Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 506: Verdantis Cultivation Ways; Beast Tide

CH506 Verdantis Cultivation Ways; Beast Tide

***

A few hours earlier...

It had been close to a week since Alex and the expanded expedition party left Camp Red Rock. Finally, they were less than a couple of hours away from Dragonstone Oasis.

Over the past few days, one familiar sight had become so common that it no longer drew any attention— Alex reading as they travelled.

What did continue to draw attention—no matter how many times or how long they witnessed it—was Dread’s strange new gait.

Since Alex intended to read during the journey, Dread had altered its movement to better accommodate him. Instead of its usual imposing stride, the nightmare horse adopted a smoother, more flowing gait— something that closely resembled the ambling gait Alex had once heard about from special horse breeds in his previous life.

While this change reduced Dread’s intimidating presence, it made the journey remarkably smooth and stable.

So comfortable, in fact, that Alex felt the scene would be complete with a cup of milk and honey in hand—there would be no risk of spilling a single drop.

Thanks to this, Alex finished Juror’s scripture over the course of the journey. Now, he was reading through the most readily available warrior cultivation theories of Verdantis.

’The process is vastly different from Pangea’s methods,’ Alex thought as his eyes moved across the text.

In Verdantis, what warriors cultivated wasn’t called Internal Energy, but rather Combat Force— and there was a very good reason it was called that.

As the name implied, Combat Force existed solely for combat. It was cultivated with a singular purpose: to increase a fighter’s effectiveness in battle.

Pangea’s warrior cultivation methods, on the other hand, first and foremost a body cultivation method— aa means which sought to elevate the potential of the body itself.

This fundamental difference in philosophy led to a clear divergence in cultivation methodology.

Unlike Pangean techniques, which absorbed mana and dispersed it throughout the body—allowing for a wide variety of customised training paths—Verdantian methods were far more rigid in comparison.

According to the cultivation theory Alex was reading, there existed special apertures within the body.

These apertures were usually dormant. However, by triggering and awakening them in a specific sequence—one that was unique to each cultivation method—and using them to gather and cycle mana through the body, a warrior could temporarily raise their physical strength.

Because this elevated strength was primarily used in battle, the resulting power became known as Combat Force.

Verdantian-style cultivation progressed based on the number of apertures unlocked, regardless of the order in which they were awakened.

This was why all warrior cultivation techniques ultimately produced the same phenomenon: a coloured aura coating the body, denoting the warrior’s current rank.

Alex paused his reading to mull over several points. A spark of inspiration flashed through his mind—an idea he was eager to test.

Alas, he lacked both the time and the foundational knowledge to pursue it right now.

’It’s fascinating how different backgrounds and intentions can give rise to entirely different methods,’ Alex thought, ’yet all of them still converge towards the same end goal.’

He frowned slightly as he flipped back a page.

’Too bad it doesn’t mention the number of apertures or how they correspond to cultivation ranks,’ he mused. ’It’s probably considered common knowledge here... or something everyone learns once they acquire a proper cultivation manual.’

’Should I try to get my hands on one?’ he wondered.

After a moment, Alex shook his head.

’No. Let’s not pile more onto my plate right now. That can wait until I gain control over a territory.’

His eyes narrowed slightly.

’I’ll also see if my crazy idea works. If I’m right... the result should be a boon for both cultivation systems.’

Kreee—! Roar—!

Suddenly, beastly cries echoed across the desert, snapping Alex out of his thoughts.

The book in his hand vanished into a spatial pocket as he looked up sharply in the direction of the sound.

’Straight ahead... from the direction of Dragonstone,’ Alex realised.

Senu surged forward immediately, taking to the skies to scout ahead.

Through their shared link, Alex saw what she saw—

A mass of figures, densely gathered, all surrounding a settlement deep within the desert sands.

”Boss?!”

”Alex?!”

Different voices called out at once as the party turned their attention to him, all wanting to know what was happening.

”Beyond the mountain,” Alex said calmly, his gaze fixed ahead, ”there is a beast horde attacking what appears to be our destination— the Dragonstone Oasis.”

He paused briefly, then continued,

”The town’s defenders are holding back the beast tide, but they could clearly use all the help they can get.”

