The Legendary Rune Knight Returns

Chapter 2

Recalling fragments of Kaelen’s life left him with a sharp pain in his head.

Kaelen Thorne.

He was born a fighter with little skill. No matter. From the start, it was of no importance to Roric whether his new body was a noble or an orphan.

The problem lay with the man named Kaelen.

‘His sense for runes is abysmal.’

How could such a terrible talent be born in the city of Lyra, the birthplace of the greatest rune masters! It was no exaggeration to say that he lacked talent entirely. Because of this, only the most basic, 1-star rune, the Rune of Strength, could be carved.

“You’ve had a miserable upbringing.”

Kaelen’s childhood was filled only with degradation from his peers, humiliation, and fear. He could not find happy memories no matter how hard he tried. For him, a bond of brotherhood did not mean family.

He had two older “brothers” in his fighting group, whose talents were outstanding. If Kaelen was a pebble rolling on the dirt, they were brilliantly shining jewels. Nevertheless, since they were a group, they should have taken care of him. But no one had even bothered. The two older fighters lacked upright personalities despite their brilliant talents, and so did the others.

“And then he entered the Low Quarter as if he were driven out.”

Roric’s attention shifted to the dingy cot where a large number of pills scattered about.

‘Pills.’

It was a simple sleeping pill, but if he swallowed so much at once and waited, there was only one result. Suicide. Kaelen wanted to escape his despair by death.

‘That was how I was able to obtain this body.’

It was safe to assume that Kaelen’s spirit had already left. Kaelen himself would also think he was dead. The moment he gave up his life, Kaelen had completely abandoned any lingering desires to continue living. Thanks to him, Roric was able to take over Kaelen’s body.

Though he couldn’t say that they were entirely different existences. He accepted all of Kaelen’s memories. He was currently Roric, however Kaelen’s mind and memories blended together with his own.

Roric gradually began to rummage through Kaelen’s memories. He had been confined for as long as five centuries. On occasion, Roric was able to catch glimpses of the outside world through the eyes of someone else, but the cycle was awfully long and even worse, irregular.

Sometimes he had been left in the dark for hundreds of years. The information available was fragmentary, and his questions about the outside trends were more often amplified than they were answered.

‘I need more information.’

Roric closed his eyes and accepted Kaelen’s memories bit by bit. However, his expression became increasingly warped. With his eyebrows furrowed, he scowled as if he found something distinctly abnormal. When he finished sorting through all his memories, he had no choice but to grind his teeth.

“Nonsense.”

It was difficult to accept.

“Five centuries! No less than five centuries have passed…!”

Rune magic should have already progressed by leaps and bounds. At least that was what Roric had expected. Yet, the current world he saw through Kaelen’s memories was shocking.

“Is there no difference from those times?”

The development of society, the economy, as well as rune magic, was minimal. The same was true of technological progress. It was as if time had been frozen for five centuries.

Even runes themselves seemed to have regressed. Five centuries ago, only the Great Rune Knight Roric could reach 9-star, but there were quite a few 8-star Rune Knights just below him. But now, let alone 8-stars, it was as if there were only but a few 7-stars.

Were they all gone? If not, perhaps hiding their existences?

Nothing could be done for now, so it was pointless to erupt in anger. Sighing, Roric cooled his emotions and thought about what to do first.

‘For starters…’

Regaining his former power was his top priority. Right now, Kaelen’s rune reserves were less than a cup of water. If not an ocean like it was in the past, at least a lake should be collected.

The sound of knocking abruptly filled the shanty. Who could it be?

Roric worried for a moment, then rose and opened the door. A cold-looking man stood before him. His blond hair was slicked back while a monocle adorned his face, giving him an austere impression.

“I apologize for intruding so late.”

Roric frowned and picked through his memories. It was not difficult to recall the identity of the man in front of him.

‘Master Dio Persman.’

One of the three most famous rune masters in the Low Quarter. Fighters liked to call him ‘Iron Heart’. Befitting his nickname, he had an iron heart which rarely showed emotion.

And.

‘Pretty good.’

Roric noticed Dio’s level at a glance. He was a 5-star Rune Knight whose age seemed to have been somewhere in his thirties. It was a great achievement, even considering talent. He probably focused on training day and night.

“…”

Meanwhile, Dio was surprised in his own way. He realized that Kaelen’s mood had gone through drastic changes. His drooping eyebrows were strong, and his shrunken shoulders were straight.

His submissive appearance had become indifferent. That alone gave him a completely different impression as if the person himself had become another.

‘What in the world could have happened?’

Dio looked at Kaelen suspiciously.

“Those are… ”

His face hardened at the sight of the large number of pills scattered about the cot.

“Kaelen, what are those?”

Roric looked at the pills strewn all over the cot and replied.

“Sleeping pills.”

“That wasn’t what I meant. What I want to know is-”

“Swallowing five would cause you to lose consciousness, while ten puts your life at risk. I’m aware of what you want to talk about, Master.”

“…”

Dio was astonished. The timid Kaelen he knew would never cut him off. Moreover, the timbre of his voice was much more powerful than he could remember.

“I’m sorry to have caused you to worry, but it’s not going to happen.”

His voice was firm, a quality not found in the original Kaelen. Dio was flustered, but soon made a guess.

‘Was it a great awakening?’

Perhaps he did swallow the pills and arrived on the brink of death, only to survive by the will of the heavens. He must have gone through a multitude of inner changes. If an outsider heard this, they would object in fervor. But however rare, some fighters have gained strength after passing through the veil of death. Moreover, raising the level of one’s rune magic a star higher also results in the strengthening of one’s mental power. The more he thought about it, the more he believed it to be true.

The reality was different, but Dio’s mind was set.

“I’ll need to retrieve the pills.”

“Yes, sir.”

Roric personally picked up the pills scattered on the cot and handed them to Dio. Taking them, he nodded.

“Kaelen, I won’t ask you how you got this many sleeping pills. However, keep in mind that I cannot allow such behavior twice.”

“I understand, sir.”

Dio intended to leave at those words, but he turned his head and added.

“It seems like something fortuitous occurred. Congratulations.”

Roric nodded with an unsure expression.

“Thank you.”

“But make sure to skip the fighting pits tomorrow afternoon.”

“What do you mean?”

It was really an honest question for Roric, but Dio’s expression became rigid as if he thought he was trying to feign innocence.

“You don’t think you’ll be able to defeat Bruk just because you climbed a rank, do you? He’s well-known for being an excellent 3-star rune knight. You won’t be able to do it as you are now.”

“…?”

“I’ll tell the trainer in charge of the afternoon fights, so go to bed early.”

Dio parted with those words. Roric remembered Bruk’s threat.

“I’m going to make you half-dead in tomorrow’s fight!”

“Coward of the Low Quarter!”

“Hahaha! You can look forward to it!”

A contemptuous cackling brunette came to mind. His name was Bruk the Bull.

When he recalled Bruk’s face, sweat pooled on his palms. Kaelen was frightened. But the fear soon vanished without a trace; his identity as Roric forbade him to be afraid of such a teeny brat.

“Tomorrow’s training session.”

Roric was not worried. There was a mountain of work to be done ahead of him. In comparison, the problem of a little kid like Bruk was not worth his effort. Deciding to head outside first, he opened the door and left the shanty.