Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 58 - 57- Another plan

"Shouldn’t we get going?" Allen asked as he noticed Michael suddenly turning away from the testing hall.

Michael gave a small smile. "I’ll join you in a minute. Need to make a quick trip to the washroom." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

Allen nodded. "Alright, see you there." With that, the black-haired teen walked off toward the test venue where the third round was about to begin.

Michael, however, headed in the opposite direction—toward his room.

The hallway was silent. Not a single student was in sight. Everyone, even the ones who weren’t participating, had already gathered in the resting hall.

No teachers. No Headmasters.

The place felt hollow like it was holding its breath.

Michael hurried into his room and shut the door behind him.

*Clack*

He didn’t bother turning around. Didn’t even take a step toward the bathroom.

Instead, he spoke in a low, cold voice, "I’m disappointed in you all."

From behind, a man in a cloak replied, "The plan had to change. That bald idiot failed to bring Adrian to the spot we needed."

Michael clenched his jaw. "You bet everything on him? That was your plan? Relying on someone that careless?"

The cloaked man frowned. "Yelling won’t fix anything. And don’t act like you’re so important. You’re not exactly making a difference here."

Michael’s fists trembled. His voice cracked with anger. "I told you everything about the schedule. I backed your whole operation. I even gave you classified info on the Warden. I’ve done more than enough—and now you call me useless?"

The man didn’t flinch. His tone stayed calm, detached. "A new plan’s already in place. We’ll begin soon."

Michael folded his arms, trying to keep his emotions in check. "And what’s the new plan?"

"You don’t need to know," the man said as he stood up from the bed. "Just do your part when the time comes. Don’t make a mess of it."

He paused at the window, his voice turning cold. "If we screw this up, we’re all going down together. Don’t forget that." Leaving those words behind he turned into a shadow and escaped through the window.

Michael didn’t respond. Just stared at the floor.

In his mind, though, he scoffed.

Like hell I’ll fall with you all...

°°°°°°°°°

In the same hall where the second round was conducted the students from Aegis and Runebound Academy were gathered.

The seven students were standing on the stage, while the others were seated before them, waiting for the round to begin.

"You actually brought only two Runesmiths by prioritizing the first two rounds, huh?" The headmaster of Aegis asked in a hushed voice.

"Well, it worked." Ariana casually responded.

The man inwardly sighed. In desperation to gain some recognition, she has taken a foolish step.

"Are you still trying to prove to people that you are suited for this job?" He asked.

Ariana’s gaze turned cold but she didn’t turn to look at him as she responded, "I am trying to prove nothing. It was a tactical decision taken based on the necessity." Glancing at him, she added, "I have long lost interest in proving myself. Now, I just simply don’t give a f*ck what others say."

The man sighed...well, that tongue of hers still belonged to a Warden.

On the stage, the announcer, a different one this time, stated the rules,

"All the weapons required are stored in the rack at the back of the stage. You can choose any of them you like but can’t bring more than one at a time. One after another, a subject would be sent to the stage for the students to fine-tune the armaments. You would be provided with the Magic Crystal too. Any other equipment you may need can be arranged."

The students didn’t say anything since they already brought their equipment.

The announcer added, "You would be given an hour to tune as many armaments as you can. You can’t leave the stage at that time nor ask for anyone’s help. Once the time elapses the results would be decided based on the number of armaments tuned and their quality."

"Is there anything you would like to ask?"

No one was on the stage, but off the stage, a certain girl raised her hand.

It was Aries, "Can I go up there to support them? Like bringing weapons and all?"

The announcer’s brows elevated before he nodded, "Surely, you can. You are part of the team, after all."

Aries nodded before she glanced at Sylvie.

The girl was taken aback, "Me too?"

"Well, four hands are better than two. Come on, now." She pulled the Princess to the stage as well.

"Don’t come in the way and just bring the weapons when we ask," Thalia warned them.

Aries gave a crisp salute and pulled Sylvie to the back of the stage.

Once the announcer ensured that everyone was prepared, he nodded toward the officer standing at the side of the stage.

The said officer flipped the hourglass, and the announcer declared, "Begin."

Sylvie and Aries instantly brought a sword and handed them to Hayden and Thalia.

The first two participants were, naturally Allen and Michael.

Thalia exhaled a deep breath as her first test subject had a dual affinity

She handed the crystal orb to Allen and told him, "Feed it your mana."

Allen was already doing so, and soon, the red flaming color replaced the whiteness of the orb.

’The intensity is too much...the Surge runes....’ There are categories, or as many people call it, dialects in runes.

To gain much more efficiency from the armament you must choose the best form of runes suitable for the element

Like for subtle, low-intensity elements, the Whisper Runes works.

For stable and balanced elements, Core Runes are required.

And for intense and slightly imbalanced elements, the Surge Runes are the best.

There are more than three hundred runes in each dialect, and learning them accurately so as not to mix things up is one of the greatest challenges for a Runesmith.

When Thalia observed Professor Adrian enchanting an armament, he blended two and three dialects easily, as if he was just waving his hands and runes were forming automatically.

But she knew it wasn’t the case. It was the years of learning and practicing that allowed him such a seamless tuning.

She couldn’t be him, not anytime soon, but she surely would pour all the knowledge he had provided to make the perfect armament.

’Watch carefully, Professor...I will surely surpass you one day.’

°°°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- I hope the Chapter was understandable. Thanks for reading. Please leave a review to help others.