Runes

Raven heard him out while keeping the glass on her lips. She did notice it before but she still think it was quiet ridiculous of him to able learn something just like that.

It is quiet hard to control a conversation since you need to remember small details like specifics of other person personality, body language, their emotion etc. You also need to keep control of your own emotion since you can't act out of character or give away your intention.

'His memory might be good or maybe a skill related to it.'

A skill like that will be rare but he has it that surprised her. It is not out of option as she remembered how he actually remembers their conversation even though he wasn't paying any attention. It actually assured her that it is skill.

'…It is not like it will affect me either way.'

It doesn't really matter to her as it wouldn't harm her in anyway. She returns to thinking about the problems in hands.

Chris was an easy target but will he be able to do that with strong and peculiar minded people? She can only leave him to his fate in the end.

"…Raven."

"Hmm."

"…Praise me."

Her eyebrows twitched at his shameless request. She is worried about his future and here he is worried about something so superficial.

"…I know you want to ask me something, go ahead, as long as you don't cross the line, I will try to answer."

Ethan has lots of things to ask but he didn't where she has actually drawn line between them. He actually wanted to request something but wonder if she will agree or not. It won't be surprised if she beheaded him on the spot.

"…I…want to…learn…Runes."

Ethan lowered his head. He knows what he is asking to her. It can be considered offensive. She just warned him not to ask her too much and here he is asking her for one of her supporting abilities.

"Ethan, Raise your head."

Ethan slowly raised his head. She again has a neutral expression. Her beautiful betray to release any emotion, it is calm and yet unnerving.

"I won't teach you."

"…Of course you will."

Ethan just looks forward the beautiful collections of wine, decorated on the walls. He doesn't why but looking at it makes him want try once for today.

"…If you want to learn, I can help you."

Ethan turns around furiously to look at her. Her face carry the same expression as her head was tilted while resting on the hand which was resting on the bar. He didn't hear her fully but she did say something about helping him.

"…What do you mean?"

"…There are five level of proficiency in Runes. Apprentice, Practitioner, Expert, Rune Master and Grandmaster, though this is pretty much same for all jobs."

"Apprentice level is mainly consists of memorizing all the basic. You must memorize everything at the tip of tongue- you must be quite proud of your memorizing ability."

Raven cut herself off as she noticed his proud expression. Ethan didn't hide it though. Why should he? His memorizing power is so out of league that even he is scared of!

"…but that is just one of the pre-requisite of reaching apprentice level proficiency in Runes…Where is your smirk now?"

Ethan face fell. He just clicked his tongue and looked away. He knows that she deliberately said that to wipe his expression.

"You need to carefully remember the mana diagram, mana frequency and mana circulation during rune construction. You may have confidence in your memorizing power but other two is training and mana control. Mana Frequency can only be achieved by training for obvious reason while circulation solely depends on your mana control."

Raven paused to give him some time. Ethan also took some time to understand everything. He is confident in memorizing mana diagrams; it comes as a natural to him. Mana control; it can be consider decent. Frequency; Training is same as breathing to him.

"…What to do to reach next level? And what level are you?"

"You need to understand runes…It won't be just about drawing it and letting the mana flow but you will need to understand runes and understand the true nature and properties of the concepts you are influencing by those runes. You don't need to worry about it though it is not necessary for you now. It will take more than three years to reach practitioner level that is if you are able to reach apprentice level in three months."

His eyes narrowed as her last words rubbed him wrong way. What does she mean by three month? Does she not know his overpower memorizing power? Isn't she underestimating him too much?

"I do believe I take that into account."

Raven rolled her eyes at his confidence. Does he think of runes as a child play? Only one person is able to reach apprentice level in rune proficiency in every hundred thousand talented ones. Their numbers decreases by tens as proficiency increases. There are only 1000 Rune Masters in human history until now. Just where on the world he is getting his confidence from?

"…If you're that confident, then how about you we have a bet."

"…You shouldn't have hurt my pride. It's a war now!"

"If you manage to reach apprentice level till the end of the month, then…"

Ethan felt his blood boiling as he looked at her. Her face carries a terrifyingly seductive smile. Her eyes look to be hinting… hinting at something morally wrong yet something good…actually too good. Ethan gulped everything in his throat and said in excited voice.

"I agreed!"

"Is that so? Shouldn't you hear out the rest?"

"I don't care even if you ask me to walk on burning rope!"

"Well…I will reveal that on that day!"

Raven expression relaxed after hearing his agreement. She smiled at his enthusiasm and asked him.

"What are you going to do with hard disk?"

"…You can keep it, it is useless to me."

