Chapter 560: Chapter 559 – A Shift.

Lucille opened her eyes, gasping as she felt the lingering echoes of mana flicker away from her fingertips. A dull ache spread across her limbs, a reminder of her exertion, but it was overshadowed by the exhilaration coursing through her veins. She had done it. She had passed. Robert was standing over her, his expression clear with worry as he was unsure of her success.

"Lucille, is everything alright?"

His brother, on the other hand, wore a different expression. She didn’t know how, but it seemed he had noticed something. Usually, his hand would already be hovering, casting spells to enhance her memories, but it wasn’t.

"Congratulations on reaching Tier 3."

Robert quickly looked at Roland with a dumbfounded expression, then back at Lucille. However, before he could congratulate her, something started rising from within, and she could feel it.

"Now then... try to bear with it. This should lessen the pain..."

She had witnessed the process when Robert achieved his Rune Arch-Knight class, and it looked painful. Now, it was her turn. A cold sweat covered her body, and it felt as if a thousand needles were pressing into her from all directions. Luckily, her brother-in-law was there, and it seemed he had figured out a way to alleviate the pain. After a few seconds, a golden aura surrounded her, and she felt more at ease.

Thanks to Roland’s pain-relieving spell, she felt only a slight tingle as her body underwent the transformation. When Robert went through it, his expression had been filled with pain, but for her, this was almost refreshing. She also noticed that all the sweat her body produced was being cleansed, along with any potential bad odors.

However, her mind was preoccupied with something else. The runes glowing on Roland’s gauntlets no longer felt so unfamiliar. Her transformation into Tier 3 had begun, and she had already grasped the basics of greater runes, an ability granted to her after completing the fifth and final stage of the trial.

The last stage had been exhausting, but thanks to her studies on the complexities of Tier 3 runes and her constant observation of Roland using them, she had figured it out on her first attempt. It had taken her about the same amount of time to complete her ascension as Robert, and now, at last, it was over.

“Lucille, how do you feel?”

“I… I feel great!”

Robert helped her up by taking her hand, his grip firm yet careful, as if still expecting her to falter from exhaustion. But Lucille stood tall, feeling the strength coursing through her newly refined body. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Her mana felt denser, more fluid, and her senses were sharper. The world around her seemed clearer, as if every detail had been brought into sharper focus.

She flexed her fingers and watched as faint traces of mana swirled around them. The transformation was complete. She was no longer just an aspiring Rune Mage. She was now a Rune Transmuter, a class she had fought and struggled for and one she had not even known existed.

"Can you see it? It's there!"

"Umm..."

Robert watched with concern as Lucille waved her hand and pointed at the air where her status screen was displayed. Of course, he could not see what she was seeing, nor did he have an identification skill to help him understand. However, she was completely focused on her new and improved status screen, which now displayed her class and all its upgrades.

The bonuses were staggering. Her old Rune Mage class had only reduced mana usage for runes by twenty percent, but now she could lower it by an additional forty percent. With her newly enhanced mana reserves, she would likely be able to cast rune magic far more freely without suffering the usual drawback of high mana costs.

This didn’t even take into account the raised multiplier that exceeded the standard three times. A regular Master Rune Mage was said to have a slightly higher multiplier, which meant that choosing this class had probably been the right decision. Her eyes quickly shifted to the most important skill she had received, and now, it was no longer listed as temporary.

There it was, the main skill that went along with this class. It allowed her to shape Runes of all kinds and tiers. However, it was not the only skill she was blessed with as there were some more.

This was something that was not included in a trial. She wasn’t quite sure how storing and loading transmuted runes worked but she already had an idea. Then there was a skill that seemed similar to a basic runsmithing skill just one adapted for transmuting.

It was similar to "Rune Mending" but had some drawbacks and limitations. She clearly could not affect the material the rune was on, so if someone cut a rune in half, she probably would not be able to restore it. Moving runes around metal did not seem possible, at least not for now.

Now this was an interesting one. She knew exactly what these magical pathways were. They were essential for almost all high-tier runes since connecting runes through only physical paths was sometimes impossible. With this skill, she would be able to alter their composition, but she was limited to already existing ones, a restriction that runesmiths did not have.

