abnabooks Chapter 40 The Power of Runes
Chapter 40 The Power of Runes
"So weak."
Standing before the black wolf's corpse, Chen Zheng held a long sword, somewhat surprised by the 'power' of his strike.
The slash felt incredibly natural and smooth, as if he had casually beheaded the mutated black wolf as if taking a leisurely stroll.
Was he too strong, or was this mutated black wolf too weak?
Awooo!
The remaining four black wolf beasts howled in alarm and anger, dropped their food, and three pounced on Chen Zheng, while the other pounced on Jiang Mo, who had stood up on the slope.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The black wolf's figure moved like the wind, appearing in front of Chen Zheng like three black shadows, stirring up a bloody wind, and suddenly pounced.
Because they were so close, Chen Zheng could almost smell the stench of blood from the black wolf's mouth, see its ferocious fangs, and witness the cruelty and savagery in its cold eyes.
If an ordinary rune user were faced with this scene, they would definitely be shaken, nervous, and at a loss, but...
Roar!
In the Abyss Plane, the Black Flame Demon Dragon, which had been lying on the hillside, suddenly roared, its demonic power overwhelming. At the same time, Chen Zheng's gaze turned cold, his blood and qi erupted, and his blade spun with him.
Split the sea!
boom!
The black blade flashed like a bolt of lightning, its speed so great that it tore the air apart, emitting a sharp whistling sound, and in an instant, it swept past the head of the mutated black wolf on the left.
The mutated black wolf in the middle was the first to leap up and was directly cut in half by the black blade. The black wolf on the far right was also split in two diagonally by the blade because of its posture!
Whoosh! Chen Zheng's figure passed by the three mutated black wolves in mid-air.
Thump thump thump!! The corpses of the three mutated black wolves crashed to the ground, their heads rolling, hot entrails mixed with blood spraying everywhere, staining the grass red.
With a flick of his wrist, Chen Zheng shook off a drop of blood from the Black Cloud Blade before turning back to look.
"Be careful!"
Jiang Mo drew his sword and stood in front of Li Tang. The sword was sharp and fierce. He thrust the sword into the eyes of the mutated black wolf that was pouncing on it, rather than its head or body.
A howl! A foul wind howled as the mutated black wolf slammed its claw onto the longsword, the force of a tiger's strike deflecting the sword aimed at its eye.
Just then, Jiang Mo used the momentum to take a step forward and charged forward, changing his longsword from a thrust to a drag, narrowly avoiding the mutated black wolf.
puff! !
The longsword, forged from a hundred-times-refined alloy, was incredibly sharp, leaving a massive gash over a meter long and deep enough to expose bone on the mutated black wolf.
"Sure." Chen Zheng's eyes showed surprise upon seeing this.
Although this guy doesn't like fighting, he's brave enough to fight when something happens, and he's also very adaptable. He's not the kind of person who just memorizes moves.
Hey!
The wounded mutated black wolf landed on the ground, its eyes bloodshot, its claws, several tens of centimeters long, extended, and its aura became even more dangerous.
Seeing this, Chen Zheng took a step forward...
Boom! A streak of cyan light flashed like a shooting star from Bai Su's hand, and instantly the head of the mutated black wolf more than ten meters away exploded, splattering blood and flesh everywhere.
Huh? Jiang Mo, Li Tang, and Chen Zheng all paused.
"gun?"
Although martial arts flourish in this world, thanks to advancements in materials, firearms have not only not disappeared from the scene, but have instead made significant progress.
For example, firearms; the most common firearms issued to the military are now more than ten times more powerful than before.
Exquisite craftsmanship results in a more robust gun body, more powerful crystal powder gunpowder, and sturdy bullets that reduce air resistance.
However, in order to maintain the purity of martial arts, students at top martial arts universities are prohibited from using firearms.
Of course, there are no restrictions when going out on missions, and you can even apply for some powerful equipment to enrich your combat methods.
Bai Su shook her head: "It's not a gun, it's a rune stone."
As she spoke, Bai Su opened her hand, revealing a triangular black stone about the size of a thumb. The stone's texture was the same as the inscription board they used to learn how to inscribe runes.
However, unlike extruded inscribed stone slabs, this black stone is a naturally formed mineral.
Clear rune marks are engraved on the stone, some of which even penetrate the stone, allowing one to see the other side.
"The inscription on this is the Swiftness Rune, a multi-structured rune composed of three basic runes. When infused with vital energy, it can instantly burst forth at extremely high speed, enough to pierce through steel plates and cause an explosion."
Jiang Mo stroked his chin: "I've seen this in the logistics department. It seems to cost 30 points to exchange for one."
"Oh, I see." Li Tang, who hadn't paid attention to these things before, nodded in realization.
Just when Chen Zheng thought that these runes were exchanged by Bai Su to prepare for this trial, the girl shook her head and said, "I copied them myself."
"Engrave it yourself!" Jiang Mo's mouth dropped open, even more shocked than when he saw Chen Zheng kill the mutated black wolf with a single strike.
"During the winter break, I had nothing to do at home, and I gained some insights into the various rune structures, so I replicated some rune stones to practice."
"So not only Swiftness, but I also replicated more than ten other runes."
"For example, Fireball, Flash, Shock, Dispel..." Bai Su said, opening the backpack she was carrying, which contained dozens of runestones of different sizes and shapes.
