The Runesmith

“Shit, what was it again? I can’t remember… is this ascension-induced amnesia? So that’s how it feels like?”

Roland grasped his head while trying to remember some of the knowledge he gained related to his new class. There were holes in his memory whenever he tried to remember some of the specifics that transpired during the ascension trial into the Overlord class. This was something that he expected after failing in his transformation but it was still a strange feeling.

First of all, he only remembered some parts but mostly the beginning. It was kind of a blur after defeating the first commander unit and getting past the tutorial phase of the whole trial. After that he couldn’t really remember anything specific, the path that he took was defensive in nature but he couldn’t remember which specific upgrades he went with first. Everything specific that could be seen as an advantage was being forgotten but some partial events were still there.

This wasn’t anything new to him as he had read up on situations where people had failed their trials. In some situations, people would be left with nothing and could only recall activating a trial before appearing back in the real world with no recollection of anything. However, sometimes bits and pieces would be left behind and some theories floated around proclaiming that a high enough resistance to mind-related effects could help alleviate this disadvantage.

He could recall the monster that he was fighting and its huge mace going toward his head. It was like waking up from a nightmare as he was also covered in a cold sweat. If he didn’t have the crumbled pieces of the ascension crystal in his hands he could even believe that. Even though he had forgotten a lot there was some information that would allow him to probably go into the next one with more preparation.

‘I guess bunkering up in a fortress won’t work… How much time did I even spend there? It’s like a blur but it must have been multiple months… could it have been close to a year?’

Roland had lost his perception of time, it was like waking up from a fever dream. Luckily he knew what to do to keep some of his memories intact. When straining his brain on the dream-like experience he could recall some of the key events that led to his downfall as an overlord. Through this method he could collect bits and pieces of the puzzle which he could then try to assemble later.

The main one was his decision to stick to his comfort zone. After managing to defend his own home through turrets, mines, and other traps he tried to do the same. While it took less to defend a reinforced position like a castle there was a limit. If the invading armies were too large in number or were equipped with state-of-the-art siege weaponry, there was no chance of him winning.

‘I think I put on a good defense, I remember lasting out for a while… but that won’t work if the victory conditions are different.’

Through his blunder, he recalled his worst mistake. There was no winning by only defending in this trial, it became clear that only by dominating everything would he gain the title of overlord. Considering that this title presented itself as a lord towering over all the other lords, it was obvious that he needed to take them all out to achieve victory.

‘Perhaps this is the difference between the two classes.’

While getting up from his chair he recalled the High-Lord variant of his class. It wouldn’t be strange to assume that that class version would have a similar trial. It happened often when the classes came from the same source and had a similar naming scheme. Considering that his High-Lord class was lower on the totem pole, it might have been more lenient with him and his approach of defending could have garnered him a passing grade. Now on the other hand he was left wondering how much time he would lose due to his blunder.

“It was twenty-four hours for a regular class change but considering that this was a special tier 3 ascension trial, this could take longer.”

This was something that Roland didn’t want to happen. Failing a trial wasn’t the end of the world and it could be retaken later, however, there was one problem. There was always a waiting period that continuously grew the more a person failed. The time he entered the ascension zone when he hit level hundred and fifty didn’t count as he left before activating the test but now he had actually gone through it all.

‘The period usually doubles after each failure but sometimes it could go over that, it will all depend on how much I have to wait now.’

There was no way for him to tell how long the cooldown for the crystal would take. There was no problem in getting new ones and he had one already stashed away for this location. Resources weren’t the problem, the only thing he was worried about was time. Usually, a person that failed a class-up would need to wait for a day for the next one to become unlocked to him. Then if they failed again it would take two days, then four, and so on.

He had heard of some cases where people were unable to get through their trials no matter how much they tried. Tier 3 class tests were a notch above the rest and usually had a longer cooldown period than just one day. Some people would remain without a new class even for years without an option to switch to something easier. Others would quickly change to something lesser after realizing that they did not have the skills required to progress in a more prestigious class.

“I just hope nothing happens before I change classes.”

Roland had to take into consideration that he was ill-prepared to take the Overlord test. Perhaps even if the trial unlocked tomorrow it would have been better to continue leveling the skills that weren’t maxed. There was also an option to gain some new skills through skill books before the second or third attempt. While this was the better way to approach things, in his mind, there was no time.

