Bastion and Lilia continued their tour of the territory, carrying the knowledge that they would likely have to leave the kingdom once they both reached Rank 2. Bastion estimated it wouldn't take long.
Killing a million Rank 2 creatures and below could yield around 20 levels when divided with the army, meaning a few Dungeon of Despair runs that burned through their ammunition would likely suffice. Reaching Rank 3, however, would take a thousand years, time Bastion had no intention of waiting out.
He was far too eager to see the rest of the world to stay in one place for that long. An Earth human lifetime, perhaps, but with their current lifespan, that would be madness.
They toured villages, towns, and cities, inspecting finances and operations without much trouble. It seemed Count Veymar had already informed the other nobles of Bastion's intentions, so they were unusually open with their paperwork.
This allowed Bastion to accurately gauge how much the nobles were skimming from their profits, which turned out to be surprisingly modest. He had recently gathered enough resources to train a Scribe, a significant amount of wealth, yet the nobles seemed content with pocketing only a few platinum coins here and there.
Since the money wasn't going to the people anyway, Bastion wasn't particularly judgmental about it. All of it was going toward their debt, and as long as the territory as a whole met the minimum requirements, he had no trouble overlooking a bit of corruption.
As for Lilia, Bastion fully supported her switch from Elemental Magic to Rune Magic. This branch of magic used runes for more than just enchanting, rituals, or writing. It functioned much like spellcasting, but was overall easier once enough runes were learned and understood.
She didn't need to memorize multiple spell models or juggle complex intents. All she had to do was select the necessary combination of runes, infuse mana into them, and activate the sequence to produce the desired effect. In essence, it was still spellcasting, only without the use of intricate 3D models.
It saved on memory capacity, or Wisdom, and prioritized Intelligence for casting spells, which suited Lilia given her lack of talent. This allowed her to focus entirely on the Intelligence stat with her free status points without worrying about lacking the Wisdom needed to memorize complex higher-ranked spell models.
Thus, they made their way to the Mages' Guild, registered their guild cards, and joined before purchasing all manner of rune-related books to bolster her knowledge.
Bastion was tempted to join as well, but he chose to focus on his own profession instead. He knew he would only be biting off more than he could chew if he tried to take on Runes too. He was already tied up with both Smithing and Enchanting, so adding Runes on top of that was too much.
They continued touring the territory on their own for the next half a year until it was finally time for Lilia to rank up.
Their final stop brought them to the Great Forest, near the wolfkin village, the last destination of their tour. Lilia, however, could wait no longer and was ready to advance in rank.
"Are you sure about this, Lilia?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Alright, bite onto this, and don't be embarrassed to scream. It helps relieve the pain," Bastion said as he placed a makeshift mouthguard made of wood wrapped in leather into her mouth.
He then prepared a special tattoo gun he had built while studying enchanting.
Lilia lay bare on her stomach across the table, her skin betraying only the faintest tremor of anticipation as Bastion steadied his hand.
He started outlining the runes she had chosen for her back. The runes she picked were those that helped increase mana regeneration, toughness, and reduce her presence. She wanted survivability while also boosting her mana regeneration to make up for her lack of Wisdom. To that end, she focused on toughness to withstand physical attacks and reducing her presence so she would be less likely to be targeted first.
There were other runes she had considered, but too many inscribed on the body would cause overload. If that happened, her mana would start draining uncontrollably, canceling out the benefit of the regeneration rune entirely. In the end, she settled for these three, the most practical combination to maximize both her survivability and mana regeneration.
The reason she had decided on this course was simple. Bastion and Seraphina had both endured ordeals when they pursued their Rank 3 classes. Bastion had endured having his body infused with diamonds to attain his Diamond Knight class, while Seraphina had been burned with phoenix fire to earn her Phoenix Mage class. Seraphina also recalled receiving the Battle Alchemist class, likely a result of surviving repeated accidents with caustic or poisonous substances. From these examples, Lilia came to a clear conclusion. If she wanted a Rank 3 class of her own, she would have to suffer as well.
It took Bastion 6 hours to finish tattooing her back, the steady buzz of the tool blending with her muffled cries. The runes stretched in a long sequence from the base of her neck all the way down to her tailbone. There were 9 runes that detailed the specific effects she wanted, 3 for each. One rune signified self or combine, one rune represented the effect, and a third served as a supporting rune for enhancement.
For the ink, Bastion had used Rank 2 materials, hoping to increase her chances of securing a class. Normally, tattooed enchantments carried an expiration date, their power fading over time unless the materials were of exceptional quality. But if a class acknowledged and reinforced the runes, that temporary enhancement could instead become permanent.
