Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

CH724 Anakor City Treasure Hunt II

***

Thanks to the crossbows, the expeditionary party had slaughtered countless weaker beasts without expending much effort or stamina in the process.

This allowed them to preserve their strength for the far more dangerous creatures they would inevitably encounter deeper within the ruined city.

In fact, they had killed so many lesser beasts in such a short period that the group was eventually forced to relocate entirely.

The surrounding area had become saturated with the pungent stench of blood and death.

If they remained any longer, it would undoubtedly attract stronger predators towards their location.

[Cleanse]!

Alex cast the simple Grade 0 miscellaneous spell over the group as they retreated from the pile of carcasses left in their wake.

Although the spell itself was weak, it effectively removed the scent of blood lingering upon their bodies and equipment, greatly reducing the chances of being tracked by predators with keen senses—which unfortunately described a significant number of beasts within the ruined city.

As the group continued moving away from the area, a thought suddenly surfaced in Alex’s mind.

"I have an idea," he said abruptly.

He quickly explained his plan to Saul.

"Can it work?" Alex asked afterwards.

"It is possible," Saul replied after considering it briefly. "However, whoever carries it out would be placing themselves in considerable danger."

"We will do it, Master," Sergeant Lopota volunteered immediately.

After personally swearing fealty to Alex and receiving the rune tattoo set that officially made them members of his personal Silver Wolf Guard, Alex was no longer merely the young master of House Fury in their eyes.

He was now their master and liege.

"Are you certain you can handle it?" Alex asked seriously.

Originally, he had intended to assign the task to Havel, Mogal, and Udara—individuals with the power and mobility to leave behind mountain of carcasses and still leave the scene unscathed.

Sergeant Lopota turned towards the other six Rune Knights.

Each of them nodded firmly in response before the Sergeant looked back towards Alex once more.

"We are certain, master," Lopota answered on behalf of the Silver Wolf Guard.

Then, unexpectedly, a grin appeared on his face.

"Besides, Master... would this not be the perfect opportunity to test the strength of your latest premium work?" he asked while gesturing towards the Attack Rune Tattoo etched onto his arm.

Alex’s lips curved into a smile as well.

"Very well," he nodded. "Since you are certain."

The group soon reunited with Havel and Silver, who proceeded to guide them through a winding route across the ruined city.

They moved through abandoned buildings, across rooftops, down narrow alleyways—and at one point, even through a tunnel dug beneath the city by some enormous burrowing creature.

Eventually, the route brought them towards Anakor’s main central plaza.

The plaza lay only a few kilometres away from Skywalker Castle itself and, judging by the sheer number of mana signatures Alex could perceive through his Spirit Sight, the area had been completely overrun by Berserk Beasts.

Alex’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Begin," he ordered calmly.

Sergeant Lopota and the Rune Knights stepped forward, immediately opening fire upon the beasts roaming throughout the plaza.

Bolt after bolt tore through the air, killing several creatures almost instantly.

The Rune Knights then charged directly into the plaza itself, beginning a relentless killing spree.

Thanks to the Wanderer Rune Tattoo, the chaotic terrain created by collapsed buildings, broken roads, and overgrown vegetation barely hindered their movements at all, allowing them to manoeuvre through the ruined city almost as though they were running across perfectly level ground.

Using the run-and-shoot tactic referred to within the Ungentlemanly Warfare Manual as Kiting, the Rune Knights continuously harassed and eliminated the beasts without allowing themselves to become surrounded or overwhelmed.

Soon, the plaza became littered with the carcasses of slain beasts.

The overwhelming stench of Berserk Beast blood rapidly spread throughout the surrounding area, attracting even more creatures towards the scene.

Fortunately for the Silver Wolf Guards, not every newly arrived predator focused its attention upon them.

The vast majority of beasts were instead drawn towards the abundance of fresh carcasses scattered across the plaza—especially after the Rune Knights swiftly repositioned themselves to higher ground once the stronger predators began arriving.

Only a handful of beasts continued actively pursuing them, with aerial predators proving the most persistent threat.

Skreee!!!

However, the self-proclaimed Queen of the Skies, Senu, had no intention of allowing any flying creature to challenge her dominance... or threaten her Master’s guards.

Spatial Rend!

With a powerful flap of her wings, Senu unleashed multiple crescent-shaped slashes of spatial energy.

The attacks cleaved through the aerial beasts effortlessly, sending their dismembered bodies crashing down into the plaza below—further intensifying the blood-soaked atmosphere and attracting even more beasts towards the area.

The Rune Knights never stopped moving.

They continued drawing more and more beasts towards themselves—eliminating weaker creatures personally if they were Class 2 or below, while leaving stronger Class 3 threats for Senu to handle from the skies above.