This was all she could see of the skills she received from the Rune Transmuter class. Various skills had their masteries raised when she reached Tier 3, but they were not that important. Now that it was finally over, a new challenge stood before her as she needed to master greater runes, something she had been waiting to do for years.

Lucille stood in silence, her eyes fixed on the status screen displaying her newly gained class and skills. The rush of power within her was intoxicating, and the two brothers noticed her growing obsession with it.

“Why don’t you two head home and rest for now? There’s going to be plenty of work tomorrow”

Roland suggested while Robert nodded, but Lucille didn’t seem to be listening. She continued mumbling about transmuting runes and greater runic structures she wished to research.

“Tomorrow? I don’t feel tired at all! I wouldn’t be able to sleep even if I wanted to!”

Lucille looked at them with pleading eyes, but Robert did not seem convinced. Then she glanced over at Roland, who was watching her closely, clearly examining the skills she had received. If it was him, then perhaps he would allow her to test her new abilities and study some of the old Tier 3 rune schematics she had never been able to fully grasp.

“I suppose the spell I used on you had a refreshing effect. Come with me then, we should test your skills.”

“Yes!”

She jumped high, much higher than she expected. Before her head could collide with the ceiling, Robert managed to yank her down. Her multiplier had increased and her reinforced muscles and organs made her much stronger. Even though she was a mage, her physical abilities were now far beyond what they had been before and she would need time to adjust.

******

‘Rune Transmuter, an interesting class…’

Roland glanced at the worried Robert, but his mind was elsewhere. Lucille’s new class was intriguing. Though he would have preferred her to have a class that controlled golems on a wider scale, this was not a bad alternative. He already had an idea for a customized weapon she could use, as he had been aware of the "Transmute Rune" skill beforehand.

‘She still has all the basic control skills, so it should be fine…’

The three of them walked as Roland analyzed all of Lucille’s skills. He was unsure how powerful she could become as a spellcaster, but with a transmuting ability, she was now capable of much more than that. In theory, she could reshape runic constructs to some degree and adapt to many adverse situations, similar to his own runesmithing masteries. The downside of her class was its reliance on external runes, but with him around and his capabilities, he could probably create powerful gear that would make her class shine.

His sister-in-law was ecstatic, so he decided to bring her to the training chamber to see what she could do with her new skills. He also wanted to measure her limits. After draining her mana and stamina a few times, she would probably settle down and go home with Robert, who still seemed concerned about her well-being.

“Fine then, how about you show me exactly how that transmutation skill works?”

“Of course!”

They set up a series of tests for her. The first involved having her adjust runes on metal plates, changing them into different forms. Roland had Sebastian measure her speed, mana wavelength, and anything else he could with his detection skills.

‘Interesting. In some cases, this skill seems even better than regular runesmithing.’

As he watched, he could tell that she used less mana to reshape these runes than he would if he attempted the same. Regular runesmithing required a hammer but could also work with direct mana infusion. The drawback of using mana directly was its immense energy cost. Rune transmutation, on the other hand, consumed far less mana but lacked the same level of detail. The runes were weakened to some extent and could not shift beyond their pre-existing internal components, whereas regular runesmithing allowed him to alter them however he wished.

Considering these limitations, it was clear that he needed to develop foundational runic structures that Lucille could use as a base to create the most runes possible.

‘I could probably reduce it to a few fundamental rune structures… but it won’t be easy…’

It seemed he had his work cut out for him, but the power she now wielded could not be underestimated. While she was not yet at his level, her mana reserves were high, and her class significantly reduced the mana cost of runes. Combined with a higher-than-normal stat multiplier, she would be a force to be reckoned with.

The other interesting aspect was that she could register a limited number of runes for later use. It was somewhat similar to what Robert could do with his "Invoke Rune" skill. Store could save up to five runes for now, while Load could instantly reconfigure a structure for quick casting.

"That’s enough. You should probably rest now."

"I… I’m fine."

"Hah."

He sighed, watching her insist on continuing even after having her mana drained several times.

