The Runic Alchemist

Damian rested for the day, as they had decided to set out the following morning. All their badges had been updated, and Sam stayed with him to keep an eye on him. Evrin had suggested submitting a leave application, if only in name, so at least the professors would be aware they were taking a week off.

Perhaps because of Bloodedge or Worldscribe, none of the professors raised any objections. This allowed them to explore the Highsword dungeon for a full week with no distractions. However, they were limited to just five levels of the dungeon. Damian had heard tales of the dungeon's vastness, even those 5 levels had an ample variety of monsters for students to take on. It was far larger than the one in the Valley of Beasts, which only had 25 levels. This dungeon, by contrast, was rumored to reach 100 levels - not to mention no one had reached till the end yet, or maybe they did and just never revealed it, the info about later levels was not easy to come by. The higher levels were said to feature environments so extreme that even third-rankers, with their superior physiques, struggled to endure them.

Highsword members had claimed many levels as their base, dividing them among various sections of the organization. They mined rare materials, researched spells and monsters, and studied the mana-rich surroundings. Most Highsword members avoided worldly matters, focusing instead on personal strength and research, emerging only when summoned. According to Evrin and Einar, 70-80% of all Highsword members stayed inside the dungeon permanently, rotating periodically to allow others access. Some, however, choose never to leave. One such individual was The Supreme Blade of Highsword, Lord Commander and head of Highswords—Asael, The Land breaker.

The next morning, Damian was ready. Sam returned two of Damian's spatial storage units. One contained his personal belongings and another runic scrolls, The one containing some high end runic tools and dangerous potions and stuff Damian decided to not take back until he was a little bit more certain of himself.. He spent half the night explaining each tool's purpose and functions of his numerous colorful potions to Sam in case of emergencies. When he finished, Sam summed up his thoughts with one blunt remark:

"I think it's wise I keep them. I can't believe all this time you've been walking around with enough firepower to level multiple cities! Are you expecting a fight against several third-rankers or what?"

Damian merely smiled without commenting. It wasn't even close to the full scope of his plans. The most ambitious tools he had envisioned were yet to be crafted. Just his one spatial storage full of potions was enough to power thousands of soldiers and give a fight the enemy would never forget. He was probably the only person who could give mundane humans a power they had not even dreamed of.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The true horror of his potions wasn't merely in their ability to enhance the already powerful—it lay in their capacity to transform ordinary mundane combatants, even first-time fighters on the battlefield, into significant threats that could no longer be dismissed in large-scale warfare.

Damian chose to carry in his spatial storages only his runic scrolls and a bundle of simple swords and spears, one-time-use items, as they headed for the inner gate connecting the Obsidian Bastion to the academy. The dungeon lay within the Bastion, heavily guarded.

As they approached, Damian suddenly stopped, prompting Sam to look back as well. From the far end of the hallway, Lucian, Adrian, and Fiona walked toward them, clad in armor. Damian and Sam waited in silence until the trio joined them. With just a few seconds of eye contact and no exchange of words, they fell into step beside Damian and Sam, heading together toward the giant inner gate guarded by Highsword second-rankers.

When they arrived, Damian's two squires, along with Einar and the rest of the group, were already there. Everyone wore armor, even the girl - Luminisha, except for Elias, Damian's youngest sibling. Elias carried only an unremarkable sword and wore casual clothes.

Damian gestured to Sam, who retrieved a spare set of armor from one of Damian's storage units. Though it wasn't runic, it fit Elias well enough. Damian himself wore light leather armor—not for protection, but simply to avoid staining his clothes with blood. As a part time mage, he preferred mobility to heavy gear. At least for a dungeon with only unranked to Lord rank monsters in the first five levels.

The guards inspected their badges and logged their entry. While they worked, Sam broke the silence.

"You know... you've never introduced us to her," he said, his eyes on the trio standing on Damian's other side.

Without hesitation, Damian replied, "She's Lucian Goldilocks. That's Adrian, and Fiona. I met them years ago in some woods near Northern Dawnstar." Continue reading at empire

The trio exchanged glances before nodding, affirming the truth of Damian's words. Greetings followed, awkward but polite. Damian noticed Elias glaring at Lucian—not with hatred or frustration, but with the quiet recognition that they might one day meet as enemies on the battlefield. Lucian caught his gaze briefly before dismissing him. Though Goldilocks may be protecting Sunblade territory for the moment, they were also one of the biggest threats to them.

Once the guards returned their badges and issued some mandatory instructions, they opened the gate. The path to the dungeon was a long, straight walk, separate from the main Highsword building. At regular intervals, guards stood watch, their mana signatures and aura felt more advanced than the guards in the academy to Damian. These were elite second rankers even among Highswords.

Damian sensed many dangerous mana signatures in the bastion. Some stood out more than others but they were all coming from deep inside the bastion. The group reached an artificial door, which opened to reveal a pitch-black, cave-like entrance to the dungeon.

The minimum people mandatory to tackle the dungeon were 10 and that was just for the first 5 levels. Fortunately, they had exactly ten people.