Thanks to dumb luck, none of them spotted him while he moved around with the help of [Leech Over]. The skill blended Tetsu with the surroundings, making it almost impossible to distinguish a normal tree trunk from his skin.
Along with altering the texture, it also helped change his aura signature, and the recent upgrade to its rarity boosted the time required for the transformation.
Tetsu shifted from resembling tree bark to a semi-transparent glass within seconds. While the transformation still required a few seconds and becoming transparent had its flaws, he marveled at the later stages of the process.
He attempted to discern the subtle variations and chanced upon an upgrade to the skill, yet there remained much that eluded his comprehension. Nevertheless, recognizing it as the best skill in his repertoire for escaping, scouting, and gathering intelligence on targets, he dedicated at least an hour each day to improving it.
Given his heightened hunger and altered sleep schedule, dedicating an hour meant sacrificing a significant portion of his free time. Despite that, a foolish mistake almost exposed his position to the enemy, further infuriating him more than the humans acting like, well, humans.
The archers were embroiled in the battle below, and Tetsu’s interference compelled them to concentrate on covering their comrades’ blind spots. Luck favored Tetsu once again, forcing him to aid the bull, consequently preventing himself from getting detected, so now he focused on doing what he did best.
Tetsu shifted to a new vantage point with a clear line of sight on the archers, disregarding the squad below. They traversed using a different skill, but his runes surpassed them in terms of flexibility and agility, allowing Tetsu to maneuver into position while they progressed from one tree crown to the next with steady jumps.
Before proceeding further, he extracted the clothes tucked inside the boxers and donned them, ensuring to conceal the boxers underneath. These garments were the only ones he discovered that weren’t artifacts of some sort. His class stopped him from binding them, and returning to the base wearing someone else’s pants would arouse suspicion.
Pre-system pants couldn’t be bound to a user, and he could claim ignorance, as millions wore the same trousers during its trend. After securing the fabric around the gems, ensuring the boxers and trousers were melded in such a way that he could remove them as one, he examined the shirt. [Leech Over] worked on the skin and boxers, as Tetsu considered them part of his body, but the new outfit would require time before it felt like an extension of himself.
His initial impulse was to discard the shirt, but the prospect of walking bare-chested among the girls in the camp froze him in place. Confronting them head-on would force him to dig his way out. All his elaborate plans would be rendered futile due to one silly insecurity. Yet he couldn’t hide it for fear of losing it, and wearing it would heighten the risk of being caught.
The battle below did not wait for him to think things through, approaching its final stages and compelling Tetsu to increase the frequency of his attacks to buy more time.
He found himself at an impasse, uncertain whether to wear the shirt or discard it. Thus, he needed to come up with a plan to stash and retrieve it before encountering the squad, since they represented his ticket to infiltrating the base. Losing track of them or returning later to search was not an option.
Runes were his go-to technique, but they could only offer a vague sense of direction, and Tetsu didn’t have the time to circle back to every tree.
Once a rune is etched and connected to his mana, it sends a vague pulse, indicating to Tetsu that it’s active. With an ethereal rune added, he even gained a vague sense of direction to the rune. Regardless of the distance, the [Etched runes] never stopped siphoning energy from him. If he cut off the supply, the entire runes had to be redrawn at a different location on the target to activate the rune, while ethereal runes disappeared after he moved fifty meters from his target.
Tetsu saw this drawback as a blessing; a deactivated rune presented an opportunity for him to widen the gap between himself and the creature attempting to consume him for a meager amount of XP points. They sure weren’t pursuing him due to any enticing scent. That ship had sailed the moment he set foot on the incubation grounds.
A pulse ranging from one to one-eighty degrees signaled the target was positioned in the front, whereas a ping detected elsewhere suggested that the target had already crossed the angle.
The directional information was too ambiguous for Tetsu to find out whether the target was positioned above, below, or at a forty-five-degree angle.
This held true for both etched and ethereal runes. To bypass this limitation, Tetsu outsmarted the system by positioning the target between the compass’s edges, at the poles, spanning from 180 to 181 degrees and 360 to 1 degree. This meticulous placement helped minimize the error to just one degree. Despite this clever workaround, he did not receive any upgrades from the system. Undeterred, he experimented with various methods to enhance his ability to track.
