Power of Runes

A/N: I just made a small edit in the previous chapter about the skill Ray purchased. It would be appreciated if you could check it out!!

***

The atmosphere was eerily calm. The silence was suffocating, and even breathing felt like a chore. The city was completely different from what Ray had thought he would see, although... Ash had already told him about the Hollow Mother, and how it controls the bodies of people like puppets, using them to spread its reach.

Ray was still... not entirely sure about his words, not until he saw it for himself.

As soon as they entered the city, the air turned strange, heavy, and cold. It felt unnatural, like something invisible was pressing down on them. His chest felt tight, like he was breathing through a thin cloth soaked in fog.

The only reason he was able to stay relatively composed was because of his skill, Life Breath, which was already activated. It was consuming a large amount of mana just to keep him somewhat comfortable, but even so, it was the only thing making him feel at least a little better..

It wasn't false. Everything about the city felt wrong. There was no sound coming from the city ahead—no footsteps, no conversations, not even the rustle of the wind.

The roads were completely empty, the houses stood still like lifeless shells. Every window was dark, and the doors were shut tight.

Only the faint glow from the streetlamps and a few flickering sources of light lit up the surroundings, casting eerie shadows across the walls and pavement.

But aside from that... there was nothing.

No presence. No movement.

Only silence.

....I can feel it.... this city really is like a horror movie..

Then he saw it—Ash's body tensing beside him.

And in the very next moment, Ash held his shoulder and both of them teleported straight to the other end of the underground city. Ray didn't know why Ash had done that, but he didn't question it.

He had felt something too at that moment... a sudden, cold shiver that ran down his spine, as if the air itself was alive and watching them.

He believed that was the reason for Ash's sudden movement.

Shifting his gaze, Ray looked at Ash, who stood still like a statue. He wasn't moving at all, just standing there, eyes narrowed, as if trying to sense something beyond the surface.

So, He has started...

The plan they made was simple. While Ash used his Elemental Sight to find the location of the Hollow Mother, Ray's role was to act as his shield and protect him. According to Ash, they might get attacked—by anyone or may be everyone.

Even people who didn't have mana, the mundane citizens, might become thier enemy.

Of course, Ash could easily escape any amount of people with teleportation... but that would interrupt his focus, and he wouldn't be able to properly locate the Hollow Mother. That's why Ray had to guard him, no matter what happened.

But that was only the first step in their plan.

Because as soon as Ash found the location, they were going to infiltrate the place head-on... and kill the Hollow Mother directly.

Yeah, it might sound stupid. And reckless. And definitely something no sane person would try. After all, they were just two 15-year-old boys. One of them had only recently entered the Master Rank, while the other was officially still an Adept, even though his true strength was no less than a Master.

Their comparison was only based on stats and a perfectly built foundation. Skills, techniques, battle experience—those were not factored in.

If it were any ordinary 15-year-olds, it would've been impossible. But they weren't just anyone.

One was the Main Protagonist, someone who possessed a System.

And the other... was supposed to be just an extra. A background character.

But now was also... a Main Protagonist...and...

The Bearer of the Runes.

Just then, Ray felt that the ground vibrated a little, he thought it was nothing but an illusion, a passing hallucination born from tension, but he was proven wrong because the shaking only intensified with time, becoming more and more noticeable with each second.

Where both Ray and Ash were standing was an open field with nothing but rocks scattered in all directions, there were no buildings nearby, only patches of dry mud and rough stones here and there.

It was a construction site, cleared earlier to expand the underground city even further....but now, this place was going to become a battlefield. On their back, there was nothing but a massive stone wall, the final boundary of the underground city. Behind that wall was nothing but rocks and mud.

And from the front, a small dust cloud was continuing to grow larger and larger with each passing second, stretching and swirling as if something enormous was charging forward towards them.

And then he saw the shapes and figures of the people—at first faint, but becoming clearer with every blink—and they were truly numerous, far too many to count, their eyes vacant and lifeless, and their movements mechanical and perfectly synchronized with each other.

