The Runic Alchemist

After a night of "activities," Damian opened his eyes in the morning. His hand was wrapped around Reize, and he could feel a warm bundle near his back—Toph. Damian had made a small place for him to sleep, yet every night, Toph always curled up beside him.

Reize stirred next. She usually woke up earlier than him. Damian had sensed that last night, she had been more intense than usual. What went on in her pretty little head was beyond him.

She moved her fluffy ear, purposely touching his face with it to annoy him. Damian didn't back down and caught her ear, nibbling on it. She moaned and pretended to be hurt, but by now, he knew her better than that. When he continued, she giggled and tried to push him away. He held her firmly, so she gave up, turning around and burying her face in his chest, now annoying him with her sharp, curly horns.

To this day, he still didn't know what species she truly was. The first time he saw her without clothes, Damian had been disappointed to find no tail on her. He hadn't realized he had a thing for tails until then.

She never mentioned her race, and he felt it would be rude to ask his girlfriend what type of animal she was, so he never did. Damian held her face, leaning in to kiss her, but before their lips could meet, Toph jumped up beside him, landing on top of him and forcefully snuggling between them. He looked up at them both, smiling, as though what he had done was perfectly normal. Discover hidden tales at empire

That guy had no concept of boundaries—guess that's what one gets from living with an elephant.

Reize started laughing when she saw Damian's expression as he looked at Toph. Both of them had such infectious smiles that Damian couldn't help but chuckle as well.

After taking a bath, Damian and Toph sat quietly on the balcony couch. The morning sun was comfortably up, and the slight chill battled the radiant rays of light. Reize had walked across to freshen up too. Once she returned, they headed to have breakfast together. The students in the Knowledge Keeper section nodded at him, offering flattering words in the hallways and the VIP mess hall. Guess his performance had gained him more than just points.

The event was set for midday, so Damian decided not to do anything until then. He hated working half-heartedly. If he worked, it was for hours, or he wouldn't bother at all. Reize and he took the books they were reading and walked outside the academy. The garden was brimming with students since there were no classes today. But they found a quiet, peaceful spot to enjoy the sunny day where Damian built comfortable chairs and a table for them.

He had built many such sitting arrangements throughout the garden and even across the campus, all frequently used by students. No guard or professor had stopped him, so he never bothered to undo his work. The students, seeing him, tried to come closer, offering flattery. Damian thanked them, but just as someone began talking about their house or making an offer, he would give them a look that shut them up instantly. Good thing he didn't have to use words anymore.

Most likely, he would get good points, but others had done well too. Some had even lasted longer than him. They had to score the highest in six subjects, each with a maximum of 100 points, making a total of 600. Damian had only attended five subjects' exams, so his total would be 500. But the practical exam had a combined 200 points for him. For Spellborne Legion students, with their more combat-oriented classes, it could be 300 or 400 points, with professors each giving 100 points per subject. He had also messed with their objectives enough for them to receive somewhat lower points, giving him at least a shot at making it to the top but he would have to see if it really worked or not.

One other reason for showing some of his strength was to warn the scheming third-rankers from the three Highsword sections that he might not win if they fought, but he definitely wouldn't be taken down easily. After the fake contract information from Worldscribe was revealed, there was a slight chance someone might come for his life. However, Damian doubted anyone would be foolish enough to try that in a full academy with professors around, especially when acting against the oaths Highsword knights took to never harm law-abiding civilians (These weren't just words but binding mana Oaths).

Still, showing his strength would make them think twice before sending even elite second-rankers. But that was the worst-case scenario. Desperate people could do anything, so he never really let his guard down.

However, most likely, after revealing he was more than just a runesmith and potion maker, they would try even harder to earn his loyalty. The advantages were numerous if someone had even a bit of brains to see it—or at least to form a contract with him. He had purposely made the fake contract with Worldscribe non-exclusive, and the fact that he hadn't renewed his contract with Eldoris was also well-known. He was on no one's side, yet a potential friend to everyone.

Damian wanted to keep things this way, at least until he could ascend and gain enough strength to confidently say he could solo an average third-ranker without any scrolls or tools. With his resources and second-ranker stats, he could confidently say that the squabbling third-rankers of the five kingdoms posed no threat to him.

And if he could further improve his artificial mana core to make it functional in any conditions and small enough to be portable, no power in the five kingdoms would rival him—except for the fourth-rankers. But those were few and far between.

After reading for a couple of hours, it was time. Damian walked back to his room with Reize and dressed appropriately for the event. With Toph walking majestically beside him, Damian entered the same gala hall where their usual events were held every two weeks. Thanks to Worldscribe's help, he had managed to avoid them when he wanted to, so it didn't bother him much. Although, he and Reize did attend once in a while to dance or just feel like a normal couple.

Other than that, they both just worked, studied, and conducted research. They had even visited the city below a few times because Reize wanted to do "normal couple" things. But she always ended up talking about the theories and functionality of their projects so much that they had to go to a restaurant to write down all the ideas they discussed. Then she'd rush him back to apply them as soon as possible. When Damian laughed and reminded her of her earlier words, she had stomped on his foot seriously, as though that would make him forget everything.

Taking a glass of non-alcoholic drink in hand, Damian walked up to an empty balcony to wait until the announcement.

However,

"You ruined everything!" Damian heard someone behind him. He didn't turn around, though. It was Sam's voice.

"It's not my fault you're so weak," Damian replied, leaning on the stone railing and watching the ocean waves.

"Those damn drawings of yours! And making a goddamn spatial storage in minutes! You cheated!" Sam shot back, walking beside him. Einar and Evrin were with him too. Damian sensed Lucian with her two followers walking toward the balcony as well, though they were further back.

"Stop whining! What did I ruined?" Damian finally turned around, smiling and nodding at Einar and Evrin. He could sense Grace inside the hall, likely busy with her supporters.

Sam's face flushed, then he looked away, gazing at the ocean. He added in a whispering voice, "I wanted to go inside the dungeon… with her…"

The three of them squinted at him and then ignored the love-struck idiot.

"You can't top. I saw your answers in the Theory of Magic. I'd be surprised if Professor Thalrisa even gave you passing points," Einar said.

"But seriously! Jokes aside.. All those spells.. They're yours.. You can really change spells already?" Evrin asked, genuinely curious.

"I was always gifted with a better mana sense than average," Damian replied. "It helps me learn new spells and understand how they work better."

"Wow… So, you can be a mage who can learn any spells he wants?" Einar asked, getting more curious.

"It's not just my spells. I can sense others' spells too. In fact, if any of you want to learn new spells, just practice them in my presence, and I can guide you on what specific part you're doing wrong," Damian revealed.

Evrin stared at him, and Einar was lost for words. They were digesting the full value of what he had just offered. The hardest thing about learning new spells was mastering them—most mages only selected a few types of spells that complemented each other and flowed well in battle. They didn't have the versatile repertoire of spells that a true mage could command. But if they could learn any spells that they wanted and master it in a short time..?