Tetsu reformed [Resource Radar] to keep track of his enemies, but its activation hinges on a comprehensive database, and unfortunately, adversaries don’t arrive with a manual detailing their origins. While [Info] can offer some insights, a significant portion of the puzzle demands rigorous research, and Tetsu found himself in a situation where he wanted to mark his shirt for future retrieval, a task for which neither the “[Resource Radar]” nor any runes he had could assist.
Tetsu‘s fingers clenched around the fabric of his shirt, feeling a renewed determination as a barrage of stones rained down upon the squad with newfound vigor, inspiring a surge of creativity and clarity.
“Mark,” Tetsu whispered, a grin spreading across his face, replacing the earlier frown.
With almost instantaneous ease, he conjured the rune, skipping the usual effort and trial and error. The rune adhered to a straightforward principle: it utilized the targeted person’s mana reserves to transmit a signal to Tetsu. This not only provided information about their mana reserves, indicating the extent of their power but also offered a precise location for him to steer clear of potential danger.
A minimum of four birds with one stone had always been Tetsu’s sweet spot.
[DING! Unlocked Sian rune: Mark. Condition: Fix | Siphon | Measure | Track | Switch. Level: Warrior. Rarity: (Unique/Warrior.)]
Tetsu recognized that the second tag of rarity was the handiwork of the [Artificer class], leading him to speculate that these [Sian runes] were crafted by either runic mages or combatants skilled in runic magic. Despite lacking such a class himself, he reasoned it might be due to certain undisclosed prerequisites he had yet to fulfill. With only two runes unearthed so far, he pondered whether it could be another type of bond rather than a specific class. The mystery continued to intrigue him, and he loved every second.
The rune [Mark] functions just as its name suggests: it marks any target and relays its precise location to the caster. Enhanced by the Artificer class, it gains an added precision in range, informing Tetsu that he can track targets within a forty-meter radius. However, as the distance between the caster and the marked target increases, the message becomes more cryptic.
At the seventy-meter mark and beyond, Tetsu realized it was prudent to deactivate the rune. Continuing tracking at such distances risked losing focus, the potential to alert the enemy, or dealing with the onset of fatigue.
The uniqueness of this rune stemmed from Tetsu’s innovative approach to modifying a preexisting rune to align with his multifaceted goals. In this iteration, the rune siphon’s energy from its bearer. This feature allows Tetsu to not only track the target but also leverage his class abilities to estimate their strength based on the density of their aura.
Recognizing the potential risk of opponents tracing the mark back to him, much like the enigmatic girl did, Tetsu implemented a failsafe to activate and deactivate the [Mark] rune. He was determined not to repeat the same mistakes he witnessed with the unfortunate scout. While they might have deserved it, Tetsu understood the prudence of having a failsafe. They were both crucial in negotiations or when swift action was needed to avert unforeseen disasters.
Tetsu took advantage of his [Info] skill and discreetly probed two of the unconscious squad members, confirming his suspicion as they remained at level one. He hesitated to delve into the leader or the primary archer, apprehensive that they might possess the means to retrace the pulse, exposing him to unnecessary risks. After all, caution remains paramount in his every strategic approach.
Beasts paid little mind to the runes Tetsu affixed to them, but in stark contrast, humans were quick to panic upon discovering unfamiliar symbols trailing behind them.
The fleeting activation and subsequent disappearance of [Info] within a mere second provided a safe method, assuming Tetsu remained undetected during the process. This unforeseen issue posed a genuine concern, one that Tetsu had not previously considered. A similar issue compounded itself when faced with an intellectual adversary, and a scenario arises where sparing them after a duel becomes unavoidable.
Knowledge is key and the closer he guards his skills, the higher the likelihood of emerging victorious in any confrontation.
Tetsu had shed the naivety of sparing thorns in his path. If someone deserved to die, he harbored no hesitation in delivering the final blow. This pragmatic approach allowed him to circumvent the moral conundrum of revenge. However, this didn’t equate to indiscriminate killing. While he wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate those who posed a direct threat or deserved retribution, he drew a clear line when it came to bystanders or individuals who inadvertently revealed his secrets to his enemies.
Understanding that there might be myriad reasons for betrayal, Tetsu acknowledged his responsibility of safeguarding his secrets. He had no interest in deciphering others’ circumstances, nor did he deem it his place to pass judgment.