Seeing the sheer quantity of people, an invisible pressure began piling up on Ray like a mountain pressing against his shoulders, his legs were trembling a little, and the same was true for his hands.

Ray was feeling nervous, his thoughts in chaos, and even fear had begun to creep in, albeit very little, but enough to freeze his breath for a second.

All his thoughts about Elysia vanished for now, shoved deep into the corners of his mind. Right now, he was not even sure what to do, it was his first time facing—or even seeing—such a large number of enemies.

But in the next second, a slap resounded!!!!

Ray slapped himself, hard, to get himself under control, and immediately, the shaking stopped and his rationality returned, stabilizing the chaos that had started to form in his mind.

What the hell am I getting scared for...yeah, they feel creepy, but they are not dead, they are just being controlled, and I have to save them.....

And I should not fear the numbers, instead I should love them.....the more enemies there are, the more attacks I will receive and the more useful my skill will become...as long as I am being mindful of its charge, stalling that much amount of people is not out of question...

At least....for a few minutes.....

Thinking like that, Ray started to move towards the incoming cloud of dust, his steps slow at first but gaining momentum. He removed his mask and threw it to the ground without hesitation, letting the damp air touch his face fully.

"...It was uncomfortable wearing that mask, I don't know how he even wears it." Rotating his neck a little to relieve the stiff tension in his muscles, Ray pondered for a moment, Hey Aetheris, I doubt that even your previous master would have faced something like this....

{I am sure he has faced the situation of fighting against entire armies, after all, he was a God Slayer. He must have fought through countless soldiers just to reach the Gods, but I am not certain if those battles were fought at the same Rank as yours....You and that boy Ash are just too broken, your strength defies logic, and I honestly feel bad if a normal person ever gets compared to either of you..}

{Sometimes, I doubt that you both are even humans....}

"I guess... then I am going to surpass that master of yours. You better start getting ready to accept me as your one and only master."

{As if. Though you are my master now, no doubt about that. And yes, you have an enormous amount of talent, something unheard of even among heroes and legends, no doubt again. But that still cannot gain my full approval. If you truly want to be acknowledged by me—not just wield me, but be worthy of my power—you will have to try much harder.}

It was not like, after gaining the approval of Aetheris, Ray would suddenly unlock some hidden or divine power sealed inside the sword... it was nothing like that.

Rather, it was a recognition, a silent yet eternal nod from the soul residing within the blade—a bond that, once formed, was impossible to break or fake. It was a promise of trust between a weapon that had once slain Gods and the one daring to walk that same path again.

Moving empty-handed, Ray created a sufficient distance between himself and Ash, making sure to give space for what was coming ahead, and then finally came to a stop. At the same time, the figures of the dwarves became clearer.

With their short legs and big bellies, they were unmistakably dwarves, but something was very wrong.

Some were carrying kitchen knives, others held hammers, and there were even a few with drinking mugs still clutched tightly in their hands. They were all dressed differently, wearing everything from cooking aprons to battle gear, and even casual clothes.

At the forefront were all mundane people... simple civilians. There was no awakened in sight.

What are the chances that there might be some awakened hidden there to launch a surprise attack..?

Ray was not sure.

But Ash had told him to think of every worst situation as reality, because with his luck that will definitely happen.

Ray was not too keen on following his words, but.....he still took his words seriously, feelings aside Ash has only spoken facts with him, and nothing else.

But it didn't matter whether there were awakened among them or not, because in the end...

I will prevail..

Because at the end of the day, they were only mundane humans, albeit in a horrifying quantity... but a swarm of ants still can't kill an elephant. Yeah, it might cause discomfort, and even create problems, but still not enough to kill Ray.

Ray was not going to use his sword. Instead, he brought out a blunt wooden sword, the kind used during training back at the academy.

He had many of these tucked away in his space ring—stored for emergencies or practice.

...They are all alive, I just need to make them lose consciousness and nothing else...My work is simply to stall the incoming people, that's it...let's stick to that role, for now at least.

As the distance between them continued to shrink, and the tension built like a bowstring stretched taut...

Ray exploded with power.

***

One today, three tomorrow.