Level Up Legacy

After the epiphany he had, Oriole sought out Arthur for clarification. He was shocked to see that his friend, who was as interested in runes as the other timeline, did not receive an epiphany.

“I heard about something like that,” said Arthur when Oriole casually mentioned it. “I never received it, but awakening was more than I could ask. I have no more desire for strength.”

I have no more desire for strength.

Those words made Oriole stare at Arthur as if he did not know him. It was the most bizarre thing to witness, as he had just seen his friend merge two worlds like a demigod. However, when he met Arthur who was untainted by suffering, the difference was as clear as day.

“What if you need more strength than you desire one day?” said Oriole with a frown. This mindset could not work for the alternate Arthur Silvera to enter this world. His friend smiled and ran his fingers across the runic weapons.

“I never said that I will not seek strength. Life does not entitle us to safety, but my desire ended when I could provide money for my family.”

The words made Oriole almost cry because he knew that this was what Arthur wanted from the beginning. It was just to survive. His father pushed him into becoming a man that the world could not live without.

This was one of the reasons that Oriole trained hard until his physiques began to change to what he had now. He wanted to be strong enough for Arthur to never need strength, but that was hard to accomplish.

Even though Oriole tried to get close, there was only so little he could do with Arthur shouldering every problem that came his way. When the Enders, which Oriole fought for his entire life, appeared before the creator, the man did not seek his help.

This made Oriole realize that he was too naive. Strength was not the only thing he needed other than Arthur’s trust. It was the ability to help his friend without him demanding it because it seems no matter what timeline it is, Arthur Silvera was taught to sacrifice himself and never seek help.

Oriole watched as the guards rushed toward the divine tree while the runemasters and citizens rushed toward the shelters on every street. Maryam had a plan for them to reach the underground city, where the runic circles were inscribed.

“The most protected place in the case of an emergency would be the underground city,” said Maryam with a sneaky expression as she glanced from behind the corner. The two of them were hiding inside an alley away from the guards. “There is no way for us to go inside.”

“Great plan,” said Oriole while holding his hands together. “Now, let us go back to sleep and pretend this never happened.”

“Don’t be so snarky,” said Maryam as she turned toward him. “I had a plan to get inside, but it has been ruined by the guards going toward the ruins. There should be a very narrow path connecting the ruins and the underground city. If we can get inside the ruins, we can go toward the space-locking arrays.”

“You want to get inside the ruins?” Oriole raised a brow. “Have you not heard the warning earlier? That is the center of the battle. We go there, and we will end up dead.”

“We need to find a way inside,” said Maryam while biting her lips. “What are you holding?”

“A small creation of mine,” said Oriole as he opened his hands. “I call it Eye.”

“Because it looks like a metallic sphere?” said Maryam with a frown. “I am not sure we have time to play with metal, Oriole.”

“The metallic is to hold the eye inside.”

“What?”

“What?”

“…”

There was a brief silence between the two where Maryam stared at him with blinking, wide eyes. Then, she pointed at her dark brown eyes and tilted her head in confusion. Oriole nodded.

“…that is enough living for a day,” she said while turning away from him. “I knew that all handsome men have a hidden twist. I don’t hate it since it’s related to my passion, but don’t show me more of it.”

Oriole stared with a speechless face as Maryam walked deeper into the alley away from the runic guards. Then, he looked down at his Eye, wondering what was weird. After all, they were creating a heart inside the workshop earlier.

Since he was not the strongest man, Oriole had to develop a method to make up for his lacking ability. In the previous timeline, he discovered his ability’s usefulness in synthesizing biological tissues.

It was one of the non-combat abilities called Remodeling. It was a subbranch of telekinesis, making his ability just a lame version of one of the strongest abilities out there. However, after he broke through to become a rei-ranker, he realized the proper form of his ability.

Microscopic Remodeling.

This ability allowed him to see the microscopic level of matter and remodel it in a method similar to telekinesis. This allowed him to create living tissues by preserving them, enhancing mitosis and then remodeling it into his desired form.

This forced him to study anatomy, which took him to create Ark using his soul. In the beginning, it was a method to recreate the life that was stolen from him. But it gave Oriole purpose.

Now, it gave him strength. The eye inside was connected to his soul, which allowed him to see through it. Oriole activated the metallic sphere and made it open like an eyelid to reveal an eye similar to his.

“I need you to see what is happening for me,” said Oriole with a smile as he looked around. Then, he looked around before jumping on top of a roof and climbing to a high-rising building.

The scene in front of him was chaotic, and Oriole managed to see the fight between Arthur and the Runic Guards. A man was accompanying Arthur now, defending him.

When he saw that someone else was protecting Arthur, Oriole felt like a failure. His resolve to make his friend live a peaceful life was a constant knife that tore through his heart because he could never fulfill that.

“To each their own,” said Oriole as he placed the eye on a metallic sheet that belonged to the air-conditioning system of the building. The magnet around the eye stuck to it, and Oriole stared at his face through the eye.

It was a sharp-featured man with a foxlike face. Oriole changed a lot from his meek appearance, but he barely changed inside. After making sure that it worked, Oriole jumped off the building before being seen.

The usage of artifacts was prohibited inside Runera, and every usage was recorded on the arrays. This was why Oriole had to create an eye that could monitor the situation without using an artifact.

Maryam was waiting for him behind a group of giant crates with a pondering face. When she saw him, the girl flashed a smug smile that suggested she had managed to find a plan.

“We can just go inside,” said the runemaster, and Oriole was sure she had lost her mind. “Listen to my plan. The Runic Guards are proficient in runic reactions and fighting, but their abilities to bypass the traps laid inside are far from sufficient. We will go there to help them.”

“I am an outsider.”

“You are Jumana’s disciple,” said Maryam while grabbing his arm. “If someone dares to say you are an outsider, the human dragon will eat him alive. Then, we can sneak in the commotion.”

Oriole was unsure about this idea, but it was confirmed that his master would help him. But then, his face froze before he smiled. His master has arrived at the battlefield where Arthur was.

***

“What is the meaning of this?” asked the dragon-like girl as she levitated beside them. “Why are you still here?”

“Grandmaster Jumana,” greeted Velos. “I have strong reasons to believe this runic apprentice has an idea about the attack inside the ruins.”

“He is my disciple’s friend,” her nostrils flared. “Arrest him!”

Arthur was speechless as he looked at the short woman waving her hand. It seems that Velos was also taken aback by his conflicting words. Jumana noticed that Arthur was still untouched, and her nose heaved in anger.

“I offered him a deal to help us before we do that,” said Velos with confusion. “Is there a reason you want us to arrest him?” his eyes showed a dangerous glint.

“He is why my disciple doesn’t want to live in Runera,” said Jumana with her hands on her hips. “We will say that he was a thief, and that silly boy will come running to live here.”

Velos and the Runic Guards had weird expressions as they realized that Jumana was using them for her petty reasons. It even made little sense why her disciple would visit Runera because his friend got arrested, but no one wanted to anger the little dragon.

“I am afraid that is not enough,” Velos was an exception. “However, you can tag along as we see the ruins with him. If he is truly a threat, then I gladly will arrest him.”

All eyes turned toward Arthur, who was supposed to decide between betraying his group and losing his mother. Instead, the memories of his deranged father threatening him made Arthur grit his teeth before making another sacrifice.

“I accept,” said Arthur with a sigh while Li was staring at him. “I will help you find the culprit behind this in return for letting me leave Runera.”