditional Dravo markings, wrapping around his forearms and his neck, occupying three slots.

Kavakan was visibly pleased.

Mogal, however, frowned slightly.

To him, the tattoos felt like chains.

—

With the tattoos successfully inscribed, Alex finally brought his long seclusion to an end.

For the first time in three months, he stepped out of the mansion.

***