Rune

Zhen Qi directed his skeleton servants to construct a rudimentary shelter, emphasizing the need for speed over luxury. With only a day remaining, there was no time to spare for elaborate construction. Their priority was to create a basic shelter sufficient for their immediate needs.

As Zhen Qi directed the skeleton workers to build the shelter, he led a group of skeletons, including one giant skeleton and five others, to clear out weak monsters lingering outside. Strengthening themselves and alleviating pressure on the group would be crucial once the protection barrier expired.

Zhen Qi discovered that simply killing monsters didn't contribute to his faith but rather increased his strength. To raise his rank, he realized he needed to absorb the souls of the monsters he defeated. This newfound understanding reshaped his approach to combat and the acquisition of power.

"Retreat!" Zhen Qi ordered urgently as he observed the massive beast charging toward him, flames igniting on its claws and fury blazing in its eyes. Behind it trailed a pack of nether hounds, adding to the imminent threat. Sensing the danger, Zhen Qi swiftly commanded a retreat to regroup.

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Race: Netherhound 

Level: Rank 4

Skills: Flame breath (E), Hot claw (E), Burning barrier (D),

Description: The territorial race hails from the depths of volcanoes, where they have adapted to their scorching surroundings. They are agile and formidable, with a pack mentality and hierarchical structure similar to wolves. However, unanticipated circumstances forced them to forsake their ancestral homes and seek safety near the Void Gate. Their shift has rendered them extremely deadly, especially to anybody who attempt to enter their newly claimed territory.

Danger Level: 100% (Run)

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The Netherhound, responsible for Zhen Qi's previous demise, and Zhen Qi, the one who inflicted the critical blow by stabbing its eyes, shared an uneasy and paradoxical relationship. Despite their history of animosity and the natural inclination to be adversaries, there existed an odd dynamic between them. Deep down, they both harbored an instinctual desire to eliminate each other. Despite this, they remained locked in a complex and dangerous dance of enmity, their interactions fueled by a primal urge for survival and dominance.

Zhen Qi led his skeleton servants back to the safety of the protection barrier, ordering them to bring along the corpse of the monster they had slain. The creature was a large boar with formidable tusks and coarse brown fur—a Corrupt Boar, one of the weakest monsters in the vicinity with a mere Rank 1 strength.

Zhen Qi made his way to the center of his territory, where the altar stood, ensuring it remained well-guarded by his servants. He intentionally kept the shelter at a distance from the altar, wary of potential threats from outsiders such as the hunters. He harbored lingering distrust toward them, fearing they might exploit any perceived weakness and turn against him. However, he relied on his servants, particularly the formidable giant skeletons, to deter any intruders and protect his domain.

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Name: Gian Skeleton

Race: Undead

Level: Rank 2

Skills: Slam of Death (E)

Description: A servant of God of Death

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A large boar slam in front of trio, who was resting in campfire.

This will be our dinner tonight," Zhen Qi declared. Without hesitation, Mathew swiftly grabbed the boar, followed reluctantly by Tyrone. Left behind were only the oldest hunter and the God of Death.

Silence enveloped the group, punctuated only by the rustling of leaves and the crackling of the fire, along with the distant sounds of the skeleton workers toiling away. Then, Kelander broke the quiet. "We've decided to leave tomorrow," he announced, his voice carrying a note of finality.

"Hmm... why?" Zhen Qi inquired; a tinge of disappointment evident in his tone. He had hoped the hunters would stay, as he saw them as potential allies in defending his base.

We argued about it, and with two out of three votes, we decided to leave. We don't belong here; we still have unfinished business in our own world. Additionally, Tyrone doesn't trust you," Kelander explained. "So, I hope you understand. We're just mere hunters compared to you, a powerful sorcerer. And I apologize for his rude remark earlier. Everyone has their own stories."

Zhen Qi stared into the flickering flames with an inscrutable expression before turning his gaze back to the old hunter. "Well, that's fine. I understand your reasoning," he replied calmly. "But I'm curious, you don't believe I'm a god?"

"It's not that I don't believe you," Kelander began, his voice reflective. "It's just that you haven't provided enough evidence to convince me that you're a god. Speaking of facts, before I became a hunter, I served as a priest in the Church of Damsel and worshiped the Goddess Maria. Despite my faithful service, I never saw her face or heard her voice," he explained. "I apologize if I've offended you, but to me, you don't emanate the aura of a god. Instead, you remind me of powerful sorcerers who have the ability to summon the dead from the underworld."

Zhen Qi contemplated Kelander's words, recognizing the validity of his perspective. He acknowledged that his recent ascension to godhood, coupled with his actions thus far, might not provide sufficient evidence to convince others of his divine status. Asking for help from hunters to aid in his escape further compounded this perception. In light of this, he couldn't fault their skepticism, realizing that he, too, would likely be skeptical if confronted with someone claiming to be a god under similar circumstances.

Indeed, Zhen Qi's current divinity stood at a mere 10 percent. This realization dawned upon him, perhaps explaining why he failed to exude the aura of a full-fledged god. To achieve such a status, he understood that he needed to increase his divinity by at least 100 percent.

Zhen Qi refrained from delving further into the topic of his divinity and instead redirected the conversation. "That power of yours," he inquired, shifting the focus to Kelander. "Was it bestowed upon you, or did you acquire it through your own efforts?"

"You're referring to runes?" Kelander responded. "When we become hunters, we don't gain powerful magic like sorcerers or an affinity to nature like druids. Instead, we receive a unique language, one that only we can understand—a language of magic."

“Language magic? So… like sorcerer?”

Kelander shook his head in disagreement. "No, sorcerers are fundamentally different from hunters. They are born with Chaos energy within themselves. By harnessing this inherent energy, they command the magic around them, forming what is known as spells. They control magic using their Chaos energy. To give you an example, imagine your chaos energy is the king, and the magic around you is the slaves. The king commands the slaves to perform tasks, like mining, which is what we know as a spell. In essence, sorcerers use their chaos energy to direct the magic around them to perform various spells."

"Because we lack chaos energy, we rely on the language of magic to communicate with magical forces and seek their assistance. However, this communication is limited until the first hunter discovered a solution—the Rune. By transporting magic into a vessel that becomes a Rune and sealing it with powerful sorcerous magic, the trapped magic is unable to escape, rendering it inert and unable to act."

"So, if you trap a magic, isn't it going to hate you? And why can you still use magic?" Zhen Qi asked.

Kelander clarified that each time they utilized the power of Rune magic, the seal on the Rune would gradually weaken, causing some of the trapped magic to be released. He explained that with each use of the Rune of Defence, for instance, the seal weakened, allowing the magic within the Rune to slip out over time. However, hunters like himself could still harness this magic because it was somehow engraved onto them. To illustrate, Kelander removed his armor and revealed a tattoo of the Rune of Earth on his skin. He explained that as the magic within the Rune dissipated, so too would the tattoo vanish.

"So basically like a battery," Zhen Qi mumbled, drawing an analogy. The Runes functioned similarly to batteries; they would be used to power a device until no energy was left. He nodded, beginning to grasp the concept a little better.

After answering more questions about Runes, Zhen Qi felt secretly grateful to Kelander, noticing that he didn't mind answering his questions at all. Then, Kelander began to share his story. He revealed that his daughter was an apprentice sorcerer, which explained his understanding of how spells worked. They continued to exchange information until the two other hunters returned with the boar, expertly chopped and ready for cooking.

"What are you talking about?" Tyrone asked, his tone curious.

"Just about Runes," Kelander replied casually.