"Just go back home, you’re making Robert anxious."

Only when he mentioned Robert and she glanced in his direction did she finally relent. He handed her another notebook with some basic greater rune schematics, and then she was off, heading home. Another Tier 3 class holder was now in the city, and their power had grown even more.

‘One step closer… but if someone finds out, this could get dangerous…’

While his forces were expanding drastically, this was becoming a problem. The number of Tier 3 class holders had grown to a staggering level, and if outsiders took notice, they would start asking questions. He wanted to push further, but continuing to train people through the divine runes was impossible for fear of church retaliation. It was one thing to help his brother and those closely connected to him, but expanding this training method to outsiders was another matter entirely. He hadn’t disclosed it to people like the Guild Master, even though the man probably suspected something was amiss.

‘I hope this is enough for the culling… now, what about that weapon?’

His mind drifted back to the task at hand. He began scribbling, sketching a design that could hold multiple rune symbols within itself, allowing them to shift using a transmuting skill. His fingers moved quickly, and soon he had drawn a book. Instead of paper pages, it contained thin metal sheets, each etched with different rune structures for Lucille to manipulate. The idea was for her to activate multiple pages at once to form larger spell structures. Though the metal was thin and the runes wouldn’t last long, the pages would be easily replaceable, even in combat or at least, that was what he hoped.

“Master, It’s dinner time.”

“Oh?”

As he was working, Sebastian interrupted his thoughts. He glanced at one of the monitors and saw Elodia entering the dining room along with Lobelia, Armand, and a few others.

‘Ah, right. Today was the day…’

He smiled slightly as he got up from his seat. After some persuasion, Elodia had finally agreed to run a small school for orphaned children. Today, they were celebrating her new position, and he wouldn’t miss it.

While there was always work to be done, sometimes even he needed a break. After setting down the schematics for the new weapon, he headed upstairs. The elevator doors opened, and he quickly jumped to the side to evade a tackle from Agni.

“Woof!?”

“Hah, you’re too slow.”

“Awoo!”

The chase began. He dodged and weaved behind his windmills as Agni tried to tackle him. Luckily, he was rescued by the sharp voice of his annoyed wife.

“Wayland, Agni. Stop it. The food is getting cold!”

Both of them froze before quickly heading inside. As he glanced around the room, he saw familiar faces. Some were smiling, while others smirked in mockery at him being scolded. He did not mind. Instead, a small smile crept onto his own face, something that seemed to be happening more and more lately.

*****

“Ughhhh…”

“Stop yawning, you’re going to get me to do it…”

“Ugh… we still have four hours left…”

“Just bear with it…”

Two guards stood with slouched backs outside the gates of a city. A cold wind was blowing in their faces and helped to keep them awake. The night was quiet, with only the occasional chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves carried by the wind. One of the guards, a lanky man, groaned as he stretched, rolling his shoulders with a sigh.

“I swear, I’m about to just let my soul leave my body. This shift is never-ending.”

His companion, a stockier man, chuckled dryly.

“Better than patrolling the slums. At least here we don’t have to deal with drunkards trying to pick fights with us.”

The lankier man grunted in agreement but then rubbed his stomach with a grimace.

“Yeah, well, I had too much of that stew earlier. Gotta go take a piss before I explode.”

“Great. Just don’t wander too far.”

One of the guards muttered, adjusting his stance and leaning against his spear. The other waved him off and walked a short distance away, stepping past the low stone perimeter and into the cover of the trees. The cool night air sent a shiver down his spine as he unbuckled his belt, sighing in relief as he handled his business.

But then, something shifted beneath him.

A faint tremor. A soft crunch.

He furrowed his brow and stepped back just as the ground ahead of him began to crumble. Dirt and small stones tumbled down into a dark, gaping hole that had not been there before. He swore under his breath, stumbling backward.

“What the hell?”

He cautiously stepped closer and peered into the newly formed sinkhole. The edges of the earth still crumbled inward, revealing a deep cavern beneath. A faint, almost unnatural glow pulsed far below, sending eerie shadows flickering across the rough walls. And then he saw them, a pair of inhumane eyes…

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