The Runebound
Ahh, hello. Umm… I should introduce myself first.
My name is Darius Ren. I celebrated my 17th birthday a few months ago. What else?
I’m not a genius. I’m not strong. I’m not a prodigy. I’m not some poor underdog. I’m not dumb, either. And I’m not… whatever else you might want to add. It would probably fit.
Wait… I am a boy. I know that much.
I forgot to mention—I awakened my Soul Sea a month before my 17th birthday. I was excited, thrilled, overjoyed.
I grew up admiring mages who fought to protect others—the usual childhood superhero fantasy. Even though I looked up to them, I never actually considered becoming one.
Okay, maybe I did want to be like them. But… I can’t. You’ll see why.
After awakening, I immediately learned three Runes—Fireball, Water Blade, and Telekinesis. Without a second thought, I imprinted them in my Soul Sea.
I used them until I ran out of mana. As soon as it replenished, I started using them again. Over and over.
Then, I noticed something strange. Usually, imprints fade after eight to ten uses, but I had cast my spells over twenty times, and they still hadn’t disappeared.
At first, I was overjoyed—I didn’t have to worry about reimprinting Runes! But then, reality hit me.
Mages have limited Rune slots. F-Rank mages can only imprint three Runes at a time. Normally, they can replace old ones when they fade, but mine never disappear.
I’m stuck with these three Runes for life.
I held on to some hope that they’d eventually vanish. But after a month of spamming Telekinesis? Still there.
No need to worry—I can gain more Rune slots. Just kill some dangerous beasts and absorb their cores. Haven’t you read fantasy before?
Even if I reach M-Rank—the highest rank known to mankind—I’ll only have seventy-eight Runes. And every single one will be permanent.
I’m cooked.
So… what should I do? No clue. Let’s see what happens.
…Maybe I should try to surpass M-Rank.
Don’t overestimate yourself, you weak-ass idiot.
Hey… if I’m a weak-ass idiot, doesn’t that mean you are too? Because, you know… you are me.
Yeah, an idiot who talks to himself. And still an idiot, even inside his own mind.
I should stop thinking. I’m in the middle of a fight.
No one’s telling you to stop. Wait… who even has this much free time? If you do, just go find a job, you idiot.
Maybe I overthink things.
Oh, now you have the guts to say ‘maybe’.
You’re a brave idiot.
Stop wasting time, moron. You have important things to do.
Oh really? I know what my important things are.
Stop overthinking. Just surpass M-Rank and get some cool purple aura already.
…Wait. Did I just cheer myself up?
If you don’t like it, just add an insult afterward, you baka.
Instead of arguing with myself, I should have talked to someone in my class. A girl, maybe—because I am a boy. I could have made friends. Maybe even gotten a girlfriend.
Yeah, yeah. Get your ass kicked by that girl’s boyfriend.
Hey, there are girls without boyfriends, dumbass. I can find a girl without a boyfriend.
So, you want a girl’s shoes printed on your face? Nice fetish.
To sum it up, my goal is to surpass M-Rank.
To do that, I need to absorb beast cores. So, I have to hunt beasts.
I’ll start with F-Rank beasts and work my way up as I gain new Rune slots. I need to choose Runes that will be useful for my entire life.
I should focus on cultivating, too. There’s no point in getting new Runes if I don’t have enough mana to cast them.
I have to think long-term. Like a true businessman. Not a scammer—scammers don’t plan for the long term.
You don’t need to think like a scammer. You are a scammer.
Oh yeah? And you’re a saint, enlightening the world with your wisdom?
Ignoring him. So, bye... bye... see you later.
Wait, I forgot to mention one more thing—I know how to swing a sword. I spar with my mother whenever she has free time.
That might be helpful.
I’m not completely hopeless. Maybe.
