MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith

Chapter 1757: What is a Mystic Rune? (1)

”…So, what did you ask Mystia that made her pass you onto me?”

Pinching the skin between his eyebrows, Marcus let out a soft exhale as he glanced at Ataraxia, only to then look at Mystia soon after.

Seeing the woman enthusiastically wave at them with a smile, a various number of thoughts soon appeared within the manʼs mind, causing him to briefly wonder if he had done something in the past that irked her to a great degree.

ʼ…I should have paid more attention to what they were doing earlier,ʼ he muttered to himself not long after, inwardly regretting the fact that he decided to spend his entire time staring off into the distance while the trio were doing their own thing.

ʼIs it really that difficult of a question to ask?ʼ As for Ataraxia, the current situation caused him to wonder if asking for more details regarding Mystic Rune Alchemy was taboo.

Naturally, with both him and Valyr sharing the same set of memories, it went without saying that he already knew that Mystic Rune Alchemy was born due to Mystia wanting to strike a fine balance between both quality and quantity during the concoction process.

With that in mind, all he wanted to know was whether or not there was more to Mystic Rune Alchemy than just the pursuit of that fine balance.

ʼShould I have just asked more about the rune in the first place?ʼ

Whilst this question lingered within Ataraxiaʼs mind, Marcus finally returned his attention back towards the latter as he scratched the back of his head.

”So… what question did you ask her?” he asked the former once more.

”I… uh… asked Miss Mystia what significance the rune had in Mystic Rune Alchemy,” said Ataraxia in return, pausing for a bit as he found the right words to say. ”I asked her if its purpose was purely for the sake of increasing the number of simultaneous concoctions.”

”And what did she say in response?” asked Marcus, an image of the prior conversation beginning to form in his head.

”She said you were best suited to answer my question,” answered the young man in response.

”…I see.”

Though the information Ataraxia shared through their conversation thus far wasnʼt all that much, that was more than enough for Marcus to get to the crux of the matter in just a few seconds, finally understanding why Mystia sent the young man his way.

Realizing this, the man looked at Ataraxia for a bit before letting out a slight sigh. ”Were you under the impression that there was more to the rune than meets the eye?”

”Is there not?” The latter nodded in response, his expression that of slight confusion. ”It wouldnʼt make sense for the rune to be capable of increasing the number of concoctions you could do at the same time if there wasnʼt more to it.”

”…If you put it that way, then thereʼs definitely more to the rune,” replied Marcus in agreement, only to shake his head soon after. ”Unfortunately, the rune only serves that single purpose.”

”…Is that so.”

Nodding at those words, Ataraxia soon went silent as the gears in his mind began to turn.

Seeing the young man become silent all of a sudden, the former could not help but let out a faint sigh. ʼI guess this is exactly why Mystia passed him onto me.ʼ

ʼShe knew he wouldnʼt be able to accept the shock that came with the answer if she were the one to tell him.ʼ

However, contrary to his thoughts, the young man in question wasnʼt really shocked by the answer. Nor was he disheartened after hearing that the rune only served a single purpose.

Instead, it stimulated his curiosity even further.

ʼIf the rune only serves that single purpose… how does it achieve that goal specifically?ʼ The moment this question popped up in his mind, the more Ataraxia found it difficult to distance himself from it.

After all, once he knew how the rune made that single purpose a reality, reverse engineering the rune itself would become possible.

Then, once he reverse engineered the rune to a certain extent, heʼd gain access to the constituent parts that made up the rune, which would allow him to recombine those same parts in a different order.

By the time he fully understood what purpose each constituent part served, then it wouldnʼt be long until he cracked the code that would eventually allow him to make an entirely new Mystic Rune from scratch.

”Can…” With his mind made up on what to do next, Ataraxia went ahead and gathered up his courage as he asked Marcus a question. ”Can you teach me how to make a Mystic Rune?”

The latter raised his eyebrow in slight confusion. ”Didnʼt Mystia already teach you how to make it?”

”She did, but thatʼs not what I meant.” The young man faintly shook his head. ”Teach me how to make a Mystic Rune from scratch.”

”Ah…” At those words, Marcus finally understood his intentions, shedding light on the curiosity Ataraxia showed thus far.

With that, the man went silent for a bit before asking a question in return. ”By scratch, do you mean the entire process that brought the rune to reality or just the general process of creating one?”

”The entire process, if possible,” said Ataraxia in return, his eyes gleaming with light as he clenched his fists in anticipation.

Though slightly surprised by the answer he received, Marcus calmly looked back at the young man as he nodded. ”Itʼll take a lot of time for me to go through every step. Are you really sure you want me to teach you the entire process?”

”Iʼm sure.” Ataraxia nodded profusely. ”I would want nothing more than that.”

Scratching the back of his head as he listened to the young manʼs words, Marcus closed his eyes for a bit as he pondered over the amount of time he had to teach the young man what he wanted to know.

ʼIf I remember correctly, Mystia told me those two were going to attend a tournament of some sort,ʼ he muttered to himself, the gears in his head turning. ʼThereʼs like… a month left before then, I think?ʼ

ʼIf thatʼs the case, then I can only spend around half a year at most teaching him what he wants to know,ʼ he continued, his mind doing multiple calculations every second.

ʼThankfully, with this place now a true middle concept plane, the time difference between here and Veldanyr is now bigger than before.ʼ

”…Alright.” Finally making up his mind on what to do, the man looked at Ataraxia with a slight smile.

”Since you want me to teach you the entire process, then who am I to decline such a request?” Marcus said to him as he chuckled. ”With that being said, I hope youʼve thoroughly prepared yourself for the information Iʼll be sharing with you...”

”Because I donʼt plan on holding back.”