Fire Mage

If those potions really existed, other Legend-ranked powerhouses would've reached the Arch-Mage realm long ago, he thought.

Still, his main concern wasn't his primary class, but his subclass.

Even though I have the Trickster Class Gem, I haven't reached the peak stage. Aside from the Eye of Faceless skill, both [Hands of Wonder] and [Cloning] are still below threshold.

"Zera," he called out.

An illusory elven woman materialized before him and bowed respectfully.

"Did you call, Master?"

"Did you complete the weapon I asked for using the Nullify Stone?" Charles asked.

"Yes, Master. Master Runeth crafted the boomerang a year ago with the help of a master blacksmith and stored it in the Tower's treasury."

Oh? I have Grace as my main weapon now, but this could pair well with [Hands of Wonder].

"What about the needles?" he asked next.

Zera shook her head. "He attempted to forge them using the remaining materials, but he said he'd need the assistance of at least a Grandmaster or Legend-rank blacksmith."

"A blacksmith? Not an Artisan Class Mystic?" Charles asked, puzzled. He'd never heard of a "Blacksmith" class in the Class Gem pathway.

"Due to the low number of Artisan Class Gems we're receiving from the Churches," Zera explained, "Master Runeth picked some street youths and began training them in an ancient forging technique. He also taught them Rune Language and effectively revived the old Blacksmith Pathway. Thanks to his efforts, we now have tens of thousands of common and uncommon artifacts in the treasury."

Charles let out a breath. "Haa... That old man never disappoints."

He smiled faintly. "Bring me the boomerang. I want to test it."

Zera bowed and vanished, then reappeared moments later, holding a rectangular wooden box.

Charles accepted it with both hands and opened the lid. Inside lay a pitch-black boomerang that seemed to absorb light itself.

He picked it up carefully, only to feel the fire-elemental energy in his hand rapidly dissipating.

He narrowed his eyes and tried to probe the weapon using his wisdom essence—but it was completely repelled.

"Hmm. Not bad," he muttered. "While it won't help much against Divines or Rank-above Mystics, I've got a feeling I'll be relying on it soon."

He had long learned to trust his instincts. With that, he stored the boomerang in his space ring.

Then he turned to Zera. "What's that old man doing right now?"

"He's focused on that strange spear again, Master," she replied.

Charles enveloped himself in crimson flame and vanished. A second later, he reappeared in the underground basement, where a dozen cloning pods stood arranged across the hall. Each one held a clone of Runeth, submerged in strange liquid, deep in slumber.

"I've been wondering," Charles said, his gaze sweeping over the pods. "To create a clone, I need at least a drop of my blood—and even that costs years off my life. But you… How did you recreate your past body without a drop of your own blood?"

At the center of the hall, Runeth stood gazing at the iron spear hovering midair. After a pause, he replied without turning.

"Oh? That was thanks to your suggestion two decades ago. Remember when you spoke about the 'creation theory'? Your words made me realize we needed to dive deeper—down to the elemental level. So I analyzed your blood and discovered something fascinating—what you called 'cells.'

"I never imagined I was made of countless living entities. They don't have souls, but they are undeniably alive. I spent two years researching and eventually found the genetic code you spoke of. Then I experimented—altered the codes using life-elemental energy. And unlike ordinary human cells, yours could change that code with even slight tweaks."

Runeth took a deep breath, eyes shining with excitement.

"Eventually, I created a body nearly identical to my own. But… I still can't fully understand how the cell death cycle works. If I had another hundred years, I could craft an immortal body—one that doesn't age."

Charles's brows rose in genuine surprise.

I really did mention atoms, molecules, and cells once—but I didn't expect him to go this far. If he were on Earth, he'd be a mad scientist by now.

Shaking his head, he stepped closer and studied the metal spear.

"It still shows as 'Common Rank.' I'm curious—what are you planning to do with it?"

