God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Finally...

He had done it... He had completed his first rune.

{Congratulations to the host for crafting the first rune to be created on Urbus}.

{You have acquired the skill, Beginner Runecrafter...}

{+300 to all stats... }

{+100,000 system points... }

{You now have access to "the beginner's guide to creating classic rune designs 101." series in the system store. These rune designs can be purchased with system points alone, and comprise the basic, intermediate, high, and special level basic rune designs blueprints for beginner runecrafters}.

Cain was happy that he finally had somewhere to put his hard-earned points to good use. Previously, all that could be bought from the system shop, were HP Regen potions, MP Regen potions, mana shards, weapons with shitty stats, and costly information.

Now, he would be able to spend his points on things that would serve a greater purpose to him.

The rune blueprint designs could be used to create runes, but their main purpose was to inspire, as well as source material for inexperienced newbies like Cain to use in increasing their knowledge on the fundamentals of runecraft.

Cain opened his status to observe the changes, clearly satisfied with his progress. He then opened the system shop to check out the basic rune blueprint designs up for sale. Cain, not expecting the price range of the rune designs almost blacked out from the shock he felt.

That shock was quickly replaced by indifference and excitement that oddly enough, balanced out in his mind when he reasoned the price range and their utility. Once he had the rune designs, he would be able to replicate them infinitely as long as he developed the skills necessary.

Any way he looked at it, it was a win situation for him the system had virtually just handed it out to him on a silver platter.

***

BASIC LEVEL BEGINNER RUNE DESIGNS...

{Rune of Strengthening: +10 to strength stat}.

Cost: 2000 points.

{Rune of Swiftness: +10 to agility stat}.

Cost: 2000 points.

{Rune of Protection: +5 to defense stat}.

Cost: 2000 points.

{Rune of Sharpening}: Sharpens the edge of a bladed weapon, allowing it to deal increased penetration damage. Can only be attached to bladed weapons.

Cost: 3000 points.

{Rune of Hardening}: Increases the defensive ability of a piece of armor, reducing all incoming damage. Can be attached to any kind of armor.

Cost: 3000

{Rune of Regeneration}: Passively recover 1 HP per second.

Cost: 5000 points.

{Rune of the Spirit}: Passively recover 1MP per second.

Cost: 5000 points.

***

INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL BEGINNER RUNE DESIGNS

{Mark of Hermes: +50 to agility stat}.

Cost: 8000 points.

{Totem of Kratos: +50 to Strength stat}.

Cost: 8000 points.

{Armor Bulwark: +15 to defense stat}.

Cost: 8000 points.

{Glowing Edge: Covers the surface of a bladed weapon with a coat of mana that significantly Increases penetration damage by 50%. Can be attached to both bladed and blunt weapons}.

Cost: 15,000 points.

{Rune of Penetration: Covers the surface of a projectile weapon with a coat of mana that Increases penetration effect and damage. Can only be attached to projectile weapons}.

Cost: 15,000 points.

{Touch of life: Passively recover 10 HP per second}.

Cost: 20,000 points.

{Breath of Spirit: Passively recover 10 MP per second}.

Cost: 20,000 points.

***

HIGH-LEVEL BEGINNER RUNE DESIGNS

{Warrior Empowerment: +100 to strength stat, and +100 to agility stat. Grants 10% boost to all physical stats}.

Cost: 30,000 points.

{Flame Spirit: Increases affinity with the fire elements by 5%. Increases attack speed by 20%.

Cost: 5,000 points.

{Water Spirit: Increases affinity with the water elements by 5%. Increases perception by 20%.

Cost: 5,000 points.

{Heart of Gaia: Increases affinity with the earth elements by 5%. Increases defense by 20%.

Cost: 5,000 points.

{Sylph's Breath: Increases affinity with the wind elements by 5%. Increases movement speed by 20%.

Cost: 5,000 points.

{Indra's Wrath: Increases affinity with the lightning elements by 5%. Increases attack power by 20%.

Cost: 5,000 points.

***

SPECIAL BEGINNER RUNE DESIGNS

{Rotary function: Gives projectile weapons a rotational effect, reducing air resistance and increasing penetration}.

Cost: 10,000 points.

{Calibration: Increases overall accuracy when using any marksman-style weapon}.

Cost: 10,000 points.

{True Blade: Increases overall accuracy when using any bladed-style weapon.

Cost: 10,000 points.

{Epsilon's Descent: Grants the skill to Summon flaming meteors, causing wanton destruction and raining death upon the enemies. This skill consumes all the mana of the caster irrespective of the mana pool. This only applies to those under tier 1}.

