The console gave a final pulse of light, and then the hall responded. A sharp hum rose from the array. The concentric power around the center of the chamber ignited in sequence, casting a pale cerulean glow that expanded outward in a ring.
Then the pillars lit up. Each one flared to life with cascading runes, locking into sync with the array. A moment later, a dome of translucent mana surged into place, forming a barrier around the training field. And at the center, the summoning began. It didn’t happen all at once.
First, the stone tiles rippled like disturbed water. Two points flared with an unnatural blue, and then mana twisted upward in sharp spirals. The blue energy spun into shape, flickering between formless arcs and flickers of anatomy. Limbs, claws, jaws that barely formed and already writhing. Then came the birth cry, a silent snarl that pressed against their ears.
Two beasts materialized within the field.
“We are going with Two Lesser-Rank types,” she said. “The standard simulation parameters.”
The first was hunched and sinewy, its limbs long and jointed the wrong way. Its hide was mottled gray, patchy and leathery, stretched too tight over their frames. Two sunken eyes glowed dull orange above a mouth lined with inward-curved teeth.
She pointed to it, the beast with unnatural joints. “That is Raveth Crawlers. Agile. Fast-twitch reflexes. Favors ambushes and erratic lunges.”
The other one towered slightly higher, quadrupedal, with plated scales running down its spine like armor. Its snout was short but wide, with a nose that constantly twitched, sniffing the air as if scenting something. Its claws were long and not meant for mauling, but for digging.
Her finger moved to it, to the bulkier, plated one. “That's Drakeburr. A tunneler beast. Slow, but dangerous in prolonged fights. Watch the ground as it has subdermal mana sacs that allow it to burst beneath surfaces.”
“In flat terrain , it’ll use shockwave bursts instead. Most of its power comes from knockdowns and forced openings.” She turned back to the group, drawing her blade free with a smooth motion. The curve of it caught the array’s light.
“Everyone. Positions.”
Ruvian blinked. That word… it caught him off guard. There had been no prior discussion. No coordinated plan was etched out between them. And yet, the others moved without hesitation.
‘Huh? Is it some kind of basic knowledge that I didn't know?’
Arlok veered to the left in a slow, circling stride, his broad frame deceptively loose, the poleaxe resting along his shoulder like an old friend he knew too well.
Horren, by contrast, moved with twitchy precision, already loosing a breath as he notched an arrow and shifted further out to the perimeter. Shima walked lightly to the opposite flank, her falchion held in a relaxed grip, eyes on the beasts.
Ruvian stood still as he hadn’t been part of it yet.
And then, as always, he adapted and positioned himself somewhere suitable to support them with his wind magic when needed.
Skill activated: [Character Sheets]
Four luminous panes unfolded before his mind’s eye, translucent and precise. He glanced through them, one by one, in sequence.
{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}
Stolen story; please report.
◇ Spellcore: Tier III
[Mana Resonance: (5/1000)]
==[General Attributes]==
==[Mage Attributes]==
Mana Control: D+ Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
Mana Essence: [1000/1000]
==[Innate Blessings]==
{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}
[Mana Resonance: (160/250)]
==[General Attributes]==
==[Mage Attributes]==
Mana Essence: [800/800]
==[Innate Blessings]==
{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}
[Mana Resonance: (70/250)]
==[General Attributes]==
==[Mage Attributes]==
Mana Essence: [700/700]
==[Innate Blessings]==
{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}
[Mana Resonance: (30/250)]
==[General Attributes]==
==[Mage Attributes]==
Mana Essence: [900/900]
==[Innate Blessings]==
Then, the glowing panes dissolved, their data lingering in his mind.
‘They are not actually that bad.’
The beasts descended in a synchronized lurch of claws and sinew, screeching through the dust-choked air.
Two summoned monsters—each chosen for their unpredictability. The Raveth Crawler sprang forward with erratic, stuttering limbs, claws scraping the tiled floor. The Drakeburr moved more slowly, bulkier, but no less dangerous; its scaled body rippled with buried force as it lowered itself to a stalking crawl.
Squad #69 moved without needing to be told.
Yerin stepped into the path of the Crawler, her blade already drawn. She didn’t rush, just simply raised her sword in a high guard and waited. The thing lunged with a screech, but she met it with a light step, flame bursting from the flat of her sword as it carved a clean arc against the beast’s extended limb.
There was nothing flashy about her technique.
‘Yerin’s Spellcore was one rank above the rest, and that alone set her apart. And she also has a pretty balanced stat sheet too... a good frontline anchor that you could build a structure around.’
To her right, Arlok bellowed and helped her, both hands gripping a massive poleaxe. He dashed at the beast with brute strength.
The beast slashed, but he stepped in instead of backing down. Steel met bone in a brutal clash, his poleaxe cleaving down with sheer force. Sparks skidded off the beast’s carapace as he forced it backward by weight alone, pushing momentum over technique.
‘....Look at him go.’
Ruvian smirked. ‘Well, as long as it works....’
Then came the blur of movement to the left—Shima. The Drakeburr roared, flanks bristling with heat, and lunged at her.
But she wasn’t there anymore. Her falchion flashed once, a narrow cut glinting with light, before she vanished again in a streak of motion. A bolt of lightning spiraled up her blade as she reappeared behind the beast, carving a shallow wound into its rear haunch.
Quick, clean, vanishing before the Drakeburr could even turn.
‘She has a good speed and casting tempo.’
Shima strikes with fast-cast elemental bursts. However, there's not enough weight to disable the enemy. Her falchion was light, curved for motion. Pressuring from angles, but never confronting strength with strength.
And farther back next to him—
Horren hadn’t moved from his vantage.
Wind whispered across the chamber as another arrow tore through the air, curving mid-flight to avoid Arlok’s swing before striking the Crawler’s rear leg. The beast staggered just slightly, and Arlok capitalized with a heavy downswing.
Ruvian inhaled, and the next, his spell answered.
It took him a while now, but he was slowly getting a good grasp of how to conceptually cast his wind magic instead of relying on chanting.
His Tier II Spellcore hummed inside him, no longer rigid.
If he wants to get stronger, Ruvian needs to learn how to cast conceptual spells now.
'Let's see... how far can I go.'