Chapter 227: Power Of Runes Mynes, oblivious to his thoughts, raised her hand. "That’s the power of a basic rune," she declared, her voice suddenly taking on the weight of an actual professor.. "Runes are far older than spellcraft. In fact, they are the ancient language that the first mages, our ancestors in magic used before spellcraft was even discovered. Spells became the dominant form of magic because they are faster, more flexible in combat, and easier to standardize. But despite that, they could never outmatch the versatility of runes. That is why runes remain a major field of study even today." Azel listened, why wouldn’t he? She actually sounded very credible right now... If one walked in, Mynes could even be a real professor. She went on, her tone growing reverent. "Runes are carved pieces of meaning. Every curve, every line, every point is an anchor that ties your intent to the world. Where spells flare and fade, runes remain. They last as long as the inscription survives and the mana flows into them. In short... runic magic is not a tool for battle alone. It is the skeleton of civilization." Azel blinked. That... was actually pretty good. Maybe she wasn’t as hopeless as he thought. "But the true power of runes isn’t in casting magic," Mynes continued as she spread her arms wide, like a stage performer about to unveil her trick. "Runes are supplements. They are meant for support. That’s what makes them so powerful. For example..." The desks around them suddenly began to glow. Fine rune patterns etched into their surfaces flared to life, tracing across the wood with pale blue light. And then the desks began to float. "Oi—" Azel’s chair lurched out from under him. He fell forward, nearly landing face-first, but twisted midair and pushed off the edge of a spinning desk, landing in a crouch on the stone floor. His boots skidded slightly, after all he was holding himself back constantly. The academy was very strict about paying for damages and he was trying to avoid any extra bills, having a child was already expensive enough. "Hm?" He glanced up at the levitating furniture, his eyes narrowed before landing squarely on Mynes. "Wow, nice reflexes," she said cheerfully, clapping once. She looked entirely unbothered by the chaos of twenty tables and even more chairs bobbing around like balloons. "Now, as I was saying... I didn’t need to cast a spell for this. The runes do the work, and because they’re inscribed properly, I can control them freely." To prove her point, she twirled her finger in the air. Every single desk and chair rotated in sync, swirling around the classroom in an elaborate dance before halting in midair. With a snap of her fingers, they all descended neatly into their original places. Azel raised a brow despite himself. That was impressive. Even more, it was practical. He could already see hundreds of ways to abuse such a rune... Well that was if he managed to learn it anyway. "Though you aren’t learning high-level runes right now." Mynes dusted her coat off and strolled to the chalkboard. "I’ll be teaching you three foundational runes over the next few days. If you can master them without stumbling too much, then maybe I’ll show you an advanced rune. Something like what I just did." Azel sighed and leaned back in his chair. Of course. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶 Teachers always loved dangling carrots on sticks. He’d seen the same thing in the game: Professors promising "advanced secrets" if you worked hard enough. It was less a reward and more a cheap motivation tactic. Still... he wasn’t going to refute her. "What runes are you going to teach me?" he asked a bit excitedly. Mynes looked genuinely pleased. Her blue eyes lit up and her grin turning girlish, he regretted asking the question already. For Mynes, she was excited since this was her first time teaching, after all. She wouldn’t even be standing here if her mother hadn’t forced her to gain "practical experience." But seeing actual excitement show on her lone student’s face? She was feeling prideful! "Well then, listen closely. The first three runes you’ll engrave are the Tracking Rune, the Strengthening Rune, and the Motion Rune." She turned to the chalkboard and began sketching symbols with the chalk. The first symbol was a diamond-shaped outline with a spiral etched inside, crossing itself three times before meeting at the center. It was the Tracking Rune. Its shape resembled an eye endlessly turning inward and always seeking. The second symbol was simple but solid: a triangle with three horizontal lines cutting through it, stacked evenly. It was the Strengthening Rune. It looked basic but based on it’s name, Azel guessed it doubled strength or something. The third symbol curved in a sweeping arc, like a crescent moon, but with sharp hooks branching out on either end. It was the Motion Rune. It almost looked like a gust of wind trapped mid-spin. "These three," Mynes said, circling them dramatically with her chalk, "are all attributeless runes. That means they don’t require elemental affinity... only regular mana. Their strength comes from how you use them in battle, not raw power." She tapped the first symbol. "Let’s begin with the Tracking Rune. As the name implies, this rune can be placed on enemies, animals, objects — anything you like. Once inscribed, you will always be able to sense its location. If someone steals your weapon, you can find it. If your ally gets separated, you can locate them. It is one of the most versatile support runes in existence." Azel’s lips twitched. ’I needed something like this in my past life,’ he thought bitterly. He could still remember the number of times he had lost his phone somewhere stupid, like under his pillow, or in the fridge of all places. A rune like this would have saved him hours of his life. ’If only...’ "For that, you’ll first need to learn how to draw runes properly." Mynes clapped the chalk dust off her hands and turned toward him expectantly. "So, tell me, Class Rep... can you draw them?" Azel stared at her. "If I was able to draw them, I would have already done so," he sighed.