THE RUNIC ALCHEMIST

They were cleaving fast across level 22. The hard light constructs Sariel launched that imploded on impact were a spell Damian had never thought possible. But Sariel was doing it, along with another spell that created abyssal voids of darkness—gateways to who knows what dimension—allowing dozens of black hands to emerge from the ground, grasping their opponents and holding them in place for free attacks.

It worked somewhat similarly to his vines, but these were much more powerful and harder to escape from. Only light spells were effective against them, and monsters, of course, could do nothing at all. Sariel could only create them wide enough for barely half a hand’s length, but even so, they were incredibly useful for slowing down enemies. Read new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

Damian, naturally, stole the guy’s spells without any shame. He just made sure not to perform them in front of him for now.

He continued using his custom spear to pierce through Chimeras and Blazehounds, releasing an icy chill inside their bodies and killing them with ease. Every so often, he had to throw his spear at the many Wyverns diving toward them. The annoying bugs were gone, making this level more manageable than the ones below. The Wyverns were stronger but much fewer in number, and most of them could be taken down due to their big sizes when they got close enough with aura slashes.

Alex, Karl, and Evante fought at their normal pace, though it was clear the damage they were dealing and the number of monsters they were killing was less than half of what Sam, Einar, Sariel, and the others could do. Still, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing that some people were holding back. Elias and Lumi were with them, trying their best to contribute, but they simply couldn’t match the others in mana or spellcasting. Damian still had to clear out any monsters that made their fight too difficult. It was fine, though—he even let Toph fight with them so he could protect them all at once.

Piercing another Chimera and freezing its insides, Damian was about to hurl his spear at a flying Wyvern when an icy blue aura slash shot past him, slicing the beast’s stomach open. The Wyvern let out a guttural cry before plummeting, crashing face-first onto a sand dune, becoming an ice-covered corpse that melted almost instantly in the oppressive heat.

Lucian smirked at Damian in smug mockery. Damian merely rolled his eyes and turned back to the oncoming monsters. She was just as much a menace on the battlefield as others were.

Beyond her freezing spells and razor-sharp aura slashes that could freeze smaller monsters solid, Lucian wielded an unusual skill—an armor-like coating of dark blue aura that shielded her while keeping her body cool. She handled extreme cold with ease, wearing her ice like steel plate, yet what stood out even more was her resilience to heat. She wasn’t immune, but compared to the others struggling in these higher levels, she fared far better.

Then there was Evrin, with her seemingly endless arsenal of spells. If she truly was as old as a middle-aged woman, as he had recently found out, then she had likely mastered hundreds of them. Her precision was undeniable—quick, flawless chants, each spell chosen with pinpoint accuracy for the situation at hand. A true student of the Spellmaster. She even wielded dual-element spells, something few could claim in the academy and in first rankers in general. Damian had no idea how elves aged, but with her level of mastery, she had clearly honed her craft over a long, long time. Maybe the status their newborns received was not at age 5 but at older age.

Amy, while not as overwhelming as Evrin, still showcased an impressive variety of spells. Her mana control was leagues above that of most first-rankers Damian had encountered. Among the over-the-top talents surrounding her, she might not stand out as much, but she held her own. She and Sariel, both scholarly types, often spent hours engrossed in discussions with Evrin and Grace, dissecting mana control techniques and spells of all kinds.

Grace, too, possessed formidable spells—ones not commonly seen. It seemed every major house in the Five Kingdoms guarded their own unique spells, revealing it only when absolutely necessary. Not that it mattered—no one could master a spell just by watching it once.

No one except Damian.

In that sense, their secrecy was justified. Every spell he witnessed became part of his ever-growing collection. He wouldn’t flaunt their own spells in front of them, though. No need to make them regret going all out.

The Highswords had drawn slightly closer, observing the young generation’s talents with keen interest. If he strained his ears, he could even catch snippets of their discussions. Unsurprisingly, Sam and Einar were at the top of their list.

But there was one person who had completely subverted Damian’s expectations—Maelor. The man was a knight, through and through. His golden armor wasn’t just for show; it was part of his skill, using mana to repair any damage he took. He could even conjure a golden sword and shield from seemingly nothing. He hadn’t revealed his official job, but with abilities like that, there was no doubt—he was born to be a knight.

Being a knight, true knight, with the title and all wasn’t as simple as people thought. Alex, more than anyone, understood that. As a student of the strongest knight in the Five Kingdoms, he recognized the sheer power hidden in what many dismissed as a basic job.

Because Hellstorm was also just a knight. His story had become legendary, a source of hope for knights across all kingdoms regardless of their loyalty. He had reached transcendence purely through skill and perseverance, proving that one didn’t need a rare, prestigious job or special abilities to carve a path to greatness.

The results of pushing themselves to the limit were clear. They had cleared level 22 in three days instead of their usual four. Damian, despite hunting monsters in every corner of the four divided lands, hadn’t leveled up even once. He was still stuck at level 96.

When they finally stepped through the waygate to level 23, Lucian turned to them with a smirk.

“I hit my level cap,” she announced.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!