Return of the Legendary Runesmith
Chapter 136 135- Memories... again?

It was the tenth day.

Adrian sat before the training doll, ready to start the first trial. For the past ten days, he had been studying non-stop, learning everything he could about the fourth thread. Not just from the books given by the system, but also from the notes and experiment logs left by other runesmiths. He gathered knowledge from all around, trying to understand everything before stepping into the trials.

He had noted and memorized all kinds of mana flows, learned how to record them properly, and even practiced the rituals needed to read someone's mana structure. He had prepared for everything.

But now, as he sat here, he realized—this would be his first actual trial in these ten days. He had studied so much that he never found time to test his knowledge of the training doll.

And now, on this tenth day, he had only four hours left before the system would decide whether he could use the Shop feature in the future. Naturally, Adrian felt both anxious and uneasy. In the past, he would attempt a thread more than fifty times over at least three days before he felt confident enough to call it complete and earn the system's approval.

But now, he had time for only three or maybe four tries if he rushed through some steps. The chance of failure was painfully high. But giving up without trying? That had never crossed his mind.

"Haah, let's do this." Exhaling a long breath, Adrian began.

His gaze sharpened instantly, locking onto every mana pore embedded in the training doll. One by one, he mentally tagged each pore's position, preparing himself for the deeper analysis ahead.

Extending a hand, he pressed his fingers against one of the identified points and channeled a subtle pulse of his own mana into it.

It took a few seconds, but he managed to synchronize his mana signature with the artificial flow within the doll. Resonance achieved.

This was the first step—mana mapping.

Mana mapping involves tracing the internal flow of magical energy within a target. It wasn't a smooth, uniform current; every being had unique distribution patterns, like veins of magic coursing through them unevenly. Adrian's job was to identify which regions absorbed more ether, and which were nearly dry.

Even with his eyes closed, the world unfolded before him in a different spectrum. He wasn't seeing with sight—he was perceiving with mana.

A mental projection formed inside his mind: a transparent, three-dimensional framework of the doll's magical system. He could visualize the entire construct, with channels, nodes, and active points glowing faintly like starlight in a night sky.

The pattern soon revealed itself.

The mana wasn't flowing smoothly—it spun in small, chaotic vortices scattered throughout the structure. Like miniature tornadoes, they spiraled without order, even when the subject was inactive. There was no emotional interference or external trigger—meaning this turbulent current was the doll's innate mana flow.

Observation: Naturally erratic flow. Unstable at rest.

Logged.

Now came the second part: mana distribution analysis.

This step focused on quantifying the density of magical energy across various regions. It wasn't just about where the mana flowed, but how much reached each point. Some areas pulsed with dense concentrations of magic, while others were nearly barren.

Adrian began charting the high-density zones first—shoulders, chest, spine—and then noted the weak channels—elbows, ankles, and lower back.

It was like diagnosing a living circuit board, and each fluctuation told a story.

And Adrian was listening.

Sweat beaded on Adrian's forehead, his face pale and drained.

Had he been able to see his stats, he would've noticed the constant drop in his mana reserves—points slipping away, second by second. But he didn't stop.

His left hand moved mechanically, tapping mana pores one after another, maintaining the resonance. Meanwhile, his right hand etched down everything he saw onto the brown parchment—translating invisible mana flow into a structured diagram. Stroke by stroke, the mana map took shape.

Twenty minutes passed.

At last, Adrian took some distance away from the doll, his fingers trembling.

"Haah… haah… haah…" His chest heaved violently, lungs working overtime to keep him upright.

His shirt clung to his body, drenched in sweat. Even the parchment beneath his hand was damp and wrinkled from the moisture dripping off him.

His mind buzzed with static. His body felt hollow—drained of ether, like a vessel wrung dry.

And yet, in that haze, clarity struck.

A system notification blinked into view before him:

[Congratulations, host. You have successfully completed the first phase of the Fourth Thread.]

His eyes widened.

The first phase...on the first try?

That shouldn't be possible.

Adrian dropped to the ground, flat on his back, staring at the ceiling in pure disbelief.

Then, unexpectedly, a chuckle escaped his lips. It built into a laugh—loud and slightly hysterical.

"Fuck," he gasped between breaths. "This is impossible. And yet... I did it."

He ran a hand through his soaked hair, still grinning in exhaustion and wonder.

The ceiling above him blurred as his eyes began to close. His heartbeat slowed, his body finally demanding rest.

With that same tired smile on his face, Adrian surrendered to sleep.

....

...

..

"Ah..." And soon he woke up.

He was standing even though he remembered to be lying down in the Time Chamber.

He looked around and found this wasn't the familiar working space where he should be.

It was...the same messy workshop that he had once seen.

It was familiar as if he had come here more than a few times.

The last time he saw this place was when he tried to attach the third thread to his armament. Then what about now...this was surely not a memory but a dream...right?

"Hmm?" He tilted his head and looked at the several diagrams of runes on the wall. There was a small glowing orb nearby, so he could see them clearly.

They looked like different dialects...something Adrian hadn't read until now.

His curiosity grew as he approached the board.

"I can understand them...but don't know where to use them." It's the dialect made for Darkness but not any thread he has read until now offered such deep analysis and description to be made.

It was an odd feeling to understand something he wasn't supposed to. His heart grew heavy as more and more memories started flooding in.

He closed his eyes and staggered back...a shout from a woman...tears...coffin...clawing the ground...heavy downpour...

"Guh!!" Adrian grunted as he sat back up.

His chest was rising and falling in quick succession.

It took him a few moments but he realised he was back in the Time Chamber.

"Sss..." He winced as he looked at his fingers and found his nails were bleeding and some of them were missing.

In his sleep, he had harmed himself...but why...and what was that memory?

'Am I really the person Idiot and the others are looking for?'

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.

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