With the emergence of the higher-ranked dungeon, the place would start to swarm with people that could make life difficult for him. The reason he chose to come here was that the dungeon was a mid-rank dungeon that lacked anything to attract tier 3 class holders. His only cover was his engagement with Arthur Valerian which made him somewhat untouchable inside the city, that is if no other nobles were involved. Now that this place had become an investment opportunity he wasn’t sure if some troublesome people would arrive.

“What should I do to prepare?”

After cleaning up the crystal dust from the workbench and looking over the other class change crystal he decided to return to his house. There he was greeted by Agni who didn’t really know why his master was in such a depressing mood.

“Maybe I didn’t go through those strategy books thoroughly enough?”

Considering that when he was going through all the books at the Arden estate when he was a small child, it was already a wonder that he remembered this much. His intelligence value that allowed his memory to be boosted only started to really help after he gained his mage class. It wasn’t strange that he wasn’t able to read into the crux of the strategy from books.

Gaining knowledge through books also had its limit and he certainly did not have any teachers explaining anything. The only thing he gained from back then was basic battle training and an idea of how to survive in the world. The next years were mostly used to study his craft as a runic blacksmith and then runesmith. There was no time to waste on learning obscure war techniques that he had no use of.

Even if he was sent off into war his role would probably consist of making runic weapons and not directing troops or taking part in the battle. There was just no point in time that he would have required that data and it was probably one of the reasons that he failed.

“Where could I get information on how to lead a fort or command troops… Wait, I think there were books about that in his office…”

Roland frowned a bit as he realized where his next destination was. Arthur Valerian was a noble and he had an excessive library in his own office and now new home. There were books on all sorts of things when it came to running a city. When he visited him from time to time he was left looking at bookshelves filled with books, some of them were related to combat out on the field. If he wanted to actually go out and conquer others, then he would need the basic tactics to go along with them.

“It wouldn’t hurt to refresh my knowledge, maybe I’ll find the things that I missed.”

There was no reason not to go there and go through the written information. The only uncomfortable part would be his explanation. Arthur could start asking questions and telling him the details of his tier 3 class-up test was off the table. They weren’t really friends either so perhaps a trade needed to be struck. There was also a library in the city that could have some historical records or tips.

“I guess I’ll go to the library first and then try to think of a way to get Arthur to lend me those books…”

After groaning a bit he decided to return to his workshop. Once there, after grabbing a hammer he started destroying the same golem that he used his new skill on. It was the middle of the night and he was not tired at all. Using this time to level up his skills was the best way to prepare. Once dawn came he was quick to pack up and head to the library where some new knowledge could be gained.

When he arrived at the building that he had never really visited before he was greeted by an old lady inside. This reminded him of some places he used to study back in college. Compared to the modern library in his old world, this one was rather small. After asking for books about warfare or old records of battles he was met with mostly silence. Considering that knowledge was power, nobles did their best at hiding things that could make the populace rowdy. Thus instead of getting some precise information, he was only left with some old historical records that he would need to interpret in his own way.

“Good that I learned this skill beforehand.”

Hastened Reading L9

Skill Passive

Allows a person to read through text at an increased pace.

While dropping a few old historical books at an old wooden table he glanced at this skill. The reason he picked it up was to quickly go through contracts but it also allowed him to read books at a rapid pace. From the outside, it seemed like he was skimming through the pages but in reality, he was able to remember and then recall everything he went through.

This was the max-level version of the skill for tier 2 class holders. It could be learned by anyone with a high enough intelligence rating and it had no class restrictions. Thanks to him going through various runic books that he received from his friend at the academy he was able to level the skill up rather fast. The harder the theme that a person was going through the faster would this skill level up.

Even with the skill working and his reading being quick it would take some time to get through the books here. Considering that a lot of information here was things that he already knew there was no use in spending more than a few hours going through it. Without anything specific he could only take in old battle records that would require him to recreate the tactics himself.

“Thank you, please come again.”

Lending out books wasn’t really a thing here as no one had any time to monitor lent-out books. A person could either stay in the library to read a book for a few coins or just right out buy it if they wanted. With this just being a small-scale undertaking in a rather backwater city, it wasn’t strange that it was mostly a waste of time. The things that were written down here weren’t anything new and thus his next stop would be at the Valerian villa.

‘Should I give them a heads up?’

This was actually the first time he was there without Arthur assigning some type of work to him. Usually, he would get a commission of some sort which he either delivered himself if there was something to explain or just gave it to one of the delivery boys. Roland was not one to ask for favors so this encounter was becoming quite stressful.

