The Runic Alchemist

"Lucian, wrong," Damian said as he blocked Sam's aura-clad sword and deftly deflected him to the side.

Lucian noted the word and quickly looked up its pronunciation before she resumed chanting.

"Einar, start from the second-to-last word," Damian instructed again while lunging to attack Sam.

She followed suit as well. One by one, he pointed out their mistakes, and with each correction, they learned a little more—only to stumble into another mistake soon after. Experience new tales on empire

Damian and Sam squared off, swords raised. They traded swift strikes, each testing the other's defense. Sam advanced with quick, sharp attacks, but Damian countered with precise blocks and well-timed ripostes. The sparring was fast-paced, each blow a challenge to improve their technique and aura mastery.

By the end of the hour-and-a-half-long training session, only Grace had managed to successfully cast her spell even once. She had chosen a simple wind-element spell, one that released a force capable of throwing people off balance. It resembled Damian's own use of a pure wind rune to generate powerful gusts of wind.

After everyone had expended a significant amount of mana and Damian's session had ended, they rested in the room for a while. Wooden structures, crafted by Damian, provided places to sit and set their belongings. Moonlight streamed through the large glass window, casting a gentle glow. The atmosphere inside was perfectly balanced—not too cold, nor so warm as to feel stifling.

Damian wanted to return to his workshop to finish building the steel frame but decided a few minutes of rest after the intense session wouldn't hurt.

"I learned half an advanced-level spell in just over an hour," Evrin said, exasperated. "Where were you when I was struggling with spells in my childhood!?"

"Right? At this rate, I could master a high-rank spell in less than a week!" Einar added enthusiastically. "That's five times faster than my normal pace!"

"Why are you even a runesmith if you're this talented at mastering spells?" Grace asked.

"His talents as a runesmith are far superior," Lumi argued, defending runesmiths despite being a mage herself. It was always amusing how someone with such extensive runic knowledge was so adamantly determined to remain a mage.

"How do you manage to change spells?" Lucian asked suddenly. "I've noticed a lot of your spells are just basic ones that you tweak to suit your needs."

All eyes turned toward Damian. He was mid-drink and paused, clearly reluctant to answer. But their expectant expressions told him they wouldn't drop the matter easily. If they could learn to adapt spells like he did, it would be a massive boost to their combat capabilities. Even Elias and Lumi leaned in, eager to hear his explanation.

Damian sighed. "As I've said before, I learn spells more through mana sense than chanting. When a spell is cast, the invisible mana takes on a unique shape in specific areas—like near your hands or your mouth. I can sense the entire structure, which lets me tweak it slightly if needed. But it doesn't always work. I tried converting what I sense into a new chant, but I don't fully understand how spells are created. I thought the spellcasting class would help, but it's moving at a snail's pace."

As expected, the group looked deep in thought, trying to process what he had just revealed.

Grace was the first to speak. "Wait a second… Are you saying you don't need to chant to use spells?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying. Of course, I need to chant. But I can modify spells as I see fit. I just can't create them from scratch. The modified versions make sense only to me, though. You'd have to fully understand Darven's theory of magic to grasp what I'm talking about."

"Ugh, that old guy! His books are too thick and complicated," Einar groaned, giving up on trying to understand Damian's half-truth, half-lie explanation.

"So, you just need to sense a spell being cast to understand it and copy it? And after copying it, you can even make changes?" Lucian asked, cutting through his evasions.

Damian neither confirmed nor denied her claim, but Lucian's deduction was spot on. The group continued to pester him with questions, but Damian tactfully avoided answering directly.

"Aha! That's why you're so interested in the runic dungeon relics!" Evrin exclaimed, pointing a finger at him. "You're trying to copy their spells!"

Her accusation sparked another barrage of questions, but Damian dodged them all skillfully. Eventually, Elias muttered something that made Damian stand abruptly.

"Hey… Doesn't that mean he's the only person who can learn spells from beasts and monsters?"

Before anyone could press further, Damian slowly stood and bolted out of the room, leaving the others behind with dumbfounded faces. The atmosphere remained lighthearted, and Damian trusted them enough to share even partial truths. Besides, rumors about his abilities had already spread through the academy after his performance in the survival exam. He just confirmed some of that.

Everyone in the room was intelligent enough to understand the value of keeping Damian's secrets among themselves. They knew that exploiting his insights to improve their own skills was far more beneficial than spreading gossip. This was, after all, the reason they had gathered even today—to master spells faster.

A few more lines from Lumi left everyone in the room speechless after Damian had made his quick exit.

"You all missed the biggest point," she said, her tone brimming with self-assured wisdom. "He's a runesmith. Not only can he replicate spells—if that's what he's doing—but he can modify them. With that skill, he could create any runic weapon or tool he desires. Combine that with his success in crafting a functioning artificial mana core and obtaining mana liquid, so, in theory, there's no spell in this world he can't use. Even those beyond high rank. Just imagine a weapon capable of launching Grand and Supreme rank spells!"

Her words hung in the air, leaving everyone stunned as the enormity of the idea began to sink in.