Return of the Legendary Runesmith

"Haa…" Adrian let out a long sigh as he sank back in his office chair.

He was exhausted. Most of his time went into experiments, and the constant strain left him mentally drained.

Six hours—nonstop attempts—each one aimed at reaching that elusive point where the subconscious and conscious mind intersected.

But it was proving harder than he had first thought.

He had gone through his notes over and over, yet nothing new revealed itself. Nothing he had missed.

Clearly, there was no shortcut. He had to strengthen his mind enough to handle the journey in one go.

'Good thing the training doll isn't alive…' He had already made mistakes, and the system recorded the effects each failure could have had on a real subject.

Seven times, he had driven the subject into madness. Five times, he had broken its mana path. Twice, the subject had died.

Serious, wasn't it? But that was the risk one had to accept if they wanted a fifth-grade armament tuned for them.

There was a reason no Warden, no matter their rank or wealth, owned one today—even though a man who could tune them was still alive.

'Guess I'll go through my notes again…' After every attempt, Adrian wrote down the method, the journey into the subject's mind, and the result.

That was how he learned what to do—and what not to do.

He was just about to review those records when, suddenly—

[The system suggests the host enjoy the evening and celebrate his birthday.]

Adrian blinked. Birthday? Right… it hadn't passed yet.

Spending too much time in the Time Chamber made days feel shorter, but the clock showed it was only five.

Leaning back, he pulled off his glasses. "Birthday, huh? What am I supposed to do? Snacks and soda again?" He gave a dry chuckle.

He was certain Ariana—and even Annabelle—had forgotten.

Annabelle had met him after class only to say she was off to find out where her followers were holding a meeting.

So, yes. They had both forgotten.

Not that he minded. They had their duties. And he had stopped expecting things like that long ago.

He was well past the age of cakes and presents.

Shaking his head, Adrian gathered his notes and clipped them neatly into a folder.

He picked up his glasses, rose from the chair, and stepped out of the office.

The evening was quiet and a little warm—perfect for a walk.

Adrian stretched his back and made his way down the corridor. A yawn slipped out, and his eyes briefly lost focus, which was why he didn't notice the figure turning the corner.

"Ah!" a soft voice exclaimed as they bumped lightly.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?" Adrian asked, looking down. His steps halted when he saw who it was—Olivia, the green-haired girl who had once been his fiancée.

She, too, froze in surprise at finding herself face-to-face with him.

Adrian didn't let the silence linger. He shifted to the side and offered a polite farewell. "Good day."

He had only taken a few steps when her voice reached him.

"Umm… happy… birthday."

Adrian didn't stop, but a faint, wry smile tugged at his lips.

Of all people, who would have thought the first to wish him would be her?

'Well, at least she didn't tell anyone else about it.' Shaking his head, Adrian made his way down to the ground floor and started walking toward the dormitory.

The house he had bought with Ariana in the market was still under renovation.

Just a few days ago, Ariana had gone ahead and placed an order with the carpenter for the basic furniture they would need.

Adrian had felt guilty for not being able to go with her, but she had brushed it off, saying it was fine. After all, they would have plenty of time together during the winter break.

With those thoughts, he finally climbed to the top floor of the dormitory and walked down the gallery toward the far end.

Just as Adrian reached for the door, he stopped.

Something felt off.

He always left subtle markers that no one else noticed—the angle of the doormat, the faint wood dust he sprinkled on the handle. But now, both are gone. Which could only mean one thing… someone had been inside.

He quickly pulled an artifact from his pocket that allows him to keep an eye on his room all the time.

However, the artifact was showing complete blankness, that means the intruder has discerned where the artifact was kept.

Adrian slowly drew back from the door and slipped out of the building, his steps quiet and measured.

There was another way to check his room.

The same way Ariana and Annabelle often used—the back side of the building.

His movements were no longer clumsy.

With practiced ease, Adrian scaled the ledges and quickly reached his window.

Carefully, he leaned forward and peered inside, expecting to catch sight of an Acolyte—or maybe a Tower member.

…but the sight that greeted him only made him sigh.

Quietly, he climbed back down, slipped into the building, and took the stairs up to his room.

He drew in a long breath, pushed the door open—

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Four voices rang out at once, arms shooting into the air as they cheered.

Adrian froze, his eyes widening. "You guys…"

Annabelle skipped forward, the birthday hat on her head bobbing with her steps. "Happy birthday, Darling!"

Adrian's lips curved into a smile. "Thank you," he said, glancing at the others.

Elana and Sylvie stood beside Ariana, all three of them beaming with joy.

"When did you plan all this?" he asked, still stunned.

Even though he had already seen them inside, he couldn't help but wonder when they had managed to decorate the room so completely—and even prepare so many presents.

Ariana grinned, "Well, we met yesterday and decided that rather than planning two different events, why not do it together?"

Elana nodded as she stepped forward,"Happy birthday, Professor."

Adrian smiled, at a loss of words.

He thought it didn't matter. He believed he didn't need a celebration. He didn't need presents. He didn't care if someone wished him on his birthday or not.

However, seeing these people gathered here…have arranged so many things, baked a cake for him…filled his heart with warmth.

He took a deep breath and relayed, "Thank you…I can't tell how much it means for you all to be here."

Today, no working.

It was his birthday after all!

°°°°°°

A/N:- Did this feel childish? I mean, someone in his twenties myself…I still celebrate my birthday, but I dunno about you all.