Chapter 252: A Duel (1/2)
His lack of skill wasn't anything unusual, he was just shocked by how reliant he was on his stats, mana, and runes. As soon as those were out of the equation, he would be an amateur that relied on his instincts to fight.
He had a good battle sense, his judgments were always on point, he simply lacked the technique to go beyond the simplest of moves.
As he left the capsule, Arthur looked around and saw that Emma was still playing. He stood up and left the virtual realm before heading toward the library.
He was new to the world of awakeners, that didn't mean he couldn't learn. It was the opposite; he had the infinity of the runic spectrum to help him.
As he entered the library that all the runic knowledgeable accessible to him, he found someone he knew. Well, know wasn't an accurate word. He had only met the man twice before.
”Studying even if it's not your minor field day?” The man, who he had seen with Julia before, was sitting on a desk and reading a book. ”You sure are diligent.”
”Hello sir,” Arthur greeted. ”It's a lucrative business, and I need the money.”
”Not lucrative for you yet.” The man smiled as he closed his book. ”Do you need any help to leave the logistic department?”
”I would like to leave it through my efforts.” Arthur lied with a smile. The man, however, didn't look convinced. ”Can I know your name, sir?”
”Yuvan.” The man smiled. ”Yuvan Perli.” The last name sounded familiar to Arthur. As he tried to remember, his eyes widened.
”You mean you're related to the general...” There was only one man with the last name of Perli.
”You have met my brother?” Yuvan nodded. ”Ilia Perli is my brother, although we don't have a lot in common other than that name.”
”I can see the resemblance,” Arthur said in courtesy. ”General Ilia is a great man.”
”No need to compliment him, I hate Ilia and he hates me too.” Yuvan smiled. ”He tried to push toward the path of strength and ranks. I preferred runes; he didn't like that.” Arthur felt uncomfortable hearing such personal matters.
”Brothers are there to annoy us.” Arthur raffled his hair. ”That's just how it is.”
”Do you have one?”
”Half-brothers, in Vernia.” His answer was enough to end the topic. Yuvan thought for a moment.
”What's your secret, Alexie?” He said with a smile. ”You're in The Exploring Department, set to be humanity's eyes beyond the gates. Yet here you are, preferring to study runes than to train. You refused my help, so it's not really about the money.”
Arthur could see the interest in his eyes. An interest enough that he knew his name. That means he looked him up after he had met him the other day. The interest was troubling for him.
”I'm simply interested in runes, just like you.”
”That doesn't explain why you refuse my help. As a grandmaster, people line up for me to teach them.”
”A grandmaster?” Arthur became apprehensive. He was young, probably the youngest grandmaster he had met. ”I have trouble accepting help that I don't know the reason for.”
”It's your eyes when you look at runes. We have the same eyes, curiosity. The urge to learn everything in front of you. To recreate the world, to be in control.” Yuvan's eyes were deep. He was being sincere.
”Thank you, Grandmaster.” Arthur bowed. ”Can you give me time to learn the basics before accepting your help? At least, I'll be able to make use of your guidance.”
”Alright, then...”
”But I do have a question.” Arthur interrupted. ”Is there a rune that makes you memorize books?” He asked with an embarrassed smile.
Yuvan Perli was an interesting person, but his curiosity was infinite. He took three hours of his time to explain to Arthur about the effect runes had on the mind.
To sum up his answer, there were some runes like that. No genuine runes, but experimental runes that have been created by grandmasters.
Arthur's world turned upside down when he heard this concept. He hurriedly asked what he meant by experimental runes, only to receive an answer that changed his opinion about the Runes Research Department.
”Runes, even the basic ones, consist of runic lines that are designed to achieve smaller functions. The natural phenomena can be direct for runes, but what turns mana into these phenomena?”