Genetic Ascension

Chapter 353: Rune Breath (2) [Bonus]

[Unlocking Rune Sight means to open one’s mind’s eye to allow the sight of Runes. Unlocking Rune Visualization means being capable of seeing not just the two-dimensional structure of Runes, but being able to experience its full 3D structure with a single glance. Rune Enlightenment represents a state of being able to comprehend the likely ability of a Rune simply by feel.

[To move through these first three stages usually required familiarity, time, and patience. Much like master chess players who can rely on pattern recognition in crucial moments, so too must a Rune Master be capable of such things.

[However, Rune Breath is a well-known dividing line. Many laymen can reach Rune Enlightenment given enough years and effort. However, Rune Breath is a chasm that separates the talented from the untalented.

[If a new Rune Master just starting out would like to learn Rune Breath, the best advice is to hope and pray.]

—

The Madness Key was known to be cheeky from time to time, and Sylas could almost feel like it was being exactly that this time around.

What amused Sylas the most was that this cheekiness always appeared when he asked the most borderline of questions.

For example, when he asked how to complete the Summoned Ascension, its only answer was: Be Strong. Now, when he asked a purposely broad question that would force it to describe five answers for the price of one, it reacted like this as well.

It almost made him think the Madness Key was a bit sentient. That would probably explain its excessive greed and how it took advantage of him whenever it got the chance.

But he didn’t pay much mind to it, at least not for now.

‘Talent, huh…?’

Sylas closed his eyes and sat in meditation.

By this point, Olivia was getting tired of holding her tongue. She had just sat here in awe while watching Sylas pull out treasure after treasure.

However, just when she was going to speak as that damned slot machine finally vanished, Sylas actually completely ignored her again and began to meditate.

There was an odd aura around him that seemed to slowly be building up momentum. And then…

Sylas’ eyes snapped open, a blaze of green fire dancing in his eye. There was a sudden strong wind despite the fact they were in a basement, and for a moment, to Olivia’s gaze, Sylas seemed far larger than life.

Sylas, however, felt something different. He could hear rattling chains, the sounds of cries and sobs of pain and mournful sadness… He could hear Earth.

Sylas unlocked Rune Sight the moment he absorbed Enchanted Scribe.

He wasn’t actually sure if much of his talent was innate because he had also used Extricate back then. Thanks to that, he didn’t just gain Enchanted Scribe that day; he had also grasped all the feel and subtleties that came with it as well.

Thanks to this, he was able to easily grasp Rune Visualization and Rune Enlightenment. When this was paired with his usual intelligence, he had blazed through the first three stages of Rune Mastery without even being aware of it.

However, Rune Breath was a bit different. Extricate could definitely bridge some of that gap for him, but the rest relied on himself. Essentially, Extricate had allowed him to take a peek at Rune Breath and what it might feel like, but if he didn’t have the talent for it, taking that next step would require using Extricate on a far stronger Rune-related Gene for him to grasp it.

And now, as expected, Rune Breath comprehension was crossed off his list. Now he just needed to analyze a 50 Foundations Rune.

If this was all the Title Sequence meant by discover, then this would be the easiest gain in stats he had had in a long time. He would have to see if the System City library had a Rune he could analyze there… if not, he would borrow Cassarae’s Nexus.

Finally, Sylas stood to his feet.

The calls of the mourning Runes around him were slowly phased out.

Soon enough, he would find a way to reverse this.

If that was possible, Earth would certainly see a huge boon very quickly.

It had to be remembered that every time their Runes were tampered with, they had to restart from square one and build up science all over again.

But what if he healed Earth? Wouldn’t they then have the insights of several civilizations to build up something entirely new for themselves?

“It’s time to go,” Sylas said to Olivia. “Get dressed and pack up what you need into the car. From now until the time we leave the city… well, it might get a bit bumpy.”

While Sylas was working out and using the slot machine, he had also been observing their perimeter. It seemed that the government agents felt that something was off.

Being unprofessional was possible, but being unprofessional to the extent that Sylas was could only be considered overdoing it.

Of course, they weren’t to the point of bursting in and ensuring Olivia and Sylas really were having a romp, but the likelihood they would double-check the situation, or maybe even take a pass to visit Olivia after Sylas left, was very high. They might even stop covert observations in favor of something more permanent…

They would have to be ready for that.

Olivia opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, she shook her head. Maybe only a woman with a mouth like Cassarae could handle this man. She had about had enough after just a few hours.

At the very least, he could get her out of this hellhole. Every day was just the same monotonous bullshit. They kept her in a figurative cage, and she was suffocating as their elites continued to improve.

Now, she would finally get the chance to stretch out her wings again.

She couldn’t help but feel that the more the government acted like this, the more people like her they would push away.

The two got into the car.

“… Do I really have to hide between your legs?”

“Yes,” Sylas said.

“I feel like you’re messing with me.”

“I’m not,” Sylas said without the slightest change to his expression. “You can’t hide in the obvious places, and even though the windows are tinted, the fact they’re not being aggressive means they probably have a way to see through them if need be. This is definitely the best place.”

Olivia grumbled. Inwardly she swore never to offend Sylas again. He could be petty and yet sound reasonable while doing so.