THE RUNIC ALCHEMIST

They all tried attacking the beetle with their aura blades, but as expected, its massive legs were too hard to be affected. The lightning strikes Sam unleashed managed to halt it for a few seconds, but there was no lasting damage. Its head was a weaker spot compared to the rest of its shell, but the two giant front legs never let anyone come close.

Lucian attempted to freeze one of its legs, and it worked momentarily, but the sheer force of the creature shattered the ice, setting it free once again. They had to keep moving around its massive body as it continuously spewed acidic liquid at them from its mouth. It also had an attack that shook the ground and a spell that emanated intense heat, making the air around it dry and suffocating. But thanks to the potion’s effects, they could endure it. Without the potions, this monster would have been nearly impossible to deal with—no one would have been able to get near it without burning their skin.

At last, Evrin managed to ensnare one of its legs with her black vines, while Sam, Einar, and Lucian pushed from the other side with such force that the beetle toppled over. It was still an emperor ranked monster, though, and easily began to rise again. However, they never gave it a chance. Lucian unleashed another unusual skill, conjuring massive, sharp ice columns that trapped all its remaining legs. The beetle could still struggle, but the damage was done—the few seconds its exposed belly remained vulnerable were enough. Maelor charged in with a massive golden sword clad in his full golden armor, mercilessly tearing into the soft skin.

The creature was massive, and the attackers were more than enough. Einar unleashed a dozen powerful aura slashes one after another, each leaving behind that same red, blood-like aftereffect, making it look as if her attacks were cutting deep into its body rather than just damaging the outer stomach. As always, Sam struck its head with a massive lightning blast, followed by dozens of light blue swords and spear constructs that hit with a loud impact, keeping its head and mandibles stunned.

Adding to the assault, Sariel’s orbs of light exploded on impact, creating craters in its soft stomach, while Amy and Grace unleashed continuous volleys of air blades and rock bullets to pierce its soft belly. Alex, Karl, and Evant also contributed with their aura punches and blades, though their attacks were minor compared to the others.

Still, it all added up. And at last, after a brutal twenty-minute battle, the beetle was finally dead. They all received their share of experience. Aside from its hardened shell, nothing else from its body was useful—though the mana stone inside was an unusual yellow color. Did it have a light affinity? When had it even used it? What a strange creature.

They didn’t even get a dungeon relic. Damian felt bad for them.

Still, for a group of second and first-rankers to defeat an emperor-ranked monster was an impressive feat. It wasn’t the strongest of its rank and didn’t have many spells, but it was still a tough nut to crack-pun intended.

Washing their bloodied faces and swords with conjured water, they finally proceeded forward. After crossing the keypoint, they reached Level 25. As expected, it was another desert region. Before long, the Highswords following behind them caught up, and Bloodedge informed Damian and the others of their next destination where they were supposed to gather.

The rest of the group was too exhausted to keep fighting monsters, so Damian used Dreamlight to locate the gathering place instead. It wasn’t difficult—he could already sense several powerful third-rankers ahead. They had built a small military camp, with numerous strong second-rankers performing various tasks.

Yet, it wasn’t the army that caught Damian’s attention—it was what lay at the center of the camp.

A sword.

A massive, towering sword.

Half-buried in the sand, yet still standing at least three hundred meters above the ground, its worn leather pommel and handle were exposed to the open air.

And it wasn’t made of stone—it was pure metal.

Stranger still, strange runes covered its surface. That made sense now. The rare metal they had been retrieving wasn’t from a cave—it was from this. A real, colossal sword forged from the mysterious material.

The Highsword members had already set up a perimeter and shielding devices to keep the monsters at bay. Even so, the camp was temporary, limited by the dungeon’s restriction of only one hundred people per plane. The second-rankers were treated as mere soldiers, handling odd jobs while the higher ranks focused on their objective.

Sunkeeper was present. Worldscribe too. But Damian couldn’t sense Voidshaper anywhere. There were other third-rankers as well—some he recognized from the meeting in the Obsidian Bastion, while others were new faces.

Damian landed Dreamlight near the camp, setting up a barrier box tool to protect it.

“What is happening here?” Alex asked as they landed, taking in the crowd.

“Why are so many Highswords gathered?” Sariel added. Enjoy new tales from My Virtual Library Empire

Karl muttered, “Something big is going on..”

It was time to tell them why they were here. But with the Highswords approaching, Damian simply told the others to follow his lead—he would explain later. None of them questioned him, merely agreeing without hesitation. Even Alex, surprisingly, seemed to have placed a little trust in him.

Worldscribe and Sunkeeper approached Dreamlight with their supporters, inviting them to the camp. Damian walked with them as they explained what they knew about the sword and the metal it was made from.

But he only half-listened.

The closer he got to the massive sword, the more incredible it seemed. The runes etched into its surface were enormous. The language bore some resemblance to what he had seen in this civilization, yet it appeared even more advanced.

Lumi had already started copying it.

They knew little about the sword’s origin or history and had long stopped caring about such details. Instead, they focused on what truly mattered to them—the metal’s incredible potential for runic devices and its various applications.

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