"Runestone." Chen Zheng was also somewhat surprised.
Initially, he thought that Bai Su's "achievements" in runes were just slightly better than theirs, that she was more perceptive of rune structures, and that she was among the top students in her grade.
Later, when Chen Zheng lent her the multi-structured rune book, he raised his evaluation of her, but he did not expect that she was already able to independently replicate rune stones.
Runestones are one of two applications of multi-rune structures; the other is rune arrays.
After a brief moment of surprise, Li Tang cheered excitedly, "Su Su, you're amazing! You actually inscribed so many rune stones. We're counting on you for this trial."
"I can't do it alone," Bai Su shook her head.
"Although I brought a lot of rune stones, I have no combat experience. When we encounter mutated creatures, I need someone to hold them off." Bai Su said, looking at Chen Zheng.
Of the five mutated black wolves, Chen Zheng single-handedly killed four of them cleanly and efficiently, and she witnessed it all.
Chen Zheng smiled and said, "No problem. I'll hold off the mutated creatures head-on, and you, Bai, will cover the rear and finish them off."
Speaking of this, Jiang Mo couldn't help but exclaim, "Chen Zheng, you truly live up to your reputation as a level nine martial artist. Killing these mutated creatures is as easy as chopping melons and vegetables for you."
"Fortunately, the main problem is that these mutated creatures are of relatively low level."
Is it low?
It might be a bit low for Chen Zheng, but for level six martial artist Jiang Mo and level seven martial artist Li Tang, it could easily lead to injury if they weren't careful.
Buzz! Chen Zheng, Bai Su, and Jiang Mo's personal terminals vibrated slightly, receiving a notification that they had earned contributions.
"2 points of contribution".
"I'm at 4 o'clock."
As they spoke, Bai Su and Jiang Mo both looked down at Chen Zheng on the hillside.
Chen Zheng raised his wrist, displaying a projection on his personal terminal: "I have 32 points."
Li Tang also opened her personal terminal: "The instructions below state that the trial contribution points are calculated based on individual contributions, regardless of whether you are in a team or alone."
"SuSu killed the mutated black wolf Jiang Mo stabbed with a sword, so the two of them each got a share. The remaining four were killed by Chen Zheng alone, so all the contributions belong to you."
As he spoke, Chen Zheng clicked on the contribution description below, which also included contribution calculations.
Killing a level 1 mutated creature earns 1 contribution point, level 2 earns 2 points, level 3 earns 4 points, level 4 earns 6 points, level 5 earns 8 points, and level 6 earns 10 points.
When you reach level seven, your contribution increases to 15 points; level eight to 25; and level nine to 40.
One point can be converted into one credit, which means that Chen Zheng killing one level nine mutated creature is equivalent to two Fire Orchids.
Chen Zheng's eyes lit up when he saw this.
It's clear that the school is encouraging students to fight; the more mutated creatures they kill, the more points they get, and those who rank high receive extra rewards.
"Which way?"
"There's a grove of low trees over there. All living things like to hide there. Let's go take a look."
All four were martial artists and moved very fast. In no time, they arrived at the edge of the forest several kilometers away. As soon as they got close, the bushes dozens of meters away suddenly shook.
Bang!
Branches shattered, and a mutated rhinoceros, three meters tall at the shoulder and more than five meters long, covered in gray keratin, roared out, like a heavily armored tank.
Despite being a rhinoceros, it let out a low roar like a lion, and its thick footprints shook the ground with each step, causing the soil to churn!
"Scatter, all of you!" Chen Zheng roared.
The distance of several dozen meters flashed by, and in the instant the four fell to the sides, the mutated giant rhinoceros almost grazed Bai Su's backpack as it rushed past, its heavy hooves slamming into the ground and shattering it.
"I'll hold it back, Bai, you see what opportunity comes."
As he spoke, Chen Zheng flashed forward, lowered his body, and pounced on the mutated giant rhinoceros that had suddenly stopped after charging dozens of meters away.
Roar!
The mutated giant rhinoceros turned its head, and its huge curved horn rammed into Chen Zheng as it raised its head. At that moment, Chen Zheng had already drawn his sword, and the 1.4-meter-long blade transformed into a streak of light.
Tear!!
The sharp blade flashed slightly, crossing the giant rhinoceros's horn, and struck the keratinous skin below its belly with lightning speed, tearing a wound more than two meters long and several centimeters deep.
Compared to the giant rhinoceros's thick dermis, this level of wound only touched the muscle, and no blood was drawn.
"Chen Zheng, close your eyes!"
Upon hearing Bai Su's voice, Chen Zheng, who appeared more than ten meters behind the mutated giant rhinoceros, subconsciously closed his eyes, and instantly a dazzling light exploded in front of him and the giant rhinoceros.
Roar! Suddenly blinded by the blinding light, the mutated giant rhinoceros let out a furious roar.
"Now!" Chen Zheng turned and stepped forward, his figure appearing beside the mutated giant rhinoceros like an arrow released from a bow. He leaped up and gripped his sword with both hands.
kill!
Chen Zheng let out a long roar, his back undulating and raging like a great dragon, his muscles bulging, his fascia taut, and his power gathering in his arms as his blood and qi circulated.
Mountain Collapse!