Chapter 4: Rune of power
Kaden tore his gaze from the notification window. The ditation skill was good but it was nothing out of the ordinary. It was just a basic utility skill that everyone would learn sooner or later. For what was about to co, he needed sothing stronger. Much stronger.
Kaden's mind raced as he thought about what to do. When he reached level 5, he would naturally be awarded a class and a couple of skills. It was a well-established theory that what he did now up until level 5 would sway which class he was granted.
In his last go at this whole apocalypse thing, he was a rogue with daggers as his main weapon. He was comfortable with the class and he did okay in general. But obviously, it was not enough. He couldn't progress fast enough and he was not talented in the class to reach great heights.
Though taking the sa path again felt easier and more comfortable, he did not want to repeat the sa mistakes again. It was right at this mont that an impossible thought popped into his head.
Apart from the rogue class, there was one other class he was very familiar with. After all, he had been with that person day and night, plotting and waiting to kill him. Only he couldn't do it. What if he forced that class this ti around?
Kaden already knew that the class was one of the top classes and even the new leaders respected the class. Also, it belonged to a special class category and didn't fall under the common archetype which ant he would get bonus stats every ti he leveled up.
In this new world, stats were everything!
Kaden gritted his teeth and decided to go for it. He needed to risk it. Otherwise…
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and thought about the rune of power required for this initiation.
Runes of power were strange ancient symbols that held the secrets of the world. They were usually kept secretive as he learned later in life but his old clan leader had flashed around that thing as a mark of power, flaunting his special class everywhere to show off and prove his superiority. Not that any of it helped in the end.
But it was going to help him now.
He inhaled slowly, recalling the specifics.
It was a twisted, jagged symbol—part serpent, part spiral, as if a dragon's claw had tried etching a whirlpool. It was tattooed on the man's shoulder and he used to stare at it for hours while plotting how to kill that man.
Even now, just rembering that man's power gave him a bitter taste in his mouth. He was brutal and cunning—yet unstoppable, revered as one of the pillars that held up the new order. Kaden knew if he could claim even a fraction of that man's might, he'd have a shot at changing everything.
But to forcibly steer his path toward that class—that was a gamble.
Kaden scoffed under his breath. So what if it's a risk? Risk was the currency of survival now. He'd tiptoe on the razor's edge if it ant he'd never be forced into submission again.
He knelt down, brushed aside a layer of fallen leaves, and flattened a patch of damp soil. Biting his lip, Kaden tried to recall every detail of that living rune. Carefully, he traced the shape with his fingertip in the dirt. At first, it looked like a child's scribble, but each stroke began to align with his mory's dark corners.
Once the rune took shape, Kaden backed away, heart pounding. "I'm really doing this," he muttered, half in disbelief. No. He had to do this. He shook himself, strengthening his resolve.
The first step to forging a special class? Was using this damn symbol to cast a spell!
With his entire focus on the symbol in front of him, Kaden reached into himself and searched for his center. It was not his body's physical center but a vague spiritual center that contained his mana, at least whatever little of it he was born with naturally.
Last ti around he had struggled with this part and only around level 100 did he even manage to get a glimpse of his core, but now…
With another deep breath, he effortlessly tapped into the swirling wisps of energy.
Kaden inhaled, almost shaking with anticipation. He closed his eyes and imagined the trickle of mana coursing through his veins. He had never thought he had much in the way of "talent" for magic. But this ti, he wasn't letting self-doubt hold him back.
Focusing on that faint inner pulse, he coaxed it forward. A warmth stirred beneath his ribcage then spread outward like invisible tendrils. There you are, he thought. Co on… just a little more.
When he exhaled, the warmth in his core surged into his arms, pooling in his fingertips. He then let it all out as he pictured the rune of power in his mind.
The next second, a long thorny bramble shot out of his hand.
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