The Runic Alchemist

Bloodedge and Worldscribe, along with many other third-rankers, had descended from the Obsidian Bastion to observe the practical exam of the fifth years. Some of these 'esteemed' figures Damian had never seen before, though a few were familiar to him. Silverspell, Lifewarden, and Brightshield were among these spectators.

The students were once again preparing to face monsters conjured by illusions. This challenge differed from the ranking tests though, participation was mandatory for all enrolled in Combat Arts, Spellcrafting, or any other class involving combat or magic. Everyone was equipped with identical wristbands showcasing bright green damage bars.

The esper capable of creating such elaborate illusions had to be among the observers—but who?

Damian ruled out Worldscribe, Lifewarden, and Brightshield. The others, whom he'd never seen in action, were harder to assess. Maybe one of them was secretly an esper who knew. Or perhaps the illusion was being generated by some hidden runic dungeon artifact. Yet no visible runic circles suggested that possibility-maybe it was hidden. Could one of the second-rankers be the secret esper? It was possible, but such a feat would typically exceed the mana reserves of most second-rankers.

Ignoring the source of illusions, Damian concentrated on his opponents. While the Spellborne Legion would have more versatility and clever tactics with unpredictable spells and runic items, the Fist of Valor members presented a more immediate challenge. Damian's limited aura-sense hindered his ability to detect them compared to sensing mana at greater ranges.

Once all students were fitted with wristbands and donned their armor, the exam was about to begin. Damian's armor was made of alloy plates that protected critical areas while maintaining high mobility. Unlike most armors, his featured glowing, palm-sized runic circles etched onto each piece, some bearing multiple circles. Controlling mana to activate specific pieces of armor while leaving others unaffected was a skill few could master. Even if he sold the armor to others, only highly skilled mages with exceptional mana control could use it effectively.

As Damian moved towards the students after staff checked his gear, others moved out of his way without him saying a word—his glowing armor alone was intimidating enough. Yet in one hand, he held a large stack of runic scrolls. In the other, a massive sword imbued with over five glowing runic circles. Though of Grand-grade quality, the blade was designed for one-time use due to the intense spells he had etched into it.

Restrictions against carrying a spatial storage meant students could only carry what they could physically bring. Damian noticed the Dawnstar prince and Evrin staring at him, wide-eyed. There was another who was glaring daggers at him. It was Alex, surrounded by his circle of friends. Around them, the Spellborne Legion numbered over 70, while the Fist of Valor had around 90 participants. The Knowledge Keepers, including Damian, had only 17.
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The small group stood close together, some admiring Damian's craftsmanship, while others seemed uneasy under the scrutiny of the crowd. They were not accustomed to being observed by so many people at once.

The entire academy had gathered outside, where earth and wood mages had constructed a massive colosseum-like arena overnight. It was large enough to accommodate the entire student body and several thousand civilian spectators, who were confined to heavily-guarded sections encased in light barriers. These civilians with limited sight could only view the exam through enormous magical projections that resembled eerily similar to status screens.

Some second-ranker guards wielded rectangular, box-like runic devices that functioned like cameras, focusing on various participants. These tools mirrored the function of the students' badges but operated on separate networks. Showing the participants from close-by with the projection screens. It worked on the same principle as their badges with using the same Highsword server source hidden in the bastion, to transfer the images and live feed. Damian was tempted to use their server by doing some experiments and modifying the badge, but that would not go unnoticed so he had let it be. Seeing the projections, those ideas started to resurface in his mind.

Who had developed this advanced system of modifying status screens for personal use? Damian vaguely recalled a figure named Coldsinger, credited with the badge system modification from one of the books. It was an old invention and no one in Highswords ever made use of that except the badge system that he had seen. Could he or she also have created the whole system too? replicating modern technology from Earth.

Through the Empire's semi-scientific studies, Damian had deduced that others like him had traversed these lands long before his arrival. However, they were rare and elusive, deliberately keeping their existence hidden from the common people of this world.

One of the guards adjusted a device to focus on Bloodedge, who had stepped forward to explain the rules. Standing tall and composed, Bloodedge ascended a podium while the projections displayed his sharp features and serious demeanor.

Bloodedge began, his voice commanding:

"Your objective for this year's exam is survival. The ground before you will transform into five zones. Three zones correspond to your sections and their respective houses. Your primary task is to protect these structures. Should your house be destroyed, each student from your section loses 70 points instantly, and no further protection will be provided from the monsters.

"The fourth zone is the monster den. Every five minutes, waves of monsters will emerge, targeting your houses. Defending against these monsters will play a key role in your assessment. The final zone, located across the monster den, contains 80 replicas of civilians, crafted from heavy materials. You are tasked with rescuing and protecting as many as possible by bringing them to your houses. The more you save, the higher your points.

"Above all, you must survive and protect yourself for the entirety of the five-hour monster invasion. Killing more monsters will earn rewards such as enhanced weapons or additional tools for reinforcing your house structures.

"If you have questions, direct them to the nearest staff member. Guards will monitor your performance using capture runic tools—I will advise you to ignore them and focus on the task at hand."