Senu carefully guided the Silver Wolf Guards away from any beast stronger than Class 3.

While the seven Rune Knights working together could likely bring down such opponents eventually, doing so would consume far too much time and risk leaving them surrounded by countless other beasts.

The Silver Wolf Guards continuously circled the areas surrounding the central plaza, steadily kiting an ever-growing horde of Berserk Beasts behind them.

Yet despite the prolonged battle, none of them showed noticeable signs of exhaustion.

The Reinforcement Rune Tattoo silently strengthened and supported their bodies, replenishing their stamina throughout the battle, while the Happenstance Rune Tattoo continuously reduced their energy consumption by absorbing and redirecting energy from the increasingly chaotic battlefield itself.

Boom!

Without warning, one of the Rune Knights suddenly stumbled into an ambush from a camouflaged Class 3 reptilian beast.

The creature resembled a grotesque, giant fusion between a chameleon and a snake. Its main body possessed the bulky frame of a chameleon, while its unnaturally elongated neck resembled a serpent’s body. Its head, meanwhile, appeared like a horrifying blend of both creatures.

The beast’s neck snapped forward like a whip towards the Rune Knight.

Yet the Silver Wolf Guard did not panic.

Instead, he deliberately angled his body to receive the attack head-on.

Bang!

Just before impact, a transparent spherical shield suddenly manifested around him.

The barrier absorbed the majority of the blow before shattering apart violently.

Using the remaining force from the impact itself, the Rune Knight propelled himself backwards and escaped the creature’s immediate attack range.

Skreee~!

Dream Dive!

Predatory Lock!

Before the reptilian beast could continue its assault, a pair of razor-sharp talons tore through its body from above.

Senu descended like a divine predator from the skies, shredding the creature apart instantly.

Sensing the growing danger surrounding the Silver Wolf Guards, Senu immediately launched herself back into the air.

Omnidirectional Spatial Rend!

Multiple spatial slashes erupted outward in every direction simultaneously, annihilating most of the dangerous beasts surrounding the Rune Knights’ vicinity.

Screee~!!

Regal Aura!

A terrifying oppressive pressure burst outward from Senu, suppressing the nearby beasts and forcibly drawing their attention away from the Rune Knights and onto herself instead.

Using that brief opening, the Silver Wolf Guards quickly disengaged and retreated without suffering any casualties.

Blink!

Senu herself immediately activated her movement ability as well, disappearing from the area before she could accidentally attract a threat powerful enough to trap and surround her.

Fortunately, by that point, they had already accomplished their objective.

-

’Looks like everything worked out fine.’ Alex thought as he looked up at the sky.

Through Senu’s shared vision, he had seen how the Rune Knights fared during the operation.

’The rune tattoos didn’t exactly elevate the Rune Knights to the Elite rank in the traditional sense. What they actually do is increase the total energy circulating in and around their bodies, creating the illusion that their rank increased.’ Alex mused inwardly.

’Ordinarily, forcing that much energy through the body would place a tremendous burden on it. At worst, it could damage their mana vessels severely.

’However, thanks to the Reinforcement rune tattoo, that doesn’t happen. Instead, any excess or potentially damaging energy is immediately redirected into recovering spent stamina and temporarily strengthening the body itself.

’Additionally, both the Shield and Wanderer rune tattoos are constantly fed with this excess energy as well. The former uses it to automatically defend the Rune Knights from incoming danger, while the latter powers the built-in energy-based movement technique that forms the rune’s core function.’

Alex’s eyes flickered thoughtfully.

’That technically leaves the Attack rune as the only active rune amongst the set, turning the entire tattoo array into one massive energy sink. Still, considering it allows the Rune Knights to fight above their natural rank for extended periods with minimal drawbacks, I can’t exactly call the process inefficient.

’Energy is required for every action and every form of work. The greater the action, the greater the energy required. It’s as simple as that.’

Even so, Alex still noticed several subtle nuances while observing the Rune Knights in battle.

As he walked, he mentally jotted down notes for the next rune tattoo set he was currently developing.

’There was always room for improvement in every creation. True perfection almost never existed in the absolute sense of the word.’

Alex shook his head lightly before refocusing his attention on the castle and the situation around them.

While the Rune Knights and Senu distracted the countless beasts throughout the city, the rest of the expeditionary party used the opportunity to slip past the chaos and infiltrate Skywalker Castle itself.

Unfortunately... the castle had now become the den of one of Anakor’s ruling hegemonic species.

Crypt Spiders.

’Of course,’ Alex thought sarcastically. ’What kind of treasure hunt would this be without giant spiders involved?’

Without further hesitation, the group advanced into the slowly collapsing castle.

***