Chapter 354: System Quest

Alex stared at the notification for several moments before an enormous grin appeared on his face. Not only had he successfully created his first S Rank Rune, but he had also confirmed that ordinary Spells could potentially be converted into Skills.

Eager to verify the result, Alex inserted the Rune into his shoulder and supplied it with mana. Almost immediately, the mana emerging from the Rune began moving independently, circulating through his arm according to the Flow he had discovered.

Within moments, Body Reinforcement Spell activated without Alex performing any of its usual mana manipulation methods. The Rune had successfully cast the Spell on its own.

‘Hell yeah! It actually works!’ Alex thought, feeling extremely satisfied with his achievement.

After testing the effect several more times, Alex removed the Rune from his shoulder. Although its performance was impressive, he had little reason to use it himself, since it could only activate Level 1 Body Reinforcement Spell.

His own Body Reinforcement abilities were considerably more advanced, making the Rune unnecessary for personal use. However, that didn’t mean it lacked value.

‘I could sell these on Earth. Mages would be able to use Body Reinforcement immediately, and they might even learn the Spell faster by studying how the Rune works,’ Alex considered.

The commercial possibilities were enormous, especially since the Rune could potentially help inexperienced Mages develop their abilities.

Alex had just discovered an entirely new application of Runesmithing, and he was beginning to realize just how powerful his Class actually was. He had already considered Runesmith an excellent Class, but its potential was clearly much greater than he had initially imagined.

‘No wonder Kriptin was so surprised when he discovered I was a Runesmith,’ Alex thought, examining the Skill Rune in his hand.

Of course, the Rune could only activate Level 1 Body Reinforcement Skill. Creating a Level 2 version would require discovering a different Flow, and Alex suspected that identifying it would take some time.

Unfortunately, time was something he couldn’t afford to waste right now. However, once he completed the Trial, he fully intended to investigate the possibility of constructing higher Level Skill Runes.

‘Hunting those Mountain Spiders would be a bit easier with these,’ Alex thought, smiling as he considered the possibilities.

Just as he was about to put the Rune away, several notifications suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[You have leveled up. Level 18 → Level 19.]

Alex raised an eyebrow, surprised by the unexpected Level increase. However, before he could examine it further, another notification appeared.

[Hidden Quest Completed: Create a Skill Rune.]

[Gold Reward Box gained (4).]

Alex stared at the notification, feeling increasingly pleased. Four Gold Reward Boxes were the highest number he had ever received simultaneously, but apparently, the System wasn’t finished rewarding him.

[A Great Achievement has been completed. You have created a Skill Rune before a month has passed since the System’s Arrival!]

[Title ‘Child of Runes (Unique)’ gained.]

[This Title is associated with a Quest. The Quest will begin once you can equip the Title.]

Alex was genuinely surprised by the number of rewards he had received. After collecting his thoughts, he began examining them individually, starting with the Level increase.

He had previously suspected that non-combat Classes could gain EXP by performing activities associated with their Class. For example, Priests might receive EXP through healing, while Runesmiths could gain EXP by constructing Runes.

‘The System probably restricted this method before, but now that we’ve reached Adept Rank, the restriction must have been lifted,’ Alex considered.

Runesmith was obviously a non-combat Class, which made his situation rather amusing. He was probably among the relatively few non-combat Ascenders who had obtained most of their Levels by killing monsters.

Of course, his Talent helped a lot. Thanks to it, he could learn Spells regardless of his Class. Without that advantage, Alex doubted he would have developed such considerable combat strength in such a short time.

As for the Hidden Quest and Achievement, their conditions were straightforward enough. The Quest spoken in the Title notification must be like the Quests in game. Alex was looking forward to it.

‘The Title says Unique. It must be pretty strong, since only I will have it,’ Alex thought.

He headed toward the reception counter with the Skill Rune.

He placed it on the golden surface, curious to discover its value.

[Body Reinforcement Skill Rune (S Rank)]

[Price: 10 Gold Coins.]

Alex smiled at the result, immediately beginning to calculate how much time he had remaining.

‘According to my internal clock, I’ve spent roughly fourteen hours experimenting. That means I have approximately ten hours before Desire Independence wears off,’ Alex calculated.

Once the fruit’s effects disappeared, his Will would regain its soul signature, making the Runes he constructed usable only by himself. However, ten hours should still be enough if he worked efficiently.

Since constructing a Skill Rune required approximately the same amount of time as an Elemental Rune, Alex believed he could barely earn the remaining Gold Coins before his time ran out.

He immediately began working, constructing one Body Reinforcement Skill Rune after another. To maintain his energy, he continuously utilized Advanced Blood Vitalization Spell, completely ignoring the food available in the living quarters.

As time passed, finished Runes gradually accumulated around him, and Alex continued submitting them to the counter whenever he completed a batch. He barely paid attention to anything else, concentrating entirely on Rune construction.

Eventually, after several hours of continuous work, another series of notifications appeared.

[You have leveled up. Level 19 → Level 21.]

[+2 Mana, +2 Mind, +4 Free Stat Points.]

[Mana Circuit Spell has leveled up. Level 6 → Level 8.]

‘Finally, I’m gaining Stat Points from Leveling up again,’ Alex thought, feeling satisfied with the improvement.

However, he had noticed that his Leveling speed was gradually decreasing. If he wanted to continue gaining EXP through Runesmithing, he suspected that he would eventually need to create different types of Skill Runes.

For now, however, that wasn’t important. Alex raised his head toward the reception counter, where the notification he had been waiting for finally appeared.

[Gold Coins Earned: 10,000.]

[Trial of Gold Completed.]

Alex released a sigh and smiled. He barely made it in time.

Before Alex could react, his surroundings suddenly distorted, and the library disappeared from view. He found himself floating inside a completely black space, although the sensation lasted only a brief moment.

The space twisted once again, and Alex suddenly found himself standing inside the familiar chamber of the Sunken Vault Dungeon. Frank was sleeping in a corner, while Yulia remained on guard nearby.

The golden portal leading to the Trial was still floating in front of him, making it seem as though he had never left the chamber. However, before Alex could say anything, several notifications appeared before his eyes.

[Congratulations on completing the Trial of Gold (Hell Difficulty).]

[Trial Rating: Excellent.]

[Reward: …]

..

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