"Alright, it's done," Bastion said at last.
"Okay. Wish me luck," Lilia replied, bracing herself before triggering her rank up.
A few seconds later, a faint glow spread across her body, the runes etched into her skin burning briefly with light before dimming again. Then Lilia's eyes shot open. She pushed herself upright with a sudden burst of energy, the mouth guard clattering to the floor.
"It worked!" she exclaimed, her voice carrying both relief and giddy triumph. "Bastion, it actually worked! I got a Rank 3 class!"
Still naked, she jumped on him off the table, hugging him tightly from excitement.
Bastion smiled while holding her, careful to avoid the new tattoo on her back. Once she calmed down, Bastion sat her on the table before asking,
"So? Let's see it then."
"Oh, right!"
She blanked out for a second before finally saying, "Status."
[Name]: Lilia
[Age]: 26
[Class]: Rune Mage (Rank 3), Mystic Water Mage (Rank 2)
[Ability]: Rune Body, Mystic Water
[Rank]: Rank 1
[Level]: 120
[Health]: 40/40
[Mana]: 310/310
[Strength]: 4
[Dexterity]: 4
[Vitality]: 4
[Intelligence]: 31
[Wisdom]: 9
[Charm]: 4
[Status Points]: 0
[Arts]: Water Magic 4, Spell Weaving 4, Enchanting 3, Summoning 3, Runes 3, Staff 2, Cooking 1, Cleaning 1, Traps 1
[Skills:]: Water Barrier 4, Water Curtain 4, Mystic Mend 3, Mystic Veil 3, Mystic Downpour 3, Summon Familiar (Misty) 3, Frost Ray 3, Mage Hand 3, Shocking Grasp 3, Minor Illusion 3, Amplify 3, Dash 3, Dodge 3, Rune Casting 1, Rune Imbuement 1, Rune Infusion 1, Rune Circle 1, Rune Guardian 1
[Skill Points]: 70
[Rune Body]: Amplifies and permanently stabilizes the effects of selected runes inscribed on the user's body. Runes can be added, removed, or replaced at will. Increases mana regeneration and magic resistance.
[Rune Casting]: Activates selected runes instantly to cast a spell, allowing seamless and rapid spellcasting. Effect scale with the mana invested in the runes.
[Rune Imbuement]: Transfers the effects of selected runes directly onto a living target through close contact. The effect persists based on the mana invested in the runes.
[Rune Infusion]: Transfers the effects of selected runes directly onto a non-living target through close contact. The effect persists based on the mana invested in the runes.
[Rune Circle]: Creates a magic circle infused with selected runes, projecting their effects across an area. The potency and duration scale with the mana invested in the runes.
[Rune Guardian]: Summons a construct infused with the effects of selected runes. The construct acts autonomously to attack, defend, or support allies. Its power, durability, and duration scale with the mana invested in the runes.
Her new class was highly versatile, designed to convert all rune activations into fully functional skills. This greatly reduced the number of runes required to achieve the same effects, significantly streamlining her process. It worked similarly to Seraphina's Alchemist class, where certain procedures were accelerated to save time.
This was a major advantage for Lilia, as it allowed her to be battle-ready almost instantly. She could now focus solely on runes that carried effects, rather than managing every detail of a spell's release. For example, to cast a Fire Ball previously, she would have needed runes for ball, throw, speed, impact, force, fire, and more.
With her new class, she only needed Rune Casting with fire and force to produce the same result. She could also use the same runes with Rune Circle to create an active mine, drastically reducing her overall casting time while increasing her versatility.
"It's a bit redundant since I can already do everything this class does, but it makes casting so much easier," Lilia said. "There's also this Rune Guardian, which is a big boost to my defenses. Even when I'm alone, I won't have to struggle as much anymore."
"Congratulations, Lily," Bastion replied endearingly, giving her a quick kiss.
She swooned in his arms before pulling back.
"The tattoo doesn't hurt anymore," she said, slightly embarrassed by the nickname.
"That's good. And you can change it whenever you want."
"Yeah, this way I won't be stuck with this configuration, although it still requires materials to change it."
"No problem. Seraphina has been mass-producing ink for her Scribe class, so you'll never run out."
Lilia nodded, then noticed a slight draft. The operation had been done outside to give Bastion the space he needed, leaving her exposed on the table.
"Kyaa!" she screamed, scrambling for the carriage and quickly putting on some clothes.
Bastion laughed before looking south toward their next destination, the Wolfkin village, which could present complications, especially now that the Demon Lord had been defeated.
Would they continue the tradition or officially end their relationship?
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