Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 68 - 67- Triggered(2)

Adrian hasn’t even reached half of the book regarding the Third Thread. He wasn’t getting much time recently and the Third Thread is a vast Chapter in the book of Runesmithing. So he was taking it steadily.

However, the situation has pushed him to the point where he had to use his half-learned knowledge to build a third-grade armament for the man.

What was on Adrian’s mind when he agreed? Well, this was an opportunity to escape from this place.

He is planning to ruin Munrow’s head, and while the others panic to help him, he will try to escape.

Not the safest plan, but at least there was some hope.

"Okay then, close your eyes and think about nothing," Adrian instructed as he kept his right hand over his head.

Munrow hummed and kept his eyes closed. He was aware of what the runesmiths do to build a third-grade, but Adrian wasn’t following the same procedure.

Munrow didn’t question him since, after observing the guy during these few minutes, he had discerned that his methods were unique and unnatural, but they produced far better results.

After a few minutes of steady breathing, Adrian finally pressed his middle and index fingers against Munrow’s forehead. A soft glow pulsed through his fingertips as he began the process of entering the man’s mind.

’Damn it...’ he clenched his teeth. This was his first time fully stepping into someone’s consciousness—and he was doing it by the book.

Unlike before, where he would tweak the technique to match his instincts and flow, this time he was following the manual to the letter. And that made it dangerous.

To dwell inside someone’s mind, the Runesmith has to send thin, steady waves of mana through the subject’s internal pathways—following the natural mana streams—all the way to the core.

In humans, the mana core isn’t some ball of light in the chest. It’s the brain.

Every mana pore and vein flow to and from the brain. It is the true command center—not just for thoughts and reflexes, but for magic itself.

The risk at this stage was critical: if Adrian lost control of his mana—if even a single wave pulsed too sharply or out of rhythm—the subject’s mind would reject the intrusion. That could cause a shock. How much of a shock? Adrian wasn’t sure. The book didn’t say, and he wasn’t about to find out the hard way.

So instead of pushing forward recklessly, he first let his mana softly wrap around the brain, like fingers gently closing around a glass orb.

’It worked...’ Adrian’s breath hitched in amazement. He had done it—he had resonated with Munrow’s mana.

Mana resonance wasn’t just about syncing flows. It was alignment on a deeper level—a shared rhythm between caster and subject. And with it, Adrian gained access to the inner space of Munrow’s mind.

His eyes remained shut, but in his mind’s view, he could see it.

The glowing center of thought and magic: a radiant, pulsating brain made of light and flow, crisscrossed by thousands of glowing veins. Each vein carried both memory and mana, weaving through like threads of living data.

And now came the next step: establishing an anchor.

To safely explore the subject’s memories, Adrian needed to latch onto one—a solid memory with emotional weight. That anchor would allow him to stay rooted while navigating the chaos of Munrow’s mental landscape.

But that’s where the trouble began.

’I... I can’t focus...’

Each time he tried to move closer, the memories hit him like a storm. Dozens—no, hundreds—of images and emotions blurred past him at once, each too fast to grasp. It was like watching a movie on fast-forward—no sound, no pause, just an endless stream of flickering moments.

And the worst part? He wasn’t watching with his eyes. This was pure magic—his mind absorbing raw experience. The result was dizzying, overwhelming, like being swallowed by a flood of emotion and light.

He floated in that rush, unable to grab hold of anything, until—

’I need something steady... something strong enough to hold onto...’

He braced himself. One memory. That’s all he needed. One anchor to pull himself from the storm.

And he finally got it.

A memory.

Something related to his childhood.

Adrian frowned in his daze as he finally rested his eyes on the scenery in front.

Adrian was watching things from Munrow’s perspective and he could tell in an instant that he was currently tied to something and was trying to break free.

He was crying aloud, flailing and thrashing but he couldn’t break free.

’...ah!’ Adrian was startled to see the cause of such aggression.

On the floor was lying a dead man who looked quite similar to the grown-up Munrow...and on the bed...three men...with...his mother’s dead body...

"Ahhhhhh!"

Suddenly, Munrow screamed, and Adrian’s connection was severed.

*Ting*

Heavy headache assaulted him as Adrian staggered back while holding his head.

Munrow got up from the platform, tears of rage in his eyes as he shouted, "What did you see?!"

Adrian raised his hand, feeling his consciousness nearly slipping away as he said, "Listen...it was a part of the procedure-"

"Do hell with your procedure!" He swung his axe and a deep crack started to form on the floor.

Adrian found his mind slipping away and the sense of panic rising.

"You...you shouldn’t have seen that..." Munrow growled, his aura flaring.

Adrian took a strong gulp. He knew he had messed up a big time, and Munrow was going to kill him.

However, just as Munrow raised his axe, intending to rip the Runesmith into two, the system suddenly dinged.

[Host’s life appears to be under threat.]

[Emergency evacuation initiated!]

Adrian’s vision slipped as he suddenly found himself surrounded by familiar walls.

He was in the time chamber.

*Thud*

Falling on the ground he slowly closed his eyes and a thought clouded his mind,

’How am I going to deal with him once I get out...’

°°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Damn...villains aren’t born. Drop a comment.