‘Should I just talk to Mary instead? Arthur does seem to suspect that I’m some kind of noble though, he might be okay if I just ask him…’

It didn’t go unnoticed that Arthur was very lenient with him. Other nobles would have probably reprimanded him whenever he used unflattering language or performed the usual greeting in the wrong fashion. This didn’t help him with the problem at hand, how should he ask for the books without making it sound strange and suspicious? While he sent a quick message to the villa he continued about a good way of bringing it up.

“Master Wayland, please come in.”

He nodded at the guards at the gate that let him through without complicating things. This time around it wasn’t Mary but the butler that was once the mayor of the city that was the one greeting him. Considering that he was a competent craftsman with a lot of potentials this was the proper way to handle him. Probably if Arthur knew that he was at the cusp of reaching tier 3 he would have offered him a bigger greeting.

“Is Mary here?”

“No, she has other things to tend to, would you like me to pass a message to her, Master Wayland?”

“Uh, no that’s fine.”

His first plan of having Mary go ask the question for him was shot down by the butler. He didn’t know the man too well and felt more relaxed around the assassin maid. For some reason, he couldn’t get himself to trust this man so he would need to go with plan B.

“Is Lord Arthur present and it he is, would a meeting be possible?”

“Yes, the lord is in his office, please wait a moment and I’ll go ask.”

To his surprise, he wasn’t rejected outright; instead, the butler just told him to wait. After only five minutes of waiting, he was then asked to go to Arthur’s office where the lord was going through some papers. It seemed that Arthur had told his retainers and villa staff to treat him as a VIP. There were no roadblocks for him and even without having made a proper appointment, he was greeted with open arms.

‘Could he be aware of my true level?’

This would make more sense if his new ‘partner’ knew of him being close to tier 3. Perhaps the platinum party had given him a report on the situation in the dungeon where he was able to clear out some tier 3 monsters without their help. This could have been enough for Arthur to assume that Roland was in fact stronger than he seemed. There were also no witnesses back at his home to recount how the Lich had died, it wouldn’t be strange to assume that he was strong.

“Mr. Wayland, come in. You’ll have to excuse me for this mess but I didn’t expect you to visit me today.”

“I’ll have to apologize for coming at a moment’s notice.”

Soon he found himself walking into the office which looked quite chaotic. Arthur’s whole desk had a pile of books and papers on it which allowed Roland to only see the top of his head. It was clear that he was busy with something which would perhaps make things easier to explain.

“No need to apologize but what is the purpose of your visit today?”

“I came to ask for a favor.”

“For a favor?”

Arthur quickly replied while continuing to focus not on Roland but on the parchments in his hand.

“Yes, I’ve been working on a new runic operating system for a new golem design, If it wouldn’t be a bother, could I borrow some books related to warfare?”

“Warfare?”

“Yes, I’m working on golems that could work together with soldiers out on the field but I’m just a runesmith so knowing about the tactics the current armies use would be a lot of help…”

It was the thing he came up with which was only partially a lie. In the trial area, he was building golems, and if he could program a few battle strategies into their operating systems, then it could help him.

“Ah… yeah sure, Ferdinand.”

“Yes, My Lord?”

“Help Master Wayland get the research material that he needs and oh right, there might be some books that catch his eye here so help him out.”

“Of course.”

To Roland’s surprise, Arthur didn’t mind him borrowing books and he was actually quick to catch on. The books in his office were the usual ones that were printed at the knight academy which some nobles frequented. It wasn’t strange for Arthur to have them and lending them out wouldn’t be a problem as most knights in commanding positions had gone through them as well as other nobles.

…

“Why did he want those books?”

“I wonder why… Did he figure something out?”

“I’m not sure it’s related, it might actually just be research material for a new golem design, Lord Arthur.”

“Yes… we should not worry about Master Wayland, if he knew what was coming he might have actually left the city.”

After Roland’s visit Mary and Arthur were the only two people left in his office. The untidy desk had been cleaned out by the maid and both of them were looking at an opened letter. The crest of the Valerian Household had been imprinted on the seal that was opened.

“They will arrive here in two weeks and I’m not sure what my dear brother is planning to do… have you found some capable allies?”

“Regretfully the team of adventurers we recently hired might not arrive in time again, they have been delayed and I'm not sure if that Guild Master will be of much help either.”

“Hah… No worries, we’ll just have to hold up long enough for the cavalry to arrive…”

Both of them remained silent while looking at the opened letter. It wasn’t something that they could ignore nor did they know who the people arriving would be. They could only hope that the preparations that they went through would be enough but as it stood now, things were looking bleak.