═─┈─{═E═}─┈─═
Thanks to dumb luck, none of them spotted him while he moved around with the help of [Leech Over]. The skill blended Tetsu with the surroundings, making it almost impossible to distinguish a normal tree trunk from his skin.
Along with altering the texture, it also helped change his aura signature, and the recent upgrade to its rarity boosted the time required for the transformation.
Tetsu shifted from resembling tree bark to a semi-transparent glass within seconds. While the transformation still required a few seconds and becoming transparent had its flaws, he marveled at the later stages of the process.
He attempted to discern the subtle variations and chanced upon an upgrade to the skill, yet there remained much that eluded his comprehension. Nevertheless, recognizing it as the best skill in his repertoire for escaping, scouting, and gathering intelligence on targets, he dedicated at least an hour each day to improving it.
Given his heightened hunger and altered sleep schedule, dedicating an hour meant sacrificing a significant portion of his free time. Despite that, a foolish mistake almost exposed his position to the enemy, further infuriating him more than the humans acting like, well, humans.
The archers were embroiled in the battle below, and Tetsu’s interference compelled them to concentrate on covering their comrades’ blind spots. Luck favored Tetsu once again, forcing him to aid the bull, consequently preventing himself from getting detected, so now he focused on doing what he did best.
Tetsu shifted to a new vantage point with a clear line of sight on the archers, disregarding the squad below. They traversed using a different skill, but his runes surpassed them in terms of flexibility and agility, allowing Tetsu to maneuver into position while they progressed from one tree crown to the next with steady jumps.
Before proceeding further, he extracted the clothes tucked inside the boxers and donned them, ensuring to conceal the boxers underneath. These garments were the only ones he discovered that weren’t artifacts of some sort. His class stopped him from binding them, and returning to the base wearing someone else’s pants would arouse suspicion.
Pre-system pants couldn’t be bound to a user, and he could claim ignorance, as millions wore the same trousers during its trend. After securing the fabric around the gems, ensuring the boxers and trousers were melded in such a way that he could remove them as one, he examined the shirt. [Leech Over] worked on the skin and boxers, as Tetsu considered them part of his body, but the new outfit would require time before it felt like an extension of himself.
His initial impulse was to discard the shirt, but the prospect of walking bare-chested among the girls in the camp froze him in place. Confronting them head-on would force him to dig his way out. All his elaborate plans would be rendered futile due to one silly insecurity. Yet he couldn’t hide it for fear of losing it, and wearing it would heighten the risk of being caught.
The battle below did not wait for him to think things through, approaching its final stages and compelling Tetsu to increase the frequency of his attacks to buy more time.
He found himself at an impasse, uncertain whether to wear the shirt or discard it. Thus, he needed to come up with a plan to stash and retrieve it before encountering the squad, since they represented his ticket to infiltrating the base. Losing track of them or returning later to search was not an option.
Runes were his go-to technique, but they could only offer a vague sense of direction, and Tetsu didn’t have the time to circle back to every tree.
Once a rune is etched and connected to his mana, it sends a vague pulse, indicating to Tetsu that it’s active. With an ethereal rune added, he even gained a vague sense of direction to the rune. Regardless of the distance, the [Etched runes] never stopped siphoning energy from him. If he cut off the supply, the entire runes had to be redrawn at a different location on the target to activate the rune, while ethereal runes disappeared after he moved fifty meters from his target.
Tetsu saw this drawback as a blessing; a deactivated rune presented an opportunity for him to widen the gap between himself and the creature attempting to consume him for a meager amount of XP points. They sure weren’t pursuing him due to any enticing scent. That ship had sailed the moment he set foot on the incubation grounds.
A pulse ranging from one to one-eighty degrees signaled the target was positioned in the front, whereas a ping detected elsewhere suggested that the target had already crossed the angle.
The directional information was too ambiguous for Tetsu to find out whether the target was positioned above, below, or at a forty-five-degree angle.
This held true for both etched and ethereal runes. To bypass this limitation, Tetsu outsmarted the system by positioning the target between the compass’s edges, at the poles, spanning from 180 to 181 degrees and 360 to 1 degree. This meticulous placement helped minimize the error to just one degree. Despite this clever workaround, he did not receive any upgrades from the system. Undeterred, he experimented with various methods to enhance his ability to track.
