Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 827: Blinding Lighthouse

Adam sat on a nearby boulder and jotted down everything related to the mana-gathering runic formation.

It took him nearly half a dozen parchments to write all that was necessary before handing them to the elderly Magus.

”There you go, my lord.” Adam politely presented the rolled parchments with both hands. ”These contain all the important points one needs to take into consideration while laying down the formation.”

Of course, he didnʼt write everything down to the tiniest details, hoping that the one who did read these parchments later would, at the very least, have the fundamentals of rune magic within grasp.

The elderly Magus waved his hand, and the parchments in Adamʼs grasp disappeared.

Then, he gave the youth a slight nod before once again completely concealing his presence, leaving behind his parting words, ”We shall talk once you have finished laying down the formation.”

With that said, he disappeared.

That is really such a fascinating spell, Adam marveled.

Concealing oneʼs presence not by slipping into shadows or bending light around them, but completely sealing it.

Truly, a splendid form of magic!

Adam remained standing for a few moments, amazed by the intricacies of the elderly Magusʼs spell.

For a brief moment, he regretted not having asked the man about that particular spell.

He shook his head and let out a light chuckle, ”Didnʼt even introduce himself. A recluse, indeed.”

The youth walked toward the second area he had designated as an anchor point, humming a merry whistle.

This time, he had gotten his hands on the founderʼs journals and books on ritual magic quite easily.

Both of these things would help him prepare for his eventual journey to the depths of the universe.

So, it would be an understatement to say that Adam was in a very happy mood.

…

Just like that, another month passed by with nothing uneventful happening.

Thoughout the entire time, the elderly Magus had never once made himself known. As for Berger, he still remained deep inside the cave, dilgently practicing mindfulness to breakthrough to the Mana Core Rank.

Adam was now on the verge of completing the fourth ring of the mana-gathering runic formation, known as the core of the convergence.

The floor of the cave at the summit was carved with complex and intricate runes. Five Grade 4 magical ingredients representing the five fundamental elements of nature were placed alongside the walls, with even more complex symbols carved around them.

Dozens of grade 3 magical ingredients were scattered across the floor. From a cursory glance, they appeared to be haphazardly strewn around, but to the trained eye, they were placed strategically, each serving a purpose.

Finally, right above the towering stone doors, Adam had set the hexagonal focus crystal in place. Additionally, he had also carved a binding triangle, encompassing the two doors.

He didnʼt want to get any closer to Berger, afraid he might disturb him at a critical juncture.

The binding triangle was carved with the trinity of complex runes—unity, anchor, and storage—that would ensure the mana gathered from the surroundings beyond the mountain convereged towards the cave, more specifically the area behind the stone doors.

”Alright!” Adam rose to his feet, dusting his hands after finally having carved the last of the runes on the floor of the cave.

”It is finally complete.”

He looked at the walls and ceiling of the cave, marveling at the intricacies of the runes he had carved.

But this was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. A large portion of the land on the mountain, as well as the nearby vicinity, had been methodically inscribed with runes by him in the past month.

Truth be told, it was quite a feat to set up this large-scale runic formation that spanned the entire mountain in little more than a month.

Other Runesmiths would have probably taken thrice the time to deliver the final product, and even then, it would not have been as good as Adamʼs work.

It had to be said, even without the memories of the experts from the Greater Universe, Adamʼs talent in rune magic was truly exemplary.

Perhaps, it was even greater than his talent for herbalism!

The youth walked to the entrance of the cave, where Valerian, Blackie, and even the elderly Magus, who had arrived at some point, were standing.

The black wolfʼs eyes flashed with anticipation as he gazed at the circular disk in Adamʼs hand. ”Is that the method of activation?”

”Yes.” Adam nodded. ”This disk serves only two functions - activating and deactivating the grand runic formation.”

He crouched on the ground, placing the disk before the wolf. ”Inject your mana into it. Iʼll make it so that the disk only responds to your mana signature.”

Although it would have been far more convenient for Adam to give the disk to the elderly Magus, he refused to do so.

After all, he had only just met the man. He didnʼt trust him at all.

Blackie did as told and injected his mana into the disk, a process that took almost thirty minutes.

After all the preparations were complete, Adam grabbed the disk and made a few more minor adjustments before giving it back to Blackie.

He revealed a grin as he stated, ”Go ahead. Activate it.”

Blackie did not waste a single second and pressed his paw to the disk, injecting mana into it.

A few seconds passed, but nothing happened.

And then it did…

RUMBLE!

One by one, all the esoteric runes on the mountain lit up one after another, radiating a brilliant light.

Thankfully, it was midday, otherwise the mountain they stood on would have turned into a blinding lighthouse in the midst of the chaotic, monster-infested sea known as the Murky Mountains.

First, it was the outermost ring, the net of absorption, that came to life. Within a few minutes, it started to draw in the abundant mana in the surroundings.

Then, the elemental filtration array was activated. One by one, the five anchor points began filtering the mana by their respective elemental type—fire, water, air, earth, and wood.

The tight loops and spirals in the next ring, the circuit of compression, began channeling the filtered mana into tighter and denser currents.

The mana from the surroundings moved along the spiral grooves and raced towards the peak of the mountain, the runes etched all over glowing brighter and brighter with each passing second as it approached the core.

A powerful gust of wind brimming with mana blew by the entrance of the cave, leaving all who stood there in a stunned daze.

Even Adam did not think that the effects of the runic formation would be this potent!

Finally, the innermost ring, the core of the convergence, was activated, and the binding triangle inscribed around the towering stone doors flashed with brilliance.

The elderly Magus, who always had a stoic expression on his face, revealed a look of visible shock.

When he felt the dense mana around him, he was truly astounded.

While Adam, Blackie, and Valerian celebrated the succesful activation of the mana-gathering runic formation, a single word of praise escaped the elderly manʼs lips.

”Marvelous.”