Ethan won't be able to do anything even if he had it. Raven already told him that world is too corrupted for his honesty. It won't care about him as weakling but if he became stronger then it won't same, His goal for now should be becoming stronger. He also needed to recover his memories.

"Hmm, it will be safe with me."

*

Ethan was pushing his body up and down in underground training room. Raven won't let him use her mana formation, saying that he will only waste it. She is not wrong as high-rank mana stones on weaker people are ineffective. It might make them slightly stronger but it won't be at significant level. On the basis of Quality, It will be waste of resources.

There is no way he is going to ask her for more resources. She has already given him a warning. It will be too shameful to ask her even without it.

During Training, Ethan suddenly remembers his last night thoughts before sleeps. Ethan remembered about Alice. Alice had planned during ranking match. She sends two students and asked them to lose deliberately all show to raise his confidence.

Ethan has never fought an F-Rank. He has no idea of their strength. He was unable to figure out that they were holding back against them. Last student was supposed to finish him but Ethan turn table at last moment.

If he had lose, he would have comfort himself with his two wins from other matches. A certain amount of spirit is needed to motivate ourselves to become stronger for future. His two wins will be the precise source of his motivation.

What will happen if at that moment if someone told him that his motivation is nothing more than someone's whim?

His world will crumble and everything will lose its meaning and in the end…he will break.

Even though he won, he still felt pain his heart, knowing that his first wins against fellow weapon user were not his hard work but her whims.

But it only increased his urgency to gain strength, he needs to become stronger. As Raven has said, He can only become stronger or other will make choice for him just like Alice did for him.

Baam.

Ethan was pulled himself up when three thick books fell in front of him. Ethan looked up as loud sound numb his ears. He pushed up while keeping his position to see the book. A Book was an A4 sized with thickness of 1000 pages. Three books would have difference 100 pages between each other.

Ethan didn't break his set as he continues to do push up. He already knows Raven mostly likely come to drop the reference books about Rune. He was not worried as his skill will take care of everything.

Bam.

Ethan suddenly stops his muscles tense he can try to lift himself up. His body suddenly feels too heavy to push up. He can see two books lying sidewise with each other from his view. There were also more books above them but he doesn't want to see them. Six Books of these is almost impossible-

Bam.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Ethan pushed himself up to stands. He didn't even bother with sets as there is more pressing problem in front of him.

"First one in line is Mana Diagram, treated as new language. Second in line is mana frequency, treated as mathematics while last one is Mana circulation, it is important, I don't need to tell you why. It is better to treated as drawing just mana will be used instead of ink. Ohh, those books are in sets so make sure to return me in same condition, I don't need to tell you what will happen if you don't."

"Yes, Ma'am…No, not that, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"…"

"Do you really think I will be able to memorize everything in this book?!"

"Who said anything about memorizing it?"

Ethan relaxed after hearing her. It seems she had lowered the challenge due to its difficult. He wiped off his sweats that accumulated during workout with his shirt.

"…You need to reach apprentice level till the end of month."

"THAT'S ONLY WORSE!!"

!!

Ethan head lowered as mana suddenly become heavy. His back felt cold as all the hairs at back side of the body stands in unison.

"For someone with strong memory, you sure forget things easily."

Ethan didn't raise his head and keep it lowered. Heels taping sound echoed in empty training room while Ethan keeps standing in his place. She did tell him to remember his place yesterday. He can't even complain to her now. He really didn't like this distance between them. The way she keeps him at distance sucks too much to explain.

Ting,

Elevator rose up and another sound echoed in the empty training room. He didn't even get the chance to ask for some explanation that can help him in his studies.

'…it's my fault in the first place.'

Ethan knows that his arrogance is what put him in this peril. He needs to finish these thick books in one month. He only has around 25 days including today. Memorizing is not a problem but the problem is other two. He need to train his mana control and learn about mana frequency that he have no idea about and mana diagram…well drawing was never something, he was proud of.

'What will she make him do?'

Ethan suddenly thought back to their conversation. If he was unable to reach apprentice level then she will have a favor to ask of him. He can't help but shudder at the thought. What if she asked him to help her in her heist again? Ethan wants to curse himself for not thinking things through his brain yesterday!

"There is only one way out."

He just needs to learn it in one month. As long as he learnt it then he will not need to do anything, if anything, she is going to reward him with…A shy smile forms on his lips.

Who knows what she is planning to give him. He literally has no idea what she is planning to give him. It will be…may be… something that raises his status…as a man. He suddenly thinks about Lucas. How will he feel when he knows that his friend is not what he used to be anymore.