Cost: 50,000 points.

{Limit Break: Grants skill that removes all barriers, causing the potential of the caster to explode. Increases attack power and speed by 100%. Drains all stamina points when in use.

Cost: 50,000 points.

{Multilayer Inlay: Grants the ability to superimpose two or more runes of the same kind upon themselves, creating a stronger version of both runes. This rune can only be used in conjunction with another rune}.

Cost: 5,000 points.

***

Cain was happy with all the various options but was still put off by the high prices. He only had about 200,000 points on him, which was only enough for him to afford the few special rune designs. These rune designs were of the utmost importance if he wanted to make any progress in runecrafting.

But he knew he had to start with the basic runes, as getting the special runes would just be a grand waste of money and time. He would have to learn the very basics, then slowly make his way to the top.

The runes in the tome given to him by Ashur were only basic runes which were fewer in number than what was offered in the store. Apart from the ones listed above, there were still a ton more that Cain didn't have the time and leisure to go through.

"Seems like I'll have to work even harder"

From what he had seen, Cain realized that things would only get harder as time went on. He couldn't afford a moment of relaxation. Now, he had another objective in mind, which was to accumulate a lot of points to purchase all the rune designs offered to him by the system. This meant the days ahead of him would be filled with unending woes...

For now, to conserve resources and time, he would only continue to draw the normal basic runes before he moved to the more complicated ones. Getting familiar with the basics would make future work less complicated.

And so began another process of runecrafting. He would gather all the materials needed, then draw the rune on the practice paper.

There were still a lot of errors involved in his work, and by the end of the day, he could bring out a success rate of about 20%. This could be considered decent progress, but Cain wanted more. He wasn't satisfied yet, and this showed by how he hadn't gotta blinked of sleep since he started.

This was a sacrifice he was ready to make.

The world he knew of was one of equivalent exchange. To take, giving all you could was a must.

There was no other way around it unless you were planning to cheat your way through, which would involve a lot of seeking-death activities that he wasn't so eager to participate in currently.

He knew what he had to do, what he had to sacrifice to achieve the necessary.

***

3 Days later...

The only sound that could be heard was the faint sound of a brush hitting paper. Cain had fashioned the brush using the hairs from the fur of a {Mutant Rabbit}. Although mutant rabbits were weak and possessed little power, their fur had many uses due to its soft, yet durable properties and texture.

High-level mutant rabbits would have been preferable, as their fur would be able to retain more magic ink, but Cain wasn't complaining.

He attached the bristle furs to one end of a straight mutant beast bone with a few metal threading to keep the furs secure.

He had been describing runes for three days straight without rest. As soon as he picked the brush, he turned into a new being...

Almost a week had passed since he sat down and began learning the art of runecrafting and he was currently able to produce basic-level tunes for beginners with ease, his production success rate at around 80 to 90%. This was because his mana control was outstanding, and he had a blueprint to work with.

Although this didn't seem too impressive, it was important to know that most runecrafters could only produce basic-level runes all their lives without making any progress and at a lower success rate at that.

Not only was hard work necessary, but talent also played just as big of a role. Mana control and his mana pool were also important factors in runecrafting.

Sweat dripped down Cain's brows as he put down the final line of the rune into the piece of paper resting before him. The rune glowed briefly to show its completion before its light faded away and it was returned to its original form.

Cain sat up and stretched his back before looking back down at his handiwork with silence and a pondering look.

The rune was perfect with all the right lines and curves, but Cain still had a frown on his face. Because of the way the rune was drawn, it couldn't be used at all and was just practice.

'Time is of the essence. I think I'm ready to begin drawing runes.' Having practiced for three days straight, despite being exhausted, Cain was incredibly excited to test out the effects of his runes on humans.

Runes could be used anywhere with a connection to magic, and that includes the surface of a human's skin. The runes the system provided was based on this principle as well. The rune would need to be engraved right into the skin for it to be effective.

Activating {Metal Creation}, Cain formed a metal syringe, then filled it to the brim with the mutant beast's blood. Cain wasn't bothered about what he was doing. All he was concerned about was whether the runes would work exactly as they were supposed to.

A golden light shone in his hands as he placed the sharp needle point against his skin. Taking a deep breath, he pressed down, breaking through his defenses ever so slightly, punching through the first layer of skin.

Cain let the mutant beast's blood flow into his body. The feeling of foreign blood traveling into his skin was a new experience, but Cain ignored everything around him and focused on the task at hand...

Creating and transcribing a basic level {Rune of Swiftness} onto his body.

With a deep breath, he pressed down and began with the first stroke...