The Runic Alchemist

Maelor got up from the bed and looked at his sister. "It's time for me to leave now. As I said, don't worry—I've spoken to Father, and I'll take you with me soon. We're going to live in a different city."

She just nodded, her eyes flickering back and forth between her brother, the swirling blue portal above his head, and Damian standing nearby.

"Hey," Damian greeted her as their eyes met.

"Uhm, nice to meet you, Sir Morph Vialist…" she said awkwardly. Damian just nodded.

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Maelor hugged his little sister, then he and Damian walked into the waygate, arriving back at the academy. Once they were back in the training room with only their friends around, Damian asked, "Everything okay there?"

"Yes," Maelor answered. "Lord Landshark seems to have switched sides to the Empire, so she won't end up as bride anytime soon. But I don't think she'll be safe there for long…"

Damian nodded. "And the war?"

"My father and grandfather are gathering troops from all over the kingdom, hiring mercenaries. I don't know their exact plans, but they'll march south soon."

Suddenly, Grace spoke up. "I don't want to help, but.. it still feels weird knowing my family is going to war, and I.."@@novelbin@@

"I know the feeling," Lucian added. "But after seeing Damian, Sam, and the Transcendents fight.. at our current level, we'd be nothing but a hindrance."

Maelor nodded as well.

Sam clapped both Maelor and Grace on the shoulders with a big grin. "Come on now, act your age a little. We're barely fifteen. It's not our place to fight the grown-ups' wars. Even if you were home, they wouldn't let you fight. We've got a dungeon to conquer and a lot of challenges ahead of us."

Both Maelor and Grace smiled. Sam had that effect on people.

Lucian, seeing their reactions, smiled slightly. "Sam's right. The war is just beginning—what's a few months? They can handle themselves. We need to be ready for our own challenges."

Damian also smiled, then added, "Tomorrow morning, at sunrise."

"Tomorrow morning.." they all echoed.

***

Dressed in a basic set of runic armor pieces and equipped with all six of his supreme-grade spatial storages—two bracers, two shoulder pieces, and two above his ankles—Damian was ready. Reize had also donned her own set of armor, designed by herself with a few tweaks from Damian.

The open space in front of the Bastion Gate was filled with all fifty members of their team, dressed in battle-ready attire—some in full leather or steel armor, others with just a few pieces and a sword. Anticipating this, Damian had packed additional armor with simple runic spells, though he wouldn't hand them out unless absolutely necessary.

Mindseer had already helped Elias and Lumi lift the massive storage cube from the outside workshop. Last night, Damian had drained the mana tanks in his ship and filled fifty mana containers with mana liquid, which he now distributed among the students. He had explained this plan yesterday, though most still found it hard to believe he was actually taking his entire ship into the dungeon. Many, however, were thrilled at the idea of having a ride instead of trekking through dense forests.

One by one, they recorded their names in the guards' logbook and crossed the gate into the Bastion.

Leading the group, Damian, Maelor, Sam, Einar, Lucian, Reize, Evrin, Grace, Alex, Karl and Kamisen walked a straight path toward the dungeon, ignoring the guards stationed at regular intervals, each emanating a dangerous aura.

As they neared the dungeon entrance, Damian finally confirmed what he had been sensing for a while. Mindseer had told him that some third-rankers would be joining the dungeon expedition, but seeing the sheer number gathered, he had a hard time believing his eyes.

Six third-rankers from each of the three factions—plus two neutral third-rankers. In total, twenty third-rankers and thirty powerful second-rankers stood waiting.

Among them were even their faction leaders: Voidshaper, Sunkeeper, and Worldscribe.

Mindseer had mentioned they were only here to secure spots in the 100-person dungeon batch, not to accompany their people inside.

Even Runefather and Bloodedge were present—weren't they supposed to start their academy duties this week?

Damian recognized many of them: Hellseeker, Soulfella, Silverspell, Lifewarden. Others, he had only heard of by name or recognized by face. Even the two second-ranker Highsword knights who had escorted them from Eldoris to Edgehaven were there.

The rule was simple: to ensure all 100 entrants stayed together in one dungeon plane, they had to team up. Damian had no authority to reject the arrangement, so he accepted the team-up.

They all eyed the massive steel cube in Mindseer's hands with its intricate runic inscriptions, but no one asked about it. They should already know what he had done the other day—news spread quickly through the students. Still, seeing its sheer size made many wonder just how much spatial space it contained.

At last, all 100 participants—21 third-rankers, 32 second-rankers, and 47 first-ranker students—stepped into the dungeon called, The Radiant Sovereign Thicket.

On the other side, the three faction leaders wasted no time. They shot through the first dungeon level, flying ahead, likely leaving the dungeon entirely to resume their usual scheming and brooding outside.

Teaming up was necessary, but Damian had no intention of coordinating with any of them. He outright rejected all their offers of assistance, leaving the three Transcendent factions with no choice but to forge their own paths through the first level of the dungeon, keeping their distance from his group.

The only exception was Mindseer, who remained with Damian and his group. Though she claimed to be neutral—and had even signed a mana contract confirming it—Damian suspected she was still aligned with Hellseeker's faction. One third-ranker, however, he could handle. If she became a problem, he could always tell her to fuck off.

Mindseer set down the massive spatial cube. Damian retrieved a mana container and used it to summon Dreamlight.

In an instant, the massive ship materialized before them.

They all boarded, and without delay, they soared toward the dungeon's key checkpoint.

Their plan was simple: skip the first five floors entirely. If the sixth floor didn't prove challenging enough, they'd push even further.

The real dungeon dive was about to begin and they had no time to waste.