Chapter 58: Inscribing a Rune

Chapter 59: The Black Book and the First Talisman

When Lothe opened his eyes in the physical world, the faint, sweet fragrance of Seana’s hair drifted into his nose as she leaned over him, her dark, expressive eyes filled with quiet concern.

The familiar scent made him feel strangely refreshed after the severe mental strain of his spiritual breakthrough.

"Give me just a second," Lothe murmured softly, closing his eyes once more to return his focus to his internal system interface.

PING!

[Host has absorbed sufficient Soul Energy to solidify Array/Talisman Mastery!]

[Ancient Qi-Lock Array knowledge recorded!]

Within the dark void of his consciousness, a mysterious black book materialized out of thin air, floating silently before his mental form. Its cover was completely plain—no title, no golden engravings, no decorative trim whatsoever.

Slowly, the book opened itself.

Lothe watched in awe as the complete blueprint of the Ancient Qi-Lock Mechanism unfolded across its pages. Unlike his crude observation earlier, the runic schematic was now rendered in exquisite, crystalline detail.

Every individual node, channel, and pressure point was mapped out, translating the ancient symbols into comprehensible concepts.

Text flared beneath each key Rune:

[RUNIC GRIMOIRE]

[FIRST PAGE: ANCIENT QI-LOCK]

• Locking Rune: Restricts and seals the circulation of Qi within a targeted zone or object.

• Binding Rune: Establishes an energetic tether between the target and the Array, applying continuous suppression.

• Stabilizing Rune: Balances internal Qi harmonics to prevent structural collapse or energy backlash.

• Concealment Rune: Masks the Array’s energy signature, hiding its presence from external perception.

Lothe’s eyes widened. So that’s what those symbols actually mean...

A moment ago, they were nothing more than strange, indecipherable carvings on worn alloy. Now, he understood their fundamental functions and could reconstruct each individual glyph.

However, when he tried to visualize assembling all four Runes into a unified, functioning Array—

"Ugh..." Lothe groaned internally.

He hit an immediate wall. He could draw the individual Runes. He understood their isolated mechanics. But weaving dozens of them into a complex, self-sustaining matrix was far beyond his current mastery level.

So this is the boundary of Stage One Array Mastery. I can understand and inscribe individual Runes, but constructing a complete Array is still beyond me. At most, I should be able to connect a few compatible Runes.

PING!

[Notice: While the Host has mastered the inscription of individual Runes within the Ancient Qi-Lock Array, full Array Construction remains locked.]

[Current Mastery Level (Stage One: Qi Sight) is insufficient to independently construct complex multi-node Arrays.]

Lothe nodded internally. Fair enough. I can’t expect to become a grandmaster in ten minutes.

PING!

[Beginner Reward Package issued for reaching Stage One: Array/Talisman Mastery!]

[Package Grade: Earth-Grade]

[PACKAGE CONTENTS]

• Earth Spirit Brush ×1: A starter inscription brush capable of channeling and refining Qi into high-precision runic strokes.

• Earth Spirit Ink ×1 Vial: Specialized Qi-conductive ink formulated to preserve energy during rune inscription.

• Earth Spirit Paper ×50 Sheets: High-density, Qi-conductive parchment suitable for bearing basic Runes and forging Talismans.

[Note: Higher-grade materials will be required to inscribe Tier 2 and higher Runic Arrays.]

Excitement surged through Lothe. He finally had the tangible tools required to practice the craft!

Then a sudden realization struck him. He looked at the system window. "Wait... do you have a beginner Array manual? Or at least a book of basic offensive recipes?"

Silence.

Lothe waited three seconds. Nothing appeared.

"..."

He sighed dryly. Right. Expecting a free handout from the system was my first mistake.

Looking at the three items that had appeared in his soul manor.

He retrieved the Earth Spirit Brush and dipped its tip into the Earth Spirit Ink.

Then he placed a sheet of Spirit Paper before him.

Lothe dipped the fine tip of the Earth Spirit Brush into the dark, shimmering Earth Spirit Ink.

Closing his eyes for a fraction of a second, he recalled the exact strokes of the Locking Rune.

Guiding a thin thread of Void Qi down the shaft of the brush, he pressed the tip to the paper.

His movements were deliberate, slow, and methodical. He didn’t want to waste a single sheet of the precious fifty papers.

The brush glided across the parchment, leaving a glowing purple ink line that hummed with subtle energy. The final stroke connected seamlessly with the starting node.

PING!

[Locking Rune successfully inscribed!]

[Runic energy stabilized within Earth Spirit Paper!]

[Item Created: Basic Locking Talisman (Tier 1)]

The purple light on the paper dimmed, settling into a stable, glowing emblem on the parchment.

Lothe’s eyes lit up. "Oh... so that’s how a Talisman works."

He examined the card-sized paper in his hand. Whenever I inscribe a functional Rune onto Qi-conductive paper, it becomes a portable, pre-charged Talisman.

Wanting to test the fundamental difference between physical mediums and freehand casting, Lothe raised the Earth Spirit Brush into open air, without touching the paper.

Channeling his Void Qi into the bristles, he traced the exact same Locking Rune in mid-air.

A glowing purple glyph floated in the air before them.

PING!

[Locking Rune successfully inscribed!]

The glyph hummed for two seconds, but the moment Lothe severed his Qi flow, the floating Rune flickered and dissolved into thin air.

"I see," Lothe rubbed his chin, a brilliant, satisfied grin spreading across his face.

"Forming Runes in open air requires a constant, active stream of Qi to maintain their structure. But a Talisman pre-stores the runic matrix inside the paper. When I need it in battle, I just inject a spark of Qi to trigger the effect instantly."

He looked down at the remaining forty-nine sheets of paper, his dark eyes burning with newfound ambition.

"Interesting."

He picked up another sheet of Earth Spirit Paper.

He dipped the brush into the ink and began drawing again. This time, he inscribed the Binding Rune.

PING!

[Binding Talisman created!]

Lothe placed it beside the first. He stared at the two Talismans, feeling a surge of satisfaction. He drew more and more until only five sheets of empty Spirit Paper remained.

The first took him several minutes.

The second takes two minutes.

The third takes less than a minute.

By the fifth attempt, his strokes become almost instinctive.

Then he starts noticing tiny differences in Qi pressure between each stroke.

Then his eyes narrowed.

Wait.

My current mastery shouldn’t prevent me from combining a few basic Runes, right? ​