"We can't learn anything from it unless it accepts us," Runeth said, still watching the spear. "But I know one thing: it's an ice-elemental weapon—strong enough to freeze the world."

"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?" Charles asked.

"I think the opposite, kid. That's why I'm digging into its past—trying to extract every memory it contains. Once I've gathered enough, I'll attempt to unseal it."

He paused, then narrowed his eyes at Charles. "But why are you here? You never come without a reason."

Charles offered a sheepish smile. "I want to create clones—not just one, but many. To improve my skills and prepare for what's coming."

Runeth turned away from the spear, his expression serious.

"Do you know how much life a single clone consumes? At least 20 to 30 years. How many are you planning to make?"

Charles's tone turned grave. "I'm willing to spend 1,000 years of my lifespan."

Runeth stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you insane?! You think 1,000 years is trivial?"

But Charles remained calm, unbothered by the outburst.

"My goal is to reach the top, old man. By then, my lifespan will be limitless. And this sacrifice—by a normal human's standard—is just a year."

In truth, he had considered sacrificing 10,000 years and destroying every Church and Doomsday Avatar with brute force. But he'd realized that wasn't his duty. Reshaping the world wasn't his responsibility.

These clones were for protection—until the Chaos Era ended.

Runeth stood in silence, then let out a frustrated sigh.

"Fine. Give me a few drops of your blood and get lost. It'll take me at least two years to gather the necessary materials for mass cloning."

Charles didn't move.

Runeth frowned. "What else do you want?"

Instead of answering, Charles pulled out a sealed glass jar from his space ring and handed it to him.

"I want you to transplant this eye into me."

Runeth's eyes twitched. "You're insane. You're already strong enough to face anyone in this world, yet you're acting like a man possessed."

He let out a deep sigh. "You're not leaving unless I agree, are you? What a stubborn bastard... Fine, I'll do it."

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he accepted the jar.

"How long will it take to complete the eye transplant?" Charles asked.

"It's not exactly a transplant," Runeth corrected. "I'm not going to replace your original eye. First, I need to study this one—understand the essence of its time-based power. Once I decipher it, I'll extract that essence and inject it into your eye. After that, you'll have to attune yourself to it and uncover its hidden layers."

He paused, then added gravely, "Transferring the essence is simple. Absorbing it fully? That's the hard part. But with the full use of my Miracle ability, there's a 0.1% chance you could absorb it completely and even raise your Time Affinity level. There will be side effects, but manageable ones. Even so, success means you'll need to stay secluded in the Tower for at least a decade to adjust."

He hesitated, the solemn look on his face deepening.

"But be warned—this process might fail. Worst case, you lose the eye."

"I trust your skills, old man," Charles said with a grin, then added, "Once this is done, I'm planning to move to Riverdale City."

"Oh? In that case, I'll inscribe a teleportation array at your house. It'll make returning to the Rebirth Tower easier," Runeth replied thoughtfully.

At that moment, a thought crossed Charles's mind.

"I'm a little worried about that goblin kid, Myl. Zera, how strong is she now?"

An illusory figure of an elven woman appeared in the underground hall. She bowed slightly before answering.

"She's currently a peak Rank-4 Mystic, Master. She should be fine unless she runs into a Legendary powerhouse."

Zera paused, then added with a flicker of pride, "And she possesses a Keeper's Watch. If she uses its functions wisely, her survival chances are high."

Charles's eyes lit up with curiosity.

"Keeper's Watch? What's that?"

"Ahem," Runeth cleared his throat. "I created those artifacts. While dismantling your system core, I analyzed its arrays and decided to make a cheaper, scaled-down version of the system, intended for students. I didn't expect that goblin girl to get her hands on one so quickly. What did she do to earn such a reward, Zera?"

"She's a prodigy in Potioneering," Zera replied, her voice full of admiration. "In just fifteen years, she's become an Expert Alchemist and made quite a name for herself in the Tower. The only things holding her back are the lack of a Master Alchemist and time."