NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 29: Runic body [2]
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Name: Azariah Noah Aljanah [75], Inder Sephtis [25]
Age: 15
Rank: 2nd Primeval (89%)
Strength: 15
Reflex: 20
Intelligence: 38
Mental Strength: 20[45]
Charm: 14
(Average limit for 2nd Primeval is 20, while the maximum one could reach with the help of blessings or bloodline is 40)
Bloodline: Unawakened.
Blessing: Amun-Ra's Blessing.
???????: Niflh, Muspelh.
Passive Status: Runic body/Weakened.
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"Huff... Huff..."
I lay on my back in the dimly lit hotel room, my breath ragged and shallow as I struggled to calm myself.
With trembling hands, I reached for the status screen.
"Fuck, that was hard." I muttered, my voice barely audible over the sound of my own labored breathing.
The floor around me was stained with dried blood, a grim reminder of the pain I had endured over the past eleven days.
Even my shirt, once pure white, was now a deep crimson hue.
"But... it was worth it," I whispered smiling weakly, as I studied the information displayed on the screen.
Despite the pain that still coursed through my body from the countless wounds and incisions, I could feel the unmistakable sensation of improvement.
My mana exhaustion had been alleviated, and with each passing moment, I could feel my strength returning.
Though the pain from the runes etched into my skin and bones still lingered.
[Are you going to remain on the floor or are you going to move]
"I am exhausted fucker, don't force me," I grumbled in reply, my voice strained with fatigue as I winced in pain attempting to rise from the floor.
Eleven days had passed since I arrived in this place, and I felt terrible, not having taken a single bath during that time.
"Anyway, your idea is working well," I mumbled as I entered the shower, shedding my pants.
"Directly carving runes on the bones and mixing mana with the bone marrow is quite cool, if we ignore all the pain one has to go through."
[No one is crazy enough to try it.]
"Wait, are you calling me crazy?"
[Are you not?]
"Maybe I am, but only a little bit."
Again, who in their right mind would want to live in a body of Azariah?
Sigh.
As the cold water fell over my weary body, I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh, allowing myself to relax and savor this brief relief from the torment of the past few days.
Opening my eyes, I looked down at my body, and what I saw was both fascinating and terrifying.
From my head to my toes, a series of intricate silver runes were carved deeply into my flesh and bones.
They trailed from my fingertips down to my spine, forming a complex structure.
With every beat of my heart, the silver runes shimmered and flickered, glowing with an almost unnoticeable light.
"Man, I look like a fucking tubelight," I mumbled as I looked at my body. Despite my grumbling, it looked really cool.
I clenched my left fist as I willed mana to focus, and just like that, the runes in my left hand started to glow in a silver hue, reinforcing my hand.
By overdriving the flow of mana in my hand, I made it a lot stronger than the rest of my body.
[Don't try to overuse it. It will harm your body to the point that you can't fix it.]
"I know. I will use it in case of emergency, or if I can't win or run," I replied as I relaxed my clenched fist, allowing the silver glow to gradually fade away.
[...Are you sure you don't want to carve the other two runes?]
"I will do that later, not now," I replied as I washed away all the dried blood from my body.
I need to make preparations for tomorrow, and even though I know what will happen, I still have to be ready.
After thoroughly cleaning myself, I stepped out of the shower and changed into different clothes.
I opted for a simple white pant, a purple hoodie, and a medical mask covering my face.
With my new attire, I exited the room I had been staying in and made my way towards the elevator.
Ding.
The hotel I was staying in belonged to the Vespertine viscounty and was one of the best in the empire. Upon reaching the ground floor, I approached the counter where a lady stood.
"How can I help you, sir?" she asked with a smile as I approached.
"Can you provide me with a phone or tablet with access to the nobles' network?" I asked, keeping my face hidden to avoid recognition.
"I'm sorry, sir," she replied with a bow, "but those devices are only accessible with permission from the Vespertine family."
I placed my card on the counter before asking again, "Can I have access?"
"Sir—"
"Listen here, lady," I interrupted, my tone firm, "contact your manager and request them to provide me with what I want. After all, I am a guest of the Vespertine family." I glared at her, making my demand clear.
Feeling intimidated, the lady quickly called her manager as I waited to the side.
"If you would kindly wait for a moment, sir," she said, bowing again. I nodded and moved to take a seat nearby.
[...What are your plans now?]
"It's afternoon, so after eating something and resting for a bit, we will make our way towards the capital city," I mumbled in reply as I closed my eyes.
[...Hmm.]
"Sir." I opened my eyes as the lady called me. "Here is the phone with access to the nobles network."
I took the phone from her before walking out of the hotel, making my way towards the nearest food restaurant.
As I walked on the busy streets, I opened the browser and searched for the same thing: the Hesperia kingdom.
And this time, some news did show up.
[....How did this happen?]
"There are two types of internet: one for the common folks and one for the nobles," I replied as I read the article. "The nobles network has all the information that the common people shouldn't know of."
And that's what I was reading: the massacre of the Hesperia kingdom.
The Hesperia kingdom shared a border with the Pargoina Empire, but on the eighth of the fifth month fifteen years ago, it mysteriously disappeared from the map.
All the people of the kingdom were erased from existence as if there was nothing there at all.
The king, the queen, the children, the elderly, the women—no one was left to tell what actually happened on that day.
The Pargoina Empire also suppressed the news about them, and after a few years, nothing was left about them.
"Until now, that is," I mumbled as I closed the phone before gazing at the sky.
The sun was shining above my head as I walked on the road, but my mind wandered elsewhere.
"You know, El," despite him not asking, I couldn't help but say it, "The Hesperia kingdom guarded a treasure."
[....Which was?]
"A sword," I replied as I leaned on the wall of a street shop, "A sword so powerful that it could cut through even Demi-gods if used by the right person."
[....Why are you telling me this?]
"My mother," I replied, taking a deep breath, though my voice still came out trembling, "My mother wanted that sword."
[....]
"Yes, she is the one who massacred them," I continued, placing my trembling hands on my face, "She killed millions of people, including children, because she wanted that sword."
Silence hung in the air as I blankly looked at the sky, where a faint silhouette of the moon was visible.
This moon, unlike the one I remembered from my fragmented memories of Inder, was huge and a lot closer as well.
"And one more thing," I mumbled, looking grimly at the moon, "eighth day of the fifth month...
... That's my birthday."