Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 77: Coming-of-age Gift

CH77 Coming-of-age Gift

***

”Father?” Zora gave Merlin a curious glance.

Merlin nodded.

Zora stood, walked over to a nearby shelf, and retrieved a small, well-crafted box. She returned and gently placed it in front of Alex.

”What is this?” Alex asked, eyeing the box with interest.

”A birthday gift. From Father,” Zora said with a faint smile.

Alex looked to Merlin in surprise, eyes lighting up with curiosity.

The old man gave a gruff cough.

”You are my True Disciple. It would not do for my reputation if I didn’t offer you a proper coming-of-age gift. At the very least, you will stop looking so poor and finally have something worthy of showing off as my disciple.”

Alex’s smile widened. He didn’t need further prompting from the Father-Daughter pair.

He opened the box with eager hands.

The last time Merlin had given him a gift, it had been a rare and expensive Nullcore Orb—something valuable and difficult to acquire. This time, though, Merlin had called it a coming-of-age gift. It was bound to be even more valuable.

After all, while Nullcore Orbs were rare, they weren’t that rare. Even Earl Drake, as a noble, could likely procure one for his son if he wished. If Merlin truly intended to express both his regard for Alex and reinforce Alex’s status as his disciple, he would have to offer something that even Earl Drake would find difficult to match.

Inside the box lay a simple, unassuming black bracer of familiar design.

Alex’s eyes narrowed. He recognised this.

”We found out about your commission with the Master forgesmiths and Alchemists who were to help you design a portable version of your Rune-Net device,” Zora explained. ”Father decided to... upgrade that commission on your behalf.”

Now Alex understood. That was why the design looked familiar—it was based on the preliminary concept he and the craftsmen had developed together.

Yet, as he examined it more closely with both his engineering and crafting insight as well as his rune-mastery, aided by the OmniRune Core’s inspection capability, the differences between this and the original prototype became staggering.

It wasn’t even a comparison.

It was like comparing a smartphone to a quantum computer. No matter how advanced the smartphone was, it simply couldn’t match the sheer depth and complexity of a quantum system.

And what he was holding... was essentially a portable quantum computer.

He couldn’t even identify all the materials used in the construction.

But the few he could recognise left him utterly stunned.

”Aethersteel Alloy... Dragonhide Leather... Tungsten-fused Calx...” Alex muttered, voice low with disbelief.

His eyes turned red—not from strain, but emotion.

He looked up at Merlin, overwhelmed.

That Merlin would use Legend-grade materials to craft this... for him?

And these were just the outer structural components.

The Aethersteel formed the main frame of the bracer—a lightweight, mana-conductive metal known for its matte, unreflective finish and high durability. It was notoriously difficult to forge and even harder to enchant properly.

The Dragonhide Leather lined the inner flex-sections and adjustable straps. Its resistance to wear, extreme temperatures, and mana fluctuations made it ideal for high-performance artefacts.

Alex was not sure if it came from an Elemental Dragon or an Elder Dragon, but judging by the absence of an elemental resonance, he leaned towards the latter.

’Did he use the hide of the Elder Dragon he punished...?’ Alex wondered, stunned by the possibility.

It was plausible. After all, Merlin still had the dragon’s heart and blood until he had used them... on Alex.

And then there was the Tungsten-fused Calx—a seemingly mundane but incredibly rare and durable material that formed the base of something tucked into the bracer’s inner framework.

Alex couldn’t make out its purpose yet, but he recognised the importance of the Calx.

Though not magical on its own, it was incredibly resilient, highly enchantable, and almost impossible to manufacture in large quantities. It had earned its place on the list of Legend-grade materials, even if only among the mundane category.

Not every component of a Legendary artefact needed to be infused with magic.

Some materials earned their place through sheer quality, functionality, and rarity.

Tungsten-fused Calx was one of those.

And yet... the bracer still looked like a matte black, utterly ordinary device.

Which made it all the more perfect—for someone like Alex.

”I modified the design you all came up with,” Merlin said, voice calm and authoritative.

”Instead of the junk materials you intended to use, I replaced them with proper components—ones befitting your status as my True Disciple.”

Alex flushed slightly, but said nothing.

”Since you’ve already identified much of the core physical structure,” Merlin continued, ”I won’t bore you with details. As for the magical and alchemical internals—” he tapped the bracer lightly, ”—you will find a Condensed Aether Crystal serving as the primary power source, supported by Aether-Ichor Capacitor Beads as the secondary battery. Spell Echo Lenses act as a projection medium, and the memory substrate is an advanced version of that memory coral you and the alchemists used for the Rune-Net prototype.”

Alex’s eyes widened slightly at the list. Those were top-tier components, rarely ever found in the same grade of artefact.

”The rest of the internals, you can examine at your leisure. The artefact is modular, so you can disassemble and swap out components as needed.”

Alex nodded in understanding.

”As I’m sure you have already realised,” Merlin said, folding his arms behind his back, ”this is a Legendary-grade artefact. Even seasoned Legends would go mad trying to acquire something like this. Once you return to your dorm, bind it to your Spiritual Force. No one will be able to sense what it is unless you deliberately reveal it.”

Alex released a breath of relief. That had been one of his major concerns.

It was why he had designed the original version to look plain and unassuming. Just a matte black bracer—nothing flashy, nothing to attract attention. Thankfully, Merlin had respected that aesthetic even in the upgraded version.

***