Chapter 59: Rune Crafting
Most of the books Su Hao salvaged from the fire pit were severely damaged, but despite their condition, he was able to extract valuable information from them. However, much of the knowledge within these texts was of a forbidden nature.
What constitutes forbidden knowledge?
It involves human experimentation and studies that violate ethical standards. These experiments pushed the boundaries of moral decency.
Many of the texts described detailed anatomical research on the human body, including the forms and behavior of blood Qi from an anatomical perspective.
There were also descriptions of the ‹Extract› rune that allowed one to extract the essence of blood Qi from living beings, forming a small crystal of condensed blood Qi. This extracted blood crystal could help warriors break through bottlenecks in their cultivation.
Of course, the reason this knowledge was forbidden was clear: after extracting the blood Qi from a living being, the victim would rapidly lose all vitality and perish.
Su Hao speculated that the Killer captured people in the town to extract blood Qi crystals from them, and then planted ‹control› slave runes in their corpses, turning them into puppets—killing two birds with one stone.
To Su Hao, it didn't matter whether the books contained forbidden knowledge or not; he read them with great interest.
Since this knowledge was obtained at the cost of many lives, it should be properly studied so that their sacrifices were not in vain.
....
Eight days later, Su Hao finished reading all the books, feeling a sense of satisfaction, though he was left wanting more.
Next, Su Hao planned to start researching [Runes].
He first took out two black stones and two bottles of liquid from his spoils.
The black stones were called Black Powder Stones, and the two bottles of liquid were called Blending Oil. By grinding the Black Powder Stones into powder and mixing them with Blending Oil, he could create Rune Ink.
This drawing ink had excellent blood Qi storage properties, preventing the energy from dissipating easily. It was the most commonly used material for rune masters when drawing runes.
However, Black Powder Stones and Blending Oil were not easy to acquire. During Su Hao's long stay in Lingyun Town, he had never heard of these two items, indicating their rarity.
Su Hao broke off a small piece of the Black Powder Stone and ground it into powder. He then poured a bit of the thick Blending Oil, diluted it with some water, and mixed them together. The black powder visibly lightened, eventually losing its color entirely, resulting in a colorless, viscous liquid.
This liquid was the rune ink.
After examining it, Su Hao gave [Cosmic Light] an instruction: "[Little Light], add a task, draw the ‹Blinding Flash› rune on my palm."
From the Killer's records, among the four beast veins, only ‹Blinding Flash›, ‹Barrier›, and ‹Extract› had been simplified into runes that could be directly drawn and used. The ‹control› beast vein, on the other hand, could not be used directly like a rune; it could only be inscribed internally for Master advancement.
In Su Hao's perception, a small guiding point appeared on his palm.
He picked up a fine feather quill, dipped it in the drawing ink, and began drawing along the path marked by [Cosmic Light].
It looked simple, but it was far from it. Not only did he have to draw the complete rune with the ink, but he also had to simultaneously control his blood Qi to flow along the quill's tip, much like how Masters engrave veins inside their bodies.
Successfully crafting a functional rune was an extraordinarily difficult task.
No wonder rune masters were so rare; even drawing the rune with a pen was no easy feat, let alone controlling blood Qi at the same time. Only individuals with exceptional talent could achieve this.
Su Hao didn't consider himself highly talented, and he felt fortunate to have [Cosmic Light]'s assistance. Otherwise, he would have abandoned the idea of drawing runes altogether.
[Cosmic Light]'s help didn't stop there. Without the successful setup of the [Cosmic Light] information processing system in his previous life, he wouldn't have smoothly become a warrior in this life and survived the high-risk early years.
Having come this far, Su Hao finally felt a faint sense of security.
This sense of security was hard-earned, bought with countless reincarnations and endless time. Thinking about it made him realize how difficult it had been.
Before long, Su Hao successfully drew the ‹Blinding Flash› rune on his palm.
However, the rune was incomplete, with a small segment missing at the endpoint circuit.
This missing section was like a switch; to activate the rune, he just needed to infuse it with blood Qi, completing the circuit and triggering the rune instantly.
In other words, rune masters typically used rune ink mixed with blood Qi to pre-draw a half-finished rune, which could then be completed and activated when needed.
"Quite convenient," Su Hao nodded as he looked at the rune on his palm.
He then controlled his blood Qi to complete the missing section. The moment it was filled in, the rune on his palm activated, converting Qi and emitting a blinding flash of light.
It was like the flash from a camera.
Su Hao quickly analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the rune.
The advantage was the acquisition of special powers that were easy to use.
However, the drawbacks were significant: first, the drawing process was highly complex, and most warriors found it hard to master; second, even if maintained with blood Qi, the drawn runes could only last up to three days before the rune ink deteriorated, rendering the rune useless; third, only one instance of a rune could exist at a time due to interference issues; and lastly, the cost-to-benefit ratio was too low—the effects weren't as potent as one might expect given the time investment required to master them.
Thus, runes were like a double-edged sword.
Unless…
Su Hao thought of a possibility.
That was to use a particularly unique rune—the ‹Extract› rune—to break through the blood Qi bottlenecks of warriors!
"No! Previously, I thought the academy didn't have the ‹Extract› beast vein. But now it seems that it's not that they don't have it; they just don't make it available to students. In other words, I can't let others know that I possess an ‹Extract› rune."
Su Hao's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately decided not to reveal his ‹Extract› rune lightly.
By sacrificing other fierce beasts or people to extract the necessary blood crystals, he could use them to break through blood Qi bottlenecks.
No wonder rune masters were classified as forbidden practitioners; most rune masters used runes to obtain supplements for elevating their warrior ranks.
Su Hao understood this aspect well. In this world, runes were merely auxiliary tools, and relying on them for significant combat power was challenging.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully, analyzing the situation further.
"If I can find a way to negate the inherent drawbacks of runes, they could significantly enhance my combat abilities."
It was a simple concept.
The purpose of rune ink was to store Qi in a specific pattern for extended periods.
Why store runes for a long time? Because drawing runes during combat is impractical, so they need to be prepared in advance.
But what if Su Hao could draw runes in the heat of battle?
He wouldn't need rune ink. He could simply create them on the spot when needed.
Is drawing during combat difficult? For others, it might be nearly impossible, but for Su Hao, it was not necessarily so.
He wouldn't need to think; he'd only need to control his blood Qi according to [Cosmic Light]'s guidance.
With practice, he could reduce the time needed to draw a rune.
A gleam flashed in Su Hao's eyes.
"In that case, I should practice!"
....
Two days later.
"I did it!" Su Hao successfully drew a ‹Blinding Flash› rune on his palm without using drawing ink. The moment it was completed, a blinding light burst forth.
"Ten seconds! With more practice, I can still get faster." Su Hao clenched his open hand into a fist.
His idea was viable, the only downside was that the rune cannot be stored.
....
Today, he planned to go out to gather materials.
When he reached the town, he overheard some news that left him stunned.
The Killer had appeared again three days ago and had been abducting more than ten people each day?
Su Hao's first reaction was disbelief. He had nearly split the Killer's chest wide open—there was no way he could have survived. Even if he did, it hadn't been long enough for him to recover and start causing trouble again.
Or perhaps someone else had inherited the title of the Killer and was now continuing the crimes?
Both scenarios were possible.
Unable to figure it out, Su Hao decided to ignore it and started wandering the streets, asking about materials and supplies.
As for the Killer, if Su Hao encountered him again, he would make sure to personally sever his head.