Alex turned in his saddle and looked over the expedition party.

”So,” he began, ”what say you all? Should we go help them, or—”

”Of course we’re going to slay some beasts.” Kavakan cut in without hesitation. ”I was already dying of boredom.”

Alex didn’t mind the interruption. Instead, he glanced at the others.

Most of them had already reached for their weapons, their expressions eager rather than hesitant.

”It seems I don’t need to ask for consensus,” Alex said with a smile.

”Alright then. Onwards!”

Immediately, the party spurred their horses forward.

They dashed around the tall mountain ahead, and Dragonstone Oasis finally came into view.

The sight made even seasoned warriors draw a sharp breath.

The city was completely surrounded.

Dune wolves prowled in packs, armoured crabs scuttled forward in dense clusters, Sphinxes prowled the outskirts, and massive Dune Crocs thrashed through the sands. Worse still, Deathworms surfaced and vanished repeatedly beneath the desert, leaving trails of upheaved sand in their wake.

Monsters were mixed in among the beasts as well—goblins, lizardmen, snakemen, and even humanoid walking insectoids reminiscent of Pangea’s Mantisari.

The beast tide easily numbered in the thousands.

Even Alex couldn’t help swallowing hard at the sight.

Then, a realisation struck him.

’That explains it,’ he thought grimly.

’Why we didn’t encounter many beasts or bandits on the road. Just like the goblin horde we ran into, the would-be bandits must have collided with other monster groups and been wiped out... or scattered, if they survived at all.’

Alex straightened.

”Gather up,” he ordered through the comms. ”We’re going to punch a line through their flank, then regroup with the defenders outside the walls.”

At once, the formation shifted.

The party rearranged into a modified Triangle Formation.

The orcs and barbarians—led by Kavakan, Mogal, and Havel—took the vanguard. The Fury knights guarded the rear. Alex, Zora, the other spellcasters, and the archers formed the core of the formation.

Udara, as always, remained tightly at Alex’s side as the charge began.

[Fireball]!

[Ice Ball]!

[Ice Jet]!

[Parasitic Weakness]!

[Vigor]!

[Spatial Rend]!

Spell after spell erupted from the spellcaster group. Supported by Senu, the Crossbowmen, and Silver, they opened fire on the flying beasts and monsters, blasting them from the sky and sending their broken bodies crashing down into the tide below.

Mordor unleashed a hex that leapt from beast to beast, its effect compounding with each transfer, weakening its victims more severely the further it spread. At the same time, Eleanore empowered the melee fighters with layered buffs as they closed in on the beast tide.

BOOM!

The invigorated orcs and barbarians erupted into a frenzy, tearing into the flank of the beast tide and carving out a brutal, diagonal path through the mass of creatures.

Wide-area spells followed in quick succession. The spellcasters targeted the ground and surrounding clusters, tripping and slowing beasts en masse. This disruption triggered chaotic stampedes within the tide itself, crushing weaker creatures underfoot as the melee group surged forward, cutting down anything that stood in their way.

Soon, they reached the frontline near the town gates, where the main battle was raging.

The defenders had formed a solid tank wall, halting the beast charge head-on. Behind the shield line, other defenders struck with precision, turning the clash into a relentless human–beast grinder.

It was here that the expedition party witnessed a Verdantian sorcerer in action for the first time.

Alex’s pupils widened as he watched the sorcerer form hand seals in a rapid, fluid sequence. The man then thrust his hands forward.

A densely packed spell formation composed of Sigils—far more complex than anything Alex had seen so far—formed before him. From it, a massive, fiery bull’s head burst forth.

Boom!

The blazing construct tore through an entire line of beasts before detonating violently, sending bodies flying in all directions.

Another sorcerer stepped forward, forming a different set of hand seals. This time, a colossal hand of condensed mana slammed down into the heart of the beast horde, crushing everything beneath it.

’As I suspected,’ Alex thought, his gaze sharp as he observed the spellcraft.

He was impressed... and yet, not entirely.

The artistic nature of Verdantian spellcasting allowed for additional functionality and flexibility, which was undeniably effective. However, it also wasted an enormous amount of energy.

’Architect methods versus Engineer methods, huh...’

Alex’s eyes gleamed as the thought took root.

***