Tetsu reformed [Resource Radar] to keep track of his enemies, but its activation hinges on a comprehensive database, and unfortunately, adversaries don’t arrive with a manual detailing their origins. While [Info] can offer some insights, a significant portion of the puzzle demands rigorous research, and Tetsu found himself in a situation where he wanted to mark his shirt for future retrieval, a task for which neither the “[Resource Radar]” nor any runes he had could assist.
Tetsu‘s fingers clenched around the fabric of his shirt, feeling a renewed determination as a barrage of stones rained down upon the squad with newfound vigor, inspiring a surge of creativity and clarity.
“Mark,” Tetsu whispered, a grin spreading across his face, replacing the earlier frown.
With almost instantaneous ease, he conjured the rune, skipping the usual effort and trial and error. The rune adhered to a straightforward principle: it utilized the targeted person’s mana reserves to transmit a signal to Tetsu. This not only provided information about their mana reserves, indicating the extent of their power but also offered a precise location for him to steer clear of potential danger.
A minimum of four birds with one stone had always been Tetsu’s sweet spot.
[DING! Unlocked Sian rune: Mark. Condition: Fix | Siphon | Measure | Track | Switch. Level: Warrior. Rarity: (Unique/Warrior.)]
Tetsu recognized that the second tag of rarity was the handiwork of the [Artificer class], leading him to speculate that these [Sian runes] were crafted by either runic mages or combatants skilled in runic magic. Despite lacking such a class himself, he reasoned it might be due to certain undisclosed prerequisites he had yet to fulfill. With only two runes unearthed so far, he pondered whether it could be another type of bond rather than a specific class. The mystery continued to intrigue him, and he loved every second.
The rune [Mark] functions just as its name suggests: it marks any target and relays its precise location to the caster. Enhanced by the Artificer class, it gains an added precision in range, informing Tetsu that he can track targets within a forty-meter radius. However, as the distance between the caster and the marked target increases, the message becomes more cryptic.
At the seventy-meter mark and beyond, Tetsu realized it was prudent to deactivate the rune. Continuing tracking at such distances risked losing focus, the potential to alert the enemy, or dealing with the onset of fatigue.
The uniqueness of this rune stemmed from Tetsu’s innovative approach to modifying a preexisting rune to align with his multifaceted goals. In this iteration, the rune siphon’s energy from its bearer. This feature allows Tetsu to not only track the target but also leverage his class abilities to estimate their strength based on the density of their aura.
Recognizing the potential risk of opponents tracing the mark back to him, much like the enigmatic girl did, Tetsu implemented a failsafe to activate and deactivate the [Mark] rune. He was determined not to repeat the same mistakes he witnessed with the unfortunate scout. While they might have deserved it, Tetsu understood the prudence of having a failsafe. They were both crucial in negotiations or when swift action was needed to avert unforeseen disasters.
Tetsu took advantage of his [Info] skill and discreetly probed two of the unconscious squad members, confirming his suspicion as they remained at level one. He hesitated to delve into the leader or the primary archer, apprehensive that they might possess the means to retrace the pulse, exposing him to unnecessary risks. After all, caution remains paramount in his every strategic approach.
Beasts paid little mind to the runes Tetsu affixed to them, but in stark contrast, humans were quick to panic upon discovering unfamiliar symbols trailing behind them.
The fleeting activation and subsequent disappearance of [Info] within a mere second provided a safe method, assuming Tetsu remained undetected during the process. This unforeseen issue posed a genuine concern, one that Tetsu had not previously considered. A similar issue compounded itself when faced with an intellectual adversary, and a scenario arises where sparing them after a duel becomes unavoidable.
Knowledge is key and the closer he guards his skills, the higher the likelihood of emerging victorious in any confrontation.
Tetsu had shed the naivety of sparing thorns in his path. If someone deserved to die, he harbored no hesitation in delivering the final blow. This pragmatic approach allowed him to circumvent the moral conundrum of revenge. However, this didn’t equate to indiscriminate killing. While he wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate those who posed a direct threat or deserved retribution, he drew a clear line when it came to bystanders or individuals who inadvertently revealed his secrets to his enemies.
Understanding that there might be myriad reasons for betrayal, Tetsu acknowledged his responsibility of safeguarding his secrets. He had no interest in deciphering others’ circumstances, nor did he deem it his place to pass judgment.
═─┈─{═E═}─┈─═
