Chapter 34: Runic Items Trials
Alfred asked Berus to help him by using him as the first trial for the Runes. Berus instantly agreed because he trust Alfred and he also had a great interest in the Rune, to him this was a chance to experience the Rune for himself.
Alfred, Leo, and Berus walked outside the Tribe, but they were still on the periphery of the Guardian Tree. They didn't want to cause a commotion in the Tribe. Thus, they went outside to try the Runes. The trio stopped in front of a big rock, Alfred want to use this rock as a subject for the Strength Rune.
First, Alfred wanted Berus to lift the big Rock to see if he could do it. Although Berus started learning to control Life Energy earlier than Alfred, he was still in 2nd Stage Energy Manipulation. Still, he didn't care too much about it. He didn't get jealous of Alfred just because he reached 3rd Stage Energy Coating faster than him, in fact, he was happy for his friend.
Berus covered both of his arms with Life Energy to increase his strength, by just seeing the Life Energy covering Berus' arms. Alfred understood that he was very close to reaching the 3rd Stage he just needed a little push, maybe this trial would be enough to push him to the 3rd Stage.
Berus tried to lift the big rock after covering both of his arms, he held it like he was hugging someone, then used all his strength to carry it. Yet, even with all his strength the rock only moved for a few centimeters. Berus was panting after letting go of the rock, even though he only lifted it off the ground for a few centimeters, he was satisfied with it.
Alfred was surprised, he didn't think that Berus could even move the rock, but he proved him wrong when he lifted it off the ground, but he thought lifting it might not be the best way to show Berus strength. After Berus rest for a bit, Alfred asked him to punch the rock with all of his strength.
Berus didn't complain and just follow what Alfred said to him. This time he covered only his right arm with Life Energy to focus all of his strength on it. He readied himself by pulling his hand away from the Rock while aiming at it. Soon enough, a loud bang resounded, it was Berus' fist hitting the big rock.
The sound was so loud that some Arrows who were patrolling or guarding the tribe heard it, they thought they were someone attacking their tribe. Therefore, they walked outside the tribe while holding some weapons to check what was the commotion.
When the Arrows saw that it was Alfred and Berus who made the loud sound, they felt relief that someone was not attacking their tribe. However, they were confused about what the two were doing outside the tribe.
The big rock had a fist marked after the hit, Berus smiled with satisfaction when he saw his fist left a mark on the rock, even though the mark was shallow and small that was enough for him to be happy. He looked at Alfred with confidence as if he was asking for a compliment. However, Alfred was already focused on the mark.
"Berus, what are you two doing here?" One of the Arrows asked.
Berus finally noticed the Arrows watching them when someone asked him. He realized the loud sound earlier might alarm the Arrows, that was why they were here checking on what it was. He walked closer to them so he could explain what they were doing here.
"Oh, I am sorry about that," Berus said while smiling and scratching his head. "We just want to try the new Rune that Alfred made, we do not want to cause a commotion inside the tribe, that is why we come here to test it. I guess we still managed to disturb some of you."
"Berus Let us try one of the Rune now." Alfred interrupted the conversation of the Arrow and Berus.
"Ahh, yes I am coming," Berus replied. He shifted his attention back to the arrow before he walked back. "I am sorry we are quite busy I will go first."
Alfred handed a wooden bracelet with Strength Rune carved on it to Berus and explained to him what he needed to do and the possible effect of the Runic Item. Berus followed Alfred's instruction and wear the wooden bracelet in his hand, he instantly felt a boost in his strength when he wore the bracelet.
"Wow… I can really feel my strength increase when I wear the bracelet!" Berus exclaimed.
"Now, try punching the rock again." Said Alfred while pointing at the big rock. "I want to see how much strength the Runic Bracelet adds to yours, by comparing the difference between your last result to the new one."
Berus comply with Alfred's words, he was also interested in how much strength he gained by just wearing a Runic Item. Like what he did earlier, he covered his right arm with Life Energy and pulled it away from the big rock, then an even louder bang resounded in the surrounding area as Berus' fist hit the big rock.
The marked Berus left this time was larger and deeper than the last mark he did earlier. Although the difference was not large, increasing strength by this much by just wearing a wooden bracelet was unheard of.
Alfred examine the newest fist mark, he was also excited when he saw the increase in strength, even though it was not a big increase he was satisfied with it. He was still new to the making of Runic Items, what if he became more proficient in using it? Just imagining the possibilities in the future was enough to make him smile.
The Arrows also became interested in this Runic Item when they saw that it really increased Berus' strength. One of the Arrows finally couldn't be able to control his curiosity. Therefore, he walked closer to the two and asked if he could also try it.
Alfred didn't immediately let the Arrow wear the bracelet because he wanted the Arrow to try hitting the big rock before he wore it. He saw this as an opportunity to gather more details about the Rune, he was still not sure how the Rune increased the strength of its wearer.
The Arrow agreed to Alfred's request and hit the big rock with all of his strength. The Arrow fist mark was almost the same size as Berus' second fist mark, showing that the Arrow was stronger than him. Berus didn't react to this because he knew that he was still young and had a lot more room for improvement, he just needed to work hard to reach that level.
Alfred told Berus to give the wooden bracelet to the Arrow so they could see the difference in strength. After receiving the wooden bracelet, the Arrow instantly felt the boost in his strength. Because of this, he didn't even wait for Alfred to say anything and decided to punch the rock again to test his strength.
The fist mark that the arrow created became larger than his first try, but this was not where Alfred had his attention, what he noticed was the difference in strength between Berus and the Arrow gained. The Arrow clearly gained more strength than Berus. However, this was not enough to confirm if this was true.
The other Arrows watching finally couldn't stop themselves, they didn't even ask Alfred for permission if they could also try it, but the Arrows still follow what Alfred instruct earlier. Alfred didn't stop them to him this was a good thing he could gather more information to confirm his theory.
The sound of a loud bang repeatedly resounded in the area. After a while, the Arrows finally satisfied their curiosity and stop hitting the big rock. The rock was now full of fist marks all over its surface, just a little more and it would crumble. Thankfully, the Arrows stopped before it could happen.
Alfred was now sure about his theory, that the Strength Rune's ability to strengthen its wearer was not fixed, but instead, it varied depending on who was the wearer. The stronger the wearer was, the higher the strength that could give, so instead of just +10 strength it was more like +10% strength.
Alfred also wanted to know if this effect was also like this to the other Rune. Therefore, he invited Everyone to try the different Rune he made. The second Rune they tried was the Agility Rune, they tried it by the simplest things they could think of, racing.
As expected, the effect of the Agility Rune was like the Strength Rune, it was also depending on the wearer how much agility they could gain. After that, the third one was the Sturdy Rune. They tried it by just hitting each other, to see how much defense they gained, and the last one was the Stamina Rune, they tried it by just testing their stamina.
After all of that, Alfred was now more ensured that the effect of the Augmentation Rune was a percentage and not a fixed addition. They also tried the weapon with Sharpness, Piercing, and Durability Rune. However, Alfred couldn't really judge if it had the same effect as the first four.